Ridin' the Rails

So ... the next leg of our trip involved getting ourselves from SoCal where the Gees live to NorCal where Ms. Gee lives. When I helped move her into her new place last January, I couldn't help but notice that a train ran directly behind her uber hip apartment building. The idea for this Amtrak ride was hatched at that moment and carried to fruition last week. We paid (not a whole lot more) to get a "sleeping berth" even though we weren't spending the night. This was well worth it. We had our own little space, plenty of leg room, free meals in the dining car (where we held our pinkies out as we ate) and were basically treated as royalty. In fact, when we first got on the train, they kept trying to give us our complimentary bottles of champagne, and when we refused the third time, we got a little bitty bottles of Martinellis. When we arrived at Union Station in L.A. (above) we did not have to wait in any lines because the conductor came to us to take our tickets. To us. This may have raised my expectations of travelling to a level I can no longer (or ever did) get while flying.

sigh

For the entire "coastal" leg of the journey, we did not see the sun, but that was not a problem until I saw these grayish pictures. Who cares! It was gorgeous, interesting and engrossing. Neither of us cracked open a single one of the plethora of books/crosswords/electronic game devices that we carried with us. We just stared out the window and soaked up America.

sigh

Thanks Ms. Gee for being a fine travelling companion and for living somewhere that could plant the seed for this trip. Once we were in the Bay Area we hoofed it like professional tourists and continued to enjoy every second. And that, as they say, is ...

... to be continued.

How I Spent my Summer Vacation, Part I

So ... I have been away for almost two full weeks on a magical, marvelous, magnificent trip. Since my life now that I'm home is basically snores-ville, I will draw out the story of my adventures for posts and posts to come. Sorry. If that is also snore-inducing, at least help yourself to some scenic views.

These pics are all about the So Cal part of the trip which involved The Gees which includes the Mr. & Mrs. but most especially the L'il one. Ms. Gee (related to Mrs. Gee, but not by the "G") joined us before she and I continued on our own part of the tour. The picture above is from Newport Beach. The footprints belong to L'il Gee.

The pier belongs to the State of California I believe ... although PDaddy always claimed any pier as his own.

Here's the little guy playing with Auntie Gee's iphone which was a constant (and effective) source of blackmail and bribery. It's a little scary how adept he is on his own without any coaching. It doesn't hurt that his Auntie has several kid friendly apps.

I celebrated a birthday while I was there. If you are wondering how old I am then ... simply count the candles ... duh. Don't get so caught up in that delicious cake that you miss that grin on L'il Gee.

Stay tuned for our train ride from So Cal to Nor. Please try and stay awake.

Feeling' Crabby?

So ... I was feeling a wee bit crabby this weekend. Mostly (in fact entirely) due to the fact that I was wrenchingly ill. The. Entire. Weekend.

I soothed my soul by thinking about the fact that in not too long, I might smell me some ocean air and feel some temperatures that don't leave me drenched in sweat.

I am very, very grateful that I am on the mend.

Now ... bring on the breezes.

Promises Kept

So ... I promised you I rose garden and I will not disappoint! These were taken at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens last Saturday morning. I am just so grateful that last Saturday morning, I could stop and smell the roses. This Saturday morning my head is on the brink of total explosion, and smelling roses ... or anything else for that matter ... is quite out of the question. So today I will just enjoy the sweet memories.

And pray that my head will eventually clear and/or explode.

So ... in uncharacteristic fashion ... I offer you a picture of ... moi ... as proof that our lovely trip was not just a lovely dream. Try to focus on the Empire State Building.

Here we are at the NBC studios. I actually peeked into the famous "window" but alas, Matt and Meredith had long since left.

This picture is of a cemetery that lies directly across from Ground Zero. The headstones have dates from the 18th & 19th centuries. So ... not only did it withstand the wear of over 200 years, but it withstood the blasts and the fallout from the buildings. The church ... St. Paul's Chapel ... served as a place of refuge for the firefighters and other volunteers. We were very, very touched to be there.

This is a picture of my baby boy, Sonny Boy. When he was even smaller (before he exceeded 6 feet) he loved, loved, loved dinosaurs. It was quite a thrill to see him enjoy this exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. Right after this, I asked him if he would like me to send him his dinosaur sheets ... which I still have in my possession. He politely told me it was all right to keep them at my house. Isn't he sweet?

Sonny Boy and the Mrs. live in Brooklyn so we spent some time there. Yep, we ate hot dogs at Nathans on Coney Island. Probably the most delicious hot dog I have ever consumed. The ambience was superb.

Now this ... this ... was a highlight for sure. We were priviledged to land some 12th row seats at the Gershwin Theatre to see Wicked. I am not entirely certain that I breathed more than once or twice during the entire show. Fab. U. Lous.

But I honestly have to say that this picture depicts what was most awe-inspiring to me about the Big City. The Big-ness. The Crowded-ness. The Thrilling Feelings that those inspire.

Tomorrow (or next time ... I brought home a wicked cold as a souvenir and must be cut some slack) I will bring you some flowers. I will promise you a Rose Garden.

Till then ...

A really big bite from a really big apple

So ... here's a trick question for you: Is the ever-so-lovely picture above ... (a) our home, now that the summer folliage is in bloom, (b) a cottage where small creatures speak in squeaky voices and clean stuff without being asked or (c) Tavern on the Green in Central Park? The answer of course is (c), although we didn't go inside so (b) may still be an option.

Yep, we spent the last 6 days in the Big City. Wow ... is it BIG! What a thrill to see so many things I had read about (and seen on Law & Order) for so many years. (This was my first trip, PDaddy hadn't been there in 30 years.) I am black and blue from the constant pinching. The picture above was taken at the "Top of the Rock" at Rockefeller Center.

This picture of Radio City Music Hall ... not far from our hotel ... was the scene of the Tony Awards just two days later.

This picture is of our lovely and oh-so-serious tour guides, Sonny and Mrs. Boy. It was taken after a most delicious dinner at Joe's Shanghai in Chinatown ... home of the soup dumplings that are so delicious you want to cry.

And just in case you are wondering ... there are blog posts up the ying-yang with just some of the hundreds of pictures we took. Did I mention that we also walked miles and miles and ... miles?

Excuse me while I put my feet up and bask in the memories.

June's Official Ambassador

So ... June has busted out all over and I'm just tickled pink. A whole summer ahead to absorb some vitamin D, fry some eggs on the sidewalk and take a few side trips. Which shall it be first? A little sand between our toes?

A little wind in our sails?

Or this one. And just what could this one be?

Do tell.

Welcome to June. What are your June destinations?

Escape-i-chosis: A Real Disease

So ... remember how excited I am to be home and how much I missed my "normal" life and how nice it is not to take a 40 year old elevator down 6 floors in order to to my laundry?

Yeah. But as it turns out ... "normal" life is back with a vengence, and my "obligation-less" life that was boring me speechless a week ago is now the fodder of wistful memories.

The ol' calendar is full to the brim this week ... full of things I essentially enjoy and with people I have truly missed.

But ... they all take more energy than threading a needle and doing a crossword puzzle. All those little activities that I brought along to merely fill the time suddenly feel like they should be the essence of my day.

So ... how did this happen? Has this ever happened to you?

It stands to reason that I need a vacation. A three-hour tour would be perfect.

I just hope I pack enough evening gowns.

This ain't Iowa . . .

So . . . we're in Heaven. You know in "Field of Dreams" where they say "Is this Heaven?" and the answer is "No, it's Iowa". Well, we are living the revised version where Heaven isn't cornfields with baseball players hidden inside, it's sand and water and cool air with grandkids crawling all over the place.

I will go on the record as saying that our family has spent a great many vacations at the beach since our children have been grown, and it is . . . shall we say . . . not the same amount of unadulterated relaxation, with 2 children under the age of one. I will also go on the record as saying that it is even more splendid.

We have walked and walked and walked and I am sporting just a wee (yet firey) bit of sunburn. These pics were taken after we walked to a Barbeque joint with the grand-dog in tow. We have sat on the beach and have gazed out on the pier. (PDaddy is famous for his pier-gazing ways. This did not go over as well when the kids were young, but now they inherited the same . . . illness . . . shall we say.)

They also inherited his love of Barbeque.

Before I leave, I must add a small postscript: If you are from Iowa, I mean no offense. Everyone has their own definition of Heaven.

What's yours?