making it north

Remember how I posted yesterday, a transition day, all eager and such?  Heading north with Conrad to his hometown for a few nights?  Well, we made it here, but not as smoothly as hoped.  Thank you, United, for what was ultimately a small nuisance but felt like a colossal irritation a mere 24 hours or so ago.

Look! 

There I am, seated by the window, tons of leg space in the exit row, ready to conk out on my during-flight nap.  See how cheery I look!  And then we land, and... for some reason or another not at all explained to us, my bag was not loaded on the flight.  It would come on the next one.

Sigh.  Thank you again, United.

We could have hit the road north, but we figured it was only a couple of hours, so we would drive around town and pick up some things for our hotel room.  That brought us to a couple of grocery stores and the delightful world of Michigan and Wisconsin wines.  I absolutely love some of these wine names and labels. 

Clever!  I'm not sure they are to my taste - the frosting ones sound like they would be far too sweet

- but I kind of want to try them all.  Or have a wine tasting party!  That would be so much fun.  Another time, perhaps.

Anyway, the next flight kept getting delayed, so we decamped to the bar at Taverne in the Sky, which we know from past experience has green chartreuse.  I slowly sipped a Last Word,

we each had a very tasty burger as an early dinner, and by the time we were done, the plane was about to land.  When we got to the airport, by bag was there on the carousel.  I grabbed it, we got it in the car, and off we went to Escanaba.  A longer travel experience that expected or wanted, but we made it here.

transition day

Hey!  I know, I thought I would blog whilst in Chicago.  But no, I didn’t.  Sorry.  I’ll share thoughts soon on the conference, the city, the friends, the food.

Instead, for today it’s a quick Canada Day check in.  Conrad and I are in a Lyft to ORD, beginning the trip up to the UP.  Hello from the backseat!

Again, more to come.  See you all soon!

to Nashville!

So then, let's head back in time a number of days now.  A week ago this past Friday, the three of us headed to Burbank Airport,

boarded a plane, connected through Denver,

and made it to our hotel in Nashville in time for a late dinner.  Wow, quick summary, right?

I'll be going day by day through the trip in days ahead, and this is a baby step into it.  And a nice little baby step at that.  Oh, there was a delay in Denver, and we made it to our hotel in the dark.  Still, it was a decent suite, and we were able to get dinner at the hotel bar without trouble.  Good dinner, truly.  Biscuits and ham to share. 

A pork schnitzel for my main,

some macaroni and cheese to share. 

Yum!  I really liked both cocktails as well. 

The simple life was a terrific variation on a negroni - I loved the use of the sherry. 

The Joey the Builder was a love child of a boulevardier and a whiskey sour, and that was tasty, too. 

We did feel for the bartender, Nate - a wedding group (including bride and groom) of about 25 people came in, already drunk.  We asked the next day - no, they didn't tip as well as they should have.  Poor Nate.

That was the Friday.  Saturday had some fun things, so stay tuned! 

we're back!

More blogging to come, but just know this:  we're back!  A quick getaway to San Diego for me and Conrad, the train in both directions.  A lovely little getaway, too.  So, stay tuned to hear of our grand adventures in dining and such down south.

so... Tofino

I've put off writing up the Tofino vacation for at least a few days now.  First, I wanted to get over the bad cold (I mostly have).  Second, there was and is Christmas stuff to be done.  Third, that was a lot of money to end up sick on vacation.  I'm happy that Conrad and Van had such a nice time, but it's still a bitter pill to swallow that I had to cancel plans and not even get out onto the beach.

Sigh.

And the trip started out promisingly.  I was in good spirits and felt pretty fine as we left the hotel

and headed to the Canada Line.  I was fine at the YVR South Terminal, and boarding our little plane. 

And I was fine as we took off - look at that cutie there across from me! 

The views as we headed toward then crossed over and went up along Vancouver Island

toward Tofino-Long Beach Airport were terrific. 

But it was on the flight that something ticked over.  I could feel it almost, a congestion, a snuffliness.  I brushed it off.

We got to the hotel, the Wickanninish Inn, and checked in.  The staff were very well-prepared for us, very helpful.  The outside decor, the lobby, the library upstairs - all were so nicely appointed. 

Our room was down at the end of the one building, and we were blown away with the views from the bedroom. 

And oh, I was relishing the idea of being cozy in that other window, reading. 

There was a small bottle of port for us, which we poured and toasted our holiday with. 

Sunset came on, a riot of pink through the trees. 

It was all so lovely.  We unpacked, then we got ourselves to the lobby to await our ride to dinner.

Our Friday dinner was set to be our only dinner outside of the hotel.  I'd picked Wolf in the Fog for us based on what I had seen of its menu only.  It had a very casual brewpub kind of feel to the place, but the menu was notches above that, with the drinks looking especially good.  More impressively, it was a great deal - they had a three-course menu with nice options for a ridiculously good price, and they had wine pairings at a reasonable cost, too.  So we started out with cocktails - the Cedar Sour for me -

and then moved through the courses.  Mackerel toast for me to start with. 

I liked it, but I thought it might have been served either warmer or colder.  Then came snapper with kimchi. 

Also tasty, but I thought that the kimchi side of things might have been less dominant - I like the stuff, but between it and the gochujang, it was pretty intense for a piece of fish.  The wine pairings were great, though.  Dessert was the most successful course - an elderflower panna cotta. 

Lovely.

We made it back to the hotel without problem, unwound, got to bed at an earlyish time.  Van commented a few times that I seemed to be coming down with something, but I mostly waved that off.

Saturday was grey to start with.  I wasn't feeling my best - I spent the night with indigestion even though the courses hadn't been huge and the wine hadn't been too much, I swear.  I decided against any coffee or breakfast.  We got Van going, and the three of us were shuttled off to another resort and marina

to go out on a boat on a small whale-watching expedition.  And that was pretty cool to do.  It was very calm on the inlet. 

We did see a gray whale,

spending some time watching it as it would surface for multiple breaths, then go back down for a few minutes.  We also spotted a bald eagle

on our way to see rafts (as they are known) of sea otters. 

They were a delight to watch, and so many of them!  We veered by a disused salmon farm to see the sea lions there, and then back to the marina.  It was a fun time,

I soldiered through, but I was not well.  Almost all of my fingers were numb with cold, and I was near shivering.  Conrad and Van opted to head into Tofino and explore the town, but I came back to the hotel to get a decaf latte and a mild cheese scone, pour myself a very deep and hot bath, and soak until the numbness was gone from my fingers.

I grabbed the HBC blanket from the closet and went to that lovely reading nook and took something of a nap.  Eventually I pulled out the sofa bed and went to sleep there.  Conrad and Van came back, some cold medications in hand, and did what they could to take care of me.  I stayed in that sofa bed for most of the next 48 hours.

They cancelled my spa treatment and the dinner in the hotel dining room but managed to take time to walk the beach and do their own spa treatments and have a couple of meals in the hotel bar.  They enjoyed the hotel as much as they could.  Which is good!  Someone should have!

On the Monday, early afternoon, we headed back to the little airport, boarded our plane,

and made it to our hotel in Vancouver.  It was lovely to get an upgrade to a penthouse suite

- very kind of them - but I let the other two join our friends for dinner while I soaked and read and stayed in.

On the Tuesday afternoon we flew home.  And I was in my own bed at last for a few more days at home dealing with one of the worst colds I have had in recent memory.

So that was Tofino.  May the next trip (for NYE) be far far better! 

And onward

After a night in Vancouver, it was a beautiful day for another flight for us.  A gorgeous trip across the Salish Sea and over Vancouver Island,

taking us to Tofino.  And yes, more to come when we get home!

Hawaii, day one

I'm back from Hawaii and settled in at home.  Next week will actually be a full week of work at work (well, maybe Friday will be remote).  Bizarre!  There is plenty to catch up on, and I thought I would take Hawaii day by day since there are many photos, and a decent amount of narrative.  Ready?  Let's go!

Hawaii, day one, is really the tale of getting there.  And the tale is not an arduous one, I promise.  Heck, I didn't even have to get up early for my flight!  I got the airport late morning and parked in the lounge to do a little bit of work there. 

The flight was scheduled for about 1:00 in the afternoon, and I was in business class on the way there

(cute little amenities kit!). 

I got on the plane, had lunch in the air,

dozed a bunch, watched some things on my iPad (The Gentlemen on Netflix, a few episodes, funny stuff), and read a little as well (Underland by Robert McFarlane).  The flight took us over the Channel Islands on the continent side of things,

and then after a long while, the Big Island came into view. 

I was happy to have the window seat!  We flew past Honolulu and approached the airport from the west, coming in over the suburban communities there.

The trip was scheduled for a work matter that I'll get to in a later post.  I took advantage of that to enjoy a few days in Honolulu and invite Marie to join me.  She wouldn't arrive until much later that evening, though, so I had a handful of hours to myself.  I booked us a suite at the same hotel where I was told to stay for the work, and the suite proved to be a nice one.  It was roomy - I gave Marie the bedroom

and took the pull-out sofa for myself

- and the view of Manoa and the convention center and the canal and even a glimpse of the water was welcome. 

Yes, you did have to crane your neck a little for that water view,

but not badly so, especially out on the balcony.

I got myself unpacked, and then it was to the mall.  Oh yes.  We were staying at the Ala Moana Hotel, and that meant we were right at the one end of the Ala Moana Shopping Center.  Now, I'm NOT a mall person, generally speaking, but Ala Moana is really something else.  Super high-end designer stores, inexpensive souvenir shops.  Multiple department stores.  Groceries.  It's a big complex, and just going end to end helps the step count.  Marie and I would visit it several times, but on that first day last Wednesday, I had one thing in mind:  musubi.

I think it's funny that so many people disparage Spam.  Yes, it's processed, full of fat, sodium, and sugar.  But it also uses up animal parts, and I appreciate that.  Besides, since when do we not like fat, sodium, or sugar?  The people who make a fuss to me when I post about Spam are the true food snobs, a label that has been leveled at me many more times than I find amusing.  But no, there I am, eating as much Spam as possible on the trip, starting with that delicious treat.  I picked it up at Foodland along with some snacks, water, and wine for the room, and I didn't really eat much more than that for my dinner that night.

Sunset,

and then, as it does in Honolulu, the sky grew dark quickly. 

I hung out, waiting for Marie.  Not long after she arrived, it was time to crash - at this time of year, Honolulu is 3 hours behind us in SoCal, so it was past 1AM for me in reality.  Marie and I had a few days together to enjoy, and we wouldn't miss out by getting a night of sleep.