so darn cute

I interrupt this series of travel blog posts to remind you all that this sweet girl, fresh from the salon yesterday, is so darn cute.

I am smitten.

so we got to Oregon, and...

...to no one's surprise, a nice dinner was in the offing.

We'd actually planned a meal in Medford at a place called Decant.  Alas, they were unable to accommodate us because of staffing issues.  At least they let us know.  Not only that, but they offered to book us a table at their sister property, The Restaurant at Jacksonville Inn in the nearby village of Jacksonville.  Funnily enough, we were booked there for the Friday, but then Peter messaged to say that his aunts were going to cater a grilled dinner the next night at the hotel we were staying at, so we canceled Friday and headed to the Inn that Thursday night.

We got to the restaurant, and it was a lovely dining room.  Even better, they had a bistro/bar area tucked in the back, and while the dining room was handsome and busy, the bistro had almost no one there. 

Much better for quiet conversation, so we opted for it.  A cozy corner for me and Conrad and Van.

For my drink, I opted for their negroni, made smoky with mezcal. 

Yum!  For my dinner, a starter of the burrata with winter pesto and prosciutto. 

My main was rabbit with gnocchi - ah, I love rabbit! 

The dessert escapes me - a tart or pie, a little fritter, some ice cream.  We shared that one, and it was tasty, too.

The owner came by a couple of times, deeply apologetic about the reservation situation.  We were far from upset, I promise.  We'd had some really terrific food and drinks and a very good, knowledgeable server.  It was a fantastic start to the weekend culinarily.

And then it was time to go.  We exited through the back patio which was littered, beautifully, with all these amazing leaves in wonderful fall colours. 

Back in the car, we slowly drove through town.  And there, in the corner of a yard, a deer feeding.  Lovely to see, and not the last deer we would see in Jacksonville that weekend.

it's the most...

It's past Remembrance Day, and even after all these years in the US, US Thanksgiving means less to me than it should (but I have enjoyed cooking the meal the past couple of years and look forward to it again this year).  And hey, anyone who knows me shouldn't be surprised by this sight in my office (and to be honest, I plugged it in last week).

Yep, and playing my Christmas music when I can!

meh sort of sums it up

First swim of the month, and yep, still not getting to the pool enough.  Beautiful day for it, but I got all of a quarter hour in.  No, not because I was sucking that badly (though I sucked pretty badly), but because, you know, having to go to work.

Here's hoping for more swims in weeks ahead!

and then we were off again

So, we got home from Colorado last Monday, and we left for Oregon on Thursday.  Yep, a lot of travel.

Thursday, late morning, we headed to LAX once again. 

I am actually surprised they don't recognize us there, but I know there are people who travel even more than we do.  Ah well.  A little time in the lounge, and then it was aboard the first flight of the day:  LAX -->  SFO.

We had a little time again in a lounge in San Francisco, and then it was the next flight, this time to Medford, OR.   Mind you, it was a lovely evening to climb out of SFO.  A fine sunset over the Bay area.

Dozing ensued.

And then there it was:  Medford. 

My fifth trip to the state, my third city visited (Eugene was first, then three trips to Portland).  And with that, our long, wedding weekend was beginning!

so let's finish off the Colorado weekend

Wow!  Ages overdue on this one.  Busy weekends, busy weeks.  Something like that.

Eight days ago, Van and I were in Colorado, just back at the hotel for a late bite and drink with Conrad, after a handful of hours at Red Rocks for an Anjunabeats concert.  Fine weather, lots of music, an amazing venue.  It all added up to a great day.

So let's rewind...

After a nice, easy start to the day in Golden, Van and I left Conrad to enjoy relaxation at the hotel and headed to Red Rocks.  I had seen the venue once, years ago, on a visit to Denver, but never for a concert.  Van, on the other hand, had been there at least a few times in his college years at CU Boulder.  So it was that he was taking me to a new place to hear some music together.

We arrived mid-afternoon, before it was too crowded. 

It was during the Nicky Elizabeth set

- I should explain:  we were there for back to back to back and more DJs.  No rest in between.  Nicky Elizabeth played until 4:10, and when she was done, Marsh was there to take over. 

The crowds were sparse at first, relatively speaking, and we were able to find some space to ourselves as well as buy some merchandise.

But the crowds grew, and by the time it grew dark and Eli & Fur were on,

we were jammed in among others.  Still it was good.  The weather was the mildest of the week, and we were dancing away.  James Grant and Jody Wisternof were up next,

and while I thought they were not as consistently good as the act before them, they got me really moving.  It was dark by then, and I was lit up, rather like the venue.

We stayed into the Luttrell b2b Yotto set,

and it promised to be decent, but we were so darn tired.  Concrete under our feet, and hours already.  The food at the venue was food, the drinks were pricey,

and that was it.  We were back at the hotel in time to get last orders for food and have a round of cocktails at the bar with Conrad.

Verdict?  Loved it!  Van and I had an arguably better time on the weekend at the Gorge in summer 2022 (and a much better, more open setting), but come on, this was pretty awesome.  I'll gladly take any reason to go to Colorado any way.

back home!

Just checking in quickly before I really get to blogging this week.  We made it home yesterday - hooray!  I am now not traveling until the first Saturday in December, which makes for almost three weeks at home.  The same for Van.  Conrad, alas, was back on a plane again this morning.  He returns on Sunday, so he almost gets two weeks at home.  Good enough!

More blogging to come, for sure.  Stay tuned....

travel day breakfast

Another short post.  I have one more from Colorado to come, and it will have to await my return on Sunday.  That's fine with the one or two of you reading this, I hope.  It's off to Oregon this afternoon, though, and I need to go get my haircut so I look sharp for a friend's wedding.

In the meantime, a photo from breakfast this morning at Amara.  My usual.  Conrad and I took a short walk then enjoyed a bite.  One day I'll be back in the weekend routine there!  :-)

Poet’s Dream

A short post tonight.  Happy hour with the gang, and hooray for that.  We were using spirits bought in Canada, especially on the trip to the Niagara region.  So it was that I found the Poet’s Dream, a variation on a martini using Benedictine as well.  Tasty.  I recommend it.