Ghost Gums, Old Glory

Margaret River Getaway

I've been feeling quite stressed, just worn thin and worn out. I haven't had a trip overseas in nearly a year, so I started to look around and see where I could go close to home. One of my girlfriends agreed to come with me, and she even offered to drive. We went down south, to the Margaret River region. Truly an area of outstanding natural beauty, with some of the most gorgeous coastline anywhere.

We stayed 2 nights in a B&B. I got a coupon for half off the room rate, which I thought was good value - and just about what it was worth. Well, it was nice enough, and made a good base for our explorations.

It was such a wonderful, relaxing experience to have no particular place to go, to be free to wander and stop wherever we liked. I tasted lots of excellent wines. I found some gorgeous pottery. Mostly, though, I relaxed.

Busselton Jetty, which at 3 kms long is the longest timber-piered jetty in the Southern Hemisphere.

The other end of the jetty, with the train that runs from one end to the other.

In other news, here is my most recent picture of Buffy:

I gave her a bath this morning, and as usual I ended up taking one as well. 

 

 

Back in the U.S.

I've been back in the US for a little over a week. It was a quickly thrown together trip, at the last minute, but I needed to be here to take care of some family issues. I was able to spend quite a few days doing as little as possible, and that really helped me to get over the jetlag. No danger of me driving in the wrong lane anymore! (Sorry, Mom).

It's 4th of July weekend, and it's the first one I've spent Stateside in many years. I'm slightly surprised and disappointed not to see more decorations around. As if there's not a lot of pride in being American anymore - that really saddens me. Tomorrow is a cookout with the family, which means chili dogs! YAY!!

I grew up here, and coming back is not very fun. There's nothing to do that I haven't done a thousand times before, and I don't gamble, so have no interest in the casinos. The best part, for me, is that it's less than 3 hours away from NYC on Amtrak. Always has been the best part, now that I think about it.

One day last week we went to Captain Scott's Lobster Dock for some seafood. The New England roadside staples - clam strip roll and lobster roll. It's well known, if you're local, but I never see it mentioned in any writeups on the area. The salt in the air, the gulls wheeling overhead and the ducks begging for scraps - just a perfect backdrop to the freshest, tastiest seafood around.

This is the view from the dock, can't you just smell the salt air? 

Meanwhile at home, Buffy has doubled in size and weight. She's 15 kilos (33 lbs.) so I guess I won't be cradling her in my arms when I get back home. And I don't think I need to mention how sad that makes me. Funny story: I went to the pet store to get a few toys for my fur babies back home. The cashier looked at the pile on the counter and asked me how many dogs I have. I may have gone a little overboard.

Our story so far...

I'm two-thirds through my trip back to the US, and today is a day of rest. It's been go-go-go, as usual, trying to pack in everything into 3 short weeks. I woke up today with my eye red and inflamed, and I felt it was a message from my body telling me to slow down. So, I'm vegging in the hotel room, napping and relaxing. And updating the blog!

My flights were especially painful this time, as I didn't build in a layover. I think I was so excited to find a good fare, that I wasn't thinking clearly. By the time I landed in Orlando, I had been traveling 36 hours. CRAZY! I definitely learned a lesson, I won't be doing that again. My genius hubby suggested I go to the beach and watch the sun come up, to help reset my body clock. It worked like a charm.

Ahhh...

Last weekend we went to NYC for a day. We went to Lincoln Center, for the Midsummer Swing concert. Great music, and so many people dancing and having a great time. Mom even got into the mood of the evening, and had a few dances!


OOh, a slowdance!

A shot of the dance floor, and stage. We were sitting just to the right of this. A shot of the crowd...so many people!

Next, we went to Dizzy's Jazz Club, where we had catfish sandwiches and enjoyed an amazing jazz set. I'm not sure which we enjoyed more - that catfish was sex on a bun!

Our hotel was in the perfect location, steps from Lincoln Center, and steps from the club. Unfortunately it was also tragically hip. All style, no substance. I wasn't too bothered, we were only there to sleep and shower, and it was fine for that.

This perfectly encapsulates this hotel. The bathrobe had a Frette label, but it was ripped under the arm. Wha??? Oh, and you could take it home for only 95 dollars!

Next day, we prepared to leave, and there was a movie filming downstairs. None of the stars were in evidence, just crew and equipment.
I've tried not to name and shame the hotel, but you might be able to work out where we were...

Other than all that, I've been spending time with family. Mom moved recently, and I've been doing some things for her around the house. I guess I overdid things slightly, hence the need for a day of rest.

More later...we'll be taking the high-speed ferry over to Block Island later this week.

Loose Ends

I wanted to finish up reporting on my trip back to the homeland. I skipped a few things that I wanted to share with you all.
First, I am never flying Swiss Air again. Ever. The seats were so uncomfortable, I didn't sleep at all. My flight from Hong Kong to Zurich was a redeye, and it was an endurance test. Then, I got cold cuts and yogurt for breakfast. Fair enough, that is what I expected, but I don't have to like it. And to not have any other options?
Later that day, I ordered a BLT from room service. Every country does this humble sandwich differently. Here you see the B, the L and the T are not actually in the sandwich, but on the side. Interesting.

Next, I had one more night in New York City, and I was lucky enough to catch a performance of Wicked. So. Much. Fun!!! In place of a curtain there was a map of Oz.
So I'm looking at this map, and one place on it really stood out to me: Pretty cool. That's where I live!

Here is the view from my hotel room looking out on Central Park:

Great view, huh?

I flew Qantas home from NYC, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The service was so much better than I expected, and the  food was decent. Of course, my flights were delayed, but not by too much.
I guess it's about time to start planning my next trip!

What, again?!

Here we go again! I have completely given up on iWeb, we'll just pretend that little episode never happened. Here's the link for the johnny-come-latelies - Linky Linky

I've been home for a few days now, and I can pretty much stay awake all day now. Jet lag sucks!  You're going along great, and all of a sudden it's as if someone slipped you a mickey. Not to mention, it's over 100 degrees(F) here. This time last week I was sitting watching the blizzard from my hotel room. That's pretty cool, actually, when I think about it.
Out driving in the country, we came across these deer. It was magical...the snow still white, barely plowed. They trotted across the street in front of the car, and started dining on the evergreen there.