Chicago!

July 15, 2018 by Patricia Farmar

My kind of town! I lived her for 14 years before moving to Kansas City, and it’s always great to come back and see family and friends and enjoy all this great city has to offer. Especially in the summer when the weather is good and there’s so much to do. Now that Keeley and Matt have moved here I’ll have even more reasons to visit. Yesterday while driving in the south and west loop area I couldn’t get over how much it has changed - for the better! Those used to be areas rarely ventured into, and now they are thriving with restaurants, shops and housing.

I was invited by a friend to go to the Royals - White Sox game and gladly accepted. I hadn’t been to the “new” ballpark as it was built and opened right as I was leaving. It’s a great park and I must be the lucky charm since the Royals are having a terrible season, but managed to win 5 to 0. I didn’t get any pictures as it was a slightly delayed start due to rain. But it stopped and we got to see them play and win!

I love the unique architecture of Chicago. Keeley and Matt live in a nice apartment on the top floor of a three flat in Ukrainian Village on the west side of the city, and there are some very cute restaurants, bars and coffee shops in the neighborhood. They all look very vintage in decor but have been repurposed for modern use. I’m not sure how many Ukrainians are actually left. The population looks very diverse to me and quite a few millennials. It’s close to the city and one of the many great things about Chicago is it’s excellent public transportation system.

We had dinner on Friday night at a darling bakery/restaurant called Spinning J. Friday they do a special pizza night so we had to go for it. Salad, pizza and your choice of homemade soda - delicious!

The pastries, cookies and scones looked amazing! I must try one before I leave😊

After the baseball game I got to have one of my favorite meals in Chicago - Italian Beef from Portillo’s! I always order mine dry with sweet peppers. It’s messy enough with out getting in dipped in extra juice - but whatever suits your fancy. Italian Beef pairs well with a nice Sauvignon Blanc!

Rumor has it their salads are good too. I may never know!

Nothing says vacation to me like getting up and going to a coffee shop first thing in the morning. This one was amazing! CC Ferns is owned by the same company that owns The Donut Vault which apparently sells out of donuts early every day. So just come to CC Ferns and save yourself the disappointment. Keeley and Matt had donuts and they said they were great. I myself went with a delicious croissant - always a great choice in my opinion. Although I may need to go back and try a donut too.

Another treat was checking out the 606 for a great morning walk. The 606 is very similar to the Highline in NYC if you’ve ever been there. The official name is the Bloomingdale Trail and it’s an abandoned rail line that is 2.7 miles of elevated track for walkers, runners and bikers. It is landscaped and has some great artwork and murals plus water fountains. It gets you up off the street and out of the constant traffic. A great way to start the day!

A cool sculpture along the trail and signage is great.

This was a great wine and beer bar we went to for a drink at last night. Another one of my favorite things to do on vacation!

Lots more fun to be had in Chicago! Check back soon!

Bend Oregon

July 07, 2018 by Patricia Farmar

If you haven’t been to Bend, Oregon I highly recommend you put it on your list of places to visit. But I will warn you, be prepared to wish you had more time there - or want to actually move there! It’s got everything - especially if you like mountains, lakes, hiking, biking, kayaking, paddle boarding, great food and amazing beer!

In addition to all those great things I also had the most incredible hosts who treated me like a queen and had so many fun things planned for us to do, and did I mention they are unbelievable cooks? Thanks a million Nancy and Bruce for the incredible hospitality you showed me in both Portland and Bend.

I got to Portland from Seattle an hour and a half late on a Greyhound bus. The entire trip I kept asking myself why in the world I ever thought that was a good idea. Having just come back from Europe where buses and trains are on time and a great mode of transportation and not having ridden a bus in about 40 years I plead ignorance. After one ride I can attest to the fact that 95% of bus riders smoke, and while they can’t smoke on the bus they make up for it by chain smoking while waiting for the late bus to arrive and every time the bus stops to pick up additional passengers. You have been warned!

I've been through Portland three times now, but still haven’t really gotten to spend much time there, and this trip was kind of the same. We got up the next morning and while Bruce was packing the car for Bend Nancy took me to a great area in Lake Oswego for breakfast and a quick walk through the awesome Saturday Farmer’s Market.

My favorite breakfast - coffee and croissant! Oregon is known for lavender! And all kinds of berries!

Bend is about a three hour drive from Portland and is located on the eastern edge of the Cascade Range along the Deschutes River. It’s high desert sitting amongst snow capped mountains created by volcanic eruption - so beautiful. We stopped about 30 minutes from Bend for lunch in a great town called Sisters. It’s called Sisters because there are three mountains called the Three Sisters that surround it. We ate at The Colton Wood Cafe and it was super cute and delicious.

A different version of a BLT - made with egg salad and avocado and a grilled romaine salad topped with fried eggs. Not both for me and I couldn’t even finish my BLT!

We arrived at Nancy and Bruce’s vacation home called The River House on Wood Duck. The back sits right on a bend in the Deschutes River. It couldn’t be a prettier spot or more relaxing. There was a mother deer and her babies playing along the river early and late every day we were there. Lots of squirrels, birds and even the occasional coyote. There were 7 of us there for the holiday and 8 including their next door neighbor John. Two other couples from Portland - Joan and Bruce and Geri and Jim - long time friends of Bruce and Nancy. All such great people - and so welcoming to me.😊

It gets chilly enough at night to have a fire - so we did!

I got to kayak and paddle board every day! So fun! We went to two different lakes and also the Deschutes River. Every day we loaded up the gear and headed somewhere beautiful. First lake was Hosmer. Lots of people fishing and we could actually see the fish because the water was so clear.

Nancy and Bruce on Hosmer with Guinness! Every paddle board requires a dog!

I got to improve my skills - it was pretty windy out there.

Bruce brought his fishing pole and caught a few good sized trout that he tossed back in. The fun is in the catching I guess.

Another lake we went to was Sparks Lake. It was a little chilly to start the day so when we got there we had the lake to ourselves for awhile. Sparks is called one of the high lakes because it sits way up in the mountains, surrounded by snow covered mountains. So pretty it looks like a movie set - but it’s actually real!

Nancy, Geri, me and Joan. That took a little work to all line up!

Jim and Bruce had gone golfing so we all met up at Elk Lake Lodge for a late lunch. Another beautiful lake but this one has a lodge and cabins.

Chicken Caesar wrap for me. Yumm! Kayaking makes me hungry.

While some of the group did a 50 mile bike ride the rest of us went for a little hike at Paulina Falls which is part of Newberry National Volcanic Monument. It’s the largest volcano in the Cascades and erupted over 400,000 years ago. We hiked to see the twin 80 foot waterfalls - an easy but pretty hike.

My hiking companions- Joan, Jim and Geri.

Neighbor John has a fun boat and he graciously offered to take us out on it to tour the Deschutes River. What a great way to wrap up an afternoon!

While the rest of the country was sweltering in the heat, being that Bend is up in the mountains the early morning and nights are chilly. One morning at 7 AM it was 32 degrees! And two hours later we were on the lake kayaking in shorts and T-shirt’s.

Nancy and I out for a morning walk with Guinness. I’m wearing a winter coat!

The food was incredible every single day. No restaurant recommendations as the group cooked every night! We had salmon, mussels, barbecued pork, halibut, tuna, lingcod and lamb. Most of it freshly caught by the Oregonians. I admit I wasn’t a big help with the meals, but I think I came through in the dessert category - my specialty. Rhubarb dream bars and rum cake.

We ate outside on the deck overlooking the river every night. No better view and great wines with a fun group.

Fist time I tried sashimi sushi and ahi tuna - both delicious!

The last night the sunset was incredible - as they say - a picture is worth a thousand words.

No filter - the real deal! I made this my screen saver to remind myself of an amazing trip.

The town of Bend is very cool as well but we were having too much fun and good food to venture in until we stopped for lunch heading back to Portland. There are lots of great restaurants and Jackson’s Corner is one of them.

Lots of farm to table in Bend and always a great beer selection.

Back to Portland for one night and then off to Kansas City. Nancy took me to a great restaurant on our way to the airport for brunch called La Provence. She knows I love my croissants!

An interesting side to my eggs of potatoes and squash with chicken sausage. And a little Brie with my croissant!

Huge thanks to Nancy and Bruce for such an amazing trip! And it was so great to meet Joan, Bruce, Geri and Jim! We had lots of laughs along with wine, great food and beautiful sites. I’m still basking in the glow and counting my blessings for having such great friends!

More to come this summer - next up Midwest! Thanks for coming along!

Pacific Northwest Part 2

June 29, 2018 by Patricia Farmar

I’ve been to Seattle so many times, but have never been over the Cascade Mountains into eastern Washington. So that’s where we headed. It’s really totally different as far as terrain. You leave behind the lush growth and green vegetation but it’s beautiful in a different way. Our destination other than to just get over the Cascades was Wild Horse Monument. On a plateau above the Columbia River there is a stunning work of art created by artist David Govedare in 1989 that appears to be a herd of wild horses running. The official name of the art is “Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies.”

Of course I insisted on climbing to the top and the view was worth it.

My brother said it was perfect conditions to find scorpions so there he is turning over rocks to find them. I even turned over a few but luckily came up empty.

The next day we headed north to Granite Falls to the Big Four Ice Caves. They were amazing! The trail to get to the ice caves is pretty easy and well maintained. The hiking around the caves was a lot more challenging and we were glad we had poles.

There are lots of signs warning about the danger of going into the caves. The caves are created by waterfalls coming down through the ice and people have been killed by ice collapsing.

We used our heads and didn’t go inside the caves but just being at the opening you could see the beauty inside. Since it was melting it was almost like rain inside and the temperature was so much colder than even being 30 feet away.

The ice is so much larger than what it appears. Look closely at the lower left on the ice. That’s two people!

It’s called Granite Falls because the mountains are granite - and there are waterfalls everywhere you look. The whole area is loaded with trails to hike but we were at the caves for a few hours exploring so will need to go back to see more.

We’ve been east and north so we headed west. My brother has a beautiful house right on the Pacific Ocean west of the Olympic Mountains. It’s in between the towns of Moclips and Pacific Beach and even though I’ve been there multiple times it always takes my breath away. He rents it out on VRBO and unfortunately for me but great for him it is rented much of the time. So we really just went out for the day but it was still great. I took a 3 mile walk on the beach and saw tons of crabs. The beach sand is packed hard. They allow driving on it so saw some people that had set up grills and fire pits. My brother said he has even seen sea lions and bald eagles on the beach.

The beach goes for miles! The house has floor to ceiling windows. I tell him all the time how lucky they are but they work hard to keep it so nice😊

Here’s the inside of the house. Daybreak on Sunset

So pretty inside too. The master bedroom upstairs has windows looking out to the ocean and there are two more bedrooms on the first floor.

What haven’t we done here?? Gone to a museum so that was next on our agenda. We spent most of the afternoon at the Seattle Art Museum known as SAM, and it was great. Its right in downtown Seattle close to Pike Place Market, and if you check the website they direct you to a parking garage that is just 3 blocks away where you can get a discount on parking. That worked out great and we were on to the museum.

The big sculpture in front is called The Working Man.

The museum has quite a bit of local art which was wonderful. They are a little light in some areas like European and Impressionists, but there are plenty of museums where you can see that so I just like to appreciate what they do have. The huge tree sculpture hanging in the lobby is worth a visit alone. The artist is John Grady and it’s made from a plaster cast of a real 140-year-old western hemlock that grows east of Seattle. It is called Middle Fork. It’s made from thousands of pieces of reclaimed cedar and was assembled by hundreds of volunteers. They also had a really interesting exhibit of African art in particular African masks. A great way to spend an afternoon in Seattle.

Thanks for checking my blog! Not heading back yet so more fun to come😊

#jumpwhileyoucan #justsayyes #chooseadventurealways

Seattle - Pacific Northwest Adventure!

June 27, 2018 by Patricia Farmar

I’m back in one of my most favorite parts of the country - so beautiful and I’m enjoying spending the time with family and friends. My last two trips out here in November and March convinced me that summer is definitely the best time to visit. It’s been a little cooler than I anticipated but not one rainy day......yet!

First stop was Gig Harbor to see my dear friends Pam and Lance. Gig Harbor is the cutest town sitting right on Puget Sound across and a little north of Tacoma. Heading south from Seattle you head west across the bridge and from their home have a perfect view of the ferries crossing to Vashon Island.

We headed to the downtown harbor area and stopped at the Netshed Museum. I had no idea what that was but learned it’s where fisherman bring their nets for repair, and there are 17 still functioning in the area.

Pam and I have been friends for 48 years! She is still the sweetest person and I love her great husband Lance.

The night we were downtown they had their weekly farmers market so we browsed a bit and caught a little of the free music entertainment.

Delicious bakery goods and different starfish that are native to Gig Harbor.

There are so many great hiking trails in the area so the next morning we got some exercise checking out Point Defiance which is a pinninsula right across from Gig Harbor. The ferries run between Point Defiance and Vashon Island - a mush if you haven’t ridden one before. In Seattle with the traffic being what it is sometimes it’s your most efficient means of getting somewhere.

Ivars chowder - also a must so had it for lunch!

We celebrated our reunion with a wonderful dinner at Anthony’s on the water in Gig Harbor. Always a great choice!

A great meal at the best table with amazing friends!

Time to say goodbye to Pam and Lance and head over to spend time with my brother Dave and his lovely wife Dee. They have been amazing in planning fun things to do everyday. First day we headed to downtown Seattle. We were heading to Pike Place Market but stumbled across the gum wall in Post Alley. Truly one of the nastiest sites you will cross paths with and gets bigger every time I’m here. I looked it up and it is in the top 5 germiest tourist attractions in the world - second only to the Blarney Stone. Not something I would seek out but definitely draws a crowd.

The city actually has attempted to clean it off numerous times since it began in 1993 but it always returns bigger and can I say better?

We made it to Pike Place Market and while I have been there many times it never gets old. It was packed as usual and it’s always fun to see them throw the fish. The produce markets are amazing and I love the flower stalls. They have built a new building on the west side of the market and it’s called Producers Hall. It’s still in the process of being completed but they have a cool brewery and some restaurants with a fantastic view of Puget Sound.

We happened across a new Starbucks concept most likely coming your way soon. It’s called Starbucks Reserve and has premium coffee in a slightly more upscale space. You heard it here first!

New logo and special beans.

Where next? Amazon headquarters! Amazon is located in the South Lake Union area and has too many buildings to even count. We were looking for headquarters which has the new grocery store concept on the main level. You’ve most likely read about it or seen it on TV as in order to shop there you must download the APP as the merchandise is scanned as you put in in your basket and you just walk out the door. No checkout or cashier needs to ring up your purchase. Expanding to San Francisco and Chicago very soon.

Main entrance to Amazon Headquarters and Amazon Go grocery.

Just completed across from headquarters are The Spheres, three steel-framed glass enclosed domes. They contain more than 40,000 plants from the cloud forest regions of over 30 countries. They also contain work space for Amazon employees to work and hold meetings in small birds nest conference areas. It is only open to the public two Saturdays a month by tickets available online, but we were able to get into one of the Spheres main level and go through the educational display. Amazing even from the outside. Affectionately referred to as “Bezos Balls” in Seattle😂

Not sure you can tell how large they really are! Huge!

Lots more fun planned so check back soon! #sleeplessinseattle

Dubrovnik to Rome & Home - Days 27&28

May 16, 2018 by Patricia Farmar

The airport in Dubrovnik is a regional airport, so we needed to fly back to Rome to return to the US. In doing our research it was noted that it’s not uncommon for flights out of Dubrovnik to be cancelled or postponed due to weather, so to be on the safe side we decided to fly back to Rome a day ahead of our return to ensure we would make it. And what’s wrong with spending another day in Rome?

We left the apartment early to get to the airport - we had arranged in advance for a driver to pick us up. We had no problems at all at the airport but it always takes longer with passport checks and random questioning. We had to get on a bus to take us out to the tarmac to board the plane and I’m only posting this picture to illustrate something we saw over and over again the entire time we were traveling. The concept of forming a line and adhering to the line must only be a custom in the US! Even if initially there is a line, the minute they start letting people in or on the line disappears and people just push and walk ahead of you from behind. It never ceased to amaze me! And sometimes people yell about it but it does no good. It’s just everyman for himself. Getting from the bus to the plane was no exception. I think people have been killed in the US for doing less.

Mob scene to get on and get your assigned seat. Why?

We had big plans to have a fun day in Rome, but it didn’t happen. We had booked a nice hotel close to the airport since we were leaving early the next day, and when we got to our nice hotel and saw the really nice comfortable bed with pressed sheets a nap sounded even better, so that’s what we did. 27 days of an action packed agenda caught up with us, and we had really already seen all the major things on our list for Rome.

We did rally and go out for dinner. We found a small family owned Italian restaurant that had been in business for over 70 years, and no one spoke English. I got to have my last plate of spaghetti bolognese and it was delicious. The funniest thing that happened was that our waitress - who we think was the daughter, and the woman that we think was her mother, got into a huge screaming match in the middle of the restaurant in Italian that lasted at least 10 minutes. The daughter was doing most of the yelling, red faced and arms going wild. The mother could barely get a word in edgewise. It was like a scene in the Sopranos! We only wish we had thought to video it. None of the other customers seemed fazed in the least, so apparently it’s a regular occurrence.

Had to have our last ice cream of the trip, this one extra special with whipped cream and a cookie dipped in chocolate!

The next morning we were at the Rome airport for our flight home! Ciao Roma!

We walked over 200 miles.

Saw too many churches, museums, castles and forts to count.

Our modes of transportation were planes, trains, buses, boats, vans, shuttles, bikes, kayaks, taxi, Uber, a private driver and our feet.

Our daily food pyramid started with a base of coffee, croissant, wine and dessert. We added pizza, pasta and fish where appropriate.

I tried 3 new foods. Squid which was excellent. Cevapi which is minched meat formed into sausages and then put into a focaccia like bread. Unclear as to what kind of meat it is. I did not die. And the previously shown meat plate in Bosnia. Julie just tried to find a decent vodka pour in every country!

We traveled with a carryon for 4 weeks - it is possible! Things you shouldn’t leave home without: a portable phone/computer charger, hand wipes, Kleenex and plastic bags. I didn’t buy anything but brought back pictures and memories of my experiences that I will treasure forever.

We did laundry like the locals. I bought a travel clothes line and dry laundry sheets that dissolve in water and they were amazing! There is such a thing as travel underwear made by ExOfficio and it dries in an hour! Available on Amazon. There are no clothes dryers in Europe so we hung our clothes on old school clothesline’s in the few Airbnb’s where we had washing machines. Your clothes really do smell great from hanging outside!

In Venice we hung our clothes inside - too many pigeons!

We got told NO too many times to count: Can I have milk for my coffee - NO. Can we get 2 coffees to go - NO, not today, not possible. Can we have olive oil for the bread - NO. Can I touch that scarf - NO. Can I buy that scarf - NO. Can I get a croissant - NO. Can we get a glass of wine - NO. It always seemed so random we just had to laugh. And we laughed HARD everyday, usually at ourselves.

We met so many great people and I think what I will treasure most is those conversations with locals who shared their stories especially of their lives before, during and after the war.

It’s impossible for me to pick the best place, site, meal or experience. I loved the food, wine and art in Italy, the beauty of the scenery in Slovenia and the coastline of Croatia. I’m so grateful I got to experience it all.

The 4 weeks flew by. I learned I could definitely do extended travel, and will probably hate it if I ever have to accept less when crossing an ocean.

I had a GREAT travel partner! Julie and I have different needs (Patti - food, Julie - sleep), but we were flexible and alway there to encourage each other or in many cases push the other that they could do it. (Usually Julie pushing me! She’s the brave one.) My contribution I think was preparation so that we were usually in the right place at the right time. And lots of facts. Julie has a very embarrassing video of the beautiful Dubrovnik church bells tolling over Old Town and in the background me droning on and on from the Rick Steve’s walking tour. She was always a good sport about it and I know deep down she appreciated all those fun facts😊

If you have read any or all of this blog thanks so much for coming along! It makes me really happy to capture my memories and share them with others. The more I travel the more I see what a great big beautiful world it is.

It’s Better To See Something Once Than To Hear About It A Thousand Times.

I am traveling in the US over the next couple of months - east coast, west coast and in the middle so check back when you have time. Another BIG adventure planned for fall!

#jumpwhileyoucan #retirementagreeswithme #chooseadventurealways #ifnotnowwhen #justsayyes