Sue's World

Any Excuse To Visit

Joan and I were emailing earlier this year about her new kitchen tile.  One big change usually spawns more and soon the email conversation was on paint.  I half-jokingly offered to come help paint and soon a trip was planned.

I love that in a span of 2 short hours I'm transported into a different world and am face-to-face with my best friend.  I cannot help but comment (sorry, Joan) that we had a bit of trouble getting out of the airport.  In her rush not to be late to meet me, let's just say that someone sort of forgot where they parked.  It was pretty darned funny.

We didn't head home right away.  We headed to the Botanical Gardens in Denver.  It was a warm, beautiful day and it was a fabulous place.  I only took 2 pictures because I knew that if I took photos of everything I liked my memory card would have filled up. 

There were lots of different types of gardens but I loved this sort of wild garden with the concrete columns.  The whole place was inspirational and I would love to go back again.

Soon we were on our way home and making plans.  We stopped at a local microbrewery for a beer and something to munch on and finally got back to her home.  Happy-pup Harley was soon greeting us and the kitties were nosing around. 

In thinking back, we did a lot of stuff in a short amount of time.  We got paint samples and quickly narrowed the choices down.  We visited the local flea markets and so much more.  Seriously...a whole lot more! 

Let's just say that after nearly five days together we'd rearranged stuff in the kitchen, painted it, shopped til we dropped, saw the sights, visited a brewery festival and I must have thrown the frisbee to Harley about 500 times.  As always, the trip comes to an abrupt end at the airport with a hug and a few tears and a promise to see each other again soon.

I'm putting together a little photo album of some highlights.  Thanks, my friend, for another awesome visit.  I love you!

Detour to Vienna & Switzerland

That got your attention, didn't it?

Betcha didn't know we could have gone to Vienna while we were on our Washington, D.C. trip, did you? (Click on the photo to see a larger version.)

There was no Sacher Torte or chamber music but the metro to Vienna was available nonetheless.  We just didn't have time to go there. 

 

Instead, I made time to go visit Switzerland.  You don't often see a Swiss Flag waving around town.  Less often is the fact that this was sovereign Swiss soil and that I stepped inside.

Outside were these charming figures.  Normally we'd see cows painted up, but when you're in D.C. it's not too big of a surprise to see an elephant and donkey.

In D.C. there's what's called Embassy Row and you see building after gorgeous building of embassies housed on beautiful old building.  Those darn Swiss folks decided to do their own thing.  The embassy was a few blocks away from our hotel (not on Embassy Row).  I walked through charming streets lined with beautiful old brick row houses with charming little gardens chock full of character.  At some point I looked down the street and saw a huge expanse of rolling green grass and then, to my utter horror, a building that was completely out of place.  My heart sank as I realized it was the Swiss embassy.  It was a block building devoid of any style or personality other than "modern prison cell block".  Awful!  To match, when I walked inside the efficient Swiss lady received me as cheerfully as she would have a space alien.  She was at a loss for what to do or say as if no one ever stepped inside.  I left after a few sentences and was happily once again immersed in the charm of the Woodley Park area (yes, our hotel was in the Woodley Park neighborhood!).

New Photo Album: The National Zoo

Today's photo album is of my excursion to the National Zoo (left column).  Our hotel was on the north end of town and the surroundings were very charming.  The Zoo was about a 1/2 mile walk through a quaint neighborhood.  I ventured there early on and discovered that you can just walk right in.  As with other Smithsonian museums and exhibits, it's free so there's no need for a fancy entrance.  I think the animals are put away for the night around 5 or 6 but you can continue to walk through the park until 8pm. 

I went back a few days later in the morning just as the animals were being let into their exhibit spaces.  Everything was very natural and very kid-friendly.  There were a lot of interactive exhibits and it a pleasure to walk under the canopy of trees and such and just enjoy the sights and sounds. 

As I walked through the neighborhood I saw other birds and both black and gray squirrels but I wasn't fast enough to snap photos of the latter.

New Photo Album: Spring in Washington, D.C.

I am finally starting to sort through my Washington, D.C. pictures from last month.  We got home exactly a month ago so it's about time.

The first album is all about Spring in D.C..  If you hate flowers, feel free to skip it but I loved every flower and sign of Spring.  Album is in the left-hand column.  I hope you enjoy it.  As always, pictures are nice, but the real thing was breath-taking.

Washington DC Trip

Quick post...we've enjoyed our first 2 days in DC.  We arrived Sunday evening and loved the cab ride from Ronald Reagan airport past all sorts of sights on our way to the hotel.  We saw Arlington Cemetery and the Pentagon from the plane as we were landing.

Yesterday it was in the 80s and humid.  In the afternoon I could not cool off and that wasn't fun.  We took a trolley tour of DC and walked to the National Archives (saw the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights!), the Capitol, and to the Supreme Court Building.  We marched all over the place and finally took the subway home.

The hotel is beautiful.  The grounds are stunning; signs of Spring are EVERYWHERE!  I need to wait until I'm home to post pictures; need to resize them.  The tulips and hyacinths are stunning as are the magnolia blossoms.  The cherry blossoms in town are nearly gone.

We found we're right around the corner from a quaint street lined with little restaurants and we enjoyed a nice Irish dinner last night.  I was delighted to have corned beef and cabbage (mom is grimacing right now) and a DIVINE dessert of homemade apple crisp.

Today we took the subway around town and visited the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, and the White House.  Since 2001 there is security everywhere and most of the places we visit have restricted access.  No White House tour for us; you need to have a background check before you're approved.

We ate at the same place tonight and now I'm plotting out what I will do while hubby is in his conference.  I know I will go to the Pentagon and to some of the Smithsonian Museums.  Oh, the National Zoo is 5 blocks from our hotel so that seems a natural choice too.  We have a subway stop across from our hotel and we're experts on getting around now; hurray!  Today alone I took over 100 pictures.

The subway stop for the White House was next to the Ronald Reagan building and we had lunch in that food court.  When we left and started walking towards the White House, the skies opened up and in a matter of minutes we were soaked.  My umbrella broke on the way to the Lincoln Memorial (it partially collapsed in the wind) and was unusable at this point.  We sought temporary shelter under a tree and thankfully the downpour subsided shortly thereafter.  My pants and shoes were still drenched but in hindsight it was kind of fun.  I tossed my umbrella in the nearest trash can; it was sad!  Ironically, we bought a new umbrella this morning for hubby and his survived.

Our hotel is just gorgeous.  I think I read it's the biggest hotel in DC.  We're in the oldest wing and it's charming; it sort of reminds me of a B&B.  Our room overlooks the garden and it's just beautiful.  The grounds are stunning and we just saw flats and flats of Spring/Summer annuals that they are getting ready to plant.

One fun thing in the Ronald Reagan building was coming across a sign for a focus group conducted by a guy we see on tv and just now we're watching him and the focus group on TV.  Cool!  Hubby wanted to go up to the room to peak, but....

Okay...time to unwind a bit to get some rest.  Another big day is coming tomorrow.  My agenda will depend on hubby's schedule and the weather, but I will knock something off the "must-see" list!

 

Denver!

I FINALLY posted my photo album from my December trip to Denver with Joan. 

The pictures don't adequately convey the atmosphere and all of the things we saw and did.  What I loved about Denver was that you could see for miles and miles around, everything was so close and there was no lack of things to do and see, and the buildings were incredibly decorated.  There were pianos out on the street for anyone to use.  There was a flash mob of dancers.  Oh, what fun!

To back up a bit, months before I thought about proposing a Christmas shopping trip with Joan in Denver.  We agreed on a long weekend.  I would fly in on a Friday morning and leave Monday morning.  Joan would drive in from Ft. Collins and pick me up.  We couldn't believe how gorgeous our hotel was.  It was truly a 4-star hotel and very posh and swanky.  Joan got a fabulous deal on the room and it included a full breakfast.

I came very close to canceling the trip the day before.  I got food poisoning or something like it.  I was miserable but eventually decided to go.  My next dilemma was deciding on carry-on vs. checked luggage.  I finally decided on carry-on with an extra bag that I could check on the way back if I needed to.  After all, this was a Christmas shopping trip!  The flight was smooth and we were soon giggling like school girls.  We stepped out into the frosty air and approached the 16th street mall.  This is not what you think of as a an indoor shopping mall.  From dictionary.com:  "a large area, usually lined with shade trees and shrubbery, used as a public walk or promenade.".  That describes this mall.  We had a simple lunch of soup and then set out to explore.

Nearly 3 months later, it's hard to remember what we did when.  We walked certain parts of 16th street multiple times; it was maybe a 5 minute walk from the hotel.  I could go on and on but suffice it to say we had a marvelous time exploring, eating, shopping, laughing and relaxing.  We walked so much that it didn't matter how much we ate!

Shopping.  We went to a swanky indoor mall several miles away.  There was a free shuttle that went to various hotels and that was a smart way to get more shoppers in there.  Most of the actual buying, though, happened back on 16th street when we discovered Ross and TJ Maxx!  Ultimately I still managed to cram everything into my carry-on and didn't bother checking anything.  Did I really do Christmas shopping?  Well, only for my hubby.  I bought a few things for myself:  a funky/long sweater, a faux-fur scarf (beautiful and really, really warm) and nice gloves.  Oh, and makeup.  And....

It's always amazing how quickly a vacation ends.  We go, go, go and then come to a screeching halt.  Joan made reservations for us to tour the Denver Mint Monday morning.  That was a short walk from the hotel and I'm really glad we did it.  It is really fun to see how coins are made.  We saw the copper blanks go into a big machine and come out pennies.  The government actually paid us to take the tour.  It cost nothing to go on the tour and we got a quarter that was made at the mint!

Joan dropped me off at the airport and despite being early I came very close to missing my flight.  You know when you hear your name on the loudspeaker you're in trouble.  Two contributing factors:  airport security was painfully slow.  And then my gate was in an area that had many gates with hundreds of people and I didn't even see that my flight was boarding even though I was standing there!  I was in good company; several people were named in the "come now or we're leaving without you" message.

And then I was home.... I enjoyed going through the photos again when I put together the album.  Many night shots didn't really turn out but even the ones that did don't adequately represent the scene.  It was simply delightful and lovely. 

There were a few things we'd considered doing but that we didn't get to.  The arboretum and the zoo were a few miles away and both had special programs for the Winter and for seeing things at night, but with so many choices within walking distance it didn't make sense to get the car out of the garage.  I would definitely love to do this trip again!

 

Finished Posting Vacation Photos

Okay...just finished posting the last two vacation photo albums; see the left column.  There are now 4 albums from the cruise and one from Vienna. 

What a trip down memory lane this was to put together!  I'm looking forward not to having some extra time to do other things.  I'm getting dressed now and heading into the garden.  I have spinach to plant, fertilizer and seeds to spread, and bird feeders to fill! 

Two More Photo Albums Posted

I bit the bullet and spent several hours today working on more photo albums.  Believe it or not, there are still 7 days of the trip left to cover.  The bulk of the work is behind me and, like mom, I'm transported back to the trip as I pore over photos. 

Something odd occurs to me.  To date I've not taken a single picture of our dining room or the meals we've had.  That's odd considering the role food played on the trip!  The 2nd and 3rd albums really cover our trip extenstively even though I've held back a LOT of pictures. 

Okay, I am taking a break to go soak in the tub now. 

First Batch of Vacation Photos Posted

At long last; the first vacation photo album has been posted.  This covers traveling to Amsterdam (Netherlands), Cologne, Koblenz and Mainz (all three in Germany). 

I took over 1,200 photos so you can imagine for every one I've included there are manythat I didn't.  In Cologne alone I took 130 photos.  We arrived at about 3pm and departed at 11:30pm and there was about a 3 hour period that I wasn't taking any photos!

I tried to include pictures that gave a feel for what we saw and were doing. 

No More "And Then"

I'm about to embark on a vacation of a lifetime with my mom.  Traveling to Switzerland in the past was different.  We stayed with family and I pretty much knew the turf and what to bring.  This time it's different (at least in my mind).

Always a slave to my "to do" lists, I made a list of stuff that *had* to get done.  And then life dealt us a curve ball which sent me into a panic.  Ants invaded big time and it was time to get rid of them once and for all.  I was told the cats and I would have to vacate for 3-4 hours.  What the heck do you do with three cats for that long?  Hubby has long-hinted that taking them to the groomers would be a good idea.  I grew up with cats and none of them ever went to a groomer.  They licked themselves and kept themselves clean.  Occasionally they'd get accidentally get wet.  All three of our cats have slipped into the tub at one point or another.

Reluctantly, I went to Petsmart and spoke with the groomer.  I knew it was meant to be when he said I should plan on leaving the cats for 3-4 hours.  YAY!  The catch?  They needed to be current on their rabies shots and they weren't.  Since they're indoor cats, I didn't think it was a big deal.  So terror #1 was taking them for shots.  Terror #2 was taking them to the groomers.  But now that's all behind us.

I still had a big list.  Clean, laundry...and then...and then...and then.  Now it's 4:00pm.  There's no more "and then".  It's all done.  Whatever is done is what's going to get done.  My office is not clean; oh well. 

I took a nap and then a shower and I'm amazed what a good difference that makes.  I feel like a new person.  I am cooking chicken curry tonight by request of my hubby.  I know I'll be shedding tears when I say goodbye to him and leave our comfortable home with our beloved pets.  But then I will turn my eyes fully forward to the delights that await mom and me.  Business class seats and service.  A cabin with a balcony.  Three delightful meals a day.  Gorgeous scenery.  Lovely sightseeing.  Finding the perfect thing shopping.  Ah...that sounds good right now.

Tick tock; the clock is winding down.  The planning/dreaming/wondering/packing phase will be over with and will be replaced by the enjoying phase.