Balloon Fest - Bucket List

For decades I've dreamt of owning a hot air balloon. Having gone up every chance offered, from Arizona to Myanmar, it's always a thrill. 

Our wonderful friend's, the Stockers, live in Corrales, just on the edge of Albaquwrque. Every October the area hosts an international balloon festival. A perfect opportunity - a week of balloons night and day.

The fairgrounds host every unhealthy local food imaginable. Corn dogs anyone?  Pins, hats and paraphernalia galore. As night falls, the special "night glow" festival  sees emorphius shapes take form, rising to vertical positions and "glowing" as the propane heats air to complete the inflation. When completed - it's time for fireworks. 

The next morning it's coffee at 7 and there are the gentle roar of fans in the next field next door. Coffee in hand, we go to investigate. Dozens of balloons inflated there, joining hundreds more in the sky. 

Afterwards a drive to Cuba - the landlocked one in New Mexico. Retro signs, expansive landscapes - wonderfully typical southwest. 

And then there's old town Albaquwrque. Adobe buildings and individual artisans  surrounding the town square would remind you of Santa Fe 25 years ago. 

Add a Mariachi Band and a local Mexican  dance school - and you'll have a day that's unforgettable.  

A week around balloons only inflated my interest. 30 hours of flying time to be licensed - I could do that.  Easy! Now there's only the balloon, the basket, truck and chase team. Ok - one step at a time and maybe another visit next year.      

Re2pect

It's a little more than a week since Derek Jeeter made his last Fenway appearance as a Yankee. 

Number 2 has had a multi decade career with the Yankees, always playing the same position. No matter what you think of him, (remember we ARE Sox fans), you have to congratulate him on his professionalism and a scandal-less career. And EVERYONE at Fenway did. September 28 was Jeeter Day. Although about a third if the stadium had likely come from NYC, everyone stood, cheered and gave this player the Re2pect he deserved and few others have earned. 

Through the eyes of a Dane

Anders is one of Karen's most longtime friends. When he asked to come from Denmark to visit the US for the first time, naturally the answer was "of course", but how to decide what to do in less than two weeks? 

Landing in NYC, the whirlwind included Times Square, the Met, Guggenheim, Grand Central Station and the 9/11 Memorial. Then wandering along Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty was about all we had time for before visiting Karen's mom and brother Chris.   (Touring NYC with Karen is a fast paced affair, guaranteed to cure jet lag!)

A sailor and educator  about life in the 1800's made stops in boat building Mystic Connecticut and whaling Nantucket mandatory. They didn't disappoint. 

Not to be missed - Sturbridge Village. It reminded them both of where they'd met in Denmark and the years Karen had spent at Lejre, working as an 1800's weaver while illustrating books for the center. 

And while in the neighborhood, why not try out the local "hipster" BBQ joint. Sorry, no open faced sandwiches and liverpostej here!

Finally, here in Boston and it's Steve's turn. So where might you guess we headed? After a visit to Harvard Museum's  glass flowers - it's off to Fenway. 

Remarkably, not only did our Danish friend learn the essential  rules under Steve's tutelage, he insisted on watching games on TV during the week. Steve felt validated!

Then we were off to Maine. Lighthouses, rugged coasts, lobsters, sunsets, warm

days and cool nights. You know the drill. There's nothing like it - particularly for a Dane with the sea in his DNA. 

Back in Boston, there's whale watching, Walden Pond, Concord,  the MFA, Freedom Trail, Italian delights from the north end  and just hanging out watching the boats sail the Charles. Oh, and a traditional diner for a dose of comfort food. With huge omlettes, home fries, people sitting at the counter with chatty waitresses, well this certainly isn't Denmark! 

It may not have been the most balanced view of the US, but it's a big country and you have to start somewhere. We're certain our Dane has thousands of images dancing in his head and may still be catching up on the rest he didn't get while here on his vacation. PS - the request has already come in to inquire about renting a sailboat in Maine for a month - one of these days!  

Napa Without Wine

Impossible! What would be the point?

Well there are those, believe it or not, who don't live for the new harvest and this year's wine rating. And, if your reading this, then you already know that includes Mr. Steve. Still, it's a beautiful corner of the world and we had the opportunity in late August to share it with a group of McKinsey friends. So we decided to investigate beyond the vineyards.  

First - get a convertible. You might have done that anyway - but taking the scenic route and spotting small signs is going to be key. 

Then the adventure is yours. We say go the gamut - from weird to wonderful. 

Confess - you didn't know that the workd's largest petrified forest was right here in Napa. Coastal redwoods fell like matchsticks in the direction of the lava flow from Mt St Helen a mere 7 miles away. Over several million years, water seeped through dust and ash. Cell by cell wood is transformed into solid silica, quartz and stone. Voila - petrified wood!

   

First discovered in 1870 by Charles "Petrified" Evans, the forest was visited by many. Robert Lewis Stevenson was among the frequent guests and has a tree named after him, which he wrote about in "Silverado Squatters."  Note the red trunked Manzanita trees - not petrified, but a colorful bonus. 

Next - the Old Faithful Geyser of California is a mystery of nature, which captivates the imagination AND has been written about in National Geographic. 

However, it only erupts about every 30 minutes, so bring a book and relax in the outdoor covered area. You might also investigate the "steam well." Built in the 1930's, it's 150 degree vapors boil eggs and can cook a pig. (Hey, that's what the sign says!)

The culinary delights and wonderful vistas are endless. We suggest the Culinary Institure of America, for the cooking store alone. Auberge's cliffside, outdoor deck's view is a perfect place for a midday break. Long Meadow Farmstand represents the Napa you dreamt of - and is owned, ongvwith the Ranch, by old friends. 

Bouchon Bakery is  the perfect stop to provision for your drive back to San Fran. You'll delight in whatever you find and be fortified while making notes about where you're going to stop next time your in the wine country. 

Surprise at White Sulphur Springs, WV

     

We've written before about the Greenbriar in White Sulphur Springs, WV. It's a place we've stayed every other year as an extension to a business meeting of Steve's.  This was our last meeting and it caused us to wonder if we'd be back for a visit on our own.

The Greenbriar history begins in the 1850's, when it was called The Old White.  For us it's always held the charm of the old south and, well, a racial divide that's less charming. It's a place that has both evolved and is stuck in time. 

There's plenty of options to be found on over 6,700 acres with more than 700 rooms in a mix of residential buildings as well as the immense  main white columned structure. Don't let the simple exterior fool you. The interior is a riot of patterned color made famous by Dorothy Draper and prototypical of what we think of today as typically southern decor. Let's just say  that without Dorothy, there would never have been a Lilly Pulitzer. 

There is every imaginable diversion here from renowned spa and fitness to horseback riding, skeet shooting, fly fishing, tennis (indoor & out), pools, bowling, croquet and even shuffleboard. Kyacking and rafting are close by and hiking through the property up to 3,000 feet provides amazing views. Did we mention the new, understated casino? Shopping, galleries and an artist colony offer diversion, along with cooking demos and multiple restaurants to tempt  - or send you back to the gym. 

Did we mention golf?  There are three courses, including the oldest in the PGA tour. And yes, that's us. Steve found his glove and dusted off his golf shoes. Me - well the last time I played 9 holes was over 2 days in Fiji three years ago. And before that? Probably a decade. But we did 8 holes together, only lost a couple of balls in the water and had a terrific time. 

Always looking for a place that might satisfy the ever expanding interests of our grandchildren and their parents - and at only 2-1/2 hours from DC - who knows? Maybe this southern charmer is just the ticket. 

Seoul - from Kimchi to Candy-apples

Traveling further west - we are visiting Seoul in South Korea. At about 39,000 square miles, South Korea would easily fit between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The nation's population is 50-million, but half live in Seoul, making this city and it's catchment area far larger than any American city.  Mid-August and Independence Day week means we are being spared the crowds, but it still doesn't seem that traffic here could compare with NYC, the LI Expressway or traveling to The Cape. There is a very modern, ever growing subway system that seems to do an amazing job.  

                                        

Architecture is very modern and prominently seen in extremely tall buildings. Shopping is clearly a serious pastime, with large above and underground shopping centers and multi-storied department stores sprinkled throughout the city. Frequently seen groups of brightly colored, tethered toddlers is evidence that you can never begin too young. Besides an endless selection of clothing and jewelry there are incredible food departments to be found. Think Dean and DeLuca on steroids. Besides prepared foods, there are incredible displays of flowers. Vegetables are beautifully arranged. Lettuce is fanned out and selected leaf by  leaf. Fruit arrangements appear like pieces of art - whether bagged in pyramids or carefully cupped individually in a plastic nest - almost too beautiful to eat. Naturally there is a wide variety of kimchi, but if you would prefer macaroons or candy-apples, they are there for the taking. 

                                         

Large  Buddhist  temple complexes are an oasis amid urban life. Bongeunsa is close by to where we are staying, south of the Han River. The tall white standing Buddha is its icon. Thousands of white paper lanterns have attached prayers and can be seen blanketing the inside of various shrines or cutting white paper streams up the hilly terrain. 

                

Monks play music, lead prayers and conduct funeral services inside brightly painted wooden buildings that remind us of Bhutan. Shoes are left outside as worshipers select a cushion and enter for prayer. Guests are respectfully welcome to join, although the level of activity at the complex makes this somehow feel inappropriate. Maybe we will return and enter at a quiter moment.

Eugene - the Next Chapter

Always our favorite place to travel, we've just spent a wonderful weekend visiting Erin, Jeremy, Clara and Evie at their new home! They've left downtown Eugene for 10 acres in a more rural area in Oregon's renowned wine country. Although within reach of town; horses, cows, sheep and pastures prevail along with acres of forestland. 

               

Plans are still evolving, but the chicks and bunnies have arrived. (This chick roosting on Evie is now about two months old and ten times the size.). Goats and sheep may be next, to help keep the property tamed. A small raised garden is a place holder for a much larger area for vegetables and flowers and eventually a fruit orchard.

                                   

We should have taken lots of pictures to share, but were  too busy exploring the property, Steve (yes Steve) helping  to finish the chicken coop, going to the local children's outdoor theatre, swimming and an adults only night out at a local vineyard for wine tasting, food and music. 

                                     

The girls have clearly embraced their new home. It's hard to imagine them anywhere else. We are so pleased for the whole family and can't wait for our next visit. 

Maine - 228 vs 3,478

A picture describes it all. 

Maine's general coastline is 228 miles long. However, it's tidal shoreline, which measures where the tide meets the shore, is whopping 3,478 miles - and this doesn't include the circumferences of it's many islands. With the exception of Alaska, Maine wins as having longest tidal shoreline in the US. Add in a tidal range that can rise and fall as much as 20 feet - YES that happens twice a day - and life can get really interesting!

Maine Cruising

There's little in the world that compares to coastal Maine. Where Mystic, CT and Newport, RI may boast centers of early commerce and wealth, coastal Maine has an uncountable number of charming towns, which have changed little in a hundred years or more. These quintessential locals often boast a lighthouse protected  harbor, white  Victorian homes with bright flower filled gardens and a view of rich, dark green hills tumbling down to the sea filled with mostly modest sized, and often "working", vessels. 

Much of Maine's coast runs east to west, thus the term "down east".  The coastline is punctuated with rivers, which can run 30 or more miles deep into the coast and several miles wide. Add in maneuvering around lobster pots, and countless islands,  and boating through Maine is like skating on lace - beautiful but filled with treacherous areas to avoid. 

                                     

Swing bridges are one way for cars  and boats to share navigation of  this irregular coast. These images give you an idea of how the bridge "swings" open and closed to give everyone a chance.  This is the swing bridge leading into the "back" of Booth Bay.  Miss the opening and it's tea time, as you circle round for 30 minutes or more until the next opening. 

                                              

Booth Bay is one of those "quintessential" towns. Note the red "marina office", that barely holds it's mitress Judy. A lovely town, that creeps up the hill to a second harbor, boasts a music focused art center and has enough summer traffic to support several art galleries and a number of B&B's. 

            

The charming wooden foot bridge links the main town to the harbour's residential side, which sports a few lobster shacks with picnic tables and steaming corn and lobsters filled cauldrons. Where Booth Bay is one of those quintessential, somewhat tourist focused,  Maine villages often teaming with people enjoying ice cream, it is coincidentally juxteposed to close by artist colony Mohegan Island, which has an unapproachable 4-slip dock with an equally unreacahable dock master! 

With our guests, the Johnson's, we venture on to several of our favorite anchorages, including Jewel Island, Christmas and a Pulpit Harbours. Finally it's time to get back to civilization.  We choose Rockland, just in time for Maine's annual Lobster Festival.   Along the fairway - among fried "everything", brightly lit rides, booths and live music - we kept seeing the same familiar faces. Do you recognize anyone?

  

                                                 

Rockland is a US Coast guard center, that was hosting a weekend of tours on one of its older schooners, as newbie replaced veteran crew. Besides having terrific working marinas, Rockland has several noteable museums. The Farnsworth has a permanent collection of multi-generational Wyeth paintings, as well as it's own and rotating exhibits. The Lighthouse Museum will provide more than a glimpse of an indispensable technology.

                                                 

 You'll be amazed at how much is packed in this bustling town. Everything is reachable within a 15-minute walk. Camden, similarly sized but a slightly more upscale town,  is a short 20 minute car, or slightly longer bike ride away, with several notable restaurants and the Owls Head Transportation Museum in between.  

We love this area by sea, but it's equally magical by land. Plan to find yourself in the neighborhood. 

Newport - Clifftop Cottages and Acres of Masts

If you are a boater, a pilgrimage to Newport RI is on your short list. Newport fame began as a commercial and whaling center, making the town unusually cosmopolitan. At its height of prosperity in the mid 18th century, all ended abruptly in 1776, when the British began a three year occupation and destroyed over 500 buildings. After the British departure, the French army used it as an outpost. Newport never fully recovered.  

However in the 1800's it continued as a commercial port, with ships as large as 200 feet, coming from far and wide. While sea captains began leaving the area, wealthy Southerners, and their counterparts from New York, Baltimore, Boston and the Carribean returned, building "cottages" on the cliffs overlooking the harbour as their summer retreat. By the llate 1800's, Newport became the unchallenged summer playground of the Gilded Age's ultra wealthy. World War I and stock market crash again changed the harbors character. The Navy to expand its influence but when it left in 1973, commercial businesses took over the waterfront and places like 'Blood Alley", where polite society had never dared visit,  have become wildly popular destinations for all. 

                                    

Approching the harbour today, one is inevitably heralded with racing sailboats and all manner of boats large and small funneling into the well marked opening  of this large protected area. The massive "cottages" from a bygone era dot the cliffs and, if you make it to land, are worth a visit for their diversity and incredible interior workmanship.  

Marinas and mooring balls are plentiful. There are literally acres of sailing masts. Some marinas specialize in motor boats, with many yachts well over 100 feet. Beautiful old schooners ferry folks out for day and sunset cruises. Water taxis provide cross harbour access. As you find your way, steeples along with other historical buildings dot the shore.  Boater or no, Newport is a pilgrimage worth making. 

PS - Technology can be a little too helpful. The previous Mystic post refers to a "vascular" bridge, when what was meant was a BASCULAR bridge. However, in reality, this is a "SWING BRIDGE". Bascular bridge's create an opening by hinging up from one side. The blogmiester will attempt to better check her future sources.