Let the Projects Begin (again)

We have been in our new home for going on four months now. In that time, we've completed a couple hefty outdoor projects (moving the fence; building the shed; planting more irises than I care to count; planting new trees and plotting the death of old trees). But once fall came, we pretty much shut down on the projects. Now that winter is here (it is definitely here!! Brrrrr.), we have begun our first big indoor project (other than replacing the front door, installing a new bathroom fan, fixing the dishwasher, etc., etc.).

Our dear friend (and inspiration) Heather Z. decided to tear up the carpet in her bedroom and just paint the subfloor until she had time, etc., to install a new hardwood floor. Duh!? Why didn't we think of that?! So, we have followed her lead and started the de-construction.

Heather, the instigator
(I mean inspiration) for our latest project

We are starting small, just the downstairs hallway and stinky, icky laundry room. After a couple knuckle-busting days of ripping up carpet, tearing out ninety-seven million staples, and then scraping up linoleum, we are now down to the best we could do in terms of subfloor. The heat is cranked up to get that caulk and mud dry, so that later today we can paint the floor with the cat-pee-odor-killing primer. Then maybe tomorrow we can put on the "wood" colored paint that we picked out.

Before and After:
The Before may look better, but trust us,
the photo does not convey the level of stink
that existed in those layers of carpet and
linoleum and moldy wood.

Aw, Thanks!

To all of you who celebrate, and even those of you who don't, we wish you a very healthy, happy, tasty Thanksgiving. We hope you are spending it (or spent it, in Debi's case) with loved ones, whether they be family or friends or family AND friends.

Thanksgiving, 2007

I just remembered that I did a whole list of what I was thankful for last year, and that was a pretty good list. But I can't just copy and paste it here--that would be cheating. So bear with me as I list this year's "What I'm Thankful for Right Now" post.

• I'm thankful for the heater vent right under my desk that keeps my footsies warm in winter (note that those footsies are also in the blue fuzzy socks from Michelle A., which are inside the blue fuzzy slippers from Susan F. So I am triply toasty. Thank you all!).
• I'm thankful to Michelle (twice in one post) for sending along that onion confit recipe. As I type, our house is filling with the smells of caramelizing onions. Mmmmm. Can't wait to see how it tastes in place of the cranberry sauce on the turkey. (Michelle, I will send you the yam scone recipe this week. Promise!)
• I'm thankful for our wonderful new home.
• I'm thankful to Heather Z. for encouraging us to make the great migration north.
• I'm thankful to our parents for supporting us in so many ways. We cannot thank you enough for everything you all have done--Mum and Dad and Mom and Dad!
• I'm thankful that our friend Shane is home with his loving wife and daughter and on the road to recovery.
• I'm thankful to be out of Dallas. But saying that, I'm also so thankful to our circle of friends in Dallas (and Austin) who made our year there so much more bearable than it would have been without them. It wasn't the people we didn't like; it was just the place that did not suit us.
• I'm thankful to be here in Boise. We have found a city that fits exactly what we have been looking for, and we have fallen into another fabulous network of friends who have made us feel so welcome . . . from our very first day here.
• As always, I am thankful to all our family and friends for everything. You help make us who we are!
  
• And this I am going to steal from last year, because it is all still true: I'm thankful for my incredible, supportive, fun, loving, makes me giggle and smile, shows me so much of the world husband. I love you!

So whether you are celebrating the American Thanksgiving or just sitting around enjoying your day, take a couple seconds to realize all the good things in life. It's way better than dwelling on the negative.

Hello Forties!

Thank you to all my family and friends for making the transition to 40 so wonderful. All the emails, cards, phone messages, phone calls, Facebook notices, generous gifts ... everything! It was all great, fantastic, more than I could have asked for. And I loved hearing the stories some of you had about my early days on this planet :-)

Yesterday was just about a perfect birthday. After sleeping in a bit, Mark and I hopped on our bikes and headed to Moon's Kitchen Cafe for breakfast. I veered (only slightly) from my usual breakfast of eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and toast to try the special scramble of eggs, bacon, mushrooms, cheddar, and jalapenos, all eaten to the tunes of 50s and 60s music, that of course I sang along to while I ate, even though my dad always taught me there is "no singing at the table" ;-). Yum! We then walked around downtown and window-shopped/talked on our cell phones (me to Mom and Mark to a friend), checked our PO Box, and rode back home.

After a few quick fun emails, we dashed off to the gym (really), as this is just the beginning of a major food-frenzied week/month/rest of the year. I had enough time afterward for a quick shower before heading off to The Bungalow, where I met up with Heather, our dear, dear friend who helped convince us to move here (thank you, Heather!!). Lunch was delicious: tomato basil soup, butternut squash ravioli in a sage brown-butter sauce, accompanied by my new favorite cocktail: gin (or vodka; I'm not picky) tonic with muddled cucumber, mint, and lime. More yum! (Thanks for that too, Heather!)

Then I dashed across the street for a haircut and eyebrow grooming, helped Heather move a table into her dining room for Friday night's feast (more on that to come), and stopped by Sarah G's to return her cruiser bike (sad to see it go). I picked up a couple of dollar tacos for Mark from Parrilla Grill, as he had stayed home to clean up while I was out celebrating (what a guy). I then had enough time to squeeze in a teeny bit of work and take a few more birthday calls before heading off to the final festivity of the day.

This time we walked downtown (no more cruiser bike) to the Basque Market for one of their cooking classes. While we nibbled on tapas and sipped various Spanish wines, we watched as the owners of the market (Tony and Tara) taught us how to make braised lamb and then how to use the leftovers (HA! who ever has leftovers from lamb?!?) to make empanadas. Then we got to eat everything that was prepared. All so very yummy!

So glad we walked, as it felt great to walk off all the wonderful food as we recapped the day. The stars were out (the rain/snow storm that had been predicted decided to delay itself, just for me), the air was crisp and cold, we crunched through leaves. Just what a fall birthday night should be.

Of course, the camera did not make it out of the house even once, so no photographic proof of my wonderful birthday. But lots of memories that will not be soon forgotten, even if the mind is the first to go now that I'm "old."

Pictures ... Really!

See that ... when I don't make promises to post pictures, I actually get around to posting pictures. But only because Mom and Dad (mostly Mom) took a bajillion photos on their visit and were kind enough to get those photos up onto Snapfish in a much more timely (timelier??) fashion than I ever could. So here's the link to photos of our house. I think Snapfish is accessible to anyone. Enjoy!

And Happy Halloween!!

Vintage Halloween, 2003

Riddle Me This, Batman!

So, today Mark is off to Amsterdam to help with an international raft race (involving 53 countries, by the way, which I believe is the biggest attendance at any IRF event to date ... but I could be wrong).

Ah, Amsterdam. The land of windmills, tulips, and Gouda (or perhaps those are not the stereotypes that first pop into your mind? But this is a child-friendly blog, so we'll just leave it at that). What Amsterdam is not known for is its raging whitewater. Hmm? My question is, how is it possible to put on a whitewater rafting event in a country that is called The Netherlands because much of its land is well below sea level? Curiouser and curiouser.

In addition to solving this riddle, Mark will be serving as a race judge, IRF representative, and media go-to guy. And people say men can't multitask! Go, Mark (and please bring home some yummy cheese)!! To find the answer to the riddle and to see Mark in action, check out InternationalRafting.com, which he should be updating on a regular basis ... live from Amsterdam!

It's been a long, long time.

Once again I am apologizing for not posting sooner. It's been a little hectic, fun, busy, crazy, whirlwindish this first month or two in Boise. I don't even know where to begin, so I'll give a sort of quick paragraph to each category.

We're settling into our home and loving ALL the projects (though I can't say the shed building or the fence moving were super fun; but so satisfying once they were completed). The house itself is in pretty good shape. Mark, my hero, fixed the garbage disposal, the washing machine, the leaky tub and toilet, the bathroom fan, and the dish washer. I cleaned the floors and did my best to get the stains, crayon marks, and leftover glitter out of the off-white carpets (white carpets with two little kids ... why would they do that?!). Then it was on to the yard, where we've already planted six trees, inherited a multitude of plants from our neighbor, and done our best to kill off the weeds and grubs. The big projects were moving our 75-foot-long back fence to the edge of our property, rather than 16 feet into the backyard, and then building a shed. A humongous thanks to Mom and Dad for devoting almost all of their visit to the shed. I honestly do not know how it could have been completed by just two people, especially when one of those two (that would be me) threw up her hands in frustration and had to escape into the house for part of the afternoon. Such a diva!


Mark, the Fence Mover

When we aren't working on the yard, hunting for bargains on tools and furniture, catching up on real work/looking for real work, and trying to squeeze in some zzzz's, we've been having fun. In the first month in our home, we've already had three sets of visitors: Joe from Dallas was the first, over Labor Day. We wore him out (and vice versa) with hikes, bikes, floats down the Boise River, dinner out, drinks with friends, pirate golf . . . you name it. And all this while we had a house full of dogs (our Kai, plus Judi's Dobie and Heather's Kayla). Just like old times. Then Tony and Terry from Santa Barbara, who attended raft guide school with Mark 20 years ago, stopped in for a wonderful two days. Again there was hiking and walking and dining and laughing, as well as a failed attempt to see the raptors out at the Snake River Birds of Prey National Park. And, finally, most recently, were my folks, who drove out with their Ford Explorer (now our Ford Explorer) loaded to the gills with all of our stuff, which had been stored in their attic for the past year. It was like Christmas morning opening up all the boxes and getting reacquainted with all our stuff. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mom and Dad, for everything!


Joe showing off our fine Thermarest furniture


Kai's girlfriend, Kayla


Mom, Dad, and LJ the really big dog

Now the walls are hung with photos and artwork and the knickknacks are on the shelves. We even threw our first big dinner party/barbecue, using the china and crystal and flatware that we hadn't seen since Denver. Thanks again to Mom and Dad for entertaining the guests and preparing the delicious margaritas and yummy yummy gravy while I gallivanted around the neighborhood.

Our first BBQ with Heather and Simo

Throughout all of this, we've been exploring Boise, meeting our neighbors, and making many new friends. I cannot begin to express how great it is and how incredibly nice everyone has been. While working on our fence, we met our neighbors, who have a garden and chickens in their backyard. We'd barely introduced ourselves before they had loaded us up with fresh onions, tomatoes, basil, kale, and cukes and zukes from their garden. And in exchange for our veggie cuttings (tops of carrots, potato peels, fruit that's just gone off) as well as a couple bucks, we get fresh eggs, practically from our own backyard. We've been to barbecues and get-togethers and backyard gatherings. Mark's been on bike rides up in the hills, and I've taken Kai for walks through the foothills. And just the other day we went with some friends to pick pears from an orchard so they could make cider (the pressing of the pears will be next week).

Veggies from our neighbor's garden










Putting the Explorer to use: Pears from the orchard

So, although Mark is unemployed right now, we are so much more at peace with our lives. I am trying to find a good spin to put on our time in Dallas. We met nice people, made some good friends, had incredibly nice neighbors, and even saw a few places we liked (namely, Oklahoma and Austin). But Dallas just didn't speak to us. It didn't bring us any joy, and try as we might, we couldn't find the joy. We know that many people like it there. And that's fine. It just wasn't for us. And the fact that many people in Dallas thought Mark was an angry, bitter person made us realize that it was taking a serious toll on ourselves and even our relationship. So in answer to the question many people are still asking, "Why Boise?" I can just say that it spoke to us as soon as we arrived that first day in July, and to us, the risk of moving somewhere new without any real prospects for work in this crazy economy were worth it to our peace of mind, our sanity, and our relationship. 'Nuff said.

Home, SWEET Home!

Once again, it's been so long, I forgot where we left off. I think I was holding off on officially telling the blog world that we put an offer on a house. After what seemed like ages of "will we get it or won't we get it?" (it was actually all within a month of checking out Boise for the very first time), we finally got the key (there was only one key) to the house:


The original part of the house (not the two-story part) was built in the 1890s! We think it has its original flooring. If not, it's pretty darn close. The rest was added on some time in the 70s or 80s, we think. It needs a little bit of work (what house of ours doesn't?), but it is perfectly livable, and we love it, especially dinner every night on our little front porch.

We've been in the house just over a week, and we have been nonstop busy with super-duper bargain shopping, including these beautiful pieces that we got for a STEAL (my photographic "skills" do not do them justice):

More jobs to do today, including hanging curtains and installing screens to keep the bugs out (something at which we are ridiculously proficient, no thanks to Kai). More to come when we have a little more breathing room.

No More Driving

What a summer this has been.

Last I wrote (before the comment response post), we mentioned that we were moving to Boise. Well, that is now in the past tense, for we are here. After our whirlwind weekend in July, we returned to Dallas, gave notice on our home, called up ABF, packed up all our stuff (I should say Mark did all of that, while I sat in the office and worked), and sent it off to Boise. Then we loaded the rest, including me and Mark and Kai, into my little old Honda, and said adios to Dallas. As much as we didn't like Flower Mound, we did make some very good friends there. And as always, that was the hardest part of leaving. I didn't even get to say goodbye to my a very good girlfriend of mine, as she was off in Ecuador during our whole Boise adventure (from the initial visit until now). :-(

We drove west to Albuquerque and spent three blissfully relaxing days with Jon and Val. I think mostly we ate and laughed and caught up on the past year. And in between all that we slept and napped and just a had a few days of breathing space, our first chance to step back in more than a month. On Thursday, we bid a sad farewell to the Ashes, knowing that we will see them again soon in our new digs, and continued west to Chaco Canyon, a site I'd been wanting to see for, oh, about 15 years. The road to what could be one of the smallest national parks in the U.S. was a bit rough, to say the least, but well worth it for me. (Mark and Kai may disagree, as they had to hang out near the car due to the hot sand.)

After I had my fill of Chacoan ruins, we traveled back out the deeply rutted dirt road and finally veered north toward the Colorado border. It was so fantastic to see the Rockies off in the distance again. How we missed them!! We camped out near Navajo Lake along the San Juan River, and reminisced about good times we'd had in the past floating along that same river further downstream. But our memories were cut short as the mosquitoes came out in full force, sending us for cover inside the tent.

Those same mossies chased us out of camp the next morning, and we were on our way to Mesa Verde bright and early. Good thing, too, as we spent a good chunk of the day exploring the park. (OK, I spent a good chunk of the day exploring, while Mark and Kai hung out in the shade trying to stay cool.) Thank you, Mark, for being the awesomest husband and not complaining while I went off to get my archaeological fix!!

We then continued north, up through Moab and beyond, finally finding a great little campsite (near midnight) just east of Provo. No mosquitoes, cool night air, and lots of frogs (or toads?) for Kai to hunt. Nice.

Then yesterday, the final haul into Idaho, through miles and miles of potato fields, until we landed in Boise, at last, where we showered off all the dust, said hello to Heather (our fabulous host), and promptly fell asleep in a big comfy bed.

Now here we are, ready to start our next adventure. Where will we live? What will Mark do? These are questions we'll be answering in the coming weeks. For now, we are thrilled to be in a place where we can walk down the street and sip coffee with the neighbors while eating fresh blackberries just picked from their incredibly lush garden. This afternoon, we are heading down to a swimming hole along the Boise River. And tonight, who knows, maybe a barbecue.

. . .

Well, we found the swimming hole and it was PERFECT. Then a nap and drinks and food at the wrap place around the corner. Life is good. Now, everyone keep your fingers crossed on the rest of our plans for this week. If all goes well, we will fill you in. Oh, the anticipation!

Comment Responses

I never know who goes back to read the comments after they post, so I never really respond in there. When I do, I feel like I'm talking to myself, which is a common occurrence with me anyway (though I like to think I'm just talking to Kai).

So, here are answers to some of the more recent comments from our valuable readers:

Rebecca, that was actually either a delicious Buck Snort Porter or a delicious Happy Highway Oatmeal Stout. I can't remember which. That was Mark's preferred beverage, while I tried out the Lone Peak IPA and then the Headplant Pale Ale. If you are ever in Big Sky, MT, I would check it all out! Hope you are having (had) a fantastic time in California!

A. Karen, (comment 1) I thought you might like that photo. That was actually from Halloween. I was dressed as my interpretation of a go-go dancer, and I was taking a puff from my Russian mob boss husband's stogie. :-) (comment 2) Keep in mind that Boise isn't too far from some great skiing either!! Winter holiday?!?!

Val, we are so looking forward to hearing the story of your "Summertime" duet with the street musician, as well as all your other great stories. See you soon!!

Sossity, yes, I agree, "y'all" is so convenient, and I think I'll continue to use it. "Youse guys" just doesn't seem to get the job down out west!

Susan, the more the merrier! Let's get all the "old gang" up there. We'd love it! By the way, I think we are already set to host this year's Halloween party. Come on up; I know how you love that holiday! ;-)

Tracy, what, you mean something like this:

Don't worry, that would never happen!

To all the rest, thanks for your supportive notes in this crazy time! Anxiously awaiting what our next adventure has in store for us.

News

No, we are not lost somewhere in the Great White North, trying to find our way back to Dallas. I got a little sidetracked with life and plans and heat waves. Excuses, excuses. So I have not yet updated all our wonderful readers (all three of you) on our trip. Then I realized that I have promised to post photos from our past three trips (including the trip to Australia ... not only the most recent one, but also the one almost two years ago now). I really will get them online for your viewing pleasure. Really, I will (said with Miss O'Hara's Southern drawl ... we do live in Texas after all). But wait, that brings me to the news (and the main reason for our busy-ness lately):

We will not be living in Dallas much longer.

If I knew how to make that flash and jiggle and move all around the page, I would, just to show you how excited we are (no offense to any Dallas-ites out there, but it just AIN'T our scene, y'all).

Our new home will not be in Samoens, France (boo-hoo ... that one still smarts, though I know it worked out for the best) or in Launceston, Tasmania, or in Timbuktu. Nope, we are heading north past our old playground of Denver on up into Boise, Idaho.

Why Idaho? Some might say it's because it's half the punchline to one of my favorite stupid jokes. (I will spare you all.) Others might say it's because we like our spuds, especially fried. Before we ever went there, I would have said it was because of the proximity to rivers, foothills, mountains, great expanses of wilderness, and a fantastic downtown within walking distance. But after having spent one crazy-busy-fun weekend in the city with our pal Heather Z., I think I can tell you that it's because on a Saturday night, I can go out dancing until 2 a.m. dressed as the queen of hearts while Mark sits on the back porch, sipping single malt scotch and shooting a tin can with a BB gun. (Now some of you might ask why we don't just move to West Virginia.)

There is more news, but we are waiting for it all to be finalized (no, I'm not pregnant). Stay tuned. And if I get a break from working and packing and forwarding mail and all that, I WILL post those photos--maybe even some from our whirlwind tour of Boise.

Still on the Road

This is not a "real" post. Just a quickie to let all interested readers know that we didn't drive off the road and into a geyser/geezer.

Since we last wrote, we have seen the Grand Tetons (well, the lower half; the upper half was shrouded in stubborn clouds all day), nearly all of Yellowstone Park (including three viewings of Old Faithful ... spectacular), Butte and Missoula, Montana, Flathead Lake (gorgeous, gorgeous), Whitefish Lake (a smaller gorgeous), and a smidgen of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park (a cumbersome park name if ever I heard one, but an absolutely stunning park --- I am quickly running out of adjectives for all the beauty we have seen).

Photos are to come. Must finish uploading some work before falling asleep here in our comfy condo in Whitefish, Montana (a place where I could easily retire ... tomorrow). Speaking of tomorrow, we are back on the road again, skirting around the bottom of WGIPP and up the east side into Canada. Banff, here we come!

On the Road Again

[Note: This may be a duplicate post. It seems to have put the wrong date on my first post. Sorry for any duplicate emails those of you on the "subscription list" might get.]

We are out of Texas!!!! .....

For now.

Being back in the mountains and breathing that fresh, crisp air is glorious, wondrous, magnificent, invigorating, all around great for the soul. Just wish it could be for more than 10 days.

Mark and I flew into Bozeman, Montana, two days ago. Cute college town, with real coffee shops (we didn't see a single Starbucks) and a great vibe. We relaxed for a bit in town, dining on sandwiches from the Pita Pit and excellent coffee and tea, while reading our maps and guidebooks. Then it was on the road, down through Gallatin Canyon, past Big Sky Resort (where we stopped in at the Lone Peak Brewery for happy hour), and on into West Yellowstone (a pit of a hotel town on the edge of our nation's first national park).



The next morning, we headed west and south, down through Idaho and into Targhee National Forest. I can't tell you how great it is to once again see towering lodge pole pines, wide clear rivers, people in fleeces and Chacos. This is definitely our kind of country.



We stopped in a couple places to take in the views and get ourselves acclimated to being at an elevation higher than 600 feet above sea level. Just past Lower Mesa Falls on Henry's Fork of the Snake River, we loaded up our pack with lunch and set off in search of a nice little picnic spot. We had every intention of following the trail to the Bear Gulch Overlook, but soon turned off and followed a gully down the cliff to the river. I'm not sure anyone but the most intrepid fisherman/woman would have followed this trail. I'm not even sure any animals would have followed the steep trail; I certainly didn't see any tracks, though that could be because it had recently rained, and I was pretty sure we were following a waterfall's track. But it was well worth it. A private rock on the river's edge was the perfect spot to enjoy our lunch of tomato, avocado, salami, and cheese on crackers. Yummy!

We finished up lunch just in time for the rain, which started as a splitter spatter, but soon turned into a pretty serious downpour, thunder and all. My guess that it had been a waterfall's course was confirmed as we slowly made our way back up the cliffside. The only thing that kept flashing through my mind was the mudslide scene from Romancing the Stone. I'm just glad I didn't have to make the hike in high heels and a skirt. My Pear Izumi GoreTex shoes treated me just right, keeping my toes warm and dry as we plodded through the increasing flow of the cascade.

But we made it in one piece, with big grins on our faces, so happy to be drenched with cool rainwater rather than sticky sweat after a big hike.



After drying off, we headed into Jackson, where we were supposed to pick up Mark's parents from the airport. We settled into our rented condo, only to hear that they were stranded in Denver, thanks to mechanical difficulties.



But they are here now, unpacked and somewhat refreshed after an early afternoon nap. Now we're off to explore the town of Jackson and see what there is to see.

Life as a Musical

So, I am sitting here working very hard (read: taking a break and surfing the Blogosphere for fun tidbits of procrastination), when I stumbled upon this page:

If Only Life Were a Musical

You can read her whole post (which is kinda funny), or just scroll down to the video. If I knew how to put a YouTube video in my own post, I would. But if I took the time to learn how to do that right now, I'd really be procrastinating, and that would be trouble, as I'm leaving tomorrow for a two-night trip in Austin (yay!!) and I have a s*&#load of work to get done between now and then.

But, I had to take a quick break (in addition to the long Web surfing break I was already taking) to share the video at the end of Crazy Aunt Purl's blog. It had me laughing until tears of joy (not quite pee of glee) were pouring down my cheeks (pee of glee pouring down my cheeks would be just gross ... unless I meant the other cheeks ... but still, gross). Nothing like a little Tuesday pick me up. And yes, life would be great if it was more like a musical.

More Catching Up

So, Mark is off in China (Hong Kong, Shanghai, and then Taipei) with his business partner, Dave. They're checking out all the factories, eating all sorts of interesting and yummy food (floating chicken head soup anyone?), and getting nightly foot massages while sipping drinks and watching soccer/football. Rough life! He was going to update the blog personally (I know ... shocker! It would have been nice to have a guest blogger.), but he's getting in to his hotel after midnight each night and leaving around 6 or 7 a.m. (I know this, because we are 13 hours apart, and I chat with him on Skype every night and every morning/noonish when he's getting ready to go or coming home to sleep. In fact, he's "on" my other screen right now. We aren't really chatting, but he's catching up on emails, and I'm writing about him--are your ears burning, Mark?--This Skype thing really eases the loneliness factor on his long trips!).

But it's not all world traveling these days. We've also been doing stuff here on the "not-home" front. Cooking lots of yummy food (I have attempted to photograph some of the better ones, but they all come out looking gray and unappetizing . . . a proper food blogger I am not), trying to keep the weeds in the backyard from taking over (without actually really doing anything about it except mowing, and even that I'm failing at miserably, as the pull cord thingie decided to get stuck when I was not even 1/100th done with the backyard), catching up with friends and family here in the Dallas area (dinner with cousin Aaron, drinks with Lorena, visits with Dave and family), watching the grass grow thanks to all the rain, and, as always, going to the gym.

A couple weekends ago, I went on my first-ever road bike rally (as in road bicycle, not road motorcycle, though with the wind we had, a motorcycle would have been very nice!). It was at the Muenster Germanfest. And no, in answer to Lynn and Nanci, no cheese (though there used to be a cheese factory that is now painted to look like shops in an old German town--which you can see if you click on the link above). Just a lot of sausage and sauerkraut and Shiner Bock. And after my 22-mile bike ride, I felt that I had earned every bite and gulp--though I should mention that everyone else we were with did the 42- or 60-mile ride, so really I was pretty wimpy, especially since they had a headwind the entire way, and we had a tailwind for the second half (hallelujah). Mark was super nice and stayed with me and even let me draft behind him for some of the windier sections. He easily could have done the 40- or even 60-mile ride, what with his pistons-for-legs and incredible stamina. I thanked him profusely for not leaving me in the dust too much and for encouraging me all along the way (except for the occasional times when he picked up the speed and blasted away from me, making me realize how incredibly slow I am).

While Mark's been awayin the Far East, I've just been working, "gym-ing" (we have another challenge at the gym where you earn points for each class you attend; I think it's the only thing that gets me up off the couch most days), knitting (yes, I took up this hobby over the winter to give me something to do; I'm on my second scarf now. Too bad a scarf is not really needed here in Texas.), and trying to keep the bugs at bay. (Have I mentioned how much I HATE junebugs, slugs, moths, mosquitoes, and all the other bugs that think my house is their house? I've filled up the vacuum with live bugs that I capture with the longest hose attachment I can find, and now I'm wondering how I'm going to get them out. I'm sure they are dead by now, but if they are not, I know they'll all swarm out and attack me. I think I might just leave the canister full until Mark gets home. Yes, ew, but I am SUCH a wimp.).

So that's our life these days. I'm heading down to Austin next week, and then Mark returns. We have a couple week break, and then it's off to the Northern Rockies for a road trip with his folks. And, once again, any relevant photos that I have associated with this blog are not on my computer. In fact, I think they are all on Mark's computer in Shanghai. So, you'll just have to visualize all this until I get the Picasa site updated ... someday.

Tara and Mark in Oz, Chapter 2

We are so incredibly behind on the blog. But I need to start somewhere, so why not where we left off.

[Note: Once again, I don't have all the photos on one computer, so I'm making do with what we have.]

We continued our three weeks in Australia with more good times with family and friends.

In addition to the all the eating and visiting and catching up, we got a chance to head south to Royal National Park for a day's walk through the Australian bush. The weather cooperated perfectly. Believe it or not, an overcast, off-and-on drizzly day was just what we needed. Otherwise, the extremely rough surf at the end of the trail would have been much more enticing. We saw waterfalls pouring into the ocean, all sorts of eucalyptus and various other plants that I don't know the name of, and dead blue bottle jellyfish on the beach (which also discouraged any swimming in the rough surf). Luckily, Mark and I missed out on the opportunity to see leeches and snakes up close (others were not quite so lucky). And to top it all off, we got to meet Alan's walking buddies, a great group to spend a day with. Other than the fact that Mark and I forgot to pack the complete lunch, it was a wonderful day! (The only other bummer is that we found out after the fact that we missed seeing The Killers in concert at Centennial Park that night.)

Enjoying the cloudy view
from the Sydney Harbour Bridge

On another rainy afternoon, we went to the Sydney Jewish Museum to see Molly's African dolls in a special exhibit on South African Jews in Australia, titled "It's Not All Black and White." She is incredibly talented, and it was great to see her art so prominently displayed.

Molly's art on display (in her home)

As I mentioned, we ate at some fantastic restaurants, including Ravesi's, Sabbaba's, Blue Wave Bistro at Bondi's RSL, and Sean's Panorama, all in Bondi Beach; as well as a yummy dim sum (they call it yum cha) restaurant in Sydney, many quick beers and plates of chips at Doyle's on the way back from Watson's Bay or the ferry ride back from the City, and a delicious meal at Molly and Alan's local Thai place. All that plus the tasty meals at home ... it's amazing we didn't come back bigger than we left! (OK, maybe we came back a little larger, but we are working on that.)

Sea spray in the face
on the ferry ride to Watson's Bay

After three weeks, we loaded ourselves onto the new A-380 with QANTAS (damn! that's a big plane) and flew "home" to our dog in Dallas. Thanks to all the Joffes (and Bergers and Spielmans and ...) for a fantastic time!

The (slightly overexposed) Joffe/Berger/Spielman clan

Kai, the lone Joffe dog, anxiously awaiting our return
(... or sniffing the flowers
... or, more realistically, hunting wabbits).

Rest in Peace

Chester the Molester

May 1990-April 10, 2009

I miss you, m'boy.

T&M in Oz

Well, here we are, finally somewhere about 1,000 times more interesting than Dallas, and not even a whisper of a post from us on the blog. Sorry about that! It's just that we have actually been busy with fun stuff, without a minute to spare for such indoor activities as blogging. I know, you all feel so sorry for us. I don't have a lot of time, as my battery is down to 30% and the charger doesn't seem to be working right now. But just wanted to let you all know (if you didn't already) that we are in Sydney, spending time with the family and then some! Aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, Mum, Dad, brothers (in law) and sisters (in law), to name just a few.

As for what's been keeping us so busy ... walks to the beach, swims at the beach, trips to the dentist (good times!), shopping excursions, dining out, dining in, dining in but out on the patio, playing in the pool, visiting with Mark's family from South Africa, catching up with Aussie friends we haven't seen in more than 7 years, taking the occasional nap and squeezing in a bit of work here and there, and even playing a round of golf on a course overlooking the ocean. Gorgeous. Pictures to come! But for now, it's time to clean up so we can head off to the beach again. Yes, it's a rough life ... Wish you were here!

To Nana on Her 90th

I spent last Saturday with family and friends to celebrate Nana's 90th birthday party. It was a fabulous party for a wonderful woman. I wouldn't have missed it for the world (though the airline gods--and my own ditzy-ness--certainly had it in for me).

Nana, you are a beautiful, incredibly talented, classy, and gracious woman. You prove all those Hollywood types wrong--woman can and do age gracefully and beautifully, without one stitch of plastic surgery (or do you have a little something going on the side that we don't know about?!).

But more than that, it is what is inside. Mom gave me a book for Christmas, and in it, she mentions that your name, Lottie, means "petite/feminine/strong." How did your parents know that this name would suit you to a T?! You are generous and kind, but you are also honest and will tell us what you think if you think it is good for us (and though we sometimes hate to admit it, you are usually right). You have been able to do just about anything you put your mind to--from refinishing and restoring what looked to be useless furniture to designing and sewing an entire line of teddy bear clothes, from hosting incredibly fantastic parties to beating us all at basketball.

I'd like to think that because you and Grandpa helped raise me that first year (and many years in between) that I might have inherited many of these qualities. I'm still working on a lot of it, but it is definitely something to aspire to. However, I am the first to admit that no matter how hard I try, I will never inherit your sense of style! You have never, ever looked bad, even when you would be the first one up making us all fruit salad and toasting up bagels for breakfast. How do you do it?

I love you so much and I thank you for everything throughout the years.

And thanks to Charlie and Debbie for the great photo (which I "borrowed" from Snapfish)!

Home Again, Home Again

I know ... long time, no post. But other than the weather (after the ice storm, we had tornado warnings and now it's springtime in Texas), there really has not been much to discuss. Until now!

Last week I took a whirlwind trip back to Denver for a little bit of much-needed Get Out of Texas time. Although I was only there for two full days (plus an evening before and half a day after), it felt like at least a week. Perhaps that is because of how much I crammed into such a short time. Of course, although I brought my camera with me, it never made it out of the bag, and not even my photography friends Glenn or Paul took a shot or two. So there is no record or proof that I was there, though I'm sure some people's ears are just now recovering from all the moaning I did about living in Texas. Sorry for the mini tirades ... I just couldn't help myself (the wine didn't help prevent the whine either).

Thank you to everyone for making it all such a great trip: Michelle, for carting me around everywhere and providing so much delicious food, tasty drinks, and fabulous company. Susan and Sam, for hosting a wonderful gathering of friends on Thursday night (sorry about the burnt cookies!!), with more delicious food and drinks and fabulous company. And everyone else, for making their way down to Lakewood for the party. I'm also thrilled that I got a chance to get out into the dry, chilly Colorado air for a walk with Heidi and little Will, Renee and big girl Isabella (and, of course, Gus), and Susan and not-so-little-but-very-adorable Ryan. I miss all our outings together!

A sad point of the trip was the memorial for our neighbor Nel, who passed away last month. She was a wonderful woman, and Mark and I both thought of her as our mom away from home. I can't count the number of times we met up for breakfast, coffee, chats on the front porch, or just a quick visit on the way out to the mailbox. She was always ready with a smile and a laugh and had the most amazing attitude through everything. I strive to reach even an iota of her warmth and generosity in my life. I am so sad to think that she is no longer here with us. But she will always, always be in our hearts, and I am thankful that she is no longer in pain.

So it was quite the emotional trip with tears and laughter and wonderful memories recalled and made. I can't wait to get back there to create more memories!

I got home in time for Mark's birthday, which was a mellow day, just like he wanted it. A little walk with Kai, some grocery shopping for the cake ingredients (a chocolate caramel turtle cake that tasted MUCH better than it looked), some squash-playing for Mark while I baked said cake, and then a fantastic dinner at Dave and Donielle's to celebrate both Mark's and Donielle's birthdays. An absolutely wonderful day to end an absolutely wonderful week.

The quite tasty but very ugly cake (candle decoration courtesy of the kids)

Kai and Sadie trying to ignore all the noise

The Ice Storm

The weather is looking mighty frightful today, with temps steadily dropping from the low 30s down, down, down from there. We woke up to a forecast of 1/4" of ice by this evening. I guess Texas forgoes (forgos? hmmm, either way it looks wrong) the pretty fluffy snow for evil deadly ice. Yay! (note the sarcasm)

Mini ice storm from a couple weeks ago

So to help me forget some of this icy madness, I'll catch you up on a just a few things to warm the soul.

Kai soaking up some sun as he tries out the recliner (for the first and last time)

A couple weeks ago, Mark spent a week in Vegas with Dave at the PPAI expo. There were tens of thousands of attendees, and many of them were very impressed with the clothing at Mark and Dave's stellar booth. The orders have already started to roll in. Hooray! The website is still being updated and improved (including an upcoming photo shoot to get actual pictures of the products up there). We will get that link up here as soon as it is all live and good to go!

Sports Central Supply booth at PPAI

When Mark got back from Vegas, we celebrated his success, as well as our 7th anniversary, with an incredibly relaxing, fun, beautiful day that started with breakfast at a local diner, moved on to a nice long walk with Kai at Arbor Hills, and ended with a big ol' sushi dinner. Yum! It really does not seem like we were enjoying the big day at Chief Hosa 7 years ago. Wasn't it just last year? My how time flies! And yet it also seems like it must have been years ago--I mean, how could we have packed so much fun and so many adventures into 7 short years!

Happy Anniversary, Us!

On the Road Again

We are out of Texas!!!! .....

For now.

Being back in the mountains and breathing that fresh, crisp air is glorious, wondrous, magnificent, invigorating, all around great for the soul. Just wish it could be for more than 10 days.

Mark and I flew into Bozeman, Montana, two days ago. Cute college town, with real coffee shops (we didn't see a single Starbucks) and a great vibe. We relaxed for a bit in town, dining on sandwiches from the Pita Pit and excellent coffee and tea, while reading our maps and guidebooks. Then it was on the road, down through Gallatin Canyon, past Big Sky Resort (where we stopped in at the Lone Peak Brewery for happy hour), and on into West Yellowstone (a pit of a hotel town on the edge of our nation's first national park).



The next morning, we headed west and south, down through Idaho and into Targhee National Forest. I can't tell you how great it is to once again see towering lodge pole pines, wide clear rivers, people in fleeces and Chacos. This is definitely our kind of country.



We stopped in a couple places to take in the views and get ourselves acclimated to being at an elevation higher than 600 feet above sea level. Just past Lower Mesa Falls on Henry's Fork of the Snake River, we loaded up our pack with lunch and set off in search of a nice little picnic spot. We had every intention of following the trail to the Bear Gulch Overlook, but soon turned off and followed a gully down the cliff to the river. I'm not sure anyone but the most intrepid fisherman/woman would have followed this trail. I'm not even sure any animals would have followed the steep trail; I certainly didn't see any tracks, though that could be because it had recently rained, and I was pretty sure we were following a waterfall's track. But it was well worth it. A private rock on the river's edge was the perfect spot to enjoy our lunch of tomato, avocado, salami, and cheese on crackers. Yummy!

We finished up lunch just in time for the rain, which started as a splitter spatter, but soon turned into a pretty serious downpour, thunder and all. My guess that it had been a waterfall's course was confirmed as we slowly made our way back up the cliffside. The only thing that kept flashing through my mind was the mudslide scene from Romancing the Stone. I'm just glad I didn't have to make the hike in high heels and a skirt. My Pear Izumi GoreTex shoes treated me just right, keeping my toes warm and dry as we plodded through the increasing flow of the cascade.

But we made it in one piece, with big grins on our faces, so happy to be drenched with cool rainwater rather than sticky sweat after a big hike.



After drying off, we headed into Jackson, where we were supposed to pick up Mark's parents from the airport. We settled into our rented condo, only to hear that they were stranded in Denver, thanks to mechanical difficulties.



But they are here now, unpacked and somewhat refreshed after an early afternoon nap. Now we're off to explore the town of Jackson and see what there is to see.

Little Things

First off, please excuse any typos. The tip of my right pointer finger is extremely tender after being sliced on a piece of glass that I did not know was the item stuck in the garbage disposal making a horrendous ruckus. Ick! I have many things in life that I don't like at all. Slugs on the kitchen floor is a recently added item for that list. Reaching down into the dangers and disgusting muck of the garbage disposal is definitely high on that list! With the added treachery of a shattered egg cup, that fear was made even worse.

But I digress ... before I even got started.

Seeing as this blog is pretty much so family and friends can keep tabs on our exciting lives, I am not going to preempt this with a warning that it will be long and potentially very boring. But consider yourself forewarned, nonetheless.

This past week I (Tara) attended the gym's Strictly Strength class in my meager attempt to get back in shape. I was barely able to get through the arm work in the second half of the class, because my legs were so shaky from all the evil lunges and squats in the first half. (I did finish the class, though, so bonus points to me for not passing out and/or vomiting and being carted off in an ambulance.) Friday a.m. I woke up "early" and dragged myself off to a yoga class, with the goal of doing some good stretching for all those muscles that felt as if they had been beaten with a bag of oranges. (This may not sound painful, but it's a scene from The Grifters that has stuck with me, and Angelica Huston looked pretty beat up. I don't recommend the movie, by the way.) Unfortunately the yoga was a Yoga for Fitness class, with many planks and triceps pushups, or shadarangas, or whatever they're called. So not so much with the stretching, though there was more strength work. Yippee.

When I got home, I tidied up the house, paid some bills, caught up on emails, ate a sandwich, and then began to crash. I felt as if I'd put in a nearly full day, and it was Friday, after all, so I decided to kick back, read a book, and even sip a little wine. It wasn't until after I sat down that I realized it was only 12:30 p.m. Oops! An hour later, I could not figure out why I was so incredibly tired. I couldn't even focus on the words in the book. When I woke up on the couch hours later, I remembered that I had taken an Aleve for the muscle aches. That plus the wine equaled a very pleasant afternoon nap. Oops, again! But I was incredibly rested afterward, and by the time Mark got home, I had a yummy dinner of chicken-tortilla soup and smokey-almond salad ready. How domestic!

Saturday we woke up to fog and cold outside and a bad sore throat for Mark. So we sat around all day, watching the few stations we get with our little rabbit ears and eating whatever we could scrounge up from the kitchen. Our big event for the day was venturing out into the world to see the latest Bond flick (thanks, Mom and Dad). Perfect mindless excitement, with lots of Daniel Craig eye candy, for a gray day in Dallas. But even with that outing, by the end of the day, we felt as if we'd completely wasted our Saturday. So before we went to bed, we agreed that first thing Sunday morning, no matter what, we would take a walk with poor, neglected Kai.

And that's just what we did ... for 7 miles! Yay for us! Once we got home, we felt fully justified in chowing down on some scrambled eggs with feta and green onions and a little bacon on the side. We even felt justified in sitting around watching football playoff games all afternoon. Go Eagles (sorry Darling family!)! Then we finished it all off with a delicious dinner of chicken-paprikash-topped potatoes. I will definitely be making that one again!!

And now, here we sit, rooting for an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl, just cuz, and contemplating another trip to the gym. And you are all caught up. Lucky you! Don't worry. These long detailed stories of our life will be few and far between. Just wanted you to know you aren't missing much at all, though we are missing all of you!

New Business Card

My friend Marjorie, a fellow copyeditor extraordinaire, sent this to me. And I fully agree that this should be on every editor's business card:

2009?!

No resolutions from us this year. Just a quick hello to wish you all the very best in 2009 (or at least the best possible in these crazy times).

We had a very nice, very relaxing holiday in Connecticut with the Meads, Darlings, and Studebakers. Unfortunately, I don't have a single picture, as the few times that I did pick up a camera, it turned out to be Mom's (who happens to have the exact camera that we have). I always seem to have an excuse for no pictures, don't I?

Well, here's a pic from this weekend. We had our first overnight guests at the Grady Court house. Marianne (pronounced My-anna) and Travis drove up from Austin for a kid-free weekend, though I'm thinking that Mark and I are pretty kid-like, so I'm hoping they weren't disappointed :-) Once again, no camera, but Mark did have his trusty cellphone, with its awesome resolution (HA!). I'm thinking maybe the lens got smudged with salsa or something during the evening. Anyway, we had a fantastic time: We stumbled upon a few tasty restaurants, drank some tasty sips of wine, and enjoyed catching up with good friends over some good laughs (and even some good walks). Thanks for making the trek up here, M & T. Looking forward to the next visit at your place!!

M&T at the Blue Goose Cantina