this weekend was busy with fun stuff. saturday we went up the mountain & went shootin. we like to go shooting a lot, but with the cost & nonavailability of ammo now days, it's not as often. N had bought a real target, so i was able to see my shots. turns out my aim with a 9mm is dead on about 35 feet out. also good with my uncle don's wooden 22 rifle. it's so smooth to shoot. from Sears originally & has all the paperwork for it. aim dead on & no kick. so sweet.
sunday the 3 of us went out in the Blue Raven for a trip overnite to Sucia Island in the san juans. this was a quick trip since we weren't sure how the cats would do with the overnighter. trip out was smooth...if only i hadn't had to go to the bathroom about an hour in. yikes! but i made it to the island.
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
9/25/12
Big B gets married despite Wenatchee fires!
this past weekend we headed to the east side of the state for N&A's friend Big B's wedding! they have known him since college, each guy living with him at different times in college life. (the "Big" in "Big" B references his height, not weight).
friday nite we spent in mazama sleeping in the Fair Maid Marion. we got over early enough to go to winthrop to see B&S friday nite.
saturday we headed thru the smoke & down the columbia river to wenatchee.
*they had to rearrange the entire wedding a WEEK before due to all the fires. i was so amazed at how awesome everything turned out, knowing that!
we headed back to winthrop that nite to break up the drive home. winthrop is always nice & they have an awesome coffee place called Noca House. the whip cream is made fresh!!
friday nite we spent in mazama sleeping in the Fair Maid Marion. we got over early enough to go to winthrop to see B&S friday nite.
saturday we headed thru the smoke & down the columbia river to wenatchee.
*they had to rearrange the entire wedding a WEEK before due to all the fires. i was so amazed at how awesome everything turned out, knowing that!
we headed back to winthrop that nite to break up the drive home. winthrop is always nice & they have an awesome coffee place called Noca House. the whip cream is made fresh!!
7/4/12
MGM es Grand!
i'm on the mgm mailing list so we got a great deal on the room we stayed in. we've stayed there once before & i love their pool area. they have a lazy river that is so nice to float in. if you click, you can see some pictures of the hotel room & pool area.
6/30/12
Red Rock Canyon
we went to red rock for the first time on the trip to vegas. it's about 2 miles outside the housing developments that are creeping out from the center of town. they had a great visitor center with lots of outdoor displays. it was about 108 degrees out, so we weren't as adventous as normal & stayed on the path. there is a 13 mile one-way senice loop with a bunch of trails & bathrooms stops along the way. if you click below you can see some pics.
6/27/12
Allegiant Air…More like alleGIANT pain in the ass!
we went to vegas for a couple nites to celebrate my 29th(?)bday :)
got a great deal at the MGM which has an awesome water area including a lazy river i love. i thought we were ok with the airfare price after booking “cheap” rates on allegiant. after picking the seats and the “low” advertised rate, there was then a $15-25 fee you are forced to pay to “select” you very own seat [even though there is no option for open seating]. of course there will be the taxes added in at check-out that made us almost rethink the booking. damm that hindsight.. a day early we went online to print the boarding passes from home to “speed up” waiting time at the airport. N discovered he had to pay another fee of $26 EACH to be able to CARRY ON 1 bag (other than purse/murse). $52 each way to bring our clothes was shocking to say the least. Checking the bag was more of course & that comes along with the question of getting your bag at the end of the flight (mine has been lost before).
carry on we did & headed out to the airport right on time sunday am. security was a breeze & we found a spot to hang for the next hour. 3 hours AFTER the flight was scheduled to leave did we actually take off. the reason “mechanical issues” the vaguest excuse possible. we were offered 1 water or pop at the Bellingham airport during the wait..no coffee, snacks, voucher, upgrade. the plan as the itinerary was showing was that we would be at the MGM no later than 4 pm on Sunday, leaving that afternoon to swim & relax. we arrived about 7pm.
inflight we were told all food/drinks are charged for. No free can of ginger ale for you! I also asked an attendant for a blanket (most of you know my cold issues) & she let me know they don’t have them. NO BLANKETS on an airline! adding in the screaming kid & a plane full of Canadians, the flight is hoped to be forgotten soon. Thank God for earplugs, they are a godsend on flights.
we’ve always has good experiences with Alaska & decided to try something new this time. we are going back to Alaska & they’re great service & 2 for 1 coupons!
*BTW: a heads-up if you ever rent a car thru Thrifty in Las Vegas. They will basically scare you into accepting their “optional” insurance for double the price of the daily rental. The policy is [per the man at the counter] that because they are in vegas, cars are hit more so if you don’t accept the “optional” insurance coverage and the tiniest thing happens to the rental, you will have to sell your soul to the devil to pay for the damages [as slight as they may be]. Since we enjoy a kind soul, we opted for paying the extra $$. I asked him why it hadn’t said anything like that online when I booked for pick-up in vegas & he said they don’t have to, until you’re there; stuck with no ride to a hotel, 3 miles from the airport & their shuttles, or paying at a different company for an equally shitty deal.
MGM was nice as always. checkin was easy and no extra charges!
we spent our 1 full day there poolin in the am, red rock in the afternoon & games in the evening. i spent about the same on souvenirs as games, it’s hard for me to shove $20 into machines & seeing it gone in minutes, which is why i’ll never be an addicted to gambling [i work too hard for my money!
my bday was great! I love you so much N, Thank You N for everything!
i’ll post pictures of Red Rock & more later on.
Venting done…
got a great deal at the MGM which has an awesome water area including a lazy river i love. i thought we were ok with the airfare price after booking “cheap” rates on allegiant. after picking the seats and the “low” advertised rate, there was then a $15-25 fee you are forced to pay to “select” you very own seat [even though there is no option for open seating]. of course there will be the taxes added in at check-out that made us almost rethink the booking. damm that hindsight.. a day early we went online to print the boarding passes from home to “speed up” waiting time at the airport. N discovered he had to pay another fee of $26 EACH to be able to CARRY ON 1 bag (other than purse/murse). $52 each way to bring our clothes was shocking to say the least. Checking the bag was more of course & that comes along with the question of getting your bag at the end of the flight (mine has been lost before).
carry on we did & headed out to the airport right on time sunday am. security was a breeze & we found a spot to hang for the next hour. 3 hours AFTER the flight was scheduled to leave did we actually take off. the reason “mechanical issues” the vaguest excuse possible. we were offered 1 water or pop at the Bellingham airport during the wait..no coffee, snacks, voucher, upgrade. the plan as the itinerary was showing was that we would be at the MGM no later than 4 pm on Sunday, leaving that afternoon to swim & relax. we arrived about 7pm.
inflight we were told all food/drinks are charged for. No free can of ginger ale for you! I also asked an attendant for a blanket (most of you know my cold issues) & she let me know they don’t have them. NO BLANKETS on an airline! adding in the screaming kid & a plane full of Canadians, the flight is hoped to be forgotten soon. Thank God for earplugs, they are a godsend on flights.
we’ve always has good experiences with Alaska & decided to try something new this time. we are going back to Alaska & they’re great service & 2 for 1 coupons!
*BTW: a heads-up if you ever rent a car thru Thrifty in Las Vegas. They will basically scare you into accepting their “optional” insurance for double the price of the daily rental. The policy is [per the man at the counter] that because they are in vegas, cars are hit more so if you don’t accept the “optional” insurance coverage and the tiniest thing happens to the rental, you will have to sell your soul to the devil to pay for the damages [as slight as they may be]. Since we enjoy a kind soul, we opted for paying the extra $$. I asked him why it hadn’t said anything like that online when I booked for pick-up in vegas & he said they don’t have to, until you’re there; stuck with no ride to a hotel, 3 miles from the airport & their shuttles, or paying at a different company for an equally shitty deal.
MGM was nice as always. checkin was easy and no extra charges!
we spent our 1 full day there poolin in the am, red rock in the afternoon & games in the evening. i spent about the same on souvenirs as games, it’s hard for me to shove $20 into machines & seeing it gone in minutes, which is why i’ll never be an addicted to gambling [i work too hard for my money!
my bday was great! I love you so much N, Thank You N for everything!
i’ll post pictures of Red Rock & more later on.
Venting done…
8/1/11
day at Horseshoe Cove, Baker Lake WA
we grew up camping at Horseshoe Cove at Baker Lake. this year they opened the lake for a few weeks for salmon fishing. first time in years--the fish were trucked in due to city infrastructures taking away their natural river run. my bro was on it with his boat. we went out for the day to hang during their 2 day camping trip.
the sun started coming out about 530pm..of course the next day ended up sunny & gorgeous BUT it was the day of check-out for them.
the sun started coming out about 530pm..of course the next day ended up sunny & gorgeous BUT it was the day of check-out for them.
8/14/10
J&S's new pad across the sea..
must admit a wee bit o'envy of the mad european new apartment they will be renting in ghent.
after we found out they got the place, i went online & downloaded the pictures they had of the listing. i can't wait to see the video S took of it to get a better feel for layout. now we'll have the before pictures already done so J can post the after when she's there. i got the ok to post the before from her sine i went online & downloaded them before they removed the listing :)
today she took monkey to the vet for his shots for his flight to WA with them next week. everything checked out A-OK yeah monks! he will be living with J's mom & dad in anacortes for the next couple years. we are super excited for him. i know he will be spoiled beyond belief by some great animal people. we'll miss him but it's the kind of missing someone i don't mind.
6/28/10
Welcome to…the tiny town of Cambria, CA
founded by Swedish-Italian immigrants. somehow the town is big enough to have an east side/west side rivalry. nitt witt home is also located here, you may have heard about it by artist Art Beal [1896-1992] started in 1928. i guess you could schedule tours with its current caretakers, but we just took pictures.
spent the morning on Friday in the city. had a great breakfast at Linn’s. they ollaberry jam was insanely good. I had French toast baguettes & N had eggs, pancake & sausage. we split a delicious scone too, good coffee too!
both nites we ordered take-out from JJ’s pizza. it was really good. after nite 1 I knew exactly what I wanted on nite 2 and ate it in about 30 minutes. N had salads…a different one each time. wanted to give them a shout-out.
motel we stayed at was nice. only fault- they said it was super quiet when we checked in & that was NOT true. you may have read about nite #1 from the earlier post but nite #2 was better! better meaning louder & less sleep achieved. i took 2 flexeril to plan ahead but still was awoken by the other “guests” who treated the parking lot like the local playground (kids running everywhere at 1am) or 7-11 (cars in & out all nite, loudly—I mean the town closes at 9pm!! where are they going?). N was pissed of course since he hadn’t taken a muscle relaxer…shoulda coulda. I would wake up to a dying smoke alarm any nite over rude people. all I have to do to shut up the alarm was take out the battery, if only it were always that easy …
spent the morning on Friday in the city. had a great breakfast at Linn’s. they ollaberry jam was insanely good. I had French toast baguettes & N had eggs, pancake & sausage. we split a delicious scone too, good coffee too!
both nites we ordered take-out from JJ’s pizza. it was really good. after nite 1 I knew exactly what I wanted on nite 2 and ate it in about 30 minutes. N had salads…a different one each time. wanted to give them a shout-out.
motel we stayed at was nice. only fault- they said it was super quiet when we checked in & that was NOT true. you may have read about nite #1 from the earlier post but nite #2 was better! better meaning louder & less sleep achieved. i took 2 flexeril to plan ahead but still was awoken by the other “guests” who treated the parking lot like the local playground (kids running everywhere at 1am) or 7-11 (cars in & out all nite, loudly—I mean the town closes at 9pm!! where are they going?). N was pissed of course since he hadn’t taken a muscle relaxer…shoulda coulda. I would wake up to a dying smoke alarm any nite over rude people. all I have to do to shut up the alarm was take out the battery, if only it were always that easy …
6/27/10
Casa Grande...saving the best for last
Casa Grande is where Hearst lived. his guests would also stay in the main house during winter. it is huge! we only saw the dining room, a study, a billiard room & the theater. when we went on the tour we got to see the backside where they didn't decorate the outside facade.
up an Enchanted Hill..3 guesthouses
we took 2 tours at the hearst castle. the first was the basic "experience" tour. it was nice since we got to go inside a couple houses & got a good layout of the grounds. then back down the hill we went to wait 20 minutes for the next ride up for the self-guided evening tour. [we couldn't wait at the house for some reason]that was awesome! we had the run of the grounds & took lots of pictures. there were docents to answer any questions along the way..
on our first tour, a guy proposed to his girlfriend by the neptune pool [pictures of pool in next post]. kinda sweet, kinda weird since the other tourists starting making comments. not my type of engagement, but special for them which is what matters.
i took over 160 pictures...so i'm really paring them down.
3 posts worth: this featuring the guest houses, next the pool, finally Casa Grande.
i took over 160 pictures...so i'm really paring them down.
3 posts worth: this featuring the guest houses, next the pool, finally Casa Grande.
6/25/10
in the still of the nite...
the smoke alarm beeps thrice.
i'd just turned off the tv & was getting adjusted to the quietness here when the beeps sounded. N awoke with a start. i let him know what i thought was going on. we hadn't heard it at all before, so maybe it would wait until morning? about 12:52 it went off again. i had already moved a chair in preparation for moving the table which would be high enough for me to stand on and get the battery out...if it happened again.
it did, N jumped up & i had him help me move the table. jumped up, took out the battery, tested it on my tongue & it was just about dead...hardly a shock at all. so it made sense, but wasn't fun. right after that was settled, our neighbors on one side showed up for the first time. check in at 1 AM. i bet they weren't having the best nite.
i awoke at 5am to millions of birds chirping with light streaming through the drapes. that wasn't too bad once i settled into it...until the bikers ( harley & crotch rocket type) decided to leave...at 615 AM. after warming their bikes outside the door for 20 minutes..yes i was watching the clock because i really wanted to go back to sleep. so we're up and getting ready.
6/24/10
then we went to the beach...
for about 45 seconds. granted it was about 5 pm, super windy & no sun. but i tried.
crash pad ...
here's the room we're in. i found the place online. while we checked in & chatted with the owner, come to find out he'd grown up 5 miles outside where i went to college. also had lived in west seattle on Fauntleroy (knew about the corner inn, or so he pretended ;) ) & lived on the east side.
seemed like he lived with his wife/girlfriend who was also working in the office. pretty cool. he came down for the sun too. lol
rollin rollin...280 miles up the road
off we head on my bday trip... first some driving pictures, mosque & rest area.
3/27/10
so far behind...
got more backed up here than i wanted to..so this will be a little longer post [more pictures!]
this was the site into vegas sunday morning as we arrived
view from our room. we faced the strip [unfortunately the back of the Paris was blocking the view] we could see the Eiffel Tower though.
giant macaroon N got
macaroon & tower together
got these awesome apples. the rainbow sprinkle one was soooo good!!
this was the site into vegas sunday morning as we arrived view from our room. we faced the strip [unfortunately the back of the Paris was blocking the view] we could see the Eiffel Tower though.giant macaroon N gotmacaroon & tower togethergot these awesome apples. the rainbow sprinkle one was soooo good!!2/22/10
the cabin...the cake...2 cats...
the mountains...
"dry" lake called rabbit lake...not sure i want to know why
through the valley...
when we arrived...who said it doesn't stick?
living room. the pass through is the kitchen & out back is the patio door. see the awesome, giant heater on the wall there...i love it.
the kitchen & patio door on right
hallway off the living room. door in front & on left are big bedrooms & door on right is bathroom (which ALSO has an electric wall heater!)
J made N this amazing almond pound cake for his bday. she used a pound cake recipe then added her special touch. on top was a drizzled reduction of brown sugar & amaretto & butter that was salty/sweet mmmmmmm
he loves to be "stuck"
enjoying the sun..while watching Tim [he's in the mirror if you can see him]
i made it without panic attacks!
this weekend we went up to ski at Snow Summit on Big Bear mountain. we are lucky enough to be able to use N's bosses cabin when they aren't using it. it's a great little get away & has an AWESOME heater!! - i've got picture to upload & post.
we left about 1:30 on friday and took about 4 hours with traffic. we also go the long, long way due to my panic attacks. coming home took about 3 hours. got another dodge charger to drive which N loves (& would fit the tire chains we have if we needed to put them on). after getting settled we headed to the Lumberjack Cafe. it was a cozy spot with some good food. i had breakfast & N had country fried steak. his mashed potatoes were the best i've had in forever!! i wish i'd ordered a side instead of hashbrowns.
camped out in the living room floor & watched dvd's until we fell asleep. got up and to the mountain at about 8:15. it was super crowded since the weather was so nice. after looking around we realized the crowds were all the beginners...as N went up the mountain, he had much more room. i stuck to my beginner runs, had fun & didn't fall.
we decided to head back that nite since we weren't skiing the next day. it was a quick trip..but it seemed like a long weekend.
we left about 1:30 on friday and took about 4 hours with traffic. we also go the long, long way due to my panic attacks. coming home took about 3 hours. got another dodge charger to drive which N loves (& would fit the tire chains we have if we needed to put them on). after getting settled we headed to the Lumberjack Cafe. it was a cozy spot with some good food. i had breakfast & N had country fried steak. his mashed potatoes were the best i've had in forever!! i wish i'd ordered a side instead of hashbrowns.
camped out in the living room floor & watched dvd's until we fell asleep. got up and to the mountain at about 8:15. it was super crowded since the weather was so nice. after looking around we realized the crowds were all the beginners...as N went up the mountain, he had much more room. i stuck to my beginner runs, had fun & didn't fall.
we decided to head back that nite since we weren't skiing the next day. it was a quick trip..but it seemed like a long weekend.
10/1/08
and the last day came too soon...
we finally adjusted to hawaii time [of course] & tried to sleep in. we did a little, but had to pack up everything & get ready.
side note: we discovered a really good sandwich and smoothie place in the International Market Food Court. i got a veggie sammy which was white bread w/cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, onion and local pickles. they give you a small handful of tortilla chips which we used to scoop up all the goodness that fell out. it was only $3.20! n got a cantaloupe and honeydew smoothie once and liked it.
so i added that about the sammy b/c n went down for some last minute shopping, print out the e-ticket boarding passes (i love computers!!) & a sammy for me. then i started stressing about the time frame, dropping the car off and getting to through security fast. in hawaii you also have to first take your check luggage through a agriculture inspection line and get a tag for that.
everything went smoothly and we got to the gate with an hour to wait until take-off. then we were taxiing down the strip when we stopped due to a light on. apparently a door was ajar. so back we went to the terminal so they could re-open then shut it the right way. that was a little nerve wracking. it reminded me of the hawaii flight where part of the roof came off. the flight itself was fine [i had the asile seat this time]. j picked us up perfectly since she's smart and checked up online on our time and saw we were 45 minutes late. i was so glad b/c i would have hated for her to wait that long.
then we chilled the next day. did laundry. petted the cats. ate some del taco. this past weekend we went down to Pedro's and went up to j's on sunday to check out her new condo. it friggin rocks!!!
side note: we discovered a really good sandwich and smoothie place in the International Market Food Court. i got a veggie sammy which was white bread w/cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, onion and local pickles. they give you a small handful of tortilla chips which we used to scoop up all the goodness that fell out. it was only $3.20! n got a cantaloupe and honeydew smoothie once and liked it.
so i added that about the sammy b/c n went down for some last minute shopping, print out the e-ticket boarding passes (i love computers!!) & a sammy for me. then i started stressing about the time frame, dropping the car off and getting to through security fast. in hawaii you also have to first take your check luggage through a agriculture inspection line and get a tag for that.
everything went smoothly and we got to the gate with an hour to wait until take-off. then we were taxiing down the strip when we stopped due to a light on. apparently a door was ajar. so back we went to the terminal so they could re-open then shut it the right way. that was a little nerve wracking. it reminded me of the hawaii flight where part of the roof came off. the flight itself was fine [i had the asile seat this time]. j picked us up perfectly since she's smart and checked up online on our time and saw we were 45 minutes late. i was so glad b/c i would have hated for her to wait that long.
then we chilled the next day. did laundry. petted the cats. ate some del taco. this past weekend we went down to Pedro's and went up to j's on sunday to check out her new condo. it friggin rocks!!!
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