A day spoiled by weather

The forecast for Saturday, Dec. 5, was not promising... cloudy, cold and rain likely.  We could attest for the first two as we left the hotel to get breakfast at Starbuck's, a block away.  When we finished, we headed for 5th Avenue to see more Xmas decorations and do some shopping.  Lindsay was supposed to join us for lunch but she couldn't make it due to a bad headache.  The cold and the fierce wind were more than the hood on my coat could compensate, so our first store to stop in was Saks.  I decided I needed a warm hat.  Karin had come prepared with one of her own, but I don't like hats except when I'm forced to concede the need.  I paid a ridiculous amount of money for a knit hat with ear warmers that reminds me of European children, but it did the job.  Aside from that, we were in awe of the store's indoor decorations (seen below) -- large silver trees filled with white lights that arched over the counters toward the ceiling.  It was simple, elegant and beautiful.

Outdoors, decorations on the street were giant-sized, such as the toy soldier below or the Rockefeller Center train.

Later in the morning the rain started. We thought we could escape the rain by going to the Museum of Modern Art.  As we walked the few blocks, the rain escalated.  When we arrived at the theater, the waiting line for tickets was a block long.  We decided we didn't want to wait in the rain.  Instead, we headed into the museum's design shop.  I decided to buy an umbrella.  Karin found an unusual toy called a Munny for her two boys.  When we left the store we looked for someplace to have lunch and settled on Lou's Cafe on the corner.  So glad we did because we had another celebrity sighting:  actress Judith Light was two booths away. 

The rain didn't let up so Karin and I headed for the hotel where we watched the last Harry Potter movie and then the Florida-Alabama game. 

Our last dinner in NYC was at the Azalea, an Italian restaurant not far from the hotel that we had been eyeing since our first night in the city.  It looked elegant, and we were not disappointed.  Although small, the space was well apportioned and even included a half-moon bar.  Since we weren't rushing off to the theater, we spent a leisurely evening enjoying the food and atmosphere, part of which was watching the snow fall outside.

The next day, when we were due to return to Florida, the sky was mostly blue and sunny and the air crispy cold -- it would have been a perfect day for more sightseeing.  But we had to get to the airport for our 1:30 p.m. flight.  We chose another car service to get us there and, on a Sunday, made the trip in only a half hour, unlike our drive into the city on Thursday. 

And what a change in weather in Jacksonville!   But it was good to be (almost) home, and now I can focus again on the coming holidays: baking, shopping and partying!

I don't expect another journey until May, so check back then.

Whirlwind trip to NYC

First impressions:  it's what I remember but twice as crowded, twice the traffic.  More small cafes and eateries; a surprise seeing TGI Fridays, Applebee's and Starbucks.  We stayed away from the familiar except for Starbuck's -- still has better coffee.  Car service better than cabs for things like rides to and from the airport.  Cab drivers nicer than I remember. 

Our first afternoon-evening was reconnoitering to find where we wanted to go and how far we would have to walk.  The hotel was on 51st and 8th Avenue.  We found a Thai restaurant 2 blocks away for dinner -- great dish of pineapple fried rice with chicken.   Many plazas had lighted trees (right).

Friday started with a tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The building is architecturally magnificent inside   The shot at left doesn't do justice to the arches of the ceiling.  The building is HUGE! I wanted to see the 18th & 19th century European art and we had to cross from one side of the building to the other, stopping to see Assyrian, Babylonian and similar collections on the way. 
One stop was the magnificent "angel" tree located behind one of the largest choir "screens" I've ever seen.


After a couple of hours walking and looking, we stopped in the museum's store..... and found so many Xmas presents and other gifts.  It was hard to choose, but so much fun!

For lunch, we met Karin's best friend Lindsay at Rockefeller Center and had lunch, watching the ice skaters on the rink and in view of the immense Xmas tree.  Then we walked up 5th avenue, enjoying the Xmas lights and decorations.  Cartier had a huge red ribbon and bow from top to bottom and side to side of the building, along with signature greens over the display windows.  One stop was at the Lindt chocolate store, and later the Magnolia Bakery, which according to Lindsay has the best muffins in the world.  To attest to that, a line stretched from the entry around the corner.  There was no lingering inside -- make your pick and pay, then out the side door.  I didn't eat my muffin (chocolate with mocha) until Saturday, but agree it was the best.

Dinner was at a quaint restaurant across from the hotel called Sweet Emily's.  The staff were attuned to guests needing fast service to get to theaters, and we did get that.  With satiated stomachs, we hoofed our way to the theater on 45th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.  The cold front had settled in by now but the walk felt good.  We knew the play, A Steady Rain, would have no intermission.... a nonstop 90 minutes.

The play was the reason for the journey to New York.  It was a limited run, ending Dec. 6, and starring Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman!  The play was a tour de force for both actors, and the writer as well. Apart from the distance and cost of travel, plus the fact it is no longer playing, I would love to see it again.  We ended our evening with dessert at the Pigalle. 


I'll continue the journey tomorrow.

Last minute details

Everything was packed last night when I realized I had neglected to include clothes for the flight.  So I made another foray into my closet to find pants, shirt and sweater that would be comfortable and warm.  I thought I was ready this morning for every contingency, but during the drive to Jacksonville -- where I would be flying out with my daughter Karin -- I realized I had forgotten to pack my hair dryer-curler.  A quick trip to Target in JAX solved that. 

Another last minute detail was deciding how we will be getting from the airport to the hotel.  Karin convinced me using a car service was the easiest way to go, and the cost would not be out of line with cab fare.   We chose a car service listed in the book New York for Dummies and found their Web site.  The car is reserved and will pick us up outside of the baggage claim.  It seems too easy.... I'll find out tomorrow.

I'm excited about the trip, especially after seeing several TV shows this week that featured New York at Christmas.  I probably won't be blogging while in the city, but will fill you in when I get back.

Waited too long

When I made the plane reservations for New York in September, the web site indicated seat assignments were not available yet and to check back closer to flight day.  I decided to check 2 days ago.  The flight out had half the seats still unassigned and I reserved two good ones for us.  The return flight, however, was another story.  There were only 2 unassigned seats on that flight -- obviously, they were ours -- and they were the last row!  I guess it's a popular flight.  It won't be fun, but the flight is reasonably short and we'll be tired.  There is a lesson learned in this, I suppose, such as checking such details frequently. 

Time for a new journey

Although I've planned my next trip for 3 months, I can't believe it starts in just a week.  My daughter Karin and I are flying to New York City to see the holiday decorations and go to a play.  The play -- A Steady Rain -- is what determined the trip.  It stars Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig for a limited engagement.  As crazy as I am about Daniel Craig, I couldn't let pass the opportunity to see him on Broadway, and perhaps meet him.  Word is that both Jackman and Craig are generous in greeting playgoers at the backstage door after performances. 

The planning began when I read that AmEx card holders would be given a pre-sale opportunity in August.  I was on the phone as soon as the line opened and snagged good seats in the orchestra for my daughter and a family friend who lives in NYC. 

With the tickets secure, I then had to find a hotel I could almost afford.  Since we had other plans beside the theater, I wanted the hotel to be reasonable close to the theater district plus other destinations.  Hotel prices are ridiculous in Manhattan!   After much searching on the Web, I settled on the Washington Jefferson hotel, which had prices at least $100 less than hotels closer to the action but is still a good location.

Finding seats on an airline was much simpler.  We fly from Jacksonville on Dec. 3, see the play on Dec. 4, have another day for sightseeing and museum hopping, and return to JAX on Dec. 6.  By flying out of JAX, I get to go a day early and spend time with my grandsons.  It will be a great week all-around!  If I have any misgivings, it's having the proper clothing for New York in December! I'm a transplanted Floridian who can't handle the cold on a good day.   I'll let you know how it works out.

Home again

We're home!  Actually we arrived last night, 3 days early.  We drove through Alabama and passed into Florida before noon on Tuesday and decided to try to make it home.  The drive was relatively easy, even going through Tallahassee.  Once we were on the turnpike, I was familiar enough with the rest of the roads to manage the night-time driving.  We managed to miss any commuting traffic all the way, but had one holdup on the turnpike in Orlando.  A semi was burning on the side of the road.  We got to the spot fairly early and got past it in about 10 minutes.  News about the accident has been on TV today.

It was great to relax at home last night, leaving all the unpacking, laundering and sorting to today.  The sorting of souvenirs will take days, though (what to give the grandkids now and what to save for Christmas or birthdays), as will the uploading and sorting of photos. 

There wasn't much in the landscape that was unique yesterday except for Mobile Bay.  It is so wide and my husband tried to capture that.  There was also a battleship in port.

It will probably take me a week to get settled after this trip, only to start arranging my next trip.... to New York City on Dec. 3!

More about that another day.

Louisiana green

There wasn't much to inspire me in the rest of Texas: busier highway, congested cities, ordinary landscapes.  Then we crossed into Louisiana, to rich green fields, trees and crops.  I was surprised to see the sugar cane, some of it being harvested, waving in the wind (right).  Then began the rivers and lakes, as well as the swamps (below).

And some of the names evoked memories of my favorite books by James Lee Burke: Bayou Teche, Atchafalaya River and Lake Bigeaux (below).

Then the rains came and required attention to the roads, not the scenery.  It forced us to find lodging sooner than I wanted and we exited the highway at Covington.  Who would know we would find a 5-star restaurant right next to the motel!  It was very elegant, and very expensive, but with unique offerings: lumpmeat crab and brie soup and duck "saltimboca" to name two.  The soup was delicious!  The cost of the meal surpassed our lunches and dinners for the past 4 days!   I will SO have to exercise when we get home.

Two more days, I think, and we WILL be home.  YEA!

Long haul through Texas

Eight hours of driving today and we still are in Texas!  But it's a different Texas than when we left.  Shortly after heading out from Van Horn, the landscape changed notably.... from crags and rocks to soft, rounded hills.  We eventually encountered steeper, rocky mountains as we headed for El Paso but they were farther away, framing broad open plains and valleys.  The washes and draws were dry, only ghosts of moving water.  

The road again was straight and unpopulated except for trucks.  We set the cruise control and pointed east on I-10 (left).  We did encounter traffic in El Paso, but it didn't last long, and we found ourselves alone again with the trucks. 

As we neared San Antonio, the landscape again dramatically changed.  The fields shone green, leafy trees began to appear, and mountains were filled with green brush. There were streams and lakes visible from the road (right).   We began seeing more cattle, and later, horses.  I realized then as much as I like the dramatic landscapes of Arizona and New Mexico, I prefer living amid green scenery.

We will head for Houston tomorrow and eventually Louisiana.  Ever closer to home.

Leaving Tucson - Hello Texas

Our family reunion was over too quickly but we made promises to do it again soon.  Then we were off, heading for Texas on Rte. 10.  The remaining drive through southwest Arizona was interesting as growing rain clouds painted endless landscapes with the mountains (below).

Another surprise was the sudden emergence of fields of nut trees (right), probably pecan and walnut, based on billboards we saw.

Cotton fields also emerged again, this time being harvested by machine and not by hand.  And cattle began appearing again, although in small numbers.

We crossed into New Mexico with the stunning mountains again.  Rounding a curve at one point, we were surprised with hills of rocks that looked like someone (or something) had simply dropped them there, with huge boulders perched on top in precarious positions.  Unfortunately, my photos were too blurred to use.

The rain clouds had persisted all day and we encountered showers for miles. 

The barely populated highway (except for trucks, we hardly saw any other vehicles) allowed much gazing at broad valleys and distant mountains. Surprisingly, the speed limit was raised from 75 to 80!  But cars suddenly materialized in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and again in El Paso, where we had 21 miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic.  Just as suddenly, the cars disappeared and we had open road again.  But we hadn't gone very far east of El Paso when traffic signs informed drivers of an inspection station ahead. Speed was slowed from 80 to 0 in a very short time. The Border Patrol was checking every car, truck and bus.  The Mexican border is very close to that area.

The drive today also included a time-zone change, so we are now in Central Time, gaining back the hours we lost heading to Las Vegas.  Tomorrow's drive will cross Texas but probably not all of it. 

More of our journey then.

San Xavier Mission

A change to cooler weather last night brought low-hanging clouds and grayness instead of the customary blue skies and warmth.  It was hard to get motivated to venture out, but we finally did and the trip was more than worth the effort.

We drove to the San Xavier del Bac Mission in Tucson, about 20 minutes away.  The mission arises from the desert floor like an oasis, shining white and beckoning.  Parking close by, the beauty of the mission captures you as you head for the tall wooden doors (left) and an ornate facade showcasing figures in four niches on either side.  Undergoing refurbishment, the left side is visibly whiter than the right. Inside, the walls and ceilings are a feast for the eyes.  Two full-figure angels reach out on either side of the sanctuary at the entrance to the transepts.  Ornate carvings surround the altar. Niches abound throughout the church with statues of many saints, including St. Peter, St. Paul, the Virgin Mary, and of course St. Francis Xavier.  Murals on the walls depict various religious scenes such as the Last Supper.  

Construction of today's mission began around 1783 and was completed in 1797, under the leadership of the Franciscans.  the work of building, restoring and preserving the mission has been going on since 1859, and includes today the efforts of seven art conservators to remove the scars of time -- smoke, dirt, excrement of birds and bats, and misused varnish that had blackened (left).  A hazardous restoration effort was in removing the many hornets' nests around the walls of the church without disturbing the art.

There is a great story in this mission, whose church has been compared to the Sistine Chapel in Rome, and the finest example of Spanish colonial architure.  It is still in use for weekly masses. 

We had an unusual encounter as we left the mission.  A roadrunner was strutting the stony parking area and appeared to have little fear of people.  In fact, he seemed to know exactly when to pose for photos, as the one here shows.

Be sure to include a visit to San Xavier Mission if you are in the Tucson area.

We leave Saturday on our journey home. 

Air Museum

My brother-in-law took us to the PIMA Air Museum near Tucson today.  It was quite an experience.  The museum exhibits the highest number of WWII aircraft in the U.S., plus more modern planes that evolved from them, and other historic craft.  One of the planes was the 707 used by the press during the JFK administration (below). 

There were bombers and fighters, reconnaissance and trainers, helicopters and NASA aircraft, like the Super Guppy (below left).  Most were outdoors, and we took a tram tour that covered all of them.  The docent was well-versed in all of their history and specifics about the planes. 

Other planes were inside the half dozen hangars, such as the one below right.

We spent a few hours revisiting the past.  Most rewarding was the small museum with a B-29 bomber and a WW II pilot who flew one, sharing his experiences and knowledge of the plane's history. I highly recommend a visit to the PIMA air museum for anyone interested in airplanes and/or history.

That's all for tonight.   Tomorrow includes a visit to a local mission.

Grand Canyon trip

The bus trip to the Grand Canyon was very long... almost too long.  We started at 6:00 a.m. with a shuttle ride to Planet Hollywood and Miracle Mile where the tour buses would pick us up.  We were told we were on the first bus, already waiting, and were the first to get on.  It was nice enough, with cup holders and storage nets.  As it filled up with other passengers, a tour representative boarded and informed us we were on the wrong bus!  We had to change to bus 2, nearly full, and find empty seats where we could. There were no cup holders or storage nets.  But we had a very nice driver and met interesting fellow travelers, including a couple who had also been at the PBR World Finals.  This helped during the 6-hour drive.  Along the way, we drove past Hoover Dam, and it was a nice change to be able to look longer than I could while driving through five days  earlier.  The bus did make a few stops, including lunch at the Grand Canyon Railway depot.  Yes, this is the point of embarkation for the train that takes you to the canyon. 

When we arrived at the canyon, the first impression was that it was cold!  The temperature must have dropped about 20 degrees, and a chill wind was blowing.  We would have 3 hours to walk the paths, browse the shops (including native crafts) and rest with a drink and/or early dinner before returning. 

As anyone who has seen photos of the canyon can imagine, the view is awesome.  Yet it can't really be captured in a photo.  The depth and the breadth must be seen to be appreciated.  However, I was somewhat disappointed in that the canyon walls seemed to be gray-washed, not the vibrant reds I am used to seeing in film and photography.  Apparently, the color depends on the time of day and the angle of light.  But I clarified the best photo I have with some Adobe PS to produce the photo below.  If you can see the white lines at the bottom of the canyon, they are the mule trails that visitors can take.

  
After a mile walk and a turn through the native craft shop (picking up a few things for the grandkids), we relaxed in the bar until time to get on the bus.  The return bus trip was totally in the dark (remember, sun sets at 4:30, Nevada time, which we were adhering to), but movies were played on the small TV sets in the bus.

The one advantage to being on bus 2 is that we were the first to be dropped off, at 9:30 p.m., at our hotel.  We gave a sigh of relief as we entered the lobby.

It was a fitting end to this week-long stay in Las Vegas.  On Tuesday we would be heading for Tucson and a visit with Jim's brother and sister-in-law.

The event is over

It was a lot of bullriding and it's finally over.  The competition was tight right down to the last ride and I was happy with the outcome.  My husband breathed a sigh of relief when we finally could get out of the center.  The noise level of the constant music was unbelievable every night, which takes its toll both on your ears and body. Ear plugs helped the ears but the reverberations were palpable.

After the event -- it was only about 2:30 p.m. -- we headed for the Atomic Testing Museum.  The story of America's development and testing of atomic weapons was detailed with photos, movies, examples of equipment, interactive media, and more.  Jim was in his element; I found it interesting until the engineering elements took over.  It was a worthwhile stop.

Now I'm looking forward to a relaxing evening before our 15-hour bus trip to the Grand Canyon on Monday. 

More on Tuesday....

PBR opens for last 4 days

The PBR event was all I had hoped it would be -- exciting and entertaining.  There is a great opening ceremony where all the riders, especially the top contenders, are introduced (see right). 

Last night, one of four retiring bulls was introduced and thanked for many years of top-notch competition.  He was in a pen on top of the stage, which was elevated after the ceremony before lowered to the ground so the bull could exit.  The bulls are just as important as the riders in the PBR. 

Today, Jim and I decided to get out of town -- to see the Red Rock Canyon.  It's just 20 miles west of Las Vegas, an easy drive.  We made a short hike on an easy trail and were really glad to be here this time of year.    While the sun was hot, a constant cool breeze blew.  I can't imagine doing any hiking in the summer.  The cane you see in the photo was just "in case."  I'm never sure what my hip will withstand and it's good for balance.  The trail, although easy, was filled with rocks of varying size, which makes balance tricky sometimes.The visit to the canyon also included a scenic drive on a 13-mile loop.  We had a great day and now look forward to night two of the PBR (actually the fifth round). 

More tomorrow....