Gone and Back Again

I assure you, I did not fall off the face of the Earth this week. Honest.

I've been off in the lower peninsula of Michigan with my mom visiting my brother and his plus one (Ashley). While I intended to post a couple times over the course of the trip, I got really involved with doing nothing during my downtime and the aforementioned blog posts only got written in my head. Bad on me.

I got back to cabin in the late afternoon yesterday after a full travel day that started a 4 a.m. (CST) so I'm having a less than stellar day today while I get my land legs under me again after a week at (the proverbial) sea. Funny, how a five day trip always really amounts to a seven day vacation because the day both before and after coming and going end up blurry messes.

It's a 15+ hour drive to Grand Rapids, MI where brother lives, so we opted to fly from Minneapolis. While flying does cut down the amount of actual travel time (the flight is just over an hour), it still ended up being a 13+ hour journey from my doorstep to brother's on Saturday between three hours of car time, a 2.5 hour shuttle ride, the hour flight, and various "connecting" time. *yawn*

View from our MSP gate on Saturday

At the Meijer Gardens on Tuesday

Grand Rapids isn't exactly a tourist hot spot, but we managed to find quite a few public attractions to visit. On Sunday, once brother got back from work mid-afternoon, we headed over to the Meyer May house just east downtown. The house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the early 1900s and is now maintained by the Steelcase Corporation. After enduring what seemed like an excruciatingly long audiovisual presentation on the house's restoration, we got to tour the house's stunning interior. That said, I forgot my camera back at the apartment. Oops.

On Sunday, we also baked a delicious (if I do say so myself) loaf of Irish Soda Bread to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. 

There was quite a bit of downtime during our visit and took advantage of the quiet time spent chatting and watching Netflix to build up my inventory of owl coffee sleeves for the Etsy shop. 

I also introduced their cat to the pleasures of playing with yarn. He loved watching my mom and I knit! (If you follow me on Instagram -adawrites - you already know some of this.)

On Monday, my mom and I headed over to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in downtown. If you were naming underappreciated presidents, Ford (a Grand Rapids native) would probably top the list, but the museum is actually quite fascinating. We were also lucky enough to visit when a selection of Madeleine Albright's extensive pin collection (which she wore on state visits to communicate her emotions about a particular meeting or issue) was on display in the temporary exhibit space.

We were treated to some pretty spectacularly snowy/miserable weather during our visit, but on Tuesday we braved the crappy weather and headed over to Meijer Gardens to view the special butterfly exhibit. I took way too many butterfly photos, so I'll write more on that in another post. 

Outside on the garden grounds. Yuck!

We made it to Marie Catrib's (a place Andy and I meant to hit up on our last visit) for supper on Tuesday. Just as we were finishing our delicious dinner (the cafe specializes in imaginative sandwiches) the sun finally popped out for a beautiful magenta, purple and gold sunset. 

Waiting for a table at Marie Catrib's

On Wednesday, Mom and I headed over to the Grand Rapids Public Museum to enjoy their hodge-podge of exhibits. (Sadly, Furniture City - a highlight from the last trip - was closed for improvements.) A high point of this year's visit was the special exhibit on the Titanic, which featured artifacts that have been recovered from the shipwreck. If this exhibit ever rolls into your town, I highly recommend it.

Main hall at the Grand Rapids Public Library

Although our flight on Thursday morning was delayed slightly for de-icing, we made all of our connections easy-peasy yesterday.

Waiting to be de-iced at the Gerald R. Ford Airport

Whenever I return from a trip, I'm always reminded of that old quip: North, South, East, West; Home's Still Best.
  

P.S. All that time knitting gave me an opportunity to work on designing some new items for the Etsy shop. Hint: if you're a tea drinker, you'll love them. Check them out!

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A Stirring in My Soul

I wonder sometimes about the outcome of a still verdictless life: Am I living it right?
-- John Mayer

 

Fifteen years ago, my family took our first major family trip. We hopped on the train in Chicago, riding overnight and most of the next day out to Newark to spend a week with a great uncle. We explored the Delaware Gap and one day, we spent in New York City. That day, I viewed the city with wide ten-year-old eyes and promptly decided the city life was the life for me. As an English major, I assumed I’d eventually make my way to the East Coast. But when it came time to chose a college, I went with the only in-state option I’d considered (a wise decision when it came to student debt) and a trip to London shifted my focus to the far side of the Atlantic.

Any good trip forces you to ask questions of yourself and the life you lead and so it has been with this month of travel that came to a close yesterday. Although the “day after Christmas” feelings of yesterday have passed, there remains the quiet suspicion that my ten-year-old soul was of a braver, truer sort than this current soul of mine.

New York was just as fabulous as I remembered it. While I’m old enough to realize that everything that appears “fabulous” comes with its own unique upside and downside, we had such a wonderful week in the Big Apple that it’s hard not to wish for just “one more day.” My credit card bill, stuffed up sinuses and a heap of correspondence and deadlines dictate that it’s time to come home. But before I make a full return to this life of woods and words, here’s a recap in snapshots of the past week.

After being an MTV devotee in my teenage years, I finally made it to Times Square.

 We went to the beautiful New York Public Library with Carrie Bradshaw on our minds and found the original Winnie the Pooh and Friends.

In the end, we didn't cross paths with Carrie, but Burger and his wife (Ron Livingston and Rosemarie DeWitt) did stroll past us on Bleecker Street in the West Village while we were waiting for the Sex and the City tour to resume on Wednesday.

What could be better than a hot dog from Nathan's in Coney Island?

Maybe having a Brooklyn native tell you to "fuggedaboutit" or a cupcake from the Magnolia Bakery. . .

Swung by Tiffany's to take a peep at my favorite engagement ring.

It's soooo pretty. . . . So out of an appropriate price range. . . .



















One of my most vivid memories from my last visit to New York City is seeing the WTC towers from the Empire State Building observation deck. We stopped to see the progress being made on the new tower and the memorial at the World Trade Center. Almost nine years later and no one's still sure what to say.

I've always had a soft spot for Lady Liberty. It was good to see her again.

After going strong as tourists for a week, on Saturday we took a moment to take in some of the quieter wonders of Manhattan before our flights back to Minneapolis.  

 We saw the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and spent a bit of time in the Met's Cloisters.

Lovely, lovely, lovely.

While memories of NYC swirl about in my heart, now it's time to turn my mind to laundry, to-do lists, and packing up the Shack. I'm overwhelmed by all I'm meant to be getting done at this very moment. The only way to overcome that feeling is to actually start getting some things done.

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From Sea to Shining Sea

We've been keeping ourselves busy. Yesterday we took the subway (metro? I'm not sure what they call it in these parts, especially for the bits of track that are above ground) all the way out to Coney Island in the south of Brooklyn where we ate hot dogs and went to the New York Aquarium (The Seattle Aquarium is better, with considerable less school children.) The trip to beach in Brooklyn made it official: I've been from sea to shining sea this month.

We came back into Manhattan to get Broadway tickets, then stopped by Grand Central Terminal and the lobby of the Chrysler building, then grabbed a bite to eat and squeezed in some souvenir shopping before the evening's show.  I've developed an unnatural affinity for Magnolia Bakery cupcakes and as such, am beginning to look like one. 

We saw In the Heights on Broadway -- it was fine, not my favorite musical. I found some knowledge of the Spanish language necessary to full appreciate it. Unfortunately, I opted to take French in high school and college. In hindsight, that really wasn't my best choice, especially since my handle of French is so poor, I can barely understand a word of the French dialogue that swirls around me whenever we're at the hostel. 

The hostel is fine. Now that all the Europeans stranded by the volcano have gotten to go home, we have a fresh influx of French to take their place.

Today is the Sex and the City tour, then the Met, Central Park, and maybe some shopping. I have a dinner date with a hometown friend tonight as well.

The weather has been gorgeous. I think we're all a little sunburnt. It's been a great adventure so far. I fear the travel bug may be biting me again, hard.

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Once Upon A Time in London

Once upon a time in London, many, many (okay, two) years ago, three girls set off to work in London, England for half a year. One was from northern Minnesota; two were from western Canada. It turned out that they had more than a natural inclination for cold climates in common:

they all enjoyed a good cup of coffee,

Jane Austen, 

and, of course, new adventures. 

Most importantly, they all lived in house known as “Mrs. Bailey’s.”

Each morning, they set off to go their separate ways for the day. The Minnesotan and one Canadian worked in administrative assistant positions in the City. Naturally, they took the Tube together to work. The other Canuck worked as a barista.

When the three had free time, they did a lot of things together.

They made Princess Cakes. 

They pretended to be Julia Roberts in Notting Hill.

They went to tea at the Ritz. 

 Then April came, and the Minnesotan’s visa ran out. Before she headed home, the three made a vow. “NYC 2010!” they said. And so a reunion was planned.



Many travel plans never make it out of the gestation period. But tomorrow, the three will reunite at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. Images of Sex and the City may dance through our heads, and as much as we look forward to being nerdy tourists in city that’s basically brand new to all of us, the most exciting thing about this upcoming New York trip is that we’ll be together again.

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Harbingers of Spring

It’s no secret. Spring has been on its way to the North woods for quiet some time now. Despite the gusty wind, today saw temperatures of nearly 60 degrees and the air holds a softness that must mean spring.

A lot of good signs have been popping up.

Like pussywillows: 

Or suitcases waiting by the front door.

 (No, they're not packed yet!)

Some signs, not so good:

Granted, I’m not sure that the fire danger in the area is truly “high.” After a couple major wildfire events in the last few years, the locals are on heightened alert. And they’re right to worry until the trees bud out. Things are looking really, really dry. By all accounts we should still be out skiing.

But then things have been a little odd this year. . .

I went into the bathroom and noticed this:

For a couple weeks now I’ve been really excited that my dormant Christmas cactus is putting on new leaves. Does anyone know what Christmas cactus leaf buds look like? I’m starting to suspect that what I thought were new Christmas cactus leaves are in actuality, Christmas cactus flowers.

Flowers?! At the end of March? Right when I’m about to leave on vacation for a month? Not only are we a good nine months off from Christmas, I’m going to miss the flowering Christmas cactus! As Tina Fey would say: BLERG!

These days I find myself finishing up articles and other projects that won’t be worried about again until nearly a month from now. I wonder when exactly I’m going to find time to pack and do laundry before the trip and I fear I will not get around to throwing everything out of the fridge that is going to go bad while we’re gone.

Oh yes, spring, or something like it, is right around the corner.

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End of an Era, Ushered in by Marshmallow Fluff

Sunrise after a rainy day 

It’s official: I will go a-waitressing no more. Yesterday I worked my last lunch shift. This means a couple things. For one, today I plan to hand-wash all of the sweaters I wore this winter so I can pack them on the trip and not have them smell of French fries. For another, it means I can start making decent food choices again.

This goes without saying, but when you waitress, your shift always corresponds with mealtime. Although you could grab little snacks as you work, the days I worked, I inevitably didn’t eat lunch until after 3 and dinner often got dished up around 9:30, if not later. By that time, I was always starving and ate the first calorie laden food I spied in the Shack’s kitchen. As much as it pains me to say it, the regimented life of a temp in a cubicle where I was able to schedule each meal and snack was far better for my waistline.

At the Shack we tried to make decent food choices. We try to get around to eating all of the fresh produce before it turns.

 But sometimes, even when we know what’s the right eating decision, our desires get the better of us. There is no better case in point than the fact that we have teeny tin of organic, fair-trade cocoa sitting next to the super family size Swiss Miss.

(What is a super family size any way? 4? 6?) Guess which one gets dipped into more.

I have read The Botany of Desire and while in high school, I read a book called A Teenager’s Guide to Going Vegetarian. I want to be that person who subsists on organic fruits and nuts and who is unmoved by a plate of French fries. I pretend I’m the girl who orders salads when she goes out, but in actuality, I’ve been known to order things called “The Grizz Burger.” (Yup: ½ pound of burger with cheese, more cheese, bacon, mushrooms, tomato, lettuce . . . ) I use the term “loaded” when I talk about baked potatoes. Deep down, I am just American enough to create things in my kitchen that look like this:

 That’s right, marshmallow fluff. A couple neighbors moved out last week and one of them left a 16 oz. bag of marshmallows and a box of Rice Krispies among the groceries for the taking. On Thursday, I couldn’t resist the urge to make a batch of Rice Krispy bars or “crispy cake” as they call it in England. That’s all well and good, except I didn’t need the entire bag of marshmallows to make the bars and have now spent the last few days eating my way through the remaining marshmallows with a marshmallow here, five marshmallows there.

This morning, in a fit of disgust, I threw out the remaining bag of marshmallows. (I think there were about four left.) With the restaurant life behind me, I have much greater control over my schedule and with that comes tighter reigns on both exercise and diet. There’s tofu marinating in the fridge as I write.

Of course, I’m about to embark on a month long vacation. Might not be the best time for such resolutions.

In other news, I’ve found myself missing the novel. After so many months (years) spent with these characters, I feel a little lost without them.

Ah well, I’ll get over it. I have plenty of little tasks to keep me busy today and all week. Both Andy and I are anxious to be far away for a little while and the trick will be to get stuff done this week so there’s nothing to fret about while we’re away.

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