A Last Day in New York City

One last day in New York City.

I drove into the city this time; it was a very easy drive. Parking is a premium but I parked under the Metropolitan Museum of Art where we were to going visit. 1^st we picked up a hot dog for Bel and warm nuts for me and we walked around Central Park. It was a nice break, just a chance to take a breather from life.

After Central Park we walked back to the MMA. Bel was interested in early Greek and Roman history and was treated to a huge amount of artifacts. After lunch in the café we were on our way to see one more exhibit when we noticed rooms set up from King Louis time. We walked from room to room amazed; it was like being in a Palace in Europe.

From the MMA we drove to Battery Park for a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. Because of the government shutdown we could not tour the Statue of Liberty which Bel wanted to do so badly. We could only look across the bay at Elis Island and the Statute.

We had to leave the city and go to visit some old friends in Forest Hills, people Dale and I have known for years. After dinner and lots of talking Bel and I went back to Islip to pack for the trip home.

Not only did I make some money but got to spend some valued time with my granddaughter, memories which we will both take with us for life.

New York City

Our son and his wife made friends with Lisa while attending UCLA so they go way back. They have all stayed friends, visiting each other on occasion both in New York and California. Lisa is a musician, has a band that plays on occasion. So I lay this background to say that we planned to visit Lisa while in New York. I’ve met her couple of times but very briefly and was looking forward to getting to know her a little better.

Bel and I hoped the train at a nearby station and rode into NYC’s Penn Station. Trains are efficient and easy to navigate.

We walked up to the Broadway district and over to the Majestic Theater for a production of Phantom of the Opera. We had tickets center and 8 rows back, just far enough to see the whole stage but close enough to nearly touch the chandelier. Great seats for last minute purchase. The Phantom, for anyone who hasn’t seen it, is well worth the price.

From the Phantom we walked thru Times Square where it appeared that some sort of filming was being set up. After gawking at Times Square it was the off to Rockefeller Center where we were to meet Lisa. We got tickets to go to the Top of 30 Rock for Lisa, Bel and myself. While we waited for Lisa we picked up a snack and set by the Ice Skating Rink that is normally shown on the Today Show. That is interesting to see but it is actually quite small up close.

When Lisa arrived we took the elevators up to the top of the building. The sun was setting over the city and we had the best view.

After dark we went to the Eataly http://www.eataly.com/ for dinner. What a food experience! 7 restaurants within the building plus specialty grocery areas including cheese, salami, pastas, deserts. We sat in the vegetarian restaurant where I had a fabulous Polenta with a glass of wonderful Bruciato wine. It was an overload but we were glad to eat some great food after so much walking.

The East End of Long Island

The deadline for our inspections to be completed was early Monday morning and since there were fewer of us at the end, we were working fast to finish up. But we all finished in the nick of time.

About 1 week before work ended I sent for my granddaughter, Bel. Bel is being home schooled this year so it seemed like something good. Bel could help out a little, do her school work when I’d be working and then we could spend a little time at the end just playing around New York.

Bel flew into JFK, fortunately while I was staying at the Marriott as it was lots closer to JFK than the Clarion. She helped keep the room organized, looked for restaurants while on the road and of course did her work. After finishing up on Monday we went to lunch with a couple of other adjusters; just had to clear the head a bit, then we went and started getting ready for home.

On Tuesday we drove out to Montauk Point Lighthouse, located on the easternmost point of Long Island.

On the way to the lighthouse there are lookouts, one the Oyster Pond. The Oyster Pond is a natural pond within the bay. The water fills it when the tides come and then fish are trapped inside when the tide goes out. The Indians would catch fish in it.

Oyster Pond

Another lookout is Hither Overlook. http://www.hike-li.org/hitherhills.htm We did not know anything about this lookout, just stopped to see what the view was. Wow, we had the ocean on 2 sides and it was breathtaking.

Once at the lighthouse we paid our $8 and went on the self guided tour.  http://www.montauklighthouse.com/  The lighthouse was authorized by President George Washington and completed in 1796. Surrounding buildings are newer and the ground has eroded behind the lighthouse. The erosion is quite a concern and there is a movement to stabilize the ground so that the lighthouse is not lost. There is a display which shows the lighthouse at the time of completion and the keeper’s house, then 3 more displays showing a display for every 100 years or so.

Montauk Lighthouse

The 1860 Keeper’s house is now a museum next to the lighthouse. There are lots of old original documents on the lighthouse and various commissions who Ok’d the work which are located in the house. After the museum we then walked up the 137 narrow steps to the top of the lighthouse. The light is operated by the Coast Guard so that part is off limits but there is a small lookout at the top of the house. One can see Connecticut across the bay.

On the way home we found a farm selling warm fresh corn. So tasty!

Lliving and Working on Long Island

The days of working in New York were much the same, drive down to the Marriott, sign in at 6:30am, work in the lobby until I needed to leave for my appointments then off to inspect. In the afternoons I’d go back and write up the estimates, sign out at 6:30pm then off to the Extended Stay. All of our work and hotels were on Long Island.

Gluten Free Seafood Chowder

This routine lasted a week and was well and good but then I realized that I could stay at the Marriott using Priceline. Wow, $89/night what a deal and I didn’t have to leave at 6am to drive down, just walk down the stairs. (Stairs for the exercise)

The Marriott was so nice after the Extended Stay which was old and dirty. I was ready for a nice place to live again. Plus I was happy that I could actually work in my room where people wouldn’t bother me. There were adjusters who just didn’t know what they were doing, and while I wanted to make sure that the company looked good, it just took way too much of my time to help with basics.

Because I’d stayed so long at the Marriott in Folsom, I’d accumulated lots of reward points and the highest status. Never mind that I’d used all my points in Toronto I hadn’t lost my status! Here I was given access to the top floor where breakfast was served, hors d’ Oeuvres in the evening, water, soda, coffee that downstairs was $3/cup. Not too bad.

Hated to move when we had to at the very end. The Clarion wasn’t any comparison.

The claims varied from totally destroyed houses, completely boarded up houses, houses being rebuilt and those already rebuilt. While I appreciated that all of my inspections were close together, I didn’t appreciate that I had the houses around the golf course, the big houses. I had only a couple of co

ndos. Some people had all condos so had time to sit around. Alas, I had to work but then I got to stay longer.

Fortunately, not all inspections were around the golf course, there were quite a few on the beach with a 2^nd bunch of inspections. It is always so hard to imagine how the storm really was when standing looking out at the beach. The water is so peaceful out, gentle waves, blue skies. Then behind is a house where waves washed completely thru it. I’ve seen the same thing over and over again in hurricanes since 1991. The power of water is amazing.

The stories, and each person must tell theirs, varied from barely making it out of the basement moments before being crushed to death by water breaking down the door and rushing in, to houses partially falling down. Others had little damage at all, didn’t leave, but because they lived up a little higher they were able to watch the devastation occur.  

A Long Island Sunset

Every storm I get asked how bad that owner’s damage is compared to everyone else or in the whole of all the hurricanes I’ve worked. I always tell people that their damage is the worst for them because it is theirs.  A non-answer that seems to make everyone feel good.

Dominican Food for Lunch

There is a group of us who seem to travel together to storms. This started in Sacramento last year when a bunch of us worked in an office and got to be friends. Now we were together again in New York.

At lunch I ran into one friend, Jim Duda, in the parking lot. I suggested that we eat together and we hopped into my car. Jim Goggled food and Dominican came up. I suggested that we go there, it sounded different.  Wow, what a great restaurant! So much food that it makes 2 meals. The pinto beans are so great; fish fillet with garlic sauce is to die for. 

At least there was good food to help survive the day. I'm going to have to figure out how to make this at home.

And It's Off to New York

I’d barely been home for a week when I got the call to go to New York. There is some program for Hurricane Sandy claims and I was asked to work as an inspector for the program. I had a choice of dates I could arrive so chose the last one possible. I chose to start on Friday; I’d fly on Thursday, arrive in the evening then attend the workshop all day Friday. Flight was booked and I got myself ready to go. Fortunately I’d never unpacked from Toronto so I didn’t have too much to do.

I’d gotten a late morning flight, probably not the greatest idea but I thought that it would give me time at home and still get into New York at about 9pm. I got a room at the Extended Stay; a friend had already arranged a good rate for us adjusters. It was about 20 min from the meeting on Friday a.m.

Dale dropped me off at the airport with my 2 large bags, each about 50#, plus roll carry on, Ferrari bag, camera bag and purse. Again, since seasons were changing I brought both warm and cool weather clothes.

I checked in, checked the bags and went on down to the gate. After sitting and sitting it was announced that the plane was going to be late. Then it was announced that it would be later. Finally the plane came and we flew into LAX. There all flights were delayed, for hours, due to weather. Oh brother, now I was getting into NY later and later. I tried to switch flights but every flight was jam packed and late.

Finally, after a very late flight I arrived in NY at about 1:30am, tired and still needing to get to my hotel. Getting to Avis required that I pull all of the bags onto the Air Tram. I went to Avis to find that my rental car had fallen off the reservations so after a long line with only one reservationist, I got my car by 2:30am. Since I’m a Preferred Member my car is always waiting for me with no line. I got to the hotel and into bed by 4am. 7am came way too early.

A Labor Day Weekend Trip

Earlier this year we started planning a family camping trip to Sunset Beach. This was a trip to include our 3 boys and families. We would take our RV and the others their tents. Jen was the main one to keep us on track for this trip. Kids had planned all of the meals except breakfast Monday a.m. and we were in charge of that. Kids were so helpful.

I arrived back at home late Thursday night on the 11:30pm flight. It was so great to be back, but also a little stressful as we needed to leave on Friday after our granddaughter was finished with school.

Since I was just on East Coast time it was easy to wake up early. I was so tired on the way home that I couldn’t stay awake at all, so slept through most of my flights. This gave me a little extra rest and worked out well for me.

We got up early Friday morning and started packing the RV, but because we had so many other things to do got off to a really late start on Friday. We picked up Justin and boys and on our way by 7ish. We were nearly at Sunset Beach when I told Dale that I was surprised that we never saw Nate/Bekki when driving. We see them on the road so many times at random places. Soon another car started following us. Now it is probably 11pm and Nate/Bekki was to leave by 5pm. But guess what? It was Nate/Bekki and family. They followed us on a wrong turn and a detour then we drove into the campground together.

We had 2 campsites next to each other while Clayton/Jen had one on another loop. As Jen had recently decided that they would stay in a nearby hotel as Fynn was so little, their campsite went empty. Then, as it turned out, Zoey was really sick, throwing up; good thing they had a hotel.

We sat around the campground and then the beach on Sat. just vegging out. 

Unfortunately, Clayton had to do a bunch of unexpected work so the trip wasn’t working well for them. By Sunday Zoey’s vomiting was going on strong and Clayton had to go back into his office for emergency work. So much for that family trip.

We salvaged the trip by going to our traditional haunt “Santa Cruz Boardwalk”. We did our traditional family ride on the Giant Dipper, love that old wood roller coaster. 

Otherwise it was more sitting on the beach, eating and just plain ol’ doing nothing!

Going to Work in New York

I haven’t even written about my trip to Toronto and here I am leaving tomorrow for New York. So I’ll try to keep with New York and then write my impressions of Toronto later.

A few days ago I got called to go to New York, on Long Island, to work Hurricane Sandy claims. Mainly, as I understand it, we will be doing reinspections and writing some estimates.

I did not work Hurricane Sandy last fall. I was working in Sacramento and just stayed with that assignment. So now I’m going to get a taste of what some of my co-workers did.

I’ve already packed, pretty unusual for me; usually I’m finishing up as I dash off to the airport. But I’m packed; got a large duffle bag, a large wheeled suitcase, a wheeled carry-on, camera backpack, purse and a tote bag. Each of the large bags is just ounces less than 50#’s. The wheeled carry-on is over 35#.

I strap the wheeled carry-on to the large red bag then pull both large bags while wearing the camera bag, purse and tote bag. Quite a sight I’m sure.

This is an assignment that should be fun at the end. Dale and a couple of granddaughters are planning to come just to have some vacation time. Also I’ll be on the east coast for, hopefully, the changing of the leaves and we have good friends in that area that we get to visit.

So off to a new adventure.

And It's Off To Work We Go

Nothing like lots of misadventures to help jump start a trip.

On Saturday I got a call asking for me to go to Toronto to work the floods. Great! We really do need some cash; I mean who doesn’t have a ton of things needing cash? So I arranged to fly out today with a flight that would leave just later than my granddaughters as today she is flying to Belgium.

Well our flights both departed late and with just over an hour to get from one flight to the next I was very concerned. I was especially concerned for my granddaughter as she has not flown overseas alone before.  I waited for her flight as long as I could and we discussed how to handle various situations in the event she would miss her connection. Then I advised again that we’d also be in touch between flights as they are similar in length for the 1^st legs.

This is all well and good. We said goodbye and then I went to my gate, leaving her on her own. We sent text messages until the time we each had to turn our phone off.

When I landed in Phoenix I attempted to turn on my phone on the taxiway to see if she made her connection. No phone, it was dead as a doornail. I worked with it until I had to get off but there was nothing.

Of course by the time I got off the plane and got my carryon my next flight was already boarding. We were at the last gate in A and I had to go to the opposite end of the terminal. Running I’m frustrated that I have no time to get to my gate and that my phone is dead.

I boarded the next flight, last in the back of the plane and because I was late just put my camera bag with laptop up in the bin. Well some guy did that for me, it is stuffed full of equipment plus laptop. As we were still sitting on the tarmac I then picked up the phone and tried it again but nothing. After we were well on under way I thought that I should have put it under my seat so I could try to charge the phone, if it in fact discharged. Too late, UGH.

Again we were late arriving at the final connection; we’d gone around some thunderstorm. I started to run as my flight was starting to board according to my boarding pass. But this time I was in terminal A and had to go to F. As I was walking, still in A I saw a sign to go to the shuttle for F. An employee said take the shuttle, it only takes 5 min and we would not need to go thru security again. I ran down the stairs and hopped on the shuttle just as the doors were shutting. Finally some good luck. I got to my gate just as boarding was starting. 

Once in Toronto the fun was not over yet, there was a rental car to take care of. Because I was on a very limited budget to get here I put what I thought it would take to get my car. Well in Canada it is different and they have a deposit, unlike the U.S.  Anyway my Visa was short $34; I mean really? Fortunately Avis gave me their phone to call the Visa and Visa called my bank, verified funds, made a quick payment and I was about on my way. Now only if I could get the car to drive.

So Avis gave me an electric/gas car. I found the start button but the car only coasted down a slight incline stopping in the driveway. A guy getting the car next to me pushed my car back up to its spot and back to the office I went. Poor people were probably tired of me by then but came out and showed me how to start the car in gas mode. Push down on the brake and push the start button. Same order to turn it off.

I got to the hotel and was told my room had been upgraded, YES!!! A glass of wine, warm bath and I was a happy camper again.

Turning a Life Around

Having a granddaughter living with us certainly has livened up our lives and has given us a purpose!

When our granddaughter came she was in sore need of guidance; cutting school, not bothering with homework, seeming not to care about grades, sullen. We did give her the choice of staying with us and doing what she needed to do or to go back to her old life. What we needed was help in finding a way to motivate her. What she needed to do was: go to school every day, do her homework and regain her self esteem.

We went to the therapist and got some ideas on how to approach our granddaughter but probably the best help came from a good friend. She had some extra hours at the “Tutoring Club” and she gave us some. We took our granddaughter who wasn’t happy but since the hours were a gift and quite expensive she went along. Oh she was so mad at us!!

She was having the most trouble in Geometry so that was the immediate focus. The head of the Tutoring Club had seen all of this before and not amused, she gave firm guidelines on what had to be done including attending 4 afternoons a week. What our granddaughter found was that the tutor helped her to understand that day’s issue, and she got her homework done. So instead of not turning anything in because she didn’t understand, she started on a daily routine with her math.

Once she understood her subject the grades went up and with that, she started taking pride in not only her math but her other subjects. Now the grades have gone up from D’s and F’s to A’s and B’s with a smugness when she has made the highest grade in the class.

When our granddaughter was younger she would talk about going to college and was interested in being a Veterinarian. When she came to live with us she did not want to go to college, she was a lost soul who didn’t know what she wanted to do. Now we are talking college and although she has to make up lost time she has started to make goals.

Today we have headed north and plan to tour Stanford and U.C. Berkeley. I told her that she should look at a broad range of schools, apply to the ones she wants then see which one(s) accept her with the best offers. This is a far cry from where we were just a few months ago.

And just a note, on Mother’s day she made me a simple card telling me how she appreciates all I do and all the encouragement I give her. I cried; it was so great to know that we’ve made a difference in her life.

Never give up on a kid! And for today, this minute, life is good!

Cleaning Out the Digital Garbage

In my free time I’m a wanna be professional photographer. I’ve never sold a photo but then haven’t really had the time to do anything much with the photos.  And what to do with all those photos?

At first I was just keeping everything on the memory cards but memory cards are expensive for my big camera and it was impossible to know what was on the cards. I’d try to transfer a few of the good photos to the laptop but didn’t always have time so then the cards piled up. Then it was suggested that I put the photos onto DVD’s and make a page of thumbprints to go with the DVD. This is good except that my photos take up a large amount of memory so the DVD’s were being used up at a rapid rate.

Maybe a year or more ago I purchased an external hard drive, a 1TB to hold the photos as it really wasn’t feasible to just keep purchasing DVD’s or memory cards. I transferred all of my photos from the memory cards to the external plus everything on my laptop. Then I got called away to work and one day ran entirely out of memory on the laptop. Dale had to go immediately and purchase another external hard drive, a 2TB as I’d left my original one at home. I transferred over 25,000 photos to the new external hard drive at that time.

Now my youngest son and his wife’s family have a new cabin. They asked if I could maybe provide some photos for artwork on the cabin’s walls. Of course I said yes not even thinking about the new project I was embarking on.

I started 1^st by making sure that I had originals on one drive and copies on another. Then I started labeling the folders by dates with a brief subject title. I’d spent several days doing this.

A couple of days ago I heard a program which addressed those digital items we will leave to our kids. I’d already been thinking about my print film photos as we have many photos just in shopping bags. I’d thought that we should dump most of those photos; kids won’t care about piles of rocks from a site of ruins after we are gone. Now I realized that the same is true for the digital photos.

The new project is to go thru each folder and delete any photo that is similar to another, blurry, or just plain uninteresting. I’ve had to go back a couple of times just because it goes against my grain to delete everything but I’m getting tough. I don’t want for my kids to delete some great photos just because they were tired of messing with an overwhelming amount. And I don’t need an overwhelming amount to dig thru in order to find that one photo I’m looking for.

Cooking New Mexican

Alas, the last cooking lesson, the last day in New Mexico.

Our last cooking lesson was taught by Lois Ellen Frank again. This time she did not spend so much time with the lecture but rather gave tips as she worked. We actually learned new techniques to go with the new recipes; use a large bowl to top a saucepan for a double boiler, don’t stir when simmering, making a chicken broth, simple things like that.

Lunch was so good: Green Chili Stew, Blue Corn Muffins with a Butter Pinion Sauce, Quesadillas stuffed with chicken, and Natillas a kind of pudding. Now the Muffins and Quesadillas are made with wheat flour but due to the fact I’m gluten intolerant I couldn’t eat them. Dr. Frank and the kitchen manager put their heads together and made Blue Corn Muffins with only blue corn, making up the recipe. Noe, the kitchen manager, decided to make fresh corn tortillas that I could eat. We not only got a lesson on how to make corn tortillas but also had fresh made corn tortilla quesadillas. Oh my gosh, these were the best and only took minutes to make. Like Noe said, it takes longer to get the keys, go to the store and buy the tortillas than it does to make them. So now we are going to try this as well.

Unfortunately our flight was due to depart about 3 hours after the class was over so we had no time to do anything but eat and run. And so, another New Mexico trip was over.

Cooking in Paradise

Our 2^nd day of cooking lessons, this was a demonstration lesson in Contemporary Southwest cooking. The teacher was one I’d hoped to get for a lesson, Lois Ellen Frank, part Native American, PhD in Culinary Anthropology.  She, like us, uses organic produce, eggs, meat and so forth. Dr Frank has her own catering business and teaches at the local native colleges.

Dr. Frank gave us a lesson in native foods: pre-contact and then post as contemporary foods have changed as people have intermingled. She started with the 3 sisters: beans corn and squash and then built from there. Lunch consisted of grilled salmon, black beans, corn and chili tamale and flan for dessert.

The food from lunch was lighter than Thursday so we were not stuffed when leaving. Like yesterday we also had a glass of local wine with lunch.

From the school we had several places to visit before evening; San Miguel Mission, the oldest house and then Pecos National Monument. We hoped to get back in time to drink some chocolate at the Kakawa House.

The mission and oldest house were closed, maybe because of Easter, so we could only see the outside. So it was off to Pecos.

Wow!!! Pecos National Monument is an amazing place. It is about 25 miles east of Santa Fe and if you go allow a couple of hours. This monument was the site of a fairly large pueblo with a church. Of course, all that is left are perimeter walls, foundations and 3 of the church walls.

A trail starts at the Visitor’s Center where, first, there is a short film to watch then a museum to tour. The walk is all paved so it isn’t hard to walk; a little over a mile. There is some walking up to the ridge and then down but most can walk this. The path gets up close to the ruins of the pueblo and then you can walk into the ruins of the church. Parts of the ruins have been restored but much has not even been unearthed yet. Amazingly, part of the hill is the garbage dump from the Pueblo. Here many pottery shards are visible, everywhere. We took lots of time looking at various pieces of pottery, the designs and the glazes.

From the path, at the high point, high mountain peaks are visible, most with snow. To the other sides, hills are visible. The view from the 4^th or 5^th story of this pueblo must have been so great.

This is a pueblo where the Indians revolted and destroyed the original church. The ruins which remain are from the church built upon the old ruins in the 1600’s.

The paths are quiet now, just the sound of our footsteps and quiet talking. 

The Kakawa Chocolate House was a perfect place to end the evening. They serve chocolate as would have been served during the ancient times. We had a demitasse cup of chocolate to end our afternoon.

1st Cooking Lesson

Our first cooking class ever and we ware in chili heaven!!! This was a hands-on class learning to make stuffed chilies: chili rellenos, Ancho’s stuffed with beans and chorizo and green chilies stuffed with ground beef with lots of things added and jalapenos stuffed with a cream cheese.

Each of us had to participate, we learned how to handle chilies, roast chilies, how to open them, remove veins and seeds, make sauces and fill the chilies. We learned lots of tricks for just cooking other foods too. There were 2 teachers so that was 1 teacher for 6 students giving us lots of individual attention. When the 3 hour class was over we got to eat all of these stuffed chilies.  What a huge plate load of food, even Elias couldn’t finish everything.

Because the Chili Rellenos are dipped into a beer batter, mine was actually made the native way; rolled in blue corn meal then heated in a cast iron skillet. But the kids made the beer batter and I told them that this batter could be used for anything fried, not just Rellenos.

The school is close enough to walk from our hotel in the southwest and then another 5 minutes after class to the east is the Plaza. We walked to the Plaza for a tour thru the Governors Palace and coffee. Our feet were tired and we were stuffed but coffee on a cold afternoon was good.

The Governors Palace was an interesting place, built in the 1600’s. We’d visited it years ago but had forgotten much of what we saw. So it was good to see it with the grandkids. It is a large building with many items of true interest. And having been to Taos, seeing the Bent and Carson houses, we were interested to find the histories tied together.

Dinner was Lotta Burger; we were not so hungry and after many meals of New Mexican food kids wanted a change. Unfortunately, outside of California, there seem to be no protein style or lettuce wrap burgers so I didn’t try the Lotta.

Long day!

A Day in Taos

We love Taos, would love to live part time in Taos. Our house, the house that we wanted, sold and closed last Friday so we couldn’t visit it. But we could still eat meals, lots of meals in Taos. Comfort food to console ourselves.

We left Santa Fe late morning and got to Taos by 11a.m. just in time to eat a very late and very light breakfast at La Taoseno. This restaurant was recommended to us a couple of years ago and we have been going for breakfast since. The green chili stew is gluten free and so great! Kids and Dale ate Sopiapillas filled with butter and honey.

After a quick stop for water we went for a tour of the Kit Carson house. We haven’t been there in years so that was a fun stop. There is a 20 min video first of Kit Carson’s life produced by the History Channel. The person playing Kit Carson is actually a great grandson who really looks like the original Kit Carson. After the movie, shown in the children’s room, we visited the other 4 rooms of the house. Not a large house for such a large family. A photo of one daughter is in a picture frame identical, I think, to one that my own great-grandmother’s photo is in. I took a photo and will compare it when we get home.

By then we’d worked up an appetite and went to eat a late lunch at La Cueva, a very small restaurant that serves mostly gluten free/wheat free New Mexican Food. The interior of the restaurant is so small; there are 3 very small tables for 2 people each and one seating 4. There are several tables in a small patio as well. We did sit inside today as we were a little cool. It was hard not to eat all of the meal of shredded beef taco, beef enchilada and a chili relleno. I just couldn’t help myself.

After lunch it was time to walk off the food and get ready for dinner. We went to Governor Bent’s house. This house was built in the 1600’s and was the place where Governor Bent was killed during an uprising. We stepped into the house and met George Ortega, the man behind the counter. If you get to Taos you must visit this house and speak with Mr. Ortega. He is a teacher at UNM in history and history is his passion. He will give you a background like no other. We were under his spell listening to his many stories. He is related to Mrs. Bent and comes from family well connected to the Taos area.

The Plaza is the place to have some coffee and kids had chocolates from the Rocky Mountain store. Weather was brisk but it was good to take a break.

On to the Rio Grande. If you’ve never crossed the bridge over the Rio Grande out of Taos, well you must. It is breath taking! The first time we did this was back in the 1980’s and didn’t even know what a treat we were in for. We drove over the bridge and the sight took our breath away. We have since been back and each time stopping at the end of the bridge then walking on the walkway to the middle of the bridge.

A quick drive up to Taos Ski Valley for old time’s sake and because we were not really hungry yet for a full dinner then onto Orlando’s, voted best New Mexican food one year. Layered cheese enchiladas for me with the Chili Caribe sauce, made without flour. This sauce is a dark, rich chili sauce using the whole pod, one of my favorites.

Stuffed and happy we headed back to Santa Fe for a well dissevered sleep.

Santa Fe Arrival

Our flights were uneventful, but since I love flying I was glad to be back in the air.

Ready to Fly

Our flight from Bakersfield was delayed so we hurried to our next gate in L.A. only to discover that we had a good 30 minutes before boarding. There was enough time to pick up a cappuccino at the Coffee Bean by our gate and I sure needed that after 4 hours of no coffee.

We'd all made sandwiches and packed up snacks last night so we had plenty of food to get us thru. 

In Albuquerque, since I’m a preferred Avis renter I was able to go straight to my car without having to go thru the nonsense at the counter. You just go to the kiosk by the cars, look at the board, find your name with the car stall number, get in the car and go. Because I’m an Avis First member the car was upgraded to a small SUV, very nice!

We are staying at the Villas de Santa Fe. I picked this hotel 1^st because of the location to the Plaza and then because of the price. It is really amazingly reasonable and really nice. It does appear that they are refurbishing the place and there are very few people here. I do hope that they are successful, but they are part of a larger chain so I’m guessing that they will do their best.

We only got the basic room for 2 adults and 2 kids but we have a nice, fully stocked kitchen with dinette table, living room with a couch to be made into a bed, easy chair, flat screen TV and fireplace/heater, separate large bedroom and a tiled bathroom. Lots of room and like I say the price is amazing.

We did walk to the plaza and ate at one of our favorite places, The Shed. The do make a gluten free red chili sauce so lots of meals are available. The building is old, I’ll check it out and report on it next time, but it is by the Palace of the Governor’s which is from the 1600’s. But the walls are not straight, doors are low, floors worn so at least it looks old.

Elias with his 14 Shrimp entree

The wait time for a table was an hour so we checked out the wine shop a few doors down and had a great conversation with the owners about the local growers and the local cooking schools.

We are now sitting in our living room drinking a “Milagro Vineyard’s” 2009 Caberbet Franc. The wine is very rich, peppery, with hints of cherry. Wish we could bring a bottle home but alas, there is not a 4oz bottle available. So we will drink it all!

Eating Extravanganza in Santa Fe

Thanks to the friends and relatives who voted for me, our Santa Fe trip is becoming a reality.

Several months ago the Santa Fe School of Cooking, santafeschoolofcooking , had a contest; it was a photo contest with the winner receiving certificates for 2 cooking classes. I made sure that I had the most votes by begging and pleading with anyone and everyone.

The trip is planned:

Tuesday we fly

Wednesday we will spend in Taos with an early lunch at La Cueva Café where they serve gluten free New Mexican food. Dinner will be at Orlando’s, we went there with Elias on the last grandkids trip, a place highly recommended by the locals.

We hope to visit our vacation home in Taos in the afternoon. This is a home that we found when Taos dreaming last year. The Mega Millions was really high and times here were not so it was easy to take a couple of hours to dream. I got on-line and found a house that screamed our names: http://www.realestatetaos.com/taos_real_estate_canonheights.php

I e-mailed the realtor about the brand of the stove and said that we’d come and look at it someday. A couple of weeks ago I emailed again and was told that it had just sold but he thought that the sale might fall thru. It appears that it is still on the market and the price has been lowered so next week we hope is our day to look. Unfortunately we have not won a lotto so alas, we can only look and dream.

Thursday is back to reality with our 1^st cooking lesson, this is a hands-on lesson in making Chili Rellenos. They will show me how to make them gluten free. In the afternoon we will walk a bit on the Santa Fe Trail then eat at The Shed.

Friday is a demonstration in Contemporary Southwest cooking; making grilled salmon, a tamale, black beans, and flan. This is a huge meal!!! In the afternoon we will visit the San Miguel Mission built in the 1600’s, the oldest house and then we will eat at the Chocolate House.

Saturday’s class includes: green chili stew, blue corn and green chili muffins, pinion butter among other dishes.  We will leave from the class and return home.

After each class a full meal is served so we will be on an eating extravaganza!

Stay-At-Home Grandpa

Grandpa stopping for a tea break

I wrote this in response to a notice I saw on NPR for an upcoming series:

Stay at Home Grandpa

After years of working, our future plans were finally coming together. Dale would run his vacation out and then retire, at the age of 67.

Our plans included the usual travel but in our case we’d travel after periods of my work. I’m a catastrophe claims adjuster which means that I handle insurance property claims after a catastrophe. So the plan was that we’d go to work a catastrophe and then, after the work finished, we’d incorporate travel on the way home.

At the time of Dale’s retirement I was working on the east coast both earthquake claims and wind claims. Dale finished up his work and drove to the east coast to join me. We worked together; Dale driving to claims, cooking meals, doing laundry and cleaning the RV while I worked on claims making money. I gave him ideas for dinners, helped show how to sort laundry, tips for some of the basics. We traveled home, a shorter trip due to a family emergency, but we were together as planned.

So this past fall we were working in Sacramento, Dale handling all of our living while I worked 12 hour days 6 days a week. Then in late September we got a phone call from our granddaughter’s mother; we had to take our granddaughter and ASAP. We were stunned. What about all of our plans? Our plan changed to a literal Stay at Home Grandpa as I had to keep working at a job 5 hours away.

We drove home a couple of days later, after working all day. We were upset, bitter at the change of plans, uncertain of how we’d work everything. Dale already knew how to run a household but was uncertain over how to care for a 16 year old girl.

Dale now has a new routine: gets up, makes sure that granddaughter is awake, makes her toast and puts it on a warmed plate, and makes a protein drink for her breakfast on the way to school. He takes her to school, comes home, does dishes, cleans then takes a break. In the afternoon he picks her up from school, makes sure she has a snack, makes dinner, cleans up the kitchen and finishes up for the evening. Additionally, a son brings over his 2 boys once a week or so for Dale to care for overnight. He has a standby meal of pasta that he makes but kids all eat, no one goes hungry.

I’m home until the next round of work comes along and I help where needed but really, it seems that Dale has found a new calling. And the travel will just be different; he will visit me as he can. And as for me? Well I'm sittting and writing while my husband just finished vaccuming the living room and is now helping our 4 year old grandson find a video to watch. Life isn't bad!

What A Downton Dinner

What a dinner, what a party!!

I cooked or was working with the table settings all day long it seemed, so many little details. I wore out the Downton Abbey dinner websites. Which way did the knives face, where were items placed, on and on. I had probably 5 pages open just of Downton sites for recipes and photos for reference. But what a difference a laptop makes.

Friends arrived, the last of them a little after 7pm; oops, now we had to institute the “no talking, just eat” policy. Except that we wanted some photos before dinner, before our hats would be askew, layers of aprons off, that sort of thing.

Everyone was in period clothing, one was in something that was a maybe period clothing but we stretched and saw the connection with Downton. One friend a flapper, one as Daisy, one as a soldier, our granddaughter as maybe Sybil, the rest of us in period dress.

As for the meal, well food was really good, if I must say so myself. Recipes were based on the ones from “Mrs. Beeton” or from the Titanic Menus. Best of all everything was gluten free even my piece of the Treacle Tart. Unfortunately, foods were rich, laden with creams, except for the Wine Jelly full of wine.

Our friends did talk way too much; it was hard to rein them into the dining room. They were having way too much fun! And alas we did run out of time to finish up the last 2 courses before Downton. We ate our dessert; the Treacle Tart, which by the way was wonderful, while we watched Downton and then had the cheese after the show.

So I wanted to post the menu with the wines which we paired for each course:

1. Appetizer: by Aletha, wine is Sherry.
2. Soup: Potato Leek Soup; wine Hungry Hollow 2010 Gewürztraminer
3. Poached Salmon with a Mousseline Sauce; (As served on the last meal from Titanic 1^st Class menu, April 14, 1912); wine- Baletto Winery Pinot Gris
4. Roasted Chicken au Jus; wine- Iron Horse 2011 Russian River Pinot Noir
5. Wine Jelly- this is made with an entire bottle of Zinfandel wine.
6. Roasted Beef with Potatoes and Green Beans; wine – Beaulieu Vineyard (BV) 1995 Georges De Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
7. Salad: Asparagus with a Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing
8. Desserts: Treacle Tart as per Season 3, Episode 1 and Rice Pudding; wine- Iron Horse Classic Vintage Brut 2006 Champagne & Iron Horse Brut “X” 2007 Champagne
9. Cheese: Various Cheese selections; Pimms

We did not serve large portions so people were pleasantly full I believe, but I for one did not eat any cheese. By then I’d had smelled enough food and eaten enough for one day.

During dinner we did receive a telegram, via a text message from my good friend John who we’d invited. The telegram read “ss titanic struck iceberg and sunk STOP 1549 souls perished STOP sir John lost at sea STOP his  last words were ‘darn now I won’t inherit Downton Abbey STOP’”. So alas our friend John was unable to join the party.

Downton Party Tonight

Polishing the Silver

Cleaning Candlesticks and building chairs

Table is mostly set

What a long day! I wanted to write last night but finally at 2am we just simply fell asleep, but hardly could stop laughing by then.

The goal yesterday was to polish the silver flatware and service, purchase food, set the table and decide and make some of the foods. Nearly everything got done. We will just pick up some flowers today, finish cooking and Dale will pick up a few things we didn’t have time to get yesterday.

So here is the long anticipated menu:

1. Appetizer: by Aletha, wine is Sherry and maybe a little Port.
2. Soup: Potato Leek Soup; wine Gewürztraminer
3. Poached Salmon with a Mousseline Sauce; (As served on the last meal from Titanic 1^st Class menu, April 14, 1912); wine- Pinot Gris
4. Roasted Chicken au Jus; wine- Pinot Noir
5. Wine Jelly- this is made with an entire bottle of Zinfandel wine.
6. Roasted Beef with Potatoes and Green Beans; wine – Cabernet Sauvignon
7. Salad: Asparagus with a Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing
8. Cheese: Various Cheese selections; wine – Champagne
9. Desserts: Treacle Tart as per Season 3, Episode 1 and Rice Pudding; wine- Pimms and Port

Now we do know that we have 9 courses, have understood this for a couple of days. But reality hit us last night when making up a schedule for getting these dishes on the table. Most must be hot, served to each person, wine served and all in a timely manner. So when putting this all into a timetable we realized that we will only have 15 minutes for each course from start to finish as we are starting dinner at 7pm and Downton starts at 9pm. I know 15 minutes seems like a lot of time but we must go around the table to each of the 11 guests, let them serve themselves, sit down eat our course, get up and get the next one ready to serve.

Some courses will be quick, like the Wine Jelly, which by the way is really different. I made it last night and we had a taste. All I can say is it is different. But it might just be a nice change after all of the rich food before.

But what got us laughing is the thought (no offense to our guests who might read this) of telling our guests that they must eat, “stop talking, eat”  “No laughing, eat, quickly”! It should be quite an evening.

And now I’m off to get 2 chickens in the oven, will pre-roast then cut them up and warm them tonight. I’ll cook as much as I can this morning: soup, boullion for the Salmon, then maybe warm the Wine Jelly and drink it!

Downton Dinner Countdown

It’s quiet now, busy workers will start soon, readying for the big dinner party.

One day to go until the Downton dinner.

I’m a little concerned about the food selection because I won’t have much time between courses to get the next one out. I want to eat and enjoy the evening so am thinking that I want it easy to serve food: Roasted chicken vs. a baked with sauce. I’ll have to decide that today. I’ll make up a time schedule to follow for the food preparation then determine which dish will be the easiest.

Yesterday was cleaning day. Since I’ve been gone so long many things have just been sitting waiting. I like to do an in-depth cleaning a couple of times a year but that didn’t happen in the fall. Dale and I spent the day on the dining room and the great room. Got most of the kitchen done too.

Today Sunny and her boyfriend will clean the silver. I’ll get my grandma’s dishes down, antique glass ware down and wash it all.

The dining room table is ready to be set. We put chairs around and found that we needed to use all 5 leaves in the table. Now there is very little room to walk around the table to serve people food. I tried my white table cloth but it was just slightly too small. I’d bought a red table cloth a couple of years ago that was too big for that use but it is perfect for this dinner. Since this is the Christmas Special on Downton the red cloth with white napkins will be fine.

Sunny and I went to a local costume shop to look for a dress for her yesterday. I’d thought that flapper would be fun for her. Instead we found a beautiful pink dress with a great hat. The dress is floor length in front with a small train, so Downton!

Today is food purchase day and the day to firm up the outfits. We still need white shirts for the guys and 1 more white bow tie. Sunny will try to find some 1900’s style boots this morning. Dolly will come help me with my hat and to set the table.

Lots to do!

A Downton Dinner: Planning A 9 Course Dinner

I’ve been working out of town since we returned from our backpacking trip so haven’t cooked or thought about food much until the last few days. I’ve just returned home this week and am quickly trying to get back into home life all the while preparing for a Downton dinner party. The difference between this party and our last one is that this party will be a party with friends dressed for dinner and lots of courses.

I’ve not had much time to do research but it looks like the dinner must consist of: 1. Appetizers, 2. soup, 3. roasted foul, 4. Wine jelly, 5. a meat with veges, 6. salad, 7. cheese, 8.dessert.  Trying to put this together has been a challenge as I’ve had no time, however we will get a simple dinner done.

A friend, Aletha will bring the Appetizers. For dessert, another friend, Ross, will bring Treacle Tart, mentioned in Season 3, Episode 1. Dolly will bring Rice Pudding.

I’ve spent time on planning the dinner tonight, again looking at all of the Downton Abbey food sites. Here is my thought: a Potato Leak soup, some sort of Salmon dish, Roasted Chicken au jus (remember when the cat got the roasted chicken?), Wine Jelly, Roast with Yorkshire Pudding and gravy, Asparagus salad with a mustard vinaigrette and then various cheeses.

We hated our dining room chairs so gave them away a year or so ago. Now we had no time to order any and even less money that we wanted to spend on chairs. We found some at Target, plain wood, nothing fancy. Dale just put them together and those will be what we use along with our dinette chairs.

It looks like we will have 11 people around the table. Most in costume.

I wanted to make a dress but unfortunately, just arriving home, there is no time. I found a layered dress that I’d bought years ago, made from a kind of sheer fabric that I’ll put over a longer skirt. I have a hat that is the main thing that I want to wear. The elastic is gone so I’ll need to repair it but hopefully can get it to work. We will buy a white shirt and white tie for Dale. He can wear that with his dinner jacket. He will look like a waiter!

My grandmother bought dishes I believe in about 1916 so we will use as many of those dishes as possible. Also, my mom has a bunch of collectible dishes that I’d hoped to see about selling for her. I think I’ll look thru those dishes tomorrow and see if we can use any for our dinner.

I’ll post photos as I can.