New England triathlon: Chowda, Beeuh & Lobsta

I love to travel and I love to eat! Lucky for you (or unlucky since you can only experience these things virtually!) I love to post about them! We saw a t-shirt in Boston that summarized our culinary pursuits throughout the trip (clam chowder, locally brewed beer and lobster rolls).



Upon our arrival to Boston, we made a beeline to the harbor for some clam chowder. On a recommendation, we went to the No Name Seafood restaurant (yep, that's really its name!) located at the Boston Fish Pier. As I excitedly dug into my steaming bowl of chowder, I was disappointed at the bland spoonful of thickness that greeted my taste buds. It reminded me of poorly made biscuit gravy. Although disappointed in the chowder and the similarly bland calamari we sampled, I soldiered on and dug into the scallops I had ordered. What a pleasant surprise!!! Tender and delicious, we've struck foodie gold here folks!!!



Even though I was excited about the tasty scallops, I was determined to experience a true New England clam chowder before I left the east coast. One of the stops along the Freedom Trail (for us anyway) was a bar/restaurant called Cheers. Yep, it was the same bar from the popular TV show, but this was not the original location (Norm was nowhere to be found!). We ducked in for a beer and bite to eat while we penned post cards home. Hey look, there's clam chowder on the menu. I'll give it another shot while we're still in Boston. Yummmmmmy! Even though I'm not from the north-east, I have a strong suspicion that this is what New England clam chowder is supposed to taste like! And that Samual Adams sure went well with it!


The route back to the hotel was lined with shopping establishments of every sort. Larry was pretty excited about the "Life is Good" and Patagonia stores! Hey, what do I see up there between the purses and clothing stores? It's an ice cream shop called JP Licks!! Not only was my hot fudge sundae scrumptious, we got to sit in a teacup while we enjoyed our frozen desserts!

OK, so now I've had the chowda and beeuh, I've just got to have a lobster roll to complete the triathlon. On Joe's recommendation, we had dinner at the Red Parrot while in Newport, RI.
In the picture, I'm eating this restaurant's version of a lobster roll minus the bacon (lobster salad, Roma tomatoes, and fresh field greens on a toasted basil focaccia).

With our culinary tour complete, I came back to Colorado Springs for all of three days before I boarded a plane and headed back to the east coast. Now that I've gotten yall caught up to two weekends ago, I'll start posting on my trip to Virginia Beach and Washington, DC.

Until then, thanks checking in!

Another one of those "little states"

Did I mention that we didn't have an itinerary or even a plan as we started out on this road trip? We had an idea of towns we might want to see, but hadn't committed ourselves to staying anywhere. As we left Plymouth, we decided that we would aim to stay in Newport as opposed to New Bedford which we had also considered. Along the way, we drove over the bridge to Cape Cod just to see what it was like. We immediately turned around and went on our way towards Rhode Island!



What a great decision bypassing New Bedford and staying in Newport turned out to be! A friend of mine, Joe now lives in New Haven, Conn., but went to school in Newport, RI. I gave him a call to try and talk him into coming out and having a beer with us on the coast. Although he wimped out, he still gave us some good advice on where to go for dinner and what area of town to stay in. We happened upon a great little bed & breakfast in the area he directed us to. The suite we stayed in at The Burbank Rose guesthouse was a quaint four room affair (complete with food in the kitchen!). As it turns out, it was right across the street from the restaurant Joe suggested for dinner.



The next morning saw us out the door by 6:15 a.m. to see the Cliff Walk. This 3.5 mile walking trail skirts a 70 foot cliff that passes on right-of-way of over 60 private properties. By private properties, I mean MANSIONS!!! The homes (and some homes-turned-hotels) along this walk and adjoining streets reminded me of the chateaus we saw in Blois, France during my European backpacking vacation last year. Although beautiful to admire, I felt slightly offended by these places. Not because I would never be able to afford one, but that people had built so many rooms without a need to fill them. I'm happy to see that some are used for lodging now, but I can't help but marvel at the selfishness of the people whose families are only large enough to occupy 1/8 th of the rooms in their private residence. I appreciate the concept of spending money any way you wish, but there's a certain vulgarness to that kind of show of wealth.



At any rate, the Cliff Walk was a great way to start off the morning! I was traveling pretty light on this trip (carry-on luggage only), so I hadn't brought my running shoes. Charlene and Larry ran the whole 3.5 miles while I strolled about 2/3 of it with camera in hand.





We met back up at the guest house and enjoyed a healthy meal laid out in the breakfast room for guests. Muffins, fresh fruit, yogurt and coffee got us fueled up for the day. We checked out and drove around Newport a bit. The house in this picture is an accurate representation of the houses we saw all over Newport and along the coast. Although I had never been to this north-east coast before, this was exactly the kind of house I imagined as I read about the whaling days of the early 19th century along the New England coast in a book titled Ahabs Wife. I've yet to read Moby Dick, but this off-shoot book based on one sentence from Moby Dick made me want to see the New England shoreline. The chilly, misty morning only added to the atmosphere I imagined while being thoroughly enthralled in the book by Sena Jeter Nasland . It's amazing how reading can transport you to another place, even one to which you've never been.





Once we had gotten on the roads running parallel with the coast the day before, we all wanted to see a lighthouse. One of our guidebooks had little icons on the map indicating where lighthouses were located along our route. Somehow, we never got to see one on the drive. So, our quest before succumbing to the inevitable trip to the airport was to find one of the Newport light houses. Having only experienced the lighthouses of Florida (Pensacola and St. Augustine), I was expecting a huge tower that we might be able to climb winding stairs inside of. You can imagine my delight and confusion as we finally located this miniature lighthouse! That's Larry in the maroon jacket standing next to the door.



As the rain started to come down harder, we made our way towards the Hartford airport. We got into Hartford and started looking for signs to the airport to no avail. We pulled out our flight itineraries to check the airport address and discovered it wasn't actually in Hartford but in a town 15 miles north! Good thing we gave ourselves plenty of extra time to make it to the airport!!!

I'll do a food post next for all you foodies out there!

Coasts and rocks

Although everyone at the wedding who lived in the New England area said that Plymouth was a waste of time and that the rock was only symbolic of the place where the pilgrims landed in 1620, we still wanted to go! We were heading in the direction of southern Rhode Island anyway, so it was on the way.

This picture of me driving with Larry sleeping in the back seat pretty much represents the whole road trip! Charlene was a great nav-comm (navigation & communication position), though she slacked up on the radio duties every now and then!

Even though everyone was right about the rock, Plymouth was worth the stop. The rock was engraved with the year 1620 and was about the size of a large dog (I somehow pictured that it would be similar to the rock of Gibraltar, just smaller scale!). Plymouth harbor itself could've been a fishing port anywhere along New England- the smell of salt air and the sound of seagulls all around. That alone made this detour worth the effort! My soul leaps at the slightest hint of sand and water and my nostrils start to heal with every breath of humid air. The mountains may be beautiful, but for me, water is life-affirming.

On the harbor, we went on board the Mayflower II, a replica of the 17th century ship that brought the earliest European settlers to the New World. The ship is seaworthy and was actually sailed in the 1950s from England to the U.S. as a gift from the English for gratitude of the U.S.'s involvement in WWII. As we toured the inside of the ship (this one was open on Monday!), I winced with sympathy for the individuals who lived aboard a similar ship during a trans Atlantic voyage back in the day. I'm glad there were folks tougher than me back then because I'm not sure I would've signed up for that trip!

We didn't stay in Plymouth long. The town was cute with lots of historic houses renovated and/or turned into Bed & Breakfasts. The buildings and lawns were well kept and you could tell that these folks pride themselves on the history of their town. I wished that my green-thumbed mom was standing by my side when I spyed this beautifully landscaped B&B.

As the mist hung in the air, you could also tell that tourist season was over. Most of the shops were shutting down early and there were only a handful of tourist milling about.

Time to move on to Rhode Island. . .

Freedom in Boston

Sunday morning, Bridie headed back towards New York while Larry and I followed Charlene and her friend Rebecca to Boston. We were only in Boston for 24 hours, but we covered a lot of ground in that time! We started off going down to the harbor and walked our way around the city back to the hotel. We did lots of eating during our walks, but I'll do a whole other post of New England eatin' later!!!!!





Boston has this really cool walking tour of the city called the Freedom Trail. It's a 2.5 mile red brick walking trail (painted in some parts) that takes you past 16 national historic sights. What a great way to tour an unfamiliar city. We had a free map of the trail from the hotel that highlighted all the sights along the way. You can see the sidewalk markers inlaid into the sidewalks in this pic, so even without a map we could've still strolled along the trail. I say stroll, but we power-walked this thing! We knew we didn't have much time, so we covered as much ground as we could while still stopping to take in the history and food!





Along the trail, we passed through the Boston Common which is a surprisingly green and beautiful park right in the middle of the city. Although we sweated our tails off back in Sheffield, the weather turned overcast and cool by the time we got to Boston. Lots of flowers in bloom still, but fall was definitely in the air.





There were so many uniquely American historical sights along this trail. We saw graveyards that were the final resting place of victims of the Boston massacre, Paul Revere's home, old and new State Houses and Fuennell Hall.

The highlight of the walk however, was the USS Constitution. It was the last stop on the trail for us and we couldn't wait to get there. I had seen pictures of my friend Karla on this historic ship during a Navy CPO (Chief Petty Officer) event and wanted to experience this cornerstone of Naval history for myself. We get there, look around and try to figure out how we can board the vessel. Then I saw the sign. . . Closed on Mondays. We all kind of look at each other and my heart sinks as the realization that today IS Monday dawns on us. Not to be deterred from a great stay in Boston and pilgrimage to the Freedom Trail, we tour the USS Cassin Young docked near the USS Constitution. Having been an aviation sailor, I'm always stunned by the tight living quarters of naval ships. As I walked through the corridors and bumped my head and shins a few times, I recalled that my dad lived on similar ships and he's 6'6"!!!! Wow!

Another historic stop on our whirlwind tour of Boston was Fenway Park. Now, I'm not the biggest baseball fan, but I can certainly appreciate the history and lore tied to the oldest ball park in the U.S. Larry is a die hard fan and I thought he was going to hyperventilate when we walked through the stands and got our first glimpse of the field. A very knowledgeable tour guide took us on a one-hour tour of the stadium filling us in on all the facts and myths surrounding this historic landmark.

I think I got to view the field from every possible angle. We went up to the Budweiser bar, the Green Monster, the box seats, saw Pesky's pole, heard the story behind the lone red seat and the story of the bowling lane turned bar top wood! All in all, well worth the $12 tour fee!

After all this walking and touring, it was time to load up the rental car and head south. Even though the weather was chilly, I'm all about coast lines!! Next stop- Plymouth.

It's a wedding!

I apologize for being off the grid for so long. My travel schedule has been a bit hectic lately so I've been slacking on posting! I've got quite a few posts to do to bring everyone up to date, so buckle up!

Two weekends ago, I flew out to Hartford, Conn. to solemnize a wedding in Sheffield, Mass. Yes, I said solemnize. Next to being asked to be the godparent of a friend's child, one of the greatest honors of friendship is to be asked to officiate a friend's wedding. In another testament to the fact that time and distance don't always diminish friendships, my friends Deb and Karin asked me to marry them. I didn't even have to think about it, I said "yes!". Massachusetts is the only state that legally recognizes same-sex marriages. So, for this union to be legal, I had to apply for a one day Justice of the Peace through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

For those of you that know me well, you may be surprised that I agreed to perform a wedding since I'm a little jaded on the whole marriage thing. Perhaps my opening words will explain:

"When Deb & Karin asked me to perform this ceremony, I immediately said 'Yes'. I said 'yes' because I recognized a trait in their relationship that convinced me that their love was sincere. That trait is respect. Respect not only for each other, but also respect for their roles as a couple within their families and friends."

As you can see in this picture, lots of family and friends showed up to support their decision to get married. Over 100 people gathered at an amazing lodge in Sheffield at the edge of the woods (through which runs the Appalachian Trail) to witness the union of these two incredible women. The morning started off sunny and hot and most of us hit the trails for hiking before the start of the afternoon wedding. As the hour drew near, the sky clouded up. 30 minutes before the wedding saw an afternoon shower in full swing. The brides were in separate cabins getting ready and someone made the decision to move the wedding indoors into a screened-in, covered patio. Five minutes to go. Everything has been moved and someone sends for the brides. Word comes back- the brides want the ceremony outside. As if on cue, the rain stops, and we all pitch in to move the ceremony back outdoors. With only a 10-15 minute delay, the wedding goes on with just a few drops raining down on us as the breeze moves through the trees overhead. Notice the brides looking up in the picture as Karin's brother-in-law Matt sings "I see skies of blue and clouds of white" from the Louis Armstrong song "What a wonderful world." As we all chuckle at those timely lyrics, I'm stirred by the song that I know is one of my dad's favorites.

I felt a bit guilty as everyone came up to me after the ceremony and commented on how beautiful it was. Although I spoke a few words of my own at the beginning, the whole ceremony was put together by Deb & Karin. They said that they took bits and pieces from other ceremonies they had attended and things they had read. Most weddings are filled with words that, in my opinion, don't accurately portray what's really felt by two people who have chosen to spend their lives together and the reality of what they face as they stand together through changing seasons of their lives.

"When you love someone, you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. That is impossible. Yet that is what most of us demand. We have such little faith in the ebb and flow of life and of love and of relationships."

There's a lot of truth ringing in that statement!

"May Deb & Karin keep the vows made on this day in freedom, teaching each other who they are, what they yet shall be, enabling them to know that in the fullness of being, they are more than themselves and more than each other, that they are all of us. . . "

The wedding was held on the grounds of Race Brook Lodge with the reception in a huge renovated barn! I think this was one of the funnest receptions I've ever been to!!! Bridie drove over from Ithaca to attend the wedding and hang out for a day. In the wake of the afternoon shower was some hot, humid air! As you can see in the pictures of me and Bridie and of the Colorado contingency (Russell, Charlene, me, Deb & Larry) we worked up quite a sweat dancing late into the humid night!

The next day, everyone gathered for a leisurely breakfast provided by the lodge and lingered over coffee. Deb & Karin headed home to Boston where they are readying their home for the arrival of their baby at the end of November. Although it was tempting to just lounge around in one of the numerous hammocks on the grounds, the rest of us gathered our things and prepared for the rest of the New England adventure we had planned.

Time to head further east. . .

Quick update

I just got back late Tuesday evening from a trip to Massachusetts for a wedding and some New England sightseeing. I'm waiting on some pics from a friend and will hopefully post before I leave again on Saturday for Virginia Beach. Never a dull moment! Thanks for checking in and I'll update yall soon!

Il Fornaio in Coronado

Being of direct Italian lineage (via Philadelphia!), Terri can sniff out the best Italian restaurant in whatever town we happen to find ourselves in! Actually, Terri had eaten at this particular restaurant several times and was excited about introducing this gem to Adam and I. Il Fornaio started off with restaurants and bakeries in California in the 1980s and has since expanded to other cities across the U.S. This location on Coronado has quite the view. It sits next to the San Diego-Coronado ferry and overlooks the bay. We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed the evening breeze while we dined.

Before I launch into descriptions of the food, let me set the dinner conversation scene for you. Diners present at our table: Terri who is in charge of the whole of dining services within the USOC and who has 20+ years of experience in dining services. Adam who is a recent addition to our food and nutrition team at the USOC comes to us with credentials and experience in both the culinary and clinical nutrition worlds. Then there's yours truly- the one on a never-ending quest to keep her tastebuds curious and satisfied all at the same time! With these three professional foodies at the table, you can imagine what the topic of conversation was! Terri joked at the end of dinner that all we had talked about was food- meals we have already eaten and meals we longed to eat!

I'll only post one picture this time. The pic is of the appetizer. Prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe (perfect blend of sweet and salty), grilled artichoke, crostinni, grilled peppers, olives and fresh tomato with mozzarella cheese and basil. We all had different entrees, each was quite tasty. The next night, Adam and I sought out the fish house of Coronado for dinner. I'm sure everyone on Coronado knows exactly where it is, but we felt like we had stumbled upon a tasty island secret! Oh, the potential of places to be dined once I move out there makes me even more anxious to pack up and go!

Beach!

I hope everyone reading this has had a great Labor Day weekend. I can't believe that summer is over. It seems like my bones just got thawed out and I'm already feeling a little nip in the night air here in Colorado.

Not to worry though, work took me back down to Southern California last week where summer is still in full swing. It was a very productive week for me professionally speaking. In between work, I managed to get myself up into Old Town San Diego and spend an evening with Whit & Kathie and some of their family for a BBQ. One of the best things about moving to San Diego is that Whit & Kathie are already there!

I also managed to make a couple of trips to Coronado with some colleagues. Thursday night, Terri took Adam and I to a great Italian restaurant right on the water. I won't say much more about that since I'll do another foodie post for that evening!

The beach sunsets were breathtaking and the San Diego skyline quite majestic. I love light reflections dancing on a moving night current. The sight always brings my soul back to Lake Fields at my grandparents camp when I was a kid. I'd lay in my bed on the screened in back porch listening to the cricket and frog chorus while watching a distant boat running light skipping across the lake. Always followed by gentle waves lapping against the wharf. . .

OK, back to San Diego! Saturday morning before my flight back to Colorado Springs, we drove up to La Jolla for breakfast. After some scrumptious strawberry stuffed French Toast at a place called the Cottage, we walked down to the Children's Pool to take a gander at the huge chunks of fat lying around sunning themselves. Apparently this little cover used to be a perfect wading pool for kids, but has now been taken over by Pacific Harbor Seals. It was hard to see them at first, they blend in quite well with the seaweed.

There were quite a few on the beach and on various rocks around the beach and shore. Every now and then, one would inch itself into the water and shoot around like a little rocket, but for the most part they seemed to be content just laying around sunning themselves. I'm convinced that if my nephew Philip were a sea mammal, he would take up residence at the Children's Pool in La Jolla, CA!