Tag Archives: travel

Uncategorized

Anne Taintor still gets me…

22 Comments

 

It’s time for another peak into my absolute favorite desk calendar.

And all these months later?

She can still read my mind.

 

IMG_9119

 

I think that one is self explanatory.

 

 

If you’re not familiar with Anne, she takes those innocent snapshots of the perfect 1950’s housewives and gives them a little twist.

 

IMG_9126

 

If that isn’t incentive enough to fly…

I don’t know what is.

 

IMG_9112

 

Yes….

Blue things have occasionally been found growing in the back of my refrigerator.

And we’re not talking Jello.

 

 

While I have often expressed this next sentiment…

 

IMG_9116

 

If you look very closely…

Happy housewife on the right appears to have been holding something that was digitally removed…. and it seems to have been oblong.

Was it a Twinkie? A hot dog?

Or was this Lorena Bobbit’s  grandmother?

Tough call.

 

 

And finally…

This has always been my philosophy.

 

IMG_9122

 

Smiling.

It’s so over rated.

 

 

Uncategorized

Head for the coast…

21 Comments

 

When it’s hot in Maine? You head for the coast where the sea breeze cools the temperatures considerably.

So that’s what we did on the July 4th weekend.

We battled the tourist traffic on Route 1 and headed north with a cool and calm demeanor.

 

 

Seriously….. there’s a reason we call you people Massholes. You’re not going to find a barista on every corner in this state, please go back to Boston.

Boothbay Harbor was packed, so we kept going.

 

IMG_E5234

 

Through downtown Rockland where they clearly wanted us to eat something. Hopefully not the building itself.

 

IMG_E5240

 

And through downtown Camden where the cows are always smiling.

 

 

Camden is a gorgeous harbor town with lovely old homes lining both sides of the main street.

 

 

IMG_E5238

 

This one always catches my eye…

 

IMG_E5243

 

Not your typical New Englander to be sure.

 

IMG_E5244

 

We wanted to stop for a drink and a bite in Lincolnville….

 

IMG_E5245

 

But sadly the Whale’s Tooth Pub didn’t open till 4:00pm.

 

IMG_E5272

 

So we ended up in Belfast, down by the harbor.

 

IMG_5262

 

Which is always a good choice.

To be continued…

 

 

Uncategorized

If only it were on our list….

50 Comments

 

I often cruise our timeshare site looking for deals. Someplace we’ve never been, some lovely resort where we’d like to stay.

Then the other day I read an article that made me rethink my aversion to Airbnb.

Yes.

We could rent a potato.

 

IMG_4546

 

No joke.

Apparently this particular spud toured the US for six years on the back of a truck, and no one knew what to do with it afterward.

 

5cc028fd66ae8f79733c36c5-750-563

 

While my first thought wouldn’t have been,  ‘Hey, let’s throw a queen size Serta in there and rent that baby out!’

Clearly I lack vision.

 

  • A giant (fake) potato has been turned into a home that you can rent on Airbnb.
  • The Big Idaho Potato Hotel is a 6-ton potato structure that was created to promote spuds across the US.
  • A small-home developer turned it into an incredibly stylish rental property.
  • It costs $200 a night.

 

It’s a real hotel room, of sorts.

 

The potato sleeps two, with one queen bed, and there’s a small bathroom, a kitchenette, a fireplace, and air-conditioning too. With millennial-pink accents and house plants aplenty, it’s as Instagrammable inside as out.

Measuring 28 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 11.5 feet tall, the giant potato was created by the Idaho Potato Commission to promote the noble vegetable.

 

 

5cc027febd1e27692b5eeb62-750-563

 

 

Granted the landscaping leaves a little to be desired.

And the views?

Well, it is Idaho.

 

 

IMG_4547 Which is probably why there are no windows.But still..  it’s a giant tater!! 

We’ve all dreamed about living inside a potato, with hash browns for cushions, fries as shelves, and a giant bowl of fluffy mash to snuggle into at night.

 

So if spuds are your one true love, you’re probably going to want to book a night in the Big Idaho Potato Hotel, which has been listed on Airbnb.

 

And there you have it…

The perfect vacation getaway.

 

 

 

You’re welcome.

 

And just in case you didn’t think I could tie Game of Thrones into this post?

 

 

h18DFFD8E

 

Never doubt me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uncategorized

What a deal!

12 Comments

 

As many of you know, we have a timeshare.

And no, I don’t want to sell it it you.

 

129051253300493310

 

But timeshares aren’t what they used to be, and we aren’t stuck with just one week in Boca for the rest of our lives.

 

123erfghj

 

We travel when we want, where we want, for as long as we want and we’re loving it. When we no longer love it, we’ll give it to someone else so they can love it too.

 

h6A000099

 

Last year when we were vacationing in the Berkshires, we ran into a veteran and his wife at our resort in the mountains. Naturally, the men spotted each other’s Marine Corps hats and began an hour long conversation detailing where they were stationed and when. Fascinating as that was, I struck up a conversation with the wife and asked how she liked the condo. She said she loved it and you couldn’t beat the deals they get with AFVC.  ( Armed Forces Vacation Club )  7 nights in a 1 bedroom unit for $349.  (Turns out I could beat it with our timeshare last call program, 7 nights in a bigger 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit for $299… but I kept that to myself.)

But the idea intrigued me, so when we got home I joined. For free.

It’s open to:

mhfewyu
Not usually…
But this time, yes.
AFVC constantly sends me emails with promotions and so called deals.
Like this recent one:
09876tghj
Am I reading this correctly?
I’ll pay $349 for the normal 7 night stay….
But only stay 2 or 3 nights?
g1351798677223035265
In what universe is that considered a deal?
Get half as much, but pay the same price.
I may not be the brightest bulb in the pack, but even I’ll pass on that one.
Uncategorized

Because nothing ever goes smoothly.

12 Comments

As we were driving down to Phoenix, I checked my Delta mobile app and saw that not only had our flight been cancelled due to bad weather, but that we’d been scheduled for one the following day… which was forecast to be an even worse storm.

Thinking oh Hell no, I called the airline and argued, cursed, berated,  begged, pleaded, flirted, and okay…. promised a future child to secure us a flight for that day.

Im-not-proud

It worked, but we couldn’t fly into Maine as planned and could only get as far as Boston. This forced the husband to frantically scour his phone contacts to see which friend he could talk into driving south 3 hours in a raging blizzard to pick us up.

You find out who your true friends are in situations like that.

vndgfue

Yeah.

Because I can’t honestly say I would have done it.

And now….

IMG_3970

The required  she has to have the window seat so she can take pictures even though she has no idea where or what they are  aerial photos.

IMG_3972

No matter how many times I fly…

IMG_3973

I’m always that geeky kid who gets a huge kick out of looking down on our world.

IMG_3978

The ever changing landscapes never cease to thrill me.

IMG_3988

The grandeur of the mountains…

IMG_3990

The ridiculous giant tiddly winks….

IMG_3982

It’s all good.

IMG_3993

What do you do with a 4 hour layover in Minneapolis?

IMG_3994

You drink….

IMG_3996

You eat a surprisingly decent shrimp alfredo….

IMG_3995

And watch this cowpoke couple play video games without speaking to each other for over an hour and a half.

Not one word.

Ah, modern living. Where the art of conversation is well and truly dead.

Long story short…

( Who am I kidding, I’ve never told a short story in my life. This vacation was 2 weeks long and it’s taken me 48 days to blog about it. But in my defense? There were a lot of rocks.)

We arrived home exhausted at 4:30 am… after a nail biting  (just an expression, I pay way too much for these babies to nibble)  5 hour  (should have taken 2.5)  snow blinded  (there must have been a road, but we didn’t see it)  ice covered  (slipperier than a Trump family lawyer)  drive.

The end.

6758493

No, truly.

No more rocks, no more vacation pics.

I don’t even have the next trip planned yet.

i-felt-a-great-disturbance-in-the-force-as-if-millions-of-voices-suddenly-breathed-a-sigh-of-relief

And now..

Back to your regularly scheduled program.

Uncategorized

Goodbye rocks…

31 Comments

 

The day I’d been dreading had arrived.

Our Arizona departure.

 

li8tlcjf5cvx

 

(Hang on, not quite yet.)

We packed, and while cleaning out the condo I found this.

 

IMG_3943

 

Oh, sure. Hide the wild animal warning sheet where the unsuspecting tourists won’t find it until it’s too late. Heck, I would have enjoyed spotting the occasional wild pig or bloodthirsty squirrel strolling the grounds during our stay… but no. And now we’re leaving. What a rip off.

Check out time was 10:00 am, but our flight didn’t leave till 2:30 pm so we took our time and said goodbye to the rocks.

 

IMG_3937

 

The beautiful red rocks…

 

dCd4a

 

We said goodbye to the pink sidewalks and buildings…

 

IMG_3940

 

I even said goodbye to this guy…

 

IMG_3931

 

Who was still trying to escape the rocks.

 

IMG_3923

 

We had our last chuckle at the weirdest mailbox we’d ever seen.

 

IMG_3933

 

And bid the rocks farewell…

 

 

You’re beautiful….

 

IMG_3936

 

And we will miss you..

(Okay, I’ll miss you. The husband said once you’ve seen one rock, you’ve seen them all. He’s a heathen. A heathen I tell you!)

And just like that, we were gone…

Heading down to Phoenix to catch our flight.

 

IMG_3951

 

Phoenix.

 

IMG_3957

 

Where there are no rocks…

 

IMG_3963

 

Just cactus.

 

IMG_3961

 

Lots and lots of cactus.

 

IMG_3952

 

Veritable forests of cactus.

 

IMG_3956

 

Some of them … weird.

 

357

 

Okay…

Not that weird, but still.

Uncategorized

It’s all about the rocks… and some food.

18 Comments

Our last meal in Sedona was a late lunch and of course, it turned out to be the best restaurant we found during our two week trip.

Yes Martin, this is a food filled post.

You’re welcome.

IMG_3910

Perched on top of a hill, the Mariposa Grille had some great views.  (Of rocks.)

Mariposa means butterfly in Spanish, and they featured prominently in the decor at this Latin themed beauty.

IMG_3906

Views  (And rocks! Did you see the rocks?)  aside..

IMG_3904

It was a large…

IMG_3903

And rather impressive place.

IMG_3902

I mean hey, check out that door.

It’s made of rocks!

IMG_3890

There was live music with a Spanish guitar, and more beautiful views.

(Of rocks!)

IMG_3887

I ordered a few Caipirinhas… the national drink of Brazil.

Just to get in the proper mood and spirit of the place.

h2ADD34AF

And then on the advice of the waiter, we tried the Yuca fries.

IMG_3888

Not to be confused with Yucca… which apparently tastes like soap… the Yuca were too die for!

IMG_3895

To be honest, I had no idea what they were at that point.

482503a93122e3d2288cb97063d44221

But had I Googled this Yuca meme beforehand?

I most assuredly would have passed.

IMG_3896

Lunch for me was the Funghi Sublime. And sublime it was.

 Scottsdale Burger Battle Judges’s Choice Winner 2018 ~ Smothered in sauteed Mushrooms, finished with imported Truffle Cheese and Truffle Dijonnaise

That burger positively melted in my mouth and was expertly cooked.

My husband ordered the Senor Fish, and was not disappointed either.

IMG_3897

Pan-Fried and Seasoned with their House Rub, Lemon-Caper Aioli, and Shredded Romaine, on a Whole Grain Bun accompanied by 3 Seed Coleslaw.

This was an upscale South American restaurant with Latin inspired cuisine, and everything was served on the most wonderful plates. (Rocks! They were made from rocks!)   I wish we’d found it sooner and been able to go back for a full dinner. I’m sure it would have been marvelous.

How upscale you ask?

There was some interesting artwork hanging on the walls…

IMG_3901

Made with some rather expensive rocks.

IMG_3898

And they were all for sale.

IMG_3899

Yeah.

rock-paper-scissors_o_227136

Rocks.

Ya gotta love ’em.

20182F092F282F462Fa624cd36d1be42d1a531b4d3d9e498f4_5416d_jpg2F1200x630

But maybe not that much.