Tag Archives: vacation

Any Arizona WordPressers out there?

December 16, 2018 Rivergirl 13 Comments

The husband and I have planned ( and by that I mean me, all me, nothing but me, he doesn’t do squat ) a trip to Sedona, Arizona in January to celebrate our anniversary.

We’ll have been married 35 years by then, and I figured if the Petrified Forest isn’t an appropriate place to celebrate, nothing is.

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(Yeah, that’s pretty much us. Except it’s more like a quarter than two thirds.)

Neither one of us have ever been out that way and aside from visiting all the “must see” spots like the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Cathedral Rock, the Painted Desert and the aforementioned Forest… I was wondering if any local Arizonians could tell us where to go.

(It’s not often I ask people to tell me where to go….. you should take full advantage.)

We don’t mind driving long distances and love to explore, though Sedona will be our base at night. We’re up for mild hiking and serious cocktailing. (Okay, that might just be me.)

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(Damn, what happens if you’re both?)

So please, drop a comment and tell me where your favorite Arizona places are, what we shouldn’t miss and the best watering holes you know.

Thanks!

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Homeward bound….

December 6, 2018 Rivergirl 46 Comments

Yes, we’ve reached the end of yet another vacation series.

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We checked out of our Vermont mountain resort and walked by the required giant Adirondack chair….

Which had a non required tiny snowman.

With horns.

As we were leaving I noticed this sign…

And thought, damn.

The only reason I left mine at home was the lack of decent parking.

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My husband had serious barn envy on our drive home…

Which is easy to do in Vermont.

And farther down the road, I saw another interesting sign.

Clearly Hula Hooping is a road hazard in the Northern Kingdom.

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The mountains loomed in the distance….

And made for quite a scenic ride.

Sadly, the Water Wheel…

One of our favorite lunch spots…. was closed, and we had to make do with a local watering hole.

(For Martin, who constantly gripes there aren’t enough food photos.)

A decent clam chowder for me.

A mediocre French onion for the husband.

A really good turkey club for me.

And some nice homemade chicken fingers for the husband.

(Happy now Martin?)

We ate our meal under this watchful eye…

And elected to pass on the specialty cocktail.

I love bacon (and bourbon!) as much as the next girl, but bacon bourbon?

No.

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Yes.

Yes we are.

The Vermont vacation is officially over.

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The Dog Chapel.

December 5, 2018 Rivergirl 32 Comments

If you love animals, grab some Kleenex.

If you don’t… move along, you’re not my people.

The Dog Chapel, on Dog Mountain, built by dog artist Stephen Hunecker.

This is Stephen, and his dogs.

The following is the story of his near death experience…

And a few words about the special space he created.

I’d heard of this place, but wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

A chapel… for dogs. Okay, got it.

But I hadn’t.

The pews are hand carved and supported by dogs.

The stained glass is hand made…

And filled with dogs.

But what takes your breath away as you stand in this unassuming little building….

Is love.

And an outpouring of grief so heartfelt, I wept.

Non stop, for the entire time we were there.

The love surrounds you.

Engulfs you.

From floor to ceiling, every single inch.

People from all over the world come to this obscure little spot on the map to leave pictures and memorials to their beloved 4 footed friends.

If you’ve ever loved a dog, this place will move you.

If you’ve never loved a dog, this place will move you.

It was silent, and haunting….. and beautiful beyond words.

The loss is palpable, and deep.

But the love?

The love is overwhelming and chokes me up even now.

So I left a memorial of my own, for a very special beagle we had when I was growing up. Hiram… my father’s steadfast companion. Who happily romped the fields and gardens with him in the good times, and lay devotedly at his side through the bad. The dog that was inconsolable when my father was hospitalized with heart attack after heart attack… as if he knew.

Hiram.

His death was the only time I ever saw my father cry.

Oh, yes…

Yes they do.

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The Stephen Huneck Gallery

December 4, 2018 Rivergirl 12 Comments

The Dog Chapel has long been on my list of places to visit in Vermont, and while I would have preferred to go in warmer weather and walk the lovely nature trails… we happened to pass the sign so I screamed, “Let’s go!”

Up a steep hill, and over a narrow and rutted dirt road you’ll find a 150 acre farm.

The Chapel…

And a frozen, peed upon pumpkin.

(I’m guessing dog, but wouldn’t put it past my husband.)

There’s also a gallery/shop that houses the owner’s folk art, which as you might guess….

Is clearly dog-centric.

There are dog chairs…

Dog benches..

Dog lamps…

Dog borders…

Dog railings…

And dog mounted trophies….

Don’t laugh…

It beats the trophy mounted vegetarian on this butcher shop wall.

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Even the bathroom was dogged.

It’s pretty clear the artist loved dogs.

And why wouldn’t he?

They’re marvelously talented creatures….

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Bugs and dinner.

December 3, 2018 Rivergirl 19 Comments

Please note I did not say bugs for dinner. That would just be weird.

Although, admittedly…. a 3 piece cockroach musical ensemble would have been stellar.

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No… I’m talking about the last (and best!) part of the Fairbanks Museum.

Bug art!

I turned the final corner, and came face to ~~mandible~~ face with this beauty.

Isn’t it wonderful? I would totally display this on my front lawn, and perhaps pet it as I walked by.

As you can see, it’s a little large for the living room.

So while the husband was examining some ancient knives and swords, ( He glanced at the bugs and kept on walking. Go figure. ) I delved deep into art made from bugs.

Apparently it’s pretty rare, as evidenced by the fact there were only 8 pieces.

And if you’re not a fan of the creepy crawly…

You might want to scroll down to dinner… which thankfully, was bug free.

But if you’ve always wanted to see a beetle and moth likeness of Abraham Lincoln?

And George Washington?

I’m your girl.

Yes, those really are all bugs.

And bug art really is a thing.

Ain’t it grand?

General Pershing thinks so.

And so do I.

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Now for the (boring in comparison) food part of the blog.

Dinner was at a highly recommended little place called The Creamery….

Which, to be honest, felt like someone’s basement.

The bar was full of locals who gave us the stink eye as we walked in…

But the margaritas were large and tasty….

And while the menu was small, everything we had was perfect.

From the crispy green bean appetizer….

To the goat cheese and maple vinaigrette salad…

My fresh, succulent baked scallops with stir fried vegetable medley…

And the husband’s perfectly prepared shrimp scampi.

I would have loved to try their dessert but…

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I hate when that happens.

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Stay Spot. Stay….

December 2, 2018 Rivergirl 17 Comments

The Fairbanks museum has something for everyone.

Samurai helmets?

And swords?

Check.

And for those who are as fascinated as I am with the rich history of Japan…

There were dinosaur fossils…

And mastodon obedience training manuals….

Somehow I doubt that turned out well.

There were more dead fine feathered friends..

And a display about sheep back in 1840…

Which begs for the old saying –

Vermont! Where men were men.

And the sheep were afraid.

Although from the look of the numbers, maybe the men should have been afraid.

The rotating exhibit was a collection of photography from rural Vermont.

They were quite good, but I won’t bore with you with photos of photos…

Except for this one.

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That was my reaction too.

I was beginning to rethink my “Isn’t Vermont a quaint place to live?” attitude. I mean, really? Who cuts off their wife’s hands, nails them to the barn door and then photographs them?

Who?

Slightly mollified, although vowing never to look at a muskrat the same way… we moved on.

Inching ever closer to the famous bug art.

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Yes, apparently it’s quite famous in these parts.

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And in case you just can’t wait till tomorrow’s post…

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Here are a few beauties to keep you company.

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(The bugs, not me.)

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You’re welcome.

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More Fairbanks oddities….

December 1, 2018 Rivergirl 20 Comments

As we made our way down the left side of the top floor of the museum, we encountered a replica of my Monday morning hairdo…

And an ~~outfit to wear on a Match.com date~~ entire coconut fiber set of armor.

Yes, coconut.

And fish skin. What’s not to love?

I’m not sure that puffer fish helmet would have deflected many blows, but it does have a certain punk rock era appeal.

And as I was oohing and ahhing over the Egyptian section…

I do love me some mummies and canopic jars.

(Not sure where to put your intestines after death? The ancient Egyptians gave a whole new meaning to kitchen canning.)

And then, I saw it.

Across the rail… on the other side.

Be still my heart!

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Could it be?

Yes!

A giant bug sculpture.

And an entire section of bug art!

Bug art?

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I could hardly contain my delight!

I wanted to run right over, but forced myself to breathe deeply and finish the rest of the museum first.

I know, I know.

Good things come to those who wait….

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Move to Venus, lose 25 lbs.

November 30, 2018 Rivergirl 14 Comments

Admit it, doesn’t that sound more appealing than exercising and giving up cheese for the rest of your natural born days?

According to the scale at the Fairbanks Museum Planetarium….

You’ll lose 25lbs on Venus, 107lbs on Mars… and damn Sam!

149lbs on the moon.

Someone get me Elon’s number, I need to book a flight.

So yes, the planetarium show.

It was fabulous. Full of stunning arrays of the solar system and the night sky.

Shame you won’t get to see any of it…

Because once again, cameras were banned.

*Note to self – do not search Giphy for the word boo.

The results will not be what you are expecting.*

Moving on…

The second floor of the museum was devoted to cultural oddities from around the world.

And of course the building itself was weirdly wonderful.

The woods were glorious, and that’s a barrel vaulted ceiling. An engineering marvel of it’s day.

Glass display boxes circled the railings….

And were filled with marvelous pieces of weird history.

Because really, isn’t that the best kind?

Everything a girl could want was in those cases… jewelry.

Hair accessories….

Manicure extenders….

And shoes!

There were shoes!

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Native American moccasins….

And Chinese Lily Feet slippers….

Which I have always had a morbid fascination for.

Heck, I complain about bunion pain….. can you imagine having your feet deformed like this on purpose?

I love me some shoes.

But even I don’t love them that much.

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Getting my geek on.

November 29, 2018 Rivergirl 26 Comments

Day 5 of vacation dawned and it was screaming museum.

(Okay, maybe only I heard that. But I’ve found it pays to listen to the voices in my head.)

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Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium… a bizarre place.

It was built in 1891 to house a wealthy man’s cabinet of curiosities which had quickly overtaken his house. It was a big house, but hey… he had 175,000 curiosities. Things can get cluttered quickly.

The building itself was a marvel of stone, turrets and arches.

And the first floor was dedicated to specimens.

No.

Not that kind of specimen.

This kind.

The natural world kind…

(A little bear butt for your viewing pleasure.)

Apparently filthy rich Victorians liked to the travel the world, kill what they saw, then bring it home and stuff it.

And old Fairbanks must have been a taxidermist’s dream.

That’s not to say things didn’t go wrong at times.

And sometimes, horribly wrong.

I’m pretty sure that cat wasn’t grinning during his last seconds on earth.

To say this man was bird obsessed is an understatement.

And while I enjoy a good Black Headed Goatsucker ….

And Common Hoopoe as much as the next girl….

The seemingly endless glass cases filled with dead fine feathered friends began to wear on me.

The Noisy Pitta wasn’t noisy…

And the Jungle Babbler certainly wasn’t babbling.

But I did manage to find some bugs before the scheduled planetarium show.

And what wonderful bugs they were.

You’re welcome.

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A snow day.

November 28, 2018 Rivergirl 34 Comments

We had plans for our fourth vacation day, but Mother Nature said….

We woke to non stop snow.

It didn’t look too bad at 5:00am.

Yes, 5:00am. Insomnia doesn’t care if you’re on vacation, it still says

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By 7:00am it was starting to pile up.

And I crunched out on the deck in my pj’s and boots.

The husband was still asleep with his cure for light breaking through the bedroom curtains firmly attached.

Yes, that’s a fork.

Determined not to let snow defeat me, I showered and got ready for the day. Which in that funky bathroom with the whirlpool tub and tv… meant squeezing into the tiny little stall and watching myself bathe.

Exactly.

I didn’t want to… trust me on this.

But the way the room was laid out, it was hard not to.

See?

And yes. Those are polar bears on my jammies.

Don’t judge.

By the time we ventured out, the roads were sheer ice.

And the husband was less than pleased to scrape it off the windshield every 500 feet.

Please note the temperature is 15 degrees.

At first it looked as though the sun would come out…

And it made for some interesting through the dirty windshield pictures.

But the wind was starting to howl, the roads were getting treacherous…

And it was getting darker by the minute.

So we did what any snow tormented vacationer would do….

We got pizza, (at Positive Pie, because who wants a negative one?) went back to the resort, lit a fire (in the fireplace, we’re not heathens) and snuggled.

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(Well, it would have been. We did go back to the resort and light a fire, except the husband snuggled with the tv remote instead of me and watched John Wayne movies all day. But hey, at least he wasn’t naked in the whirlpool tub.)