Tuesday, December 7, 2021. San Antonio, Texas

We checked out courtesy of the interesting young woman who checked us in yesterday.  I detected a slight accent, definitely not of the Southern Louisiana area…I couldn’t resist asking her after commenting that I just couldn’t guess where she’s was from originally.  New Zealand.  I was very surprised at that.  And I still wonder what or who convinced her to end up in Scott, LA, where there’s basically, nothing.  As we took to the road it was only about 50 degrees, damp with ongoing drizzle and so foggy you could not see the tops of the many cell towers along the road.  Pretty dreary, but as we clicked off the miles the temperature rose, finally into the low 70’s and we did see sunshine late in the afternoon.  The forecast in San Antonio is an 88 on Friday. We’ll see about that.

Jack’s work in the reservation department yielded us a 🥰 lovely room in a most beautiful hotel high on a hill overlooking northern San Antonio, The Eilan Hotel & Spa. Look it up and check it out online.  It is just breathtakingly beautiful and reminds me the Chateau Frontenac in Montreal…not quite as old and not quite as grand, but the initial wonder of it is pretty close.  And OH the shopping around it.  (There’s a Nordstrom across the road.).  It’s one of those interesting placements of a resort within a living and retail area…hard to tell where one begins and another ends.  Our room, on the seventh floor overlooks the Texas Hill Countryside with a boatload of lovely tennis courts.  The rooms across from ours overlook the front three stories of stairs and a lovely, huge, courtyard now filled with sparkly Christmas trees and lights strung here and there.  And out from that lie the city lights.  It’s quite a remarkable setting and site to put this place.  Everything is immaculate and first rate.  Sadly, they seem beset by the same problem every service organization seems to be facing: staffing.  So, their main restaurant was closed tonight and will also be closed tomorrow night.  So.  We wandered out where our choice was a bar that served no food, a Ruth’s Chris, and an Italian Restaurant called Piatti…which we chose.  And a very good choice…pappardelle with bolognese sauce, fresh, hot ciabatta bread and a glass of Ruffino Chianti for me. Jack had the same with water.  It was really a welcome basic, but excellent meal…good service and just so nice…a 180 from last night’s pizza & salad.  

We’re settling into our room and catching up on emails and this blog…then a promise of a sleep-in for the morning and maybe some shopping later in the day.  Riverwalk and perhaps a drive out to see those German towns which have me intrigued will round out our visit here, but maybe The Alamo and LaVillita can be squeezed in.  Stay tuned.  

PS  Masks are mandatory by postings on doors, but basically ignored by the people who read them.

Winter 2021 TRIP WEST TO CALIFORNIA. November 27, 2021 - January 30, 2022

This will be our second trip to California by car; our first one was by a rental car…a very small rental car…in December 2019.  We arrived back on Southern Pines in late January, just in time to welcome the COVID EVENT.  We’ll see what happens this time.  

We will be taking masks 😷, sanitizer, wipes, etc. with us for as much protection as we can easily manage.  Our itinerary will be posted on a few days.

Follow along as we meander across this very large country taking most of the important contents of a large house in our smallish car.

Hilton Head Island, SC

Saturday, November 27, 2021

We arrived around 5, just before dark and Amy and Bill about an hour later.  Traffic on I-95 was ugly and added an hour to our drives.  We bagged I-95 and let our GPS lady guide us the rest of the way off the route which was a pretty good decision.

Upon arrival, we signed in to the Waterside Spinnaker Resort, unloaded, turned the oven on, and set the table, following Amy’s request for fast foodage  and anticipating the overage of Thanksgiving feasting.  No one was disappointed.  Our evening discussion was mainly venting the goofy drivers and slowdowns on I-95…and bedtime was early for all.

Sunday, November 28, 2021

Amy caught up on work with deadlines approaching as did Bill with typical business snags and catch-up stuff.  Sharon worked on completing the westward itinerary for clarified understanding and with that initial busyness all checked off and out of the way we 4 caught a golf-cart shuttle to the beach.  Cool breezes and a calm sea with nice sunshine 🌞 made for a pleasant stroll acquainting us with our temporary “hood”. On the walk back to our building we stopped to enjoy an outdoor Jimmy Buffet-type group musically transporting us to those warmer islands.  A quick stop at the local Piggly-Wiggly and we picked up a few items, had a mid-afternoon pub cheese and cracker snack by Amy, and settled down for an easy ham & noodle dinner followed by an eagerly awaited BROWNS-RAVENS game.  After that disappointing football debacle, bedtime was welcomed, but not before Amy encouraged us to put on our “pie-pants” so we could all more comfortably enjoy ☺️ slices of Bill Garrabrant’s Chocolate Pie.

Monday, November 29, 2021

Amy and Bill toured the island while Jack and I reviewed the local paper and NY Times’ take on current events. Bill gave us a relaxing guitar backdrop mid afternoon while Amy and I continued our projects.  Jack and Amy found ‘the best burgers on the Island’ for our takeout dinners at Big Bamboo Cafe, a restaurant that’s been on Hilton Head for more than 20 years. Good stuff.  Our evening entertainment, football again, featured 2 of our our favorite teams going at it…Seattle and Washington.  Ron Rivera’s boys walked away with it and looks like Russel Wilson needs to really heal that throwing finger better.  Amy mentioned pie pants again and we finished off that chocolate pie with  whipped cream…we’re all keeping our pie pants!

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Bill and Amy left for Apex around 10 AM and Jack and I finished working on our itinerary.  We had an early dinner at Aunt Chaladas - (Mexican) and watched a little TV and basketball.  Exciting evening.  

Wednesday evening was more exciting as it became December…we again had an early dinner after running a few errands and we found a neat spot at Ole Hot Mamas.  This little mall area was super nifty with the old oaks filled with multicolored Christmas orbs…so very pretty.  We each had a form of brisket.  It was delicious and I committed to learning how to make it myself as the restaurant pricing seems to have sky-rocketed. We began our packing and declared ourselves ready to head to our next stop.

Thursday, is December 2nd!

So we gathered all our stuff, stripped the beds, piled the used towels, hopped in the car and headed north!  Kind of back toward where we originated, but landed in Charleston at a favorite spot, 583 King Street, a lovely property right in the thick of things.  We walked a bit and again had an early dinner this time at INCARTA, an upscale Italian restaurant recommended by the concierge rather than a closer pizza spot frequented by the local college beer and pie folks.  Not sure what we ordered but it came quickly, was delicious, and easy on our budget…some fancy-shmancypizza with very thin crust.

Which brings us to today, Friday, December 3 and this is Charleston, Day 2

We had a scheduled property review at the other Bluegreen property about a mile from us.  These things always seem to last longer than expected but we were able to adjust our points so we’ll still have some in 2022, which is good.  We walked over to the Market area, watched many people and before we knew it it was 3:00 - our usual ‘tea-time’ at home when we usually skip the tea and Jack has pretzels and 🥛 and I have a coffee or something else small.  It’s a tide-me-over thing until dinner.  No pretzels here, so we voted to skip Kaminskis (great dessert spot that opens at 4) and have ridiculously expensive ice cream as the sun was warm.  So the budget took another hit. One scoop in a cone of “Michigan Pot Hole” for Jack, and one scoop  no cone Cherry Amaretto with Chocolate Flakes for me.  Total: $13.29!!!  😱. Took the free DASH bus back to our hotel and will have dinner shortly…looking for something fishy maybe.

Saturday, December 4, 2021 Gaby’s 23!

We checked out of Charleston and drove to Thomasville, GA, to visit with Kelly’s  Mom, Peggy Brady.  We checked in to a lovely Hampton Inn and gathered our Christmas gifts for her along with miscellaneous boxes from J Michael also for Peggy.  Thomasville is a lovely, small, very Southern town with an outrageously gorgeous downtown area filled with all sorts of intriguing shops…most of which had closed as we were arriving.  Bur first we exchanged our gifts and then headed to dinner at our favorite spot, Jonah’s, for shrimp and grits.  We wandered a bit as we had an hour plus to wait for a table…a longish time since we skip lunch most days.  Dinner was great and we said our goodbyes until our not-sure-when next visit.  A fun, delish, visit…always so good to be with this wonderful lady.

Sunday, December 5,2021 

Set off from Thomasville for the trek to Daphne, GA.  A pretty day with many miles of forested sometimes swampy landscapes. Nothing exceptional about the Comfort Inn (nice), and dinner at an extremely busy Longhorn Steakhouse…again an overpriced meal, which seems to be the norm now.

Monday, December 6th 2021  SCOTT, LA   Amy’s Birthday 🎉 83’

Left right after a fun breakfast - with an actual hot do-it-yourself waffle maker, real butter and pretend maple syrup.  Still, mighty tasty.  Heading to someplace called Scott, LA.  Lots of pretty driving, mostly along Interstate10 and much of it is bayou and just swampy…but interesting.  The clouds were of interest, too, because last night’s forecast suggested  downright dangerous storms along the way, but didn’t really give a good timetable for the southern coastal region.  We used our senses and sure enough  the last 20 miles we were in off and on blinding heavy rain with traffic slowing accordingly.  

We checked into another Comfort Inn for two nights instead of the previous plan which was for 2  nights in New Orleans.  We received a call cancelling our reservation because our hotel was without hot water and there were similar leftover Hurricane Ida problems in that entire city…many hotels to be closed through the whole month of December. So, to Scott we came.  Except there’s nothing really here…a swamp tour, maybe.  Except the rain cooled the temp to the low 50’s, not fun for swamp touring.

But Jack called ahead to San Antonio and was able to extend our reservations on the arrival end by 2 days, so after cancelling a night in Baytown, Texas, we are now aligned for 4 full days and nights at the Eilan Resort and Spa in Northern San Antonio.  We celebrated by having a cracker-crusted pizza and small salad at a very local, but very friendly sports bar around the corner from this Comfort Inn.

So we have a New plan and a good one, We hope.  I have in my notes for us to visit La Villita, the groovy boutique area where we first saw Joe Biden speak when we were here in late 2019.  And we might get to another part of the Riverwalk, see the Alamo, and head out a little way to New Braunfels and Fredericksburg, both uncharacteristically German small towns nearby the northern edge of San Antonio.

This stop should give me some great Christmas shopping tips to share and allow me to actually shop til I drop (it won’t take much).

So that brings us up-to-date.  I wanted to mention that we’ve become SO confused because every state and each hotel and restaurant has its own masking and distancing rules.  OMG it’s a mess.  Some places are signed with MANDATORY MASKS while others say nothing but social distance might be necessary.  Every place is different.

San Antonio, TX. 12/7 Check in - Check out 12/11. Eilan Resort and Spa

Oh my goodness, this spot is beautiful!  This room is for two nights, then we move to the room I actually reserved for 2 nights some time ago.  This resort is masks only unless you’re eating or drinking or in your room or outside.  So we  sort of unpacked and headed for dinner at an Italian restaurant just outside our hotel… superior food and service.  Pricey but everything is anywhere anymore.  The second night we ate wings and a dessert treat at The General Public pub at The Rim village of shops and restaurants.  Nice.  Third night was Mexican at a restaurant in the city recommended by one of Jack’s friends…mariachis and good basic menu and Margaritas.  (Special price: $5.00 each..I had 2). And the fourth night we ate schnitzel in Fredericksburg followed by lighting at the square there…a big deal.  Back at the hotel later, I had OPERA CAKE while Jack had cheesecake.  Opera Cake is a favorite European layered specialty cake J Michael and I learned to love while on board ships.  It’s a French dessert.

The days were filled with shopping at The Rim, where JB purchased some shirts and I did the same…also some odds and ends to fill in present gaps here and there.  We realized the day before that none of our hotels along the way would have washer/dryer capability until our very last stop in Phoenix…right before we get to California…thus shopping for us.  We spent one afternoon at LaVillita a wonderful boutique-filled old area of the old city and did a quick walk of the Riverwalk.  We spent time at The Alamo soaking in that history missed in previous visit.  It was warm and crowded.  Walked more than 12,000 steps that day!  Fredricksburg was a nice drive and a beautiful day.  Its German heritage and many, many shops were attractive, but we managed to get away with only spending for dinner.  One afternoon we visited the hot tub area in our beautiful pool area and chatted with folks from all over…Jack went to an AA meeting nearby as well.  

I almost forgot to mention that our move to our second room on the top floor of the resort was like … well, maybe something out of a movie.  The suite was all marble and huge … 4 rooms in all and way over what I/we expected.  Very lovely 🥰.

12/11/21  Del Rio TX

Well, we went from the sublime to the ridiculous.  The hotel in Del Rio was stuck in the 70’s , or maybe even older.  And the employees weren’t really interested in helping visitors.  Our 2:00 room wasn’t ready at 3:15 and it took another 30 minutes or so.  It was pretty shabby and overall awful.  There wasn’t room to change your mind in the bathroom, the couch was shedding old pretend leather-like bits of itself all over, and the TV was well, after asking for a remote because none was in the room, the TV was ANALOG and primarily showed cartoons (in Spanish), and only a very few, very old reruns…like….remember the reruns of Lawrence Welk?  Yeah!  That’s the kind of stuff.  And of 70+ channel numbers listed on a crinkled old plastic covered list, only about 10, actually showed programs…like Lawrence Welk.  I finally gave up and went to my book at 7:00. 

Before dinner Jack stopped the cleaning gal and asked her if she knew of any problems of safety, or disturbances of cars or similar.  She said, “I haven’t heard of ANYTHING and I’ve been here a week and a half!”  Ha.  

We did manage to find a Chili’s restaurant and had a lovely dinner with a very savvy kind waiter.  Next morning our stop was IHOP for breakfast and then off to our next stop.

12/12/21. Alpine, TX

The drive into Alpine was interesting as we didn’t see any other cars for at least 100 miles.  Pretty desolate and deserted area with very few homes or businesses.  Gas was $3.49 a gallon which is a common Tex’s price - you know, where everything is bigger (even the prices).  We had dinner at an old fashioned shiny diner called Pennys.  JB had a burger while I had a BLT.  Both good.

12/13/21  BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, TX

Our drive into the park involved filling the tank first because this area has nothing like gas, bathrooms, food…nada for the long 2 hour drive into the park.  We arrived after a few hours and had to wait for our room to be ready…it’s a rather common theme.  Some places handle it well, apologize and keep you posted, while others say nothing or make feeble excuses.  We didn’t mind waiting here because it’s a really spectacular setting, a mile up in the mountains.  The hotel is hidden in the rocky outcrop and boasts coyotes, bears, rattlers and mountain lions in the rugged area around the hotel.  Service was very good, food good, room OK…old cabin decor but clean.  We had a double bed…can’t recall the last time we slept in one…our reservation was the last as this place usually books a year or more ahead which we didn’t know…so we were really lucky to get anything.  

It was worth the trip to be in such an isolated place and experience the very rugged beauty.

New Year Update January 9, 2020

Happy New Year!
Today is January 9, 2020, and we've come quite a distance.  Today is ALBUQUERQUE, but we'll digress for a time...

When last we left blogging, we were in Studio City and had met Gregory and Vati.  We enjoyed a few days with Gregory, Kelly and Vati before they left town to meet Curt, Mary, Tate and Eden in Morrow Bay, CA, a few hours north on the California coast.  They stayed right on the water in a lovely house and enjoyed the property and the area.  Santa found Vati via Rudolph's instructions and that was a major plus.  Meanwhile back in Studio City, Jack and I quickly found our routine and Jack found a new meeting for his mornings.  This was a great positive for both of us and our 10 days flew by.  We enjoyed a quiet Christmas with a Gelson's turkey plus meal Jack had pre-ordered for us.  Days were filled in with rest and healthy meals and plenty of basketball and football entertainment.  It was very low key.

When our Studio City family returned on December 30th we resumed our Christmas festivities, opening gifts and celebrating with newlyweds Brady and Luke.  New Year's Eve gave Gregory and Kelly a chance to visit with friends while we kept tabs on sleeping Vati, but managed to enjoy Micheli's lasagna (me) and rigatoni (Jack) take-out.  The New Year entered with everyone sound asleep.

Jack and I got our stuff together and re-packed everything to fit a bit better (We had distributed gifts and somehow acquired a few items along the way.). We said our good-byes and headed south to San Clemente to visit with Bob and Ann, our good friends from Hudson, Ohio, a bunch of years ago.  We caught up on the comings and goings of our families and friends, learned a mean game of Mexican Train, had a quick tour of their adopted city, shared a bountiful breakfast, and headed NORTH EAST on January 4th. 

January 4th and 5th
Las Vegas

Quick overview: Dinner at a dive owned by one of the Motley Crew...I guess that's it's claim to fame.  It was noisy, but the ribs were good and the BlueGreen Club 36 property was very comfortable and pleasant, located a large block behind MGM Grand...a little bit too far for me to walk it...well, maybe not too far, but it was so windy and very chilly that we elected not to walk it.  The second day we made our way to the strip, taking the shuttle.  Note on the shuttle "schedule"...NOT!  Supposedly on the hour and the half hour, but for two days it was never even close.  We did get to the "miracle mile" shops and lollygagged a bit, checked out the nearby casinos but chose not to indulge this trip.  We did arrange for dinner at Lombardi's and a show, VEGAS, at a nearby theater.  Both were enjoyable.

January 6th and 7th
SOUTH RIM, Grand Canyon
BRIGHT ANGEL CABIN

Left our hotel and headed northeast again toward the Grand Canyon, arriving just prior to sunset.  Settled in quickly and had a nice dinner at the Bright Angel restaurant recently renamed for Fred Harvey.  JB enjoyed Corn Chowder which he said was excellent and a chicken dish with rice and beans while I had a decent burger.  I should mention that we still maintain our normal (for us) eating habits of a nice breakfast, skip lunch, and a nice dinner.  Three meals a day are just too much for us.  We did break with this the following day and had a soup break around 2:00 for beef barley which was super...because we had late dinner reservations(8:30) at our next door neighbor hotel, El Tovar, which is considered the luxury on-site hotel at the Canyon Village location.  Our reservations were changed to an earlier time which was appreciated (6:30).  (We're usually pajama-ed by 8:30 these days.)

I should mention that Jack has been doing all the driving - and doing a wonderful job.  When the GPS on the cell says there's a 50-100 mile stretch ahead, I often nod off for a bit.  He carries on with no problems!

Our full day involved a nice walk along the South Rim Trail beginning just outside the door of our cabin.  However, even though we were very careful getting to the trail because of thick ice from their last snowstorm, and even though I was holding Jack's arm, I slipped on the ice and went down on Knee One (the July replacement).  Happy to report it held firm, and I survived with only a bruise and an even more wary attitude.  We continued our hike carefully avoiding any other icy spots where possible.

Dinner was lovely...Jaegerschnitzle was the choice for each of us served with mashed potatoes and green beans.  Dining next to us was a young couple from Las Vegas celebrating her birthday with their dog, a very well-behaved large, white, long-haired something who never made a bark, whine, or peep...and since they were sitting along a wall was never noticed by other diners.  This was a very chic-chic restaurant with extensive offerings at high prices.  That celebrating couple ordered a $300 bottle of champagne and we guessed that he either owned a suite there or had some substantial connection as many staff folks came to greet them.

A quick comment on the drive thus far from CA to NM...much of the countryside is barren and often there isn't a mountain in sight and then, almost suddenly, the landscape changes and included rocks and then a mountain is within sight, most often without snow.  There was heavy vegetation on the 60 mile drive north to the canyon, and it looked as if some had survived recent fires as trees on that side of the road had blackened trunks and no scrubby vegetation growing low.  I think, for me, a high point of this part of the trip was yesterday and an unplanned off-road stop at the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park.  For all the beauty and awesomeness of the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert was a notch up.  The Grand Canyon is immense and the Painted Desert not nearly so huge, but the colors were just breathtaking.  Pinks and corals and every brilliant shade in between.  The wind was very strong all the time we were there and it was very cold, but my camera wouldn't stop taking pictures every moment.  And, another amazing thing to me is that I always wondered what it looks like where the Grand Canyon or any other huge canyon starts...or ends.  And this desert canyon allows you to see exactly where it ends (or begins).  Just A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!

Dinner after arriving here in Albuquerque was in the hotel dining room, a most comfortable and friendly spot.  I had a wonderful margarita and just made the cut off for Happy Hour!  Dinner was discounted because we are hotel guests a fact that pleases JB at this point.  The quesadillas were perfect and we each enjoyed a half of what we were served...the other halves will provide a lunch on wheels tomorrow as we head farther east to Amarillo, Texas, our next stop.  Route 40 still looks OK lacking wintry weather for us as we continue home.

Today we had breakfast here at the Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town.  I chose the oatmeal while JB had Eggs Benedict.  Well, mine was special...oatmeal with fresh sliced strawberries, walnuts, slivered almonds, dried cranberries and cherries, brown sugar and apricots arranged on a small platter.  I said to Jack that this bliss is the best $8 oatmeal I've ever had to which he replied, "This is the only $8 oatmeal you'll ever have.  I don't pay $8 for a whole box of oatmeal!" 

We then proceeded to exit the hotel and wander in and out of Old Town, purchasing little goodies here and there and adding to my debit card deficit.

WESTWARD HO - Days 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12

So, for a few days we were sidelined and sidetracked doing stuff and not really focused on writing.  But, we managed to arrive a little early in Studio City and met Gregory and Vati for gelato at our favorite spot.  It's good to be here out of those traffic jams and ready to begin PART TWO of our adventure.

But, first we'll do a short writing to bring us up to date.
Saturday, December 14, 2019
DAY EIGHT

Before we headed out from San Antonio toward Fort Stockton, Texas, we had a fast breakfast and after loading the car did a quick walk around the corner to pick up a few last minute items from the La Villita shops we visited the day before.  As we entered the village shopping area, we were stopped dead in our tracks by very loud GUNFIRE!  WHAT?  GUNFIRE!  It was hard to tell the direction it was coming from, but it was loud and close-by.  At the same time, we were aware of armed men but we had a sense of a few hundred years of clothing differences...there were many men in buckskin and large hats and guns...like muskets, maybe?  Because it was 10:00 ish (when the area opens) there didn't seem to be other shoppers so the few other people around us looked like families from the 1800's maybe.  The women had long skirts, shawls, hair covers and looked somewhat alarmed.  A bit farther along the walk was a battalion (? maybe fewer than a battalion...a regiment?...fewer than that...it seemed like a big bunch (maybe 6-10)of fancy-dressed soldiers...Spanish?  Mexican?  Fussy hats and lots of gold cord and medals and guns with bayonets!  They were looking for the other men.  Then another group came around the corner and were led by another man from long ago...but the group seemed more like us.  They were stopped by a soldier to explain why they were there and what their business was...the leader engaged in conversation as we rushed to get out of the way of the oncoming battle...which started as we ducked into a shop to get the items we wanted.  The shopkeeper wasn't aware of any 'historical re-enactment' in the area and seemed amused when we were startled by yet more volleys of gunfire.  I guess it was just another Saturday morning in historic San Antonio.

As we left this beautiful, curious, historic city, we realized that although we were within easy walking distance of the Alamo, we hadn't actually seen it...we had gone in other directions!  So, we'll have to make another trip there at some point.

At the end of this drive, the weather had turned a bit cooler and the sky was totally clear again.  We were in a small town, Fort Stockton, and had reservations at a Hampton Inn there.  This was a new hotel and our GPS was having trouble finding it no matter how hard we tried.  Finally, asking at 2 newer hotels, we got decent directions to a new access road off a new roundabout and located our correct place.  A brand new Hampton Inn.  We were directed to the best place in town for our dinner, "K-BOBS", and headed there for vitals. Jack chose meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy while I suffered with a small filet and a nice salad.  All was delicious.  During dinner there were loud outbursts from customers and servers and kitchen areas...we asked about it and were told that they just like to have fun and tease each other.  Our waiter was very pleasant and when he returned at the end of our meal to talk with us, we saw him also speaking with the folks two tables away!  WHAT????  Seems his very identical twin was working there also.  Some days are just like that.

SUNDAY, December 15, 2019
10:30 am....temperature 69'
DAY NINE

Lovely morning and after standard breakfast fare we headed to Interstate 10 again and our next stop a Hilton Garden Inn in LasCruces, New Mexico. This was also a brand new hotel in a new area of town.  Very lovely grounds, large common spaces, fireplaces, holiday decor and very southwestern feeling about the place and the rooms as well.  We got unloaded and took a few pictures in the remaining sunlight and then headed to dinner at Lorenzo's, a nearby Italian family restaurant.  Jack had beef tortellini while I tried their lasagna.  $50 later we waddled out and back to our hotel...funny that the trip to Lorenzo's took less than 5 minutes to go less than half a mile, but going back took about 20 minutes and 3 miles.  Wrong turns do that.  This wasn't the first one.  It probably won't be the last one, either.

We did do a run through El Paso, where we hoped to check out our taxes at work and see how that border wall was coming along.  We might have seen part of it, but it was a very built up congested area with lots of shopping malls and 8-10 lanes of heavy traffic.  Fast moving...lots of it.  We saw what could have been a wall, but it certainly was not impressive, nor did it go anywhere of interest.  It was just sort of 'stuck' out there.  Didn't make too much sense.  Sound familiar????

Jack asked the evening desk clerk for directions to use the lovely hot tub and the fireplace near it and we suited up to enjoy the wet warmth.  Getting in, the force of the jets took my wedding ring (the wide gold band) right off my hand and dumped it in the water.  I somehow managed to grab it before it went over the seat into the deep bottom, but that was a very close call!  Overall the tub was a nice part of the evening except it got very windy so it felt pretty chilly when we got out of the tub.

I forgot to mention that earlier in the day, we actually went rogue, off the grid, and took off down a windy unmarked road toward a nice bunch of mountains, but after 15-20 miles of scrubby, but high, mountains and very few cars, we turned around and went back to where we turned off of the interstate...(by a derelict gas station marked by "nuclear accident" graffiti writings).

Monday, December 16, and Tuesday, December 17, 2019
LasCruces, New Mexico to Peoria, Arizona
Days 10 & 11
Cibola Vista Resort & Spa for two nights

A pretty morning and an earlier start after realizing we had about a 6 hour drive...one of two longer travel days.  Loaded the car after Jack returned from a "great" AA group meeting.  Welcoming and nice the 25 plus folks gave him a new coffee mug marked "St Albert's Newman Center, Established 2004", and their slogan: "Sober at Sunrise".  7AM meeting.  So, this hotel in LasCruces was the least expensive but we had to pay $7.95 for the same complimentary breakfasts we'd had at other Hilton properties along the way.  It was also the prettiest property...right up there with the Savannah Doubletree.   Just as an odd note, one of the desk clerk was named "Mirella" and when Jack asked her to pronounce it she said, "Just roll the "r"."  Of course, neither of us can do that.  We tried.  Nope.




LasCruces seems to be a growing town with a young population.  Very nice area.  Not too congested and has a friendly, college-town atmosphere.



So this day will take us through the rest of New Mexico, over the Arizona border.  We'll continue through Tucson, and through Phoenix, settling in at Peoria, AZ, at the Cibola Vista Resort & Spa for two nights.  Hopefully, we will arrive early enough to enjoy a nice dinner and see some of the area, but it is a longer drive than we've been averaging. 

On this section of our drive we saw...well, I saw, our first tumbleweed!  Flew across a parking lot!  And we were photographed by the BORDER PATROL, along a very barren section of country quite a distance from the border.  But they took our picture and waved us through. They seemed to focus on the trucks and I'm sure it didn't take much for them to notice that WE HAVE NO SPACE TO SMUGGLE ANYTHING!!!  This is a little car.  It is STUFFED with our stuff!

We passed over the RIO GRANDE RIVER, at least that's what the sign said.  I doubt it.  It doesn't seem like it's in the right place.  And that was quite an exaggeration...there wasn't any water in it! It couldn't have been certified a legitimate 'creek'.

The ride through Phoenix was awful.  We took a route around the city, from 6:00 on a clock to 9:00 on that pretend clock...most in the HOV lane - one lane of 12 during rush hour.  It was dreadful, stressing poor Jack and getting dark.  It wasn't complicated but many of the off-ramps seemed new and the signage was new and even though traffic was moving, there was SO MUCH OF IT!  So, Phoenix gets a -10 for ease in rush hour driving.  Just too many cars.  They need some, or more, mass transportation.  But, we made it and found our resort without too much fussing.


When we arrived, we unloaded EVERYTHING, to be sure we could get all the dirty clothes in and do the laundry and get the gift-wrapping done before we arrive in Studio City at Gregory and Kelly's. As we finished we realized we didn't have Pedro Svensen, our little gnome, with us.  He, along with one other gift and a book destined for Gaby, had somehow been left behind in Las Cruces. We called the hotel and it wasn't entered in the Lost & Found, and hadn't otherwise been reported.  I'm not surprised, he was quite the cute fella...a real catch.  So, I called the Bird & Pear, the shop in LaVillita where I purchased him, talked with the same gal who sold him to us originally, and re-ordered him and the other little something, and had them sent to 26 VITW.  He'll be there when we get home next month.  Then, I called Amazon and ordered another book to be sent to Gaby directly...to arrive tomorrow for her as another Christmas gift.  Life can get complicated if you're not paying attention. Well, even if you ARE paying attention it can get complicated!

The Cibola Vista Resort & Spa is a lovely, multi-use resort and spa with villas, houses, condos and apartments, with tennis, various pools and hot tubs, and spa services.  Which we did not take advantage of as we were busy re-packing, doing laundry, walking, doing laundry, snaking, doing laundry, wrapping packages, and doing laundry.  Jack did get a well-deserved "timeout" with a massage while I was wrapping and packing.  He did all that driving with smiles and good conversation now and then.  It all got done and packed so we accomplished our goals.  We both got two good nights' rest and a nice meal.  And that massage.


Nearby was a huge outdoor mall with all kinds of restaurants, shops, businesses with easy access Jack had already scoped and was comfortable finding.  We had not been to a "CHILI'S" in years, since the Cary version went out of business many years ago.  So we elected to go for fajitas in the Peoria version.  We had an exceptional waitress named "Justice" who helped us wade through the menu 'book'.  Pages and pages and pages.  I told her that we have smaller appetites and that we were traveling so could not take any leftovers with us.  She guided us to the "LUNCH" menu where, lo and behold, there was an offering of fajitas half the size for half the price.  Got our votes and we had a lovely dinner and she got a healthy tip!

I'll give a quick update in a few days about our time and fun plans for Studio City.

WESTWARD HO!  Update Friday, December 13, 2019

Some additional comments on our travel thus far and hopefully we will continue on a more regular basis.
DAY 2
December 8, 2019
Savannah to Tallahassee

We met Peggy and visited ogling her collections of Christmas items.  Peggy, by the way, is looking amazingly well, having lost a huge amount of weight recently.  We agreed it's good to have those pounds gone and good to have opportunities to buy new clothes that actually fit.  We had a lovely dinner nearby and said our "goodbye" knowing travel time would begin early.

DAY 3
December 9, 2019
Tallahassee to New Orleans

Our weather was chilly with some drizzle early switching over to some sunshine later.  Along the way we drove 28 miles out of our way to see nothing (we made a wrong turn but thought it might lead to interesting surprises...it didn't). Later we deliberately drove 31 miles out of our way to see old familiar territory...Ft Walton Beach and Route 98.  Got some gas for $2.36, about what we paid in NC, and made our way to Pensacola Beach just to wiggle our feet in the sand...still cool but a little sunshine.   We arrived at our hotel on Decatur Street about 4:30 and figured out quickly that this city is not like any other we've visited before.  We were given a larger "suite" room with a lovely balcony, kitchenette, and a premium view.  Nicely decorated with whimsical quirky furnishings, it didn't take long to feel comfy.  We were both exhausted so a fast dinner (shrimp platters for each) was followed by an early bedtime.

We seem to come up with oddball questions from time to time...here's one that is actually from Day 1:  We were each given a cookie...warm excellent chocolate chip.  Each cookie is, according to the label, 2 servings, and is listed as having 150 calories per serving with the unit (whole cookie) having 310 calories.  This is some kind of crazy math.  What happens to the 'extra' 10 calories?


DAY 4
New Orleans

JB walked to find beignets and coffee so our breakfast was on our charming balcony before we were LYFTed to the Marquee Hotel in another part of NOLA (actually right across the street from the building that recently collapsed causing havoc and deaths in the city).  We attended a WAY TOO LONG meeting and followed it up by a little email time with a snack before boarding a bus for a very nice VIP city tour.  With parking a big problem and time limited we elected to do this also because the weather was rainy and very windy.  The exterior painting taking place at our hotel was halted because of the wind.

We returned to our hotel after 6 and wandered up Decatur to a recommended restaurant getting wet and windblown only to learn that the place was closed - temporarily - for two private parties, but would open at 7:30 and begin serving again.  So we retreated and waited, then returned at 7:30.  That seemed a good move because Jack's Red Beans and Rice and my Chicken & Sausage Gumbo were both wonderful and perfect for the nasty weather.  And, after dinner, bedtime came quickly.

DAY 5
Wednesday, December 11
NOLA TO Lake Charles, LA

Sunny morning and a nice breakfast in the hotel to start and we left about 9:30 heading for Lake Charles, LA.  We were looking forward to this travel day because we realized we hadn't seen a State Park or National Park yet and really hadn't found decent postcards (more on those later) or shopping
at any point yet.  But this day we had a plan and with good weather we were looking forward to visiting a restored Arcadian Historical Village with promised Christmas influence.  As we neared Lake Charles and the site I said to Jack, something like, "This doesn't look right...".  We were passing through many new neighborhoods with large brick homes...very planned communities.  But onward and finally down a dusty road appeared an empty sheriff's car and a locked gate with a pretty porta-potty parked outside the gate.  No people, no cars, no admission info.  Nada. The hours were said to be 10-8 and it was about 2:30.  We glumly turned around and continued to our hotel.

Our hotel was a brand new Hampton Inn on an odd corner off a new roundabout.  Took a bit of doing to figure out exactly how to get to it, but we managed.  Close by were two possible dinner spots: A DICKIE'S and an O'CHARLEY's.  Well, it was no contest once we realized it was FREE PIE WEDNESDAY at O'CHARLEY'S.

So, another day...no parks, no National Parks or stops of interest.  Surely tomorrow....

DAY 6
Thursday, December 12 and
Friday, December 13
Lake Charles, LA to San Antonio, Texas

Driving through Houston was challenging because many lanes required much watching for our route signs with so many trucks and a 75 MPH speed limit...also lots and lots of heavy traffic with road work here and there often along the way.  We went from traveling flatlands to nicely rolling hills and from swampy trees to airy shrubby plantings.  And the weather improved nicely too...back in the low 70's and partly to mostly sunny.  We arrived at our historic Riverwalk hotel around 4:30 and headed out for a nice walk.  Weather warm and lovely.  We found the shopping area I wanted to visit and had another lovely dinner spot suggested to us.  These places were within a block or two of our hotel so my knees were happy to oblige.  And, OH MY THE LOVELY DECORATIONS on the Riverwalk...all dressed up for Christmas.  I managed to find a few things to tuck into one of the corners in the car that doesn't already have stuff packed in it.

So, day one in San Antonio was a winner and both of us looked forward to today...hoping to pick up a few Christmas items, see more of the Riverwalk area and perhaps a tour, or at least wander a bit more.

And Day 7, today, was a hit, more of a homerun!  We started with breakfast - complimentary - and not too bad, followed by some quiet time on our balcony enjoying warm sunshine...pushing 80 degrees and a gentle breeze to refresh.  We headed out to shop around the corner and found an H&M which of course, meant a look to see if anything had kittycats on that might get a smile from Vati.  So that was a success.  An Artisan Show was happening on the Riverwalk, so, of course, we visited that too.  My feet needed a timeout so we came back to our hotel for an hour or so.  I had a long phone call with my brother, to figure out and fix my camera which I managed to mess up by hitting buttons while not paying attention at all.

A bit later we headed out again for the LaVillita little shopping village just behind our hotel. As we approached the entryway, a man offered to sell us all kinds of Joe Biden stuff and we noticed a large police presence and a bunch of wild-eyed and labeled TRUMP fans.  We asked if Biden was in the area and was told he was expected shortly.  WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED????  If we had PLANNED this, it couldn't have happened like it did.  So, we did have a couple of glimpses of Mr Biden and we heard his speech and the hecklers, too, as we shopped around.

We stopped when the shops closed at 6 and headed to another recommended restaurant and had excellent Mexican enchiladas and I indulged in a superior margarita.  A band was scheduled at the Riverwalk and that's where we spent the next hour or so.  What fun!  What a day!

Westward Ho...Day 8

Today is Saturday, December 14th We had another so-so breakfast...this hotel seems to try to copy other chains that provide so-so breakfasts and offer them as complimentary.  Cereal, yogurt, bland scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes...etc.  No fresh fruit of any kind.  Not much creativity.  No real butter. Nice to have something, but this gets one star.  The entire hotel was a mystery.  Seems it got started in 2003 taking over a Mexican restaurant.  The lobby is just old. Looks old and smells stuffy old.  Lots of shades of brown, beige, dark olive green.  Old tile for the floor and very dated rugs and paintings.  A very old sofa flanked by two lamp torcheres from another age...perhaps if a funeral home closed and had an auction of their decor these were snapped up to fill spaces.  Furniture throughout is out of our great grandmothers' homes around 1950.  BUT...what saves it and makes it OK and we're willing to put up with the old, stuffy, and dreary interior is LOCATION.

The O'Brien Historic Riverwalk  Hotel is less than a block from the Riverwalk and also from La Villita historic shopping area with restaurants and entertainment very close.  After breakfast this morning we walked around the corner and entered the LaVillita Village area to pick up somethings we saw last night after the stores had closed.  We were greeted this morning by a volley of gunfire...well, really musket fire!  Scary to us because we're not used to hearing gunfire.  Then, it became pretty obvious that we were in between two specially dressed groups in a serious re-enactment of a long over-with battle or skirmish or both.  What are the chances?  Last night we stumbled into a Biden Political Rally complete with LATINOS FOR  TRUMP hecklers and today we marched directly into the line of fire of one group of "settlers" and another battalion of fancy uniformed soldiers.  Spanish?  Mexican?  There were also supporting family members in costume (or maybe they WEREN'T in costume, I'm not sure...). We found our shop, made our purchase, looked around and when we exited the battle was still continuing and the gunfire kept on until we were out of range.

Westward Ho! Days 1 and 2 (December 7 & 8)

And...we're off!!!  A 6 week escapade west, then east.  Goal.  Make it there and back.  Safely.  With sand in our shoes.  Smiles on our faces.  All Christmas gifts dispersed.

Day One - 3 at least
We're having some technical difficulties with ... um, technology.  Nothing terribly exciting has occurred thus far so you haven't missed a thing.  Same for day two and since this is...day four, well, nothing yesterday either.  But we love New Orleans.  70' this morning...now it's WINDY and much colder.  And we're off on a city bus tour.  Promise...more later.