The Petrified Forest

We stopped to see the largest Petrified Forest in the World.

Here are a few photos:




One spot even looked like a tunnel of trees

Little Old Faithful

It was fun watching it spouting and spraying and a lot of the scenery was very beautiful.

But, more interesting were the animals. They looked a bit like mutants. There were goats with four horns, three horns and even a Unigoat.

I don't know why. I just know it was weird.

Whirlwind Weekend

Robert Louis Stevenson lived here in St. Helena for a couple of months after his wedding. He was ill and needed to recover. He stayed here and perhaps that's why they still honor him today.

His wife was divorced - which was a difficult thing to do in those days. She usually said she was widowed to avoid the conflict.

Stevenson was best known for his stories of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Treasure Island--at least in my mind.

So, we stopped to visit his museum and even is tree.

Robert Louis Stevenson Tree

Coming Home

The Santa Rosa Airport is a tribute to Charles Schultz and I couldn't resist getting my picture taken with Charlie and Lucy. I was feeling it was such a great beginning to another Charlie Brown Christmas :)

The Wineries of Calistoga and St. Helena

Sterling Winery was fun because we took a tram up to the top of the mountain and then we went on our tour, which included many little glasses of wine along the way.

Here my husband is waiting for the tram ride to begin
Here's a view from the tram as we begin to move up the mountain
Here's another view from the tram




There are plenty of wineries to visit. But, check with your hotel first. A lot of them give discount tickets or brochures that you can turn in for $5.00 off per ticket. My husband and I turned in one brochure for $10.00 off. That was a good deal.



Here's another beautiful winery we visited. It's called Castello di Amorosa
It looks like an American castle:

Running the Golden Gate Bridge

So most people might not think it's a great highlight of a vacation to run over ten miles. But, I did.

My husband rented a bicycle at Blazing Saddles (he didn't feel like running) he said he'd rather cruise. Then together we took off for the Golden Gate.

We took off and ran and biked a little bit. It wasn't long before we made it to the dock
It was a wonderful run/ride along the water front.

We got closer and it was the prettier the further we ran/rode.

Finally, we made it And, then we made our way (wonderful might not be the word) up to the center of the G.G. Bridge. We stopped to take a few photos. And, then we turned around and went back the way we came.

I would have loved to have run all the way over the bridge into Sausilito but we were running (he-he) out of time. We had to get going. If we had run into Sausilito, we could have caught a ferry back to the Wharf of San Francisco but the ferries only "run" at certain times and it didn't work with our schedule. So, we could only make the run/ride half of the way (or to the center of the bridge). But it was still a beautiful ride/run and a lot of fun.

Lighted Tractor Parade

Calistoga is a tiny town mostly known for its wineries. So you might think the people might be snobby or snotty but that wasn't what we found at all. They were talkative and helpful and we had a funtastic time.

In fact, even though we visited some wineries and tasted some yummy fruity flavors, one of the highlights of our stay in Calistoga was spending an evening watching a lighted Tractor Parade.

The entire town came out to herald in the holidays and here are some photos from the night. They even had the Hot Air Balloon machine there.

Whine Country

I just got back from a beautiful five days in the Napa Valley. Lucky me...well, not completely.

I know, what could I possibly have to whine about...?

It's hard to admit I'm such a weenie but it's true...I'm a horrible traveler. I get sea sick when I travel - even on an air plane. I know, it makes no sense. But, it's true. I even have to take motion sickness pills not to lose my lunch - literally.

So, when we got into Sacramento I was feeling groggy and disoriented. It's because I'm a bit of a purist. I don't (even though we were going to the Napa Valley) drink alcohol very often. I don't even take Ibuprofen. So, drugs - even over the counter drugs - hit me hard.

Anyway, my hubby had a meeting. So, he dropped me off at the local Barnes and Nobel. Unfortunately for me, I had trouble staying awake. I was nodding in the little nook where I was sitting. I tried to read - which I love - but my head was bobbing and weaving like a prize fighter. The clerks must have thought I was a homeless person who came in off the street to get warm or take a nap. I know that's the way it looked. But I couldn't help it. And I barely remember anything about that day or night. The next day we moved into San Francisco.

Anyway, here are a few pictures from my first few days.

I hope you like the journey.

Here we are coming over the Bay Bridge into San Francisco

Here's the view from the bridge of the city


Here are the streets of San Francisco


We had to go eat at Fisherman's Wharf and it was wonderful.



Then we moved on to Calistoga. I'll have more tales of the trip tomorrow. I hope you'll join me on my journey.

Thursday Turkey Tip

I fixed a turkey dinner for Thanksgiving, like most Americans. And, we'll probably have another turkey for Christmas dinner. So, I was thinking you might be fixing another turkey soon too. And, I have a trick I use to make an amazing glaze and it's super simple so I thought I'd share it with you.

I pour about a cup of Dr. Pepper over the bird when it's getting close to being done. The sugar crisps right up on the top of the bird and it adds a tender tastiness to the meal and even the gravy.

I forgot to take a picture of the dinner - I was too busy seeing that the family got fed to think about photo opportunities this time. But the bird was a beauty. You'll just have to believe me.

If you try this tip, let me know. I'd love to hear what you think.

Word of Wednesday

Word: Wanweird

I know it sounds like a made-up word. But it isn't. It really has a meaning. Do you know what it is?

If you do, and even if you don't, place your guess in the comments section.

No prizes but you'll win bragging rights :)

So, play along.

Then scroll down and see if you were "write" or wrong. ;)




Scroll down further.



Further...



Further........


Wanweird means misfortune or ill or unhappy fate.

Jovan's Dress

Jovan made this dress from scratch. She even used an old bed sheet as the lining. She explained it to me by saying, "sheets are meant to be up against your skin for 8 hours a day. They're soft and always easy to wash."

It all makes sense to me now. I'm going to be looking at sheets in a totally different way from now on.

And, how sustainable...? I thought this was a fantastic idea I wanted to share.

Plus, she goes to Scrap to get fabric and patterns.

Here are a few more projects she's been working on.


Plus, it never hurts to have a puppy in the picture ;)

And, it's super sustainable to make your own clothes - especially if you can figure out a way to use old sheets.

Breaking Dawn - Movie Review Monday

It was a holiday weekend - so one of our family traditions held out - we went to see a movie: Breaking Dawn.

I'd read the book(s) and that helped understand some of the scenes. Such as
Rosalie wanting to help with the baby - I don't think that was developed fully in the movie. In the book, she resented the fact that Bella would willingly give up her life and the chance to become a mother (things Rosalie never wanted to miss) to become a blood thirsty monster.

Breaking Dawn had some good moments. BUT, and that's a big but, it was super slow. I felt they drew out the wedding scene and the honeymoon waaaaaaay too long. It could have been done in a couple of minutes and then they could have moved on to some action. There was only one scene with some real action in it.

Things I really didn't like:

1) The sloooooooooooooooooooooowness of the movie

2) The vampires being out in the daylight!!! No disintegrating, no sparkling, no nothing. Explain that one to me. They could have gotten married at night. It would have made so much more sense. Vampires can't go out in the sunlight - even in the earlier books: Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse, the Cullen's didn't venture out into the daylight in front of humans. So I have no idea how they just skipped right over that fact...or fiction.

I don't usually like stories that play havoc with lore - and vampire lore is pretty well settled. But, I overlooked some "havoc" in the books; however, that doesn't explain how Edward and the Cullens managed to have a daylight wedding with no one noticing the sparkling or anything out of the ordinary at all.

3) How thin Edward and Bella were from the very beginning of this film. It looked like they had lost 20 pounds each since the last movie (maybe more). I thought they looked unhealthy even before Bella was starving from the pregnancy.

Things I liked:

1) Jacob. I think he looked much more like the character in the book in this film than the others. He worked hard to "become" Jacob and I think he did a great job.

2) Seeing the softer side of Edward. He didn't have a continually pained look on his face.

3) Bella looked beautiful at the wedding.

Overall: I wouldn't recommend the movie UNLESS you've already seen the other movies and if you'd read the books. I do think the second half of Breaking Dawn will be better and you should see the first half of the story if you want to see the second half.

But, at least on this one part of the story, I prefer a little more action in my movies.

Turkey Trot 2011

It was only a 4 mile run but. . . it was uphill a lot of the way and I mean straight uphill through Washington Park. It's a tough run but it was also a lot of fun.

What better way to burn off that pie and turkey than starting out your Thanksgiving morning with a challenging run? That's what my hubby and I did. We met my sister at the Zoo and took off together for the run. And, it wasn't even raining!!!

A wonderful way to start a day...plus I didn't feel guilty eating that second slice of pie :)

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you all a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Hope y'all will have a fantastic day filled with family, friends, and good food ;)

ThanksGIVING

With Thanksgiving on our doorstep, I wanted to remind everyone that while we're feasting with family and friends others aren't always so lucky. At any time of year, but especially during the holidays, we should take a minute to think about Giving...

Every community has organizations that can help stretch your donations. Here in Portland one great organization is the Oregon Food Bank (OFB) – it is at the center of a statewide network of 915 hunger-relief agencies.

OFB serves all of Oregon and Clark County in Washington. Oregon Food Bank recovers food from farmers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, individuals, and government sources. OFB then distributes the food to 20 regional food banks across Oregon. And there are plenty of ways to donate: 1) give canned goods; 2) give dollars; 3) donate time.

These are ways to really celebrate the season.

Sasha Suit

Check out Sasha's home-made hoody

My Run

We were running through the forest.

In Forest Park. Portland's Forest Park is the largest wooded city park in the United States. With a 40-mile loop, there's a trail for every level: from walkers to runners. And there's something for everyone to see.


It wasn't a fast run but maybe if I show you a few photos, you might understand.

When you're running with a crew, you have to take a little more time and just enjoy the journey.

Not all the girls run at the same pace but it was a beautiful trail - although it had leaves all over the path, which made us slow down even more (slippery - so we had a good excuse).

Still, it was a beautiful morning on the Leif Eriksen trail.

It's Starting to Look a Lot like Christmas

I'm starting to think of ways to decorate on a budget for Christmas. I'm pulling out old nick-nacks and repurposing them.

I bought some Christmas Tree balls at Ross for $3.99 and put them inside the Hurricane I had sitting around the house.

It turned out pretty for a very paltry bit of money.


How 'bout you? Have you been thinking of ways to decorate without spending a load of money?

Checkerboard Cake

I wanted to make a fun cake for a birthday. Here's how I did it. I made a banana chocolate checkerboard cake.

First I baked one layer with chocolate in the center and the outside rim and yellow cake in between the two chocolate areas.

Then I baked a layer with yellow in the center and the outside rim with chocolate in between the two. And then I baked another layer just like the first.

I stacked them with the two chocolate layers on the top and bottom and the yellow double rim layer in the middle, using cream cheese raspberry filling to glue them all together.

It created a checkerboard effect. My theory is Food should be Fun :)


Plus, I used the extra batter to make cupcakes - Mom always used to say, "never let anything go to waste" - now if I could only learn how to never let anything go to my waist - that would be a real trick