The Brazilians have nailed bacon! Take the meat from three of our slices and combine it into one thick slice, cook off all the fat and you have it. It now rivals English for my favorite. Besides bacon I tried just about everything on the breakfast buffet. The papaya was fabulous, coffee great, and to look as bodacious as posible I went out on a limb and had the ‘cellulite reduction’ fruit drink. For real.

I digress. Anyway, we were up at 6:00, breakfast at 6:30, rallied in the lobby at 7:15 for the 7:30 airport shuttle. The purpose of returning to the airport was to catch our two+ hour transfer (a bus) to Santos, the port we cruised from. The ride took us through town and then up and over some densely vegetated mountains to the sea. We passed through what looked like the jungle but I don’t know if it technically was. It was a beautiful, rich green peppered with vibrant fuchsia blossoms. The roads were great and the traffic was steady but did not delay our trip. We took care of checking in and then proceeded to the ship where we headed straight for lunch.

The afternoon was relaxing and passed quickly as we settled in, unpacked, and explored the ship. After a delicious dinner we enjoyed the evening’s entertainment which was a French juggler of some renown: Jaz Danion. Hard to believe but while balancing on one foot, he placed a tea spoon on his other foot and flipped it into the air so that it balanced (on the handle) on his forehead. I know! Another crowd pleaser was when he used a springboard to flip a wine glass into the air. It landed, you guessed it, on a metal rod sticking out of his mouth. Who thinks this stuff up? OK, I’ll share his claim to fame: lifting ten tiers of wine glasses balanced on plexiglass panes. With one hand (and forearm) mind you. Four glasses per tier, one on each corner of a pane, stacked 10 high. That’s 40 glasses and ten panes of plexi with an 11th pane on top to support an ice bucket. 35 kilos (2 pounds per kilo … do I remember correctly?) balanced on one hand and forearm on a moving ship. All to rousing, anticipation building music. All that talent and a sexy French accent to boot.

Hettie and Ronnie did not join us for the entertainment. Sadly Hettie has suffered with shingles for five weeks and was not feeling too great. Cleone and Walter, who finally made it to the hotel at 2:30 this morning, stayed strong and lasted through the show and even joined us for tea and cookies before heading to bed.

It all made for a memorable Valentine’s Day. Plus, Dan surprised me with two funny cards, concert tickets, and candy that he had secretly squirrel away in his suitcase; Walter had cards and little stuffed animals for me and Hettie; and Hettie gave me a gorgeous, purple knit scarf she made especially for me.

We had a great first day, all things considered, and are happy to head to bed all settled in. There was rain and lightening as we turned out the lights, so we munched on a Dramamine for good measure.

 

South America here we come! Our 9.5 hour nonstop overnight flight placed us in Sao Paulo, Brazil before lunch where we are rallying with our cruise buddies, Walter & Cleone and Hettie & Ronnie. Everything went perfectly: on time take off , smooth flight, on time arrival. We cleared immigration and customs and took a shuttle to the airport Marriott where we’ll spend the night and rest up to board the cruise ship tomorrow. We have a beautiful room on the 9th floor with a view of the pool, complimentary snacks and drinks, and free breakfast. Woo hoo!

Sadly W&C did not have our luck. They got stuck in Dallas overnight due to mechanical problems which will delay their arrival by at least 12 hours. Walter had arranged a city tour starting at 3:00 this afternoon. So Dan and I, completely blocking out the misery of our companions, enjoyed our complimentary cheese and cracker lunch (washed down with Coke Zero), took a quick swim, and then showered and met our guide in the lobby for Walter’s four hour tour. Laura was our guide and Wilson our driver. Expecting four of us plus the two of them, we had a sizable van, so we spread out like royalty and enjoyed the afternoon.

Laura explained that São Paulo was founded by the Portuguese in the mid-1500s. They basically enslaved the locals to do their bidding. When they ran out of locals they imported Africans. Once slavery was abolished in the late 1800s the government started recruiting cheep labor from abroad. São Paulo is now home to the second largest populations of Japanese, Lebanese, and Spanish in the world. They, along with many other immigrant groups, have assimilated into a very integrated group that is open minded and accepting of all kinds of differences.

Although we admit to seeing very little of it, we found São Paulo, the largest city in the country, to be a sprawling metropolis of stark contrasts. We visited both the rich and poor sides of town and basically found it hard to tell where one began and the other ended. Sadly a relatively new, beautiful cathedral stands directly across the street from the spot where the city was founded. We were not allowed out of the van, however, due to the number of questionable people loitering around, sleeping on the steps of the cathedral, and looking for an easy mark. Theft is the main issue.

São Paulo is not tourist centered at all, so they have not made it easy to stop and take a closer look at beautiful statues or landmarks, so most of our pictures were taken though the window of the van. We did get out of the van to check out a fun bakery though. Laura treated us to a chocolate candy that tasted like the marriage of fudge and chocolate frosting; a snack that looked like corn puffs but were a healthy, baked vegetable; and a fruity soft drink that was very light and refreshing.

Laura explained the countless tall buildings that randomly shoot straight out of the ground all over this city of 20-ish million people. They are mostly apartment buildings, not skyscraper office buildings. It is safer by far to live in an apartment than a single family house, so this option has caught on like wild fire. It’s not uncommon to own one or two complete floors. The top-of-the-line units even have elevators that take your car to your floor to be garaged. Get out! What were single family homes in former times are now small office buildings or shops.

Graffiti is EVERYwhere! Some is very artistic and beautiful but most, by a long shot, has a sloppy,  vandalism flare. Sad. On the poor side of town there were loads of homeless napping and loitering. They had completely taken over some dilapidated, tired buildings that looked like they were fresh out of a WWII or sci-fi movie. We passed a fortune teller set up on the sidewalk. Again, I was not allowed out of the van, so I have no clue what my future holds. We got a great view of the city from the 9th floor of a museum. From there we looked down and saw coffee beans drying on the rooftop of a neighboring building. Below that we could see a small inner-city  coffee farm. What are those odds? There are some spectacular, old buildings, architecturally speaking, but they seem lost in the juxtaposition of the street people, graffiti, and trash. We saw a few mattresses and even a sofa on the sidewalk outside a building taken over by street people. Sad considering that Brazil, rich in so many resources, is the fifth largest country in the world and boasts the sixth largest economy.

On the up-side, the ratio of women to men is three to one. Good if you’re a guy. Also there are some beautiful parks, lakes, and green spaces.

We had an enjoyable afternoon and came back to the hotel at 7:00 just in time for happy hour. There were light snacks, beer, wine, and small desserts. We sat down and successfully ate enough snacks and drank enough wine to make a meal. Cha Ching!

Hopefully our buds make it in tonight. H&R are due before midnight, if all goes well, and W&C will just do the best they can. We’ll see if they are in the lobby at our appointed time tomorrow morning.

To top off my year of adventures I decided in October to do 17 random acts of kindness in gratitude for being able to celebrate my retirement in such a fun, spoiled, all-about-me fashion. There were two rules: I had to complete them by the end of the year and the opportunities to help/be kind had to present themselves to me randomly.

The random act the longest in the making (four years) was donating my hair. I chose The Wig Fund because it has a special fund exclusively for gray hair. I was an outrageous tipper for three months tipping more than the value of my meal as often as possible. Sometimes I gave the tip face to face and sometimes I left it as a surprise. What turned out to be a funny random act was my decision to drop $20 into each Salvation Army bell ringer’s bucket that I passed. Those suckers are everywhere in December I tell ya. I had the chance to be a Secret Santa to a friend of Mother’s and also to a friend of Cyd’s. I bought wreathes for Arlington Cemetery, paid a stranger’s electric bill, bought a pair of shoes for a nine year old girl, donated jewelry I no longer enjoyed to a cancer charity, bought a couple Thanksgiving dinners for families in need, did a few unexpected favors for friends, and so on and so forth to equal 17.

This was a perfect way to end this special year!

 

 

 

 

Exactly one year ago my celebratory adventures began. How fitting that they would end ringing in the new year just like they began. This time in San Diego with Matt and Emily as hosts. Our nonstop flight was uneventful and took under six hours. M&Em met us at the airport and whisked us away for a quick alfresco lunch before we headed to their place to prepare our entries for the evening’s Top Chef competition. Required ingredient: lemon.

Leni and George, Emily’s parents, hosted and ended up being formidable competitors both in deliciousness as well as presentation. The other competitors were the five Filkeys, Emily’s sister’s family: Erynn, Gabe, Issac, Kaidin, and Layla. Dan and I provided chef hats and aprons for everyone in the hopes our generosity (think paper hats) would glean more votes. Spoiler alert: they did not fall for it. Emily and Matt provided New Years lays; English crackers, the kind that pop and have paper hats, toys, and jokes inside; and made a Happy New Year banner. Spoiler alert: no blue ribbons for them either.

The evening was a blast! George and Leni had two tables set up with lemon themed table decorations. Think lemons artfully displayed in bowls with huge lemon drops scattered around. So festive! When one of Gabe and Erynn’s sons saw the dining room all set up he said, “Get in here, there’s candy all over the table.” So cute!

Each family could submit as many entries as they wanted in two categories: h’ordeuvres and dessert. We took turns presenting our entries with inflated descriptions of their flavor profiles and preparation intricacies. First place in the h’ordeuvre category went to Leni for her chicken meatballs. First place in the dessert category went to 9 year old Issac for his trifle parfait. Please do not let it leak out that we lost to a 9 year old. A charming 9 year old with his finger, obviously, on the culinary pulse of this diverse group, but never the less. Between categories we played Pictionary. Girls against boys.

We watched the ball drop in Time Square at 9:00 (midnight on the East Coast) and gradually said our good byes and headed back to M&Em’s after a fun, funny, great New Years Eve!

The rest of the long weekend passed in a blur of well paced, get-your-fun-on activities: walks on the beach, fire pit and barbecue at home, and a Mayan exhibition. No surprise is that my belated birthday celebration was a highlight. From party hats to breakfast on the beach at a train station turned restaurant to a gift bag full of goodies to an amazing dinner out to brunch at the rooftop restaurant Mr. A’s that has a view of the city that would make a grown (wo)man cry. It was a wonderful getaway and a terrific finale to my 17 retirement adventures in celebration of 17 years at ASIS!

 

Record breaking, unseasonably warm weather and sunshine at home and in Tennessee made for an uneventful, quick flight to Memphis. Deb picked us up at the airport and whisked us away to a Japanese restaurant for lunch. We enjoyed bentos which were a fun reminder of the years we all spent living in Japan. It’s where, in fact, I got to know Deb and where we became fast friends. She was in high school and I was a bride with three years of marriage under my belt. Japan was Dan’s first Army assignment after the Officers Basic Course; he was a second lieutenant. I digress.

With bellies full of tempura shrimp and giosas, we headed home to find  Deb had decorated the house from top to bottom with lights inside and out. Candy and goodies were within arm’s reach no matter where you sat, even in the bathroom. My idea of heaven.

Our stay was relaxing and fun from start to finish. Deb and Tom taught us a new game: Sequence. Girls against guys. Girls skunked guys 10 games to three. Boom. We also played one of the Mongeon standards, Hand and Foot. The in-laws (Tom/I) against the siblings (Deb/Dan). The in-laws ruled. Bam! Overconfident with two wins, I was not prepared to land at the bottom of the leader board when we all played Things with our friend Karen.

Food, something that always plays a prominent role in Mongeon get togethers, was a major player this weekends as well. Deb surprised us with breakfast in bed the first morning, made individual beef Wellingtons for Christmas dinner and salmon in foil pouches for our farewell dinner. Our choice of apple strudel, lemon cookies, and devil dogs topped off each meal.

A highlight was an amazing afternoon tea at Chez Philippe in the luxury downtown Peabody Hotel, an institution in Memphis since 1925. We arrived early enough to enjoy the gingerbread neighborhood, gigantic tree, beautiful lobby, and famous ducks that spend their days luxuriating in the lobby fountain.

As if treating us to afternoon tea was not enough, Deb and Tom surprised us with stockings and loads of Christmas gifts. An extra special gift was the watch Deb and Tom gave Dan. It was George’s last watch and had been cleaned and fitted with a new band.

Who could forget my birthday’s coming up? Not Deb and Tom, that’s for sure. After a made to order breakfast our last morning I was treated to a gift bag full of goodies. So thoughtful but not at all out of character.

With full bellies and birthday gifts in hand, we left for the airport. Seems the beautifully warm  weather we’d enjoyed was causing major weather disruptions in various places across the country which meant all sorts of travel delays. We were very lucky that our delay was only three and a half hours. A delicious barbecue lunch and a flat screen TV [think bowl games] made the time pass quickly.

Stick a fork in Christmas 2015!

We road warriors were up and out by 8:00 after coffee, the last of the pumpkin cake, and a farewell look at the beautiful view from the patio. We left the gas can as a small thank-you for the wonderful accommodations. Seriously? Seriously.

We started the day asking one another how we had slept. Mother bowled us over when she said she was bothered by a lot of gas during the night. Her zinger, “I couldn’t sleep but I sure could fart.”

Our route back to Arkansas was primarily on I-40. The question was how, when, and where to join 40. Jerry has driven it many times and laid out a very picturesque route for us from Saddle Brook up. It was on great 2-lane, no shoulder roads that took us through scenery that seemed to change every few minutes. We went from s-curves and switchbacks to vast open spaces that made us think of bison herds to stark rock formations. Cactuses dotted the landscape in Arizona, but that changed to everything from pine trees to shrubs to almost nothing as we drove along. No time to get bored with our surroundings, that’s for sure. The biggest shock scenery wise were the lava fields just short of I-40. The trip from Saddle Brook to I-40 took about five hours. Cyd did all the driving; I navigated with my phone; and Mother shared fun stories.

I-40 took us out of Arizona into New Mexico which is Mother’s home state. Mother left before she was two but she knows a lot about her family’s history which she shared with us along the way. We passed the turnoff for Las Vegas where her Aunt Fay lived to be 102. As we drove through Albuquerque she told us her maternal grandfather is buried there. A couple of her brothers ranched in New Mexico and five cousins still live here. We called it quits for the night in Santa Rosa, 525 miles into the trip back to Arkansas. We averaged 28.3 mpg.

We went to bed Friday night talking about making a run for home Saturday in spite of how tired we all were … especially Mother. As if we had no plan at all, we slept until after 8:00 the next morning, got to breakfast after 9:00, and were on the road at 10:00 which obviously poked a major hole in our tentative plan.

We (read: the Royal We = Cyd) drove 400 easy miles which took us through the panhandle of Texas and as far as Oklahoma City. Because we were on the interstate the whole time the scenery was basically uninteresting. One thing worthy of note is that I-40 boarders and in some cases overlaps part of Route 66, the iconic 2,400 mile Mother Road, which dates back to 1926 and runs from Chicago to LA.

Early on Mother’s parents left Texas for New Mexico, so there’s a lot of interesting Irby history there also which Mother regaled us with. Her parents (our Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Cookie) were born there for one thing. We passed the exit for Claude, Texas, where mother’s grandparents had ranched. Texas offered the cheapest gas of the whole trip at $1.85/gal. Made us question our judgment at so frivolously giving the gas can to Sue and Jerry.

It was obvious early on that we’d run out of daylight before we got home, so we called it a day in Oklahoma City. We ended our nice day by having pizza delivered to the room. We decided before turning off the laughs and the lights for the night that we’d sleep as late as possible the next morning and not even kid ourselves about popping up with the sun.

That takes us to this morning, our 18th day on the road. We rolled out of bed at 8:30 and finally got on the road at 10:30. No problem, really, since we only had a three hour drive to Rogers where we started 9 states and 3,825 miles ago. We all consider the trip a highlight of our year ! and are so grateful we could do it together. In all ways, the trip was wonderful.

I’ll get in the way here for a day and a half and then head home.

Murphy has nominated the Alabama song The Ladies Roll On as our theme song for this trip which we have unanimously decided is perfect. Thank you Murf; we accept your nomination.

We spent Wednesday, the 21st, on the road and saw every kind of scenery known to man. There was breathtaking beauty; sandstone (I’m guessing) cliffs that looked like cream-cycles; huge barren mounds of black dirt and rock that bordered on sci-fi ugly; horses, cows, antelope, sheep, and a small herd of mules. The scenery changed every few minutes. Cyd did a great job keeping us on the road through sheets of intermittent rain. We set our watches back an hour since Arizona, our destination, does not observe daylight savings time.

As we got closer to Tucson the iconic saguaro cactus started making their appearance along with other desert vegetation. Just shy of arriving in Saddle Brook, a lovely retirement community north and east of town, Cyd ran smack dab over a plastic gas can that got wedged between the car and the road. It was dark so we could not see under the car, had no flashlight, and desperately wanted to be resourceful but sadly lack all skill in that department. After driving a short distance it became clear it was not going to budge by itself. Cyd suggested calmly that I crawl under the front of the car and grab it while she slipped the van into reverse. Was she kidding? I wondered. NO. Feeling like I had no choice, I crouched down on all fours and managed to get hold of the handle before she backed up. Bam! It was dislodged. All the while Mother, legally blind and unable to assess the situation for herself, was asking how it was going.

Our cousin/Mother’s niece, Sue, and her husband, Jerry, were our hosts. They met us at a beautiful furnished home that they are in the process of selling and had offered us for our stay. In the world of compare and contrast, there was zero comparison between this stunning three bedroom home and our $55 room the night before. We had the place to ourselves. Sue and Jerry had a chili and pumpkin cake dinner ready for us when we walked in the door. Talk about service. We enjoyed the meal and their company and all headed to bed early.

We had a slow, relaxing morning that started with coffee on the back patio that overlooks a golf course and the mountains! We all decided we could wake up to this every morning. After breakfast Mother took a power nap before Sue and Jerry picked us up for lunch in one of the club houses and a tour of the impeccably landscaped, ideally situated, well planned community. We enjoyed catching up with Sue and getting to know Jerry. Mother managed an afternoon snooze before we met for cocktails at their new home and dinner at one of the community restaurants. We sat by a huge picture window overlooking a wall of mountains. Wow.

We ate donuts to our heart’s content at Si’s before Chad and his sweet family joined us for pictures and last minute chit chat. Ready or not we said our goodbyes, piled into the van, and headed to Hill Air Force Base, just north of Salt Lake City, where Jen, Cyd’s daughter, and her family were expecting us for dinner. It’s a beautiful six-hour drive. We drove past pastures with sheep, cattle, and horses and got a chuckle out of turnoffs for places like Whiskey Springs, Starvation State Park, and Mayflower not to mention the gigantic pink dinosaur welcoming us to the town of, you guessed it, Dinosaur. We even passed a drive-in movie closed for the season.

We got to Hill in the early evening just in time to enjoy a delicious crock-pot roast with Jen, 1st Lt. Rhett, five year old Jolie, three year old Rafe, and six month old Maverick before settling into a small suite at the Guest House on base. We enjoyed hanging out all the next day basically getting in the way. ;~} I went along to drop Jolie off at kindergarten, played with Rafe while Jolie was at school, and cuddled Maverick as much as he would tolerate. That night we enjoyed a pizza and ice cream cake birthday dinner for Jennifer’s 28th. The big news was their winter transfer to Wright Patterson AFB, a stone’s throw from Murphy and Josie in Cincinnati.

The next morning we reluctantly left the happy family with promises to visit in Ohio next year. We drove south a couple hours for a short, fun stop in Wales at the home of Josie’s brother David, who is teaching at the local college, and his wife Kelsey. We had met Eli, their two and a half year old, but until yesterday had not met three week old Lincoln, who is one beautiful little guy.

We stopped for the night in Panquitch, a retro, couple of intersections, two story jumping off point for Bryce and Zion National Parks. Our large, admittedly basic, motel room with two queens and a double was a steal for $55 including tax…and breakfast! We either got used to the musty small or the heater and bargain of it all overrode it.

We had another lovely day, believe it or not. Mother commented that the trip has so far exceeded her wildest expectations and Cyd and I feel the same. The weather has been ideal, the car has purred like a kitten, and everyone has spoiled us with their enthusiasm for seeing Mother and putting up with her two sidekicks.

Totally by chance we were needed at the attorney’s office who is handing Jim’s estate, so we started our day signing a couple documents. Then Susan laid out lunch for us before we divided up for the afternoon. Si spent the afternoon with Mother visiting her old pals here in town and Cyd, Susan, and I drove the countryside and looked at the new ranches and beautiful new homes being built along the river. One of the homes in the final phases of construction belongs to a member of the Walton, as in Walmart, family. Seven deer met us on the bluff where Chad and Heather plan to build their dream house, but otherwise we saw very little wildlife, no doubt because word has spread in the wild kingdom that it’s hunting season.

Dinner centered on a delicious meatloaf that Si tried to pass off as elk but Susan fessed up was beef. ;~} Chad, Heather, Tanner, and Emilee joined us which was so fun. The kids are precious, loving, and beautiful.

Our day was fabulous! It started out in the low 40s and ended in the high 70s with not a cloud in sight. After breakfast in the hotel, we met at Si and Susan’s house and headed out to visit the cabin they are in the process of building on a 40 acre parcel away from everything. That would be everything with a capital E. They have had a few big jobs contracted out, but by ‘they are building’ I mean Si and Susan are doing essentially All the work. They are currently installing a beautiful pine ceiling in the great-room.

The drive to the cabin took about an hour and a half, with half that time on unpaved county and Bureau of Land Management roads. It took us through dry rolling hills smothered in low, mossy green sage and stubby cedar trees. There’s no chance of making it without a four wheel drive vehicle with a high wheelbase or a four-wheeler. Even in ranch country it is remote with not a single power line or building in sight. We saw six large coyotes, prairie dogs, rabbits, red tail hawks, countless chipmunks, a few hunters, and one determined weasel. At one turn on the dirt road we saw the log remains of a stagecoach stop.

We toured the cabin (read: looks more like an awesome house!) which is situated at the very top of a bluff with a 360 degree view of the countryside. After enjoying a picnic lunch on the wraparound porch, Susan took Cyd and me on a short drive to see three dugout dwellings. Oh my, was it hard to imagine living in these humble structures with sod roofs and three sides dug out of the side of a small hill. Can you spell rattle snake, bear, and mountain lion?!? Seems there used to be enough brave souls living out there to merit a post office and a school.

We drove back to town in the late afternoon. Susan had prepared a delicious casserole ahead of time, so she popped it in the oven the minute we walked in the door. That and a favorite desert of mine ended the wonderful day on a high note.