Solo Trip to Portland

Friday, September 17-Sunday, September 19: Cousins, Art Museum, College Friend, Rose Garden

I took myself on a solo trip to Portland this weekend thanks to a great price on Southwest during the airline's 50th anniversary fare sale. I stayed with my cousins W & M, who live down near Beaverton. The light rail MAX was a very convenient mode of travel on Friday afternoon to get from the airport to the Transit Center near their house and also all day Saturday as I spent time in downtown PDX and then Washington Park.

I enjoyed dinner and puzzling with my cousins on Friday along with breakfast on Saturday. The overnight rain had mostly let up by the time W dropped me off at the MAX so that I could go to the Portland Art Museum on Saturday morning, but I was still well-equipped with a rain jacket, gloves, and umbrella. I spent about two hours in the museum, seeing parts of the permanent collection as well as some contemporary special exhibitions. Below are some of the works that particularly made an impression on me for various reasons.

After purchasing a number of cards at the Museum Gift Shop, I set off to meet my college friend C at Cheryl's on 12th for lunch. We haven't seen each other for nearly 8 years but always connected via holiday cards. I'm so glad we were able to meet up in person to catch up on everything that's been happening! The covered outdoor seating was a perfect spot to protect us from the ongoing showers and light breeze, and the sun was out by the time we were leaving, which provided a perfect setting for me to visit the Rose Garden in Washington Park.

I took MAX a few stops and then boarded the free shuttle at the zoo to travel to the Rose Garden. The route wound all around the area, giving me glimpses of some very large homes that are nestled in and around the park. Pricey real estate here, for sure! I then spent nearly two hours strolling through the roses and admiring the blooms, which were still quite impressive although they're nearing the end of their season. I particularly enjoyed the interplay of raindrops lingering on the petals of some of the flowers, as shown in several pictures below.

I decided to walk back to the MAX station via a walking trail in the Park and then had just one stop to travel to meet up with my cousin M at the Transit Center. The evening was spent puzzling with M before dinner and then lots of chatting with both W & M during the meal.

On Sunday morning, I repeated my YouTube Zumba + yoga workout in the downstairs guest area and then joined W for breakfast and coffee before she drove me to the airport. Such a lovely trip and definitely a destination to put on our recurring plans, especially since it's a quick flight and in the same time zone!

Return to the Midwest: Labor Day Weekend in Madison

Friday, September 3-Monday, September 7: Volleyball, Barriques, Football, Terrace, Lake Mendota

Mr. E and I returned to Madison for the first time in nearly two years to enjoy the Labor Day holiday weekend. We traveled on Friday and flew into Chicago, where we picked up a rental car for the 2+ hour drive to Madtown. Our hotel was the new Springhill Suites by the Hilldale Mall, which was a very convenient location for some shopping at the University Book Store for Badger bling and Metcalfe's Market for food and beverage provisions. We had a lovely two room corner suite on the 6th floor, and I took advantage of the relatively large and very straight indoor pool to swim laps on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

We arrived in time to check in, do a few errands, and grab some food before heading to the women's volleyball game against Dayton at the Field House. This year, Mr. E bought season tickets for this sport in addition to football, and we were fortunate that both teams were playing at home on the same weekend while we were visiting. The lady Badgers handily won in straight sets 3-0 over Dayton, so we were heading back to the hotel within less than two hours.

On Saturday morning, we met up with C & C from the UW Foundation at the nearby Barriques for coffee after enjoying the plentiful breakfast buffet at the hotel. We noticed lots of Badger and Penn State fans co-mingling very cordially in the meal area, and the hotel was decked out in red and white decorations for the Badgers along with a few navy blue items for Penn State. It was so lovely to meet C & C in person after more than a year of Zoom calls! 

Once we finished up coffee and conversation, we drove to our assigned parking under the School of Business and then walked to Camp Randall amidst a sea of other football fans. This was the opening game of the season and the first with a return to full capacity, so everyone was very excited. In addition, this was designated as a "stripe out" game, meaning that folks in every other section were asked to wear either red or white in order to create a series of stripes around the stadium. Pretty cool!

We were in a white section, so both of us had bought new items at the University Book store the day before in order to align with the appropriate color. My shirt was a wee bit more on the grey side, but still closer to white than to red! I was rather glad that the day was a bit overcast and cloudy so that we didn't have to worry about too much sun or heat.

Unfortunately, the Badgers didn't play very well, so we lost to Penn State despite having possession for nearly three quarters of the total game time. *sigh* Both of us were hungry at this point, since the game started at 11am and didn't end until nearly 3pm, so after we drove back to the hotel we decided to grab an early dinner at the Great Dane Pub at Hilldale. We both had very fond memories of this venue from previous visits, but we were a little disappointed that they'd changed the soft pretzel offering to one huge pretzel instead of the three smaller logs that we remembered. We still enjoyed the meal and the drinks and did a little more browsing and shopping on our way back to the hotel for the evening.

On Sunday morning, we returned to campus to enjoy some time sitting on the Memorial Union Terrace and enjoying the clear blue skies, puffy white clouds, and beautiful view of Lake Mendota. We had made plans to meet up with friends S & S for late morning coffee, and it was great to catch up with them in person and hear how they've been doing over the past year and a half.

We took advantage of the amazing weather to stroll up State Street, noticing which businesses had closed and which new spots had opened. By the time we reached the Capitol, we decided to stop for some lunch at Tavernakaya, a new spot on Capitol Square. Mr. E had a salmon bento box, and I had a yummy poke bowl (with no onions or scallions -- yay!).

For the rest of the afternoon, we relaxed at the hotel and then left around 5:30pm for our 6pm dinner boat tour on Lake Mendota with Betty Lou Cruises. The weather was absolutely ideal for this sunset boat ride, and we got to see some amazing views of the Madison and UW campus skyline along with a fiery sunset over Picnic Point.

The food was pretty good and included a baked walleye option that was quite tasty. I had checked the menu ahead of time to make sure there would be enough for me to eat, and I wasn't disappointed. We got back to our hotel around 9pm and watched some more Paralympics.

Our return flight was in mid-afternoon on Monday, so we could enjoy the morning without feeling too rushed. The drive back to Chicago was very smooth, with little traffic, most likely thanks to the holiday. We arrived at O'Hare with a couple of hours to wait for our flight, so we used our remaining United Club pass and purchased one day pass so that we'd have a more comfortable spot to wait, not to mention access to some snacks and drinks. Although our flight was a bit delayed for takeoff, we landed in Sac only about 20 minutes late so had plenty of time to unpack, go through mail, get some food, and just generally get ready for the week before going to bed.

Such a great visit! So glad we went! Next up: I'll be heading to Portland and Mr. E will be going back to the Midwest for another football game. Then... Italy!!! (fingers crossed)

Family Time in Austin: M's First Birthday Party!

Friday 8/20-Friday 8/27: Birthday Party & Remote Work

Mr. E and I headed to Austin at the end of August to celebrate M's first birthday. Hard to believe it's been a year since he joined our family! I still remember our Labor Day weekend visit last year when he was barely two weeks old and the dramatic tale of J & B's late-night drive to pick him up from the hospital. He's certainly been a joy and a bright spot amidst all of the other drama and uncertainty of the past 18 months.

As usual, Mr. E and I flew separately on our respective preferred airlines, arriving several hours apart on Friday. We stayed the weekend with J & B and took on the primary responsibility for preparing the birthday party food -- DIY tacos and fixings -- for the 20+ guests (mostly kids!) on Saturday. The weather was perfect for a backyard pool party, but a few of us preferred staying inside in the air-conditioning. We were still able to see the pinata action in the backyard from the living room windows. Mr. E and I took Mom out to brunch on Sunday morning before dropping off Mr. E at the airport for his return flight.

I stayed the rest of the week at Mom's new place, working remotely from Monday-Thursday and then taking Friday off to help her out with some appointments and household chores. She's gradually getting settled into a new schedule and a new environment, but the transition is definitely still a work in progress. I enjoyed getting familiar with the community and observing her local wildlife -- lots of squirrels, a resident hawk (look out, squirrels!!!), a lizard, some fireflies, and two cats (Sherbet and Minnow) in the cottage across the way that like to sit in their window seat or on the sill to observe the world outside. 

I didn't go to any meals with Mom, but on the last day, I did meet two of her neighbors in the parking lot. She has managed to find a few folks with whom she enjoys talking and eating meals, so that's a hopeful sign. And now that C has started up in-person school again, she'll be able to pick him up sometimes since his school is very close. That will help out J and also give Mom and C some extra time together at her place.