Nightmare on Elm Street!!!!!

Did you ever have a day??? Today I had such a day. With my bags unpacked, my camera on the shelf and the days open before me I signed up to be a substitute classroom aide right here in River City.  I have to say I have been on the list for probably a year and a half and every time they call - I HANG UP.....but I know my days are numbered and I have to get out there - so they called last night and I accepted a job at one of the grade schools beginning at 845AM and ending at noon........how tough can that be? I was still remorseful - I wouldn't be able to sit and read the paper for 2 hours with my coffee in my comfy chair.....I wouldn't be able to get my 2.5 mile walk in....

One of my first thoughts were 'what to wear?' - my feet have not been in real shoes since June (except for sneakers) and I really don't have nice work clothes anymore - as it turns out this was not a problem to be concerned about - I showed up 15 minutes early in my nice black pants and black and white sweater and pearls......rude awakening - HELLO?????? They directed me to the preschool wing where I opened an interior door and was greeted by 8 4yr. old autistic kids.........they were screaming and running around and crying and so I started doing the same thing.......did I need to be here?  Was it noon yet? where is the beach? Where do I put my purse? Where is the Purell?

THEN they asked me could I stay till 330? SHOOT! Of course, I said yes - these people needed assistance and truth be told - I ended up falling in love with these little creatures - they were the cutest little things - 7 boys and 1 girl (OK the girl was a screamer and very needy but I ended up jelling with her too) - at the end of the day I was exhausted to say the least - each child had their own aide and these women were phenomenal - so dedicated - I expected to sit around and chat with all these moms and gossip all day - not the case, they engaged those children every second of the day - it was wonderful to see and I hope the parents appreciate these dedicated women - unbelievable..........and at the end of the day when I had to put my little Ryan with the dimples on the little bus to go to DAY CARE  I wanted to take him home - he just seemed so fragile.......

So that was my day which ended at 330PM so I know nobody feels sorry for me - I had 6 full hours of not spending 1 minute thinking about myself and my blood sugar or my family or whatever -for the first time in 2 years I went to work.........so I really don't have a plan for dinner - I'm just going to have Tilapia - leftover pasta with zucchini/ tomatoes and the last of the corn on the cob and oh yea - WINE!!!!!!

BAM!

So I'm at the Portland Airport - which is REALLY NICE - there is a guy playing the piano (I feel like I'm at Nordstroms) and then as you move further down the moving sidewalks there is a another guy playing a VIOLIN!! They have WIFI all throughout too. I took the MAX (metro) for $2.50 from our B and B - 30 minute ride. So easy except for my heavy bags!!

This morning Mike and I parted - we have been roommates for 10 days - I'm sure he's going to miss me - he's probably crying at work missing his mom.......don't you think? He was a great traveler and we saw so much this past week - too much beauty to even take in - but the best part was having that 1 on 1 with my youngest son.......It's funny how one day you're making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for your son for grade school and the next day AT THAT SAME KITCHEN COUNTER you are making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a trip across the country with that same little boy....HE'LL BE FINE - HE'LL FIGURE IT OUT....

Arriving At Destination On Left

The GPS (I call her Karen) told us we arrived at our destination, Portland, OR on Saturday evening the 18th of September. We knew this because it became cloudy and drizzly about an hour outside of the city. This, apparently, is the norm for Portland and don't bother using an umbrella. People just seem to tough it out and get a really good jacket and walk OR bike. This is a HUGE place for bikers......nice wide streets with bike lanes and the bikers actually adhere to the rules of the road and stop at red lights and for pedestrians.

The drive from Boise was about another 8 hrs - what's 8 hrs anymore? NOTHING.... it was another spectacular trip once we got into more western Oregon. We followed the path of Lewis and Clark along the Columbia River (2nd largest river in the US the first being the Mississippi) The coast was a winding cliff with waterfalls and mountains - gorgeous. I think I am jaded now with the vistas around here - I am going to kill myself when I get back to FLAT NJ - thank GOD we have our beautiful beaches and wonderful people (I have to say there are a lot of homeless people out here - a lot of them are young girls just begging - and older folks too .....We're not used to seeing that since Philly and NYC cleaned up their act)

We are staying at a lovely old Victorian B and B called the Lion and the Rose. The Innkeepers are Dusty and Steve and they couldn't be more welcoming or more interested in Michael and why he is here. HOWEVER if anyone saw our room they would throw up - you can't get anymore flowers or pink pink pink or knick knacks in a double room with twin beds.......Mike is like a bull in a china shop - slamming doors and tromping around and knocking little bows and other 'stuff' to the floor. You can't help it - it's everywhere.

Mary, Mike's girlfriend came to meet us on Sunday and she was full of information about Craigslist and Target and getting around town - she is an hour and a 1/2 south of here and working for Americorps as well. Those crazy kids went off on their own and I took the FREE max line down to the Saturday Market (even tho it was Sunday) they have this every wknd and it's huge - music, food, all sorts of cool things to buy - like a giant Flea Market. I, of course was in heaven!

If you come to Portland you have to go the Cadillac Cafe for Sunday Brunch - If I didn't know any better I would have thought I was in NYC except for the prices. The food was delicious and they have an actual Cadillac on the premises. They served neat breakfast martinis too - the Cadillac with bacon infused vodka and Kahlua and something else. I had a delicious fresh omelet with spinach and fontina and bacon and tomatoes for HALF the price it would be at Balthazar! This is one of the reasons they say Portland has so many people between 18-34. They are attracted to the outdoor lifestyle but also how reasonable it is.

Anyway today was Mike's 1st day of WORK!!!!!! He is working at the Clackamass Community College in their Renewable Energy and Sustainability Initiative - something like that. He doesn't have a place to stay yet so he'll be living out of his car...

Tomorrow Destination - HOME

This Great Country of Ours

Last we spoke we were gearing up for Yellowstone National Park.....One of the first things we saw was this Bison - he was with his friends and they were just grazing along side the road.....the whole day was amazing - pristine weather and not a whole lot of people added to the majesty of the park - I was not prepared for the beauty surrounding us - water falls and valleys and mountains and geysers and wild flowers...not to mention how well-maintained everything was. We even saw a bear! We were driving along the road and noticed cars stopped for nothing and then realized everyone was staring up into the glen and there was a black bear just looking back......each car took a picture and moved on - it was a riot...what I noticed was a lot of older folks (meaning 70s maybe) - the wife had a camera and the husband had a camera and they would just do their own thing.......a lot of cameras which got me thinking that we need to enjoy this and not worry about the picture all the time - so by the time we got to Old Faithful (the famous geyser) - I enjoyed the moment when it actually gushed - very cool - but I also got some good video and pictures!

We spent ABOUT 8 HOURS IN THAT PARK - Mike was in and out of the car - he was having a BALLLLLLLL!!

We dumped the Honda and picked up this little ditty along the way......this is the way to tour Wyoming.....

Anyway I was exhausted by the time we exited the park which was late late - by the time we got to the Grand Tetons it was just about sunset which made it all worth it - breathtaking....

We pulled into Jackson Hole too late to enjoy a dinner out so we ordered take-out from Bubba's BBQ - don't do it - just go to bed......you'll feel better.

OK so I know I said Yellowstone and everything was so unbelievable and that's all true but the really great thing about Wyoming is Jackson Hole - such a COOL town!!!!! Unfortunately, we couldn't spend a lot of time here so I didn't have a lot of time to do some damage in their shopping area - but this place has everything - 1 shop is cuter than the other plus great restaurants - we went to THE BUNNERY for breakfast - a definite for anyone coming here - there was a line out the door - delicious Starbucks coffee and all home made pastries and granola - it would remind you of Penny Cluse in Burlington - delicious .....so that got us going and I'm thinking we'll shop a little bit before we depart and Mike says (shades of his dad) I'm going to climb that mountain and I'll see you after you shop - fine with me - turns out he hiked to the top, no problem - I shopped, no problem and before you know it  - WE'RE BACK IN THE CAR -

The drive to Boise, Idaho was a very pleasant surprise - we thought we would just zip on down the highway - instead we took a "less traveled route" and saw how vast Idaho is - at first it is beautiful mountains and switchback roads and trees and even many babbling brooks and then all of a sudden it's a flat wheat field that goes on forever and then hay and flat, flat, flat.......and cows and buffalo............then it's nice and quiet and an antelope or gazelle or elk ran in front of us very gracefully.......we're not sure what the heck it was!

We arrived in Boise late as usual and would have crashed but we had a good recommendation for a restaurant 4 minutes away in downtown Boise so we checked it out - A GREAT FIND - it was called Asiago - an Italian bistro offering very fresh and different food - we had a nice night after a very looooong interesting day...

Tomorrow is our last leg - we are expected to arrive in Portland in the evening sometime - It's hard to believe - we thought we were just driving around and it turns out we are going somewhere.....

Good Morning YELLOWSTONE!!!!!

We arrived in Cody, Wy last night around 7 after a breath taking ride from Colorado to Wy.......it's just a majestic part of the US - vast and wide and NOTHING GOING ON for miles and miles and then mountains and vistas and sunsets and deer and cows and did I mention we listen to PHISH quite a lot during these nice rides - it's all by design......

During all these days Mike is also wheeling and dealing with his new best friends - the people on Craigslist with whom he is trying to live with in Portland - we are in and out of service for the cell phone so sometimes this is quite hilarious trying to talk to these people and seeing if it will be a good fit - I'm confident by the time we pull into Oregon he will have a place to put his pillow (cause that's all he has)

Did I mention that a good thing to have on a trip like this is an Iphone or Ipad? I would recommend this to anyone attempting to travel across the country - it would be informative to know what the heck you're passing and what is the Great Plate Archway Monument on 80 West and what's the significance of Boysen State Park in WY other than it is magnificent and treacherous driving and what was that movie with Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt where the brother falls in love with the girl and brings her to his family ranch and she falls for Brad after the brother dies in the war and how the heck do these truck drivers stay awake for all these miles for the love of GOD???? Of course, we could always buy a Lonely Planet book or if husband Harry was along he would know it all - he is a walking font of info on every bit of minutia and my niece, Bridget would know the movie in a minute!

We are off to the Grand Tetons today and Yellowstone National Park and will sleep in Jackson Hole tonight!

Cornhuskers

Why do we need all this corn????? You wouldn't believe the corn growing in these United States! The corn in Iowa was bad enough on Day Whatever but the corn in Nebraska was endless.......it is soothing to look at for a WHILE but then you fall into a daze and like Mike says "no wonder a lot of these people are hooked on meth out here." But to be fair, the people could not have been nicer in Nebraska.....they would do anything for you and are so interested in what you're doing. We drove across the entire state with a few stops at some sweet truck stops and then moved on.....

But it all became worth it as we drove into Ft. Collins.....such a neat town and the first stop was the New Belgium Brewery home of Fat Tire - thanks to my nephew, Timmy Garvey and his sage advice, we arrived just in time for the FREE Happy Hour and Tasting........we were given 3 tokens each and the choice of any brew to taste.....we sat at the bar and partaked - I usually just like my light beer but everything I tried was smooth and delicious - the bartender was really nice (originally from MA) and steered us to the perfect place for dinner that night....after checking in to our generic Marriott we ventured to the old town of Ft. Collins and went to Lucky Joes for dinner - sat outside in gorgeous weather - Mike had his 3rd favorite meal of his young life ......pulled pork dressed in a coca cola barbecue reduction sauce placed on a 4 cheese mac and cheese - to die for - really rich!!!!!!

Ft. Collins is a really neat town - would remind you of Burlington, VT - college town - I had the best coffee this morn at Snooze in the old city - it almost rivaled OC NJ - coffee from Guatemala. Mike had the largest buritto in the state!

Then we went to Colorado State U - and OK I DID BUY A FEW THINGS AT THE BOOKSTORE - Home of the Rams (not Fordham - but we are out WEST people!!)

EZ Pass is OVER

Today we basically spent the day in the car. We knew it was going to be a long day but really had no idea how BIG Iowa is! We started out in IN on Ronald Reagan Memorial Parkway and continued through Iowa (home of John Wayne) and stopped off to check out the University of Iowa - and yes, I did stop in the bookstore BUT I RESISTED. Then we continued on to Madison County and looked for Clint and his pick-up truck.......

The ride was easy while the weather was sunny and clear - we started off with some Moth and This American Life podcasts and moved onto the ipod with indie groups like Signal Path and Local Native (you always have good music with Mike)and then the drive got really boring with corn pasture after corn pasture (it was beautiful in the beginning). We started listening to To Kill A Mockingbird read by Sissy Spacek. Mike never read it and I only saw the movie. She is really good reading it and it just goes with the landscape somehow - we are enjoying it so far.

Pretty much these pictures depict Day Three.

Day Two - Chicago

Day Two was spent on the Ohio Turnpike. Not a bad road and we like it even more because they still take EZPASS although they call it IZOOM out here and it still works.

We stopped in South Bend, IN to check out Notre Dame - it was awesome as expected but everybody who knows me knows that I'm going to go out on a limb here and say Mt. St. Mary's is just as gorgeous......

We couldn't have picked a better day to tour the campus - sunny and cool - kids riding bikes all over the nice wide paths. The coolest thing about the place (besides the revered stadium, of course and the library) was the bookstore!! I have never seen such a huge bookstore - 2 floors and mammoth. This is me in the bookstore - "I'm not going to buy anything here - I didn't go here - I can buy ND stuff anywhere." Hello????? I'm in a store and I'm a tourist - we bought 2 shirts - BUT you won't find these shirts in NJ - they are cool.

We headed back onto the turnpike - destination Chicago. The ride should have been under 2 hours but we hit major traffic closer to the city. I think a White Sox game had just ended. We ended up at the Millennium Park in downtown Chicago because Mike wanted to see the Cloud Gate (or the mirrored bean) - this was a sight to see - apparently everyone knows about this and a photographer's dream - Mike went to town. There was a lot of neat artwork in display all throughout the park . We walked down to Lake Michigan and looked at the boats - much like Ocean City, NJ but the people on the boats talk like they're from the Midwest.

Mike met up with his college buddy, Lenny and I went off on my own to the bed and breakfast Harry set me up with in Oak Park (a suburb). This is where Frank Lloyd Wright designed his house and that of his MISTRESS - it's a beautiful neighborhood - full of huge trees and people walking their babies and running. Unfortunately, the lady who runs the B and B (called the Ghingko Tree) is visiting her daughter and unable to serve breakfast this morning. This is a tragedy - why else do you go to a B and B? I walked up to a coffee shop today to get my coffee.

Next stop - Lincoln, Nebraska -

Day One

A great day on the road! We departed around 730AM from Marlton, NJ and arrived at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH around 330PM. Along the way was easy going turnpike driving.... we had NPR to keep us entertained in the morning and then we put on The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and when that got too heavy and we had eaten lunch and Michael LET ME DRIVE we put on some Lotus and he snoozed for a bit and before you know it My Morning Jacket is on and we are wide awake finding our way to the Hall of Fame - parking was a breeze and cheap by city standards - 10 bucks and a close walk! The Hall of Fame is a tourist trap, no doubt, but still really interesting..... the actual guitars of Jimmy Hendrix and Jim Morrison and all Hendrix's outfits (unbelievable) plus the lyrics to the songs in their actual handwriting on looseleaf....John Lennon too - and then a whole exhibit on Bruce Springsteen on the top floor - his very first concerts in '74/75 and candid interviews plus letters from his mom to the papers who were writing about him in the late seventies - so cool....The whole Born To Run album was one long Saturday Night down the shore (in Bruce's words)....and a great gift shop where I picked up a few little things - I'm such a tourist - Mike wanted nothing!! He's a cheap date. BUT WE DID SEE THE HOT DOG THAT PHISH RODE IN ON DURING THEIR NEW YEARS EVE '94 CONCERT AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN........day over as far as mike was concerned .

It's a lot of fun traveling with your son all day - I am lucky.

IT'S OVER

The summer is over - this is what my sons keep telling me and everybody else who knows what they're talking about. Apparently Labor Day is the end as we know it even tho the weather is still beautiful at the shore and the water is warm.....such a shame.

So we are onto a new phase - Mike is moving to Portland, OR for about a year to work with Americorps. He tells us he will need a car out there and since we didn't want him driving by himself I volunteered to assist him - I find myself with no job at the moment and lots of time to see the sights! Mike and Harry weren't too enthused with the idea initially (in fact they laughed in my face) but John thought it was a great idea and soon we were planning a trip across the country nancy style.........meaning marriotts and no tents!!

We begin tomorrow....no beach for a while!

Quinoa

Mike has been adding Quinoa (Keen-wa) to his Oatmeal all summer. It's a half and half deal and maybe would include a banana or peach or some blueberries...

I always thought of this whole grain super food as a savory substitute for rice or pasta so I was surprised when he was using it for breakfast and he was surprised I was using it for anything else........funny how these things go.........I just knew it was a super food and very low on the glycemic index which is good for the diabetic and anyone else looking for a full fiber meal - which we should all be doing and it really is good - as good as brown rice!

I was at Whole Foods the other day searching for Quinoa and this lady approached me to see if I had ever cooked the stuff before - she was a very crunchy sort of person (maybe right out of burlington, vt or portland, or) - she offered her insight which I gladly soaked up........look for your quinoa in the bulk foods section (cheaper)......I asked her how she cooks hers................she sautees onion, carrots and celery till they are carmelized in olive oil then adds the quinoa to toast  and then adds some vegetarian broth to cover and brings to boil and down to simmer and covers and cooks for 20 minutes...........When I got home I sauteed peppers and onions instead of carrots because they are available local now and very fresh.......I got some red, yellow and green and added chicken broth instead of the vegetarian.................Turned out really well - Harry and Mike lapped it up - I also roasted Atlantic Cod from Whole Foods.........350 bake for 20 minutes after brushing olive oil and salt and pepper on fish......served it with the corn salsa they are featuring these days at Trader Joes. It all turned out really well with a tom jerry tomato salad with mozzarella and fresh croutons smothered in balsamic vinegar and olive oil..........mmmmmmm

Marathon Ready Pancakes

Ok Harry is training for his 4th Marathon and looking for the most delicious carb ready meal he can eat before his loooooong training runs. He just finished Born To Run by Christopher McDougal who talks about all the runners before us and what they ate in their normal day.

So he mixed up some delicious pancakes this morning to go with his long run on the boardwalk. To Whole Wheat Pancake Mix he added some cornmeal, cooked brown rice and bananas..... They smelled really good and it seemed like everyone liked them. They were very filling and we have some left over to freeze for the next run - a good idea and even more delicious with some fresh jersey peaches.........

Rum and Tonics

Everybody is always looking for the drink of the summer.....I used to like Margaritas, like everyone else, but I kind of had too many of them.......then the Mojito faze rolled in and that just seems like way too much sugar for a diabetic....

Of course, my favorite beverage in the summer is a Miller High Life Light.....it must be freezing cold and preferably come in a bottle......the best thing to have with a High Life is peanuts in a shell fresh from the boardwalk in Ocean City - they are usually warm and ready to crack open on the beach...........now when you come home from the beach the drink to make is a Rum and Tonic........Cruzan Rum (first imbibed on a visit to St Croix a million years ago) is the rum of choice - no other rum even entices me.....and some nice new tonic AND A FRESH LIME.................if any of these elements are not there - then just stick with your High Life - you'll still have a good time ---------------and here are some of my favorite people pre-gaming with a rum and tonic on a beautiful summer evening in Ocean City, NJ on their way to Sea Isle, NJ - Niece, Bridget and friend, Amanda and girlfriend, Missy with son, Johnny............OH THOSE CRAZY DAYZZZZZZ OF SUMMER....

Surprise Guest

Labor Day Weekend is so bittersweet. The shore is coming to an end and you're wondering where the heck the summer went! One minute I'm lining up all the books I want to read and the next I'm trying furiously to finish my 3rd or 4th of the season when I still have a stack to go!! Shoot!

It's also the time when the kids go back to school. This is my first year in a LONG time that we don't have a student going back to school. THIS is the end of an era for sure but we do have a niece who came back to visit this weekend.....Maureen is a freshman and she decided to take a break from her two weeks of college and check in with the family.....she is full of new experiences to share and it's great to see her looking so happy. I am going to say for the 65th time.......I wish I was going back to college!!!!! They are some of the happiest times of my life - no doubt about it.

Tonight I tried to get rid of a bunch of zucchini and tomatoes so I dug up an old recipe of my sister in law, Kathy in St. Louis - I used whole grain pasta and added sauteed zucchini, onion, green pepper and tomatoes in butter and shredded swiss cheese with some parmesan too. Poured it into a baking dish and baked for 20 minutes on 350' till it was bubbly. Johnny from DC grilled up some delish chicken that made him look like a pro and we were good to go!

Smoothie

I saw this article in Oprah's magazine about the wake up and go thing - grab a good something to eat and go - a home made power bar or smoothie and run.......we make smoothies at home - mostly the frozen strawberries, oj, vanilla yogurt and a banana - this has always worked well for my sons, John and Mike - they can make it as they go but this one in the magazine looked intriguing and delicious.......I was reading the magazine at our favorite coffee place down on 1st street so I took a gander at the few ingredients....stopped off at the local grocery store later that day and VIOLA! Just in time for Mike to leave for work.......you peel and slice a kiwi and put in blender - to this you add 1/2 cup of fresh pineapple chunks, a frozen banana (peel before freezing) and 1/4 cup of cooled green tea.......this takes a little bit of planning so I'm just telling you to prepare in advance.........of course, it was fabulous - full of antioxidants and very filling.

Mike LOVED it.