Cheese: still searching

Today was a rest day - no big drives or bike rides. I strolled around Burlington, ate some ramen (tasty, but not something that helped me in my cheese quest), and spent some time at a local beach along Lake Champlain. 

Lake beaches usually get a bad rap. Since I'm from the Midwest, lakes were all I knew until nearly middle school. There was a tiny sand strip, then usually lots of rocks. Maybe my memory is wrong, or maybe this one was extra nice. The waves were calm, a big bonus for someone swimming alone* and not wanting to be dragged under the sea. The water was much warmer than the mid-Atlantic, and I could see all the way to the bottom.  It was also less crowded than DC or Miami beaches.

I specially chose my dinner location because their macaroni and cheese was highly rated. Alas, while it clearly used high quality cheese,  I make better at home. However, I don't drink beer at home that is as good as what I have drunk here, so all is not lost.

*I mean, there were dozens of fellow swimmers, but no lifeguard. 

Biking in style

When my dad travels by vintage car or ultralight, everyone waves and wants to say hello. On this trip, that's how it is when I'm wearing my vintage styles. I traveled on a bike ferry (more on that later) and the captain loved my outfit so much he asked to take my picture and had me sign a waiver so they could use it to advertise the bike advocacy group that sponsors the ferry. That put the biggest smile on my face.

Today was the probably the highlight of the trip - a "rails to trail" bike path (that means it used to be a railroad and is usually level and easy to ride) that follows Lake Champlain. Several miles of it are on a causeway.  Waves lapping at you from two sides is just a really stunning way to ride. Near the end of the causeway, where there used to be a bridge, a tiny ferry shuttles hikers and bikers across the gap. It was without a doubt the most beautiful bike path I've traveled. And on the other side, I consumed a local ice cream treat called a maple creemee. It was delicious, but after biking for hours I would have been delighted by cold skim milk, so I may not be a reliable reviewer.

I've started making progress on my cheese goals as well. Due to a formal assessment at my Uncle De-I's house, I know I like mildly-stinky cheeses but not medium- or advanced-stinky cheeses. That helped the waitress recommend a lovely blue goat cheese plate. Later, I supped on a pizza made with local cheese.

Yesterday turned out to be a learning opportunity. My nine-hour drive stretched into eleven hours with breaks, and it was just miserable. I've never really road-tripped on my own, and I overestimated what I could do. I want to limit myself to four hours per day for future trips, so I can avoid shoulder pain  and enjoy myself by making interesting stops. Luckily, I can book the rest of my accommodations on this trip to ration the driving.

So, with all that time in the car yesterday, I only managed one non-ice cream stop, but I feel like it checks both the Americana and cheese boxes.

A vacation with a theme

The Puerto Rico trip was cancelled before it even began - the night before, in fact. I was grateful that I didn't have to wake up early and fight crowds at the airport before learning the bad news. In the end, I'll probably lose no more than $100, because I had booked some more-flexible accommodations, thinking that COVID might be a problem. That the airline might implode was not something I had considered, but the end result was the same. (And if anyone knows what's going on with Spirit, let me know in the comments!) The airline hasn't processed my refund, so I'm still getting emails aimed at unhappy customers. So far I've been offered one $7 meal voucher and one $50 travel voucher for the future. If I was stuck in the airport for two days, I'd be positively insulted that they thought those vouchers would make up for it.

I started my vacation one day later than planned, but with a whole new itinerary. Instead of beaches, pre-Columbian history, and rum, I'm pointed my car north, with the eventual goal of Vermont. I've never been to Vermont, and I hoped it would be cooler than DC (something that may not turn out to be true this week, after all.) The theme of the vacation will be Americana, bicycling, and cheese.

I had previously thought of antiques as nineteenth century and earlier, but a friend took me antiquing last weekend and I realized that since vintage 1950's items are now 70 years old, they now count. It's a bit odd for a minimalist to comb through antique stores; something has to really knock my socks off before I'd consider buying it. 

Last weekend I bought a 1951 Family Circle and read it cover to cover, including all the ads. It was the best $8 I'd spent in a long time. I hope to repeat the experience with this 1941 Life magazine.

This local donut store caught my attention, and seemed to count as Americana, even with the prominent maple leaf. The custard-filled was the first donut I've eaten from a store in many years. Definitely tasty, but my own donuts are still my favorite.

I've found a road-side attraction website that is directing me many interesting places. The first stop of the day was this giant pineapple atop a publishing business in the middle of an industrial park. The pineapple is their logo, but even the vast Internet can't seem to explain why.

The Shoe house! Built in 1948 as an advertisement by an enterprising shoe manufacturer, he allowed honeymooning employees to stay in it.

It's still furnished in the 1950's style, which I swooned over, of course.

I took a long bike ride along the Susquehanna river and many people smiled and told me they liked my look, which was delightful. I guess there aren't too many bicyclists around here in circle skirts and saddle shoes. I didn't manage any cheese today, except for what was stuffed into my dinner burrito, but I have high hopes for Vermont.

Potluck holiday

Travel to Europe looked iffy this year, so I decided to plan a vacation closer to home. Puerto Rico sounded perfect, because a four-hour direct flight got me to a location where I could practice my Spanish, avoid a covid test (with a vaccine card), and enjoy the beach. But I did book the more-refundable hotel, just to be sure.

That's looking like a good idea, because my flight out tomorrow is on Spirit Airlines. If you haven't been reading the news, that's the airline that has been cancelling 50% of their flights for the past week, due to weather/planning/staffing (who knows?) issues. My parents arrived home two days later than expected because of Spirit cancellations and there are stories of people spending days in the airport.

Every single flight to Puerto Rico from Baltimore was cancelled today, so I'm not too hopeful about tomorrow. But I have decided I want to avoid spending days waiting, so if my flight is cancelled, I plan to put my suitcase in the car and point in a new direction. I don't know where I'll be tomorrow night, but hopefully it will be neither my living room nor an airport floor.

Adieu, office building

Last Thursday, I packed up my office and said goodbye to it. Not to the job, mind you, just to my office and the building I worked it for seven years before the pandemic sent us all home. My company has decided to go full-time remote. We'll still maintain part of the building for occasional in-person meetings, but no one will have offices and almost all work will happen remotely. I think this is an excellent decision - the majority of my coworkers are really excited about permanently working remotely, and some of them are already planning to move to other states. We've also been able to hire new people that would never have considered moving to DC.

For me, it is bittersweet. My job is mainly meetings, and doing them all by Zoom isn't easy. I also quite enjoyed the location - a building surrounded by woods, but near a metro station - and I had chosen my house so I was within a bicycle commute. However, I am by nature a positive person, so I'll enjoy the view of the my cottage garden that my new office (i.e. my living room) affords, and the opportunity to cook a proper lunch on the stove instead of the microwave most days.

Review: De-I Sandia Outfitters

 My uncle runs a very exclusive combination retreat center and adventure guides in New Mexico. You  can read more here, here, and most importantly here. Go ahead, read that last link, or this review won't make any sense...

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1 out of 5 stars: 

Be forewarned if you choose de-I Sandia Outfitters. They make you work for your supper!

This is the photo in the brochure, but boy is it misleading! Sure, they have a lovely estate and delicious food, but your trip will be anything but lighthearted. When I arrived, I was immediately put to work making my bed - literally, we constructed it out of pieces stored in various closets. I had to scrub floors and trudge through the foothills almost daily. They even scheduled me for an afternoon shift frying donuts. 

Since de-I Sandia Outfitters is in a desert, I was told that the basic resort package included only a few liters of water rations per day. At that point, I gave in and upgraded to the luxury package, which included more drinking water and also allowed me a short shower every day.  

This photo was taken right after my uncle had taken my credit cards, "for safe keeping." Why did he suddenly start walking so quickly after that?

All in all, I would say all but the most seasoned of tourists should stay away. I'm grateful to be back in my cozy DC abode. I can drink all the water  I want, although there are fewer bottles of excellent red wine here...

Rare sightings

The fireflies have been absolutely spectacular this summer. As in, I have added them to my calendar every night this week so I don't miss the show. At dusk, the species near ground level light up, and then as it gets darker over the next hour, the species at tree level light up. 

After all my spring garden woes, the summer garden is now a lovely place to be. I had to replant when an animal or insects got some of the smaller seedlings, but it looks like I'll have green beans, eggplant, and tomatoes very soon. And I've come to terms with the inexplicable death of most of the asparagus plants, and will be turning that into an extra bed for fall-producing plants.

I haven't felt much like blogging, and have no real excuse. But I wanted to capture a few highlights of the past month.

In May, I went camping with my physicist friends, something we've done for many years (excepting 2020, of course). The adults were all vaccinated and my friends have literally embraced my efforts to fill my hug deficit, post-covid. The highlight of the trip, besides hugs and singing with people again, was sitting around the campfire and watching the International Space Station fly by. There are handy webpages for helping you figure out when you'll see it, but once you do, you can't miss it - it was a bright object whizzing across the sky, and it was amazing to imagine astronauts up there just living their lives in space.

My peonies bloomed. Peonies were the flower that prompted me to design the cottage garden in front of my house, because I had run out of places to put new shrubs. Peonies take a few years to establish themselves, but the scent was worth the wait, and as a side benefit I get a beautiful garden. Now that I work from home permanently, I've arranged my desk in my living room to have a terrific view of the garden, something that cheers me up year round. In fact, today I saw my very first hummingbird, something that was so exciting that I interrupted a meeting to announce the event.