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Vacation
October 12, 2015
Started off with catching a sore throat that segued into a nasty head cold. Why is it
that the minute my body percieves itself to be on vacation, it decides that
constitutes permission to be sick? That made the whole first weekend kind of a
blur, to tell you the truth.
Monday, I was feeling like shit and running a temperature, but I spent most of the
day doing chores. Laundry, housecleaning, and a couple of tasks I'd really wanted
to get done while I was on vacation. Cleared another drawer in my "pen dresser"--a
big one this time. That gives me plenty of room...for now, anyway!
And I played with my light box. I still need to get a couple more of the clamp
lamps with high-wattage bulbs, but even one makes a big difference. Once I get it
properly set up, I'm going to purloin Spouse's good digital camera, instead of
relying on my phone.
I had to crash in the afternoon, but Spouse had cooked all weekend, so we had
delicious leftovers of potroast and BBQ chicken for an easy dinner.
With all the chores done, I was able to relax and take it a bit easier on Tuesday
morning. In the afternoon, though, I had to drop the dog off for boarding, and run
a couple other errands. It was a weirdly "off" kind of day--one of those where you
really feel like you are swimming upstream.
One of the things that burned my ass a bit was when I took my change to the
bank, only to be informed that they had eliminated all their counting machines, and
would no longer accept unrolled coin! After speaking to me in a most patronizing
way, the teller agreed to furnish me with the necessary coin rolls. So I had to go
home and go through over a hundred dollars work of change, roll it up--as much as
possible, anyway, since I could only cash it in certain increments. I ended up with
full rolls totalling $97.50. Took me an hour and a half, and freaking killed
my hands. Oh, and the quarter rolls the bank gave me were all glued shut! I had to
carefully pull them apart, and then tape them shut again, so I could use them.
I got done just about the time Spouse was due home, so I had him stop at the bank
on the way to dinner, so I could get rid of the damned things and have some
folding money.
We ran up to Pete's for a quick bite, then headed home and did our packing. It
didn't take long, because we are both pretty accomplished packers. We both read
for awhile, before hitting the sack early. We knew we had a big day ahead and
wanted all the rest we could get.
Wednesday--BIRTHDAY! I got up at six, and Spouse was already showered and
dressed, and had started loading the car! It doesn't take me long to get going, so we
were on our way by 6:40. A quick coffee stop, and on the road, on a perfectly
perfect fall morning. We hit the morning commuter traffic going around
Milwaukee, which slowed us down some, but once we got north of the city we
stopped for a McD's breakfast and a stretch.
Then it was non-stop up to Appleton, so I could treat myself to a birthday
indulgence at Anderson Pens. I kept it under $150.00, mainly because the $108.00
Delta Serena pen I bought was 30% off. They have an amazing selection of 3ml
sample inks, so I picked up some Iroshizuku (Kon Peki, Yama-Budo, and
Kosumosu), Mont Blanc (green and pink--or as I like to call it, "Cosmo and
Wanda"), and a Pelikan Edelstein (tanzanite). Also picked up a gorgeous pen roll,
and a couple of purse-sized Clairefontaine notebooks on clearance. Oh, and a
loupe and brass sheets for tuning problem nibs. Total was just under $133.00
Speaking of which--I wanted to talk nibs with Brian since he sells proprietary nibs,
and tunes pens, but by the time I had shopped my way through all of the above,
I'd been there 45 minutes, and Spouse was getting a little edgy.
So back on the road we went. We got in to Sister Bay a little before one, and our
room wasn't ready. We took care of the check in, got suggestions for lunch, and
the desk clerk said she would call us when our room was ready for us. We went
down into town to Grasse's, and had a fantastic lunch. Spouse had a meatloaf
sandwich, and I had the harvest salad, both of which were fantastic. The hotel
called while we were eating, so once we were done, we could just run back, pick up
the keys, and take the stuff in.
It was a very nice little hotel--about 30 rooms, individual patios/balconies, windows
that open, big room with a roomy bath, softened water (what a luxury!),
microwave, fridge, complimentary bottled water in the room, comp coffee, tea,
and hot cider in the lobby, along with apples, microwave popcorn, and cookies. all
day, and continental breakfast in the morning. A wonderful indoor pool and
whirlpool, as well.
Spouse and I kicked back, had a cocktail (we packed
some bourbon and soft drinks, and a couple of highball glasses), Spouse smoked a
cigar, and we rested for a bit after our trip. Then we hit the pool and the hot tub
for a while, before going out exploring along the shore. What a beautiful place
Door County is, and what a grand surprise to find that unlike Wisconsin Dells, the
Peninsula has stayed so unspoiled! When dinner time rolled around, we decided to
just get some takeout pizza and eat at the hotel, so we went to the Door County
Ice Cream Factory to get a couple of personal pizzas, and a chocolate malt because
somebody just had to have one (okay it was me). Got to see a postcard-perfect
sunset across the bay as we drove back.
We actually hit the hay pretty early Wednesday, I think the combination of a long
day, lots of driving, swimming, and afternoon bourbon tuckered us out.
Typical for Wisconsin, Thursday dawned gloomy and cold, with rain on the way.
We were up early, to head over to Ephraim for breakfast at the Old Post Office
restaurant. I had the best ham and cheese omelet I think I've ever had in a
restaurant, plus country-style toast with homemade chopped cherry preserves. And
Spouse split his order of hashbrowns with me; they were jaw-dropping perfection,
crisp and golden brown. As we sat in the front window of the restaurant, we could
watch the rain moving in across the bay--and it poured!
Rained pretty much all day. We ran down the peninsula to Sturgeon Bay, exploring
and doing some shopping--picked up jams, kolacky, dried cherries and cranberries,
& a peck of Honeycrisp apples. When we got back to Sister Bay, we went to a shop
called Tea Thyme, run by a delightful Englishwoman who had a nice chat with
Spouse about Top Gear while I poked about and decided on a tea. Got a couple of
ounces of a very peachy, fruity herbal blend, for mixing with plain orange pekoe to
make a lightly caffeinated iced tea.
We'd had such a sumptuous breakfast that neither of us really felt like much
lunch--I had some cookies and a cup of tea, and Spouse had some of the kolacky
he bought. It was funny that the kolacky he bought in Door County was from the
Chicago area (Addison, Illinois), but I guess you kind of want that in a Polish
pastry. To their credit, they were amazingly good. I think he was happier to have
raspberry kolacky than he would have been to get birthday cake!
We swam in the afternoon; I had the pool to myself for quite a while, and made the
most of it. Another couple came in as we were drying off by the pool, and we
discussed supper clubs. We had pretty much decided on The Greenwood, and they
endorsed it heartily, so we went back to the room and got cleaned up to go out.
Brandy and Coke at the bar, then prime rib for Spouse (he shared) and shrimp for
me. Sort of our official "birthday dinner". We made a couple of stops before we
went back to the room--the ice cream factory for me (Death's Door Chocolate in a
homemade waffle cone), and the little gas station/sub shop/pizza kitchen/gelato
stand, for spouse to get a cup of raspberry gelato. Have you guessed his favorite
flavor? The only think raspberry that he won't eat is...fresh raspberries.
Called it a night fairly early, since things are not open late up there--even the
supper club closed at 9!
When we got up on Friday, the weather was rapidly improving; a strong breeze was
shoving off the clouds, and the sun was warm and bright. We partook of the hotel's
breakfast offerings (Apple Jacks, Golden Grahams, and mini cinnamon rolls)
before getting out in the fresh air. Headed futher north, this time--all the way up to
the tip. Took lots of pictures, breathed in great lungfuls of the freshest air
imaginable (I swear, that stuff will cure what ails you!), stopped at a little gift shop in
Ellison Bay for some postcards, and at Seaquist orchard for lovely goodies like their
Vidalia-Tomato salad dressing, and strawberry-peach butter, and then headed south
again, to go to the winery & distillery in Carlsville.
Not for wine or
spirits, mind you--Spouse wanted to sample olive oils! He bought a couple of nice
ones--roasted onion, and butter-flavored. We took more pictures as we came back,
and stopped in Ephraim for a burger, fries, and homemade root beer at Wilsons--a
soda fountain and lunch counter that has been in business since 1906.
And then we went back to Seaquist's, so Spouse could get two more
bottles of that dressing. He really fell in love with it! And I couldn't resist the pie
slices twice--I bought a hunk of the cherry as MY "birthday cake".
As we tooled around on Friday, we could see that it was getting more and more
crowded. We decided to go to the Piggly Wiggly and get some picnic-y things, and
just have dinner at the hotel. Got deli ham, rolls, mustard, chips, and some ginger
ale, and went back to the room. Took it easy in the afternoon--Spouse took his
sore knees to the hot tub, but I curled up on the bed, and read for a while before
logging a really solid nap. After our picnic dinner, we watched some tv, read, and
relaxed, so we could get up early to go home.
Up early and on the road by six. Stopped to get me a coffee at Door County
Coffee and Tea in Carlsville, and then took the long drive south in one big gulp.
Stopped at Meijer to re-stock some necessities, then Spouse dropped me and the
Buick off at home and took the Ford to go pick up the B. While he was doing that,
I unpacked the trunk, hauled it all in, put away the groceries, unpacked the bags,
sorted the laundry, put away the suitcases, and set up B's food and water. We
grabbed a bite, and everyone had a good nap in the afternoon. Fish fry, baked
potato and coleslaw for dinner, courtesy of my hubby the cook. After dinner, we got the kitchen cleaned up and I set up a load of wash to start early Sunday morning.
Sunday, we slept in a little, then I got up, took care of B, and advanced the laundry, Spouse made bacon, eggs, home fries and toast for breakfast, and somehow, the B managed to hurt himself AGAIN. He came in limping, and close inspection of his right rear paw revealed that he'd managed to totally skin one of the pads. That dog cannot hold it together for 5 freaking minutes, I swear. Spouse doctored it, then we went out and got the front and back yards mowed and trimmed. After Spouse showered, we took my car and filled it up, and after I showered, spent about an hour doing pen maintenance, continued pushing the laundry through, and baked an apple pie before sitting down to read and relax and enjoy my last day before returning to work. Spouse geeked out in the kitchen, prepping, rubbing, pressure cooking, and grilling his baby backs, baking sweet potatoes, and basically making one helluva good dinner. I contributed a tossed salad, and assisted in the cleanup. We ate early, since we hadn't had lunch, and I spent the evening watching HIGNIFY and Mock The Week, doctoring the dog, and getting my stuff prepped for a workday.
ODDS&ENDS:
Dad made it to Phoenix on Thursday, somewhere on my vacation I lost my fitness tracker, and OMG MY VACATION WAS WAY TO SHORT, Y'ALL.
READING:
"A Summer in a Cañon: A California Story" (1914), by Kate
Douglas Wiggin. Which kind of threw me, at first, because it has a character named
Geoffrey Strong!
LISTENING:
EVERYTHING! I love my new stereo so much!
INKED UP:
When I did a head count and realized I had a ridiculous number of pens inked
up/ready to be cleaned (an even dozen? good grief!), I went to work and got the
number down to six. Principal writers this week, though, are The JinHao X750
shimmering sands (med. nib), which is inked up with my grail ink--Iroshizuku Kon
Peki--and the newest baby in the nursery; the Delta Serena broad nib (red shimmer
with pewter-finished nib and hardware), inked with Mont Blanc Pink. Which is a
bit wet for a broad nib, I think. Oh, well--live and learn. This is my first broad nib.
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