Category: US Travel

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Rolling Into a New Year at the Lake

We wound down our year 2017 at the Lake of the Ozarks condo. Some of our friends joined us throughout the weekend. We arrived Friday night, and did some shopping on Saturday. We stocked up on coffee for the Keurig and wine for cocktails in the Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker. We did a little furniture shopping, where I found these Ashley Furniture Charlowe Nightstands which will go perfectly in the master bedroom.

InkedIMG_1540_LIAnd we made a final stop at my favorite place to shop, Coral Reef Seafood , to stock up on crab legs for NYE dinner. If you are EVER anywhere in the Lake Ozark area, in Mid-Missouri, in the middle of the United States, you must stop here to shop for the best seafood we have access to! You can also read all about them in my earlier post Coral Reef Seafood. I absolutely LOVE this store!

Coral Reef, Lake Ozark, MO
Coral Reef Shrimp, Lake Ozark, MO

I also picked up some shrimp (a MUST) and my friends purchased the Seafood Stuffed Orangy Roughy that is like a party in your mouth! (I hope they never changes this recipe.)

Our BIG mistake was going out to dinner later at a restaurant called Redhead Lakeside Grill. I don’t mean “mistake” in that any of our dinner was less than good. I mean mistake in that it was so cold walking from the parking lot to the restaurant it somewhat diminished my experience there. Once inside, I don’t think I ever got warm, so instead of having a great, leisurely time, I was just ready to go home and get under a nice warm blanket. We’ll have to go back and try again when the weather starts to warm back up. There were lots of items on the menu that I can’t wait to try.

Since the temperature at the lake was a not-so-balmy 0-degrees, we wound up planning to stay in for the New Year’s Eve celebration for a quiet night in the warmth. Hubby wanted to play Cards Against Humanitybut we never got around to it. After eating crab legs (and pizza for those who don’t like crab), we checked out Ryan Seacrest in Times Square on TV and watched the ball drop to start off another year. We did have champagne, which I single-handedly attempted not to let go to waste.

It was a low-key New Year’s Eve, but that’s ok. We wrapped it up the way we wanted to with friends we wanted to be with. Maybe next year will be warmer. Or, maybe next year we’ll be on a beach somewhere much warmer! Either way, there’s a whole new year ahead of us and it will be what we make of it.

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Christmas in the Lou

St. Louis, Mo. It’s where we headed for the long Christmas weekend. Even though we only live 2 hours away and it’s my hometown, a long weekend in St. Louis is like a mini vacay. If you’ve never been there, it’s a fun and unique place to visit.

There’s the Gateway Arch to experience.

Photo cred to Lisa Oldenburg
The Arch photo by Lisa Oldenburg
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Mississippi Riverfront and Arch photo by Lisa Oldenburg

This is a 630-foot monument in downtown St Louis, Mo., next to the Mississippi River, that is also recognized as the “Gateway to the West”. You can take a 4 minute tram ride to the observation area where you are able to see up to 30 miles into Missouri and Illinois on a clear day. If it’s a windy day you will feel it swaying. It’s a fun experience either way! While driving into St. Louis, when I catch a glimpse of the Arch, I know I’m home.

We spent time with friends and family on most of this trip. It was heartwarming to see everyone and to catch up on the past year. I always enjoy visiting with my parents on these trips too and it’s good that the home-cooked feeding frenzy only happens once per year. Luckily, we didn’t have time to add in any meals out at my favorite restaurants. I’m sure I wouldn’t have fit into my jeans again for a while if that were the case.

Hubby scored huge bonus points this Christmas too. He always has such a knack for the perfect gift buying, I wish I were so talented. I’ve mentioned we will be planning to spend a lot of time in our new condo at The Lake of the Ozarks this summer. In shopping for furnishings for the condo, I’ve had my eye on these glass vases.

I’ve not been able to find a link online but I’ve found the vases at Pier One. You can see something similar here. Hubby found them too and got them as a gift for me. They’ve now been re-homed at the condo.

Hubby also got me a Margaritaville Bahamas Frozen Concoction Maker. You can check out my original obsession with the Frozen Concoction Maker in my earlier post Smoky Mountain Getaway. This thing is great and puts my blender to shame! So far we’ve used it to make Strawberry Wine Slushies and Pineapple Banana Smoothies. I’d imagine, once winter ends and the weather warms up, we’ll find even more concoctions to try!

Now, the year is winding down during this week after Christmas. I feel very privileged to have a wonderful life with my wonderful husband. I am ready to move on! As we go into 2018, I’m looking forward to more fun traveling to the Lake and other locations. And I can’t wait to use the Maker some more! See you all next year!

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Captiva Island, FL

A few years ago, we were invited to a destination wedding on Captiva Island. We try to keep destination weddings to a minimum–otherwise we end up spending all of our vacation days on weddings. But this one was for a dear friend of ours, so we couldn’t miss it. Besides, even though I’ve been to Captiva, hubby had not.
After flying into the Fort Myers airport and picking up our rental car, we headed off to find our way to our hotel. We cut through Fort Myers, crossed the toll bridge onto Sanibel Island, then continued up through the island until we reached Captiva and Tween Waters, which would be our home for the next 4 days.
img_1457We had an incredible view from our screened in porch. The resort was fairly small, yet cozy and adorable. There was an array of rooms to choose from–be it a single room or a 3 bedroom cottage.
For meals, there were two restaurants to choose from and the pool bar. We generally had breakfast each morning at the Captiva House.  Lunch was usually a sandwich or a salad at the Oasis pool bar (who had time to dry off to go eat?), and most of our dinners were at the Crow’s Nest which doubled as a lounge and was the location for the crab races. If you’ve never been to crab races, I highly recommend you go.  What a fun time! Our crab named Tiger came in 3rd.
Aside from the wedding festivities and spending time at the pool and beach, we spent a couple of days beachcombing and exploring the area. Low tide is the best time for shelling and we found lots of sand dollars on our beach.IMG_1456 We also took a ride over to the Bubble Room Restaurant which is a quirky little place. There were roomfuls of old toys, Christmas decorations, and moving trains. Even though they serve meals there, we just showed up for dessert from their on site bakery. I had a French Chocolate Torte that was to die for and hubby had the NY Style Cheesecake.I’m pretty sure these snacks were actually dessert for our next 3 meals they were that HUGE!
Our last night in Captiva, we went out with the entire wedding group for a sunset dinner cruise.  Talk about a perfect time!  We went out on the Lady Chadwick who easily accommodated our party of 50ish.img_1460We couldn’t have asked for a better evening, better food, better cocktails, or better company.  We were even joined by a couple of additional guests who were showing off behind our boat.img_1461Our evening was capped off by one of the most incredible, vivid sunsets I have ever seen.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect wedding weekend for our dear friends and an amazing finish to our long weekend in Captiva, FL. If you’re ever looking for a cozy getaway where you don’t even have to leave the resort, this one should be on your list!

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Lake Ozark, MO–Our Little Slice UPDATE

Well, we’ve gone and done it now. We are headed down to Lake of the Ozarks, MO this afternoon to close the sale on a lake condo. Never mind that it’s a 56 degree day in November. We are buying a condo on the lake that will now be our vacation weekend-get-away. Sound like lots of fun once summer comes back around! So this place is turning out to be lots of fun already!  We’re headed back down again this weekend and are taking the kids to see it.  (They don’t yet know that we’ve bought the condo, but I think they’ll figure it out when they see a family pic hanging on the wall.) We’ve got a few friends coming over to visit and see the place and lots of munchies and adult beverages stashed in the fridge.
In the meantime, while the condo comes in decent shape and semi furnished, we know we have some work to do. We know we will be painting all the walls and possibly replacing the flooring. We haven’t seen the place in 6 months and don’t really remember if the carpet is worth salvaging. It turns out the entire condo is getting a coat of paint and we’ve decided the carpet in the living room, dining room and hallway is getting ripped up and replaced with laminate flooring.
I presume I’ll have to be doing some shopping as well. Even though the seller sent us an inventory list, it’s pretty non-descriptive. So, while it lists a coffee maker, I can’t assume it is a Kuerig single serve like hubby is a fan of. Here’s the actual Kuerig we went with:

It’s adorbs, and my favorite color, and now it looks like I have a reason to accent the kitchen in red. Not to mention, it brews a perfect cup of decaf every time so I can make a tasty Fragile Baby.
The inventory list makes no mention of dishes in the kitchen, bed linens, or bath towels, so I’ve already started shopping around. Turns out the dishes don’t need to be replaced. There are two small sets–one of floral ceramic and one of sailboats on Melamine. These will do just fine for a while and they’ve all been cleaned and are ready for use.

I found some non-patterned dishes that will go with all the decor and any colors we choose. They aren’t pricey, so if we were to rent out the place for a weekend and someone broke a plate, I wouldn’t be heartbroken and the plate could easily be replaced.

Sheets? I went with good quality, but again, in nice, neutral colors. I ended up going with a set of ivory color and a set of sand color. The 3rd set of sheets came in the bed in a bag set and looks like this: 

I thought I knew what kind of artwork I wanted on the walls–something beachy. But, I think I’ve changed my mind. I think I’ve decided on lighthouses for the living room. We are on Lighthouse Point on the Lake after all. Maybe we’ll go beachy in the bedrooms and bathrooms.

I’m still looking for the right pics to put on the walls and now I’m not going to focus so much on a theme, but I’m going to look for the right vibe in the right colors.
Regardless, the decorating possibilities are endless! I can’t wait to see how this place turns out! Luckily, it’s coming along and will be further along after this weekend. Please comment any suggestions you have to make this condo feel like a vacay.

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Lake Ozark, MO

Well, we’ve gone and done it now. We are headed down to Lake of the Ozarks, MO this afternoon to close the sale on a lake condo. Never mind that it’s a 56 degree day in November. We are buying a condo on the lake that will now be our vacation weekend-get-away. Sound like lots of fun once summer comes back around!
In the meantime, while the condo comes in decent shape and semi furnished, we know we have some work to do. We know we will be painting all the walls and possibly replacing the flooring. We haven’t seen the place in 6 months and don’t really remember if the carpet is worth salvaging.
I presume I’ll have to be doing some shopping as well. Even though the seller sent us an inventory list, it’s pretty non-descriptive. So, while it lists a coffee maker, I can’t assume it is a Kuerig single serve like hubby is a fan of.

The inventory list makes no mention of dishes in the kitchen, bed linens, or bath towels, so I’ve already started shopping around.

I found some non-patterned dishes that will go with all the decor and any colors we choose. They aren’t pricey, so if we were to rent out the place for a weekend and someone broke a plate, I wouldn’t be heartbroken and the plate could easily be replaced.

Sheets? I went with good quality, but again, in nice, neutral colors.

I thought I knew what kind of artwork I wanted on the walls–something beachy. But, I think I’ve changed my mind. I think I’ve decided on lighthouses for the living room. We are on Lighthouse Point on the Lake after all. Maybe we’ll go beachy in the bedrooms and bathrooms.
Regardless, the decorating possibilities are endless! Feel free to comment suggestions. I can’t wait to see how this place turns out!

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Les Bourgeois Goodbye

I lost one of my best friends recently. Well, I didn’t lose her lose her, but she moved away. We had a wonderful parting evening at Les Bourgeois Vineyards in Rocheport, Mo.
Jim and Krissi move into our cul-de-sac a couple of years ago. It started off kind of rough, their kids and our kids kept playing together. But we didn’t know them that well, so we didn’t let the kids play inside the house unless they asked their parents first. We didn’t want them to think we were kidnappers or anything. Although there is a website to check that out.
As time went on, we got to know Jim and Krissi better. I think the point of no return was the Halloween party we all had in the cul-de-sac. Jim had made a huge batch of jambalaya, hubby was in full costume (he was a hideous clown before clowns got such a bad rap) carrying around his chainless, albeit noisy chainsaw. Other neighbors brought over jack-o-lanterns spewing dip, jello shots and homemade grilled chicken wings. Let’s just say, I think the grown ups had the best time that night! Even the mailman found a leftover bowl of jambalaya in our mailbox two days later (we did not put it there) .
Shortly after that, I had a new found bestie in Krissi. We excercised together, went shopping, visited some local eateries and festivals. We had some fun evenings dining out with the families and even more dining in or just hanging out celebrating birthdays or venting about daily life nuisances.
It was awesome knowing I had someone to pal around with and confide in just across the cul-de-sac. But alas, the day came when Jim got a job transfer and they were relocating to another state. It seemed like just as quick as they moved here, they were moving away! To celebrate their life change and move forward, Krissi and I took a short road trip to Rocheport, Mo.
Rocheport is a sleepy little river town about 20 minutes from here. It isn’t very big, but they have a wonderful little gem in the winery there, Les Bourgeois Vineyards. Krissi had been wanting to go there and this was potentially our last chance to go before she left.
If you ever get the chance, check the place out! We started off at the A-frame, which is located up on a bluff top, amidst the growing grapes, overlooking the Missouri River. Who says you need to be on the beach to catch a good sunset?  We got a great one!


After it got dark, we headed over to the Bistro, which is their restaurant located on the next bluff over.
Their food was incredible! We shared a Hummus plate as an appetizer and then for the entrees, Krissi had Cajun Chicken Pasta and I had Seafood Bianco. Obviously, we had to have some of their wines, but I won’t go into detail on how much…
What a wonderful evening. We both resolved NOT to cry, and we dreaded the impending moving day. But we didn’t cry! We had a very fun, memorable evening at a place we are lucky to have so near! And we created a memory we will both cherish forever. Krissi probably won’t even read this post. She’s so busy setting up house in her new town, she won’t get a chance to read my posts for at least a month. Maybe we’ll have some new neighbors who by then.  And maybe they’ll read my posts. Ah, no one will be able to replace my friend Krissi! I miss you guys!

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Glacier Bay, Alaska

So, this was the part of the Alaskan cruise that made the cruise so worth it. Glacier Bay is where we were able to access Glacier Bay National Park and see the glacier perfectly from our cruise ship. If you’ve never seen glaciers before, you will want to put that on your bucket list. It was so peaceful and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
Our morning started off with an announcement at 7am that our National Park Service “ranger” had just boarded our ship, The Pearl, and he would be narrating our tour. Never mind that we were still in our cabin and had barely rolled out of bed–the entire public announcement system was being used and we could hear every word no matter where on the ship we were.
We quickly got our layers on (it was going to be chilly on deck) and headed out for a quick breakfast and then to the starboard deck so we could see the glacier.IMG_2502It was a pretty incredible sight to see! Just a point of nature’s beauty that could only be seen from that exact place at that exact moment. We and our co-cruisers were very quiet on deck in the hopes that we would hear the glacier calving, which is when huge chunks of ice, caused by the glacier expanding, break away from the glacier. Calving is usually proceeded by a loud cracking or booming sound, seconds to minutes before the breakaway. The entry of the ice chunk into the water can cause large, dangerous waves, which is why our ship could not get any closer than we were.

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Glacier Bay–calving glacier
We were not disappointed, shortly into our viewing, as I sipped on nice, warm Bailey’s and coffee, the glacier calved. Everyone on deck broke into applause! It was kind of what we were there for.

After watching for another hour or so, it was time to go. I had an appointment at the spa for a massage. I figured it would be a great way to finish off a beautiful morning. What a fun way to experience glaciers!

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Ketchikan, Alaska

Ketchikan was our last US stop on our cruise a couple of years ago. This was one of the most adorable towns I’ve ever seen! It had a lot of very colorful cottages dotting the landscape, and a cute downtown shopping center.
This was the stop where I had no excursions planned and hubby was headed out on a halibut fishing trip with his father-in-law. I decided to spend the day shopping for souvenirs for friends and family members (above and beyond the jewelry I had already acquired, see my Effy Jewelry Alaska post).
It turns out that Ketchikan, which is normally a very rainy town, was actually going through a heat wave while we were there. The temperatures were around 75F the day I went shopping and there was no rain, so it was a beautiful day to walk around and explore. I started off walking east on Water St. and quickly came upon a store called the Tongass Trading Company, which had pretty much everything Alaska. I was able to get almost all of my shopping done there–salmon jerky, whale tail necklaces, t-shirts, even a puzzle of Ketchikan. I loved this store!
From there I ventured over to the historic district. I had to devote a “few minutes” to Effy Jewelers, to make my last purchase with them. After that, I mostly wandered and people-watched.I stopped in at the Crab Cracker Seafood Bar, where I had a cup of clam chowder and a crab leg for lunch. Now, if you know me very well, you know I absolutely LOVE crab legs and you are probably wondering why would she only have “a crab leg”? This crab leg was king crab and was almost the length of my arm, so only one crab leg was necessary! We don’t get them this big back in Missouri!IMG_2515When I finished my shopping/lunching tour, I headed back to our cruise ship, the Norwegian Pearl to find out what Hubby and Dad had caught. Turns out, they each caught A fish, but NOT halibut.  They donated their catch to the one guy on the trip who did catch a halibut. Better luck next fishing trip guys!

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Skagway, Alaska

The next stop on our cruise a couple of years ago was Skagway, Alaska. Skagway has a bit of a shady past as it was the most direct entry to the potential gold fields of the Klondike gold rush that spurred from the discovery of gold in Canada’s Yukon Territory in 1896. Because of the influx of prospectors, the population of Skagway boomed. Some of the town residents began offering goods and services to the prospectors often at highly inflated rates. This led to a mostly lawless town, overrun with fighting, prostitution, and excessive drinking.
Enough of the brief history lesson, we had just as much fun while visiting. After walking around the town a bit, we headed off for Musher’s Camp. The ride there took us along the waterfront of Dyea which during the Klondike gold rush used to be a town, but is now largely abandoned. The forest has almost completely grown back over where streets and buildings used to be.

When we arrived at camp, we were assigned a custom made dogsled which was kind of like a golf cart with no motor or steering wheel and a musher. Musher’s camp is where the dogs train for the Iditarod in the off-season and is comprised of dirt/mud trails. Our musher explained how the dogs learn from one another during training and he demonstrated how they comprehend commands. The best example was when we were approaching a fork in the trail. On our first pass, the musher gave the command to veer to the left, and we gently did, bypassing the fork.  On the second pass, however, he told the team to take the turn left. It was pretty impressive to experience the dogs doing their work. And it’s obvious their handlers are crazy about them and take great care of them.

At the end of the ride we got to go back down to the camp for hot cocoa and to meet the puppies. I could have stayed there all day! They were so cute!

It was hard to leave, but we had Ghosts and Goodtime Girls to get to next. Hubby had a LOT of fun bragging beforehand that his wife was taking him to a brothel! At the starting point, we were assigned a “working girl”. She gave us a tour of the town of Skagway pointing out the notorious areas for prostitution and various businesses back in the gold rush days.

Along the way we were given quite the image and education of how rough life was for the prospectors, the working girls, and others associated back then. We also toured the brothel and Red Onion Saloon seeing where the girls lived, slept, and conducted business.
At the end of the tour, we got to hang out at the saloon and enjoyed a couple of beers while waiting for our ride back to our cruise ship. We felt we had earned it. After all, it had been a long day of puppies and Gold Rush education that we didn’t learn in school!