Wednesday, April 14, 2026 Reeth and Hawes

Wednesday morning we arose with no specific plans in mind. We again had our bangers, bacon, egg, toast and coffee to begin our day. the weather was cool, breezy and rainy. As we ate breakfast rather late, we decided we could do without a lunch as we had dinner reservations at another local pub for 6:00. We showered, Deb in warm water, Mark starting in warm water, which turned to ice halfway through the process!

The facilities in Dinmore Cottage are very nice, but the hot water system is an Immersion system, similar to a coil you plug in to drop into a cup of tea. The heater takes time to heat the water up. It is on a timer and so, if your heater is scheduled for evening bath time and you want a morning shower, one needs to make some adjustments to the timer or flip switchs to turn the hot water on and wait for it to warm up again. Since the cottage is not in use everyday, all day, but a holiday rental, this plan makes sense. All power in the cottage is electric, from the space heaters to the kitchen appliances. 

For an American family used to continuously available hot water from a gas fired heater, this is a “novelty” to which we must learn to adapt. Such a hardship - but the price of learning how the rest of the world works. There is also a ceiling heater in the bathroom that ties into the light fixture. It is operated by a pull string switch. Great concept, until someone tugs too hard on the string to turn it back off and breaks the string! Again, we will learn.

After resting a bit after breakfast, reading the NYT and the Omaha World Herald for the meager obituary listings, we are ready to attack the day. Today we decide to do a walk-about of the village of Reeth. First stop is the Scenicview Gallery, to check on publication of the 2027 calendar. We have, each year since our first trip, had one of their gorgeous calendars on or kitchen wall. The photography is stunning; all scenes of the Yorkshire Dales area, mostly up and down the Swaledale area. For the 2026 calendar, which wasn’t available when we were last here, we had tried to order one on-line, which was entirely possible, except they were unable to mail to the USA due to the new tariff rules. Our solution was to order and pay on-line with the shop mailing to our friends in Ireland, who in turn mailed it to us at home. 

We walked into the shop, and there was the 2027 calendar, printed and ready for purchase. The owner remembered our troubles from last year’s purchase attempt! He happily sold us next year’s edition which we will tuck into our luggage and hope we don’t misplace at home before January 1, 2027!

Next stop was around the corner to visit some of the craft shops. We stopped at The Nutmeg embroidery shop and Deb procured a couple of very cute embroidery crafts that she thinks she can do at home while watching TV during her retirement. Next door was what we thought was an art gallery, but was actually an artist’s studio and she was sitting there with the door open. We stepped in and then had a wonderful 45 minute visit with Jane Ellis, local artist. We were very taken by some of her work; unfortunately, whatever she had available was framed and too large for our luggage. We were however able to secure a few of her line drawings for cards which we tucked away.  It was Jane who told us how much we had missed by not heading up the Northumberland coast from Seahouses to visit the small villages and castles.  Deb is still trying to figure out how to get one of her large drawings home!

Next a stroll along the green to another craft shop, the Fleece. Mark chose to spend this time sitting on a nearby bench on the green, admiring the beauty (not dozing as there was a rather stiff breeze, but happily ensconced in his Abigail knit hat and windbreaker). Deb spent some time in the shop visiting with the staff and made some small purchases. The shop was actually an artist’s co-op set-up and had some really interesting one-of-a-kind knickknacks, exactly what we don’t need!  Next we crossed the green to the Post Office/ Grocery Shop for some provisions, more eggs, a bottle of Moreland Gin (brewed here in the Swaledale) and a bottle of shampoo. Another lovely visit with the proprietress, and then back up the green to Dinmore Cottage. By then it was cocktail hour and time to sit with our glass of wine prior to ambling back across the village green to our 6:00 reservation at the King’s Arms Hotel.

Built in 1734 by a wealthy local lead mine owner as a private home, The King’s Arms Hotel is one of Reeth’s most iconic buildings. Affectionately known to locals as The Middle House due to its central position among the trio of historic Buiildings facing the village green, it has long been at the heart of village life. The King’s Arms is a warm and welcoming inn, retaining many of its original 18th century features. Exposed oak beams and a magnificent large open fire — the jewel in its crown. Period sash windows, stone fireplaces and historic staircase make this hotel a living piece of Swaldale heritage.

The current establishment is under new ownership and menu. At dinner Deb chose duck breast while Mark picked lamb loin. Both were accompanied by fresh vegetables, asparagus, roast carrots and ramps, A very enjoyable meal. Mark topped it off with a wee dram of Laphroig and an ice cube. We returned to our cozy cottage, lit the fireplace and enjoyed our quiet evening, retiring around 10:00.

Thursday Morning, we finished our breakfast and routed ourselves across the moor towards Askrigg, the village we had stayed in on our last visit. We then turned  west towards Hawes as we needed to gas up the vehicle. We parked up and walked the market street of Hawes. We window shopped, stopped in a small Jewelry stall where Deb picked up a pair of amethyst earrings. She had lost one of her current set some time ago, and this simple pair was a great and relatively inexpensive replacement.

We stopped at a small clothing shop where, two years ago, Mark had purchased his “cow suspenders,” known as braces to the locals. Deb spotted a really cool credit card case and after much weighing of color and texture, a sky blue version was calmly tucked away for her future use. We enjoy Hawes greatly as it is the setting for some of our favorite Yorkshire Dales mysteries by author David Gatward. The hero is a former big-city detective who finds himself as the chief of detectives for the Yorkshire Dales area, headquartered in Hawes; Harry Grimm by name.

The town businesses and the surrounding area are intergral to the novels and the places and shops are like characters in their world. A favorite eatery for the Detective Grimm: the Penny Garth Cafe. We passed by and could not resist the temptation to stop in. We sat to enjoy a mug of tea, a coffee, two bowls of absolutely scrumptious mushroom soup, and split an area specialty “Eccles cake,” a pastry with a fig raisin filling and perfectly beautiful crisp, flaky crust.

We walked back to the local Sparta grocery store and picked up a fresh supply of fireplace logs and returned to our vehicle in the parking lot.

Leaving Hawes we next motored towards another favorite stop, Aysgarth Falls and its National Park Center. The aforementioned “orange cone” season caused us a lengthy detour, following multiple “road diversion” signs, but we finally pulled in, parked, used the public facilities, and then stopped into the cafe for the real prize, a chocolate-vanilla swirl gelato cone, one of Deb’s favorite treats, and something we cannot travel to the Dales without obtaining at least once.

Returning to the Dinmore Cottage, we built a fire with our newly acquired firewood supply, broke out two of the airplane sized vodka “shooters” that Deb had brought along and constructed our first Dirty Martini in the Yorkshire Dales. Unable to locate vermouth at the liquor store we had settled for a very dry small bottle of white wine. We also lacked a standard shot glass, so the head bartender had to fall back on past skills of eyeballing the measurements. The results was acceptable. We broke out some cheese and crackers and dined in. TV was watched and we were under the duvet before 10:00.

Friday morning we cooked our last full breakfast, leaving enough sausage and eggs for the evening meal and then struck out towards the northern portion of the National Park for a bit more driving. We ran across an offshoot road towards the village of Crackpot and decided to explore. Some travelers strike out on an unfamiliar road and become lost but in the Dales you can experience an adventure and great beauty!  We were still sort of lost, however.  We wended along a hillside on a narrow one lane road that, thankfully, provided no oncoming traffic so reverse driving skills were not called into play. We drove up and over the fells, and back down towards Swaledale. 

Next we drove northward across some high and unbelievably beautiful open moors following the river and its falls as they run to the East. This is spring, the ewes were all out with their double sets of newborn lambs. As they ran across the fields, they were actually gambolling. what a sight. New lambs everywhere. We know that the price of wool is to the point of making it almost useless; we only have found lamb meat on one restaurant menu, so we are left wondering what happens with all the sheep. Something to investigate. The sky above these peaks is ever changing, from blue to cloud streaked, to totally cloudy. At one point our windshield wipers were beating double time, the next moment we were lowering the shades on the bright sun. Astonishing beauty was everywhere. 

Back at the cottage, we began our packing process and then had a last martini while Mark prepared a dinner from our remaining larder.  Sausages sliced into rounds and sautéed, then added into the scrambled eggs, accompanied by some red wine and double thick toast. It may not sound like much but it was delicious. We burned the last of our logs, tidied up the kitchen and tucked in for our last night in The Yorkshire Dales.

Sunday, April 12, 2026 - England

Sunday morning we awoke in our snug little cottage with a whole week of adventures ahead of us. A late brunch; Mark has to prepare his traditional English breakfast, although without the small fried tomato nor any baked beans. (We forgot those at the grocery run yesterday.) Fried egg, back bacon, sausage (banger) and toast & rhubarb strawberry jam accompanied by copious amounts of coffee. Sunday, there was little traffic about as we traveled again to Leyburn to pick up some additional supplies. Deb purchased a small ceramic pot from her favorite hardware/notions store and we laid in some more provisions from the Co-op store. The weather was drizzly rain and very cool, also a bit breezy; we are beginning to think we may have not packed enough warm wear. 

Returning to the cottage, we dined on some chips, crackers and cheese and watched the History Channel for an hour before crawling back up the steps and into our bed. Not a very exciting day, but we were glad to refresh our memories of the glorious Yorkshire Dales moors and byroads.

Monday morning, we again were up and breakfasted before heading out for a bit of some exploring. There seems to be the same orange cone season around the Dales as we encounter at home. Our Google Maps were not very helpful as to roadwork, but we found our way around via the various diversions, and finally arrived at Tan Hill Pub, Britain’s highest altitude pub. This visit has become a tradition with us, we enjoyed a late lunch of cheese, fruit, an ale, and a glass of wine. Our original route was thwarted by more road diversions, so we found an alternative and made our way back to our home based in Reeth. 

Reeth, in North Yorkshire, is in the civil parish of Reeth, Fremington and Healaugh. It is the principal settlement of upper Swaledale, the valley formed by the river Swale. The village dates back to the Saxon era and by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, it had grown sufficiently in importance to be  listed in The Domesday Book. It later became a center for hand-knitting and the local lead mining industry was controlled from here; it was always a market center for the local farming community.

In May and June of each year, Reeth becomes the hub of the Swaledale Festival, a two-week celebration of music and guided walks. It is a center for hiking and bicyclists as it is along the Penine Way, a cross country hiking trail. There are, surprisingly, three public houses (The Kings arms, The Buck Hotel, and the Black Bull Hotel) plus some fine dining in the Burgoyne Hotel. All are within 3 minutes walking distance and most feature pretty authentic pub food.  We hope to dine in all four on this trip.

Following our return from Tan Hill, we rested for a bit and then walked across the village green to The Buck for some pub food. It was a bit crowded as there was a football game on the television, (Man City vs. Chelsea, Chelsea won 3-0.) Deb ordered a roast beef with mashed potatoes and a Yorkshire pudding. Mark opted for the burger and fries. Both meals were huge servings but we worked at it and made a pretty good showing!

After our dinner, we walked back across the green for some exciting TV time in the cottage, ending our first weekday in the Yorkshire Dales.

Tuesday morning we got an early start with just a piece of toast and a split banana. We mounted our trusty Mercedes and headed northwest toward the coast and the destination of the village of Seahouses in Northumberland. We are going here because of a chance conversation with a Dutch woman (now living in Malaga) at the car rental location in Leeds.  She was a lone traveller returning her car and she raved about Northumberland and seeing the puffins up close. Since the route was straightforward, most of it on the divided motorway, we decided this was a must-see and we had not been to that part of Northumberland.  We passed through Newcastle and eventually reached Seahouses. We had pre-booked a boat trip out to the uninhabited Farne Islands to view seals, puffins and other birds. Seahouses is also where most of the equipment and boats for sea rescues in the Northeast are located.  They have a museum with some fascinating history and the many rescue successes and failures over the past 150 years.

The Farne Islands are first recorded in 651 AD then they became home to Saint Aidan, followed by Saint Cuthbert. Among other acts, Cuthbert introduced special laws in 676 protecting eider ducks and other sea birds nesting on these islands. These are thought to be the earliest bird-protection laws anywhere in the world. There is no permanent population on the islands, although as they are now property of the National Trust, trust rangers do live there part time to care for the wildlife. Over the centuries, there have been many lighthouses on the islands. There are currently two, although they are automatic and no longer require lighthouse keepers.

While we enjoyed the day, the boat cruise was less than stellar as it was hard to see out the windows and the outside seats were all taken up by families with young children and dogs (not sure as to why the dogs wee along - perhaps they were training to be bird-dogs!)  Also we could not understand one word of the commentary because of a raspy loudspeaker.  We’ve come to find out (from a lovely woman in Reeth whom you will meet later) that if we had gone north of Seahouses (considered a tourist trap) we would have seen incredible coastline with castles and really quaint villages.  Maybe next time!

Returning to Reeth, we were back in time for our dinner reservation at The Black Bull Hotel Restaurant. We dined on a beef and ale pie and a spicy tagliatelle. Both meals were very tasty. We retired to our cottage for some more TV on the History Channel. We are learning a lot about ancient Britain and its history.

Thursday, April 9, 2026. Ireland and England

Thursday morning was a lazy time for the old folks, but a busy time for the youngsters. Garth headed into work today in Donegal at Abbot Laboratories. Zoe loaded the kids in the car for a very busy day. First stop was at the Fun Zone Place where the kids got to run around with their buddies, burning off excess energy while Zoe enjoyed a coffee and visited with some mothers. Then Esme headed off to a buddy’s home for a play day while Zoe returned home to pick up the Nebraskans. While Zoe took Arthur for a scheduled visit to the audiologist for an exam and hearing test, the adults, accompanied by our tour guide 9 year old Iris, were dropped at The Model, a former school building turned into an art gallery. We viewed art works on display and enjoyed a coffee, a slice of banana nut bread and huge chocolate chip cookie.

Leaving the museum, Iris led us on a “curated” walk through downtown Sligo ending at her favorite place, Fabio’s Ice Cream & Gelato Shop. While waiting for Zoe to arrive for the meet up, Iris and Deb partook of the products on offer (Deb and her love of the frozen desserts!) When Zoe and Arthur arrived, they purchased a pair of small cones as well as a take-way portion for the absent Dad and Esme. We walked back to the parking lot for the car, pick up of Esme and drove home.

We had earlier engaged the services of a local girl, Holly, as a babysitter for Thursday evening, and the adults drove back into Sligo for a restaurant meal. Zoë & Garth had selected an upscale place, Otto’s and we enjoyed sit down service, cocktails, some nice starters and gourmet pizza. One dessert was ordered and shared, together with an excellent bottle of wine as recommended by our waitress. Alas, after the cocktails and the pleasant conversation, no one remembered to write down the name of the wine (it was a wonderful red!)

Following dinner, we walked a few blocks to a famous pub, Connelly’s, for a nightcap. The place was packed and every TV was tuned to the playing of the Master’s Golf tournament where Rory McIlroy was in a commanding lead. Garth was the Designated Driver of the evening, so Mark, alone, was forced to try what is reputed to be the world’s finest tasting Guiness on offer, while Zoe selected a Jameson and ginger ale and Deb stuck with her red wine. We had a wonderful (if shouted) conversation and finally arrived home at 11:00. Deb had prepaid the baby sitter, so Garth drove her home while the rest of the troupe headed for beds.

Friday morning, our final full day wth the Highland family. We spent the morning with coffee, talk and wrangling children. After a quick lunch, we loaded into two vehicles for driving into Sligo for some errands. The day before, Mark had been tasked with measuring all the kitchen cabinet door fronts. They are currently a bright glossy red hard vinyl and the plan is to get new doors. Our first stop is the cabinet door shop store (a real place called Silver’s.) While Deb took charge of corralling the children and assuring that nothing was damaged by them as they roamed around the display floor, the other three adults discussed various options with the owner. While no final decision was made, options were discussed and the measurements were left for calculation of an estimate. 

Next, Mark and Garth departed on their own, while the other five headed to a store for some grocery shopping. All returned home and groceries were stowed and, as the afternoon was depleted, it was time for children to relax in front of the idiot box (television) while Zoe prepared dinner and the other adults enjoyed an appropriate beverage. We dined on a wonderful bolognese sauce over fettuccine noodles, plus some broccoli as a green. Dessert was a homemade cherry-apple strudele. After dinner, Mark and Deb took some time to pack their luggage for the coming early departure, and the children watched a promised movie while the adults visited (some dozing,) The children went down amidst much crying at our impending departure, tears and kisses were exchanged and they were tucked into their respective places.

Saturday morning we were awake by 4:30 for our early departure. Amazingly, Iris popped out of bed and was standing in the hall way for a final hug and kiss. Deb went into the bedroom for a quick hug with Esme and then Zoe appeared in her robe for a quick send off. She gave us a travel mug of coffee, some fruit for fuel and a last kiss goodbye. 

During the week, a protest had erupted around Ireland, centered on the cost of fuel (occasioned by the Israel/ U.S. war on Iran.) The resulting fuel cost increases were causing major hardship for businesses, trucking, delivery of products and enormous increases in cost of agriculture. The protesters were out clogging the roadways; tractors and semi-trailers were staging a slowdown on all major highways, especially around Dublin. Their aim was to get the Irish government to reduce or rescind the heavy taxation levied on fuel in order to ease the burden. The impact to us was  potential delays in  our three hour trip back to Dublin Airport and a missed flight  departure. 

We were on the road by 5:00 with Garth as our chauffeur. Although this was early and it was a Saturday, we weren’t sure of the impact on the roads. The traffic was light, and as we neared the airport, Garth took us off the freeway and onto some back roads to skirt any potential trouble spots. We arrived at the airport in good time, around 8:15 and said our goodbyes to Garth; immediately inside the terminal, Deb realized that her phone was missing from her coat pocket - a quick call to Garth and he swung back around to the departure area for Deb to retrieve her instrument, crisis averted.

Our flight to Leeds-Bradford airport in the U.K. was on time and we arrived in England by 11:30, ready for the Yorkshire portion of our spring holiday.  Our bags showed up (unlike in 2023) and we are off to find our low cost car rental! We had called to request an automatic car and said we would pay the difference.  Unfortunately, the only automatics they had were a LARGE SUV or a Mercedes sedan.  They said both would be the same upgrade price and insurance, which was much more than already paid.  So much for saving money.  So here we are driving around Middle Earth in a black Mercedes.  Mark is driving like a pro and I never worry.  We take our time, admiring the scenery and head to Leyburn for groceries and some soup & scones at The Post Horn, our favorite watering (and de-watering place!).  The weather is very, very cold and rainy and Deb does not feel dressed for the heavy winds and sleety rain.  Once we have picked up groceries for breakfast and some wine for tonight at Campbells, we head the 7 miles to Reeth and our home for the next 7 nights, Dinmore Cottage.  It is small and charming with all the mod-coms and a fireplace that works, which we start immediately.  By 7pm, we are snug in front of a TV that we can’t figure out how to work too well BUT with a glass of wine and some snacks.  To bed by 10pm and we slept like (very big) babies.

Ireland and England 2026, April 6

We are once again headed for Europe. We spent the past weekend overworking ourselves, hosting Abigail, Darcy and Bud (with attendant canine grandchildren,) for pancakes Sunday morning and then the rest of the afternoon in the gardens trying to clean up the areas prior to our departure. Monday morning, finished packing, Mark made the 2026 initial lawn mowing foray, and Deb was out in her pajamas cleaning up a pile of weeds and  doing some pruning. Darcy arrived at 1:30 to transport us to Eppley Airfield for our flight.

We arrived in Chicago a bit ahead of schedule and then spent some time at the food court eating an overpriced cheese pizza with glasses of red wine ($57.00 !!) Departure for the direct flight to Dublin was on time and we were boarding by 8:25 and off the tarmac by 9:30, eastward bound. An uneventful flight on an almost full plane but we were lucky to have a pair of aisle seats with an empty seat between us. Deb dozed a bit, Mark logged a fitful 26 minute nap and we landed slightly ahead of schedule at Dublin. Rapidly clearing customs & immigration, we waited over 45 minutes for the luggage to arrive. No mishaps and all three checked pieces made it through.

Zoe was there to greet us, and after a quick coffee, we loaded into her car for the three hour drive to Sligo, our destination for this trip. Her children are on spring break which is the timing for this trip. Garth took a few days off as well and all were happy to see us when we arrived around 2:00. We visited for a bit and had a quick cup of homemade mushroom soup before retiring to our guest bedroom for a bit of a nap in an effort to get a jump on the inevitable jet lag. 

Garth had been cooking dinner all day and we, after a glass of wine, we sat down to a delicious meal of chicken curry with veg.  Yummy!  Deb broke out some gifts for the children and after they were down for the night, we sat up and talked until the old folks were ready to pass out from their strenuous day of travel. Sleep was welcome and there was no lingering awake this night.

Wednesday morning broke clear and sunny, a relative rarity for the northwest coast of the emerald isle. Mark was up early, and the kids, who had been up and waiting, were quick to commandeer him into a game of Monopoly, the Omaha version, we had brought with us as a gift. Mark was the banker, and the kids were quickly into the game. Predictably, some squabbles broke out and attention lagged. Only one child made it around the board before the game was brought to a halt. 4 year old Arthur was struggling with the concept of “go to Jail” and didn’t understand that he lost a turn. Such is life kid!

While the children went outside to enjoy the day, playing in the yard and squabbling a bit, the adults enjoyed their coffee and plotted the day.  After a light lunch (with homemade ice cream sandwiches!!), Garth and eldest daughter Iris elected to remain home and the other five of us were off for a bit of sightseeing.

We drove northward a bit through the village of Grange, past the summer home, Classiebawn Castle, of the famous Lord Mountbatten. It was in the harbor of Mullaghmore that Mountbatten kept the boat which was blown up and he was killed, all the handiwork of the Provisional IRA, in 1979. Mountbatten was a maternal uncle of the Prince Phillip and a second cousin once removed of Queen Elisabeth II. He was a favorite uncle of the then Prince Charles. 

We drove on past and down to the beaches and cliffs of Mullaghmore Head. Across the Donegal Bay, were the scenic Slieve Mountains.

We drove into the village of Mullaghmore, a favorite summer resort town with a number of vacation homes. Lightly populated in this off-season time, it was very picturesque. There were walkers all along the roads; we were able to get some truly magnificent pictures of the scenery.

After a quick stop for ice cream for the kids (and Deb) we returned home, where Garth had prepared a wonderful roast chicken with vegetables together with some roasted potatoes. We enjoyed some wine, the kids opened another round of presents, this time books, and then they were off to bed following their bedtime stories from the new books. We again enjoyed a lovely evening of conversation and catch up, then into bed by 11:00 and fast asleep. We are becoming rested after a busy two days.

 

Southwest Driving Trip - The Road Home

Thursday morning, we arose at the normal time, enjoyed the sunrise over the Santa Catalina mountains, and also enjoyed a cup of coffee and some toast and fruit. We packed up our trusty RAV 4, said our goodbyes to Tom, Kevin and Liam, the Scotty dog; then, departing Tucson around 10:30 via I-10 heading in an easterly direction through Deming, NM where we joined I-25 heading north. 

We passed through the town of Truth or Consequences (founded as Hot Springs in the late 19th century.) According to Wikipedia, major settlement of Hot Springs did not begin until the construction of Elephant Butte Dam and reservoir in 1912 as part of the Rio Grande project. The city changed its name from Hot Springs to Truth or Consequences as result of a radio show contest. In March of 1950, Ralph Edwards, the host of the NBC Radio quiz show Truth or Consequences, announced that it would air the program on its 10th anniversary from the first town that renamed itself after the show. In a special election on March 31, 1950, the residents of Hot Springs voted 1295 to 295 to change the town’s name to Truth or Consequences, and the program was broadcast there the following evening. 

During our drive, we decided to snack on our stash of goodies that we had hauled along with us. Deb reached into the arm rest for her bag of Haribos Gummy Bears. Word to the wise: do not leave a bag of Gummy Bears in the vehicle parked in the Arizona sun for six days. They had melted into a colorful conglomeration. She tried to pry a few loose and finally had to resort to gnawing on the whole mass. The chocolate bar fared a bit better, it hadn’t puddled into a mess, but it still was a bit worse for the heat.

Continuing north, we arrived during rush hour at Albuquerque. The traffic on I-25 was horrific, as multi-lane roads merged and spun off. At one point there were 10 lanes of northbound freeway traffic, turning it into a huge parking lot.  We eventually pushed through and wound our way north to the outskirts of Santa Fe, where we had booked a LaQuinta Inn for the evening. Our good luck with LaQuinta ran out. This hotel was a large three storey facility with over 300 rooms. The price for our double bedded room on the first floor was only $76.00 including taxes, and we were tired, so we accepted the offer. We asked about a king size bed room, but that was extra and so we opted for economy.

We dined in the room on leftover sandwiches from the day before, some Cheezits, an apple and some wine from our stash. We watched a bit of TV and were asleep before 10:00 PM.

As we had showered at Tom & Kevin’s the morning before, we saw no need to shower. Mark misread his clock and was up by 4:45, and misquoted the time to Deb as “5 minutes to six” when she inquired sleepily from her bed. We were dressed and ready to carry our luggage out at 5:30. Unfortunately breakfast did not open until 6:00! We opened our door and noted that there was a shopping cart piled with clothes and a suitcase just outside our door, pushed up against the stairway leading to an upper floor. It seems we had gained a neighbor during the night who was sleeping underneath the stairway, partially hidden by their shopping cart!  Deb had texted Abby that this was the kind of motel where they find your body parts strewn across the desert.  This seemed to confirm that, although, since it was only 31 degrees, I am sure our neighbor was freezing.  Thinking about it, we hope he was alive!

We packed the RAV 4 and walked to the lobby for the included breakfast. The normal sausages, this time both link and patty, breads, biscuits and gravy and a waffle machine.  There was no attempt to stir up the freeze dried eggs to simulate fresh; they were just cooked in a sheet pan and then cut into cubes, roughly 1 1/2 inches to a side. The flavor (such as it is) was the same, but the presentation left something to be desired. Considering the $76.00 price point, we just shrugged, ate and refilled our coffee mugs for the road. We saw no reason to stop at the front desk to turn in our new neighbor and disturb his slumber, so finished up, hopped into the car and hit the road.

According to our trusty iPhones, the distance to Omaha from Santa Fe was calculated to be 13 hours. As the morning wore on, we discussed our choices and made a decision not to push the whole distance. North of Trinidad, NM, we left the interstate system and started our journey on two lane roads to Red Cloud. US Rte 60, headed east, thence on to US Rte 383 across Kansas, then north on US Rte 183 into Nebraska and switched to US Rte 136 in Alma, NE continuing east to Red Cloud and our reserved room at our favorite Hotel Garber in downtown Red Cloud.

This is our third stay at the Hotel Garber, and it felt like coming home. This is a down time for tourism in Red Cloud and south central Nebraska. In another week, there will be  influx of tourists for the annual Crane Migration with their stopping point some 75-100 miles north on the Platte River, between Kearney and Grand Island, but Red Cloud and Webster County have not yet been able to parlay this into much of a bonus for them.

It was really, really windy and cold outside so walking to the bowling alley (great Rubens) or the Palace restaurant (not as grand as it sounds) was an uninitiated option.  Juan’s Tacos next to the hotel was packed and we have, by now, run out of sandwiches and mostly wiped out our supply of Cheetos and chips, so we cleaned up and then headed downstairs to the dining room and treated ourselves to a lovely dinner.  We enjoyed a cocktail each and then dined on delicious wild rice and mushroom creamed soup (recipe by Brandi).   Deb ordered the steak points over potatoes, and Mark enjoyed a chicken Marsala with mashed potatoes. We enjoyed a nice glass of wine, and as we were the only diners in the entire dining room, we had a visit with the hotel manager/bartender/waitress, Brandi, with whom we had become acquainted on our previous visits. So glad we stayed in for dinner.

We retired to our room, fell into the wonderful king sized bed, and watched a little TV before dropping off shortly before 10:00 PM.

Saturday morning we packed up, went down to the dining room for a continental breakfast of bananas, scones, toast, juice and coffee. After loading up the RAV 4, we walked across the street to the National Willa Cather Center, and toured a wonderful photo display in the gallery: a series of photos taken over a 10 year period tracing the Underground Railroad stops from Louisiana up to freedom in Canada. We visited with staff, made use of the facilities, purchased a trio of books and headed out to home.

We pulled into the driveway of the house at 1:53 PM, having logged some 3,200 miles on this round trip journey to the Southwest. Poppy the cat was very glad to see us, although she spent most of the evening nipping at Deb to show her love/frustration. She also proved to Mark that the automated, self cleaning litter box was not really up to a 10 day absence. However, the helium filled balloons left over from Deb’s birthday party on February 21 held up amazingly and were still floating in the air!

 Could we have made better time flying? Yes. Could we have enjoyed it as much? No. We didn’t kill each other, although Mark didn’t know until we reached Santa Fe that Deb had secured a sharp kitchen knife in the armrest area of the car for possible protection from “thugs, hooligans” and other unsavory characters. Luckily he didn’t qualify!

Southwest Driving Trip, Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Morning in Oro Valley was bright and sunny. Tom and Kevin’s home faces east towards the Santa Catalina Mountains, and as the pale blue light begins to outline the mountain peaks, the day holds. Lot of promise. As usual, Kevin laid out a complete breakfast bar with fruit, cereal, bagels, bread and jams, together with coffee and juice. After a long morning visit to catch up on life, we loaded into Kevin’s Lexus to do some shopping for the afternoon.  We landed at a yard covered in pots, Mexican crafts and metal sculptures. Unfortunately, nothing grabbed the eye nor found the way into the vehicle for the long trek to Nebraska.

Next on to the Apple Store for Deb’s 3:45 appointment to sort out the problems she was encountering while trying to text people, especially those who didn’t also have an iPhone device. Turns out that a 3:45 appointment was more of just a suggestion, but eventually one of the Apple Geniuses called her to the Genius Bar and diagnosed the problem. It was straightened out forthwith, although during the wait, she determined that, when the new iPhone 17 is introduced next week, she is going to order one!  Great sales job!!

We then wandered upstairs in the shopping center to have an early dinner at the Encanto Blanco Taco Mexican restaurant, dining on tacos, a chimichanga and some wine. We returned to Oro Valley and sat in the poolside chairs on the patio watching the mountains turn pink from the setting sun and enjoying wine and a Dirty Martini cocktail. After sundown, we chatted and visited until nearly 9:30 PM and then headed to bed. A quiet day that found us in bed by10:00.

Wednesday morning we again enjoyed the breakfast bar that would make Hampton Inn’s blush from its inadequacy. Just after noon, we loaded into Tom’s Lexus SUV and drove the 26 mile trip to the top of Mount Lemmon, the tallest peak in the Santa Catalina Mountain range with an elevation of 9.171 feet. The temperature difference from base to top can be 20-30º F. The mountain is named for botanist Sara Plummer Lemon, who with her husband trekked to the top of the mountain in 1881. Mount Lemmon is also known as Baba Do’ag or Frog Mountain to the indigenous Tohono O’Odham.

At the top of the mountain is the village of Summerhaven, home to many summer residents and a few year-round residents. There are no fuel stations nor auto repair facilities n the village, and only a small village grocery store (closed unfortunately) but it stocks mostly basic staples and camping goods. We lunched on great sandwiches at the Mt. Lemmon Hotel Cafe operated by the Beyond Bread chain. Lovely atmosphere but the high point was the great, clean bathroom!

We left around 4:00 PM and headed back to Oro Valley, arriving back around 5:00.  The “as the crow flies” distanced is only 13 miles, but the road distance is closer to 30 miles.  Well worth the visit; we can recommend it.  After again watching the reflected sunset on the Santa Catalina mountains we ordered in pizza and then binge watched the first three episodes of the reboot of Scrubs on TV. Just as humorous in the new season as in the original.  We were in bed by 10:00, boring, predictable.

Southwest Driving, Monday, March 2, 2026

Sunday is Dell’s actual birthday, together with the date of the State of Nebraska joining the United States. Dell’s anniversary is arguably the more important, at least to those of us gathered in Anthem, AZ. Most of the morning was taken up by text and phone calls to the Birthday Boy from friends and relatives offering congratulations or expressing amazement that he was still hanging in there! We showered, snacked, and eventually loaded into Dell’s new car for a trip towards Cave Creek and some shopping. Deb found a number of items that were candidates for hauling back to Nebraska, including a tall blue porcelain cat, a large outdoor metal collage depicting a thunderbird symbol, and some smaller pots. Alas, nothing found its way into the car.

At 4:30 we headed to the Kiki Rae’s Restaurant to meet our friends Jan and Frank Hrasky for dinner. Dell picked this as he is very partial to the creamy clam chowder. We started with a cocktail and then placed an order for a cup of the chowder all around. Dell had a chef’s salad; Deb ordered a beet and arugula salad, the Hrasky’s split a huge French dip style sandwich, and Mark picked something called a “loco moco” which turned out to be an excellent hamburger patty over a bowl of white rice, then drizzled with a brown gravy and a fried egg on top. We ended the meal with a “birthday” wedge cake of deep chocolate drenched with chocolate sauce and a huge dollop of whipped cream, stabbed with a gigantic sparkler shooting flames out of the top.  A great tribute to a wonderful guy and ending to a wonderful meal.

On the return trip we were subjected to awesome sunsets, which, for the passengers, took the edge off the Sunday night traffic. We finished the evening with some television and reading. A quiet night in the end.

Monday Morning, we packed our bags and loaded up the RAV 4 for the trip south to Tucson. We left Casa Sennentz by 10:30 and jumped onto the freeway parking lots that surround Phoenix for the 150 mile trip south to Tucson. Although Dell admonished us to be sure and take a bathroom break before leaving, which we heeded, we still needed to stop at a McDonald’s for a rest. While there, since it was the noon hour, we ordered a snack of a Big Mac, fries and a hot fudge sundae for the road.

We arrived in Oro Valley at Tom & Kevin’s home around 1:00 PM for a warm but pleasant afternoon. After such a “hard” drive some of us rested our eyes in a prone position while others tried to keep their eyes open while sitting up. Although Tom & Kevin are now teetotalers, eschewing alcohol, that didn’t stop the Nebraska contingent from its evening dirty martini and scotch on the rocks. Following cocktails, we took a drive to our evening dinner reservation, Trueland Burgers and Greens. Again, lovely, low-key affair. Mark enjoyed a huge burger topped with bacon and a fried egg (a pattern is developing), Deb a classic Burger, Kevin a Buffalo Chicken sandwich and Tom a salad topped with Ahi tuna.

Again, home early for some relaxation. We had determined earlier to watch the movie Hamilton, as Tom & Kevin had never seen it. This started a hilarious attempt by old people to sign into Disney+ on the television. Multiple attempts and we kept getting thrown out for wrong password or fat fingers on the keypad. Deb finally was able to get it up and running by logging in with her passwords from Omaha. Unfortunately, it timed out before the intermission, but the boys are significantly intrigued to try and finish this show at a later date.

We retired around 10:00; an enjoyable and relaxing day with friends, even though the daytime weather had reached 90ºF.

Southwest Driving Trip, Friday, February 27, 2026

Friday, we awoke to a chilly morning, cool, with frost still on the windshield. The LaQuinta Inn breakfast included scrambled eggs, mystery (sausage?) patties and biscuits & gravy, we loaded up and were on the road around 9:30, onto I-40 headed toward Winslow, Arizona. Just a few miles past the Arizona - New Mexico border we stopped at the Petrified Forest National Park; this seeming as good a reason as any for why we remembered to bring our Lifetime U.S. Parks pass and passbook for adding stamps. 

The Petrified Forest National Park is about 340 square miles in the center of the Painted Desert area which encompasses some 7,500 square miles. The National Park itself covers 340 square miles and straddles the I-40. The historic Route 66 once ran through the park and was a major route bringing visitors. Inside the park there is a 26 mile driving loop with pull-outs offering some of the most stunning scenery in the entire southwest U.S. There are two visitor centers and a High Desert Museum. On our visit, there was very little traffic and few visitors. We drove the loop, browsed the visitors centers, utilized the restrooms, and stopped at a picnic area for a lunch on our stash of sandwiches and chips. The weather was perfect, clear, a comfortable 70º F and sunny. We can enthusiastically recommend taking a few hours, at a minimum, to drive the loop if one is in this neighborhood. The area was originally a huge forested area with water and rivers, likened to the Amazon Basin in size and scope. The petrified logs scattered all over the grounds are stunning; only the threat of arrest and prison time kept us from throwing a few logs into the back of the RAV 4 to take home and plant in our own rock garden. When you first drive through the entry and present your park pass, the Ranger tells you to enjoy your visit, then stares you in the eye and says, “Don’t pick up the rocks!” We are law abiding citizens, although the temptation was great. After leaving the park, one of the first things you see is a huge store and yard selling huge pieces of petrified logs. Evidently, petrified logs are not uncommon.

We continued back onto the Interstate towards our short term destination of Winslow, AZ. The goal was to use this stop as a jumping off point to get on the picturesque drive following the Mogollon Rim area, skipping the heavy semi-truck traffic and enjoying the wonderful scenery. We climbed along this two-lane highway, again with light traffic, up to 6,600 feet in altitude, then down through the Coconino National Forest, eventually arriving at Camp Verde and rejoining the I-17 for our final punch down south towards our goal of Anthem Arizona and our friend Dell.

We arrived in Anthem around 4:30 to spend a few days in rest. A primary purpose of this trip was to visit Dell, who we missed last fall; at the time, as we were readying ourselves last fall to leave Tucson and hop the Greyhound to Phoenix, Dell phoned us to say that Karen had collapsed and was being rushed to the hospital. We elected to short circuit our visit and reschedule our flight home. Karen died less than a week later - a loss we are still processing.

The current weekend is also Dell’s birthday, so we are here to visit with our friend, reminisce and to celebrate his 79th! As always, the accommodations are wonderful and on our first night Dell ordered in some of the best pizza we have ever devoured. We enjoyed a cocktail, visited for a bit, watched the news, and then retired for the evening. Next morning, we awoke to WAR! The “supreme leader” of the U.S.via a video at 2:30 AM, announced that we bombed Iran and by the end of the morning it was announced that Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader was killed. 

As the purpose of this blog is not politics, we will try to avoid a lot of comment, although most of our readers well know our views.  Enough on this.  We will continue our visit and try to stick our heads under the southwest sand.

Saturday we spent watching the news until Dell finally convinced us to get off our fat asses and do something so we went to a Rock and Gem Show here in Anthem, hoping someone was selling some largish petrified wood but apparently that is not too popular in hot, rocky areas.  We drove around the Anthem area, which is really quite beautiful and diverse, looking at possible smaller homes for Dell as he loves the area but wants to downsize.  When we returned to his current casa, we sat on the patio enjoying the weather with our cocktails.  Dell then outdid himself with grilled steaks, baked potatoes and salad which he managed to conjure up within 30 minutes!  And it was so good.  And the perfect end to a relaxing day.

Southwest Driving Trip - February 24, 2026

We are on the road again, this time driving to the Southwest to see our Arizona friends. We packed up our trusty RAV 4, kissed Poppy the cat goodbye (while begging her forgiveness in advance) and left home around 10:00 AM on Wednesday morning, having packed up chips, boxes of wine, bottles of soda water, apples, tangerines, and eight home-made  sandwiches. On this trip we are heading south in order to avoid any potential bad weather, down Highway 73-75 towards Nebraska City, then south into Kansas and onward towards Topeka, over to Wichita, dropping south to Tulsa and then to Oklahoma City.  

We reached our first stop around 4:00, after fuel and a lunch break in the car; the Oklahoma City National Monument honoring those whose lives were lost in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which occurred in 1995.

The attack killed 167 people, injured 684 and destroyed more than a third of the building. It remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. It is one of the most moving memorials we have ever seen. The empty chairs covering the ground where the building was located are a silent  tribute; the sculptural adult and child chairs vividly call to mind those who were working and their children in the attached child care center. There is a water feature that runs continuously between the standing sculptures of the 9:01 gate and the 9:03 gate.

The blast was detonated at 9:02 AM. The 9:01 gate signifies our nation’s innocence, the 9:03 gate signifies the start of our rebuilding. We arrived after the museum closed so were unable to tour the displays, but the memorial grounds themselves are a moving testimonial.

We continued westward on Wednesday, experiencing some of the most vivid sunsets, rivaling those of western Nebraska. We stopped at Clinton, Oklahoma and spent the night at a LaQuinta Inn. Thursday morning we arose, showered and enjoyed a “gourmet” breakfast of a waffle, biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs and mystery meat sausage.  It filled the hole in our abdomen, if not titillating our taste buds. 

We left Clinton around 9:30 driving west through the Oklahoma panhandle into Texas. Our impression of  Northwest Texas is one of barren ground, continuous Christian billboards, enormous wind turbines arrayed across the landscape and a general barrenness. Many groups of the wind turbines were not operating even though the wind was quite brisk.

We tuned in classical music, set the cruise control to a safe 81 mph, and headed west towards our evening goal of Gallup, New Mexico. At the New Mexico border, we crossed into the Mountain Tme Zone, thereby picking up an hour but our bodies weren’t buying it. Driving through Albuquerque was an experience, a city a little larger in population than Omaha, but spread out over 190 square miles.  Once past Albuquerque, the scenery became a bit more vivid, with the mesas and red rocks glowing in the afternoon sun. Just our side of Gallup, we crossed the continental divide at 7,200 feet elevation and began the downhill slide towards the Pacific basin. 

We arrived at our LaQuinta in Gallup around 5:30, secured our room and dined in the room on wine and sandwiches.  We watched the evening news, read for a while and fell into a light slumber around 8:30.  Tomorrow to Phoenix.

Southwest Road Trip, LA & Tucson, September 29 - September 30, 2025.

This morning we are on to an adventure. Ed took the day off from work to spend some “quality time” with his parents, while Meg stayed home to work. As they both work from home, it makes raising Cooper much easier! We first left the condo around 9:00 for a quick drive to Nat’s Diner for breakfast. Deb had scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and hash-browns. While Mark tucked into a turkey sausage scramble, accompanied by hash-browns and toast, Ed opted for scrambled eggs with toast. Copious amounts of coffee were provided. We can heartily recommend this diner to anyone traveling to the LA area.

We returned home for a quick freshening, and then headed for our destination of the day, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA.) Deb had been to this museum a number of years ago, but found the current exhibits new and exciting. The building is an amalgamation of multiple buildings near the La Brea Tar Pits. We spent hours in the modern exhibitions area, which is one of the most extensive collections of modern art in the world. Mark was particularly taken with the Picasso room, surrounded by twenty Picasso works on the walls or pedestals. We wandered the exhibitions for hours, separately and together. 

We can’t leave a museum without a visit to the museum shop for Deb to add to her earring collection from museums around the world. Next door to LACMA, and formerly known as LACMA west, is the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which we didn’t have time to enter. But as there is no entry fee for the museum shop, Deb was able to step in and again add to her collection.

We left the parking garage and fought the traffic back to the Sherman Oaks neighborhood. Meg had  taken a break from work and walked to the local Ralph’s supermarket for some baked potatoes and steak for our dinner. We enjoyed the meal, chatted at length, and then Mark and Deb climbed to the top floor to repack their luggage for the next day’s early departure. A truly enjoyable though quick visit.

Tuesday morning we left the house early, Meg driving us the quick 20 minute trip to the Burbank airport for our morning flights to Tucson for the next leg of our trip. Fifty minutes to Las Vegas, a two hour layover, Then another forty minute flight into Tucson.  Mark read, while Deb dozed on both flights. for the final leg, we had an aisle and window seats with one seat between, which was occupied by a quiet black gentleman who also dozed on the flight. After landing, as we were leaving, Deb turned to her seat mate and said, “nice sleeping with you;” to which he replied “Ditto.” 

Tom was on hand to meet the flight and we tossed the luggage into the vehicle and headed to their home in Oro Valley. As we settled into the guest bedroom, Mark discovered that in the rush to get off the airplane, he had left his Kindle reader in the seat pocket of the plane.  We quickly filed a “lost belonging” report with Southwest in the hopes that it would turn up.  Thankfully, the Kindle application on his iPad was linked to his reader so he was able to open the book he had been reading and continue.

Kevin had been grocery shopping, so that after cocktails and a quick catch up and admiring the pink glow of the Catalina Mountain range from our seats on the patio around the pool, he placed the filet mignon steaks on the grill, produced the salad from the refrigerator and the scalloped potatoes from the oven. A great meal and fun chatting about the world, trying not to get too worked up about the latest machinations of the Orange Felon and his cohorts in the Washington. We retired to our beds for a good night’s rest.

 

Southern France and Andorra, May 19 through May 23

We woke feeling rested and began our exploration of the walled  Citadel of city of Carcassone. This medieval Citadel sits on a high plane above the city and includes a cathedral and is now a great tourist site.  We stayed at the Cite hotels Hotel Fonjon, a very nice middle range property. We visited the various shops, stopped in the Cathedral, and Glenda and Jeff hiked the citadel walls overlooking the town.

Later in the afternoon, it started to rain, and we took refuge in a pub and enjoyed a glass of wine. We dined in a small restaurant and sampled some local dishes. Carcassone is reputed to be the birthplace of Cassloulet, so Glenda and Jeff both tried it. Thicker and hotter than expected, but tasty. Glenda is motivated to try her own recipe again when she returns home.

The next day, it continued to rain but we gamely explored and finished repacking our bags. We borrowed an umbrellas from the concierge at the hotel and found a small restaurant around the corner from the hotel. Deb tried the onion soup- not so great. Mark sampled the cassoulet and a cheese plate for dessert. We stumbled home in the rain and prepared for the departure the next day. The hotel provided a transport with our luggage back to the parking lot, and we headed out, southward and west ward through the Pyrenees mountains to the small country of Andorra.

Again, Glenda handled the driving duties and we felt linke we were in the Rockies. As we crossed into Andorra, we passed a number of ski resorts and chalets that reminded us all of Vail. Andorra is a landlocked country, not a member of the EU, but still utilizing the currency. The language is Catalan, a variation and dialect of Spanish. The country is a duty free tax haven and so does  a trade through out France and Spain. The capital of Velhora is the main center and the shopping streets were loaded with high end items such as jewelry stores and watch stores. We found a small restaurant for an early dinner, which included a cold plate of Iberian sausage and ham slices, a Tartifillette de Reblochon ( a baked cheese dish with mushroom slices buried in it,) and a roast chicken with french fries. A large house salad was also enjoyed.

Mark went back to the room to rest while the others struck out for some shopping. Although we originally planned on two nights in Andorra, this had pretty well exhausted our tour, so we cancelled the second night and packed our bags.

The next morning, we retrieved our vehicle from the parking garage, and headed back along the coast after getting out of the Pyrenees mountains. We drove to Beziers, a port city along the Mediterranean coast. Beziers is one of the oldest cities in France, founded in 575 BCE. It has been continuously occupied ever since. The city was a stronghold of Catharism, which the Catholic Church condemned as heretical in 1209, The Crusaders marched on the city. Within days, they attacked and massacred all 20,000 inhabitants. Despite the massacre, the city was repopulated. the restoration of the city continued into the 15th century.

The next day we left for Marseilles for our final night. We traveled to the airport to turn in our rental car and stumbled into the middle of a taxi drivers strike. Glenda somehow managed to steer around the barricades, not knowing what was happening. We dropped the return, much to the surprise of the rental car staff, and then found there was no way to take a taxi back to our hotel for the evening. Deb managed to find an Uber driver who was willing to pick us up, but only after we had walked along the highway, dragging our luggage to get out past the taxi barricades back to the roundabout out side the airport. Quite an adventure.

We walked around Marseilles, looking at the buildings and the trompe d’oile paintings along some of the structures. We walked from our hotel by the bay to our restaurant to enjoy our last french meal. We dined on hake, scallops, a croque monsieur sandwich with wine and some spritzer cocktails.

The next morning we sat by the thoroughfare awaiting our transfer to the airport, not sure whether we would be allowed to reach the airport. The strike, though technically still in place, seemed to have died down and there was no blockade. Since taxis mostly were for arrivals, there was no problems at the departure building. We checked our luggage in, hoping it would make it to Omaha, and boarded our flight  for Madrid. We landed with no problems, and transferred to the terminal for our American Airlines flight home. We found a place to eat, enjoyed a bottle of wine, some sandwiches and a plate of sausages and salami. Mark, still suffering from his back problems since he was unable to take his pain medications due to the antibiotics he was taking, ordered a wheelchair for transport in O’Hare.

Landing in Chicago, we negotiated customs, rechecked our bags, and headed to our next gate. The wheelchair girl was young and energetic. She told us she logged about 24,000 steps per day in the airport. Deb, struggling to keep up, went her own way, as the wheelchair driver took the longer route with elevators instead of escalators. We made it through TSA security again and found our gate for the final flight home. Originally scheduled for an 8:55 PM departure, it turned out there were no pilots and so we waited until nearly 10:00 PM for a pilot to appear. We finally arrived in Omaha a little after 11:00 PM. 

Abigail was  waiting for us, loaded all our luggage into the  RAV 4, and home we went. Glenda and Jeff transferred into their car, parked at our house, and they headed to Lincoln as Deb and Mark went into to see Poppy the cat and fall into bed. Along travel day that finally ended around 1:00 AM.

Southwest Road Trip, September 27 - October 10, 2025

Saturday, September 27, 2025 we left Omaha on a Southwest flight, scheduled for 9:50 AM takeoff, only 25 minutes late. We were transported to LasVegas for what was to have been a one-stop, non plane change flight en route to Burbank, California. Southwest Airlines had other ideas. After every other passenger was off the plane, we mentioned to the flight attendant that we must be the only people headed to California.  That’s when he said, no, this plane was next headed to El Paso. Whoops! An equipment change that Southwest Airlines neglected to notify.

We hustled off, and luckily, only had to hobble from gate C1 to gate C11, within the same terminal. They were expecting us and allowed us to pre-board, and so we settled in for our 45 minute hop over to Burbank. Deb took an immediate nap, and Mark dozed in and out. Landing in Burbank, we texted Ed for pick-up and then went to baggage claim, fully doubting our bags would have made the change. We were pleasantly surprised when they dropped onto the spinning baggage carousel and we were off to the pick-up point.

A short 20 minute drive and we arrived at Ed & Meg’s new condo in Sherman Oaks on Sylmar Avenue. A 4-storey unit on the corner of the building with a 2-car garage under. We were welcomed by Meg and the newest member of the family, Cooper, the 8-month old Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

We put our luggage into the guest bedroom and settled into the living room for a glass of wine and some talk. Meg left for a work function of about an hour and a half, and Ed prepped hors d’oeuvres for dinner. Ed’s high school chum Matt Rysavy, now a freelance editor in LA, and his girlfriend Kara Harschberger joined us for dinner: a wonderful homemade butternut squash soup, salad greens and chocolate treats as a dessert.

As Deb and Mark had been up since 5:30 Omaha time, they retired early at 9:30 after a full travel day. Mike and Kara stayed on until a little past 11:00 and then headed back home. A long but enjoyable day.

Sunday morning, Mark rolled out at 4:30, showered and went down to drink some coffee, catch up on the latest Orange Felonies being perpetrated on America, and work his morning NYT puzzles. Meg and Cooper eventually joined and went for a morning walk, Ed came down to make more coffee and Deb, after showering and doing battle with Millie the cat, came down for coffee around 9:00.

The schedule for the day was to depart around 10:15 for West Hollywood and Hamburger Mary’s Restaurant for brunch.  Not just any brunch, but a live Drag Queen show with brunch and lunch available. What an experience.  Ed seemed to be a Queen magnet, ending the 2 hour show with three separate lipstick kisses on his forehead and the rest of us running out of $1.00 bills! We finally rolled out of the show around 2:00PM, made a short stop for Salt & Straw Ice Cream for Deb and Meg (excellent) and then home for a nap and rest up before our dinner reservations scheduled for 6:00.

Dinner this evening was at an Italian place, Osteria La Buca. Wonderful food, with some nice cocktails, Negroni, a Succo di Puma (vodka, wild elderberry, lemon) and a nice Pinot Noir wine. Meg and Ed shared an appetizer of melon salad. Dinners included Nero Spaghetti which featured a black homemade spaghetti, clams, squid, shrimp, tomatoes and bread crumbs; spaghetti caccio pepe; and bucatini carbonara; plus and order of bread to sop up all the wonderful sauces. No room left for dessert, however.

Back home, we opened a delicious bottle of California Red wine from the Temecula area and talked bout the next day’s plans.  Some who arose early crept up the stairs for an early 9:00 bedtime, and others struggled upwards a bit later.  A wonderful, food filled Sunday in sunny Southern California.