Spring Break 2012

It’s Monday, first day back to work after spring break week can be a difficult day. For me it is always hard to get to sleep on Sunday night. I’m rested from the week with my sleeping times all askew and I can’t help from worrying about the new week to come. Even if there is nothing to fret about I still can create something in my mind to occupy it and keep me awake.

Then early Monday morning the alarm goes off. The tendency is to hit the snooze, at least until the sun rises. However, this morning I popped awake and was ready to go. I think it has something to do with the beautiful spring weather we are having and also because I had such a wonderful spring break.

We did things a little different this year for spring break. Instead of flying off to a southern latitude, renting a car, spending lots of money and trying to do way too much, we just took a leisurely road trip.

We left Kansas City on Friday morning and drove to Chicago. We pampered ourselves by staying at the old historic Palmer House Hotel. Saturday, St. Patrick’s Day we walked down to the Chicago River and watched them dye it green.

Then it was on to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Columbus Ave. Followed by an afternoon of green beer, corned beef, and fish and chips.

All topped off with a late night deluxe martini at the Palmer House bar. Then we tumbled into bed happy and exhausted.

Sunday was a travel day to Cleveland. For the rest of the week we were going to be staying with relatives so it was all easy on the pocket book. In addition, we decided to try to eat light, fresh snacks and then spurge on one big meal a day.

After a day in Cleveland we were then on to Columbus and on Thursday we made the long haul home so we could be back for the finish of the Kansas City Science Fair at Union Station Friday morning.

It was a great trip. The weather was fantastic. All the relatives were well and a delight to be with. All the cities were fun.

We picked out one thing in each city we wanted to concentrate on. Of course in Chicago it was St. Patrick’s festivities. In Cleveland, we went over in the old Ohio City neighborhood and visited the West Side Market, followed by a Middle Eastern deli lunch at Nate’s Deli and Restaurant. In Columbus we visited two micro-distilleries (Watershed Distillery and Middle West Spirits) and a microbrewery; then sampled their fare on High Street near The Ohio State University.

The only downside was I caught a cold on the way home and felt terrible for two days afterward. But it was short-lived and now I am back and ready for a great week.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation v1.5

Day Eight. The Wild Atlantic.     
     After several relaxing days doing nothing in Orange Beach we were so spoiled and wanted more of the same so we decided to get on the Interstate and make a beeline for the Atlantic Coast.

     Years ago we had attended a friend’s wedding in Neptune Beach, which is one of the small beach towns that lie on the coast just east of Jacksonville, Florida. We thought we knew what to expect, a small sleepy village, after-all we had stayed in one of only a few hotels on the beach. Well, things do change.

     What we found was a sprawling metropolis with all the commercial chains that every other big city has. However, I have to admit I still liked Neptune Beach, at least people seemed to live there; it wasn’t all just tourists. We even found the fun little restaurant where we had the rehearsal dinner all those years ago. Yes, it had moved to a new place and was much bigger, but it was still as delicious and fun as it was then.

     We tried to get accommodations at a neat 1960’s looking type motel on the beach, the Seahorse Inn, but they were full so we had to stay at a hotel chain, but the beach was great. The next day we returned to the Seahorse and were able to sneak into a fantastic little bar called The Lemon Bar.

     Jax Beaches have grown a lot, but for a short visit they still retain a lot of the charm we experienced so many years ago.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation v1.4

Day Five. Bye-bye New Orleans…Hello Orange Beach

     A good friend from my teaching days at the University knows how much I enjoy New Orleans and Key West so he recommended Orange Beach, Alabama as a place I might like. We left New Orleans on U.S. Highway 90 along the coast and by mid-afternoon we were in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. I had read about the life and art of Walter Anderson in Gunnar Hansen’s book, Islands at the Edge of Time. Anderson was an eclectic naturalist and artist that lived in Ocean Springs and spent much of his time on Horn Island, which lies about 12 miles out in the Gulf across the Mississippi Sound. Anderson died in 1965 at the age of sixty-two. His family still owns Shearwater Pottery in Ocean Springs.

     In 1951 Walter Anderson painted a mural on the interior walls of the Oceans Springs Community Center. His work was so immediately disliked the local citizens wanted to paint over it. After the criticism he basically became a recluse living most of his life on Horn Island.

     The afternoon we stopped in Ocean Springs the Community Center was closed because they were restoring Walter Anderson’s murals. We were able to tour a small museum next door and see some examples of Anderson’s work, watercolors and pottery. I can say his work is definitely “unique”. From the amount of replications available for sale I would say he is, in death, a thriving resource for Ocean Springs.


Sign on Men's bathroom door
at Alabama reststop

      By early evening we had arrived in Orange Beach. I was a bit surprised, very tidy and neat and touristy. I suppose I was expecting something a bit more bohemian. We stayed at the recommended Island House, which was very nice but more like a condominium hotel than the beach retreat I was hoping for. Don’t get me wrong, lovely place, but I was in the mood for a more original experience, sometimes “rustic” can be nice. However, the beach was nice, the pool relaxing, good places to eat nearby so we stayed on for a few days.

Oktoberfest in Missouri Wine Country

Saturday dawned warm and bright with brilliant autumn colors abounding. Since all indications were for a beautiful fall day we decided to take a daytrip to Hermann, Missouri. Hermann is on the south bank of the Missouri River in the heart of Missouri wine country, only a few hours from our house, and every October weekend is an Oktoberfest celebration.

We ate a breakfast of apples and almonds in the car as we drove. By mid-morning we had arrived at the Stone Hill Winery, high on a hilltop above the little town of Hermann. The party was already well underway. We took a quick tour of the winery and did some sampling of their wide variety of wines. Stone Hill, like most Midwest wineries, makes some nice sweet wines but just doesn’t produce a really good dry white or red. They are trying with their Norton grape but in my opinion it still lacks the nose and fruity taste of the west coast or European wines. The vignoles and traminette are getting better but still remind me of table grapes more than wine. But any wine on such a beautiful autumn day in such a wonderful locale is glorious. We had a late lunch of bratwurst, kraut, German potato salad and chunky applesauce that was so very good and matched well with a bottle of their dry vignoles.

In the afternoon we went down the hill to downtown Hermann and did a walk-through of the Hermannhof Winery. I was wined out by that time and was happy to see a new microbrewery, TinMill Brewery. The beer was cold and hoppy, a nice complement to the sweetness of the wines. I especially liked their light amber, Red Caboose. A lively polka and more group called The St. Louis Czech Express Band was playing on the back patio and was drawing a large, happy and inebriated crowd. We ended staying and drinking their brew and people watching until they closed at 6pm.

At dusk we wondered just down the street to a crowded bar with a big screen TV and ate pizza and drank more Red Caboose, augmented by Budweiser, and watched the St. Louis Cardinals trounce the Texas Rangers in the third game of the World Series.

It was a long drive back to Kansas City, luckily I had a sober driver. We pulled into the driveway, locked up the car, and tumbled into bed, exhausted and slept like babies. It had been a wonderful day.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation v1.3

Day Four: A Perfect Day in New Orleans
     Before we moved on along the coast we decided to spend another day enjoying New Orleans. Last time I had visited the city all the streetcar lines were running except the St. Charles line. It was still down from damage due to Hurricane Katrina. The St. Charles line is my favorite street car ride. I go from Canal Street out through the warehouse district and the Garden District to S. Carrollton Ave. and back.
     It was still early morning, just after rush hour, but the day was already building to be hot and humid. We decided to take the St. Charles streetcar out to the Camellia Grill for a late breakfast. The car was mostly empty and didn’t stop very much. Most of the windows were down and as we rushed along the breeze flowing across my face felt wonderful.
     At the end of St. Charles we got off and walked across the street to our breakfast destination. I had heard that the Camellia Grill was a great place for breakfast. Regretfully, I wasn’t that impressed. Yes, it does have old south charm, with the waiters running around in their white jackets but in the end it is just a diner. I thought the food was on the level of a Waffle House. Perhaps I just over-anticipated.
     We walked back through the Garden District to the Audubon Zoo. It was getting hot so we hopped the streetcar back to Canal Street and started to walk the French Quarter. As is common along the Gulf, the early afternoon humidity turned to light sun-showers. We were walking along Dauphine Street when large drops of moisture began to pelt the hot sidewalk. At that moment I spotted a used book store. Now I am a sucker for any used bookstore, but in New Orleans, on a rainy afternoon, what more could you ask for. And it was just the type of place you would expect, crammed to the rafters with piles of old books, barely enough room to walk the aisles. I was in heaven.

264 Dauphine Street, New Orleans

     The storm didn’t last long and in an hour we were on our way. I left Dauphine Street Books with an early work by Robert Ruark I had been unable to find, “Grenadine's Spawn”, and Ruth walked out with a New Orleans Dave Robicheaux mystery thriller by James Lee Burke. As we were only a couple of blocks away from the Acme Oyster House we stopped by for early afternoon oysters and a martini or two. After an afternoon swim at the Hotel Pierre and a creole dinner at the Gumbo Shop, one of my favorite places for seafood and orka gumbo, followed by a bit of music on Bourbon Street we were in bed still at an early hour. Yes, a very nice day indeed.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation v1.2

Sunday. June 5, 2011.

Day Three. Deep in the Heart of Acadiana.

     Sunday morning, after an early breakfast and a quick swim we were off. Our plan was to drive through the heart of Acadiana and eventually end up in New Orleans. Our route took us from Breaux Bridge, the self-proclaimed crawfish capitol of the world, to St. Martinville on Bayou Teche and home of the Evangeline Oak named for Longfellow’s 1847 epic poem that was supposedly taken from Acadian folk history. At New Iberia we saw the sign to Avery Island, not actually an island but a salt dome in the Louisiana swamp, owned by the McIlhenny family and home of Tabasco hot sauce so we just had to visit even though they weren’t bottling on Sunday. Check the link, it has an interesting history. While there we had a late lunch of red beans and rice with boudin and corn maque choux (a first for me). We washed it all down with an Abita Amber (out of the cooler, certainly not available on Avery Island).

     Even though it was getting late we decided to move on to New Orleans. The rest of the drive was uneventful unless you get a kick out of swamp. Just before dusk, on a beautiful early summer evening we arrived in New Orleans. This is one of my favorite cities. The old south, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa all seem to meet here; which results in a delightful blend of culture and people with never a shortage of unique characters.

     Last time we were in the Crescent City, while walking the backside of the Vieux Carre we came across a small hotel and cottages that looked delightful. So we headed directly to Burgundy Street and were happy to find one of the Hotel St. Pierre’s cottage rooms available at a very reasonable price. Soon we were shuttered in beside a beautiful little brick patio with a frangipani tree in full bloom. We had just enough daylight left to venture over to Iberville Street and have a couple dozen fresh oysters on the half shell at the Acme Oyster House. This time washed down with a frigid gin martini. After a quick stop at Matassa’s Market for a bottle of gin, tonic, lime and a Creole tomato and were back to the hotel just as Bourbon Street was beginning to come alive for the night.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation v1.1

Friday, June 3, 2011.
An All-Nighter to Louisiana

Our goal was to enjoy ourselves as we toured the gulf coast as economically as possible. A friend that has traveled the southeast told me he never makes reservations, just stops at a place that looks good. This gives him more leeway in his travels and he said he hasn’t had any trouble finding a place. Another friend that tours Europe said he and his wife, to save money and still enjoy the local cuisine, carry a cooler in the trunk of their rental car with delicious, local snacks. They only eat one expensive meal a day and picnic the rest of the time.

I have always been one to over plan my vacations. I like to know exactly what I am going to do and where I will be staying. I often spend more time worrying about keeping to my timetable than enjoying my vacation. So, it was difficult at first for me to travel in this more carefree and, hopefully, less expensive way.

After giving all the plants a good watering and then chasing the cat down, we didn’t get out of Kansas City until noon. We had decided to stay off the Interstate highways as much as possible so we took US 71 that runs from International Falls, MN, through Kansas City, deep into Louisiana. By early evening we stopped at a roadside park in Arkansas, popped the trunk and had sandwiches out of our cooler. We were still fresh and excited so we decided to keep driving. And we did until midnight, all the way to a rest stop in Acadia, Louisiana, where both of us, being sleepy, fell fast asleep.

Saturday, June 4, 2011.

Back on the Road Again

At 3am we were back on the road. We made it to Lafayette, Louisiana just after sunrise. After cruising the town a few times we selected a local redneck diner, called Mel’s for a breakfast of Cajun Eggs Benedict on a biscuit with grits.

I must say at this point our iPhones and several apps were crucial in making this a successful trip. Even though we were taking it one day at a time the apps allowed us to see what was in town and what we might want to do. We especially used Trip Advisor. And with the Map app we usually knew exactly where we were.

While it was still early and cool we made a visit to the local swamp, Bayou Vermillion and the Jean Lafitte Cultural Center where a nice local lady filled us in about Acadiana and Cajuns. After exploring the bayou, the afternoon heat and humidity was becoming oppressive. As luck would have it we stumbled across a local place called Artmosphere. I love unique local bars and dives. The fresh pizza “Lissa”, the ice cold Abita Amber beer, and the local characters were all superb.

It was at the bar that we learned about the Blue Moon Saloon, a place the locals gather for Cajun music and dancing. And it just happened that evening was a big night with several different groups playing.

The beer made us sleepy so we headed back out to the highway to get a room at the La Quinta Inn which was the cheapest we could find on Trip Advisor. After an afternoon swimming in the pool, we napped until time to get ready for the party.

An Evening in Acadia. Music, Food and Drink

Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, Louisiana.

The Saloon was having the Eight Annual fund raiser for “Archive Aid”.  The Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism and the Archives of Cajun and Creole folklore at the University of Louisana - Lafayette work to document and preserve much of the local cajun music before it is lost. For $10 you got admission to hear four or five bands and all you could eat jambalaya. You had to buy your own booze which seemed to be flowing rather freely. The crowd was mixed: young, old, brown, white, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Unlike here in Kansas City, most everyone danced. Although they seemed to divide into two groups, the stompers and the gliders.

The bands were also diverse ages. One group would be old, another very young and still another multiple ages. My wife said the Cajuns reminded her a bit of the Ozarks people that live were I’m from in southern Missouri. She said the only difference is they seem to be having a lot more fun. I think that may be due to the difference between Catholics and Baptists and good beer drinkers and tee-totalers. They were still going strong when we left around midnight, totally fatigued but happy. Ca C’est bon!

Late Night Supper at the Sycamore

Menu
Saturday. 4.10.2010

Oysters
Beet Salad

Gnocchi

KC Strip
Rainbow Trout
Short Ribs

Tiramisu
Creme Brulee

Expresso

I Love Spring Break

Spring Break is one of those academic inventions that is such a great idea the whole work world should adopt it. Along with long summer vacations.

This week I have been on spring break from the university and I have been enjoying it immensely. I am making a circuit around Arizona. Today I'm taking in a LA Angels game here in Tempe.

On The Road - Day Two

I do believe every road sign in the states of Iowa and Minnesota has a bird perched on top of it. Either there are a lot of birds that like to see who is on the road or the signs are made that way, sort of a fake decoy.

Today was sunny and cool. It was great driving weather regretfully there isn’t a lot to see in southwest Minnesota except for lots of soybean and corn fields. Two new additions since my last trip were ethanol plants and large wind turbines.

I missed a turn and went out of my way for about 40 miles, but I am glad I did. I went through a town on the Minnesota River called New Ulm. It was another of those beautifully picturesque places that almost make me want to move back to the rural life.

On The Road - Day One

It rained all day my first day out of Kansas City. I left I-29 at St. Joe and turned straight north on US 71 to Clarinda, Iowa. Clarinda lays claim to both the birthplace home of Glenn Miller and the Goldenrod School (the birthplace of 4-H). I then cut over to US Route 59 to the beautiful little town of Shenandoah Iowa to see if the Corn Motel was still there. It wasn’t. I remember staying there on the way back from a summer in Canada in the early Sixties. It was the first motel that we had ever stayed at that had a swimming pool. My brothers and I were I heaven.


It was a deluge of rain when I drove through Ida Grove so I couldn’t stop. The town had a general motif sort of like castles. I’ll have to research more about Ida Grove, it was rather strange. I finally stopped for the night just into Minnesota in Worthington. I had a chance to stay at an old time motel but chickened out and went to the Holiday Inn Express instead. I couldn’t resist the lure of a swimming pool.

First I dropped by the local Wal-Mart to pick up some beer (which I found out later was 3.2 just like the old days of Kansas). Almost everyone in the store was Hispanic. Worthington is a big meat processing town.

On The Road

I am dedicating this summer to the “road trip”. Both in literature and in life. We used to move a lot when I was a kid because the type of work my Dad did. And I am feeling the call to travel again; for the first time in a long time I have the opportunity (read time and money).

My first trip will be to the old lake cottage in Minnesota. Someone in our family has been spending a summer there for the past 100 years. On the way up from Kansas City I will make it into a two day car trip. I will avoid the interstate and take the blue highways as William Least Heat Moon would do. For reading material I am taking along Jack Kerouac’s famous road trip novel On the Road and a new road novel by Jim Harrison, The English Major (to see my review visit GoodReads). I’ll be shopping at used bookstores along the way to find John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charlie.

Later That Evening

This is my first visit to Philly. I’m not sure what to think. It has the historic feel of Boston, the brashness of Chicago and the bigness of New York. Yet the city still has its own character.

The first night in town a friend took me too a hole-in-the-wall Philly cheese steak place just a few blocks from the hotel. It was fantastic. The food was good, but the joint was full of wonderful and characters. The owner was the stereotypical South Philly person. “Ya wan that wid?”

Later in the evening his older and younger brother showed up to watch the Phillies game on TV. They were each an exact replica of each other, just a different age in life. Same mannerisms, speech and tough guy attitude although in fact they were all sweethearts who wanted to make sure we were having a good time.

Greetings from Philadelphia

Thursday, Oct.23, 2008
Philadelphia, PA

Every time I go to a meeting in a large city I get an urge to blog. The last time I visited New Orleans I made a series of posts. This weekend I’m in Philadelphia, and no, I don’t have tickets to tonight’s World Series game.

I don’t think it is the extra time or being alone and certainly not being bored that makes me want to go to my blog site. I am always pressed for time, have many colleagues with whom to renew friendships, and can’t find time to do all the things I want to do.
I think it is just because I’m a cosmopolitan and love to travel. I want to share the excitement and experience I feel with every new place.

So here I am again.

On The Way Back

On the way back from the Ozarks last weekend I decided to take an indirect route back to Kansas City through Columbia and visit a few old friends still at Mizzou. I also stopped off in Jefferson City at the Capitol Building to get a good view of the Muddy Missouri in flood stage.When I arrived in Columbia at mid-afternoon I had forgotten it was graduation weekend and the campus was packed with new graduates, spouses and parents. I made my way over to the MU Bookstore at Brady Commons because I knew they would be having some end-of-the-year discounts. I can’t walk into a bookstore without buying an armful of books, and when there is a sale on I have to lock my credit card in the car. I was so proud of myself, I only bought three books. One on German settlements in Missouri and two travel books.

While I was in the travel section a student walked in and was looking for the Lonely Planet travel guide that covers Mexico and Central America. The clerk said they did not have it but could order it for him. However, he was leaving the country the next day.

As I have traveled in Central America, I struck up a conversation. He and a friend were planning to tour for the three month summer hiatus. They were flying to Mexico and after exploring some of the Yucatan they were going on to Cuba for a month. After that they had no definite plans except visiting friends in Guatemala. He wanted to go on to Belize and was thinking about Ambergris Caye. Was I ever envious; I wish I had the time, the money and the chutzpah to do that.

It was a hot, sunny afternoon and I had not eaten all day. I met my friends at Booches bar/pool hall for a cheeseburger and ice cold Michelob Light draught beer. When in Columbia make it a goal to have a cheeseburger from Booches, considered by many to be on the world’s best. A perfect ending to a perfect lazy day, only the two hour drive back to Kansas City remained.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

I haven't had a true summer vacation since elementary school. I'm talking about that total excitement of being out of school, a summer spreading before you without end and not a worry in the world. Those long, hot, lazy afternoons, sultry nights catching lightening bugs, searching the night sky for shooting stars. You get the idea. One of those idealized kid's summer vacations. A summer vacation that began with anticipation, swimming every afternoon in the the river, continued with poison ivy and chiggers and ended with the complete boredom that renewed us for a new school year.

I had five whole weeks this summer: no clinic, no teaching, no students, no administration. The perfect time to experience an an old fashioned dream vacation. But noooo... what did I do? I tried to cram everything I had been planning to do for the last ten summers into one summer vacation. Now I am totally exhausted. I need a vacation to recover from my vacation and I have two days before the fall semester begins.

I did make a summer promise (sort of like a New Year's resolution, made to be broken) that I would work more on my blog. That is enough for now, so be prepared to hear about more of my summer adventures, the best and worst of a summer odyssey nearly shot to hell.

I will get some pictures up on flickr soon, I promise.