We're Goin' to Jackson...Look Out Jackson Town!

 

For our 19th (!) wedding anniversary in September, we had a quick (but lovely) two-night trip to Jackson, NH. Jackson is just north of North Conway, NH, which is a very popular New England destination for tourists.

My Mom volunteered to watch Murray so we wouldn't have to put in him in a kennel (thanks Mom!), so that was comforting knowing he was at home and with someone he knew. My Mom came over on Sunday, September 11th and brought with her the Boston Globe. Interestingly enough, in the Globe Magazine, there was an article entitled, "Perfectly Picturesque New England Destinations." One of the destinations featured? Jackson, NH!

The next day, we drove to Jackson. That's one of the nice things about New England- you can drive to another state in a reasonable amount of time and "get away." It took a little over two hours to get to the area. We pulled over at a  "Scenic Outlook" on the way but honestly? It wasn't that scenic, so no photos.

Since we couldn't check into our room until later in the afternoon, we stopped for lunch at Moat Mountain Smokehouse & Brewery in North Conway, which was recommended by a friend. It was a beautiful day out so we sat outside. We knew we'd have a big dinner that night so we got two appetizers- Long Horn Nachos (smoked brisket) and Moat Mountain Potstickers. Both were delicious but the nachos? Amazing!

(That's a watermelon martini in the photo. Let's just say you didn't want to light a match near my breath after that... 😆)

Next, we drove up to the Christmas Farm Inn in Jackson, where we stayed (and incidentally was featured in the Globe article!)

They have a variety of types of lodging- rooms in the Main Inn or the Barn, standalone cottages, and suites with porches. We had a suite with a porch. While it was somewhat old-fashioned looking, the little porch was nice (and would be great during foliage season) and the electric fireplace was awesome! I sat in front of that reading and staying toasty while John napped.

And if there was any question we were in Northern New England...

(Yes, this was in our room, along with the tourist brochures...lol)

That night we ate at the restaurant at the Inn. It was our anniversary dinner (even though our anniversary wasn't until the next day) and it was great! (The restaurant in the Inn was not open on Tuesday night, so we decided to have our "fancy" dinner the night before. That's something that I noticed- many places we wanted to try to eat at were either closed the entire time we were there and only open at the end of the week or closed Tuesday, not open Monday, etc... All that to say- research these things ahead of time!)

I didn't take any pictures as I wanted to be as free from my phone as I could be, but I'll describe. John had Sangria and I had a Cosmo to drink- both good. For appetizers, we got Grilled Brie (delicious!) and Bacon-Wrapped Scallops (also delicious!). John had Veal Schnitzel (which he said was excellent) and I had the turkey dinner. OK- I know that sounds weird, but that area is known for turkey farms and can I just say that was THE freshest/most delicious turkey I've ever had? We had Tiramisu for dessert, which frankly pushed us both over the edge- we were SO FULL! (Luckily we made it up the hill back to our room!)

The next day we did some sightseeing- we went to Diana's Baths Waterfalls in North Conway and Cathedral Ledge State Park in Bartlett. Both beautiful places (again, I bet they're amazing during foliage season) at which we enjoyed nature and the surrounding vistas.

We had lunch at Horsefeathers in North Conway, which was OK. It's a local pub with sandwiches, etc... We did a little shopping while we were in downtown North Conway and picked up some goodies at one of the many old fashioned general stores.

Next we headed back to the Inn, as we were scheduled for foot soaks and foot massages at the spa. I have to say I was somewhat disappointed with this. The foot soaks were in regular pedicure tubs (vs. fancy bowls with rocks in the bottom, which I've gotten at foot spas). On top of that, one of the pedicure chairs was broken, so no massage and the jet was broken in the other pedicure tub. (I will say that they gave us a 10% discount because of that.) The masseuse was basically like- want me to throw some oil in there? (Again, I'm used to choosing a specific soak.) The foot massage was decent, but again, not what I envisioned.

That night we ate at the Red Fox Bar & Grille in Jackson. It was good (but not as good at the first night's meal).  We had frozen margaritas with raspberry puree (I loved it, but John not so much- and it was the cause of frequent brain freeze!) He started out with French Onion Soup (which he said was one of the best he's ever had) and then I had Mediterranean Haddock and he had ribs & shrimp. The entrees were just OK. We also split maple bacon Brussels sprouts, which again- just OK.

Wednesday morning we packed up and headed out, but not before a visit to White Mountain Puzzles headquarters right down the street from the Inn. There were so many to choose from, but we walked away with these two:

All in all it was a wonderful vacation to celebrate 19th years of wedded bliss!

My Dad Would've Been 76 Today

 

This is one of my favorite pictures of my Dad. (I have a lot of favorite pictures of him!) I'm not sure how old he is, but he's with his granddad (his Dad's dad) at a summer cottage in Nahant, Massachusetts.

The bathing suit gets me. The little bucket (?) he's standing in gets me. That blonde hair gets me. But most of all? The smirk/smile gets me. Cute yet a hint of the devil behind that smile. That summarizes my Dad!

As I often say to John, "I'm still pissed." 

I'm still pissed that this rare aggressive out-of-nowhere cancer lived in my Dad's body.

I'm still pissed that he's gone. His absence is really something difficult to put into words.

Yet I smile and chuckle when I think of all the people he made laugh. That was his "thing." I truly believe that one of the reasons he was put on this earth was to make people laugh. I always say that when I was sad or upset, he'd try to make me laugh. OH BOY would I get mad. (Especially when I was a teen & mad at my parents all of the time.)

My Mom & I went through a bunch of pictures and lo & behold...my Dad was laughing, making others laugh, or holding court in many of them. In my mind, that's how he lives on.

Happy birthday Dad!

It's Amazing What an Extra Day Off Can Do For the Soul!

 

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I feel like John & I really made the most of this three-day weekend.

On Thursday (or Friday?) I declared that I wanted to try a "new to us" restaurant. (During the pandemic, I spent a lot of time researching restaurants in the area that I wanted to try once things got "better." Let's just say I came to the discussion with John with plenty of places bookmarked. 😜)

We chose a place that I'd heard good things about from friends on Facebook and the local Facebook restaurant/food group. John has been on an eggroll kick lately and they had steak & cheese eggrolls, so that sealed the deal. (And guess what...I didn't have it bookmarked!)

Saturday we got all of our errands done in the morning, took Murray for a walk in a nearby park, and then made our way to Pica's Pub & Grill, which is about 10 miles from our house.

The inside was much smaller than I anticipated and I think the bar had more seats than the tables did. (Ok, not really, but you catch my drift.) There was one table open (lucky us!) right behind the host station (meh), but we took it.

We started with drinks- a pomegranate martini for me and red sangria for John.

Both were very good. We did get the steak & cheese eggrolls for an appetizer and they didn't disappoint. The queso they came with was yummy, as well. 

For our meals, we decided on burgers. I got the Bacon Onion Jamburger with homemade potato chips and John got the poutine burger with homemade chips. Both were cooked just right and had a great taste- would definitely recommend. I had read a post in the local Facebook restaurant/food group about the cornbread with maple bacon butter and knew we had to try it. (We get something similar at a restaurant in Portsmouth, NH that we absolutely LOVE.) This didn't quite meet our expectations. We expected a side of the maple bacon butter next to the slab of cornbread. Instead, it was melted onto the bread. I'd say that was probably the only thing I wouldn't recommend or get again.

Overall, it was a great meal and I'm glad we "found" it. I think next time we'll try lunch there, as dinnertime is very busy (they don't take reservations) and it can get loud in there. 

Sunday we celebrated John on Father's Day. My mom and Grace came over and John grilled steak & shrimp. My mom tried a new recipe for Caramelized Onion Potato Salad- it was very good! For dessert, we made homemade Raspberry Turnovers. (Well, John made them...lol.) Making them was a little dicey- the filling was watery and John didn't think it would stay inside while baking. Oh, and we were about 1/4 cup short of white sugar, so had to substitute brown sugar for the filling and powdered sugar for the topping. They were a hit! 

Well, with everyone except Grace. 

Me: Do you like it? 

Grace: It's different. 

That's code for "not so much" 😉

Grace brought a dress over to wear, however it was ridiculously cold, so on her own she layered with a skirt underneath the dress and I recommended the sweater layer. Whatever works!

Today I took the opportunity to have a very relaxing day. I didn't sleep in as I'd hoped, but I stayed in my pajamas and laid on the couch and read for a few hours. That was very relaxing. John went golfing, so I braved the park and took Murray for a walk, which went better than I thought (he's a puller). I then came home, had lunch, and sat outside on our beautiful porch with our four-legged friend. 

Monday is Pilates day and since not enough people were around to do the class I usually go to (mat class), I did an equipment class an hour earlier and was able to come home and eat dinner at a reasonable time. 

Now? I lounge in my pajamas sipping a Strawberry Banana Smoothie and watching the Red Sox. 

All in all, the three-day weekend was a success!

Ch-ch-changes

The last few months have been quite a whirlwind around here! Lots of changes- all for the good!

I've been working remotely since March 2020 and finally...in March 2022, my company's offices opened back up! We have the option to go in or not- up to three days per week. We have a "hoteling" system, where we need to reserve a cubicle or an office ahead of time and basically can sit where we want in any of the three buildings. 

At first I was gung ho and saying I'd go in three days per week. Well, I think I've been in a TOTAL of three times since opening. People who haven't gone in ask what it's like. It's...weird.

The fact that we don't have our own personalized spaces is somewhat of a bummer. We don't have two monitors at each workstation (yet), so that's somewhat of a deterrent to productivity. I also bring in a full bag...my keyboard, my mouse, my wrist rests, my mousepad, etc..., which can be a nuisance.

BUT...the "good" part? Seeing my co-workers/friends! It's been so great to just chat over the cube wall about day-to-day stuff or ask a work question without having to compose an email or a Teams chat. (Sometimes it's just easier to ask a quickie question in person!) Another "good" part? Actually having to get up at a specific time so I can plan for a shower, getting ready, and driving to work. It's much more uplifting than rolling out of bed and taking a Teams call in my robe (yes- I do in fact do that!)

I am going to make a concerted effort to go in once per week and maybe, over time, I'll eventually go in more. 

March was a banner month! In addition to the office opening, my Mom moved from Florida to Massachusetts and is now only a 20 minute drive from John & me! This is a HUGE deal. I haven't lived within driving distance of my parents since I was 18 (minus a few months that I lived with them before I transferred schools when I was 20). That's 32 years of flying to North Carolina, Colorado, Oregon, and finally Florida to visit them. Don't get me wrong- it was fun to travel and see different places that I might not have seen otherwise, but there were many times I wish we lived closer.

John & I flew to Florida to help her prepare for the move (although she honestly had done a ton before we got there) and drive her car up. 

There were some bumps along the way with the moving company but all turned out well and she really likes the condo she's renting (sight unseen- John & I looked at it and sent pictures). 

The best part? If I'm doing a Walmart/Target/shopping run, I can text her the night before to tell her and she can drive over the next day and we can go together. (Shopping is what we do best. 😀)

Lastly...there's a new member of our household!

In my last post, I wrote about bad luck. Well, I'd like to think that it's our time for some good luck. 

Our neighbors across the street have Golden Retrievers and we'd talked to them about maybe being ready to welcome another one into our home (it's been ten years since our first Golden, Max, passed). In February, John got a text from our neighbor saying a high school friend needed to give up her Golden Retriever, as she was moving into an apartment that didn't take pets. After a small nervous breakdown, I decided to "let go" and say yes. (John was onboard from the word go.) The woman, however, wasn't ready to give him up, so he went to live with her mother (at least this is what I can piece together.) Then, a few months later, in April, our neighbor texted again. Were we still interested? YES!

On April 9th, "Boston" came to visit, stayed overnight, and never left. Here's the first picture I have of him, shortly after he arrived.

"Boston" is now "Murray." (We'd long wanted to name our next Golden Murray.) He'll be two next month and came to us housetrained & neutered. 

It's amazing how much he's added and changed things here. He's definitely added that love that only comes from a relationship with a pet. My overall mental health has improved, as well. There were definitely some changes we had to get used to, in terms of schedule and just being responsible for another "being." 

He's only been here two months, but he's fit in nicely and adapted to us. He's a special dude and we are certainly lucky to have him in our lives.

Bad Luck

Today I had an appointment with a gastroenterologist to discuss scheduling a colonoscopy (oh the joys of turning 50!)

I shared my health anxieties with him and told him that a lot of it stems from my father passing away last year from Cholangiocarcinoma (aka bile duct cancer). 

        An otherwise healthy man in his early 70's was hit with a fairly rare cancer. So sudden and    completely out of left field. He only lived six months after his first symptoms/diagnosis. John and I have talked at length about the suddenness of him getting ill and then passing away. John likened it to a shooting- so abrupt and so harsh (I honestly run out of words to describe it.)

The gastroenterologist acknowledged how tragic this was and as a follow up to my question about the role heredity might play with this cancer, he looked at me and said, "it's just bad luck."

BAD LUCK?

Bad luck is waiting in line at Dunkin to get a maple-frosted donut and the person in front of you buys the last one.

Bad luck is going to an appointment and the bridge you have to cross to get there goes up unscheduled.

Bad luck is a black cat crossing your path (allegedly).

In the 21st century, shouldn't we be able to take the "luck" part out of the cancer equation? I honestly am still blown away that there are cancers that are just not curable. We've come so far with treatments for certain cancers, yet not very far at all for others. I don't necessarily know that I can change that, but will try to raise awareness for this type of cancer in my own small way.

I still don't think I'm ready to write a full-blown post about my Dad, but here are a few things I can share that have been on my mind lately as memories surface-

• He was a mathematical/statistical guru. He loved numbers (evidenced by doing Cross Sums in the crossword puzzle magazines- the one puzzle that drives me crazy). He could sit for hours and look at horse racing or greyhound racing data, digest it, and put it into the formulas that he created. While he and I never talked in-depth about his hobby (as a teenager, I was pretty much dead set against taking an interest in anything my parents enjoyed...lol), I look back now and wish we had talked about it. I wish I could've had that window into his brain and perhaps some of it would've rubbed off on me!

• Related to above, he was a strategy guru. He loved chess. When I was in elementary school, he bought me a kids' book on chess and spent time teaching me. We'd play occasionally but this was another hobby that I never took to- my brain didn't work like his. Back in the 80's, he'd sign up to play chess by mail with an opponent from somewhere in the US. He'd have the chess board set up and the pieces in the places where he and his opponent had designated. Moves were made via mail- he'd send a postcard to his opponent with his next move and vice versa. 

• I said above that as a teenager I was pretty much dead set against anything my parents wanted me to engage in. My Dad took me on my college visits, including Simmons College (now University) in Boston. At the time, undergrad was all female, but graduate was co-ed. He got his master's degree from Simmons in Library Science (a great story for a later post). I specifically remember being in an auditorium at Simmons with him sitting next to me and wanting me to like it. He never said that, but it was a feeling I got. Of course, because I was 17, the thought of all female was a no-go and I declined attending there. Fast forward almost 20 years and it all came full circle- I was going to be attending Simmons for my master's in Library Science. I was older and (somewhat) wiser and looked differently at following in his footsteps- I was proud to be doing so. 

I always wanted built-ins in the living room- to showcase my plethora of books and also to share mementos and photos. Luckily I married a former contractor who made that dream come true. Throughout the process, I sent photos to my parents and my Dad would always marvel at how talented John is (while my Dad had many sterling qualities, he was not gifted in the building/fixing realm). He said to me a few times (even before he was sick)- I hope you have a shelf for me. 

It's not perfect, but I think it sums up my Dad pretty well. An American Libraries magazine with his memorial notice, a horse racing book, a chess book, and two Saint books. A chess set. A greyhound racing memento I had given him. A photo of us from the last visit he made here at a hockey game (no surprise- another love of his). Lastly, a card he gave me probably 30+ years ago that I saved. 

Back to the whole "bad luck" thing- I am still angry that my Dad, of all people, who was such a smart, funny, and loving man got the extremely short end of the cancer stick. It's been almost eleven months since his passing left a gigantic void in the lives of those who loved him. While it's still not easy at all, I find that smiles are starting to take the place of tears when I think about him.

January/February Entertainment Review: TV Series, Movie & Books

 Here's the lowdown on what I watched and read in January/February 2022:

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TV Series: Search Party on HBOMax

John and I watched all five seasons over the course of a month or so, although I honestly lost track of exactly how long it took us to watch. He had already watched season one and I happened to be sitting with him while he was watching a season two episode and he said he thought I'd like it. He offered to re-watch season one and off we went.

I really have to say that the first two seasons and probably the third were GREAT. I really enjoyed the four main characters and how each brought a different facet to their friendship. Meredith Hagner (the blond on the left in the above image) is the airheaded actress and pulls it off magnificently. But the star of the show? The one who made me LOL? John Early who plays Elliott (the one in the yellow suit and sunglasses in the above image.) I mean, roll on the floor, laugh your ass off. 

However, when seasons four and five came along, even Elliott's amazing sense of humor couldn't save the show. Classic example of "jumped the shark." Let's just say that I did not invest all that time to have the series end in a zombie apocalypse (::major eyeroll::) I am not a zombie person to begin with, but this just totally went off the rails. 

So, feel free to watch seasons one-three and then find something else!

If you watched it, what did you think?

Gilded Age on HBOMax

This will be quick as we didn't even make it through the first episode.

Julian Fellowes, who created Downton Abbey, also created this series. I thought, "Brilliant! I loved Downton, so I'll love the Gilded Age." And you can't go wrong with Christine Baranski!

Major snooze-a-palooza! Way too slow. 

If you watched it and enjoyed it, I'd be interested to hear what specifically you liked about it.

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Movie: The Tender Bar on Amazon Prime

So many things to love about this movie. A lot of it was shot on the North Shore of Massachusetts/Cape Ann, which is where I live and work, so it was fun recognizing landmarks in scenes. It took place in the 70's/80's- my era. Ben Affleck. Already has a "real" Boston accent, so no need for a cringe-worthy fake accent. Lastly- a well written "slice of life" story. 

Watch it- you'll thank me.

If you watched it, what did you think?

Books: Here is a book that I've read since the beginning of the year and rated an A+, A or A-.

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

Description: Gifty is a fifth-year candidate in neuroscience at Stanford School of Medicine studying reward-seeking behavior in mice and the neural circuits of depression and addiction. Her brother, Nana, was a gifted high school athlete who died of a heroin overdose after a knee injury left him hooked on OxyContin. Her suicidal mother is living in her bed. Gifty is determined to discover the scientific basis for the suffering she sees all around her.

Rating: A. While this isn't exactly "light" reading, it's an extremely well written story about real life issues. I was empathetic to the characters and when Gifty wanted her mother to get out of bed so so much, I could feel that longing. The only reason I didn't give it an A+, was the somewhat random interjections of biomedical jargon- almost like an excerpt from a science textbook.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think? 

What good books have you read lately?

Consumer Report February 2022: The Good & the Not So Good

Let's start with the positive, shall we?

For those of us who are lactose intolerant, eating cereal can be off the table. (I take Lactaid pills, but they don't seem to be effective for milk & cereal.) My Mom came up to visit in October and she drinks lactose-free milk, so we bought it for her. 

Go figure. Lactose-free milk is not exactly a new item and if I'd been buying it, I could've had cereal back in my life much sooner!

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Fairlife lactose-free milk is spectacular! I (obviously) don't drink "regular" milk frequently, but I honestly didn't find a taste difference between the two. We use it in cooking and for cereal and it saves me a lot on Lactaid pills!

After having cereal for the first time with this milk and not feeling sick after, I wanted to break into song- "A Whole New World" from Alladdin. 😂 (Again, just annoying it took me so long to try it!)

Next up are Dill, Olive Oil & Sea Salt Triscuits. Love, love, love them! They are salty (but not too salty) and pair perfectly with all kinds of cheeses or are tasty just on their own! These are not your OG dry flavorless Triscuits! (They also have some other funky flavors which I've yet to try!)

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I feel like these are the (semi) healthy version of Brown Sugar Pop Tarts. Kellogg's Special K Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pastry Crisps are so tasty. Whenever I have a sugar craving, this definitely satisfies it. The drizzle of frosting and the brown sugar are the perfect combination- for breakfast, snack or dessert.

Now, the not so good.

Since I have a new lease on life in the cereal department, I immediately gravitated toward one of my all-time favorites, Cinnamon Life. I then happened to see on the box that there's Vanilla Life. 

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Since my regular grocery store doesn't carry it, I went out of my way to get it at another (more expensive) grocery store. What.a.letdown. 

See the "...artificially flavored" statement on the box? Yup, that's completely accurate. The vanilla flavor tasted very fake. It had an aftertaste, like artificial sugar. I don't recommend it. At all. ::runs back to grocery store to buy Cinnamon Life::

I feel like I may have complained about this next one already, so if I did in a previous blog post, sorry. However, it's SO bad that it's worth repeating how awful it is.

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I love love love love love (not enough loves) maple frosted donuts. It is my donut of choice at Dunkin. (I rarely go to other donut shops but if I did, it would be my donut of choice at those places, too.) I just happened to be Googling maple frosted to see what other recipes or products I might stumble upon and lo and behold I came across Maple Glazed Doughnut ONE Bar. 

Perfect! A nutrition bar (healthy!) that is frosted with maple goodness? Sign me up. My regular grocery store did have this and I almost bought an entire box, but (thankfully), I restrained myself and bought one bar to try. 

There really aren't many words for the taste of this. Artificial sugar is one problem, which comes with major aftertaste. Weird texture. This bar should not be using the phrase "maple frosted donut" on it's label- it's consumer fraud. Yuck.

Have you tried any new food items lately that you loved or hated?