Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Sunday, March 6, 2022

Mosaic Monday #168: A Little Getaway

Dear readers: strap on your seatbelts, we're going for a ride! Skiing? Check. Flying? Check. Delectable eats? Check. Retail therapy? Check. Family time? Check. Our getaway in Idaho and Utah was delightful in every way you can imagine. Come take a look!

We drove to Idaho Falls to visit #1 Son, and the temperature gauge never exceeded 5 degrees F. He met us at his apartment, and his pride was evident as he showed us the new digs. We delivered a few more boxes and other possessions, which we could not squeeze into either vehicle during the original move (see January 23 post), and then we headed out for dinner. He was excited to share one of his favorite restaurants, The Cuban Table. And he warned Spousal Unit: "Don't even get out your wallet!"

The next day, we continued heading south for three hours, aiming for the Utah mountain home of my oldest brother and his wife. After unloading the 4Runner, we chatted about the plan for the upcoming week, and quickly came to the conclusion that the afternoon would be one of the best opportunities for my sister-in-law and I to pop into Shepherd's Bush. If this sounds familiar, it is because I wrote about it in December 2020, recounting our previous Utah road trip. On that occasion, we were not able to enter this fine needlework store due to the pandemic. So, just like a kid that is only allowed to look at candy through a shop window, my anticipation was at a fever pitch. And, I was not disappointed. I could have bought many more projects, but I limited myself to these four, all fairly small in size. For some time, I have wanted some "seasonal" cross-stitch that I can hang/swap out with the progression of the year, and these fit the bill perfectly.

Full of a delicious dinner of pulled pork, baked beans and squash boats, we slept like babies until it was time to rise and shine for our first day of skiing. Snowbasin is the closest ski area, and the "home" resort for my brother and his wife. Collectively, we decided to travel a little farther, to Park City, reasoning that crowds would be smaller there on a Thursday as compared to a Friday. The bitterly cold temperatures continued, but that didn't prevent us from enjoying the robin's egg-blue skies and the silky smooth groomed runs.

A hot tub, margaritas and another fine meal, featuring salmon pasta, soothed aching muscles from a day on the slopes! The next day, a 15-minute drive brought us to Snowbasin, and we were treated to a view of a moose along the way. AND - Mother Nature had delivered six inches of fresh snow to the mountain overnight. Could it get any better?

That evening, Taggart's Grill, a favorite local dining establishment, gave our hostess some relief from kitchen duties. Friday night specials typically include prime rib and pot roast, and we enjoyed both of them. I felt like I was back in my Mom's dining room as I tucked into the skillet of pot roast! If you click on the picture at right, you can read about this historic location, which began as a quaint campground with a pet Bobcat, and developed into a restaurant famous for its individual cheesecakes, pies, cookies, coconut macaroons and carrot cake.

The next day, we took a break from skiing. My sister-in-law went to Salt Lake City airport to collect my niece, and my brother took me flying in his newly acquired airplane! I have flown with him a number of other times, mostly in a sailplane. The new plane has the advantage of an engine (!), which allows options such as flying close to interesting land features, including this canyon with red rocks.

In the afternoon, my brother flew with Spousal Unit. Since my dear hubby has been taking flying lessons and is nearing his solo flight, my brother had him take the left-hand seat - most of the instruments are there and that is typically the seat of the "pilot". Below is a video of the plane on take-off.

During the flight, Spousal Unit performed three rolls! With my brother at the helm, he also experienced a backwards loop, practice stalls and more rolls. Needless to say, he was over the moon!

A fabulous sunset was the perfect ending to this day.

On Sunday and Monday, we skied at Snowbasin, and our niece joined in.

The temperatures had re-bounded but not enough to spoil the conditions.

Salt Lake City was the site of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, and Snowbasin was chosen as the venue for the men's and women's downhill, super G and combined races. The Allen Peak tram takes intrepid skiers to the starting point for the downhill races. (Fortunately, you can also take the tram back down if you change your mind!) In the collage below, Spousal Unit and I are standing to one side of the tram with a vista spread behind us. The hut in the second picture is the starting point for the men's downhill. My brother told us that he once sped down the course as quickly as he could, finishing in about 5 minutes. The winning time in the 2002 Olympics was 1:39.13!!!!

We returned on the tram owing to rocky conditions at the summit, but not before catching a glimpse of the (disappearing) Great Salt Lake to the west.

Snowbasin has two gondolas, and something about watching them pass before a massive mountain appeals to the romantic in me.

One of the first dates I had with Spousal Unit (before he was Spousal Unit) was to a ski resort in Scotland - Aviemore. He had never skied before, and spent most of the time on his bum. That, together with his strong dislike for ski boots, probably explains why he is now a snowboarder. But we still enjoy skiing/riding together!

On our final full day in Utah, Spousal Unit and my brother spent another day at Park City. My sister-in-law took our niece to the airport, and then we engaged in a little more retail therapy. The first stop was the New World Distillery in Eden. Unfortunately, the Distillery is not offering tastings and tours at the moment, but the owner took the time to review the products. I opted for the Apple Brandy - he suggested that it is a perfect base for a Sangria, and referred us to liquor.com for recipes. I will have to wait until after Lent to try it since I have decided to give up all alcohol until Easter!

Our next destination was the Rainbow Gardens Gift Shop. It is the ideal place for a unique gift, and delightful for people who like gourmet goodies, kitchen essentials, gardening items, candles, soaps, toys and fashions, not to mention a full line of Vera Bradley handbags and travel accessories. I can't show you everything I bought because some of the items were gifts, but I can share three of their spectacular window displays, and the new garden flag that is already hanging outside!

After returning to the house, several pleasurable hours were spent cross-stitching and chatting with my sister-in-law. In fact, quite a bit of progress was made on #1 Daughter's adult Christmas stocking on this trip - in the car, while in conversation and during various TV programs that we watched as a group. It was one of many blessings of this getaway. On our way back to Montana, we met up with #1 Son for another meal, this time at an Indian restaurant. It wasn't too difficult to say good-bye since we will see him again in 78 days - in Grand Cayman. But that's another getaway and another post!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us.

Sunday, February 20, 2022

Mosaic Monday #167: Random Ruminations

"What's another word for 'mish-mash'"? I asked, peering over my glasses at Spousal Unit. "Context?" he parried back. "I am composing my blog about a mish-mash of events from January and February ..." I explained. "Gamoosh," he proposed. Pausing, he added "Hodgepodge. Random ruminations." Eureka! That's it! What word or phrase would you have suggested?

Since I started this post with a birthday photo, I might as well continue the theme! I was feted with many texts, phone calls, cards, comments on my FaceBook timeline and more. Each of us deserves a day when we are showered with love, and I certainly felt that on my birthday!

Spousal Unit took me out for dinner at a local steakhouse, which is also a treat for him since it is a night he doesn't have to cook!

A former HR colleague scheduled a Zoom call with several fellow members of the team, and for 30 minutes we caught up with each other, and had some good laughs reminiscing about our time working together. We may be fatigued from Zoom and Skype and FaceTime, but these tools to stay connected are surely a silver lining from the pandemic.

I asked for a drone, and my wish was granted. I have begun watching "how-to" videos, and soon I will be ready for my first flight. We'll have to go somewhere that has some wide open spaces!!! #1 Son surprised me with these new reels - perfect for my ski pass - and snazzy bright ski socks. Too bad they get covered up by ski boots!

Thoughtful gifts require some creativity, and knowing what's important to someone. My Dear Neighbor Friend surprised me with this gardening shovel - she knew I "needed" one after she helped me transplant some juniper last fall, and saw that I was trying to dig them up with a spade!! And of course, her cinnamon rolls never come in wrong!!!

On January 23, I wrote about our trip to Idaho Falls to help #1 Son make the move to his new job. Along the way, we stopped at the Dell Mercantile, and although it does not look like much on the outside, it contains an eclectic collection of gift items. I could have taken a dozen pictures of amusing sayings printed on different objects.

And I loved this mural/quote in the ladies' restroom - I had to work to get the whole mural in the shot.

Speaking of decorations, I switched over to a red/Valentine's theme when we disassembled the Christmas tree and packed away the holiday decorations.

I enjoyed drawing this birthday card for my oldest sister.

As I write this post, we are under a Winter Storm Watch - by Monday morning, we could have 3 - 5 inches of snow, with 6 - 12 at the higher elevations. Of course, for us winter sports fans, this is welcome news. More white stuff makes for better cross-country and downhill skiing!

One of the great privileges of serving as a Mountain Ambassador is participating in the Whitefish Winter Carnival parade, representing the Resort. I have written about this before - 2/16/2020. This year, the theme was 80's Re-wind, and the Resort float was designed around the Ghostbusters movie. (On the mountain, we have snow ghosts, so it seemed fitting!)

I haven't shown you enough food in this post ... one night after "work", we had the mountain of nachos at the Craggy Range.

We have endeavored to add more fruits and vegetables to our diet via smoothies. But sometimes your Spousal Unit spoils you with a huckleberry Danish!

This week, Head Chef made a salad that was out of this world. Mixed greens, freshly cooked beets (still warm), tomatoes, grilled chicken (still warm), pecans toasted with Cajun spices, grilled red peppers and feta cheese. So many flavors - very satisfying!

At the end of January, we tried Mercantile Steak in Kalispell, and we would highly recommend it. It is pricey, but as a treat it is worth every penny, starting with the gigantic popovers sprinkled with Gruyere. So tasty!

Two final, random ruminations. Close to running out of milk one day, we stopped at the gas station for a half gallon, and I was thrilled to read that Horizon Organic has a goal to be the first national dairy brand to be carbon positive by 2025! Buy Horizon Organic! Meanwhile, Spousal Unit was refilling the washer fluid in his truck when he found this critter nest under the hood. The question is: where did all this material come from? I suspect we won't find out until we give the garage its spring cleaning!

***due to a trip to Idaho Falls/Utah next week, I will not be hosting Mosaic Monday on February 27. Come back March 6!