Alphabet of Daily Life - L

L is for Lists

Does everyone live by making lists? I'm not sure if this is a universal habit among adult humans or just a Virgo thing. Personally, I don't see how I could get through daily life without a list of
something...

• a to-do list
• a grocery list
• a list of chapters for my book
• a list of other books to write after my first one gets published
• a list of places to travel to
• a list of projects to complete at work, especially "top priority" ones

The "list" goes on. For me, lists accomplish a couple of things:

1. They organize a project or a day (or a life): my lists begin by just putting lots of random, related items down on paper. Once visible on the page, it's an easy task to put them into some type of order, such as a time sequence for accomplishing, or grouped by subject category, etc. It's then a matter of just "working the list" to get things done.
2. They offer a sense of accomplishment: it's a very satisfying feeling to cross something off the list. And to have an entirely crossed off list is something good indeed.

This is a travel list I'm currently building. I determined that I want to take at least 3 vacations per year: 1 to the Cape, 1 to a US locale, and 1 overseas trip. I'm in the midst of planning the Florida Keys trip; it will be me, my daughter, my sister, her daughter, and our niece - all driving the Keys from Miami to Key West and back again. We'll hopefully also get in a quick visit to The Everglades, as riding a fan boat is on one of my lists!

Recently, my daughter, who has been groomed in my list-making mentality, suggested we help each other develop lists of our big and little victories in life. These types of lists are used to remind ourselves of what we're doing right when we're feeling down. We did so, and were quite pleased with our results. It's very compelling to see this list of accomplishments written on a page; you should give it a try (and get someone to help you - they sometimes remember things you don't and can be much more generous than you might be for yourself). We'll keep adding to our lists, but so far, mine includes:

• Broke the poverty cycle
• Brought up a citizen of the world
• Developed a successful career
• Became a gourmet cook
• Earned a Master's degree
• Able to consistently run a 5K (at least 3 times per week)
• Bought my own house
• Live a healthy lifestyle
• Paid off my student loans (woohoo!)
• Helped put my daughter through college
• Traveled outside the country (a life-long dream)
• Took an epic road trip (with my daughter, from MA to Yellowstone in WY, and back again)
• Bought a brand new car (my hybrid)
• Climbed Pikes Peak (twice)
• Spoke successfully to an audience of 600+, and also served as emcee

I also came across this interesting List, which is a "just for fun" type of list, featuring tidbits about TV Chef Ree Drummond, whom I greatly admire.

Do you live by lists? I simply must know.

Tamarack in West Virginia

We discovered Tamarack during a web search for top places to visit in West Virginia. We were headed out on a road trip to tour the state and Tamarack was listed as a must-see in the southern city of Beckley.

Here's a description from their website: "Located in the center of the eastern United States, Beckley, West Virginia, is the home of Tamarack: The Best of West Virginia. Tamarack welcomes half a million visitors annually as a one-stop shop for West Virginia culture, heritage, handcrafts, fine art, regional cuisine and music. Tamarack is how you will see and treasure West Virginia."

We expected to arrive at Tamarack around noon, so planned to eat lunch there. The website let us know that it was cafeteria style dining, but that the chefs were top-notch. When we arrived, we were ready for lunch before we looked around. Here's what we experienced:

My meal:

• Collard Greens: perfectly flavored, cooked with bacon
• Tangy Coleslaw: no mayo in this - plenty of oil, vinegar, sugar, celery seed, and green pepper
• Dirty Rice: red rice with bits of hamburger, sausage, peppers, and corn
• Green Beans: cooked southern-style, meaning much softer than we eat them up north, and boiled with a bit of bacon or ham. Mighty tasty.

Daughter's meal: 

• Hunter Chicken: nicely roasted chicken with a chunky tomato and pepper sauce
• Mashed Potatoes: how can you make mashed potatoes better than they already are? Somehow, Tamarack chefs did - these were the best we've ever tasted, and as smooth and creamy as you can imagine.
• Creamy Coleslaw: this is the more traditional version, and the sauce was absolute perfection.

Tamarack was such an unexpected culinary pleasure. I highly recommend it to anyone who is heading to southern West Virginia. We perused the many shops after lunch, and I was thrilled to find a new cookbook for my collection: Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, and Scuppernong Wine.

Photo Expedition - Route 22

On Mother's Day, my daughter lets me choose the locale, and we head out on a photo expedition. This means taking a camera along, with plenty of charged batteries, and seeking out beautiful photo opportunities and taking hundreds of shots. It's fun, creative, and helps us look at things a little more closely and with an eye toward framing a great shot.

This year, we decided to head south down scenic Route 22 just over the border in New York. Here's what we found as we meandered along

(NOTE: I can't figure out how to slow down this slide show. If it's running too fast, just hover over it until the control buttons appear, then click Pause. You'll be able to continue playing it when you're ready, or use the arrows to view one photo at a time.):



We had a lovely meal (late lunch, early dinner) at the quaint and cozy Hillsdale Crossroads Diner. It was pleasant inside, with friendly servers, interesting old farm implements hanging from the ceiling, and the requisite aluminum diner backsplash. They serve breakfast all day (hallelujah!), so I had my favorite corned beef hash and poached eggs. My daughter had the special - popcorn shrimp and fries.



After that, we turned around and headed home again...still finding many great shots along the way. And, we still made it home with plenty of time to spare for uploading photos and creating slideshows!

PS - If you head out on one of these rural road trips, be sure to gas up the car ahead of time, pack water bottles and snacks, and bring cash! It can often be quite some time before you can get these items. We ended up needing cash to pay for our meal, as the restaurant didn't take cards, so went to the nearby gas station ATM. It only could dispense ONE $20 bill!
.

Home Again

.
Well, it was a pretty easy and straightforward trip home. We made it quickly and easily out of DC - we were thinking there would be traffic jams but didn't come upon any as we were leaving at 9 am.

For the first 1/3 of the trip, it was fun to be driving among fellow Inaugural attendees - they were easy to spot because of the ultra dirty car exterior (just like ours!), the many Obama stickers, and the writing on the windows, like the one on the right from Oklahoma. And, they filled the rest stops along the way, still abuzz with excitement and wearing their Obama gear. As the miles passed, though, everyone dispersed and headed off in different directions and we only spotted a fellow attendee every once in awhile. So ends our exciting adventure to DC.

When we arrived home, we were happy to discover that the cats had gone easy on each other, they hadn't eaten the fish, and the house was as snug as ever. Tomorrow...back to school and work!
.

Inauguration Road Trip

.

Evening Post:

Well, we're here and we're all settled in. The trip went really well. Our wintery-est weather and road conditions were right in the Berkshires, where it was pretty slick and slippery (it was snowing and the roads were covered). Once we got into New York state and onto the Thruway, it was smooth sailing.

I had the wiper fluid pump replaced not long ago, but it's still temperamental, and if it's too cold, the fluid won't come out onto the windshield. Well, it was cold this morning (11 degrees when we left), so no fluid. My co-pilot was good enough to step out and give the windshield a "slosh" (see photo at right!). Once it warmed up to about 25 degrees, we had fluid again.

Our mapquest directions were perfect and everything went according to plan. It was really fun to begin seeing cars and buses from all over the U.S. as we stopped at rest stops. Surprisingly, there was no congestion or endless lines (yet!).

We stopped at the Maryland Information Center (which was very nice, but we do have to give props to the state of New York for their very good-looking Adirondack Lodge-style rest stops - very clean and roomy). While there, one of the pleasant gentlemen working at the information desk asked us where we were staying. When he heard we would be on Georgia Ave, he recommended the Crisfield Restaurant to us, as a very good seafood restaurant that was also very close to our hotel.

We got checked in to our hotel, surveyed our room and were pleasantly surprised, then headed out to dinner. The Crisfield Restaurant is totally charming from the outside, and equally as quaint inside. It has old tiled walls and floors, a beautiful collection of vintage china oyster serving plates, and a no-nonsense manner. I had a wonderful plate of sea scallops with the best tartar sauce I have ever had (I'd love that recipe), terrific coleslaw with just a touch of sweet and topped with a bread-and-butter pickle, and applesauce. My daughter had a bowl of oyster stew, with bits of butter swimming on top and oyster crackers on the side. We were both very pleased with our choices and had just the right amount to eat. I would highly recommend this place for both its ambience and its food.

So now it's off to bed, sleeping in a little bit in the am, and then off to learn the Metro and see the sights. Let's hope tomorrow goes as successfully, and as full as laughter, as today.

PS - photos courtesy of my daughter - the ace photographer.

Inauguration Road Trip

.
Morning Post:

Today is the momentous day...we head out on the road to DC, along with a million other people.

We've made this drive before, and it's really not too bad. Mapquest says it should take about 7 hours (about 340 miles); I wonder if it will take a lot longer today because of all the other visitors converging on the same destination?

We're leaving about 7:30 am, and it's our usual Road Trip Tradition to head to Lee (our entrance to the Mass Pike), stop at McDonalds for breakfast and a hot tea for the road, then stop at the nearby mini mart so my daughter can get an assortment of drinks and snacks for the car.

But, our trip to DC is taking us in a slightly different direction this morning, and we can't make our usual stop. We have to head over into New York first thing, so today we'll try the mini mart on Elm Street (our everyday errand stop), and eat at the McDonalds on the road out of town.

PS - WEbook...thank you for the "Jan 20 2009 Correspondent" notepad...very cool and much appreciated!

.

Ready for the Road

.
I've known for some time that my Honda's 4 tires AND front and rear brakes needed replacing, but I've been putting it off because of the incredible expense. But, because we're going to be on the road so far from home, two damsels on our own, I want to be sure the car is ready to roll.

So, when I went in for my $60 lube/oil/filter/topup/etc, I asked them to look at these items and tell me what was absolutely critical. The rear brakes were the winner. So, $474 later, we're ready for our road trip to DC.

Here's what was done for all that moolah...


(Thank you to SuTree for the how-to video!)
.

Going to Inauguration

Yay - we're so excited!

Ever since election night, we've been thinking about attending the inauguration. My daughter has asked if that could be her birthday gift for her sweet sixteenth, and I've really been hoping I could make it happen.

Well, I'm happy to report, we finally found a hotel in DC! I've been searching online forever, and was only finding hotels at $1,000 a night and up, but I somehow stumbled upon a site that featured a Motel 6 on Georgia Ave. (It's very close to Walter Reed, where I was stationed during my Army Medic training many years ago.) The price isn't toooo bad, and there really doesn't seem to be anything else available and affordable, so we decided to book it!

So, here's the plan:

• Sunday, 1/18 - drive to DC. We've done this before - we visited there a few years ago for our summer vacation, but it's been a while. Mapquest says it should take about 7 hours or so. It will be interesting to see what kind of traffic we hit. This day should be fun, since Road Trips are one of our favorite things. (Reminder to self - have car serviced!)
• Monday, 1/19 - learn how to us the metro system. plan our route to the inauguration site, and scope out the scene at the national mall. We've seen most of the museums and monuments, but it might be nice to visit the Lincoln Memorial again. And, the Washington Monument was closed for repairs the last time we were there. I've been up it, but my daughter hasn't, so we could see if it's open this time.
• Tuesday, 1/20 - the metro will have special inauguration hours on this day, starting at 4 am. I don't know that we'll get up THAT early, but I am thinking we'd like to take it around 5 or 6 am, just to avoid being in crushing crowds during the ride, if at all possible. I've also ordered good binoculars, since I'm guessing it will be difficult to see anything. And, we're bringing lots of hand warmers. There are restrictions on the types of bags we can carry and the items we can bring, but we're hoping to bring water, snacks, cameras and maybe the camcorder - I'd like to interview random strangers and create my own iReport (my daughter isn't wild about this idea!). We're expecting that prices for food and water will be through the roof. Then, our plan is to let the crowds disperse a bit before taking the metro back to the hotel late in the day.
• Wednesday, 1/21 - drive back home, hoping that outbound traffic isn't toooooo horrible; maybe we'll leave early in the am before all of the hotel checkout times go into effect!

So, that's the plan. I do think this will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, that the crowds and cold will be a challenge, and that it will be fun to part of the excitement and the event.

The Wish List

I came across this book a few years ago while shopping in Barnes & Noble. It's just a really long list of possible things to do in life. I like it because it gives me ideas I might not think of on my own, like:

• Eating at restaurants I didn't know existed, but would love to try.
• Visiting cool places I've never heard of.
• Trying a new hobby or sport, just for the heck of it.

To use the book, I put an X next to everything I'd like to try and I highlight the things I've already done. Some of the things I've already done include:

• Milk a cow (at my Uncle Marcel's dairy farm in Vermont)
• Buy my own house
• Have my "letter to the editor" published
• Host a Fresh Air child (Eternity has visited us for the past 2 summers)
• Drive through a dust storm in the desert (a dust devil in Buckeye, Arizona)
• Drive 1-80 from New York to San Francisco
• Do the Sunday crossword in ink
• Ride a helicopter to work (in a medevac helicopter when I was an Army medic - scary...we flew with the doors open!)
• Paint a portrait (I was an art major...long, long ago)

And, here are some things that are still on my list to try:

• Visit the Eiffel Tower
• Write a best seller
• Pay it forward
• Take up fencing
• Have 20/20 vision
• Calculate with an abacus
• Float down the Amazon
• Walk across the Golden Gate bridge (we visited San Francisco earlier this year, but just didn't have time to fit this one in!)
• Learn to kayak
• Make my own pickles (I've made jam and chutney, but no pickles yet)

My copy is rather battered, as I've read and re-read The Wish List so many times. It always goes with me on vacation and whenever I travel - it's great airplane reading. I like to remind myself of all the wonderful adventures waiting to be experienced. It's so easy to forget these things while dealing with all the details of day-to-day life.
.

Ayup - Maine Road Trip

Today was a perfect day to see the coast of Maine before the really cold weather sets in...

From our house, it's about 3 hours across Massachusetts, up across the edge of New Hampshire, and into Maine. (You know you're a New Englander when you measure distance in hours!) Scenic Highway 1 wends its way all along Maine's craggy coastline.

If you go on your own road trip to Maine, here is my advice:

• Find out ahead of time how to get to any beaches you're interested in exploring; Highway 1 does go along the coast, but you'll have better luck if you have specific directions to a specific beach. A detailed map of the area would work better than a generic Atlas. And, in some instances, the smaller roads get you a bit closer to the water than Route 1. (Does anyone know where all of those gorgeous ROCKY beaches are - maybe up near Mount Desert Island???)


• Plan on lots of driving along quiet highways; very picturesque, but it does take some time to get to where you're going, especially if there is no passing!


• Give yourself a couple of days to explore so you have a chance to find all those scenic spots. Maine is HUGE (at least compared to Massachusetts!) and because the highway winds back and forth so much, it takes extra time to travel.
• You'll be without cell phone service for much of the time, but Maine's very nice Visitor Centers offer public phones.

Now, the question is, where to go next...

Fall Foliage Ride on the Mohawk Trail

.
Every year on Columbus Day, we head out for a Fall Foliage Ride in northern Berkshire County. For anyone looking for a foliage day trip (this one takes about 6 hours), here's our usual route:

• Pittsfield to Cheshire: We start by picking up pumpkins at Whitney's Farm Stand on Route 8 in Cheshire. We'll carve those later in the month for Halloween. And, we pick up some cider doughnuts and apples in case anyone gets hungry during the ride before we reach our lunch stop. This is a great place to pick up fresh fall produce, mums, and delicious baked goods.
• Cheshire to North Adams: We then head into North Adams and pick up the Mohawk Trail (Route 2)...love all the steeples amidst the fall splendor.
• North Adams to Charlemont: Route 2 is just gorgeous this time of year, and has many scenic stops along the way. The Hairpin Turn has a spectacular view, and long-range binoculars are available...a great spot for photos. One of our favorit gift shops is the Wigwam Summit Gift Shop, whose owners moved all the way from Hawaii to come back to their roots and run this quaint store in its lovely location. Another must is the Hail to the Sunrise statue, a stirring tribute to the Mohawk Indians who once inhabited the area. On the way to Charlemont, an especially beautiful section of the drive is along the Cold River, where you'll wind through colorful trees and mountains towering above you on either side.
• Charlemont to Shelburne Falls: Our usual lunch stop is The Charlemont Inn. But, this year we decided to go a little further up the road to Shelburne Falls because we wanted to try a new restaurant - The Mohawk Diner. I came across it during a Google search of restaurants along the Mohawk Trail, and we're ALWAYS up for trying a new place to eat. It was a cute country diner, no frills but clean and neat, and we had to wait in line! The food was basic, but good. In fact, the roasted butternut squash soup was heavenly and I'm going to try to duplicate the recipe at home. Stopping here made our ride a bit longer than we'd planned and we'll probably try a restaurant a little closer to home next year. We were hoping to check out the Glacial Potholes, but our day was zipping by, and we decided we just didn't have time this year. Another time.
• Shelburne Falls to Pittsfield: After lunch, we turned around to head back. And, to the delight of the girls, we discovered a few new gift shops! The huge indian statue at one of the gift shops was quite cool. Another shop boasted a mural of a scene of daily Indian life. And, still another had a full-size teepee. At one shop, I was able to put together a gift basket of goodies - pumpkin butter, Mohawk Trail playing cards, maple candy, etc - which I'll put in a Yankee Gift Exchange this Christmas.

So ended our annual Fall Foliage Ride. All in all, a gorgeous day with beautiful weather and peak foliage. Couldn't have been better. (I'd love to hear about YOUR favorite ride.)
.