After browsing online for ways to redeem our frequent flyer miles yesterday morning, I sent an email to Jesse at work hinting that maybe we should take the plunge and book a trip to Belgium and Germany. Luckily, Anna and I were out for most of the afternoon, so I was able to contain my excitement about the prospect of a trip until dinner time. Jesse got home a few minutes before me (enough time to decompress from the office) and I immediately started bubbling over with ideas. I thought he'd be a harder sell, since planning for a giant trip hardly seems like the prudent thing to do while the economy is totally in the shitter. However, he was on board -- maybe not as insanely excited as me, but pretty darn happy about the prospect of finally going on our honeymoon.
We discussed potential dates over a delicious bowl of vodka pasta and decided that anything less than a week in each country would be inadequate. This morning over coffee, I perused the airline website and before I knew it, we were looking over our calendars and settling on the exact dates. Then, click, click, click, we booked two round trip tickets to Belgium (leaving September 3rd and returning September 18th). The decision to just take a trip was impulsive, yes, but in reality we've been planning on this vacation for nearly two years (and when you have the opportunity to fly overseas practically for free, you kind of have to jump at the chance). Also, it will coincide with our second wedding anniversary and I can't think of a more awesome way to spend it!
After booking the tickets, we grabbed our bikes and rode straight down to the library to pick up some travel literature. There are so many guide books out there that it was hard for me to choose just one or two. I think after sampling several from the library I will have a better idea of which ones provide the kind of information on the kind of experience we want. Then, I'll narrow it down and purchase a couple for us to carry around.
Jesse also has a few books that he wants to purchase that deal solely with the highlight of this trip -- beer. I've already perused a couple of the Belgian guidebooks and picked out a few breweries and an abbey to tour and, of course, sample the fares. At this point, Germany is still a bit up in the air. We're having a hard time deciding whether to focus our time just on Munich and southern Germany (with a side trip to Austria), or to split our time equally in Munich and Berlin. I think as I read more the answer will probably be pretty easy.
Our apartment in Savannah was located in a 1852 row house that's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The exterior is impeccable and has been well-kept. The inside, while clean and spacious, is crammed with knick-knacks, do-dads, and lots of lace. The master bathroom had a tub that was large enough for our entire family and there was a baby grand piano in the parlor. 
The walls were clad in red damask wall paper that was punctuated by an array of prints ranging from classic impressionist paintings and rather strange posters from a bygone era. If we had chosen to soak in the family-sized tub, we could have set our sights on this scantily clad butt during our soak. 
The lady (with clothes that somehow were run through a paper shredder) greeted us every day when we came home from touring the city. The shredded lady was sandwiched between a 1920s ad and a movie poster for Gone with the Wind. I'm not sure if Scarlett O'Hara would approve.
Unlike Charleston, Savannah was warm and balmy. The temperature hovered right around 65 degrees during the day, but the humidity hung in the air and made our hair unruly and our shirts damp -- even while just strolling along the streets. Despite the fact that it was the middle of December, the city was still beautiful. The fountain in Forsythe Park was still running and the trees hadn't yet lost all of their leaves.
We didn't tour any of the houses in Savannah, instead choosing to take a trolley tour. Our legs were tired after all of the walking around Charleston and we decided it would be a lot more fun to see all of the city and just hop on and off the trolley when we found a site that looked interesting. Of course we walked by the Mercer-Williams house that was a prominent setting in the book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Even without the history behind it, I think the house is pretty amazing. 
One benefit of the accoutrement in our row house was the opportunity to channel our inner child. Katie and I had lots of fun on our last night in Savannah playing dress up with items we pulled off the walls, mantles (from the 5 fireplaces scattered throughout), as well as our bedrooms and the parlor. Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls in the dining room? Heck, why not?!
Jesse opted to watch rather than play along -- especially since the only thing left for him to wear was the undergarment to my lacy negligee. The woman who owns this house must be seriously out of her mind, but the lacy bedstead, flowery towels, and bizarre sense of style made for a pretty good time in Savannah. I don't think I've giggled this much in a very long time!
In the wee hours of the morning on Saturday (4:15 am to be exact), J and I walked to the Max Red train bound for the airport. We had a very non-direct flight to Jacksonville, FL, first stopping in Minnesota (14 degrees), then Cincinnati (23 degrees and snowing) before landing at our destination. We took a puddle hopper from Cincinnati to Florida and because the plane was so short we had to board on the ground. It was cold. 
Sunday morning J, my mom, dad, sister and I piled in our rented minivan and set out on I-95 toward Charleston, S.C. After stopping for breakfast, we were ready for the near 4-hour drive. The trip was relatively uneventful, except for J picking on my sister (like a true member of the family) and the traditional game of finding as many different license plates and yellow cars as possible. 
On Monday, J had to sit in on a conference call for work, so my mom, sister and I walked down to the Charleston Market and checked out the local artisans. I found this cool basket and decided that it would look great in our apartment. (Disclaimer, it wasn't made in Charleston, but rather a group of women in Uganda.) Merry Christmas to me! It has been several years since I visited Charleston, so I was happy to just soak in the atmosphere and partake in the delicious cuisine. That leads me to the three highlights of our stay in Charleston: 
2) Lunch at Hominy Grill. On our way out of town on Tuesday, we stopped in to have lunch. The Hominy Grill is a little more "down home" cooking than Magnolia's, but no less tasty. I had a sesame-crusted catfish over fried cheese grits with sauteed okra and a geechee peanut sauce. J had a low country purloo, which is a rice casserole with sausage, shrimp and chicken. MMM!
For the past few years, Ian and Larson have traded possession of a rather disturbing Ann Geddes baby doll that is dressed like a ladybug. I can't recall the details of how the baby doll trade began, but at this point in the game it doesn't really matter. Apparently, the doll was stowed away in Ian's luggage on his last visit to Santa Cruz and has been living in Sacramento for about a year. This past weekend we went to Sacramento to visit Ian and his wife, Mary, and were charged with a very important mission -- to transport the baby doll to Santa Cruz. In order to up the ante, we were also given a hideous, yet charming, gnome cookie jar (from Mary's grandparents' house) in which to stash the doll. 
After waiting for just the right time to plant the gnome, an opportunity presented itself today (Saturday, August 30th, 2008). Jesse and I stopped by Larson and Serena's this afternoon to scope out potential hiding places. When we arrived, Larson, Serena, and their friends Tex and Rain, were all elbow-deep in gardening in the back yard. At that point, I knew we had to strike -- and quick! I poked around the living room and found that they have quite an ample fire place. Perfect, in my opinion, for gnomes. 
I ran out to the car (where we had kept the gnome for about a week) and Jesse guarded the hallway to make sure I wouldn't get caught in the act of "decorating." I was so stealth that I was also able to snap a few photos to send to Ian and marvel at my brilliance before putting everything back in its place. We stayed for a little while to chat and it took all of my strength to not blurt out "Wow, it's kind of chilly! Maybe we should start a fire." 
We embarked on the final leg of our epic trip across the country this Friday. Neither of us slept much on Thursday night - we were way too excited. Jesse finally got up at 6am to take a run and I rolled out of bed not much later to wash our sheets, make sandwiches for the road, and stuff everything back into my suitcase. We were on the road by 9:30 (with 6 Emily's muffins for emergencies). 
There was hardly any traffic, so we made awesome time. I drove for approximately an hour on the highway and nearly had a nervous breakdown. I think I did fine, but was white-knuckling the steering wheel all the way. By the time we were past Redding, CA, I was back in the passenger seat with my camera in hand. Despite the fact that Highway 5 is pretty boring for a major stretch throughout California, it provides spectacular views on its northern-most section through the Oregon border. 
We passed by an amazing group of lakes on the way to Mt. Shasta and for miles the mountain peeked over the surrounding hills. I'm glad we got on the road so early that we could pass through this part of the trip while the sun was still up. 
This morning we were on the road again at 8am, both ready to finally be home. Since our Super 8 motel had coffee that looked like weak tea, we decided to take to the highway without a morning brew. Bad idea. One exit later we stopped at Dutch Bros. Coffee. It was also a bad idea - with very weak coffee - but there was an open road calling. We landed in Portland around 10:45am and were standing in our very empty apartment just a few minutes later. 
I spent the morning picking beans and surfing the internet for pickling recipes. Tomorrow I will venture into the world of mass producing "dilly beans." I made a test batch this afternoon to see how they taste and I think they will be totally YUM! By the time we leave for Portland on Friday, I hope to have several jars ready to enjoy later in the Fall. 
I also labored over the decision of which wine to bring to Larson & Serena's afternoon Labor Day celebration. Serena informed us that the wine spritzer was the signature drink of the afternoon, we decided on a classy bottle of 2-buck-Chuck. Nothing says love, friendship and relaxation like a Charles Shaw wine spritzer. Serena prepared a variety of tasty snacks (that I forgot to photograph) and we spent the hot afternoon in their back yard. 
As the sun set, I labored while holding my breath so I wouldn't disturb the 2-second exposure time required to capture my friends (and husband) in a non-blurry photo. Jesse never sits still, so this was quite a feat. In that time, I also captured quite a few photographs of my very still feet. 
While those were all good options, I concluded that Larson would really like me to labor over a design for his future tattoo. 
Even though Jesse and I are technically on vacation from life, we have managed to keep a very busy social schedule. During the down time in Jesse's 3-day work week we have tried to sneak in a few visits to family and friends while we're in the area. Last Saturday, we drove up to San Francisco to visit Jesse's brother, Eric (Nightrain). I couldn't have asked for better weather - a little cool with loads of sunshine. 
Lea was in town for the weekend to visit Eric before heading down to Los Angeles for graduate school. I was so glad to see her again and hopefully now that we're on the same coast, our visits will not be so spread apart. Naturally, driving makes me hungry (and car sick), so we walked down to a local sandwich place and ordered delicious panini's to soothe my poor stomach. Following lunch, Eric led us on an epic walk up and down several hills to show us a few additional scenic spots in his neighborhood. The climbs made my legs ache, but the vistas were stunning. 
Saturday's mission not only included a visit with Jesse's middle brother, but also a trip to Stella Pastry & Cafe for a few dozen cookies. The walk (mountain climb) through the city made me pretty thirsty, so we sat down to recharge and enjoy a cold drink. Stella makes one of my favorite cookies in the world, which is a round chewy almond cookie with pine nuts on top. I have no idea what it is called, or really, exactly how to make it, but YUM! I ate several while enjoying my iced coffee. 
The fog started to roll in, so we stopped at Eric's apartment to put a jacket (or in my case a few more jackets) before heading down to dinner. For effect, we walked up and down a few more terrifying hills before reaching Tommaso's Restaurant for pizza. This was not just any pizza, but seriously delicious and garlicy goodness. MMM. I'm pretty sure I ate way more than I needed, but it was so tasty I couldn't help myself. For a little night cap we stopped in at La Trappe's Trappist Lounge and had a Belgian beer. I think at that point we were both a bit sad that we had to drive home - not only because there were so many delicious varieties of beer to try, but also because we had such a great time hanging out with Eric and Lea. 
On our drive home, both Jesse and I agreed that if we weren't already moving to a new city and a cool apartment that we'd be pretty jealous of Eric's new life in San Francisco. I'm so glad that he was able to show us around his neighborhood and take us to his favorite places. It was a great day. I hope we'll be back for a visit soon.
Aside from the free Gin Blossoms concert we attended on Friday, this past week was all about learning to drive (and tinkering with) the car. I'm trying to get all things car related accomplished while I have a driveway at my disposal. Larson came over on Sunday and tried to help us remove our stereo so we could wire it for our IPod. 
We fashioned a sweet sweet stereo removal tool from coat hangers and some nails, but no luck. It wouldn't budge. I think at some point (as we were all sweating and getting quite smelly in the hot California sun), Larson remarked that we sucked as car stereo thieves - if only we could have been as stealth as the butthead who ripped out the Crane Wife's while she was on vacation.
As it turns out, even if we had been able to remove the stereo, there's nothing back there to accommodate a RC cable. After mulling it over, we broke down and went to a local stereo shop, where they removed our stereo in a matter of seconds and had us sold on a little digital conversion box - that cost more than our car battery, but less than a new stereo. I installed it in about 5 minutes and we sat in the driveway marvelling at what we had accomplished. We're ready to rock the 14 hour drive home to Portland!
Also on the car accomplishments list this week: removing the big, black, scratch down the driver's side of the car. As a parting gift from Boston, someone sideswiped Nightrain's (now our) car while it was parked on the street. Luckily, I found out that the damage was mostly on the surface. I was able to remove a lot of the leftover black paint with some polishing compound and a little elbow grease. 
I wish I had taken a more comprehensive shot to show the black streak that ran just about the entire length of the car. Now, it's gone and looking (almost) as good as new. 
After five torturous hours at the Sacramento train station, we finally boarded the California Zephyr to Truckee, CA. Initially, we settled in on the regular train car, but I took a little walk and found that the observation car was almost empty. So, we moved our things to the row of rotating seats to enjoy the scenic ride. It was quite stunning and I really enjoyed the first 2 hours of the ride. Somehow, it took the train an extra hour to get to our destination and I was feeling antsy - wondering how many more vistas of mountains and lakes I could tolerate. Oh, and I hadn't showered in over 24 hours, so the whole romantic notion of travelling by train was wearing thin. By the time we reached Truckee, I was ready to be on solid ground. 
We had dinner at Jesse's aunt's house and then drove out to Salmon Lake. This is the 20th year that Jesse's family (and his good friend Kyoko's family) have vacationed there. The cabin they stay in is very civilized with a bathroom and kitchen, but there isn't a phone, or internet, or television. Also, there are very few clocks, so it's easy to let 3 or 4 hours slip by and not really care. I visited Salmon Lake about 4 years ago with Jesse and forgot how beautiful it is there. The air is crisp and dry and all is quiet...until nature attacks.
My first morning there, I woke up and decided to have coffee on the front porch. I was sitting in a little patch of shade near the cabin, just gazing out at the mountains and lake. I felt a weird sensation on my foot and looked down to find this little guy perched on my ankle staring up at me. My first reaction was to yelp and then kick and I sent this poor chipmunk sailing across the deck. It landed on his feet (arms splayed) and scrambled away. As you can see, the incident didn't discourage it from coming back (with friends). Maybe it has a very short memory. I certainly don't - every time they would come near the deck I would lift my feet up on my chair. They're cute, but incredibly ballsy.
The rest of the trip was spent swimming in the lake, eating delicious food, and taking naps both inside and outside. In addition to relaxing in general, I finished an entire book and worked on my cathedral windows quilt. It was so nice to not have to think about moving plans or work. However, I have to admit that I was happy when we finally arrived in Santa Cruz. It felt good to sleep in a familiar bed and wake up in a familiar house. Today, I look forward to putting my clothes in a drawer and zipping up the suitcases (at least for a couple of weeks). 
I had no idea how well we'd be treated when we booked our Roomette on Amtrak from Portland to Sacramento. We had our own porter, a special "parlor car" for hanging out and wine tasting, free dinner, and upon arrival two bottles of champagne and fruit. What a nice way to kick off our adventure. 
The Roomette was literally that, a very very small room. Not much space for movement or storing bags, but the seats were nice and wide and would recline a bit for maximum slouching and viewing the scenery. 
J snapped a photo of me enjoying the sunshine and the scenery just outside of Portland. This is shortly before we shut our cabin door and turned on some tunes.
J thoroughly enjoyed having the IPod player and was the official DJ for several hours as we rode along the Oregon coast. 
After dinner, we both were stuffed and turned on David Sedaris's When You Are Engulfed in Flames audio book. So far, it's pretty good. However, the food, wine, and reclined position made me very sleepy so we pulled down the bunk and prepared for bed. 
I took the top bunk because I'm smaller. The grey thing in the foreground is a little seat belt that hooks on to the ceiling so if you roll over during the night you don't fall off. I thought it was kind of silly, but around 2:30am the train car was leaning pretty far to the right and I felt like my body was slipping toward the edge. Good thing I buckled in.
Given that we are both very mature adults, we immediately rolled over for a snooze. There wasn't any giggling, or farting, or throwing of objects. 
Considering the situation, we both slept pretty well. I only remember waking up two or three times during the night. The first time was when Jesse got up to use the restroom, the second, when my cell phone blasted a chirp in my ear to remind me that it's battery was low, and the third, my right arm fell asleep because I had been sleeping on it for hours. 
Today we found an apartment. We signed a lease and closed the deal. It's a one bedroom, a bit bigger than our old place and has lots of character. Because it's a corner apartment on the third floor, there's plenty of windows with a southern exposure (which I think will come in handy during the grey Portland winters). Moving day will prove to be a bit of a challenge, though, since there is no elevator. I'm thinking we may have to hire a couple of burly college students to help us unload the crate. But the location! So nice! Just a block away from Couch Park. 
The minute we stepped in, we knew this was the right place and hurried to fill out the application and put down our deposit. The clincher for me? It has a wall. The clincher for Jesse? It has rounded doorways. There is quite a bit of storage space provided by the awesome built-in cabinets and closets and I am totally in love with the black and white tile kitchen. The only downside of the apartment (besides the whole third floor walk-up bit) is that it has an electric stove. That will take a while to master. But, for the first time since we arrived last week, I feel like our move is real. 
