Thursday - Hurrah! Nearly done with the week!

Whew! Ed is still here! (in DC I mean.)
He flew in for a meeting, and because I have to take advantage of his presence, I scheduled some work on the Chrysler 300. (Hehe - you know those things go better with a man doing it.)
8-)

They rotated the tires, which naturally, led to getting the wheels balanced and then led to getting the car aligned. Seems someone probably hit a big pothole with the right front, way out of line. Well, what can I say, it was a tough winter. I don't imagine it takes too much to knock a car out of alignment. That car drives like a dream anyway, and is much like riding on a cloud. Its about the smoothest ride I've ever had. I didn't think I would like this big car, but it really is a beautiful thing.

Ed was scheduled to fly back to Vallejo Saturday. However, he needs to be in DC for a meeting on Thurs.
So he was then scheduled to fly to DC on Wednesday.
Personally, I think he should just stay here for Mon and Tues.

Complication: Most of his medications are in Vallejo at that condo.

So, he'll have to sort all that out. In other words, he'll be here a lot. I think.

We fly to Hawaii on May 14th and back on May 25th. This is work for me, but play for Ed. It will be a nice trip and we are sure looking forward to it. We will be in Waikiki.
I have the cat sitter all lined up.

This is proving to be a challenging time for me.

It this is Monday, it must be Weigh In Day

So, actually this is Tuesday, but I did go to my WW meeting yesterday and get weighed in.

YAY! I lost -2 lb.s!!!

One of our leaders said, it isn't that sometimes you will relapse, it is how you handle it (recovery) that really counts! I'm a grateful woman today. They awarded Joey a Bravo Star because he called me Saturday to encourage me to get out of my condo and go on a walk, and I did then. Sometimes that's all it takes, knowing somewhere out there someone gives a damn.

There is a great article in Monday's Washington Post.
It is about David Kessler, who has been on my radar for a long time, since I was on the jury on the "big tobacco" case in Sacramento. Kessler has been a watchdog of sorts, concerned with the manipulation the tobacco companies were doing to consumers to create nicotine addicts and hence enhance their own bottom line. He has been head of the FDA in the past, and is now looking at the addictive qualities of the food we eat.

It is very interesting. Of course, we know about the big three, Fat Sugar and Salt. What we don't know is the combination of these three has a neurological effect on our brains. Kessler is exploring this complex process. (His book is called The End of Overeating.) The combination of these three cause the brain to release dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with the pleasure center of your brain. Over a period of time, says Kessler, our brains created pathways that will light up at the mere mention of twinkies, or suggestion of food, such as driving past McDonalds. "Conditioned Overeating" - not everyone is susceptible. He estimates about 15% of the population is not in this category, but the rest of us are.

In WW, they ask us to consider:
Are you eating because you are:
Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired

If you are truly answering the Hunger need, then OK, do it with what they call a "filling food" - one that has some staying power (probably protein and the right amount of fat too.)
If you are Angry, Lonely or Tired, recognize this and solve it in a more appropriate manner than eating.

On a personal note, I get a lot of the Lonely with Ed gone, I was alone Saturday when Joey made me get out of my condo. The last time life upset my apple cart, oh well, we don't need to even go there.
::she sighs::
Apparently, I get a lot of the Pity Pot also. Sorry.

If you want to see the Kessler article, try here, although they might have you sign in.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/26/AR2009042602711.html

Happy Mothers Day to Me!

Happy Birthday Amanda!

Thirty one years ago, on my Dad's 61st Birthday, I was the luckiest woman in the world. I got to give birth to my first child, Amanda! I became a Mom, Ed became a Dad, my Dad got another granddaughter (but this one on his own birthday!), Mom became a Grandma again.
My sister became an Aunt that day too! Tracy got a new cousin.
It was a natural childbirth, with Ed involved and at my side, and my whole family nearby! It was, in a word, AWESOME.

So, tonight, I went to the Cheesecake Factory here in White Flint to celebrate this wonderful day. I had a delicious salad and a glass of cool California Chardonnay and held loving thoughts of my very own wild child.

Hope you all will have good thoughts for me and for Amanda today!

Fiestaware DVD trailor

Neat to view this:

http://www.fiestadocumentary.com/trailer.mov

I think the guy at the end of this is really Ed.

Rainy Wednesday in Bethesda

Today I went to WeightWatchers for my weekly weigh in. I usually weigh on Monday's, but since we were just finishing my trip on Monday, I didn't make it to the regular weigh in.

I went to Joe's class near my office today. Joe is a great WW leader. Unfortunately, those road trips I love so much are hard on my eating. I gained 3.6 lbs. this week. Not fatal, of course, but still I'm disappointed.

It must have been the blue cheese dip at El Charro's in Lafayette, CA. or the steak in Kansas....or the picnic lunch on top of Pikes Peak.... or being too tired after the day in the car to walk the treadmill at the motel gym. Not once in the whole trip did I use the hotel gym. Planned to use it, went to look at it... but never actually got around to it. Did laundry, watched TV, slept, but didn't use the gym.

Gee, I can't imagine how come I gained weight in the last two weeks. Huh.

OK, now I have to get off my pity pot and back on my sensible eating plan. I have no excuses, I even have the WW app for my iPhone, so I can track points on the go.
I guess I was just letting myself have a treat, but really giving myself heartache to deal with. So, tonight, back to the gym and better eating for me. Darn. I just wanted my weight problem to magically dissappear. Not gonna happen.

Final Post for RoadTrip 2009

We've been hunting for a place for Ed to settle in. He is spending about $100 per day at Homestead. He is anxious to get a real place. We have located two good potential condos or apartments. He will have to go back on Monday, make the decision, complete the paperwork, submit the deposit and pay an application fee for credit check.
We've compiled a list of things he will have to purchase in order to live, and we did purchase a few items for him.
So, he isn't close to being ready for independence.

I'm winging my way back to Bethesda tonight though, and I will be home at 6:30 AM with my taxi guy waiting to meet me at gate 6.

I am not sure who is having more stress, me or Ed. Hmmmm...I think it is Ed.


AND
Our windshield just cracked! Guess a new windshield will be part of the price of moving across the country.

Road Trip 2009 - The drive from Elko, NV to CA

Woke up this morning in Elko, Nevada, then we drove the 474 miles to California.

We're settled tonight in Ed's long term stay hotel, a Homewood Suites by Hilton.

It is very nice and we're on Craig's list checking out rentals to get him started here.

It was fun to see the familiar areas here in California, and see how much they've changed since I was here nearly 5 years ago.

Going to do laundry and get packed for my flight tomorrow.

Road Trip Day 8

We are still surviving! Ed is very patient with my incessant whining about things, his driving, the food, the hotels, the weather....you name it. He is, as always, an unflappable traveling companion. Like this morning when I convinced him to drive about an hour out of his way so I could take one last long look at the Colorado River Recreation area. I was hoping for sunshine, but mother nature, in her infinite wisdom, felt we had been lucky enough this week. We were very early in the AM here, but the photos are cool anyway.




Colorado River Recreation Area - near Moab Utah, Route 128, April 2009

Bonneville Salt Flats along I-80 near the Nevada state line.

Here is where Amanda and Joey wrote their names in the sand of Bonneville Salt Flats on June 18, 1989.
Ed and I looked all over at that rest stop, but we couldn't find your names!! It is still very wet there right now, maybe when the salts dry up a lot more.


8-) Remember getting in the Great Salt Lake? I can't believe we did that.
I can't believe it has been 20 years since we were here together.

Our last day in Moab

Canyonlands National Park

Canyonland National Park near Moab, Utah

Landscape Arch in Arches Nat'l Park

Ed Nicholson in Arches National Park near Moab Utah.



Barbara Nicholson









Looks like we have to complete our 935 miles in the next two days. We'll aim for Elko Nevada, or perhaps Winnemuca Nevada tomorrow night, then Vallejo on Saturday night.

It was a wonderful day today, the weather was kind to us. Only about 45 degrees, perfect for the hiking here. We had snow spitting on us for about a half hour, but that left quickly. Lots to see, and so many hiking trails. I'm tired tonight.

Trying to eat my Weight Watchers choices...sometimes works OK. I could not have done these hikes if I hadn't lost all this weight. It is really difficult when you travel.

Looking forward to normalcy again, but I'm really enjoying this trip. One of our best ones ever I think. I have hundreds of photos, not particularly great photos, but fun.

If this is Wednesday it Must be Utah (via Colorado)

Colorado - Glenwood Canyon along I-70 West of Denver.



Colorado - Near Vail along I-70

Ed Nicholson in Colorado, at Glenwood Canyon along I-70 West of Denver.

This is in Utah, along Rt. 128 to Moab Utah. These photos are NOT washed out, this is exactly what we saw. It was initially very very windy, and the red sand got so much in the air that the air itself looked reddish brown. Then, the rains began. It truly rained mud on us. You could see the mud quite clearly on the windshield. It was weird. The locals laughed and said "Welcome to Utah."

We are hoping that the rains tonight will mean clear clean air for tomorrow. We could taste the grit in our mouths. Ugh. I did not have this experience when I was hiking in Zion and Bryce.

However, in spite of the unfortunate wind and rain, you can see this is one awesome place. The scenery is truly awe inspiring. We really love it.

We found a nice place for dinner, Buck's Grill. Here is the photo of the Chef with Emeril I found on their wall. The decor was really pretty, with a cowboy look and nice dining room. Great food, Elk and buffalo on the menu, I had Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry soup. Ed had a burger and fries, but with an Iceberg Blue Cheese Lettuce salad. The food was pretty upscale and yuppie stuff mostly, sort of gormet meets cowboy. A fun place.

Pikes Peak April 14, 2009

Barbara and Ed Nicholson at Pikes Peak. It was 14 degrees up there. With wind chill, it was ZERO. The altitude made us both feel a bit disoriented too, so we were happy to leave the top after a quick visit and picnic lunch.

This is what the Cog Railroad looked like. It was a very interesting train, runs on eight cogs. That railroad takes 3,000 tourists to the top everyday in season. I think we're off season. They had to clear the tracks with a plow and we nearly didn't get to go all the way up.

Views were about 100 miles in all directions, visibility was good. It as just too cold and too high.


We got up at 5:30 AM to make sure we got to the train in time for the early morning run.

I'm pooped tonight. We did a whole lot more stuff which I will happily post a little later. Ed really enjoyed today.

After Pikes Peak, we saw Garden of the Gods, then Manatou Cliff Dwellings, then Seven Falls. It was really fun. We hiked about 2 miles in Garden of the Gods. We found a cute Italian place for dinner.

We packing for Moab, Utah tomorrow. Two nights in Moab. Ed wants to see Arches and perhaps Canyonland if all goes well. We've had amazingly lucky weather, but snow is moving in tomorrow, so we've got to leave Colorado early and try to miss the snow. They expect a foot! I've finished the laundry, this is a nice hotel with a good laundry facility. (Not to mention the free wine at happy hour!) Hotel prices have increased as we got west.

We think we'll be in Nevada on Friday night, reaching Vallejo by Saturday. My flight back to reality is Sunday at 10:30 PM. JetBlue from Oakland, CA.

Colorado Springs

Colorado

Kansas

Hi All,
We're safely at Colorado Springs in the Homewood Suites. It turned out to be a beautiful day after the clouds blew away, about the Colorado Kansas border.

We did not stop to see the "Largest Prairie Dog in the World" though, so we'll have something to return to Kansas for!

I think Joey stopped and visited that place on one of his trips East.

We could see Pikes Peak from about 50 miles away, that is one large mountain. They are warning us of altitude illness when we visit tomorrow.

We saw an antelope grazing in a pasture near the two lane road we took into Colorado Springs.

Happy Easter 2009 Road Trip's 20th Anniversary

Who knew the hometown of Dwight Eisenhower was Abilene Kansas? Presidential library is there!



Who knew the Oregon Trail goes through part of Kansas?

Happy Easter! Our thoughts were family today as we whizzed down the highway today. It turned out to be a pretty cold day, then cold and rainy. We needed jackets and rain gear and luckily we had them.

We left Marion Illinois this morning after a nice breakfast. Quickly, we reached St. Louis, Missouri.
It was fun to see the Arch again after 20 years. Last time, we had two little shits with us. No, not the cats! Joey was 8 and Amanda was 11 when we did our first 3,000 mile road trip 20 years ago. Amazing! In some ways, this trip is a little easier, but perhaps more boring. LOL

Last time we ate Twinkies and HoHos out of a cooler in the back.
Last time, we had no cell phones- and no computer. My Apple II GS was in the hands of United Van Lines.
Now, we have the newest Blackberry and iPhone, and two laptops.
WiFi connections are ubiquitous, even available at the roadside rest stops.

Last time, I kept a journal in a little notebook. This time I photo blog, twitter and Facebook. And email. And Text.

Mostly, our route is different than it was in 1989. A common point was in St. Louis though. But, this time, we're going to Pikes Peak. Last time we went to the Dinosaur National Monument in Vernal Utah.

Each evening, we check the route with Google Maps. Then we decide how far we think we should go tomorrow. We have GPS on my phone, and a spiral bound atlas and the book, The Next Exit. Sometimes we pick up a state map at the road stops.

In 1989, we had AAA maps. And lots of tour books.
This time, I look up a lot of stuff online as we are driving. That's how we decide what to stop and see. Fairly planned spontaneity!

Tomorrow we plan to drive from Salina, Kansis to Colorado Springs, Colorado. We'll stay there two nights. We're planning to ride the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. Mom had gone to Pikes Peak when she was young, so maybe she will relate to this. I'm sure they drove up it. Edward Straight had told my Ed a lot about that trip, buying extra tires for the car in case of flats etc...Cool.

Ed is tracking daily expenses in his journal. We will know about home much it really costs us eventually. Maybe we don't want to know though 8-)

We are having a nice trip, I'm driving some each day. Ed is pretty wired and doesn't sleep well at night, but sleeps fine when I drive after lunch, so it works out.

I think we covered over 500 miles today. Probably too many, but we will be able to make Colorado Springs tomorrow night.
Planning to do laundry there since we'll have two nights there.

Tough part of the trip will be from Pikes Peak to Utah, might be in snow. We'll see. We would love to see more of Utah, like see Arches National Park. So we will try.

My flight leaves S.F. (Actually Oakland) Sunday evening at 10:30PM. I'll be sad to leave w/o Ed though. Maybe after several more days in the car together, I'll be happier to leave, who knows. Trip is going well though.

RoadTrip 2009 Day 2

Crossing the Ohio River, from KY to Illionis. I think.
April 11, 2009

Paducha Kentucky - April 11, 2009
Barbara Nicholson

They have done a nice job in Paducha with the redevelopment. This is the mural on the flood wall, part of the many murals. It was really beautiful. This is where the Tennessee River met the Ohio River. A lot of river there!!

Ed Nicholson

Beautiful day, starts with complimentary breakfast in Tennessee, very nice, Oatmeal for me. Not much rain on the drive, but a little.









The National Quilt Museum was a Must See, according to the lady at the welcome station. After denying me the opportunity to view the Classic Muscle Car Museum (Floyd Garrett's) in Tennessee, the Quilt Museum is a real treasure. It was really inspiring, but they do not allow photography. The quilts currently on exhibit were a collection of winners of previous national shows. Also, there was a huge display of beautiful Asian quilts, which were truly amazing. Both machine and hand quilting. Quilts took from 3 weeks to 3 years to complete.

Tonight's stay is in Marion Illinois. A decent Comfort Suites, about 80 bucks. Flat panel TV and free wifi. A very very nice dinner at the Roaring 20's Steakhouse.

I drove a little today while Ed slept.