Category: Travel

Amore’ Reflexology

When my sister asked me to join her for an appointment for reflexology I was all in. I love a massage, any kind of massage.
When we arrived the woman who were leaving were in the lobby looking very relaxed, almost rubbery and they glided out the door with almost drunken smiles. Soon after we were led into a low lit room with soft nature music in the background.
This was a little different from a massage, you stay fully clothed (except your shoes), and your in the same room as a few others. You start in a huge recliner type chair with your feet submerged in warm water (which feels amazing). And then the masseuse/reflexologist starts their magic. It’s a combination of massage and stretches some your wondering how they contorted your body into, but each one the perfect compliment to the next or previous part of the massage. When they were done I was relaxed, energetic and my sinuses felt clear!
It was a one hour treatment with the cost only being $35.00! I have paid twice that for massages in the past and walked away disappointed. If I lived in Houston I would be at this place at least once a week.

* 4003 Bellaire Blvd. Ste. G
* Houston, TX 77025

Middle Seat Etiquette
I recently flew southwest airlines from San Antonio to Houston, It was the typical Southwest scenario, full flight, every seat taken, and Southwest does not have assigned seating.   Don and I were traveling together so I took the middle seat so he could sit on the aisle for more leg room. Don as always was the perfect travel companion, but sitting in the middle seat I was reminded that those in the middle seat will as always have the most unpleasant flight experience unless other flyers consider some brief rules of “middle seat etiquette”, because lets face it, middle seat flyers are people too.
Rule 1 – Arm space – Come on guys, you window person, you can lean on the wall, so why are you hogging the arm rest, plus YOU HAVE A WINDOW!. You on the aisle, okay, you have nothing to lean on, but you can lean toward the aisle (unless the service cart is coming), or you can get up whenever you want without bothering anyone, so give the middle seat the some armrest consideration, flyers.
Rule 2 – Leg Space – Southwest does have exceptionally tiny little seats with minimal space to put your legs, put the same rules apply as do with arm space. Don’t sit there with your legs spread wide open and your knees in front of the seat next to you. You know the middle seat cost just as much as your ticket. This is not your living room!
So share!
Rule 3 – Lights and Air – How much light does one person need glaring in their face. I hate it when people just want a little light so they adjust the light away, towards….the middle seat of course. The same with the air vent, my hair should not look like I am posing for a fashion magazine  or driving in a convertible while in flight.
Rule 4 – Be nice – well that goes for anyone in your tiny little flight row, remember we are all paying a small fortune for the privilege of sitting in that microscopic space together. So be kind to your fellow flyers. Don’t blast your music so high that it can be heard through your headphones, don’t point your offensive movies towards others in the row.  And if your going to bring food on board please dont ask for extra garlic or onions, and dont use that poor middle seat person as your garbage can when your done eating.
Be kind to those in the middle, because someday that middle seat may belong to you, and I promise karma sucks.

They say ignorance is bliss, and it was ignorance that allowed me to climb Koko Head in Hawaii two years ago.
Don heard from a coworker that sunrise from the top of Koko Head was a must see while on Oahu. We looked it up, and found that it was a medium difficulty level to climb. . I am not in the best of shape, but was ok with pushing myself for the promise of a beautiful sunrise. So on the second day of our vacation we were up at 4 am, following GPS instructions anxious for our sunrise adventure. We kept finding ourselves in a local neighborhood, after forty five minutes of “What is wrong with the GPS we realized we needed to drive through the neighborhood to reach the trailhead.
There was no moon and very dark when we arrived at the park. We could not see the top, only a strange shadowy shape cut against the stars.
Warning sign number one!
The trail was dark, it looked slightly daunting, but not so difficult. There were multiple warning signs at the bottom but we were too excited or maybe it was just too dark to notice them.
Warning sign number two!
We headed up the stairs, I started the climb with an excited run, “This is going to be a great workout.” I said, the darkness blinding me to just how far it was to the top.
What I had not know was that the “steps” were actually a train tracks built during World War II to haul people and equipment to the top. So these were not your typical stairs. The steps were actually one thousand and forty eight railroad ties, some of them were in bad shape. Broken, bent and dirty making the climb slippery and difficult. Hence the local nickname, “The 1,000 steps of doom”.

Warning sign number three!
It’s a good thing my flashlight only could see a few steps ahead of me, because if I had been able to see the steep climb I may have turned back. We had been warned that part of the climb was on a bridge and that some bees had taken up residence and since we were unable to see the drop underneath we opted for the alternate trip around through little gully on the side of the bridge.
Up up we climbed. If this were the Stairway to Heaven then the climb certainly was our purgatory to get there. As we climbed we were joined by many other would be adventurers, some who ran this daily as their work out, people of all ages were climbing this in hopes of seeing an amazing sunrise, to stay healthy or just as a personal challenge. The other hikers were encouraging us, “Your almost there!” they would tell me as they zoomed past me with their perfect bodies. Finally I could see the top, there were several people taking selfies with their best “Rocky” poses.
I was almost there I panted, I wondered if they had oxygen at the top as my lungs felt as though they were about to explode.
Don and I rested at the top before walking around to the the east side where the sun had just started peaking its head over the horizon. The views and the colors the sunrise made over the top were spectacular. All the pain from the climb was gone, as I realized the climb was worth the view.

We remained on top for nearly an hour, walking around taking in the multiple views from the top, it was so breathtaking that I never wanted to leave, plus part of me dreaded the climb down, which I knew was going to be painful.
Finally after realizing that we probably could not stay up there forever, I surrendered to starting the decent down. It was daylight now and looking down, I was amazed at the climb Don and I had made in the dark that morning. There were stairs towards the top were set at a near 90 degree angle. Well not really, it just felt like that. “We did that?” I asked Don, stalling while I tried to figure out how the heck we were going to get down without the ignorance of darkness on our side. No side rails, no even steps, just what seemed like miles of shaky tracks.
Down we climbed, when I got tired I sat down and slid down part of the trail (which actually was a bit fun).
At the bottom my legs felt like jello, I am sure others in the park must have thought I was intoxicated as I struggled to make my way to our car.
It took lots of Advil and stretching before my legs recovered, but now, finally, two years later, my legs are okay.
On our trip back to Hawaii this year I asked Don to go by the park so I could see Koko Head in the daylight to make sure I had not over exaggerated the climb. This time the thought of it seemed even more daunting. “We should get back in shape so we can climb it again our next trip.”
“Sure” Don said smiling, “I will let you take the lead on that one.”

Our 50 State Challenge
Inspired by my brother Michaels book “Born Again America” Don and I decided we wanted to see all 50 of our countries beautiful states, with the challenge being we needed to spend one night in every state.

Wyoming, was my parents first home after getting married and where Dons mother and my oldest brother Jay were born, so it had a special significance to both of us.

I was amazed at the different terrains as we drove through the state, from endless fields to magnificent mountains (and we only made it through part of the state.) I was also surprised by the very windy and chilly weather.

In Cheyenne The Capitol building was closed for renovations but the fence and construction site did not hide the beauty of this historical building. Downtown was small, but had several nice restaurants and a cool brewery (see our favorite places Wyoming below.).

The most impressive part of our visit though was Devils Tower, a huge cement rock that rises out of the ground, there are pathways to walk around the area and a campground right at the base for those who want to stay.

This land mark was featured in Close Encounters, but we did not have and extraterrestrial sitings on this trip.   In 1906 it was also the first location to be designated as a National Park by Teddy Roosevelt.

One day in not enough time to explore this magnificent state, so there will defiantly be a repeat visit in our future.

Our Favorite Places in Wyoming

The Historic Plains Hotel

1600 Central Ave Cheyenne WY

Plains Hotel in downtown Cheyenne not fancy, the rooms definitely could use some serious updating. The king size bed was actually two twin beds put next together, so if you rolled into the middle of the bed you found yourself falling down the middle. The AC was a small window unit and there were stains on the carpet and the faucets in the shower were coming out of the wall. There is one small elevator that 2 people with luggage could barely squeeze into.

With those things said this is a historic hotel, the lobby is beautiful and if you want a true downtown Cheyenne experience this is the place to stay, as there are no other hotels in the downtown area.

From our room you got a distant view of the state Capitol, the front desk staff was nice, though not all together helpful nor knowledgeable of the area. There are several fun little restaurants and bars in walking distance of the hotel (check out Sandfords or Accompis).

They had a nice restaurant that served delicious and very filling breakfasts for a pretty good price.

We got a good nights sleep and the price was really good, so I would probably go back for the experience plus my father told me that is where my mom worked when they lived there so it was a sentimental stay.

Accomplice Beer Company
15 West 15th St Cheyenne WY

If you like beer you will love this place. You get a card that you can use to get several small samples or just a couple beers. Your charged by the ounce, so it’s a great way to sample several types of beer. Limited food menu, we had the sliders with chips and kale salad. All delicious. Inside and outside seating, it was a fun place.

Sanfords
115 E 17th St Cheyenne WY

Located in downtown Cheyenne a fun little place with eclectic decor that included Route 66 signs, license plates, sports memorabilia and old record albums on the walls.  The  large menu offered a variety of foods from burgers to steaks.

Boasting an impressive beer selection with everything from domestic to local crafts.  We chose the Snake River Zonker Stout, a delicious dark beer that was the perfect compliment to our lunch.

For an appetizer we tried the fried pickles that were served with ranch dressing and peanut butter, amazingly the peanut butter mixed with the fried pickles was a pretty good combination.

We shared a delicious patty melt for our main course, the burger was cooked to perfection and the sweet potato fries were the perfect side.  The kitchen even split it for us on 2 separate plates saving us from the awkwardness of who gets the most fries or larger cut.

The music was classic 60s  to 80s not so loud you could not carry on a conversation.   There is live music on Friday nights and we were treated to a sound check of Beatles and Yes songs performed by local artist Ken Wooster.   Imagine that, live music on a Friday afternoon for lunch.

Thomas our waiter was great and helped us to choose from the extensive menu.
What a great find on our road trip across the Great Plains.

The Capitol Building was under construction when we went to visit. Its a small building with a park in front. Very limited parking outside.

I would have loved to have see Wyoming in the days when my parents lived here. I recently found a letter she had written to her Aunt describing the long drives through endless flat roads and extreme wind, that part has not changed at all. The hotel she worked at still remains and of course the air base that my father was stationed at and my mother in law was born at was still there.

Don and I made our own memories in this very remote, beautiful state and enjoyed our far too short stay.

I was 12 years old the first time I visited Nubble Light House. 12 is not an age where much interests you, but this beautiful lighthouse fascinated me. At the time it was still run manually and a family inhabited the pretty red and white house that stood grandly on the remote island. I would watch from the beach hoping to catch a glimpse of this mysterious family and wondered about their life. The light house stood alone on a small island with the only access being a small boat, I wondered how the children got across in the winter to go to school and what the mother did if she forgot to pick up milk at the store.

“I wonder what they do over there,” I asked out loud one day as we were staring at the Island waiting for signs of human life to emerge. “Probably nude sunbathing” one of my cousins replied jokingly. Occasionally someone would emerge from the house to tend to daily chores, crowds would wave and yell, it was if they were rock stars making a public appearance.

I came back to York Beach and Nubble light house a few years ago after a long absence. The house remained unchanged, still picturesque sitting on the hill with its bright beacon warning sailors of possible danger. But I was told families no longer live there, new technology allowed the light house to be run remotely now. No family I thought, the house must be so lonely. The absence of tenants has not kept people from visiting what is said to be the most painted lighthouse on earth, it still sits grandly high on the rocks leaving visitors to imagine what life must have been like having the opportunity to live there.

This remains a yearly stop for my family when we visit New England, and last year we found that the Lighthouse foundation now offers a drawing with the prize being an opportunity to have lunch with 5 friends on the Island. So each year I buy as many tickets as I can afford and wait for my phone to ring saying I am the lucky winner.

Until that call comes in I will continue to return each year and try to imagine what live would be like on that beautiful rock Island and Nubble Light.

Hope Gallery
If your in Austin and you love art check out the Hope Gallery. This is no ordinary gallery, you won’t find Picasso or Monet there but you will find some awesome modern art done by whomever brings chalk or a spray can and wants to express themselves.
Some of the art is cute and fun, others are masterpieces. It’s amazing to me that there are so many talented artist out there, I love that they have a way to express their creativity in such a public setting.
There is no fee to come here, it is open air and with all the cement it can get pretty hot in the summer.
Getting to some areas can be tricky as the ground is uneven and there are multiple levels, but there is plenty to see towards the bottom. Putting stairs in would be a great Eagle Scout project and would help make all the artwork more accessible.
I loved this fun, quirky art gallery. What I did not love was the amount of litter left by visitors and artists. The area was cluttered with empty spray cans, water bottles and other garbage. Clean up after yourselves people, no one would leave that kind of mess if they walked into the Louvre.
This would be a great afternoon outing in the fall or spring, and you can visit often as the landscape is constantly changing. Keep that weird creativity Austin, it’s places like this that keep you great.