whirlwind

whirlwind

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after a reconnoiter with my sisters RE chirstmas at my parents’ house, we moved it up a week, which meant that my traditional christmas tree weekend was suddenly going to be spent…not in my house with my tree. so i ended up picking up the tree this past weekend, which, of course, meant i had to get it DONE and DONE so now i’m sitting in my living room looking at all my xmas decor in its glory. also i had to wrap all my presents because, well, gotta bring those next weekend too. and since presents will exit soon, i had to do the cats’ christmas portraits. oh, and baking cookies during my evenings this week (that’s a personal choice; don’t judge me).

most wonderful time of year, sure.

however, i’m reading a delightful little christmas book about legends and tales of yore and all the different (mostly european) yuletide creatures and etc. i actually got it last year after christmas and was a bit intimidated so set it aside. i pulled it out this year and flipped through it – not only are there stories and information, but there are crafts and recipes! what a nice surprise. so i’m ploughing through that and learning a lot of elves, witches, krampus, la bafana, and all sorts of fun olde tymey stuff that i wish were still around.

i took a moment to step outside last night before i went to bed and the moon was waxing – full moon is in 2 days – to the point that i could envision clement c moore glancing outside to see the lustre of midday. there wasn’t much snow to bounce the moon from, but there was enough, and the quiet of winter was complete.

tis the season.

a monday pickmeup

a monday pickmeup

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a monday after a long weekend is always kind of a big deflating letdown, especially the thanksgiving 4-day weekend. you spent your days sleeping in, eating beige food, doing non-stuff, being a bum, and then you have to get yourself together and show up to do adulting things early on a monday.

needless to say, i was not feeling it this morning as i was slogging through the things i needed to do.

i stopped by the mailroom to pick up what may have shown up for me (sometimes it’s nothing; sometimes it’s a lot!) and in my cubby hole was a hand-written envelope. ooh! i checked it and the return address was from one of the peeps who had gone through my leadership institute with me. you best believe i tore open that sucker right then and there!

our group has a quarterly get-together on zoom for us to chat about what’s going on and share our college marketing woes, and the last one was while i was down in st charles, so i had to hop on for just 5-10 minutes to tell them my awesome news that i was finally promoted to marketing director. then i had to leave because of family stuff, and i hopped off.

so one of the people (he’s the group’s WOO if you’ve ever taken the strengthsfinder) sent me a congratulatory card for my promotion! on the front it said “good things come to those who wait” and no truer words were ever spoken.

i’ve been smiling so hard the rest of the day! the card has taken its place front and center so anytime i’m feeling woefully underprepared, i can look at that remember that i wanted this LOL

thanks-lazy-day

thanks-lazy-day

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i think this was the best thanksgiving, cooking wise. there is something to just getting a pre-cooked chicken. the most involved thing i made was the stuffing, and that wasn’t horrible!

jane showed up wednesday night after i had made my pies and tart, and the dressing was cooking. (i made two pumpkin pies and put one in the freezer for when winter is annoying and i need a treat.) and thursday? we went to the turkey trot and walked two miles, came home, and we just sort of snacked all day. we made a cheese board and ate smoked oysters, crackers, dips, while we tried to watch the macy’s day parade on youtube.

then we just watched friends thanksgiving episodes and napped. no stress! no being fancy! when it came time to eat an actual meal, i just warmed up a bunch of stuff and we ate in the living room watching more friends.

and of course the evening was topped off with die hard because how can you not.

i was doing well with the not overeating to the point of lolling in pain on the couch, but i drank a giant glass of water before i went to bed and that was a mistake. at least it was water and not the last bites of pumpkin pie.

 

oh you turkey

oh you turkey

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every year, kitchen confidential on NPR does a thanksgiving special where they invite famous(ish) chefs to come talk about listeners’ thanksgiving questions. they’ve been posting on instagram about submitting your questions, and i was soooo close to asking,

“i’m done with turkey. what should i eat instead?”

turkey’s a lot of work. it’s a lot of prep, it’s a lot of cooking, and it’s a lot of cutting and pulling off the bone. plus i’m not a huge fan of turkey, and there is always some piece of dry meat bits leftover that go straight into the trash after two or three days.

i don’t know what Francis Lam and the guest chefs would have said as a replacement (i was hoping one might say to just get a giant ribeye or t-bone and grill it), but THIS year, i am buying a couple rotisserie chickens instead of the turkey. it’s just so much easier – cooking, cleanup, storing. plus, i like them better than turkey AND i’m saving like $45 this route.

thanks to food safety news for the image!

now, i know that these costco chickens are not as nutritious as turkey. i know they are hilariously NOT eco-conscious. and really i don’t even know if i’ll be able to pick up any on wednesday. BUT i’m going to give it a try.

next year, i may attempt roasting my own chicken if this goes over ok with my two guests. if i ever get to a point where more than my sister jane shows up for thanksgiving again, i’ll probably cook a turkey.

but until then? let’s do easy.

the rest of the menu is pretty much the same! i’m looking foward to my butterscotch tart.

out of AZ

out of AZ

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well, when you have a flight that leaves at 6:30 p.m., and you’ve been waking up at 6:30 a.m., that makes for a while before you get home!

nate, for some reason, wanted to head out RIGHT AWAY so i think we were on the road by 7:30. i asked if we could at least take the scenic route up to phoenix, so after about 30 miles on the freeway, we veered off and took a state highway.

scenes of note:

  1. arizona grows a lot of cotton.
  2. arizona also grows roses and other flowers for out-of-season regions like MN
  3. arizona is not green
  4. arizona has NO billboards. instead, you can just plant your placard or other such low sign in the median, boulevard, corner, etc. it’s kind of an eyesore, but maybe they think billboards are eyesores.

got to AZ and we took a moment to wait for the science center to open, so it was time for breakfast. i had a chorizo breakfast burrito and had another good food day! i was actually looking for some huevos rancheros, but a chorizo burrito is a good back up.

after that, nate and i headed to the science center, which was NOT what nate was hoping for. he was hoping for a science museum, and this was basically an indoor playground for kids to experience science.

alas.

so we got through that pretty quickly, then took a stroll through the heritage square where the center is located before returning the rental car and getting to the airport.

sigh.

we were four hours early for our flight. yikes! couldn’t even check in til 3 hours before. i read two books at the airport and on the flight.

and then we were back in MN around 11 a.m. ah, spacious traffic lanes! ah, our car which has a push button start! (using a key the entire time we were in AZ was a real drag.) (#firstworldproblems i know)

traffic up 94 was decent and when we got back, the cats were still alive.

thus wraps up another kate and nate vacay. today he said he wasn’t happy to be home :/

me, i’m always conflicted. i like vacation, but boy i like being at home too.

ah well. jiggity jig!

tucson: tres dias

tucson: tres dias

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the last full day nate and i had in tucson, we headed over to the east saguaro national park. i did not know this, but there are two sections to saguaro! one is older and one has more cacti. we did our national duty: spent money in the gift shop and then took the loop around the park. we stopped at a couple pullouts and i took a tiny hike.

man, it seemed like getting around tucson was a drag. i had to look up the population, and it’s a half a million, so it shouldn’t seem so pokey (compared to the cities) but i realized that maybe it’s just more spread out and the roads we took were not freeways.

later that afternoon, after we spent two hours driving to get to and back from the national park 20 miles away, nate took a snooze while i went for a run. i headed to a loop trail about two miles away, and started out. it was sunny and about 60º, but i soon wondering if i was running in a “bad” part of town. not that it bothered me, but i did see a couple homeless camps (small, small). i was about a half mile in and my side started getting a stitch in it and i noticed my breathing was getting away from me a bit. later i looked it up, and tucson is about 1000′ higher than i’m used to. BUT i got four miles in in the outdoors and the sun!

this day was probably the best food day! we had brunch at saguaro corners, and it was delicious. a couple sonoran dogs, nate had a salad and i had a birria torta and calebitas, which is summer squash and pico carmelized and drizzled with oil. yum!

that evening we went to a place that had banh mi, the first time i’ve had that! also had a brown sugar milk tea.

then we cleaned out all our junk and started packing 🙁

travel two cents

travel two cents

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you know, americans get a lot of grief for not leaving the country, not visiting other places around the world. but you know what? i think visiting different parts of america is pretty amazing, when you think about it.

traveling from avon, mn to tucson, az, is about 1600 miles. in that 1600 miles, you cover grasslands, mountains, woodlands, cities, empty spaces, ponderosas, saguaros, birch, deserts, native history, latino history, colonial history, spanish history. and if you head east, you get a completely different experience. if you head northwest, another completely different experience.

and that whole time? you speak a common language, use a common currency, and generally can find your way around without relearning how to drive. it’s EASY to have these different experiences while traveling in the US.

now, from london to moscow is 1800 miles. just another 200 miles more than nate and i traveled this trip. so, let’s say from MN to los angeles type of trip. in that 1800 miles, here’s the countries you would go through, each with their own language and likely localized languages within them:

  • UK
  • france
  • belgium
  • netherlands
  • germany
  • poland
  • belarus
  • russia

the euro is, of course, an easy currency, but you also have the pound in there and whatever they use in russia.

so, i don’t know why we americans get a hard time because we don’t travel internationally. is it because we don’t have a hard time of it? we aren’t immersed in a different language? we definitely can learn about different histories and cultures when we travel. because that’s kind of dumb. MN is hardly a hotspot for Latino historical sites. when people visit MN’s north shore, you learn about native americans’ history here and the french fur portagers. there is much different among us while also having much in common. plus, you have an easier time walking into museums and cultural places if they are in your native language, and you learn more.

so, my two cents. traveling in the US is just as valid as traveling across europe.

tucson: dia dos

tucson: dia dos

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this morning i was sure that it was at LEAST 7:30 when I started to wake up, and when i looked at my clock, it was 6:40. ay yi yi! i hope this means that the trip home and fall back DST will be easy peasy.

nate, of course, had been awake since 4:30! talk about time zone trauma.

while i had coffee and debated going for a run in the 50º weather, nate took a nap. just as i was about to head out the door, he made some noise, so i held off on the run and we went to the university of arizona (go wildcats) to check out the art museums they had there. i was so super excited to check out the creative photography exhibit, but i was a little disappointed. i had read on the website they had ansel adams, but apparently you needed an appointment to view them? so weird. but it was something, and there was an andy warhol!

and this pretty cool polaroid piece.

after the disappointment, we headed over to the art museum to check out paintings, and that was at least a little more extensive than the photo exhibit. there was an original pollack and o’keefe, too!

this o’keefe is gorgeous.

but the winner of the exhibit was the woman-ochre, which had the WEIRDEST story. it was stolen from the UofA exhibit in the 80s – two people walked in, one of which distracted the person in charge and the other cut the painting from its setting, rolled it up, and got outta there. it’s assumed that they framed it and sold it to someone, and in 2017, someone found it at an estate sale! they did all this stuff to make sure it was in fact the real painting, and now it’s back to its home. so bizarre! there was a guard sitting in the room of this exhibit, which was all about the art heist and the piece of art, and it was hard not to crack a joke.

plus, i got in free because i happened to have my SCTCC ID with me LOL.

after the art, we went to check out architecture at the san xavier missionary, which i posit is about the only nice thing that happened with missionaries in the early americas.

it was a weird visit because there were people there to see the history, people there to see the architecture, and people there because they’re catholic and are praying. so you’re in there taking pics of the the building and there are people who are lighting candles and praying in the pews.

the church itself is actually pretty small, with solid wooden pews that are probably older than the cacti out front. this was a weird vibe, because it’s on native reservation land, so there was a gift shop that had native jewelry and clothing but also crosses and candles. the whole thing was just kind of depressing, so we headed out.

then….highlight of the day…i found a CHURRO TRUCK.

JUST CHURROS is right. i got a pack and some mexican caramel sauce. they were made right there in front of me and were delish. not as good as those churros i got in mexico, but definitely better than the taco bell churros. (not a surprise.)

Tucson! day 1

Tucson! day 1

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the two hour time difference really kicks ya in the rear when you get old.

yesterday, nate and i flew out at 12:30 and landed in phoenix, picked up our rental, and headed south to tucson. of course on the way, we had to stop at in-n-out, which was disappointing on the fry department, as always. burger’s pretty good though. to my surprise, there was a culver’s across the street! (also saw some caribou coffee in the wild!)

anyway, we got to our airbnb and were pleasantly surprised! what a solid little airbnb. the outdoor setup is pretty nice!

i was asleep by 9:30. time zones are weird.

but then i was up at 6. so i guess there’s that. did some yoga on the patio, then nate and i were on the road to the sonoran desert museum.

we spent about 3 hours there, walking through the different desert areas, which showed animal life, plant life, bug life. it was actually pretty cool and worth the entrance fee.

a rare nate sighting.

after being out in the outdoors (dry outdoors, really), it was time for lunch at a spot recommended by our rental car agent. nate had a giant beef rib and a burrito, and i had a couple tacos. after that it was definitely time for a nap, so we went back to our faux home for a bit, then i decided to visit the top of mt lemmon for the sunset. we headed out about 3:30, and it took us til a little after 5 to get to the top, about 25 miles.

there was a lot of driving on windy mountain roads! BUT i was impressed with the width of the roads, even though i was still scaredy scared of the massive drops off the edge, but i was driving and paid attention to the road instead. we stopped at some viewpoints, and then we accidentally happened upon summerhaven! that’s a little winter town if i ever saw one. just primed for skiers when the snow flies up there. (it was 42º at the top of the mountain).

the last mile and a half to the top was on a super narrow road that reminded me of the teeny tiny road that takes you up to mount coolidge. at this this road was paved?

the top of the mountain was WINDY and cold and i ran out in shorts for a few quick pics then got outta there. the city was barely visible through the dust blown up be the wind and it was surreal – it looked almost convex, coming up toward you instead of out to the horizon.

it got dark as we wound down the mountain, and it was fun seeing the lights of tucson start up.

the streets in tucson are dark. i wonder if it’s intentional that there are not many streetlights – are they trying to embrace  dark skies? i noticed a lot of parking lot lights are those that make sure to bounce the light toward the ground. so it’s weird being amidst SO much in-city traffic with dark streets. very weird.

had mexican drive-thru for supper and now it’s bedtime again at 9:15. at this rate, coming back to MN will be easy? just in time for daylight saving time to end!

MONDAY FUNDAY

MONDAY FUNDAY

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what? monday funday?

you bet! i am on vacation!

here’s a top 3 for a monday.

1. my college is hiring an actual, legit marketing director position, and i applied for it. my interview was this morning, and hoo boy was i anxious about it, but now it’s over. thank goodness because….

2. tomorrow nate and i head out for tuscon! it’s been four years since he and i went on any kind of vacation beyond an overnight in duluth, so we are going to spend four nights in tuscon. we’re flying into phoenix, renting a car, and staying at an airbnb. apart from that, i have no idea what we’re going to do or when. saguaro national part is right there, so we’ll likely go there. there is a creative photography museum in tuscon. lots of good food – apparently it’s the gastronomy capital of the world?? didn’t even know that when I got us signed up for plane tickets and all that jazz. so prepare for some travelblogging the next few days!

3. should i do kablamo?? i hadn’t even thought about it until just now!