Living the Dream in Retirement
I had a special afternoon enjoying one of our beautiful national parks this week. Staying in Palm Desert, Joshua Tree National Park was about an hour’s drive and such an incredible place to visit. With so much in the news regarding the administration’s disruption to our national parks it felt especially poignant spending time there.
Our national parks are a treasure and should be protected and valued.
This was one of the most beautiful and breathtaking interactive art installations I’ve experienced. Ever since learning about it a year ago it’s been on my list of things I must see.
Arte Museum Las Vegas showcases works inspired by nature under the theme of ETERNAL NATURE. The exhibition incorporates both the natural landscapes and the cultural backdrop of the city. Visitors can also enjoy the ARTE CAFE for a unique teahouse experience enriched with media art. Each piece of artwork delivers not just a vivid visual journey, but also a multi-sensory engagement—from enveloping soundscapes to tailor-made aromas—that amounts to a completely immersive experience.
Courtesy of https://lasvegas.artemuseum.com/about
Here are a few of my favorite still shots:
I recently completed another cruise, this time two weeks on the newest ship in the Princess fleet, the Sun Princess. It’s a beautiful ship and is massive in size. Lots of walking onboard and off ship at several new ports plus revisiting St Thomas. Here are some of my favorite photos from sailing out of Ft Lauderdale to Mahogany Bay in Honduras, to Cozumel, Puerto Rico and St Thomas. More posts will follow, stay tuned.
While in Santa Fe we learned of a Candlelight concert to be held at the New Mexico Museum of Art.
We were already planning to tour the museum itself and decided to check out the venue while there. We came back that evening and thoroughly enjoyed the event.
When traveling to Santa Fe from Albuquerque, my friend Cindy said “why don’t we take back roads?” as our rental wouldn’t be available until 4 p.m..
This was brilliant and reminiscent of the best road trips I took over many years with Spence. He preferred going off highways, discovering places we would otherwise miss. In taking the back roads we discovered Box Studio. We actually passed it, looked at each other – simultaneously and enthusiastically saying “turn around!” When we did we saw only some of this magical place – they had closed for the day ten minutes before. We took a few photos but noticed they were open Monday-Friday from 9:00-2:00 and done for the season on November 1st. It’s close to Santa Fe so we made a plan to come back.
It was so much more than we could’ve guessed from the roadside. Called Origami in the Garden, this place is a sculpture garden wonderland on private property where the owners live and create. The show travels (in part) to other venues around the country. Each sculpture is first created with paper in origami taking a year to bring it to completion in their studio. It was very zen when walking amongst these artistic and lovely pieces with the brilliant blue sky as a backdrop. I couldn’t stop smiling throughout our hike.
There is a well-received documentary about Box Studio called Origami in the Garden, it’s available on Netflix. Should you find yourself near Santa Fe, make stopping here a priority.
As our trip to Santa Fe grew nearer, I was looking for unique experiences and stumbled upon this gourmet brunch. I checked with my travel companion who agreed it looked like fun; I signed us up.
After days of warm sunny weather, the temperature dropped and it was windy that morning. The brunch is typically served in their garden on the patio but they also have a charming, cozy kitchen where we shared a beautifully set, long table with six other fun guests celebrating a 50th birthday.
The chef, Carolina Olea Cosignani has earned the Grande Diplome from Le Cordon Bleu in Haute Cuisine and Patisserie. Her partner Manuel Lescano de Orleans is a Sommelier and served us the brunch. Much of the produce and herbs are grown in their garden at this Inn with the remainder being sourced locally.
We started with beverages, I opted for tea from this special silver box, also in that photo – little jars of homemade butter, fig/apple jam and coconut dulce de leche. Next was a selection of four breads, madeleines and chocolate filled shortbread cookies. Manuel served us tutti-frutti juice as well as water flavored with lavender, mint and basil.
Moving on, we next had a bowl brimming with fresh fruit – mango, strawberries, blackberry, home made yogurt and granola, local honey with saffron, lavender seeds and fresh mint. I was so hungry I forgot to take a photo – it happens….
Next up, a Galette Ratatouille – the gallette made with buckwheat in a crepe-style with fresh basil, veggies and feta. The crepe was delicate and the galette was full of flavor. Dessert was a fresh raspberry, mascarpone and almond confection topped with meringue, the perfect finish to our meal.
The Inn itself is elegantly decorated with so much ambiance. After leaving, we agreed it would be a perfect place to stay in the future!
I’m attaching a link to the Inn, if you’re planning a trip to Santa Fe, this is a truly special place:
https://casa-culinaria-don-gaspar-santa-fe.booked.net/#w
Our last excursion on the Alaskan cruise was in Ketchikan. We took a city tour by trolley featuring the Saxman Native Village which boasts the world’s largest collection of totem poles. There are 32 of them scattered throughout the village. Our guide started with a presentation in a building where they are actively carving 2 new totem poles. She shared lots of interesting facts about the design of a totem pole and the significance of where to place each face, animal or bird to tell a story.
I just returned from a one week cruise to Alaska on Discovery Princess. In Seattle, I met up with my cousin and her husband from Portland (Oregon) and my sister and brother-in-law from Vegas for pre-cruise dinner, drinks and a few toasts to the cruise ahead and fun times with family.
This trip exceeded our expectations and judging by the volume of photos I took there will several more blog posts coming soon.
We set sail on 8/3/24 and as we were pulling out of the Seattle Harbor the Captain announced that the Blue Angels were flying for an air show. It was a special treat and great beginning to our cruise. I captured some Blue Angel photos though you may have to squint to find them against the Seattle skyline.
A darling boutique near me recently announced they were closing but were offering a final craft class – a “garden sparkler”. It was on Saturday late afternoon and I signed up at once!
Of us nine attendees, I was the newby but not for long. After receiving our supplies and instructions, we started the process of choosing beads, cutting wire and assembling our creation. It was a spirited group with lots of great conversations happening simultaneously.
After 3 1/2 hours we were winding up so I knew this morning I’d need my trusty glue gun to assure everything would stay put. While doing so, I got out my beading supplies and added a cute beaded topper and strand of sparkling beads to wrap the cork.
Here’s my creation, and while not perfect it’s very pretty – and it does sparkle!
