Portland and San Francisco

As if I have not been on the road enough lately, I spent the first week in December in the west coast of our lovely US of A. Except, it was not so totally lovely that week. It all started when I flew into Portland on Sunday night, into hurricane like winds. You may not believe this, but I swear it is true. Just read the Oregonian:
http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/12/sunday.html

In Portland, I was visiting my sister Laurel. She was in transition between places to live, so we stayed at the Avalon Hotel, which is WICKED. If you go to Portland you simply must stay there.

We got to have dinner at Veritable Quandary, which was super yummy. And, we got to move Laurel into her cute new house near Hawthorne Avenue. It even stopped raining that day just in time for the move. Here are some photos. The U-Haul part was especially fun...



From there it was off to San Francisco to catch up with some old friends for a few days. The weather was: raining! It did get sunny the last day, which was nice. I stayed at Lory's house in Pacific Heights. She has moved into a new place which is just fabulous. Her shower pressure was a bit lacking, but she's had it fixed since and is super happy. I also go to see Mary Ragan, Corbin and Ho at their fantastic house in Menlo Park. And, I caught up with Michelle and Becky. We hit the Christmas party scene Friday, here we are all dolled up (except for me - that sweater needs to go).


When I got home after being on the road for two weeks, I was convinced I was done traveling until Australia and New Zealand in February. Since then, however, a couple of January Vegas trips snuck onto the calendar. More detail on these later.

Pawleys Island, South Carolina Redux #34

The day after Thanksgiving, Mom and I took off for Pawleys Island, South Carolina for a week with my uncle and his family. It's almost true that I've been going to Pawleys every year since I was born, but I counted and I missed 5 years in there someplace. So this was visit #34.

This year, we were lucky to have a first year visitor, Ms. Libby Anne Austin, age 6 months. Here are pictures of me and Libby Anne, and her and her mom, Amy.



Pawleys Island is an hour and a half north of Charleston and half an hour south of Myrtle Beach. They are famous for ghosts, golf, hammocks and of course, food.

Regarding ghosts, there are a few versions of the story, but the ghost in residence is widely agreed to be the Gray Man. He appears on the beach at Pawleys Island prior to hurricanes. Everyone who has seen the Grey Man says that he warns them to leave the island. Residents who are wise enough to actually take the Grey Man's advice always find their homes undamaged after the storm. Encounters with the Grey Man have been reported before every major hurricane that has struck the island for more than a hundred years. For more on this lovable spirit, go to http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/grayman.htm.

There are enough golf courses around Pawleys and Myrtle Beach that they say you could play a different one every day for a year. I played three of them, our favorite was the Tradition. A lot of my golf balls are still on The Tradition.


Pawleys is the home of the Original Rope Hammock. That was when all the hammocks were made by hand, not in China. You can still watch them being made at the Original Hammock Shop on Highway 17. All Pawleys Island beach cottages have a hammock. Our this year had three! They are pretty comfy once you get over the butt burn issues.


South Carolina food is some of my favorite in the world. Our top pick restaurant hands down is Frank's and Frank's Outback (www.franksandoutback.com). If you are ever in the area, you must try the place. There is simply nothing bad on the menu. The crab cakes, grouper, shrimp and grits and caramel cake were some group favorites this year. Here we are after a yummy meal.



I'd be remiss not to mention the college football drama which occurred on Saturday the 24th, the day we arrived, and December 1, the day we left. Both Tennessee and Clemson were victorious in their final regular season games, which causes a lot of celebration in our house. I'm still bitter about Tennessee losing the SEC championship to LSU and the Tigers' subsequent entry into the national championship, which is why I have not posted on the topic. I am happy for my Oklahoma pals, one of whom were at the game and even took time to educate me on what a "Sooner" is.



The next post will be about my time in Portland, Oregon during their "monster" storm (www.oregonlive.com/weather). Yes, I really did fly in an airplane during this thing...

Vegas 2007 and Other Fall Ruminations

It's hard to believe that the last time I was in Vegas was at CES in January of this year. (To see a photo of me at the show with a Dr. Evil impersonator, see the very first post on the blog.) It was time to go back again and as usual Vegas did not disappoint.

Tracy, Mary Beth and I attended the Maroon 5 concert at the new Pearl theater at the Palm. We loved the theater, and also the place where we had dinner, Nuovo Italiano on the 55th floor. But other than that, the Palm is not really our kind of place. To add insult to injury, we were super bummed to learn from People magazine that there were all sorts of celebrities at the Palm that weekend. Somehow we missed them.

Staying at the MGM Signature is always a good call, in contrast. The place is like a high end apartment building you can call your own while in Vegas. Here was what my room looked like, wicked:

The next night, we branched out and went to the Mirage for dinner at Japonais and drinks at Stack. We have absolutely no idea who these guys in the photo are...


Monday, I had a day dedicated entirely to me. OK, this entire year is probably dedicated entirely to me but especially that day was. I went all over Vegas and shopped til I dropped. I also visited a few of my favorite places, including the Bellagio Hotel, which has beautiful art.


There is one more issue which needs to be addressed on the blog, which is the absence of Andrew Bowins at the golf game which took place at Star Ranch on November 1, 2007. Several sources who wish to stay anonymous predicted he would wimp out, and they were right. Here's what a few folks had to say about Andrew...

“Yeah, Andrew was invited but did his usual—accept and then was a no-show. I’m actually glad he didn’t play because we’d still be out on the course waiting for him to finish.”
---V. Figueroa

"I used to think this was typical Canadian behavior but now I realize that he is unlike his countrymen..."
---T. Masson

"The word 'duck' comes to mind when AB approaches the tee-box."
---B. Kaufman<

What a Strange College Football Season It's Been

Today, I'm writing about something you probably don't expect to read on my blog: football. Specifically, college football. Mostly because, it's much more fun than pro football, being scrappier, and because this has been a weird season indeed.

Let's start with the Tennessee Vols, currently #20 in the BCS rankings with a 7-3 record. That record does not tell the whole story, because like Michelle Pearcy's team, LSU, Tennessee has been playing "heart attack football" this year. The South Carolina game almost went into double overtime. I hate to say this about my team, but they won out of sheer luck - some favorable calls in the first half combined with South Carolina missing a field goal in overtime to lose the game. Lots of people in Knoxville thing Phillip Fulmer should be fired, but they're just looking for someone to blame for wearing out the batteries in people's pacemakers.

Then there is the hometown team, Texas, ranked #13 with a 9-2 record. Again, these guys have become the masters of coming from behind and I'm not sure the fans are really appreciative. The Longhorns have the week off this week, and everyone here is so bored after all the action that they're coming up with stupid video ideas to keep the locals at bay. You can see Kirk Bohls' interview from New York at http://www.statesman.com/news/mplayer/m/40550.


Lastly, I have to acknowledge to my great chagrin that Oregon lost last night which means that LSU is now #1 in both the BCS poll and the AP poll. I worked with a lot of LSU people and they never have anything nice to say about the Vols, so this burns me. But the chances of Tennessee playing LSU in an SEC championship are diminishing, so at least we won't have to get our ass kicked. And, Florida is #12. I hate Florida.

Where the Heck Have I Been?

Hi Everyone...

It's been brought to my attention that certain folks (not to mention names but specifically Paul Walker from GCI) feel that I have been ignoring the blog. I logged on today and was horrified to see that I have made no posts for more than 3 weeks! So, I suppose I am guilty as charged.

I feel I owe my loyal blog readers, if there are any left, some type of explanation. So here goes:

Excuse #1: Interrupted travel plans. I was planning a post in mid-October on my trip to Portland and Seattle. Unfortunately, this journey had to be called off at the last minute due to, how do I put this nicely - booting. It seems that 24 hours before the flight, I was struck with some dreaded stomach bug. I think I got it from a porta potty on the Riverside golf course, but will provide no further details. I have rescheduled my trip to the west coast for December.

Excuse #2: The Great American Novel. I'm about 2/3 of the way through my book. I know you'll ask what it's about, and it is NOT about my family so all you blood relatives can stop worrying. I'm creating a fictitious company caught up in the internet bubble. I've hired an editor on my own dime and have been attending the St. David's Writers' group. If you're a literary agent and you want to take a look, you can email me at gretchen2dot0@austin.rr.com. Expected completion is January 1, 2008.

Excuse #3: Golf. I have continued to practice and play golf and I'm happy to report I am marginally better. Only marginally though. A throw down match with Figueroa and Bowins is scheduled for this Thursday, November 1 if Bowins does not wuss out. Maybe I will post the results on the blog.

Excuse #4: Football. For those of you not following the SEC greats of our time, tonight is the showdown at Neyland Stadium between the Tennessee Volunteers (Go Vols!) and the South Carolina Gamecocks. I am in Knoxville for the aforementioned match and will be there to root on the team.

Excuse #5: More travel! The trip to Fiji, Australia and New Zealand has been set for February/March 2008. Travel companions include Sharon and Andrea and (we hope) Corey and Mike. On deck in the near future are Vegas, Pawleys Island, and Portland/San Franscisco.

In short, these are all lame excuses and I know that. I will redouble my efforts to post and get back to this soon. Look for a post on Hiking in the Smokies: Redux very soon. This post will also contain my analysis of the football game in question, now less than four hours away.

New England: Four States in Six Days

A great thing about my time off is that it's allowing me to catch up with old friends and relatives. Last week, I made a trip to New England where I got to see Jean Hancock, my uncle Loye, and the whole Hawkins-Kelly family. Here are some of the highlights.

Jean is one of our oldest family friends. When I was little, she would pick me and my sister up from school when my mom was working and take us for ice cream and fast food. I haven't seen Jean since 1999! Today, she lives in the lovely town of Chester, Vermont with her partner Jane.

I had a great time catching up with them and getting to know Chester. According to the Chester Chamber of Commerce, "Chester is a quaint New England town with a population of 3,044, centrally located and in close proximity to several ski areas including Okemo, Mount Snow, and Killington." I also got to go to the launch party of the new Chster "Alternative" 2008 calendar. To see more on this, you can visit http://www.chestercalendar.com/.

The next stop was West Lebanon, New Hampshire to visit my uncle, Loye Miller. Loye is calss of 1951 from Dartmouth College, and he missed it so much he decided to move there. I haven't seen Loye since 2003! He's got a fantastic house located right near the town of Dartmouth. Loye also gives a great tour of the White Mountains, here are a few scenes from our day sightseeing. I didn't count how many times we went back and forth between Vermont and New Hampshire, but it was a lot!



The last stop was in Exeter New Hampshire, where I visited my friend Sheila Kelly and her family. I haven't seen Sheila since 1999! Claire (now 9) was less than two then, and John (7) was not born. Nat is now teaching at Phillips Exeter Academy. They used to live in Concord, where they both worked at St. Paul's School. All schools in New Hampshire are beautiful, so they have nice digs.






We went to three beaches - Hampton, New Hampshire, Plum Island, Mass., and Ogonquit, Maine. We also visited the headquarters of Stonewall Kitchens which was YUMMY! Sheila is going to work there, they just don't know it yet.

Jackson, Wyoming

This year for Labor Day Weekend, I was lucky enough to be invited to the home of Eric Harslem, Rani Clasquin and Kate Harslem in Jackson Wyoming. Valerie Hanft came along too, and we had a super time. What great hosts! Here are some of the highlights of that trip.

The weather in Jackson was absolutely perfect. That meant I had a great view of the Teton mountains from my room when I woke up every morning.


Saturday, we had a golf game for which I did not report my score. Valerie, Kate and Eric were great sports, and it was a perfect day to be outside. After golf, we ventured into downtown Jackson for lunch and sightseeing.



Sunday, Eric and Rani took us on a hike to Jackson Peak. I almost made it but the altitude got the better of me about 15 minutes from the top. Despite a little bit of sprinkling rain as we got near the summit, it was a perfect day.

In the evenings, we got to enjoy the beautiful view from the patio, along with some great food and wine. The last day, Labor Day, Valerie and I were going for a walk when we got some unexpected but very cute visitors.


There was a definite chill in the air and we were told that ski season is coming soon. Last but not least, we decided that getting there is half the fun.


Next up for me: a road trip through Vermont and New Hampshire. More on that next week.

Bella Vista, Arkansas

In the spirit of getting back to regular posting on Gretchen 2.0, I wanted to share one of the highlights of my last month, which was Carolyn's and my trip to Bella Vista, Arkansas.

Why does one go to Bella Vista, you might ask? Well, maybe because you work at Wal Mart or are visiting Wal Mart. But it turns out the Greater Bentonville area has a lot to offer, including a GREAT golf scool, let by former LPGA player, Beverly Williams. Beverly's classes are a great value and she is an outstanding teacher too! We think women will especially enjoy Beverly's style and gentle reminders, such as "The gas is in the a*s!" To see more about her golf programs and sign up you can visit http://www.iabv.com/iabvgolf.html.

If business is taking you to the greater Wal Mart area, why stay at Holiday Inn when you can stay at the Inn at Bella Vista (http://www.iabv.com) for about the same price! Plus, the breakfasts are MUCH better. The cinnamon roll French toast and blueberry pecan pancakes with peaches won our stomachs over, though I am not sure they helped with our golf game.

We found several fun things to do in Bella Vista and Bentonville, mostly which were related to food. We liked Blackboards Cafe in Bella Vista and Bella Napoli in Bentonville. For great gift ideas, visit Par Hillard and T at Dogwood Hills pottery (www.dogwoodhillspottery.com).

To read more about Bentonville, you can visit http://www.bentonvillear.com/.

Now the burning question: Is my golf game any better? Eric Harslem will attest, absolutely not. But I haven't quit yet and I'm sticking with it.

Back in the US of A

The break is over and it's time to get back to regular posting here on Gretchen 2.0. It's hard to believe the first one third of my year off has flown by already. Here's a few updates on what's been happening since I last posted to the blog.

The first order of business was that I had my 39th birthday. From the look on my face when I was blowing out the candles, I am already thinking about what 40 will feel like. OK, not really - Mom put trick candles on the cake. Thanks to Sharon for throwing an awesome party!


As far as Austin, one word: rain. It has been raining all the time. If you don't believe me, check out this blog: http://austinist.com/2007/07/05/summer_storms_b.php
That picture is taken not far from where I used to live in west Austin. We need the rain, last summer was a terrible drought. But as far as boating or golfing, it's been a bit tough to keep up with. My yard looks great, though, and my water bill is at an all time low.

I reunited with my pals from the Tribal Council in July. Here are a couple of photos including me with some Irish guys we met. One of them proposed marriage to me, but did not leave a phone number. Bummer!




Last week, I went to visit Andrea, one of my very best friends from business school. She just moved to Norfolk, VA and lives in a really cool house near the river. Unline Austin, Norfolk has been having a drought. Andre has spent all summer working on her lawn. Here is what it looked like before she got started:

She's had to water a lot this summer, but when I went to Norfolk I brought the rain with me. At least 5 inches fell in only 24 hours. It was a real test of her drainage system, as you can see...




Thanks to her great neighbors, we got a pump and the water was gone by the next day. It also did not stop us from going to the John Mayer concert. What a show! The only complaint is he came on way too late (9:20pm for a 7PM show). We are getting old I know, but that's a ridiculous amount of time to make people wait to hear good music. It was, however, a beautiful night.

I like his new haircut and love the music, but I can't help but think John Mayer is getting too big for his own good. He has a My Space Page and a blog (http://www.johnmayer.com/blog). I mean, really. I know he's a rock star and all that, but what happened to a good old fashioned blog? I think dating Jessica Simpson had a poor influence on his ego.

Next up: Carolyn and I are headed to golf school in Bella Vista, Arkansas. Look for updates on that next week.

Blog Holiday

The blog Gretchen2dot0 is taking a holiday. Check back for new posts in a couple of weeks!

Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) was the last stop on my southeast Asian adventure. It is a HUGE city that makes Hanoi look small by compare. There is a lot to do in terms of shopping and nightlife, and I only had time to barely sample it.

We ate lunch at Pho 2000, Bill Clinton's favorite restaurant when he is in town, and we shopped the Ben Thanh market. Bargains galore! Then, it was time for some sightseeing.

Here is a statue of Uncle Ho near a former French government building. The statue came after the French left.

We saw the old post office, still in operation. It has maps of Indochina under the French regime which have been preserved as murals.

No visit to Saigon is complete without a trip to the War Remnants Museum, formerly the War Crimes Museum. It is a rather disturbing place. Unfortunately, the balance in how the war is reported is not exactly evident. But humbling all the same.

I saw the Hotel Majestic, where my dad stayed when he covered the Vietnam/American War as a journalist.

The last day, we had our farewell dinner. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone, especially our great guide Mr. Loc. There was also a confession at dinner regarding some hijinks with Nigel's camera. Who would have thought...

All in all, Vietnam and my trip were amazing. I'm at home now after a fairly eventful 30+ hour journey, which included an elderly Chinese man dropping his pants on a flight after some confustion over a seat belt, and a Filipino woman undergoing a panic attack and having to be restrained by 6 flight attendants. Air travel is very overrated :).

July 4 in Nha Trang, Vietnam

The cycling part of my Vietnam trip came to an end this week as we arrived in Nha Trang. We cycled 100k the last day, and even though it was not the hardest terrain on the tour (18k of straight downhill!) it felt like a real accomplishment. The great staff at World Expeditions/Buffalo Tours put on a celebration for us as we arrived in town. Above, you can see me with Mr. Chung, our coach and mechanic on the left, and Mr. Loc, our guide on the right. Mr. Chung is 53 years old and he is one of the top cyclists in Vietnam!

On July 4, we spent the day on the beach in Nha Trang, and took a boat tour around the bay.

Later, some of the girls went for a ride on a banana boat and we did not get thrown off!

I had to go all over town to find sparklers so I could celebrate with my new Australian friends. I finally found them at a wedding cake store. I think everyone liked them.

The next and last post of the trip will be on Saigon, as I am headed home soon.

Happy Fourth of July all!