tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17242346016772524732023-12-25T19:46:20.748-08:00Cheer up Old Bean!An Introvert Masquerading As An ExtrovertCheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.comBlogger294125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-40913746298037101482023-12-08T15:00:00.000-08:002023-12-08T15:00:00.167-08:00England 2023- Winchester to the Devon CoastWaking up our first morning in England is always exhilarating. It’s no secret that England is one of my favorite places and of course for my husband waking up in England is waking up at home. So, that morning waking up in Winchester we had a bounce in our step, despite the very little sleep I got. Jet lag can be a real drag. Usually it lasts for a few days when we head over the pond but thisCheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-58072666050597397662023-12-03T12:58:00.000-08:002023-12-03T12:58:45.910-08:00England 2023 LAX to Winchester Sitting here, contemplating our recent trip, I’m drinking a cup of milky Yorkshire Tea and thinking about how it’s been five years since we last headed over the pond to my husband’s homeland. Covid really changed things for everyone, but for us this meant a cancelled trip to England in 2020, trepidation about airports and flying in both 2021 and 2022 before finally 2023 being our year. I Cheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-47729469813103281512022-02-13T10:07:00.005-08:002022-02-13T10:07:44.863-08:002. Did Someone Say, “Hey You Guyyyys!”?Some movies define your childhood. The Lost Boys, Pretty in Pink, Dirty Dancing, Breakfast Club, Labyrinth, and perhaps the king of them all… The Goonies. I’ve seen it many times and I’m convinced I have it on VHS in my garage. If you’re on the right side of 40 then you probably know that The Goonies was filmed in Astoria, Oregon (as well as Cannon Beach). That little fact has been etched in my Cheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-18357951396651413472021-10-11T12:07:00.005-07:002021-10-11T12:34:58.556-07:001. Eureka! We’re in the Trees! I wasn’t going to write about this trip. My intention was to just be in the moment and not think about how I might describe things if I was writing a blog post. But then a friend asked me about it. She wanted to know when the first post would be up. It made me realize two things. One, that someone is indeed reading what I write and two, that I wanted to write it for myself. I don’t want to Cheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-82107201437217073722021-08-29T16:03:00.000-07:002021-08-29T16:03:09.762-07:0010. A Dry Oasis in Joshua TreeBefore I went to Rome in 2004 I read everything I could get my hands on about it. Guidebooks, expat memoirs, history books, archaeology magazines. Just all sorts. One of the things I read stuck with me all these years later. In a memoir about an Englishman who married an Italian woman and emigrated to Italy, he made a statement about Rome. He said that Rome was the kind of place that grew on you-Cheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0Twentynine Palms, CA 92277, USA34.1355582 -116.05416895.8253243638211529 -151.21041889999998 62.445792036178844 -80.8979189tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-60144865620419004412021-05-20T20:50:00.004-07:002021-05-20T20:50:36.371-07:009. Getting Lost in SedonaMy husband is Catholic- he’s not into “woo-woo”. In fact some might say he’s anti-woo woo...which is why I didn’t say a word about why we were going to Sedona. He was blissfully ignorant about vortices, ley lines, and all the things that Sedona is famous for. I wasn’t sure if this was going to backfire on me- how much of the woo-woo stuff was going to be thrown in our faces? Personally, I can getCheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-37439041726636736672021-05-18T15:04:00.002-07:002021-05-20T20:51:47.337-07:008. Bryce Canyon and a Covered Wagon It was time to leave Zion. We were packed up and ready to head out. I can’t even tell you how sad I felt inside. Actually, everyone can relate to this feeling. We’ve all had a place, or even just an experience that we’re sad to leave. I’m sure you can conjure up that feeling. Suitcases zipped and thrown back into the car, we still had exciting things ahead of us- but we’d be leaving Cheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-34609714032611315212020-09-20T14:46:00.001-07:002020-12-21T13:58:10.202-08:007. Weeping Rocks and Towering Peaks Up early once again but this time our day ahead was less daunting, less gargantuan, but no less epic. We came to realize pretty quickly that everywhere in Zion is beautiful, and picturesque. You really can’t go wrong with any trail you choose. On today’s docket: Weeping Rock Trail (sadly currently closed due to massive rock slide) and the Pa’rus Trail. Both of these trails are right upCheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-51928864752611525642020-08-04T15:49:00.005-07:002020-12-21T14:08:10.524-08:006. Angels LandingI was sitting here this morning in the present time, thinking about Utah and our trip last year- feeling like it was ages ago. I yearn to travel right now. My fellow travelers feel this longing like I do. Here we are in a worldwide pandemic and most of us have had and will have more time off then we’ve ever had in our lives. Under normal circumstances if I had this much time off it would be Cheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-27243257971002667732020-01-12T12:57:00.001-08:002020-01-13T10:10:11.470-08:005. Love’s and Ice Cream
Landscape is usually enough to tell you you’ve traveled outside your home area but sometimes it’s something as simple as a gas station. Daniel and I left Las Vegas and made our way to Utah- our final destination being Zion National Park. We desperately needed to fill up the car before we got too far into our journey. Lucky for us we spotted a service area in what felt like the middle of Cheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-24987501202656244422019-08-21T21:38:00.000-07:002019-08-21T21:56:05.931-07:004. Can You Lose Your Patience Down A Dam?
Finally the day arrived that we were going to the Hoover Dam. I’d been waiting patiently for this day the whole time we were in Vegas. It’s not that I have an interest in dams or how they work but I was ready to get out of Vegas, breathe some air that wasn’t tinged with cigarette smoke and hopefully learn something in the process. I was ready to be educated in all things dams. I had made theCheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-48324759387715379792019-08-18T11:26:00.001-07:002019-08-18T11:26:33.646-07:003. Beef Jerky and Showgirls
What is the one thing my in-laws were told to do while in Vegas? Fremont Street. At first I was trying to wrap my head around my English in-laws wandering old downtown Vegas. The lights, the zip line over head with screaming people, the street performers with legit old school boom boxes- how would this all go down? And then I remembered that my father-in-law is happiest in a dark pub or a diveCheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-87320719457676121412019-07-07T18:54:00.002-07:002019-07-07T18:57:39.456-07:002. Red Rocks and Sketchy Deals
Checking out of the Paris hotel and transferring to the Mardi Gras was one of the saddest travel moments of my life. My inner self was holding on to the ropes in the lobby for dear life. Pleeeeease don’t make me leave! I wonder if the gentleman checking us out could see the desperation in my eyes?
On the agenda for the day besides downgrading from a 4 star hotel to a 1 star hotel- yes, I Cheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-46755482738728278922019-06-02T20:44:00.000-07:002019-06-02T20:44:09.149-07:001. What Happens in Vegas...
We had a long day of driving ahead of us. The kind of day full of coffee and naughty fast food snacks. Things I would never allow myself on a normal day. But this wasn’t a normal day, this my friends was vacation!
We were on our way to Las Vegas, Nevada. Sin City, The Miracle in the Desert, The City of Entertainment, or the tagline that I prefer: “It’s Not For Everyone”. Vegas is not myCheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-63665426287977449312019-05-19T11:36:00.002-07:002019-05-19T11:59:14.462-07:0018. Workouts and Weddings
After our morning in Gloucester we got back on the road. We had a general idea of where we were going but not enough of an idea to proceed without google maps and the car navigation. Even with these two trusty tools we had a dickens of a time finding our final hotel of the trip.
We decided to spend our last night in the countryside but close enough to London so we didn’t have to Cheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-37710048994232873302019-03-09T21:45:00.002-08:002019-03-09T21:45:57.025-08:0017. A Royal Wedding is Nigh
Dr Foster went to Gloucester,
In a shower of rain,
He stepped in a puddle,
Right up to his middle,
And never went there again...
We left Bakewell in the early afternoon and made our way south to the West Country. Our destination that day was the city of Gloucester (which rhymes with Foster like the above nursery rhyme). I didn't know anything about Gloucester before we went but we Cheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-62260021081096841112019-01-07T14:15:00.000-08:002019-01-09T22:45:45.161-08:0016. Who Are You Callin' A Tart?
(Rowsley, Derbyshire on our way to Bakewell)
Listen, I have a sweet tooth. Most of the time I deny myself this craving but while on vacation anything goes. Having said that, it's completely normal for me to plan entire trips around food- and entire day trips around sweets. This my friends, if how we ended up in Bakewell, Derbyshire. We had driven through on a previous trip while on our way Cheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-34130783833551322482018-11-26T15:04:00.000-08:002018-11-26T15:04:15.682-08:0015. Trainspotting With The Duck Mafia
I've mentioned in previous blog posts that my in-laws live on the outskirts of the village of Scrooby. Scrooby is sandwiched between the Old North Road (see Old North Road/Scrooby blog post HERE) and the East Coast Main Line. My husband is a train and plane enthusiast, so trust me when I say I've heard my fair share about the East Coast Main Line. I've witnessed it from several locations and Cheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-16356845724049793952018-08-25T09:24:00.001-07:002018-10-14T12:33:09.800-07:0014. Off To The Races!Anyone up for a spot of betting? Daniel has always wanted to go to the horse races. It's such a traditional English day out kind of thing to do. We were lucky that we were in England during race season and even luckier to find ourselves within driving distance to beautiful track, The Beverley Racecourse.Before we headed out for our idyllic day at the races I had an appointment at a salon in LouthCheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-61931501862630301632018-08-04T16:01:00.001-07:002018-08-20T11:42:14.086-07:0013. Golf Balls and Boot ScrapersLudensian: Noun, an inhabitant of the market town of Louth. Taken from the Latin name of the town: Lude, LudaI mentioned in my post on Bath that I get what I call my "tingly Hobbit feet" when a place lights my heart on fire. And by lights my fire I mean the place truly speaks to your heart and awakens a sense of joy that you just can't explain. This has only happened to me 3 times so far in my Cheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-4932902928038383142018-08-04T14:12:00.003-07:002018-08-04T15:53:03.386-07:0012. A Very English IdleAfter the opulence of Chatsworth House we spent the next few days just hanging out with my in-laws in South Yorkshire and doing very English things.
First thing on the list was going to the pub. Daniel and I don't drink often but when we do it's usually hard cider. My father-in-law exclaims every single time that we order it, "You drink cider?!", and makes a disgusted face and let's us know heCheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-44465698283027430582018-07-16T19:06:00.001-07:002018-07-28T22:20:25.370-07:0011. The Duchess and a Gang of DucksThese are the stables... I repeat... These are the stables, people!!Chatsworth is the kind of place that doesn't seem real, and if you're from California then you've only seen it in movies. It's a lot to take in when you first see it. The extensive grounds and the English Baroque house that just seems to go on forever are right out of a Jane Austen film. Just imagine the Lord of the Manor fallingCheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-7243008159314201222018-07-10T20:56:00.001-07:002018-07-25T19:26:35.679-07:0010. The Peaks and the Plague!Roaming through the Derbyshire countryside, we made our way to Chesterfield for breakfast and a quick walk through the market. At this point we were both in hayfever/spring cold hell and needed meds stat! Our real search was for a pharmacy, so we wandered Chesterfield city center in search of something to turn off the constant flow from our noses. Chesterfield's claim to fame is the 14th Cheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-21008067367637956942018-07-01T18:08:00.001-07:002018-07-10T20:28:49.833-07:009. Romancing a QueenThere are just some days that will lodge in your memory bank and become one of the places you go to find your zen. Our day at Kenilworth Castle was one of those days, it was special, it was magical and the memory of it has become a "happy place" I go to. It's helpful that we had perfect weather, and it's helpful that it wasn't too crowded. Kenilworth Castle gave us the gift of sitting in the Cheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724234601677252473.post-21390618109349757572018-06-24T15:56:00.001-07:002018-07-01T17:06:29.090-07:008. Tea, Cakes and Glamping PodsOur next stop was the Cotswolds. Ironically this was the part of our trip that I was most looking forward to and was pumped about- and it ended up being the day I was most "meh" about. Just goes to show, expectations can ruin a place. The Cotswolds have such a glowing reputation, and granted it is a beautiful area but personally I think it was highly overrated. But, arriving I didn't have these Cheer up, Old Bean!http://www.blogger.com/profile/07817992503046968324noreply@blogger.com0