Tag Archives: vacation

Dancer poses by the pier

Today’s view from my yoga studio.
View from my yoga studio
I rolled out my mat on our patio at our bed and breakfast, the Inn at Mavericks. I worked on sun salutations. I closed my eyes and allowed the lighthouse gongs to center my breathing. When I bent my leg into tree pose, I stared at a billowing American flag, perched on a fishing boat. I breathed in salty sea air and good vibes. I breathed out frustrations and worries from my work week. I finished my practice with a smile, thinking about one Bali medicine man’s message to Elizabeth Gilbert in “Eat Pray Love“: “Smile in your liver.”

(Yes, the book is better than the movie. However, the movie didn’t suck. Julia Roberts rules.)

Now, the sun is trying to peek out over Half Moon Bay during our Memorial weekend getaway.
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Couch on the Freeway

COVINA, CALIF — Watching the morning news. KTLA’s chopper had a cool shot of the Rose Bowl Stadium. It’s all decked out with the colors of the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Oregon Ducks. According to the pilot, choppers are not allowed to fly over the Rose Bowl on Game Day. That’s a damn shame.

A few minutes later, he flew over Highway 134 and showed us a CHP officer dragging a red couch out of the middle of the road.

Random.

This is my idea of the perfect winter day: Sunny skies, 70 degrees and people playing on the beach.
Pier at Newport Beach
It’s my last day of my Christmas vacation in Southern California. The other day, I ran 4 miles by Newport Beach. My waistline needs all the help it can get after all the holiday eating.
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Snow Snow Snow

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. — Watching delicate snowflakes fall outside our motel room. It’s beautiful by the lake and kinda empty. Apparently, we arrived a week before the start of the big ski/snowboard season.

I’ll have to help my hubby clear off the all this white stuff from his car. Soon.
Waking up to snow falling in Tahoe. You can barely see our Toyota #fb

It seemed like a good time to do a weekend trip to the Sierra. I was inspired by a fellow journalist taking off for Guatemala after she finished up her contract.

My plan for this vacation: catch-up on sleep, eat, drink and enjoy the snow. Sounds like we’re getting another big dumping of snow later today. We may get snowed in. I think that sounds romantic for now. I suppose my hubby can telecommute from our motel room.

Anything is possible.

Taste and See

JFK INTERNATIONAL, NY — Sipping a Magic # 9 Ale inside the Jet Blue Terminal. Spicy, hoppy and it has a clean finish.

We have a little bit of a wait for our flight back to Sacramento. We also had a little bit of a delay. Earlier, authorities grounded all flights at JFK because of stormy weather. I am so happy that system moved out of our area. Now I’m looking forward to 90-degree weather and sunny skies.

View over Chippewa. Waking up in downtown Buffalo & celebrating 4 years of marri
This is the view over Chippewa Street from our room at the Hampton Inn. We celebrated our 4th anniversary in downtown Buffalo. On that night, I introduced a bartender to his first mint julep and we had some amazing gourmet Cajun cuisine at the Shango Bistro near the University of Buffalo.

I love spending time with my hubby and waking up with him. My work schedule has me falling asleep without him. Plus, it was lovely to catch up with his side of the family in Western New york

And from beef on weck to chicken feet – we sampled a staggering amount of food on this vacation.

We logged more than 2,000 miles on the rental car and visited the following states, territories and countries:

  • New York
  • Seneca Indian Nation
  • Tuscarora Indian Nation
  • Pennsylvania
  • Ohio
  • Canada

Viva la vacation!
Now, I miss California.
I’m ready to go home.

Cleveland Rocked

LOCKPORT, NY — Taking it easy after our day trip to Cleveland. It’s about 3+hours away from Buffalo. Currently chilling in Panera with my MacBook and a cup of Republic of Tea’s Honey Ginseng. Plus – I checked out my work e-mail. Bad idea.

Back to my vacation. Cleveland is a beautiful city. It sits on Lake Erie and it has a fine mix of modern buildings and older architectural styles. I adored doing lunch at the restaurant of Iron Chef Michael Symon. I’ll post more on that James Beard-award winning experience soon.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It’s home to an amazing collection of music, costumes, props and more. I read the scratched-out notes on the lyrics of “Blue Monday.” I also tried to imagine Jim Morrison as a little boy, creating handmade Valentine Cards to his mother.
Cleveland Rocks. Learning about Michael Jackson Les Paul Stevie Nicks & more
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It’s Good For You

LOCKPORT, NY — Today, I listened to NPR’s Morning Edition while driving by farms and Lake Michigan. No deadlines, no beat checks, no IFB checks and no scanner traffic. Life outside of the newsroom feels good. I’m a recovering workaholic settling into her vacation. According to the University of Pittsburgh’s Mind-Body Center – my mind and body needed this vacation.

It’s good for you.

We’re visiting my in-laws in upstate New York. We’re in Lockport, near Lake Ontario.
Mass by Lake Ontario. Going to church at St. Brendan in Olcutt #fb
The other day, we went to an outdoor mass with Lake Ontario as the backdrop.
Beautiful.
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Dreaming of Monterey

We picked the perfect time to visit Monterey Bay, just before the labor day crowds. In fact, on our way home last Saturday, we saw bumper-to-bumper traffic on the southbound lanes of 101 and the other highways leading into Monterey.

So, we were lucky.


We loved running by the bay, breathing in that ocean air as we got our adrenaline pumping. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired as staring at these bay views by Cannery Row.

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Playful and Cute

MONTEREY – It’s the last day of our vacation. I woke up at 5 AM and I felt relaxed. Typically, my body senses I slept in and sounds a panic alarm for being late for work. I suppose it will take a day or two before I sync up with my graveyard schedule.

On this vacation, we got lucky with the beautiful weather. We had a blast exploring Cannery Row, the Aquarium and Carmel Valley. I stuffed myself silly on all the fresh, tasty seafood. We got tipsy on all the amazing local wines.

Most importantly, I bowled a 137-point game last night at Monterey Lanes. Bam!

Now enjoy some cute otter luvin’!

Otter Luvin’ from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.

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