ALASKA! TOGETHER! FINALLY!!

 While we have both been to Alaska, we have not been together and neither of us have been there on a cruise, so this is a big bucket-lister trip for us along with some family as well. 

Wednesday, August 5 - Fly to Seattle, flight museum, 

Seattle Mariners game vs. the Detroit Tigers.  We had front-row, aisle seats in the outfield of beautiful T-Mobile Park.  

Thursday, August 6 - A Day in Seattle - 

chef led food tour of Pike Place Market, 

underground Seattle tour 

Friday, August 7 - Cruising out of Seattle 

Saturday, August 8 - At Sea 

Sunday, August 9 - Ketchikan, Alaska - wildlife and waterfall tour 

Monday, August 10 - Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier and on to Juneau, Alaska 

Tuesday, August 11 - Skagway, Alaska, waterfall tour, and cruising The Inside Passage

Wednesday, August 12 - At Sea 

Thursday, August 13 - Victoria, British Columbia in Canada

Friday, August 14 - return to Seattle, 

sunset cruise in Seattle 

Saturday, August 15 - Another full day in Seattle - 

Mt. Rainer National Park tour 

Sunday, August 16 - Fly home from Seattle 

Let's Do That Summer Thing Again!

 

Sunday, May 25 - We got home from our trip to the tropics only to find the tropics had invaded our back yard thanks to a lot of rain while we were gone.  Our two-year-old calla lily in the backyard by the patio was booming with blooms.  Top that, Costa Rica!! 

Monday, May 5 - Let's get our hungry, hungry hippo on! After only a day of rest from our trip, the super hostess with the mostest, Ashlee, dodged most of the forecasted rain to throw a darn good Childhood Games Partay today on Memorial Day.  It also served as a milestone birthday party for three of our friends: Brenda (60); Wendy (50) and Lisa (50).  It was a hoot and a holler with this giant version of human Hungry Hungry Hippos blown up in our backyard as the crowning achievement. 

We had great, themed food (Sloppy Joes, Hamburger Helper and Beanie Weenies), cakes for all three birthday girls and tons of throwback candy.  Note that these no longer say "cigarette" on them. 

Thursday, May 28 - An inspiration from our recent trip to Costa Rica arrived today in the form of a nice-sized Dwarf Cavendish banana tree that we hope will grow and become part of the household just like our palm tree that we've had now for over 10 years.  

 
Saturday, May 30 - I stopped at the Emeraude Bakery in Mt. Juliet this morning which is also near my current pet-sitting house and picked up some tasty pastries for me and Ashlee.  These chocolate croissants were so big and so buttery!  I also got a giant cinnamon roll to split as well as a huge chocolate chip muffin.

Monday, June 1 - When a new Waffle House opens less than 3 miles from the house, you make the artistic decision to go visit it ASAP.  And we did that tonight for dinner with some tasty grill cheese sammies, Bert's chili, and a peanut-butter waffle!  Yum!  And the staff there were so nice!  We shall return!! 

Saturday, June 6 - We FINALLY made it to Awedaddy's Bar and Grill on Old Hickory Lake in Gallatin for a meal today.  We've been wanting to check it out for quite a while and circumstances fell right today with Ashlee taking our Subaru to the Gallatin dealership for an oil change and me in Gallatin pet/houae-sitting this upcoming week.  Our friends, Todd and Kelly, joined us and we had a very tasty and nice;y-priced lunch (fish tacos for Ashlee and sweet chili salmon for me, plus some excellent corn dip as an appetizer) out on their deck with views of the lake and marina next door.  Great place! We've got to get back up here again as soon as possible!  

Sunday, June 7 - Fresh flowers look great in a clean house!  We bit the bullet and hired a house cleaning company for our cluttered, messy home and it's been great so far.  They did a deep-clean last week and will now be coming every couple weeks on a regular schedule.  It will also motivate us to keep things tidier for them to be able to clean.

Sunday, June 13 - Ashlee had to bring the Subaru back up to the Gallatin dealership this morning to get our broken grill replaced and I was on my last day up there pet/house-sitting, so we met at Keke's Breakfast Cafe.   It's a very nice place and the food and beverages were outstanding.  We did a little shopping afterwards around town.  

Tuesday, June 16 - We went to see Augustana at the new (and improved) Cannery Hall in downtown Nashville tonight.  They were co-headlining a tour with Phantom Planet who we've actually never really heard of.   Thank goodness, Augustana went on first, so we could cut out of there at a decent time (old people issues).  They played their entire debut album, "All the Stars and Boulevards" which is celebrating its 20th anniversary plus some other favorites.  It was an excellent show and we were home by 10 PM!  Beforehand, we had a tasty dinner at the Homegrown Taproom in Donelson.  

Thursday, June 18 - We went to see one of our favorite old-school comedians, Dave Attell, tonight at Zanies in Nashville for a SOLD-OUT show.  Dave's a legend for sure.   His openers were nothing to get excited about, but he was in true form, i.e. very funny.  

Tuesday, June 23 - We went to see the new Toy Story 5 movie tonight at the Providence Theaters in Mt. Juliet.  It was another classic story and well made.  The place was full of kids, but they were quiet during the movie, so it was a nice experience.  It was also Discount Tuesday, so we saved a few bucks as well.  

Saturday, June 27 - We attended a SOLD-OUT World Cup game in Atlanta tonight at the Mercedes Benz Dome.  The teams were Uzbekistan vs. DR Congo and while we don't have a rooting interest in either team, it was about the only game on a Saturday that was close enough and affordable enough for us to attend so as to be even just a small part of this massive global event.   Tickets to this game have more than doubled what I paid for them originally as World Cup excitement here in North America is at a fever pitch.  

Before the game, we attended the also SOLD-OUT FIFA Fan Festival.  This was a free event, but you still needed a ticket.  It was hot outside and things were pricey and lines were long, but we did have a good time since we got to see our good friend, Rex, who lives nearby and we had a tasty and refreshing FIFA-inspired cocktail that included Crown Royal peach, passion fruit, lime, ginger beer and a dried orange served in a plastic soccer ball.    

This is each team's third and last game in their Group K Stage and while neither team will probably be advancing (Congo has a decent chance), they have both given great effort.  Congo has had a stronger tournament so far with an upsetting 1-1 tie to start things off for them vs. European powerhouse, Portugal.  That was Congo's first goal ever in the World Cup (it's been 52 years since they were last in it), and this is Uzbekistan's first ever appearance in the tournament, so we are also seeing some history here.  Uzbekistan's first ever World Cup goal came in a 1-3 loss to Colombia.   

We stayed overnight at a nice Hilton hotel called The American within walking distance of the game.  This was our first time together to attend an event at the spectacular Mercedes Benz Dome which was decked out in FIFA fanfare.  

What an experience!!  The game was a classic with Congo coming from a 1-0 halftime deficit to roar ahead for a 3-1 win in the second half!  This was Congo's first ever win in The World Cup!  They also qualified to move on to the 32-team Knockout Stage next week against powerful England.  The atmosphere was electric with huge contingents for both countries representing pride and excitement for their national teams.  Our seats were dead center with great sightlines.  We had some delicious (and affordable) grilled cheese sandwiches beforehand for dinner in the stadium. 

(Editor's note:  Congo put up a brave fight in their next game as a massive underdog to England and in the end conceding a loss by a respectable 2-1 score.) 

Sunday, June 28 - We slept in a bit and enjoyed our nice, quiet room in downtown Atlanta.  Before leaving, however, we did amble over to the nearby Hansel and Gretel Bakery Cafe for breakfast which was amazing.  They have tons of pastries to choose from and we gorged ourselves! 

We had a discounted (thanks, CU!)  rental car (a comfy Hyundai Tucson SUV) from Enterprise to travel down and back in.  We stopped for a late lunch in Guild, TN, at the amazing Riverdance Restaurant overlooking Nickajack Lake.  Our food was excellent and we are pretty sure some or most of the Spanish National Soccer Team were there at the same time.  They have been training in nearby Chattanooga for this year's World Cup.    

(Editor's note:  It has now been confirmed that it definitely was the Spanish National Soccer Team at Riverdance while we were there.  It's also been confirmed that the Spaniards are the now this year's World Cup Champions!)  

This road trip to Atlanta also gave us a chance to finish the wonderful audiobook, "Actress of Certain Age" by actor, Jeff Hiller who we love from the now-sadly-cancelled HBO TV show, "Somebody Somewhere."  It was funny, touching and beautifully written.

Monday, June 29 - So these two little hellions had the run of the house while we were gone this weekend...and they actually did great.  These brethren foster kittens are Everett (white one) and Gunnar.  We were told they were completely blind when we started caring for them, but we are happy to report they definitely have enough sight to run and play hard and fast without much holding them back.  They are growing like weeds and they are going to make someone a wonderful pair of pets! 

Saturday, July 4 - We threw an Independence Day Pool Party today since the holiday fell on a Saturday.  Ashlee's cousins from Cincinnati came down for the weekend as well as several friends for the party today.  It was sweltering hot, so the pool felt great even though we had to add several bags of ice to cool it off!   

Party on, Buc!  We got a great gift and fun outdoor party favor from the cousins from Cincy!  (photo above) 

A couple other new party additions this weekend also included a new outdoor fridge and a new picnic table (according to this same blog, our first picnic table lasted over six years outside - so not bad).

Another hit at the party today were some red, white and blueberry fried pies from Breeden's Orchard over in Mt. Juliet.  Yum! Yum! 

Letty decided to check out the new picnic table in the backyard and she approves.  Isn't she a pretty girl!  

Friday, July 10 - We dined IN THE POOL tonight with some great grub delivered to us from Chili's.  It sure beats getting dressed and going out! 

Saturday, July 11 - Our friends, Kate and Curtis, picked us up today and we all traveled a little way north to check out the Christmas in July event in lovely downtown Gallatin.  Several nice boutique stores were having pretty good sales, and we found a few goodies to take home.  

Ashlee even found Santa (allegedly) at the downtown farmer's market in Gallatin. 

For lunch, we checked out the French- inspired restaurant, The Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cafe.  The food was very good and moderately priced.  We could definitely see coming here again. 

Sunday, July 12 - More backyard jungle brilliance!  This is a canna lily that Ashlee saved off the discounted "death row" at our local Lowe's and brought it back to life with some TLC (and a nice amount of rain lately) at home.  

Sunday, July 13 - It looks like someone's got themselves a Mini-me! It hard to see in this picture where Sunny stops and our little white foster kitten, Everett, begins.  That's some adorable snuggling going on right there! 

We went to see new epic film, The Odyssey, tonight with some friends at the Regal Hollywood Theaters in RPX (recliners!) in Nashville.  This was my second viewing and while it was not in IMAX like the first time I saw it just a few days ago, it was still incredibly powerful and awesome.  No way it doesn't win best picture.  What a masterpiece of film for Christopher Nolan.  He is the GOAT!!  Ashlee thought it was very good also albeit at times some scenes made her uncomfortable.  

brunch at Inglewood Lounge with their locally famous patio cat, Penny