Arm Chair Traveler

Posted on September 9, 2013September 9, 2013 by Dusty Roads

There’s a magazine that’s always on the rack by the check out counter in most of the grocery stores in my area. It’s called Woman’s World and it has lots of short articles crammed into a little publication.

It includes things like short fiction, household tips, decorating, cooking tips and recipes, crafts…always the latest diet…health tips and I could go on. But the one department I always check is the Armchair Traveler. It’s always a 2 page spread with pictures highlighting someplace you might like to go.

If it sounds like someplace I’d like to go I pull out the 2 pages. I have a whole file full but they do come in handy. When I planned my trip to Oahu they had just had an Armchair Traveler about Oahu. It helped pin down the things we wanted to see.

I thought of that trip and our Big Island Adventure when I opened this week’s issue as once again, Hawaii was the featured location, this time the 2 smallest Hawaiian Islands, Molokai and Lanai.

I haven’t thought much about Lanai but I do want to go to Maui and planned to include a side trip to Molokai at that time. I’ve heard that Molokai has great snorkeling and scuba diving and I am interested in that.

According to the article Molokai has a few other things going for it like the highest sea cliffs in the world!

Lanai is the smallest island and is described as tranquil and romantic. It’s home to two Four Season’s Resorts and the historic Hotel Lanai. The Garden of the Gods, a surreal lunar-like landscape, is located on Lanai.

The article lists beaches and waterfalls for a tourist’s pleasure and wraps up with the weekly “Armchair Traveler” Cocktail, this week it’s a Cucumber Lavender Vo-jito. This drink is popular at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay.

I will share it with you but with one disclaimer…I haven’t tried it. If any of you do, let me know if you like it 🙂

5 fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 Tbs. lime juice
1 1/2 Tbs. lavender syrup *
Ice Cubes
3 Tbs. cucumber flavored vodka
club soda
additional mint for garnish
Lime Slices (optional)

Place mint in tall glass; using end of wooden spoon , crush mint. Add lime juice, lavender syrup, and ice cubes. Pour vodka over ice; stir. Top off with club soda. Garnish with mint and lime slices, if desired. Serves 1

*To make syrup, bring !/2 cup water and 1/2 cup if sugar to boil; stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 Tbs. culinary lavender; let stand until cool. Strain into jar; cover and store in refrigerator.

With a Cucumber Lavender Vo-jito in hand, some Hawaiian tunes on the I-Pod you’re ready to drift away in you’re mind. Imagine the gentle breezes, the smell of the sea and you are “Armchair Traveling”. The next best thing to being there!

Not Fall Yet!

Posted on September 8, 2013September 8, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I know I did a post on Meteorological Fall but fall, as the rest of us know it, isn’t until September 22.

The Red Sox are still playing, even beating the dreaded Yankees. But mostly the talk is about football and tailgating , apple picking and leaf peeping.

Yankee Magazine, Outdoor Photographer, Adirondack Life and National Geographic’s Traveler magazine all have top drives for seeing foliage or articles on how to take the best pictures and capture the colors. (You mean there’s more to it than luck!?) I’m sure there are others, I just happen to subscribe to these. 🙂

My Southeastern AAA publication even got into the spirit of it even if the did concentrate more on the Hudson River Valley than New England.

The Adirondack Balloon Festival is coming up, another sure sign of fall.

We had fall-like weather the last few days with evening temps getting down to the 40’s but daytime was nice, sunny and mid-70’s even low 80’s in some places. No doubt about it, the Wheel of Time keeps turning and the air is starting to have a touch of fall. My allergies can swear to it as the Rag Weed crop was a bumper one this year thanks to all the rain. I’ll suffer until the first frost but please don’t hurry here, Jack. I’ll put up with the runny , itchy eyes and sneezes .

Another beautiful sunny day beckons beyond my windows so enjoy your Sunday everyone.

Mayor Stubbs Update

Posted on September 7, 2013September 7, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Fresh from the Facebook Feed:

Stubbs Mayor Cat

I continue to improve each day, and have high hopes of being able to return home on Monday. I can’t wait to be back in Talkeetna with the people I love, continuing my duties as Mayor. I purr in gratitude to each of you for your get well wishes.

Love,
Mayor Stubbs

This and That

Posted on September 7, 2013September 7, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Mayor Stubbs: We know what’s going on with Mayor Stubbs, how he was mauled by a canine assassin and is clinging to life. I checked his Facebook page to see if there was any update on his condition but I didn’t see anything new. However there was a cute post. One of his young fans wrote him a song. http://youtu.be/XOEaFNfdQfo Now that should make him feel better. Maybe we could get him to run for President?

In Sports :

Tim Tebow was released by the New England Patriots.

He vows to continue his pursuit of an NFL career. Reports are that an unnamed NFL team was willing to pick him up if he’s change positions..no more quarterback. Tim allegedly declined.

And Aaron Hernandez appeared in court where he pled not guilty to all charges. You know who he is, right. He was a New England Patriot until he was charged with murder. Then, of course, the Pats fired him. Makes me wonder how they could have hired him in the first place. He had a history of violence and it seems like the team should have known.

And more cat news!

Alaska isn’t safe for kitties at the moment! Mayor Stubbs is mauled and now a cat in Juneau survives an 11 story fall from a window. The cat did not get away unscathed. He suffered broken bones and had to endure surgery to , Like Humpty Dumpty, put him back together again. According to the Juneau Empire, the cat, named Wasabi, was chasing the Alaska State Bird when it flew out the window of the 11th floor apartment and he followed.

Maybe next time he’ll remember that cats can’t fly .

Lighthouse Lovers..This Post’s for You

Posted on September 6, 2013September 6, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Hello Lighthouse lovers. Did you know there was a lighthouse in Boston Harbor for sale? I didn’t either but it sure got everyone’s attention today when a record-breaking sale was announced.

Sold! Graves Island lighthouse breaks record

Graves lighthouse is the one I mentioned in a recent post as being in line with Boston Light. (Graves is the one in back in the photo above)

There are lots of lighthouses that you can rent for a night or two or maybe even a week for vacation but do you really want to live there?

Graves light is 5 stories high with 2 bedrooms. One drawback…no bathrooms but I guess if you can afford to buy a lighthouse you can afford to update the plumbing.

Whoever purchased Graves Light got it for the “paltry” sum of $933,888. Not bad for a working lighthouse especially when you realize it was CASH bid.

The US General Services Administration, which conducted the Graves Island Light Station auction, has not identified the new owner of the lighthouse located on a rocky, wave-battered ledge near the entrance to Boston Harbor. But we can tell you it was bought by a Boston businessman whose roots in New England date to the 1630s and who has a deep interest in maritime history. He said Wednesday he prefers to remain anonymous until the sale is finalized, which will most likely be Thursday or Friday. The GSA has said it received bids from 10 parties initially, but the number dwindled to two as the price rose higher and higher. The winning bid is a record amount paid for a US lighthouse. Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places since 1987, the Graves Island lighthouse is one of 163 lighthouses located along the New England coast. It went on the auction block in June.