Florida

We are ensconced in our condo for the next two months.  It is beautiful and spacious with a great lanai - that's what they call a terrace here - with a view of a lake and the golf course.  Weather is in the high 70's.  Russell played golf today and will play again tomorrow.  I sat at the pool.  And while I really could have kept on in our travels, I wanted out of the cold.  Nice to see the sun and feel the warmth everyday.  

We are delighted that Camaron is having a girl and all of the pink will come out of hiding.  Love that pink.

I have posted pictures of our condo.  Come and visit.  Trisha 

A New America

I have been blaming the Republicans for everything the past few months,  so now it is only fair that I express eternal gratitude to them for helping us to elect Barack Obama.  Their message of fear,  insinuations that you were less of an American for not supporting the war, that if you lived in a blue state you did not live in "real" America and the outrageous insult that being intelligent and competent made you somehow elitist was a crock that American thankfully wasn't buying. And last, but not least of the Republican contributions to a Democratic victory,  was that gift that I said from the beginning would keep on giving - Sarah Palin- ya' betcha, blink, blink!   And of course the continuing soap opera "As the Stock Market Plunges" certainly added that certain something. But I hope the reason for his resounding victory is that America really wanted to be changed.  A friend from France emailed me to day to wish our new president well and to share the excitement the French also feel. Already I feel our stock is rising abroad and that as Sarah Silverman said - we will no longer be in the running for the assholes of the world award. Last night we watched the returns with close friends in Rochester.  By 7:30 I was such a nervous wreck that I opened my laptop and retreated to my yahoo election map where I could obsessively track each state's vote count.  By 9:00 I knew he would need only 20 electoral college votes to win and it dawned on me that this was really happening. He was going to win.  When CNN called the election it was almost as if we couldn't believe it.  And to have the house and senate with him.  It's a brand new day.  But it's filled with responsibility.  To those of you who didn't vote for Barack, my wish and hope is that you will benefit from his presidency and that while we may disagree on issues, we will all agree that we are all good Americans no matter what party we belong to, that no part of America is more American than any other and that smart is good and to be commended.  My party did not win last night. America did.  Because I believe this election was the saving of America.  I really do.  Go Obama.  May you fulfill your promise in the days ahead.

Russell and I arrived in NYC today.  Beautiful sunny day and the drive across the GW Bridge with a view of the city skyline thrilled as always.  We are at Camaron and Josh's in Manhattan and I am cooking dinner - spaghetti and meatballs per Matt's request.  Tomorrow we are off to Rochester.  But the big news is....

WE VOTED!  Our absentee ballots awaited us here.  Loving the direction things are moving in but am so nervous still about the outcome.  I take nothing for granted.  Russell and his brother Jeff still think Obama will lose.  At lunch today, the two of them became ill over the thought of Palin as VP.  The word Canada was mentioned.  I am taking deep breaths.  

We are also very cold.  We were still in summer - not fall but summer - a week ago.  We will enjoy our time here but will scurry down to Florida come December 1st.

Nashville TN and the Grand Ol' Opry

Fall on the Blue Ridge Pkwy -WOW!

The Biltmore in Asheville NC

Momories for our children

Charleston SC on a cloudy day

The beach at Gulf Shores Alabama

The Ultimate Boots in San Antonio TX

More musings from Russ

 Trisha hates that I sometimes post personal messages on"her" blog, but if she hadn't given me a lesson on how to blog I would never have figured it out myself, so it's her own fault.

     I wanted to say a word or two about my wife. I was thinking of writing this after she had to spend 4 hours in the emergency room with me in Texas several weeks ago(nothing serious). and having a moment here in Nashville, here goes. I realized that in the three years since my health problems began , she has been there through 0ver 200 doctor appointments/tests/scans/etc. of some sort with me, 13 days of hospitalization, three surgeries and 18 weeks of chemo, and has handled all this with such love and grace that I have been horribly remiss in taking it for granted that I would always be so unbelievably cared for. We like to think we would all be able to do such a terrific job of caring for someone we love, but I know I could not have possibly done as well(or even come close) as what Trisha did so effortlessly these past three years.I was going to make a joke about her handling the equivalent of our family's 10 plagues, but while there were no locusts or cattle disease,given the 10th plague and the  loss of our granddaughter during this period, perhaps its not far off. And of course, Trisha assumed the major role in handling that also, while still taking care of me. I hope that none of us have to rise to the occasion the way Trisha has, but if we do, we have an example of how troubling circumstances should be handled.

   And to tie this email to our trip somewhat, I was thinking of family while driving from Gatlinburg to Knoxville, a 30 mile stretch of the most honkytonk area you car imagine. At one point there were 12 go-cart tracks in a row, each more elaborate than the next!  I missed not having my children here to ride them with me, and despite her being a near saint, Trisha wasn't about to indulge me. So I thought of all the things she does indulge me, and thus this email.

  Grand Old Opry tomorrow night.  We're not huge C&W fans, but Nashville was one of our favorite movies of all time.

   See many of you very soon. Back in Rochester on October 24th, and NYC the following week. 

  Russ

   

The Lost Post returns...

Remember the post I said dissapeared.  Well, it's been found.  Have no idea how. God bless computers.  So I took out all the travel stuff and left a melancholy moment and my political rant.  Sorry.  The election is almost over and then I'll stop.  Honest.

We are amazed at how we can do absolutely nothing and the time just flies!  Today(the day I wrote this) we spent a wonderful day at the pool and beach in Pensacola.  Pristine white sands, clear warm water and beautiful weather.  This is directly after some of the exact same in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  

The bulk of our trip is almost over.  I don't want it to end.  The Marriotts are our home.  We've got the watching our TV shows down on our computer.  I've nailed down the very quick pack, unpack and set up at each new place.  WE love having no responsibilities.  But it will be good to spend time with our kids, family and friends and we are delighted to be in Rochester on Election night.  Sue and I are planing, hopefully. a victory party - things are looking up!

I have to have one political rant.  This election has really entered the pits of my soul.   I love the Republican strategies announcing that Obama ahead by 6-7 points is not really winning since in reality he should be ahead by double digits and setting the debate bar so low for lady Sarah that if she remains standing  and makes only minor gaffes it will be a victory for her.  I think we are right on track.  Sarah has become that gift I knew she could be for the Democrats  and McCain is imploding right on schedule.  I have hope.

Still on the road...

Hard to believe the bulk of our traveling sojourn is almost over.  We are not ready for it to end.

Working backwards ...

I realized my last post never made it to the blog.  I was having trouble sending and clearly more trouble than I thought!

So.... Phoenix with family was fun.  I even heard a story I have not heard before!  It seems Russell's brother Jeff at 5 or got his arm caught in the wringer of the washer which was in the basement of  his grandparents home in Detroit ( he claims not to know how this happened - stop it, he clearly stuck his arm in it).  He convinced cousin Steve who was younger that the washer attacked him.  Steve, we discovered, believed this for years and might still be seeking therapy to come to terms with this.

Sedona was beautiful and watching the sunset from the airport sipping our wine with many others a good moment.

Santa Fe is another fun spot to visit.  Just a great feel to it.

Western TX - THERE IS NOTHING THERE -except those sand dunes I couldn't remember the location of - this is desolate country folks.  Don't go.  

San Antonio riverwalk is just as pictured and fun to walk but the rest of San Antonio not so nice.

Austin is another fun city.   Home to the University of Texas, the main street - 6th Street - is one of the liveliest streets on a Saturday night I've ever seen.  It's all about the bars but each one has live music, the street is closed to traffic and we had a great time at a piano bar singing along.  We know we were in Tx however when everyone knew the words to the country songs that not only did we not know the words to but we had never ever heard of them.  And you haven't lived till on the day TX beats ARK something like 53-7 they break out into the The Eyes of Texas are Upon You.  And I just saw TX is #1 in the polls.

Houston and Galveston were cut out out of the itinerary because of the hurricanes.  The poor people who lived there were just being allowed back.  There were a number of hurricane victims staying at our hotel in San Antonio and if we had any thoughts of going, the newspaper reports of the rats and snakes ended it.

Heaven!  That is what 7 hot, sunny days were on the Alabama and Florida panhandle gulf coasts were.  The beaches are pristine.  Fine, white sand, warm water, my chair and a book.

Nan and Bill Byerts,  friends who lived in Rochester for a number of years and now residents of Atlanta, housed, fed and acted as incredible tour guides for 3 days.  Does anyone know what a cyclorama is?  I didn't but now do after seeing one on the Civil War.  We both loved it and to our delight - all right, my delight - we discovered Gettysburg has one now and can't wait to see it.  The Byerts also serve mucho good wine!

Highlight of the trip - having lunch with a friend and he telling us as soon as we sat down to lunch in Atlanta - at a place that had the best fried chicken ever - "Well, you were right about Bush .  I'm voting for Obama."  Moments like that are not filled with I told you so's but rather relief that there is one more vote for him. As Sarah Silverman stated so aptly in "The Great Schlep" - "people have to vote for Obama to save the US from being the assholes of the world" -and if you haven't seen that video do it, doesn't matter whether you are blue or red - it's very funny.

Savannah, Charleston and Myrtle Beach were kind of rainy and gray but we've had such good weather this whole trip we could not complain. Tomorrow will be a beach day.  Yay.  And we love Charleston.  What a spectacular city.  This is at least our third trip there and it is better every time.  Savannah is also charming.  Want to go back to both.  

Next stop Asheville, NC and then to Nashville, Indianapolis to visit Nick, Pittsburgh, Gettys burg or Hershey to visit a friend and then 2 weeks split between NY and Rochester.  We will have about 10 days between Veteran's Day and Turkey Day - we will celebrate in NY city (with Aunt Renee's strawberry jello mold, a tradition at all of our Thanksgivings - ready for this -ACTUALLY MADE BY AUNT RENEE!!!- anyway we plan on heading south to Baltimore, DC, VA, Blue Ridge Mts during that time.  Then it will be off to Ft Myers and the condo we have rented for December and January- most likely February too.

And now for politics - I may get my wish - losing all my money in exchange for Obama being president.  A sacrifice I am gladly making.  All right, not gladly but at least I'll get something out of this mess.  7 points up and Florida may be blue, NC is getting closer, VA seems to be in our column and IN getting closer - who would have thought.  And gosh darn, my gal Sarah has indeed proved to be the gift that kept on giving - wink, wink.

Trisha

 

San Antonio

Sand Dunes in West Texas

Sedona

Family in Phoenix

Sequoia National Park

Yosemite National Park

Seals in San Francisco

New Photos-Blog from Russ

 We're in San Antonio. A very long drive from Santa Fe. West Texas is huge and desolate. San Antonio is ok, but other than good restaurants and the Riverwalk, there isn't much here. We're off to Austin on Friday and then Mobile and the Florida panhandle for some beach time and golf.

  Many pictures will follow. For the uninitiated, click on a photo to enlarge it. 

 We're still really enjoying ourselves.Amazingly, it hasn't gotten tiresome staying in hotels. We do only a minimal amount of touristy things. We try to remember that we don't have to worry about seeing everything. We are trying to live each day pretty much as we would if we were settled somewhere permanently; no rush to get up or eat at any particular time, watch tv in the evening, go to movies, play golf, sit by the pool,etc.

   My health is good. Have gone more than four weeks without seeing a doctor, which is the longest stretch in three years.  The biggest hassle we have is our health insurer denying all my visits to eye specialists on this trip(in Denver and Seattle) despite my eye doctor quite clearly and emphatically indicating to the insurer that the visits were absolutely essential. And the costy was most certainly less than if I had been in Rochester, where my specialist would have wanted to see me weekly rather than the once every three weeks I saw someone on the road. There is a special place in hell for these people. Can you imaging how many millions 0f dollars then wrongfully deny to people each year.

  Sorry for the mini-rant. And as everyone reading this knows, to complain about $ 800 in unpaid claims in the face of everyone's  stock market losses seems almost trivial, but perhaps that's all the more reason to fight it. 

   Hope to hear from you. Please email or call. We love to talk or correspond. Be well. Russ

It's been awhile...

This is Trisha - remember me???

So much has happened on our trip and in the world.  So working backwards more highlights and observations.

Seattle with our friends the Eisenbergs was so much fun.  The highlight was the locks where we watched the salmon swimming upstream back to spawn and die.  This was very hard work for these fish.  They would propel forward and be pushed back. It would take many tries. People were cheering when they made it.  Who would think you could watch salmon swim for 20 minutes.  But we did!  

We watched the Obama convention speech in Seattle in our hotel bar.  There were 3 African Americans watching next to us.  There were times when we could see they had tears in their eyes.  It was a moment.  And we held our breath that he would do well.  We weren't disappointed.

And just how does the a hurricane threaten poor New Orleans the opening day of the Republican convention to bring back all those disastrous memories of our esteemed President's handling or rather non handling of that event and the choice of a VP candidate that no one ever heard  of and whom they tout as having foreign policy experience because Alaska is close to Russia and she's head of the Alaska National Guard  turn into a positive for the Republicans. Life at times just does not seem fair.  I am officially bitter about this especially since I thought the Democratic Convention was perfect.  Oh so wrong was I.  I must stop.  This does me no good.  Don't even ask Russell about it.  He's crazier than me.

Portland was even better than Seattle since more friends joined us for David Weiss's wedding. We had a fun, crazy dinner Friday night at a wonderful restaurant called Veritable Quandary.  I highly recommend it.  I also recommend having my friends !  

The wedding was one of the best we've attended mainly because David and Tory's heartfelt emotions moved us all.  It also helped that the vineyard setting, high on a hill was beautiful and the band had us dancing and singing all night long.  And thank you to the young man on the bus ride back to Portland who shared his vodka with Rachel and I.  Cheers!

Surprises - the drive from the Oregon-California border thru Mt. Shasta - Wow - and the drive aross the mountains from Chico, CA to the northern Californian coast and even better the drive from Ft Bragg to Mendocino and down the Pacific Coast to Napa!  We live in a beautiful country.

Napa - fun, fun, fun.  Great food, wine, scenery.   And we saw the Mustards Restaurant, Rochester folk, that caused the Rochester Mustards to change its name.

San Francisco is our favorite city.  And after this visit, we remembered why.  We have done all the touristy things there except one - walk across the Golden Gate Bridge which we did on a sunny, warm day.  Sailboats and windsurfers galore out on the bay, many others joining us on the walk - a memorable experience.

Then it was off to Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks.  More awesome scenery.  I loved the sequoias and redwoods and not finally know the difference between the 2.  Sequoias red, huge trunks, tall- redwoods not red, thin trunks, very tall.  

At this point we had been sightseeing since Glacier National Pk and had mostly cool weather. We looked at each other and decided to change course and head to Palm Desert where we have been a number of times.  We needed a vacation from the vacation - hot weather - it was 95` - and a pool for me and a golf course for Russell.  Perfect! (Note to the Merciers- Chapellis is as good as ever and they are opening a 2nd restaurant very close to the hotel we stayed.)

We then moved onto La Jolla to another pool where my wonderful friend Linda Lipson, who was visiting her son Leslie, spent over 4 hours with me at the pool just chatting away.  We also had Shabbat dinner on Friday night at her son's house with their 3 adorable children and a most delicious meal cooked by Leslie's wife Adina.  And Gordon, it was sinful you were not here.  So much to talk about- Sarah, McCain as Teflon, the Obermann-Matthews melt, will they catch Dexter this season? the best news ever that In Treatment is back-  Will House take kind pills or will Russell throw something at the screen he has begun so to hate that show so much,  will Russell lock himself in the bathroom as I watch my beloved Gray's -  we need you.  I miss you and Russell in litagation lawyer mode discussing politics.

Tomorrow we move to another great pool and more 95 weather - 95` is perfect pool weather to me - in Scottsdale where we will visit his Uncle who lives there and be joined by 2 of his brothers from NY and cousins from Detroit and LA.  We are all going to a baseball game Monday night.  Another great experience to add to our memories.

And in closing, I just watched SNL with Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin opening with another of my favorite people - Hillary - can't stand that woman.  Now that was funny!!!  Tina deserves some kind of award because she nailed it.

BFN.  Taught to me by Linda Kirschen.  (I forgot to mention the Jelly Belly factory - you haven't lived until you've seen hundreds of thousands of jelly beans rolling down the conveyor belt.  You just haven't.)

Oh - and Russell's outrage at being in San Francisco when there was an earthquake that he didn't feel - the unfairness of it all!   To understand, you need to know this is a person who watches the weather channel as recreational TV.  As you can imagine, I've seen a lot of the weather channel this week.  

And now I really mean, BFN.

Earthquake

 We didn't feel the earthquake here last night. The only disappointment so far on the trip. Well, we still have another week in California-one can hope.

  Make sure you check out the final sunset picture I sent-and enlarge it. Amazing view of the sun as it sets in the water. Weird shape. Russ

Misc. photos

Jelly belly factory(great tour); flowers at 

Pike'sMarket in Seattle; Vancouver harbor;Devil's Monument(from Close Encounters of the Third Kind);and lake we stay on in Glacier Park.

  We're taking the ferry today to SF from Oakland, where we're staying.We drove in the last two days. Surprisingly, not much traffic or problem parking.

  Off to Monterey tomorrow, and then Yosemite and the beach for a few days, with a round of golf somewhere. See many of you soon.  Russ