Archive for February, 2008

Intentional Fun

Friday, February 15th, 2008

I have been having a blast creating my Trip Advisor profile. My Trips map appears at the bottom of this page, but there is so much more. It’s early yet, so many other veteran Trip Advisor members have so much more detail on their profiles. I’m just beginning, but I can see the potential for this fun and useful website. I already have 5 future trips in the planning stages. Of course Leavenworth is right at the top of my list, as always.

Speaking of future travel plans, I have a trip to Norfolk, Virginia planned for March. Our son and daughter-in-law are expecting the birth of our first grandchild any day now. I have plane tickets purchased and a rental car reserved. Now we’re just praying that our little guy will come before I go out.

We are also busily planning a road trip to Colorado for May. Our son will be married there at a conference ground outside of Buena Vista, CO. Our life is changing and family growing quickly. Current plans are to travel straight down and spend more time coming home, lingering in Ft. Collins, Jackson, Wy, and Yellowstone National Park.

In addition to these two very special long trips I have a quick trip to Tacoma scheduled. My sister-in-law is traveling over by car for a business conference and asked if I’d like to go along. Our hotel is in a section of Tacoma that is undergoing revitalization. University of Washington’s Tacoma campus is in this area. I spent a delightful day last year in the Museum of Glass. Besides the beautiful and interesting exhibits they have a continual show going on in the working hot shop. At the museum you can see pieces by Dale Chihuly, amongst other glass masters. In the midst of the Museum District I had a late lunch at Indochine, an asian fusion restaurant. Delicious! This year I plan to spend some time exploring the Antiques District. It’s also close to our hotel, just a short walk in the opposite direction from the Museum District. I’ll give a report upon my return. And I’ll write some reviews for Trip Advisor.

And of course, Scotte and I are trying to fit in a trip to Leavenworth. We miss it so much. Between work and the holidays it’s been impossible to get away for even two days.

Another fun thing in the past week has been the arrival of my Leavenworth community cookbook: The Best Tastes of Leavenworth, WA. Available through the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce website. The Best Tastes combines six Leavenworth community cookbooks. If you are a fan of community cookbooks, as I am, you will really enjoy perusing the 358 pages of recipes in every category. Included are recipes for family favorites, German dishes, potluck dinner contributions, and a wide variety of cookies and desserts. Also included, as in every good community cookbook, are tidbits about Leavenworth, the contributing organizations, and helpful hints and tips. As with any similar cookbooks there is an occasional mix up in categories, some recipes lack clear instructions, and the indexes aren’t a lot of help. But unlike professional expert cookbooks The Best Tastes of Leavenworth, WA gives you a true taste of the community. It’s a lot of fun.

My Trip Advisor

Saturday, February 9th, 2008

I’ve signed up for Trip Advisor. You can get a sneak preview of My Travel Map at the bottom of my blog page. It was fun setting it up. I can’t wait to start writing reviews for Leavenworth and other great destinations.

This Week in Leavenworth

Friday, February 1st, 2008

I was reading this morning about all that is going on in Leavenworth this week (February 2008). I’ve been snowbound here in Spokane for about a week now. The snow keeps falling. How I wish I was snowbound in Leavenworth instead. One of the activities that caught my eye was Nordic Walking. I wasn’t entirely sure what it was, so I Googled it. What did we ever do without Google?

So what did I find? Nordic Walking, also known as Pole Walking, Ski Walking, or Fitness Walking, is defined as fitness walking with specially designed poles. Nordic Walking, practiced by about 10 million people world wide, can be done year round and in any climate and anywhere you would walk without poles. The poles provide stability and balance. Nordic Walking is easier on hip, knee and ankle joints. Back pain is eased with the use of poles. You can read more about Nordic Walking in Wikipedia.

A free Nordic Walking group meets in the parking lot of the Leavenworth Ski Hill Tuesdays at 8:30am and 6:30pm. Beginners can meet for free instruction one half hour before the group meeting. You can find out more about the Nordic Walking group and many other activities at the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce website. On my next trip to Leavenworth I’m going to check out these and other great community activities.