We're back...

We are back from our fantastic trip to Puerto Vallarta!  Our time there coincided with Beef Dip (not by accident) so we had lots of fun and met some great new friends.  I'll share some of our activities, highlights and photos in a couple of posts this week.

Our flight was supposed to depart from Washington DC on Sat at 7:01am, but due to a mechanical issue that could not be fixed within an hour, we had to de-board the plane at 8am and get re-booked on a different flight that wasn't due to leave until 1pm.  So our friend Carl, Spouse & I sat in the airport for several hours until it was time to board.  Rather than arriving at 3:00 we arrived at 8:00.  Fortunately our transportation from the airport to the condo wasn't screwed up by this.  I was texting updates to the driver who was quite gracious.

We stayed in an AirBnB condo in the same building we stayed in 2 years ago.  The location is perfectly centered between the gay beach area resorts and the nightclubs, with lots of restaurant options also nearby.  We were able to walk everywhere in just a few minutes.  Here's the view from our terrace:

After checking into the condo we headed out to eat.  We had eaten nothing substantial since breakfast around 9am and it was now close to 9pm.  I was so hungry I felt like I was going to pass out!  We walked down to the beach and got a table at La Palapa.  After starting with a couple appetizers for the 3 of us to share, I had a delicious stuffed pork tenderloin.  Then we walked to the Oxxo store, which is the Mexican equivalent to a 7-11 convenience store.  We picked up some coffee, creamer, bottled water, paper towels, bread, peanut butter, danish and sun lotion.  Upon returning to the condo we sat out on the terrace until bedtime.

Sun morning we had coffee and a continental breakfast out on the terrace, then walked over to the Blue Chairs beach resort where we found chairs under a palapa.  A waiter brought us drinks and food when we were ready to eat again, and we had a lovely day at the beach.  (Tip:  the hotel rooms aren't very nice, so go to Blue Chairs beach resort for the day, but don't stay there.)

Spouse enjoying the 1st of many Pina Coladas of the week

The temperature was about 84 degrees, no humidity, and a light breeze.  The 3 of us got into the ocean too, which was a very comfortable temperature, although a bit rough.  Each of us took a tumble in the waves at some point during the week.  Mine was on the 1st day.

On the way back to the condo we passed another store, this 1 called Mini Super (an oxymoron if I've ever heard one) which had a lot more stuff than the Oxxo.  We picked up some more breakfast foods and snacks on our way back to the condo.  Once we'd all showered we headed the Beef Dip Welcome Party at the top of the Blue Chairs resort.  The music was fun and there were lots of guys there.

Welcome Party at Blue Chairs

Spouse subtly pointed at a guy nearby and asked me if I knew who he was.  I said no but he looked a little familiar.  After speaking to the guy we realized we had met him 3 years ago on our Caribbean cruise!  Crazy coincidence, right?  As if that wasn't wild enough, we also ran into a guy named Joe who we met in Palm Springs a year ago!!

Me & Spouse at the Welcome Party

After the welcome party, the 3 of us stopped at Fusion for dinner.  Like 99% of Puerto Vallarta restaurants, the dining area is outdoors which we love.  All 3 of us loved our dinners.  I had shrimp.

Carl & Spouse at Fusion

To wind up the evening we went to Los Amigos.  Its a very casual, cowboy-themed indoor/outdoor bar where we had a couple drinks, met some new friends, and mingled before heading back to the condo to relax on the terrace before going to bed.

Final preparations

Yesterday I was off work (as I typically am on Thurs) so I picked out the clothes I want to take on our trip and tried things on to make sure I could still squeeze myself into them.  I've put on a few extra pounds over the last few months, so when we get back from our trip I will definitely need to pay better attention to my eating.

I also called the credit card company and notified them we'd be in Puerto Vallarta for the week so they wouldn't 'flag' usage of the card there.

I also spoke with our wireless carrier and added a feature that will allow Spouse & me to use our iPhones while we're there without incurring international roaming charges.  Our condo has wifi but we want to be able to use the mapping app and be able to text and send photos while outside of the condo.

I texted the dog/house sitter just to confirm our departure time tonight.  I got the dogs' nails trimmed, and we bathed them on Sun.

I packed the clothing and shoes I'll need, as well as my tablet and iPhone charger.  Our passports are out and ready to go.  The only thing left to do this evening is to pack my bathroom stuff.  Since we're not checking our bags, we can't bring any products over 4 oz so even the bathroom stuff isn't very much.  We'll just buy what we need when we arrive.  There's a corner market very close to our condo.

This morning I checked us in for our flights for tomorrow morning and have our electronic boarding passes on my phone. 

So when we get home from work this evening I'll just have to help Mr 'Wait Til The Last Minute' get his stuff packed and then we'll be on our way to his sister's house.  Our flight is at 7am so we'll have to leave her house at 5am, which means we'll have to be up at 4:30am.  Ugh!!  But the positive side to the early flight is that there is less likely to be TSA security line waits and flight delays the earlier in the day you fly.  Plus, we'll arrive in PV by 3pm so we'll still have 1/2 the day to begin enjoying.

Look for photos and a recap in just over a week.

Palm Springs wrap up

After the fabulous car show, we returned the rental car and went inside the airport to find our gate.  We got some snacks for the plane, then I went through many of my photos on my phone to kill time while we waited for boarding time.  Fortunately the flight wasn't full and the window seat next to me was empty, so I moved over to it, giving Spouse some much needed shoulder room.

I'm leaning over from the window seat and Spouse is in the isle seat

Our flights were fine and we were picked up by our nephew and taken back to Spouse's sister's house. We stayed overnight, then had a late breakfast with several family members before heading home to DE.  I was really eager to see Marvin & Walter!

It was a really fun trip!  Carl was a terrific traveling companion and was open to just about any suggestion or request we came up with.  We had lots of great food, saw lots of beautiful homes, cars, scenery, and reconnected with old friends.

Vacation: Wed

After a light breakfast, Spouse & I began to tidy up the house and pack.  Earlier I posted photos of the back yard and pool but I realized I hadn't taken any interior photos so I did that just before we left.

Living room

kitchen

dining room

Secondary living space

Next we had lunch at Lulu where we both enjoyed delicious kobe burgers.  Then we walked around downtown and stopped in a few stores and galleries.  Having seen my Palm Springs posts on Facebook, my friend Peter recommended we check out a unique gallery/store called AutoErotica. The artist Michael Weems is originally from MD and is friends with my friend Peter. He pioneered a process for transferring vintage male erotic images onto auto parts (fenders, hoods, doors), hence the name AutoErotica.  Fortunately Michael was in the gallery/store so we introduced ourselves and talked for a while.  He was a real hoot!  Later Spouse said he wished we'd met him earlier in our visit because he'd be a lot of fun to hang out with.  Oh, and we loved his art too!

Eventually we had to leave our desert oasis and drive back to LAX.  Fortunately we didn't experience the heavy/slow traffic the Newlyweds had experienced the day before, so we arrived in record time.  We returned the rental car, shuttled over to the airport, and had 4 hours until our plane was scheduled to leave.  We found our gate, went to the bathroom, looked at Facebook, then decided to order a pizza at the Wolfgang Puck place in airport.  Then we picked up some snacks from a store and waited to board.  We had upgraded our tickets from regular coach to premium coach so we'd have a little extra room, hoping we'd be able to sleep on the plane.  Neither of us was able to do more than doze for a few minutes.

After arriving in Baltimore we took the shuttle to the hotel where our car was parked, then drove home to DE, arriving about 8am.  We were pretty exhausted when we got home, but were thrilled to be reunited with Marvin & Walter!  The 4 of slipped into bed and slept til 1pm.  We could have slept longer but I didn't want to sleep so much that we wouldn't be able to sleep that night.  We had a little lunch, watched TV, and relaxed.  All in all the trip home was easier than the trip out there, save for the red eye flight.

We loved Palm Springs and would definitely like to return.

Vacation: Wed & Thurs

Wed evening after dinner Spouse went upstairs to begin selecting the clothes he wanted to take on our trip, although we thought we had another full day before we'd be leaving.  I was cleaning up from dinner and loading the dishwasher when I got a text from The Newlyweds: "Can't wait to see you guys tomorrow!"  I began typing my response: "You mean Fri", but before tapping 'send', I thought I'd better double-check our itinerary.

When I did, my heart sank.  I thought we were staying overnight at a hotel near the airport on Thurs night and flying out Fri morning, but my itinerary showed we were scheduled to stay at the hotel THAT NIGHT and fly out THE NEXT MORNING!

It was 6:30pm and we hadn't packed anything, plus we had a 2+ hour drive to the hotel near the airport.  I walked up the stairs and said to Spouse "Don't kill me, don't kill me, don't kill me" and then explained my mistake.  He was not pleased but what were we going to do?

I started by logging onto the airline's website to check in for our flight.  Then I called the dog sitter/house sitter, explained my mistake and asked if she could come a day earlier.  Fortunately she could.  Then I joined Spouse upstairs to pack.  Miraculously we were loaded into the car by 8:00pm.

We arrived at the hotel and I showed my confirmation (on my phone) to the front desk clerk but it didn't come up in her computer.  After searching by the confirmation number, my name, and who knows what else, she finally called someone for help.  After about 20 minutes she finally gave us a key to a room.  When we walked in there were no sheets, pillows, blankets or pillows so we went back down to see the clerk.  She sent us to another room and as we walked in I saw luggage on the floor and heard someone inside yell "Wait!!"  We went back to the clerk who apologized, offered us an upgraded room, and sent us to a 3rd room.  The 3rd time was the charm.

The next day our flight was completely full. 

Plane selfie

Spouse had the isle seat, I was in the middle, and a man who must have been 7' tall had the window seat.  Needless to say we had no extra room to spread out, but then again, its what we expected.  We're aware that flying is typically uncomfortable but necessary if you want to get somewhere far away and/or quickly.  We arrived at LAX, caught a shuttle to the car rental lot, and shortly thereafter drove off in this:

Spouse was happy that the front seat had lots of room for his 'ample' body.  I was happy that it was red.  Finally we were off to Palm Springs!

The Newlyweds had already checked into our MisterB&B rental when we arrived around 4:00.  We hung out by the pool and talked for a while, then went for drinks at Chill Bar.  In the back bar area a charity event was going on that was hosted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence so we decided to check it out.  A date with this bootilicous beau was being auctioned:

He had a very muscular upper body too, but my photo didn't really capture it.  But that butt!!!  Afterward we went to an arts and crafts street fair, then had a late dinner at Bongo Johnny's.  Once back at the house we enjoyed soaking in the hot tub before going to bed.  

I was happy we weren't yawning while out on the town, since CA is 3 hours behind DE.  We managed to stay up until almost midnight local time, and wake up at a reasonable local time too.

Vacation redux - part 7

Sun morning we were due to get up at 5am, but I woke up every 45 minutes or so, for fear of oversleeping and missing our plane.  We got our stuff together and checked out of the hotel at 5:50am, and the cab we'd requested for 6am was already there waiting for us.  When we got inside the airport there was hardly anyone there so it was easy to get through security.  We'd already checked in and printed our boarding passes the day before so we were all set.  My sinus congestion had gotten steadily worse since it began on Thurs so by Sun I felt pretty crappy.  I almost looked forward to having nothing to do but sit on the plane for the entire day.

Our flights were uneventful with the exception of a big security backlog in Phoenix, which caused several people in line near us to miss their connecting flights.  Fortunately we got through and made it to our gate just as they were beginning to board 1st class.

When we got to Philly we called the hotel where we'd stayed the night before leaving for PV and they sent the shuttle to pick us up and bring us back to the hotel where our car had been parked.  Although the hotel wasn't that great or luxurious, their Sleep/Park/Fly package was a real winner.  None of our flight included any food whatsoever, not even a bag of peanuts, so all we'd had to eat all day long were some snacks Spouse had purchased in the airport.  When we got back to the car it was 7pm and we were starving.  We stopped for a forbidden fast food meal and then headed home.  

It was so nice to see Marvin!!  We'd really missed him.  It was also really nice to sleep in our own bed again.  It was a fantastic trip - we really REALLY enjoyed it - but its always nice to be home again.

Flight security

Last month's attempted underwear bombing of an airplane on Christmas day resulted in some new "security" standards being implemented immediately.

Since high-tech full body scanners will take a while to be installed in all US airports, the airlines are now implementing 'low-tech' body scanning on the tarmac.
It may be somewhat inconvenient (not to mention chilly in the winter), but you can rest assured that NOBODY will be able to board a plane in the US carrying a gun, knife, box cutter, shoe bomb, underwear bomb, or even Chapstick.

Of course, these measures are ONLY being taken on flights that originate in the US. Flights originating outside the US will still be a crap shoot.

Don't you feel 'safe' now?

Crush du Jour: Ethan Reynolds

Weekend highlights

Fortunately our trip home from Portland was uneventful. No flight delays and no noisy infants.

On Sun we unpacked our luggage, did some laundry, and then went to beach. It was a GORGEOUS day and we saw almost everyone we knew there!

While at the gas station, the Jersey Boys (our part-time neighbors who live full-time in NJ) Paul & Chris pulled up to the pump next to me and invited us to their place for martinis. I gladly accepted, and after pumping my gas and running a few errands I returned home to wake up Spouse from his nap. We didn't know the Jersey Boys very well, as we'd just met them and chatted with them on the street a few times. They couldn't have been nicer or sweeter! The 4 of us walked to Second St and had dinner at Agave. Our unexpected cocktails and dinner with the Jersey Boys was absolutely delightful.

Unfortunately, our cat Pouncer was feeling anything BUT delightful. When we returned from our trip we found him wheezing like a human with bronchitis. The poor thing appeared to be laboring for each breath. Our neighbor Claudia had been coming over to feed him and reported to us on Sun that Pouncer hadn't eaten in a week! So I took him to the vet 1st thing this morning (without an appointment so they charged me an extra $35. emergency fee) where he received an exam and blood work-up. The blood test showed all levels to be normal, and the exam indicated his chest was clear. The vet said he was very dehydrated and that his soft palette was enlarged. She suspected he was suffering from inflamed sinuses due to either a seasonal allergy or a tumor. She gave him an injection of fluid containing electrolytes for the dehydration, a steroid injection and an antibiotic injection. She instructed me to call her tomorrow if he did not improve. Happily, when we returned from the vet he ate some food, which was a good sign.

Since I wasn't here to take photos of the progress on the addition, I will simply list what I could see had been worked on: the cracked sidewalk leading to the front door was removed and a new sidewalk was poured; the driveway in front of the garage was poured; the garage door and opener were installed; the scallop siding was installed on the side peak of the garage; cement board was laid on the bathroom floor; the old water heater was removed and the Rinnai tankless water heater was installed.

Crush du Jour: Marco Majewski

Flight fiasco

Saturday morning we left at 7:30 am ET for the 2 hour drive to the airport in Philly. We arrived in plenty of time and made our way to the self-check in kiosk and then to the security entrance. As expected, we had to remove nearly 1/2 our clothing before being allowed to walk through the scanner.

I heard a TSA agent asking no one specific if there were any large electronics like a computer in their suitcase. I said "Yes", to which he replied "Take it out." No "please", no "if you don't mind", just "Take it out." I quickly unzipped my bag and pulled out my laptop. An agent who looked to be about 55 years old handed me a plastic bin into which I was supposed to place the laptop. I said to him "Oh, that's okay. I'm just going to put this into the same bin with my shoes and belt." This seemed perfectly logical to me. One bin, one person. There was plenty of room in the bin with my shoes. However the agent said "Computers don't go in the same bin with shoes" in such a tone as if EVERYONE should know this. "That's why I handing you this bin!" I mean, how STUPID of me to think that I could place my laptop in the same bin as my shoes! Surely this is the first chapter in the "TSA for Dummies" manual I've never heard of but he read in order to get that job.

I sent the suitcase, bin of shoes and belt, and bin of laptop through the scanner, then I walk through the personal scanner. It beeps accusingly. "You've still got metal on you" the TSA agent states. I start patting my front and back pockets but they are empty. Then I realize I'm wearing cargo shortly and that I'd left my cell phone in the lower side pocket. Feeling like an idiot at this point, I go back through the scanner, drop the cell phone into a plastic dog food bowl, send it through the scanner, and walk back through the personal scanner. Finally, success but I felt so dirty and cheap. I was allowed to collect and put on my shoes and belt, put my cell phone back in my pocket, collect my computer and place it back into my suitcase. I felt violated and exhausted and it was only 9:30 in the morning!

We proceeded to the gate, took a seat and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally the gate agent announced that we would not be boarding at the scheduled time because the aircraft had not arrived yet. They estimated it would arrive 20 minutes after its scheduled arrival, and that those with connections elsewhere would be fine. However, our plane arrived 30 minutes after it was scheduled to depart, and had to be unloaded, cleaned, and then loaded back up. We finally left almost an hour later than scheduled. We had the sick feeling we were not going to make our connecting flight in Minneapolis.

The pilot announced that we would make up some of the time due to tail winds, and suggested we may still be able to make our connections. However, when we got close to Minneapolis the pilot was told to circle for a while due to other outgoing and incoming air traffic. We finally landed but were not permitted to taxi to our gate. The pilot announced that from the left side of the plane we could see Air Force One on the tarmac. All airport traffic was ordered to stop in its tracks as we awaited the Presidential Motorcade's approach. Sure enough we saw the motorcade proceed to Air Force One where the President (assumedly) and others boarded the plane and took off.

We were hopeful that the temporary air traffic stoppage might be enough for us to scramble to our connecting flight. But a few minutes later we began to taxi toward our gate when the pilot stopped the plane and announced that the previous aircraft had not yet vacated our gate, and that we would have to wait until it did. Our hearts sunk along with our hopes for a smooth trip to Portland.

Once we got to the gate and off the plane we learned the gate location for our connecting flight was on the other side of the airport. (Why do they schedule them that way?) So with bags in tow we raced to the other end of the airport and to our designated gate. However, when we approached the check-in gate, the destination on the monitor was not Portland anymore. Our plane had left and the gate was now assigned to another flight.

We explained our situation to the very nice gate agent who placed a quick call on our behalf. When he hung up he said "We're going to put you on a flight to Seattle that leaves in 15 minutes, and then its just another short shuttle from Seattle down to Portland." As he tore off our boarding passes and handed them to us he said "You need to hurry. This flight is at gate C1." We had arrived at gate C4, run to the other side of the airport, only to be sent right back to the same place we'd arrived! Again with bags in tow we raced back to the C concourse and found our gate. I thrust our boarding passes into the gate agent's hand between heaves of breath. "Oh here you are!" she exclaimed. "John (the first gate agent) called us about you. We announced your names several times over the speaker." As she stamped our boarding passes and handed them back to us she said "Enjoy your flight!"

Fortunately we had no trouble stowing our carry-ons even though the plane was almost at capacity, and settled into our seats. The couple in front of us had a 21-month old child who was badly behaved and screamed and shrieked frequently. His parents seemed rather old for having a child that age so we figured he was a 'later in life' baby whom they were obviously spoiling. About 1/2 way through the flight they called the flight attendant over and worriedly explained that while walking through the plane their son had picked up a peanut and eaten it. Of course, he has a peanut allergy! So there was all kind of drama in front of us with the doting parents and the suspected/anticipated allergic reaction. The flight attendant called ahead and requested paramedics to be on the tarmac when we touched down in Seattle. The child didn't appear to be any worse for wear and continued his bad behavior, much to the dismay of the other passengers.

Our arrival in Seattle at 4:30 PT (7:30 ET) was smooth and we finally had an opportunity to get something to eat and use the restroom. It had been 12 hours since we'd left our house and we were both hungry and eager to relieve ourselves. The restroom on the planes always had a constant waiting line so neither of us used them. I noticed several people who used the restroom more than once, which I found curious.

We boarded the shuttle in Seattle and were delighted with the short duration of the flight and the darling flight attendant. I don't know why, but she and I just bonded instantly. She seemed to be in a giddy mood and I was practically spent so I was nearly giddy too. As the senior flight attendant gave the oral safety message, our flight attendant demonstrated the message with those canned gestures. At one point she made me laugh out loud when demonstrating the 'no smoking' part of the message by waving a single finger back and forth and then simulating removing a cigarette from her mouth. She winked at me when she saw me laugh. That 25 minute flight was the one and only positive experience.

We got into Portland at 6:45 PT (9:45 ET), which meant we'd been in transit for over 14 hours. But our weariness soon changed to smiles when we were greeted by the Newlyweds. Possibly noting our weariness they grabbed our bags from us and carried them to the car. In a flash we were back at their house enjoying cocktails and grilled chicken, eggplant, corn on the cob, and tomato basil salad on their patio.

It was quite a trek, but we survived.

Crush du Jour: Pedro Veral

Travel plans

Work has been crazy busy this week! Again I was covering for a colleague who was out of the office for 2 days. Plus I am trying to wrap things up with my clients in preparation for my being out all next week.

We leave on Sat for Portland, OR where we will be visiting our dear friends The Newlyweds. Also while we're there we will meet up with fellow blogger Stephen and his partner who also live in Portland.

We are also planning an over-nighter in Seattle, WA so we hope to meet up with fellow blogger Errol while we're there.

Hurray for blogger buddies!

This will be our 1st flight since 2005 and I am NOT looking forward to it. Ever since 9/11/01 airport employees just seem to be looking for ways to ruin your trip. Required removal of your shoes and belt, emptying your pockets, and throwing away your cologne and toiletries if they exceed the minuscule amount allowed. The airlines suggest you arrive 37 hours in advance in order to NOT have your seat given up, and then when you do get on the plane, your seat is narrow and cramped.

As you can see, I do not care for airports and airlines. But I don't want to spend 10 days driving to and from Portland, so I have no options. Instead I'll think positive, happy thoughts and hope for the best.

Crush du Jour: Alec Musser