Running With Quills: Waving from San Francisco--a day late!

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Monday, April 23, 2007

Waving from San Francisco--a day late!

My feet are dotted with moleskin and I now own the ugliest pair of shoes imaginable. Of course, they're comfortable and we all know that's all that matters to a woman when she buys shoes. Our Susan would definitely agree with that.

This isn't the first time I've ended up hobbling around San Francisco with various parts of my feet bleeding and stinging. I come here regularly. I don't seem to learn the lesson.

What would you absolutely not wear? Until I got these black numbers with straps across the foot, putrid green stitching, fake putrid green buttons and those mushy soles formed to fit the the bottom of your foot (what a concept)and a shine like wet rubber even when they're dry--until these I could have said I absolutely would not wear icky shoes.

Speaking of things that go on your feet, I have finally seen BLADES OF GLORY. I "had" to give up walking yesterday so I chose to see a movie and this time I actually ignored Jerry's wrinkled nose (there's no violence in BLADES OF GLORY) and insisted this was my choice. If you haven't seen it, get there. My life could not have been complete if I hadn't seen an Iron Lotus performed, or poor Jimmy sucking toilet paper along the public bathroom floor because the key he needed was on top. He couldn't just pick up the key because his hands were handcuffed to a rail inside the stall. The key unlocked the handcuffs. It really is funny. Trust me.

Almost forgot. This has been a chocolate vacation. I've eaten chocolates from every fine chocolate shop in town. There are a zillion fine chocolate shops here. Each piece was individually selected my moi. Coffee mushrooms, marzipan filled dates, champagne truffles . . . everything covered with delectable chocolate, the silky, slip-down-your-throat kind of chocolate.

Then there was the chocolate croissant, chocolate moche and green tea brownies. I'm feeling quite sick and the thought of getting on a scale frightens me.

A tip: almond croissants settle the stomach after too many cups of coffee.

What was most memorable about your last vacation?

Cheers, Stella

30 Comments:

Lori Foster said...: Stella, wasn't Blades of Glory hilarious!? I'm not a Will Farrell fan, but in this movie, he won me over. Just a delight. :-)

Your poor feet! Not for the icky shoes, but for the blisters. Ouch, ouch! I used to have feet like leather from going barefoot so much. These days, I almost always wear socks. Seems the older I get, the wussier my feet get. LOL

One of my most memorable vacations was a trip we took with the kids to do river rafting. (I did not plan to participate.) But we got to the destination only to find the river too low. No one mentioned that when we set our reservations.
There wasn't anyone to complain to either because the owners of the isolated cabins had left for the weekend, after hanging out a key for us to get in.

The toilet was clogged up (yeah, lovely) and the heater didn't work! Allen had to walk up the street to a restaurant and borrow a plunger. LOL There was no fixing the heater.

We all slept huddled together to stay warm, and in the morning, Allen got up and put on a flannel shirt to warm it up for me, before I could bring myself to crawl out of the cocoon of blankets.

During the night, we kept hearing "things." Scary things. Like low chatter and attempts to break in.
Remember, this was a very isolated place. The music from Deliverance kept playing in our heads!

After much speculation, Allen and I went out together to investigate.
Racoons.
Big ones.
Fishing on the banks of the very low river.
Yeah, they chatter and sound almost human!
We let the kids come out to watch them. They were really cute.

So we froze, couldn't raft, but we saw ingenious racoons doing some pretty cool things beneath a full moon.
All in all, a fun family outing that we still laugh about. ;-)

Lori; 5:25 AM
Anonymous said...: It wasn't our last vacation, but it was the LAST one there! We went to a deer lease in the off season with our dear friends and assorted children. It was somewhere in the back of beyond and we got thoroughly lost trying to find it. When we arrived near sunset, we found it was a doublewide trailer. Not too bad, except that the A/C wasn't working (a definite problem in the Texas summer). There were sticker burrs in the carpet. The kids kept stepping on them and crying. The "river" was about 6 inches deep and there were snakes along the path to get there. We barely made it through the night, then we packed up and went home. KathyK; 6:29 AM
DFender said...: Hey Stella... and Cheers!

My last vacation was in Italy, Rome and points south, last May.

Probably the best part, aside from all of the tons of history, was having capuccino and gelato at 2:00 each morning to cap off our day. Ha! We walked so much I didn't even gain an ounce. Miracle of all miracles! So, Stella, keep walking! Usually there's so much to see and experience that I don't even realize how much I've walked... erm... until my muscles and joints are screaming the next morning... LOL.

Just finished Target and, no shock or surprise with this comment I'm sure, but I LOVED it! Thank you sooooo much :-)

Enjoy!!!!

Deb; 6:50 AM
Jayne Ann Krentz said...: Sounds like you're doing some mighty fine eating down there in S.F., Stella! Eat some chocolate for me. Lots of antioxidants in chocolate, you know...

--Jayne; 8:08 AM
Jayne Ann Krentz said...: P.S.: I've been trying to talk Frank into going to see Blades of Glory. Having some trouble getting him to the theater, I'm afraid.

--Jayne; 8:09 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: Chocolate! Did someone mention chocolate? :-) Sounds like you're having a grand time in SF, Stelly. Except for your feet, of course.

I haven't been out to a movie recently, but we did watch "A Good Year" the other night on pay-per-view. We enjoyed it very much. (Maybe it was the thought of all those grapevines and the lovely wine they would produce.)

Happy Spring!
EG; 9:30 AM
Anonymous said...: On my last vacation, my friend, who loves "deals" got us a long weekend in Mexico on Cozumel. I believe I tried every way I could to avoid any type of water born bug, including eschewing the fruit and veggies. I believe it was a diet coke on ice that got me.

I was ill for 10 days, starting the last day of the trip. So I was ill for double the vacation length. NOT RECOMMENDED!!!!

And the worst thing, to me, is that I have taken I think 10 vacations in the Caribbean to islands with no sign of the wretched Montezuma's revenge, but we needed to get the "deal"! Ugh!
SusanB; 12:42 PM
Yasmine Galenorn said...: I don't even remember my last vacation--but this weekend Samwise and I are going whale watching to celebrate our upcoming (on the 1st) 14th anniversary. So that will be like a mini-recharger. I'm so excited, I realize that I have to do more stuff like this, more often.

Yasmine; 3:37 PM
Brandy said...: Our last vacation was 7 years ago. (we've been a bit busy.)
I am so jealous over all the chocolate consumption!; 5:54 PM
Anonymous said...: My last vacation was just last week - for my birthday. My boyfriend (partner in crime) planned THE perfect get-away and kept the itinerary a secret. We started in Las Vegas saw the Cirque du Soleil show "Zumanity". The next day we were hiking in Zion National Park - spent one night there and hiked the next day. Then it was back to Vegas for another Cirque show "Ka". I also managed to find time to read Elizabeth Guest's latest. It was so fun to read while in Las Vegas; high up in a hotel room with all the lights outside.

And my best friend gave me a gift cert. for a bookstore, now I can run out and get the latest Amanda Quick release. Such wonderful people in my life.

Zeusly; 8:24 PM
Anonymous said...: Stella,
Would you be so kind as to pass on the names of some of those marvelous chocolate shops? I'm in San Francisco every Decemeber for business and would love something new to explore, besides my guy is a chocolate fiend.

Thanks,
Zeusly; 8:27 PM
Stella said...: Lori! Icky, ick. When we took our children to the World's Fair in Vancouver, we had difficulty finding a place to stay but finally we came up with a room.

Oh, my. The only difference between that room and your "hut" was sheetrock on the walls.

Cheers, Stella; 11:37 PM
Stella said...: Hi KathyK: I'm already seeing a trend here:) Advice to all--give up on these wilderness, "let's all get down to basics" trips.

Cheers, Stella; 11:40 PM
Stella said...: Hi Deb:

Italia, now you're tickling my interest. I love Italy, Venice in particular. Rome is fascinating but the traffice makes my attention deficit disorder much worse.

Coffee and gelato at the end of a perfect day--yum.

Stella; 11:43 PM
Stella said...: Jayne: Tell Frank Jerry did a lot of laughing at BLADES OF GLORY.

Don't worry, I had some chocolate for you, too, and for several others.

Stella; 11:45 PM
Stella said...: Hey EG:

I had chocolate for you, too:) I wonder if your reaction to A GOOD YEAR had something to do with red wine reminding you of blood . . . and your lovely friends in the dark world.

Stella; 11:47 PM
Stella said...: Susan, dear--Forget the deals. They usually mean there's a lot missing and I don't mean major things. Think TP, soap, working seatbelts . . .

Stella; 11:50 PM
Stella said...: Yasmine: I hope you and Samwise have a fabulous weekend. Don't let much time pass before you get away together again.

Stella; 11:51 PM
Stella said...: Brandy: Look on the bright side, at least you aren't afraid of the scale. Stella; 11:52 PM
Stella said...: Zeusly: Your B'day trip sounds lovely. Keep the boyfriend. I'll get a list of chocolate shops I visited in San Francisco and post them.

Cheers, Stella; 11:54 PM
Stella said...: Deb--I'm thrilled you enjoyed TARGET! Thanks for letting me know.

Stella; 11:55 PM
Anonymous said...: My last vacation was a little over a year ago, for my 40th B'day. I stage managed it to be extremely self indulgent, and stayed at a B&B called Taylor's Damn Fine Bed and Breakfast. I've had my share of wilderness holidays and thought this B&B rather indicative of my mindset. I arrived there on my B'day eve and went to a pub where a band called the Go-Betweens played (not sure if anyone remembers them in the States).
Did some wildly bad dancing with friends and had lots of laughs.

Arose the next morning from my lovely soft bed with a canopy, and a bathroom devoid of teenagers ... to enjoy a day with a variety of great food, shopping and Italian shoe buying. All at my own pace. lol. No one saying come on...

In a phone call that afternoon my youngest daughter spilled the time and place of my 'surprise' party as I sounded like I was having such a great time I may miss it. So I dragged myself away to enjoy an evening of great times with my children and friends. It may of technically been more a short break rather than a holiday but wow the effect was like a really good shot of expresso coffee.

I'm planning on trekking through the Himalayas for my 50th.

Catherine; 1:41 AM
Anonymous said...: Catherine, I am so impressed!!!

My girlfriends and I were regulars at least once a year for long weekends, but the last few years the trek has always been postponed or just hasn't happened. It is the best to get out in the roughing locations like, ummm, Rockport, MA or Kennebunkport, ME, or Cape May, NJ...giggling!!!!

SusanB; 7:24 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: Zeusly~how neat that you read NIGHT LIFE while you were in Vegas!
(Since that's the setting of the story for those who might not have read the book.)

Happy Wednesday all!
EG; 9:46 AM
Wendy said...: Hi all, We just got back from a family trip to London. Hubby and I took the kids, ages, 11,8, and 1.5. It was wonderful. We saw everthing and I had to sample every sweet I saw! While on vacation I was reading The Paid Companion! Could not put it down!

Cheers,
Wendy; 12:34 PM
Ranurgis said...: Lots was memorable about my trip to Mexico, the Mayan Riviera, last Nov. for a wedding.

1. We had rain on and off, often quite suddenly for the first 5 days until an hour before the wedding. Then no more rain at all for us, and as I understand it, none for those who came a few days later and stayed their full week.

2. We almost lost my brother in Tulum when one of these sudden storms erupted. Everyone except he managed to get the little "tren" back to the bus. I think we had to wait almost an hour before the next "tren" ventured back to pick up more stranded tourists.

3. I managed to lose my sun-hat there, my glasses that afternoon as we were tubing in the river at Xel-Ha and I took a planned unplanned dip into deep water, forgetting that I was wearing my glasses. I wonder if the fish and crabs and what-not are scaring each other by looking through the lenses.

4. On the last day, I managed to leave my pillow for my back in the bus that took us to the airport. All three items are sorely missed. I can't even say which one I miss most.

5. I was cut by a leaf-cutter ant. I didn't even know that such a thing existed.

6. And then, yes, shoes were also the bane of my trip. The brother that got stranded and I lived in a different resort just down the street from where the others did. I'm not good on my feet to begin with but traipsing around back and forth sure got me to hobble in a hurry. During those downpours the streets and sidewalks got flooded and I'm not sure if my shoes survived all the submersion in water.

Yes, it was a painful trip in many ways but of course a wedding is always wonderful to attend. Her family lives in BC and his, ours, lives in Ontario. So that everyone would have a place to stay and not have to pay horrendous prices for intra-Canada flights, they decided on Mexico for their wedding. I think it was worth it despite all the problems. Just watching Pete's 75-year-old grandmother up on the stage dancing away with the Mexican dancers, and Pete and Kathi being feted as the bridal couple with champagne while they danced on stage was loads of fun as well.

But oh, how I envy you the marzipan chocolate. So hard to get here.; 10:26 PM
Stella said...: Ranurgis:

I shouldn't be laughing, but I am. Oh, wow, what a horror trip.

And marzipan chocolate is heavenly, it's payback for most irritating moments. I suggest you figure out how to get some sent to you from an online outfit.

Cheers, Stella; 10:21 AM
Ranurgis said...: I always feel like somebody's granny in the shoes I like to wear. They sort of look like suede but I don't think they'd have been that cheap if they were. They lace up and have a moderate walking-shoe heel. So comfortable--at least unless I'm walking 5 to 10 miles which I usually don't. But for me it's definitely comfort before fashion and I've got some of the ugliest feet around so I'm not about to show them off.

Almond croissants sound yummy. I must remember the tip even though I don't drink coffee. Living in France for close to a year and drinking those demi-tasses of coffee almost every evening, totally ruined my stomach for coffee.

Lori, it's usually the vacations and things that don't go as planned that are the ones I remember best too.; 9:27 PM
Ranurgis said...: I guess what I loved best were marzipan potatoes that you could get in Germany and that my mother used to make. They're just fine (not hard) little balls rolled in cinnamon. Just divine. Dates filled with marzipan sounds delicious too. I may have had some somewhere but anything marzipan is just right for me. I must go to the Polish stores. They sometimes import marzipan from Poland or Germany but it's usually limited to Christmastime.

One of my friends is Swiss and she makes delightful truffles. That's what I usually get for my birthday. Can you imagine a Swiss woman with the given name of Peggy? Her mother was Canadian and her father a diplomat or something like that. He was widowed and had a family already. With the Canadian he had two daughters who are considerably younger than his other children. Her son has a mini United Nations. After his wife had a son and then twin sons she was advised to have no more children. So they decided to adopt a little Haitian girl. Then they decided the little girl shouldn't be the only dark-skinned child so they decided to adopt a little Jamaican girl from Toronto. She had a half-brother who was in foster care with her. So they adopted him as well. A few years later their mother had another child and he was adopted too. Then just this year, two Native girls lost their mother to illness and they were asked to adopt them. And now there are 9, all 12 and under. The daughter-in-law is a child psychologist and is home-teaching all of them. Quite the family.

Any particular place that's best to order marzipan, Stella?; 9:54 PM
Stella said...: Ranurgis: What a wonderful family your friend's son and his wife have. One of our three children was adopted but we're small time compared to these people of yours.

Where do you live, Ranurgis. I had thought you were here in the states. Go to this url:
http://www.marzipanworld.com/
They have a lot of Marzipan goodies. And I know your friend in Switzerland could send you a whole block. Bet she'd like to help you out.

Cheers, Stella; 11:37 AM

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Monday, April 23, 2007

Waving from San Francisco--a day late!

30 Comments: