Happy Birthday to You!

As cliche' as it sounds there is nothing like good food, good fun, and good friends. We shared the weekend with four wonderful friends who came to celebrate Judy's birthday. Earlier in the year we were able to celebrate Jennifer and Sandy's birthdays on two consecutive weekends.  This weekend we rounded out our birthday celebrations. Jennifer, Sandy,  Cheryl and Sharon all planned a series of wonderful meals that began Friday night with awesome chicken enchiladas. We began Saturday early with a trip to the Carruth studio, Garden Smiles, in Waterville, Ohio where George Carruth was there for a meet and greet and to sign autographs. Over the years we have come to love his garden artwork and have come to share it with many friends who visit. Visiting his studio has become a common "tourist" site for anyone who visits.  After we each secured a wonderful piece of artwork we ate at a neat little pub and grill called Smedlap Smithy. Can you only image the history behind that name? The pub does hold a rich history that one can ready on the back of the menu. At one time it was a former blacksmith shop. Inside the pub is an indoor swivel side that invites dinners to try. After we each went for a ride down the slide we enjoyed many laughs over a great meal.  From Smedlap's we drove through a new outdoor mall at the Fallen Timbers. This particular mall opened just before Christmas. These outdoor malls are becoming more and more popular, but I still wonder about how inviting and practical they are in the Midwest where winter still brings less than ideal outdoor shopping conditions.  After a stroll through the mall we returned home for some wonderful laughs and several games of pool before sitting down to a lovely dinner prepared by our four friends. It was such a treat to watch our friends moving about the kitchen each contributing a special dish to dinner. Cheryl grilled steaks outside. Winter grilling is so awesome! After chiseled off the cover, Cheryl fired up the gas and went at. Twenty minutes later the stakes were prepared to perfection. We all sat down and after a brief prayer enjoyed the most scrumptious home cooked meal of the month! Wahoo! I'm so thankful for friends who cook. After an "all hands on deck" clean up we headed to the basement for continued pool, great music, wonderful stories and laughs until we hurt. We rounded out the evening with cake and ice cream to top off Judy's birthday weekend. Eventually sleep became more necessary than visiting so we all said good night. Sunday morning dawned and it was time to say goodbye. We had all enjoyed the special time we shared.  After planning our next get together we said goodbye uplifted in our spirits because we had shared food, fun and friendship.  

I Left My Heart in San Francisco

One of the truly wonderful things about my job is that I periodically travel to conferences and workshops. Many times those conferences are held in wonderful places. This last conference took me and several colleagues to the wonderful city of San Francisco. For we Midwesterns who were enjoying 6 degree temperatures the 60 degree temperatures and spring flowers were a delight. I was even more blessed when my special friend Kathy from Salt Lake City was be able to join me over the weekend. Beyond the wonderful learning that the conference brought, and the great comments after the presentation by myself and my colleagues; my spirit was further renewed while enjoying the fellowship of a dear friend while walking many miles through San Francisco and along the pier. We enjoyed a sun filled morning walking through a fresh market on Saturday. The stroll along Pier One in the fresh morning air was enhanced by the competing smells of fresh breads and rolls mingling with aromas from eggs and bacon.  Continuing a walk along the Pier we were inspired by the numerous runners enjoying the flats.  San Fran was an inviting place for a run and we were both planning our run. The morning turned to noon and we found a wonderful place for a delicious bread bowl of crab bisque that we savored while sitting in the sun and watching the people pass by. Our stroll took us to Fort Mason and wonderful views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. At our turning point we stopped at Ghirardelli's for a dark hot fudge sundae. Yum! By this point in the afternoon the crowd along the pier had increased making walking like a canoe ride upstream.  As the day folded into evening we arrived back at our hotel on the edge of Chinatown. Our dinner plans took us into Chinatown where we enjoyed a scrumptious meal. The after dinner walk included a brief exploration of Chinatown before calling it a day. And what a truly wonderful day it was! 

Lumbering Up Lombard Street

Whenever I travel to a new place I try to run. The runners along the pier in San Francisco were truly inspiring. When I received a text message from my friend Kathy while sitting in a conference session about her truly amazing run up Lombard Street I was hooked. I had contemplated all morning a run along the pier. The previous night Kathy and I had both walked up Lombard street and enjoyed the amazing views of the bay and the lights of the enormous city of San Francisco. I through that was a mental image for the ages; but Kathy's text message made me ponder another possible run. When my conference sessions ended for the day I headed back to the hotel to follow in Kathy's footsteps - a "lumber" (for Kathy a run) up Lombard Street.  As I started out of the hotel adorned in my jogging suit with camera in hand I could only image how this sight looked to the "natives" who had beat me to the punch. If running with a camera in hand didn't scream "tourist" I don't know what would. Anyone watching my jog that day would know that I spent more time twisting and turning my head at the sights then I did moving my feet. As I ran up Columbus street I remember thinking the hills weren't so bad. Where I live it is flat. I remember thinking I was sure glad I had used the incline feature on the treadmill. Soon I found myself at Lombard Street. For those of you who remember Lombard Street you will remember the steep inclines and the one way portion of the road where cars creep down a series of switch backs at 5 miles an hour.  All I could think of when I looked up the road was I wish I had my motorcycle. Since it was just me and the hill (and the other 25 tourist who decided to walk up the hill that day) I decided to give it my best shot. It reminded me of running the football stadium at Wayne State University one summer.  As my lungs and legs burned I kept playing the "Rocky" song in my head. When I reached the portion of Lombard Street where the road became one way and car descended through a series of switch backs, the running became easier because along the sides were well placed although uneven steps. There was no stopping me now......and just when I thought I couldn't take the burning sensation any longer I was at the top. I turned to face the bay and take in the view - my reward for pushing myself. It was at that moment I thought I would catch my breath, but the view was breath taking. THIS was truly inspiring. The blue of the sky met the blue of the day. The massive buildings were nowat eye level. Houses dotted each side of the street. As I took it all in I decided to further trace Kathy's footsteps and jog to the Coit Tower. Just when I thought the down hill run would be a breeze my legs quickly reminded me that it was just as hard for them on the down hill. A couple of twists and turns later and I found myself looking up a series of steps that led up the hill side to the Coit Tower.  I wasn't going to run these. Theses were just straight up. I emerged out of the woods from my climb the most awesome and breath taking views of the city, the bay, and Oakland that I could have ever imagined. This was "America the Beautiful".  I lingered for a long time walking the perimeter of the grounds. The sites were wonderful and well worth the climb. Feeling a need to get back and shower for dinner with my colleagues, I reluctantly descended the stairs to finish the final segment of what was already one of the most memorable runs in my life.