My Key West Diet Secret

Earlier this year I had some stomach troubles and I lost my enthusiasm for those acidic foods that I have always been fond of. Beige foods became my thing: oatmeal, grits, toast...After a couple months of bland food and a hiatus from coffee, my stomach started to feel better and I got excited about eating again. So Excited that I got a little carried away. So at ten pounds above my pre-stomach issue weight, I came up with a diet plan. Some people go for the South Beach Diet but I think the Florida Keys diet is the way to go. My husband and I like to call the Keys "The land of bad food."
It's always amazed us that this area is surrounded by ocean and yet good seafood is hard to find. Sorry but Shrimp should not be rubbery like a flip flop. So I squeezed into my favorite jeans and off we went for a motorcycle trip.
The first day in Islamorada we had a great time kayaking and then we borrowed bikes from the motel and rode off to get some dinner. (Ahh exercise, diet secret # 1)
The sunset was pretty, the beer was cold and the food was...not so good. Because we barely touched our food they took one entrée off the bill and gave us a piece of key lime pie. This was a nice gesture. I'm normally really happy to see key lime pie. This had the consistency of cool whip. Sorry Folks, I'm from South Florida and my family has been here a long time, you are not fooling me with this fluffy decoy. Key Lime pie is tart and custardy and has meringue on top. Really, they were doing me a favor. (Bad food, diet secret # 2)
Because we rode the motorcycle we were limited in what we could pack. This is my favorite diet secret. Diet secret # 3: Only pack one pair of jeans and wear them for several days. By day 3 they will have stretched out and you can enjoy the illusion of weight loss.
On the second day we rode from Islamorada to Key West...in the afternoon...in the heat...Diet Secret # 4: Sweat profusely and stop at a gas station to have cheese crackers for lunch.
To be fair there are two excellent places to eat in Key West. Blue Heaven http://blueheavenkw.com/ and The Flaming Buoy http://www.theflamingbuoy.com/. Unfortunately, Blue Heaven was closed and Flaming Buoy is only open for dinner. So sad but good for my waistline.
As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, our motel was great except for the rock hard bed. How much should you really sleep while on vacation- shouldn't you be awake as much as possible so you get the full experience?  Diet Secret # 5: Tossing and turning all night.
So this brings us back to the coffee that saved my life. After the first sleepless night we were directed by the friendly hotel desk clerk to a place walking distance from where we were. There we discovered perfect cappuccinos and French pastries so light and buttery that I forgot all about my diet. If you are ever in Islamorada you must stop here. Bitton Bistro Café @ 82245 Overseas Highway, Islamorada, 33036.  Here is a photo of my wonderful coffee. The quiche was also amazing and be sure to have a croissant. As you can see, I only ate half of mine. Yeah, right...

My Husband & I will have to think up a new name for the Keys. We can't really call it the land of bad food anymore, not after Bitton. Perhaps we'll call it Paris without jet lag.
Even after eating the whole croissant, the quiche and drinking my giant cup of coffee, I still managed to loose four pounds over the three day vacation. I'm not sure if this would have happened if we had found Bitton Bistro sooner.
Merci beaucoup, Mr. Bitton! We look forward to visiting again.

Bigfoot & Bad Salami

Our dear friends got married last month in Covington, Washington. Now if you have ever tuned into the Animal Planet's show Finding Bigfoot you know that that part of the country is loaded with sasquatch. http://animal.discovery.com/tv-shows/finding-bigfoot According to one of the hosts, Bobo, Squatches love bacon and they love to party. So of course I was hoping that the wedding dinner would involve pork products. Speaking of meat products, beware of any served by Alaskan Airlines (or really any airline.) Since a rather violent vomiting episode at the end of a ten hour flight on Swiss Air, I tend to pack granola bars and avoid all airplane food. My husband is more of a risk taker. After eating his tiny bag of trail mix he decided to buy a snack pack from the stewardess. The highlight of this purchase was a pack of salami. He was happy until I pointed out that I did not think greenish white was a normal color for meat. The stewardess apologized and exchanged his snack pack for another...and inside we found...more greenish white salami. We got a refund and had some crackers. I'll pack more granola bars next time.
We wanted to be close to where our friends lived and we weren't really interested in the space needle or watching people fling fish at Pike Place Market so we stayed in Snoqualmie at the Salish Lodge. http://salishlodge.com/ Salish is right next to the Snoqualmie waterfall. The rooms are cozy, with comfy beds and fireplaces. There is a railroad museum in town. If you have children or are a kid at heart then this makes for a nice outing. http://www.trainmuseum.org/ Right near the old depot there is a great place for breakfast- the Woodman's Lodge. http://woodmanlodge.com/  If you are in the mood for a little shopping that won't completely irritate husbands or male companions then stop into Carmichael's True Value @ 8150 Falls Ave SE Snoqualmie, WA 98065 and then treat the men folk to a cup of coffee at Coffee Expresso @ 7936 Railroad Ave SE Snoqualmie, WA to thank them for their patience.

Flowers at Salish Lodge

Snoqualmie Waterfall

Train at the Railroad Museum

Roses by City Hall and the Hardware Store

Memories and Seashells

In August I turned 41 and I decided I wanted to be my 8 year old self again just for a weekend. My husband wanted to know what I wanted for my birthday and since I did not need a motorcycle or new underwear, I'm sure he was at a loss. I'd grown tired of that game where the husband asks you what you want and you tell them that there is nothing that you need while secretly hoping that he will surprise you with something romantic that proves that he totally gets you. So since my husband's mind reading abilities were in question I decided to cut the poor guys some slack and just tell him. I wanted to go away or more specifically go back. Sanibel & Captiva Islands were places that I visited with my parents and my sister. I think I was a toddler the first time and about 8 the second time we went. For me those places became synonymous with family, love and happiness. Hunting seashells, getting sunburnt and being together, uncomplicated, perfect. Returning to a place that holds a special place in your mind and heart can be risky. Sometimes things have changed so much that you don't recognize it anymore. Thankfully, this was not the case. Yes, Captiva has changed. No more beach cottages and mom & pop motels. Lots of big expensive houses have taken their place. Sanibel still has it's charm though. There are still millions of shells on the beach, some simple, clean places to stay, friendly people, the old Dairy Queen and Bailey's Grocery store. http://www.baileys-sanibel.com/ It was the best birthday gift ever. I got to be 8 and 41 all at the same time. Thank you, Husband!

I was so excited to be there that I got up just as the sun was rising.

We stayed at a place called the Seaside Inn, the rooms had screened in porches, ours faced the ocean.
http://www.theinnsofsanibel.com/seasideinn/?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=Bing-PPC&utm_campaign=429%2C+Seaside+Inn+-+Brand&utm_content=Seaside+Inn&utm_term=seaside+inn+Sanibel

There is a great restaurant in Sanibel called the Island Cow http://www.sanibelislandcow.com/and of course you can't go wrong with ice cream at Dairy Queen.
If you like antiques you should set aside and hour or so to look in the Islander Trading Post- I could not find a web address for them but here is there address 1446 Periwinkle Way Sanibel, FL 33957.

Kentucky Woman

My husband is a hard man to shop for. I'm sure many other wives can relate. He either wants something expensive (new motorcycle or boat) or something practical (new underwear.) There is no middle ground. So I started searching for things that we could do together. My theory is that going on an adventure and making memories is better than accumulating more stuff that will end up in the garage. So I hatched a plan. My husband likes bourbon (as do I) and bourbon is made in Kentucky, so away we went.
The Shaker Village was hosting a bourbon themed dinner with a discount on accommodations. This is a fascinating place and a bit like traveling back in time. If you are a history buff and and a bourbon lover then this is a dream come true. http://www.shakervillageky.org/  I would stay there again in a heartbeat. The restaurant in the inn is really great and there were some lovely paintings on display not to mention the wonder that is the shaker staircase in the hall. We also went to visit the Woodford Reserve Distillery. If you only have time to visit one distillery, visit this one. http://woodfordreserve.com

We had the top floor of this building to ourselves. The front bottom portion was a part of the historical tour.

Old highway sign on the property

Shaker Staircase

A walk on the property

From the Osage Tree

Woodford Reserve

Early morning

Back to Blogging

So I was inspired to begin blogging again after a restless night spent on a very firm bed (so firm that if you tried to lay on your side your arm would go numb) in a motel in the Florida keys. I was not inspired by my numb arm but by the wonderful french place across the street that served the coffee that made me whole again and turned me back into a decent travel companion for my husband (who could sleep on a rock and still wake up chipper) I was so happy to have that cup of coffee and that delicious breakfast that I began taking photos (I will post those soon with info on that wonderful place in case your find yourself in need of an attitude adjustment via caffeine) It dawned on me that I have a backlog of photos and stories to share. So here we go...a brief recap...

In October, 2012, I had another opportunity to return to Europe to help set up a second Art Studio on board Celebrity Cruise Lines new ship Reflection. http://www.celebritycruises.com/explore/ships/detail.do?shipCode=RF  It is another incredible vessel. Celebrity puts the finishing touches on their ships in Eemshaven in the Netherlands. I traveled from Miami to Paris and had a connecting flight to Bremen Germany where I would then be picked up for the drive to the Eemshaven. By the time I got to Paris I was pretty tired. I thought I would take a little nap while I waited for my next flight. So slumped over sideways in my chair I peacefully slept through the announcement that my flight was boarding.  Next flight to Bremen, 4pm the next day...so after freaking out for about an hour I checked into an overpriced and not too clean hotel room in the Paris airport and headed downstairs to catch the train to make the most of it. The next day I was three hours early for my flight and sat in front of the departure board the whole time. When I did arrive in Bremen I was met by the driver who told me that we had to wait for some of the crew members to arrive. So for the next FIVE HOURS we drank coffee, ate donuts and tried to communicate with each other. Nice guy, good sense of humor and really all I could do was laugh at this point. The last crew member to arrive was one of the artists that I hired for the Art Studio. A talented and wonderful woman who became a dear friend. Here is her website http://faithbradburnkeller.com/ and one of her paintings. I love this one.
 




And here are a few photos taken after I finished my project on the ship and met up with my husband. We went to Amsterdam first. Stayed at the College Hotel. http://www.thecollegehotel.com/en/home
Great place, out of the crazy center of town. Interesting brothel in the neighborhood- girls in bathing suits on display along with a window full of partially nude gnome statues. Next stop was Brussels. Hotel Amigo. Best bar ever. Watching the bartender make drinks was fascinating. http://www.hotelamigo.com/ After a night there we went to Paris for a week. I bought us first class train tickets. I had this image of William Powell & Myrna Loy and Asta traveling in luxury on a train in the 1930's. Private sleeping car, dining car with champagne. Sadly my movie fantasy did not match reality. About 30 minutes into the trip a man joined us in our little closed off seating area. He had his dog with him. Asta it was not. The dog licked itself for most of the journey. Did I mention it was a closed area, no champagne...My husband had a terrible cold so at one point I asked him loudly if it was ok with his doctor that he was traveling with TB. The man with the dog did not speak English so he stayed with us for the rest of the journey. When we got to Paris we stayed in an apartment in Montmartre. A great option if you want to stay awhile and feel like you are a part of the neighborhood.

The Sacre Coeur should not be missed. The mosaic inside the dome brought tears to my eyes. So beautiful.

The Rodin Museum. Peace in Paris. http://www.musee-rodin.fr/en/home-en

View from the Arc De Triomphe

Eiffel Tower and the city

Palace of Versailles. Too crowded to really enjoy fully but the train ride from Paris was pretty and the town was lovely. Found the most wonderful restaurant down a backstreet in a little courtyard- La Cour http://www.versailles-lacour.fr/

Travel & Leisure and Happy Holidays

Please take a look at our mention in Travel & Leisure Magazine.
http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/best-new-cruise-ships/4

We have two new artists/teachers onboard-Samantha Kelly & Bess C. Perry.
They will be teaching on Celebrity's Silhouette until March 2012. Stop in for a class if you are cruising in the Caribbean.

We have some wonderful new class offerings for January and we have a brand new website in the works. We will be able to take registrations online and will be able to keep you updated on all of the exciting new changes and events at ArtCenter. Stay Tuned!
If did not get your new course catalog in the mail, please give us a call (305.674.8278) We would be happy to mail you one.

Happy Thanksgiving from the ArtCenter family!

Big Cypress

It's good to get away but not so far away that you need a vacation from the vacation.

Here's a great day trip from Miami-The Clyde Butcher gallery and a stop at one of the small airboat ride places on the Seminole reservation. The Clyde Butcher gallery is on Tamiami Trail-mile marker 54.5. I put the address into my Garmin (52388 Tamiami Trail) and it almost got me there. Just keep an eye on the mile marker signs. I also stopped at Osceola Panthers-on the right before you get to Clyde Butcher Gallery. Got a great pair of earrings. (they only take cash) and the airboat rides seemed a little more laid back than some of the more crowded places. Nice people, too!

Nice little trail behind the gallery. They also have a couple of vacation rentals now. Perfect for the winter months. http://www.clydebutcher.com/
Osceola Panthers-305.220.1377