Camp Papelousu July 2014

Camp July 2014 A few memories from our week at camp this year. Things started with a bang — in a bad way. Mom was visiting Philadelphia and the Thursday night before our trip started had to be taken to the hospital with some heart issues (she was expertly treated and is now home in the Keys).  Given that she was in the hospital, Steve and his family weren’t able to make their way north for their inaugural trip to Camp. Boo....but necessary.  They, along with my aunts, took great care of Mom. Kudos to the Paoli hospital for quality of care.

We postponed our departure until Sunday to make sure that nothing declined in Philly and when it didn’t, took the slow way north stopping by at a great farm stand north of Newbury. Blueberries, baby carrots, peppers, and tomatoes — yum!

Once at camp, we were greeted by the Potters who bridged our week and Henri’s. First activity of order was to make gazpacho since some of the ‘maters didm’t make it intact. Sun-blessed tomatoes, peppers, onion, and garlic all blended into scrumptious goodness. Then for a game of corn hole with our new set.

Monday, Anne gave me an impromptu yoga lesson on the front porch. It was surprisingly powerful and definitely worked my muscles. I may need to look into this… then we headed to the beach for a swim. The lake was definitely warm — that is, as warm as Averill gets. Monday evening I had the Quimby board meeting and Alan joined me for dinner and then the shareholder meeting. It was nice to catch up with old friends Warren, Phil, and Lorie over supper of shrimp skewers and pork ribs. 

Tuesday noon Laura and Mark and their boys showed up and thus began 2.5 days of boys play, complete with extended water play, er, battles. The adults also had fun, to be sure. Dinner was delicious salmon from Canada — fresh and simple on the grill. Wednesday was a rain day so Carole and Laura got baking — banana bread and raspberry pie (thanks to a gluten free crust by Mark). Both were yummy and quickly devoured. On Thursday, Alan led the menfolk on 187 mile tour of the north country using ATVs from Black Bear. Nobody crashed although there was one flat tire. They returned tired and filthy.

The Potters headed east to Maine Thursday evening, seeing two moose along the way. Then, the Gordons followed suit Friday noon. It was nice to have a little peace — as much peace as you can have with cleaning-dervish Colette in the house. I read on the beach, which was pleasant and then we had a swim. The two adult loons came into the cover fishing and got probably 20’ away from us as we sat on the platform. Very cool. I’m not sure their chicks lived this year as they haven’t been apparent. There are, however, an epidemic of goslings on the property. Wonderful — not.

Saturday we shopped for dinner with Jacques and Jenn, getting more of the yummy salmon. Fresh corn and carrots plus spiraled zucchini = good! On Sunday, we headed over to Parker Pie Wings for lunch and found, to our surprise, an air show! Very cool to watch the pilots doing their stunts but also a little nerve-wracking watching them plummet to earth with the engine stopped. In two more weeks, we’ll be back at Papelousu with Alan’s mom. Until then, we’ll enjoy our time in Canaan.

Den Haag

View from Hotel

Dinner at Wox 

Steak tartare

Dutch grey shrimp with basil and mango 

Thai asparagus salad

Veal slices over hummus with a sesame vinaigrette 

Ready for his risstaffel! 

Lightning fast trip to Delft

Dartmouth is a charter member of EdX and they were having a meeting in Delft that Alan had to attend so I decided to tag along and see some of Holland, where I had enjoyed many visits while Dad was teaching at Erasmus University.

We flew into Brussels because it was so much cheaper than Amsterdam. As usual, now that we are Vermonters, the trip had at least three legs. First to drop off Dinah at Runamuck. We had to snake through the area because the annual covered bridge run was in full swing. But luckily earlier explorations came in handy and we left the D at her usual digs when we’re away. Then, it was off to the Burlington airport.

We are certainly familiar with Burlington airport having flown in and out many times over the years but it was a bit weird to arrive from I-89 and not to go to the rental car counter. Once there, we learned that we couldn’t check our luggage through to Brussels because Jet Blue and Delta didn’t have a luggage contract. Boo. Oh well, as it turned out we had to switch terminals so would have had to go through security twice anyways.

We walked from JFK terminal 5 to 4 and along the way got to see some BIG trains — Indian Air and the like. It was kind of cool walking alongside them, almost like we were on the tarmac. Well, except for a metal fence, we were on the tarmac!

We had a longish wait of five hours so got some rather mediocre lunch (LGA really has better options) and hung out in the Sky Lounge where you can now eat with a rather better menu than the restaurant.

The flight over was fine but little more than that. Whatever glamor flying might once have had, it is long gone and is simply an endurance test. Landed in Brussels to a super long line for Passport Control and then another long queue for a taxi. Crazy busy airport left us longing for the peace and efficiency of Zurich. In short, we were sleep deprived, sweaty, and cranky. :-(

The taxi ride was crazy, too, with the driver zooming about like a madman. I hung on to the grip and Alan’s hand for dear life.

Alighting at the hotel, we got a break in that we could check in early. Yes! A shower and several hours of sleep left us feeling ready for an early supper. Alan got a recommendation for a Belgian bistro around the corner and we headed out at the unseemly hour of 6pm for an early meal. The bistro was delightful, very old school. I had chicken waterzooi and Alan moules et frites. Then, for dessert some of the best chocolate profiteroles we’ve ever eaten. Delicious.

After dinner, we walked down to the Grand-Place and did a bit of people watching before heading back to the hotel to read and then sleep again.

Tuesday finds us on the train heading to Den Haag, where we are staying. The countryside is beautiful and brings back many memories of driving through it with my parents.

Hawaii 2nd post 5 months later

Herenui Farm, Maui We decided rather late to come to Hawaii for Alan’s 50th birthday — just before Thanksgiving. And Hawaii is a popular holiday destination, making finding accommodations challenging. We both spent our time in Zug going through sites looking for a place to stay, making inquiries only to find out things were booked. It was on our way home from Switzerland, literally sitting in the airplane in Zurich, that I received word that the chalet at Herenui organic fruit farm on Maui could be ours — and for a quite reasonable price! We didn’t hesitate and sent off a note to the manager before even leaving Zurich.

Herenui Farm promised two bedrooms, a wrap around deck with views of multiple islands, a new kitchen, and a salt water pool. Its location was a tad unknown — somewhere in rural up country Maui.

Other than sending in the check and confirming our booking, I had no other interactions with the manager so it was with a little trepidation that we left the Maui airport at 4:15pm to head up country. We were quickly engulfed in fog which made navigating the climbing, curving road interesting and as light was dwindling by the time we got to mile marker 16 (the second one), we were more than a little eager to find our digs for the night. At MM 16 v.2 at the “very square” house, we made a hairpin turn onto a dirt road with stunning views of the pacific. After 7/10 of a mile down a jouncing path (glad to have the jeep!), we arrived at Herenui.

Boy was the drive worth it.

The chalet is perched on a hill overlooking Kahoolawe Island Preserve with views of West Maui off to the side. The deck provides ample seating for checking out the views and the grounds, which consist of palms and fruit trees. The master bedroom is set in a corner with sliding screen doors to the deck. You can lay back in bed and watch the sunset.

Sweet!

Our lightning shop en route resulted in a stellar dinner of fried chicken, brownies, and red wine. :-) Night one — check!

Our first morning, we woke up fairly early and explored the place in the daylight. I found some orange trees and brought eight in to make fresh juice. There are also tangerines and papaya on property.

Deciding to spend the day acclimating, we went back down the mountain to the Foodland in Pukalani for a more substantial shop. Foodland is a local Hawaiian chain store that seems to be quite good. Fairly large with ample selection. The prepared sushi and seafood (more poke anyone?) are particularly excellent and, of course, there’s a big selection of Japanese foods. Other than that, the most noticeable difference from the mainland is the price — ouch.

Having stocked up, we headed home to make sandwiches for lunch and then decided to explore the pool. It’s not heated so it was a bit brisk but once you were in, it was fun. We reprised a game from Italy by picking a tangerine and playing catch (there, it was a lemon). A surprisingly relaxing way to pass the afternoon — standing in the pool, looking out at the ocean in the distance and tossing some fruit. :-)

Fresh shrimp fra diavolo for dinner, along with a green salad topped with local sea asparagus and sweet Maui onion.

Monday morning we slept a little late as Alan was a bit under the weather. But then we got our energy together and headed for the town of Hana on the easternmost part of the island. It’s a popular destination by the northern road but since we were already on the south, we took that way. Stunning views of the Alenuihaha Channel and the flanks of Haleakala in bright sunshine.

The road was initially not too challenging — narrow in parts but paved well. The bridges were single lane but there was relatively little traffic. As we made our way east, however, the pavement quality declined and the road got even narrower. In fact, we are theorizing that the most popular road sign in use on Maui is “Road Narrows.” And they are right. In some places, as you wend around a promontory with a cliff on your right and the rocks on the left held up by wire, honking into the unknown to let folks know you’re coming, you think you’re in “Romancing the Stone.”

A pause for an observation. Tourism is obviously a critical industry on Maui and rental cars play a key role. The most common rental vehicle by far is the Ford Mustang. As we traversed the road to Hana, we encountered many, many Mustangs, most of which were driven by idiots who didn’t understand the logistics and ethics of driving single-lane roads perched on the side of a mountain with zero room for error. Beware the Ford Mustang. Top down in one of the rainiest places in the world? Double beware; they’re probably from California. ;-)

Seriously, the road was….interesting. And once we got to Hana, we weren’t eager to return via the same route so we took the northern option. Also narrow and windy but nowhere near the same level of adrenaline. However, first we stopped off in someone’s front yard to grab a BBQ chicken plate from their food truck. Amazing — some of the best chicken we’ve ever had.

The northern route from Hana is Jurassic Park gorgeous and deserves its own day or two to explore the many gardens, overlooks, and waterfalls. All of the guide books say to spend the night in Hana so that you give the area its due and we agree. Next time!

Hawaii 5.0

Alan turns 50 this December 31st and so I told him he could have the adventure of his choice as his present. In the end, he chose Hawaii and we’ve just finished three wonderful nights in Waikiki at the Moana Surfrider and the Royal Hawaiian hotels. Truly cosmopolitan luxury, especially coming from Hanover, New Hampshire.

We started with a great Christmas eve with Henri’s clan in Lexington. On the menu were oysters, shrimp, lobster, and stuffed clams — yum! And who could forget Lisa and Vickie’s Christmas cookies — wafer thin (a good thing)! A few HT’s and games of Jeopardy later and we were ready for Santa to arrive. Which he did for us in the form of a 6am cab Christmas morning. Merry Christmas to us — a ride to Logan. From there, we flew to Minneapolis, where we stupidly bypassed lovely looking ramen noodles, then on to LAX and then finally to Honolulu. 19 hours after starting our journey, we were sipping Mai Tai’s and nibbling poke nachos to the local hotel tunes. A different way to spend Christmas — but with a great ending!

The next day, I got up to explore and walked up and down the beach. The day starts about 6am here, with the hotel employees out to groom the beach and set up the umbrellas and chaise lounges, along with the metal detector crowd searching for lost jewelry and the early surfers. The sun rises over Diamond Head to the west, gradually peeking over to illuminate the water. Back at the hotel, I roused Alan for an 8am breakfast and we headed down to the Moana main restaurant where we got a sweet table right at the front overlooking the sea. YeeHaw! Off to a great start. Alan enjoyed the sumptuous “Queen’s Breakfast Table,” which featured a full American and Japanese breakfast bar (miso soup, fish, pickles, cumgee), in addition to anything you wanted custom made off the main menu. The fresh pineapple and blueberry orange pancakes were the highlights. Oddly enough, the maple syrup says it comes from California……

After breakfast, we found a hair salon and Alan had a haircut straight off while I made an appointment for later in the day. We were both shaggy dogs! An ocean swim was next in order in the bright Honolulu sun. The bottom in Waikiki is a combination of sand and coral and the drop off at high tide is fairly significant. You can imagine it is a great place to learn to surf and even experienced surfers seemed to be enjoying the bay.

We had to switch hotels that afternoon so decided to postpone lunch and check out of the Moana Surfrider and truck our luggage two doors down to the Royal Hawaiian. There, we were too early for check in but Alan gave it a try anyways and totally lucked out. I should say our stays in these luxury hotels were only permitted by Alan “Mr Points” Cattier’s sheer genius at gaming the system. In this case, the master maneuvered us into a beachfront room on the 14th floor with a lanai overlooking the ocean. Sweet!!

Such luck called for lunch at the Mai Tai Club on premise where we continued to enjoy the local seafood through some tuna sashimi and a seafood salad with lobster, scallops, shrimp, and crab. Delish. At this point, I headed off for my hair appointment where I gave the stylist pretty much carte blanche. The result? Much shorter and blonder — a good change.

Dinner Thursday night was probably the biggest disappointment of the trip. Suffice it to say the fish was good but the atmosphere loud. We left by 8pm and headed back to the Royal (as they say around here) and were in bed by 8:40pm. Well, that is 1:40am on the east coast.

Next morning I was up even earlier at 5:30am and took a longer power walk down the whole Waikiki strip, ending down at the former W hotel which is where we’ve stayed in the past. A good walk in the burgeoning light. Lots of exercisers and a surprising number of homeless.

Back at the room, I motivated Alan out of bed for a 7am breakfast where we both had the buffet at the Royal. Highlights were beautiful whole salmon and fresh fruit. Alan also had a lovely shrimp, scallion, and onion omelet. Kona coffee of course!

Since we got an early start, we were able to snag two chaise lounges in the pool area where we spent our morning, alternately reading and hopping into the pool and hot tub. Fun people watching and napping time. But by 1pm, I was hungry so we headed over to the Sheraton next door to the Rum Fire Club where we lunched with stunning views of Diamond Head. Breaking the trend, I had a hamburger which was delicious and Alan had more tuna poke. It’s funny, we had raw tuna multiple times per day and each time it was different. And delicious! So fresh.

One of the nice things about our stay was that there were three Starwood properties right next door to each other, so you could move between the three as you liked and still charge to the room. Made for great bathing suit wandering. Each property was unique. The Royal was the quietest but I enjoyed the quiet energy of the Moana and it's dining area had superior views. The Sheraton was much bigger and more bustling but had a great multi-pool swimming area with a water slide.

Late afternoon brought another ocean swim with the sun sinking in the sky. At this time of day, the tide is out and you can walk quite far out into the bay. Folks were taking advantage of the shallow water to play catch and football. Pretty classic.

Back at our ocean view lanai, we enjoyed the “Sunset Package” of Mai Tai’s and the PuPu Platter. Sunset is early here this time of year — about 6pm. But it was beautiful. Lots of sailboats out enjoying the view.

Dinner that night was at Azure, the Royal’s flagship restaurant, which is famous for its fresh seafood. Alan can attest to its excellence (he had fresh opah) but I was forced to go back to the room to power hydrate and rest. Too much sun and fun for Carole.

Last morning in Waikiki, we headed back to the Moana Surfrider for breakfast where we got our same most excellent table!

And, now, onto the next adventure — a remote rental chalet on an organic fruit farm on Maui. The road there is described as “rarely traveled.” More to come... :-)

Week one at Dartmouth

We started work on Thursday. People couldn't have been nicer or more inviting. Lots of challenges to work through but that's what we like. :-)

In our first weekend, we had a lot of fun exploring the area. We went to the Saint-Gaudens national heritage site on Saturday and it was amazing. Neither of us knew much about Saint-Gaudens before but his work is tremendous. We wandered amongst buildings dotted on a hillside looking over at Mt. Ascutney encountering sculptures and exhibits as we went. Lovely way to spend a few hours. They have concerts on Sundays during the summer although we didn't make it back there today.

That's because we journeyed about 5 minutes from our door to the 2013 League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Fair. $10 to enter and we perused the work of 200 craftsmen on the flanks of Mt. Sunapee. Funnily enough, I had been to the event 15 years ago with my mom and brother. I have a stained glass lamp with a ceramic base from it still. Today, I limited myself to a scarf and a leather backpack purse. The cloth purse I've been carrying around containing my life has gotten a bit battered in the last two months.

Continuing to love the farm stands -- lettuce, tomatoes, chard, mozzarella, corn, blueberries, etc. All so tasty.

Camp visits

Our dear friends the Sussmans left today after a week here. They sure got lucky about the week as we've enjoyed sunny 80 degree days with minimal humidity for the most part. As a result, the lake is down four feet from our arrival and has probably warmed up ten degrees. It's truly a pleasure when the sun is out. It was an active week on all fronts. The loons had their chick last Thursday and announced to great fanfare the event. After a couple of days staying close to the cove, last night we all watched them out front feeding with the little one between them. A great experience for children and adults alike. The Coaticook ice cream factory was visited with much enthusiasm, as was the gorge. And a visit to April's Maple, Serge and Donna's new venture, proved to be a valuable source of ice cream cones with special maple add ons. Two dinners at Quimby's -- the lobster bake at the rock and then Sunday prime rib were everything they could be. Tasty, good company and someone else preparing and cleaning up after dinner! Saturday the girls went riding over near Stewartstown and got to ride Lippit Morgans, who were just beautiful. Add in lots of swimming, kayaking, and canoeing and it rounds out a great week.

A week of firsts

It's been a week of firsts -- mostly for Dinah but also for us. Since arriving Friday afternoon, D has had her first swim (did fine), her first kayak ride (ditto), and today her first speedboat ride in the Boston Whaler (mine, too). Also today she jumped off the dock to swim out to us of her own accord! This from lady who didn't want to dip her toes in the water on Friday. Big steps for the little dachshund that could.

And now D is exploring another first -- cleaning off the top of the picnic table from lunch. She has taken to being tied up in the front yard with great enjoyment and runs about chasing balls and exploring. Well on her way to being a country dog. We knew she had it in her. I've also found some dachshund raincoats and parkas from a company called Noodle that look promising to help her acclimate. One thing she doesn't appreciate about the north country are the omnipresent flies who have bitten up her belly. They have focused on my feet but I share her sentiments.

In addition to sleeping nine hours a night, I've had a nap each day and it's beginning to have its effect. The nightmare of the past month is beginning to recede. Alan and Anil went to Chambly on Sunday to have lunch at the Unibroue restaurant (another first), which is almost as far as Montreal, so that was quite a drive. And then yesterday Alan took Anil to the Manchester airport and that was an all day affair as well. As a result, this is his first nap day. The lake is lapping so likely tomorrow will be an inside day; glad we took advantage of today's sun for a swim and a boat ride.

Lake still quite high and they aren't releasing any more water. We need it to go down another two inches to have a beach. More rain will take us the other way. But the lake is warming, definitely. Sometimes you take what mother nature gives you. :-)

Leaving Atlanta

Greetings from rainy Vermont. After a harrowing month of packing, selling, and saying goodbye, we finally hit the road Tuesday, July 2nd. Alan drove the Mountaineer pulling a U-Haul and Anil and I traded shifts in the Subaru. Our final days in Atlanta were so filled with details of things to be accomplished that I didn't even really feel much emotion pulling away from 1245 Briar Hills Dr. Now that we're safely at Camp, it's starting to hit me though...

But I am moving ahead of myself. Last days in Atlanta we cleaned, we packed, we threw out, we conquered. Our going away party was June 14th, the yard sale June 15th, AKF came June 17th, our final house party was June 22nd, the movers came June 24th, the movers delivered in New Hampshire June 25th, the junk guys came June 25th to cart of all of the outside debris, Kudzu antiques came the 26th to take the barrister's bookcase, the card table, the marble topped dresser, and the jigsaw table. We moved to Barb's the 24th-26th and then stayed at Anil's for the duration, leaving a confused LB home to guard the house. Had our final "haven't they moved yet?!" party at the Purple Corkscrew on the 28th, final clean out of the attic and basement on the 29th, spent the 30th attempting to rent a U-Haul which involved electrical work on the car (Chamblee-Tucker....again). Spent the 1st getting all of the last items out of the house and into said U-Haul. Again, we couldn't have done it without our friends.

And finally at about 11am on the 2nd, we pulled out of dodge. Phew. Did I mention we were tired? It was almost a relief to simply have to drive -- no decisions, just drive. Quickly discovered that the electrical work on the car wasn't done right and the trailer had no right turn signal. And it was just about the oldest model of U-Haul that I've ever seen.

{pause} yay, first hummingbird of the year just drank from the feeder I put up this afternoon!{/pause}

Stopped for lunch somewhere in South Carolina and just after lunch, the rain began. And it poured. I mean, really poured. The water was just gushing off the overpasses. The road was full of traffic, including trucks and it was just not pleasant. I had made a reservation in Roanoke, thinking that it wasn't far enough but we barely made it there. Coasted into the parking lot on fumes....Fortunately, it turned out to be a really nice hotel. Clean, spacious rooms and friendly staff. Great dog walk area and on-site restaurant with a bar. Food was ok, too. All in all I would recommend the Holiday Inn Valley Views.

Next day dawned cloudy and misty. We hit the road about 9:30am and drove uneventfully to Mt. Airy, PA, where we stayed at the Poconos Comfort Inn. OK room, although they perfumed the pet rooms most unpleasantly and even in Anil's room, there was a periodic misting that kept him up wondering what it was. I stayed with the guys while Alan and Anil got dinner (Dinah whines when left alone we discovered). All in all, I was proud of them, LB in particular. He stayed quiet in the car and adjusted to the hotel rooms quite nicely.

July 4th dawned sunny, hot, and humid. The first part of the drive through PA was lovely and easy -- little traffic and gorgeous rolling hills. But some fast, fast drivers -- easily doing 100 mph. That continued throughout the day which we thought was weird since we were expecting a heavy police presence on the holiday. I will have to say that only in VA did we see many cops. Connecticut was hard driving. Heavy traffic and older roads. It was a relief to get on I-91 and head north into MA. Stopped for a bite in Deerfield and then continued on. At the I-91-89 split, Alan and Anil headed to Wilder to the storage unit to unload the trailer and I went up to Lyme, NH where LB was scheduled to stay for the summer at Tiger Tail Lodge, a special boarding operation for cats only. TTL lived up to its reputation and he was soon ensconced into his own cat cubicle with four levels and a view down the mountain. It was hard to leave him but I think it will be much less stressful than moving four times in two months. And I almost immediately felt the relief of only having one animal to care for.

Miss Dinah D and I then checked into our last hotel, the Chieftain Motor Inn. The boys successfully returned the U-Haul and then picked up rotisserie chicken at the Coop and we spent the 4th watching fireworks over the Connecticut River. Very civilized. Up the next morning, we scooted up I-91, stopping only in West Glover for a Parker Pie lunch. Two hours later we were pulling up to Papelousu just in time for Suzy's birthday dinner. The lake is *high* -- no beach whatsoever.

Tried using Picasa to upload a picture set but it didn't seem to have a bulk upload. So, Flickr to the rescue. Really like what they are doing there.

Carole and Alan's Big Adventure

For Our Emory Family:

When Carole and Alan's Adventures started six year's ago, we wanted to create a blog for our family. You see, the two of us are in Atlanta and most of our family are in New York or Boston or Key West, so they have a hard time keeping track of us. Carole and Alan's Adventures was meant to share the journey, elaborate on the trip, have fun along the way, all the time keeping in touch with the people who are so important in our lives.

So today, we have news of an adventure--Carole and Alan's Big Adventure--and we are sharing it with you because we want to recognize you as our family and friends for over twenty years now, and that's a long time. Today we let Brett and Rich and Robin know that we are leaving Emory, our wonderful home for these many years, and planning to return North to be closer to our brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews. Starting August 1st, Alan will assume the role of Associate CIO for Teaching and Research at Dartmouth College while Carole will be lead architect for designing Dartmouth's Institutional Repository. Carole will have her last day at Emory some time in May while Alan will work through mid-June.

There has been no harder decision making process for the two of us than the last few days as we tried to decide what to do. Atlanta has been a great home to us and those of you at Emory the finest friends that the two of us could possibly want to have. All of us have seen each other through some incredible times, and as professionals, we have worked on behalf of/with the incredible faculty and students of Emory to create something special. All of us know it as a team achievement.

Leaving Emory is leaving our home. It is also leave taking of the most incredible group of people that anyone would want to work with. Why would we consider it? Simply, we have nine nieces and nephews between the age of two and ten who we want to make a closer part of our life and we can't do that here. In New Hampshire, we'll no doubt ask them to go pick berries this summer, and this fall, maybe pick apples. As the holidays approach, it'll be time to wander into the woods to cut our own Christmas trees. We won't even start talking about the fishing.

We share this message with you here, and thank you for making us feel like family these many years. Beers at Melton's, Trolley Barn Escapades, Singing at the Carter Center (and being charged for water), Christmas Tunes from Lamb-y, way too many Thrashers tickets, how many Wings, Trivia with Tony--the memories are too numerous to even conjure. Yet the spirit is true--playful, imaginative, hardworking, inspired--true to the family you are.

You all have great things ahead of you. We know it. And it is hard knowing we won't be part of the team that will help the campus learn about the Collaboration tools, what can happen with analytics, the adventure of Echo 360, or the movement of content online to venues like Coursera. It will happen without us, and it will happen because of you, and it will be amazing.

Meanwhile, we'll be a thousand miles away, though we hope the distance won't keep those of you who want from keeping in touch. And we'll have our own Adventures, and I hope great things are ahead of us as well. We'll sign off here, where we began, saying that Carole and Alan's Adventures was about keeping in touch with family. And you all definitely belong here. Thanks for helping make the great adventure we have shared these past years. It has been the ride of our life.

Carole and Alan

Last Day in Zug

At the start of this trip, I was getting up at 4am, working for a couple of hours, and then going back to bed. Over a couple of days that evolved to getting up between 5-6am and just staying up. Saturday, I woke up, worked for an hour, and then noticed the day was looking mighty fine as the sun started to rise. Checked the Zug harbor webcam and saw that you could see the Rigi and the Pilatus and the lake was crystal calm. Clearly, it was time to investigate! Alan was waking so we threw on clothes, left Nan a note, and headed down towards the lake.

It was a beautiful morning, clear and calm, with the sun just starting to reflect on the alps. No one was up as we meandered around the lakeshore, watching the cormorants and herons hunting. As we walked towards the station, we saw the Saturday farmer's market starting to get set up and the street cleaner driving his mad vehicle around (seriously, I thought he might end up in the lake). After watching the morning evolve, we decided to head for a bakery for warm croissants for breakfast and ended up at Speck (where we also saw a delicious Bailey's cake).

Back at the apartment, Alan came up with the idea of taking the new train that stops right out back of Nan's apartment just down the lake to enjoy the views in the sunshine. Nan hadn't even taken this train so it was a new adventure for all of us. We simply rode down the lake, got off, and then headed back to the PostPlatz station where we got off and headed down to the Widder for a cheese fondue. Yes, we do a lot of eating in Switzerland!

Zug and Zugerberg

Finally, the sun came out for the first time since we got here. Yay! Zug is wonderful in any weather but the spirits do rise when sunshine is streaming through the curtains. To celebrate, we decided we could get an important errand done before the weekend crowds at the store -- the chocolate purchase. And while we didn't come close to the record of 14 pounds of chocolate returning to Atlanta, it was a sizable dent in my credit card. I guess I could login to AmEx to see what I actually spent but I think I'd rather leave it in nebulous swiss francs. After the critical things were handled, we walked back along the lake enjoying the morning.

After lunch of -- you guessed it, turkey sandwiches -- we decided to take advantage of the fine weather and go up to the Zugerberg. I hadn't been since the first time I came to Switzerland of maybe ten years ago. That visit was in the spring, so there was snow on the ground up on the mountain. No snow today, just miles of walking trails that were being enjoyed by couples, friends, and families. It takes about 20 minutes to get up there, so I imagine it's a regular occurrence for the locals (I know if would be for me). Beautiful views.

Finished the day out with a visit to the restaurant at the Hotel-Ochsen. Usually, we have the dining room to ourselves in the evening but it being Friday night, it was packed. We all had the seasonal local dish of "rotel" fish, which they translate as a char but I would more characterize as a white fish. In any event, we had it three ways -- poached, sauteed in butter and herbs, and fried. The last was supposed to come with a green curry sauce and asian vegetables but it didn't. In any event, it was delicious and light and the Ochsen's hospitality cannot be beat.

Turkey 2012

A few notes while I can recall. This year's Aklin turkey was the largest ever, clocking in at 5.5 kilos. That's 12 lbs for you American types. Aklin's birds are local, never frozen, and beautiful -- but you take what they can get from their local sources. In any event, when I took the bird out today it was lovely -- beautiful, plump legs and thighs (mmm...dark meat) and reasonable breast size, unlike the butterball's back home. They had done an excellent job of plucking the bird, so little was required of me other than slathering it up with butter, thyme, sage, and pepper. After perusing a number of recipes -- and doing a lot of metric conversion -- I finally basically followed Alton Brown's recipe minus the brining. The big difference is no basting. Instead, you put the turkey in at a high temperature to brown and then lower the temperature without opening the oven. The concept is to maintain an even open temperature without the ups and downs associated with opening the oven door. Given that Nan's oven is small and not quick to heat, I thought this method might prove appropriate and it was. I put the turkey in at 500 F for half an hour, then lowered the temp to 350 for two more hours. Took it out and it was very good -- dark meat perfect, white nice, too. This will definitely be my method of choice from now on! Here are some photos.

We picked up our quasi-annual tradition of spending Thanksgiving with Nan in Zug again this year. As in years past, we flew out Sunday afternoon, which gives you a civilized amount of time to do laundry, pack, and otherwise get prepared. Leaving on a Saturday is possible but you don't enter the plane in a relaxed state.

The journey over couldn't have gone smoother. We had a seasoned flight crew who knew what they were doing and clearly enjoyed each others company. What a comparison from our flight home last year where the flight crew really made our home journey unpleasant. The food was excellent -- beef short rib and cod -- and we got a little bit of sleep. Arriving at 7:30 into the Zurich airport, we were buying our train tickets in the bahnhof by 8:10am. Caught the 8:47am to Zug and there meeting Nan by 9:30am.

Took it easy that first day, including a couple of naps, and delicious Aklin sauerkraut and pork for dinner. Next day, the weather was cold and damp and we decided against trying to get above the clouds because we would have had to get to 9,000 meters; instead, we went to the Golden Dragon for lunch, which was delicious. Best Chinese food I've had in some time.

The afternoon brought some shopping and then a little nap before heading downstairs to visit with Ferdi and Susie in what has become another annual tradition. Between a little Suisse-Deutsch, a little English and plenty of good will, we had a convivial hour discussing family, fall foliage, and recent events, including Hurricane Sandy, which they had followed on tv.

Tuesday evening we made a reservation at a new-to-us restaurant, Zum Kaiser Franz, which featured Austrian cuisine. The dining room was pleasantly detailed, albeit a little loud. The service was excellent with the owner, wearing an Austrian-style jacket, coming through multiple times over the course of the evening to assure that everything was good. Definitely a new find in the Zug restaurant scene.

Wednesday am, Nan had a hair appointment, so we walked the 2km along the lake to Obervill. Weather was cold and dank and the fog hung low in the hills. No views of Pilatus or Rigi yet. Shopping in the afternoon has us well prepared for tomorrow. Again, we have a oven challenging bird, weighing in at about eleven pounds. He'll just fit. :-)

Moss Beach, California

I had a work retreat to complete the beta draft of the Learning Space Rating System that a group of us has been working on for a couple of years now. The biweekly phone calls were not advancing the project so we decided to hunker down in a conference room with no distractions and just pound it out. Colleague Rich from Stanford found the ideal place -- the Seal Cove Inn in Moss Beach, CA. Nice, quiet inn with a beautiful garden and within easy walking distance of the coast and a small private meeting room. For two days we hunkered down in small groups over our laptops open to Google docs and we really made a lot of progress. Amazing what can happen we you work for 12 hours a day!

But that's not to say we didn't have fun as well. First of all, it's a great group and we entered the exercise with gusto. It didn't hurt that Rich had planned trips to wonderful local restaurants for lunch and dinner. And the first night, he and Ronnie opened their lovely home to us all and we enjoyed grilled swordfish and asparagus over some nice wine and even nicer conversation. The restaurants featured included great Italian at Mezza Luna, amazing Peruvian at La Costanera, awesome sandwiches from Gherkins, and fresh fish sandwiches at Ketch Joanne. YUM!

After the group wrapped up, Alan joined me and we had one day on the coast to ourselves. Grabbing sandwiches in Pescadero, we headed south and ended up at Ana Nuevo State Park, home of elephant seals and sea lions. Lunch was tasty but the views were even tastier -- it was a beautiful, clear day with crystal clear skies. The ocean was so blue -- almost like Key West.

We got a permit and hiked out to see the elephant seals. Right now, the females are finishing their annual molt and the juvenile males were starting to arrive for theirs. Two very informed docents gladly answered our questions -- turns out that 95% of elephant seals don't make it past their first year, largely because they fail to thrive. They are easily lost in the mix and can be crushed or fail to find their mothers and thus get sustenance. For their part, the mothers are not eating the entire month they are raising their babies and themselves lose a significant portion of body mass since they aren't eating. At some point, the mothers determine that it's time to go, they enter estrus and are impregnated with the next baby. Basically, a female elephant seal spends her entire adult life either pregnant or nursing. But it might be better than the males -- many of them never get to mate at all.

Walking the two miles out, the last part in the sand, was definitely tiring and the bright sun and wind contributed to our exercise satiation -- and our hunger. Headed back to the lovely Seal Cove Inn for a shower and a glass of wine on our little porch. After a bit of searching, we located the perfect restaurant for our last dinner -- Cafe Gibraltar. We both had fish, prepared in a mediterranean style. Family-owned, friendly service, lovely food. :-)

At this point, we were so valuing our time together in this tranquil setting. We hadn't watched TV, barely checked the news, minimal email, and lots of conversation, the kind it takes a couple of days to relax into.

However, all good things come to an end and we head back to ATL in the am. The re-entry has already been brutal -- in search of game four of the Stanley Cup finals, we crossed the street to Houlihan's. Happy hour was in progress and the bar was packed; we scored two pretty good seats in front of one of the two screens showing the Kings-Devils game. A decent game and the beer was good but it was a raucous environment, not at all what we had come from. Oh well, at least Jersey won, sending the series back to Newark and to a weekend game.

Italy catches up with one

Remember Alan's famous drive down the Via Fluongo? Well, so did the Italian police. This week, they sent two traffic tickets for $50 each for driving in, er, places you shouldn't drive. HaHa! At least, Mrs C's other two guest drivers also got tickets.

Thanksgiving in Switzerland

Here we are, back in Zug, for what has become a tradition of making Thanksgiving dinner with Nan in Switzerland. It's actually quite a convenient time to travel abroad because few Americans are doing it and it's also a quiet week at work so taking the three days isn't a problem. And so we arrived Tuesday morning without incident, back to foggy, cold Zug. It's about 32 degrees fahrenheit and damp -- enough to put a chill in your bones. That hasn't stopped us from shopping for our dinner, though, and roasting in the oven is a turkey from Aklin (4.5 kg!) and there are brussel sprouts and romanesco (combo broccoli, cauliflower -- google it!) awaiting preparation. And I brought cornbread stuffing from the states, as well as cranberry sauce.

Actually, there are so many Americans in Zug now (Last night, we tried a new place, the Widder, and there were more American tables than Swiss) that there are quite a few turkeys for sale. That didn't used to be the case. In fact, the supplement to the morning paper had a recipe for Thanksgiving dinner!

There are certain challenges to making Thanksgiving dinner at Nan's, the largest being size. Her oven and dishes are suitable for cooking small amounts, not a 10 lb turkey. Absent a properly sized roasting pan, the turkey is sitting in the broiler pan. We put it breast side up for 10 minutes at 220 and then flipped it over to let the juices from the dark meat penetrate the breast. Hopefully, it will be good as there is a lot of it!

Zug is changing with new shops and lots of new buildings. There are cranes everywhere and the traffic is worse than ever. I took a long walk yesterday past Oberwill along the lake; that, at least, is unchanged.

Post-meal, I am happy to report it was a delicious dinner -- I first put the oven to 220 and then place the bird in breast side up for 10 minutes. Took it out, flipped the bird and lowered the oven to 170. Next time I might do 160 or take the meat out earlier. It went in at 2:30 and I took it out at 4:45. Rested for 20 minutes or so while we finished the sides and the gravy.

Things to bring to Zug next time:

turkey baster
poultry bag?
pine nuts (for brussel sprouts)
pumpkin for pie