Florida Cousins

As part of my sabbatical, I have had an opportunity to travel around the country and spend time with friends and family. My latest stop was in Palm Beach Gardens for an overnight with my Aunt Terry Mondik.  She and my uncle bought a house in Florida in the 70's and eventually relocated there.  Previously they lived on Fairway Drive in Washington, PA and their six children were the nexus of my childhood adventures.
Five of those six kids now live in Florida near their mother.  I was fortunate enough to see most of them and/or their spouses and children for dinner (more like a party) that evening.  We had a tremendous meal cooked by Beverly and hosted by Tom who has THE party house.  I joked to Tom and his wife, Audrey, that I did not need to drive to Key West the next day because their pool, hot tub, tiki huts, boats and jet skis were all I needed.
We had a great time and I am so grateful they all came out on a Wednesday night to see me.
We even managed to snap a picture of the cousins with Aunt Terry:

Texas State Fair

I just happened to be in Dallas, Texas during the Texas State Fair. This event that spans three weeks is touted as the largest state fair in the country, so I just had to go see what it was all about.
The fairgrounds are adjacent to the Cotton Bowl where Oklahoma and Texas were taking the field for their Red River rivalry. Assuming it would be crowded with football fans that weekend, I waited until Monday to make my way over to Fair Park. I still encountered traffic jams and crowds which I attributed to the Columbus Day holiday… or maybe the fair always has a crowd.

The fairgrounds are massive, as far as the eye can see. Although I did my best to walk around the perimeter, I am certain I didn't see everything. What I did see was a mix of a farm show, home show, auto show, rides and food… oh the food!

The Midway is anchored by Big Tex, a 55 feet tall  cowboy. Kids were lined up for the rides or running from tent to tent trying to win a prize at a game of skill. Although it has been decades since I longed to ride a fast, spinning wheel or to be slung through the air on a see-saw, the old-fashioned Ferris wheel or sky needle were tame enough for me and offer great views of Dallas from up high.
Whether you want to ride or simply buy a bottle of water, you need a coupon. Booths scattered around the park sell them in strips. (Cash or credit accepted.) Vendors then collect tickets instead of cash and their signs post how many tickets are required for that concession.

If you know anything about Texas, you know that fried food is king. I saw fried Reese's peanut butter cups ,fried pickles, fried chocolate covered strawberries, fried mashed potato balls, and the list goes on. Each year, cooking contests are conducted and the winning recipes are served during the fair. This year, one of the winners was a concoction called Sweet Fried Texas. I stumbled upon this booth as I was exiting the fairgrounds and trying to spend my last few coupons. This diet buster consists of pie crust folded in half, stuffed with peach cobbler, deep fried, drizzled with icing, rolled in pecans and served with a side of vanilla ice cream. But don't worry, I found a few friends with forks to help me out.

Carolina road tripping

My latest destination was the Charlotte, N.C. area for the wedding of the daughter of our close friends, Doug and Martha Miller. Our travel companions were Debi and Anthony Nicolella, who together with the Millers and Mike Golaski and Wendy Cameron, made up our foursome of longtime friends and couples.

The first stop on our week-long road trip was the Skyline Resort in Beckley, WV located just off the Ghent exit of Interstate 77. The property was recently converted from a church retreat into a motel by one of my husband's WVU roommates. The resort features a dining room, bar, lake and event building. After dining with the proprietor, Rich O'Donnell, we retired to our cozy rooms that were so newly renovated that the towels still had tags on them. The next morning we took a leisurely hike along the lake and through Winter Place ski area located next door, then piled into our car for the next leg of our journey.

Davidson, N.C. was our next stop since it was close to Lake Norman and the rehearsal dinner. The groom's parents hosted a fabulous dinner at their lakeside home and we were happy to be invited. The next morning we walked into downtown Davidson, a quaint college town. After a stop at Summit Coffee and a spin through the farmers market, we walked through the beautiful campus. Lunch that day was at the North Shore Yacht Club on Lake Norman and which had some deliciously unique brunch offerings.

The wedding was held that evening at a vineyard north of Charlotte that reminded me of Italy. The bride was beautiful, the groom was confident, and our friends who hosted the event seemed relieved once the reception was underway. The highlight for me was when we all returned to the hotel, gathered in our room and all four of us women relaxed on the king-sized bed slumber party style for more laughter. The four of us couples may not get together often, but when we do, it is just like the old days.

The trip didn't end there, as we continued south with the Nicolellas to their place in Myrtle Beach. We arrived just in time to watch the Steelers game at Oscar's, one of many Steelers throughout the country. Coincidentally, we ran into Hans and Julie Kasak (another fraternity brother) who were also visiting Myrtle and watching football at Oscar's. 

 The biggest surprise, however, was that I had spoken with my mother-in-law and realized that she too was vacationing in Myrtle Beach. With the help of Joyce McClay, we managed to surprise my husband who had no idea his mother was in town. Here's a picture of Joyce driving us to Happy Hour on her golf cart:  (Add this to my list of modes of transportation during my sabbatical.)

We had two picture perfect beach days with the Nicolellas and celebrated their thirtieth wedding anniversary in Myrtle, which is where the two of them first met. Finally, we made a quick detour to Pinehurst to visit yet another fraternity brother, Arch Reed. We missed his lovely wife, Doris, but enjoyed our visit with Arch and lunch at his club.

Memories of Europe

By now you have probably guessed that I am back in the United States.  My European vacation has come to an end and I am unpacking, doing laundry, and re-packing for my next adventure.  In the meantime, I have so many memories of Europe that I still want to share with you…and the best way to do that…is with photos.  Here are some of my fondest memories:

Panini in Barcelona

Market in Barcelona

Barcelona

Mediterranean in Toledo

Tapas in Madrid

Churros in Madrid

Pizza in San Sebastian

Nutella gaffe in St. Jean de Luz

Food shop in St. Jean

Crème Brule with lemoncello

Fish and chips at English pub

Hilton in Edinburgh

Oyster shack on Isle of Skye

Hot chocolate in St. Andrews

Cherry chocolate scone

St. Andrews

Although it is widely known as the birthplace of golf, religion came before golf in the town of St. Andrews, Scotland. The cathedral of St. Andrews dates back to the 12^th century and was the first Church of Scotland. All that is left are ruins. As you are looking through the bones of those ancient ruins out to the sea, one can only imagine the history that took place on that very spot where you are standing.

The town also boasts over 500 years of learning. The University of St. Andrews is famous as the school where William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, met as students. The campus is made up of several building dotted throughout the winding, narrow lanes of the historic old town.
But who am I kidding? We drove to the town of St. Andrews for one reason… to see the Old Course. It was a beautiful sunny day as we drove from our cottage in Elie up the coast into the town of St. Andrews. The temperature was somewhat warm that day, particularly inland, so I wasn't wearing the normal layers. We walked out past the Royal & Ancient clubhouse for our first glimpse of the course and my husband had Goosebumps from the sheer sight of the place. (My Goosebumps no doubt came from the brisk wind whipping across the links.)

Golf began here in the 15^th century and is as popular now as ever. On Sundays, the course is closed for golf but you are free to walk over the course. We were in town on a Friday, but even then we were allowed to walk along the footpaths at the edge of the putting green and out to the Links Clubhouse. As we watched a foursome tee off, my husband assured me he could hit the ball as well as any of them.
We were staying in the Kingdom of Fife in the village of Elie. 

 The village was centrally located between St. Andrews and our park-and-ride for the Ryder Cup. Elie is a resort town with beaches, golf courses and the Scottish coastal path which stretches 117 miles along the coast and through the town. We rented a cottage on the beach with the most amazing views. Our back windows looked out to the North Sea and the front windows looked out to the seventh tee of the local golf course.

The guys had the opportunity to play golf at a local course, Lunden Links. Their tee time was arranged through a connection my husband made with a young man from Scotland who participated in an exchange program that led him to Washington & Jefferson College where he attended classes and pledged Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Chris Cunningham's parents run the clubhouse and not only booked the tee times, but also displayed an amazing amount of Scottish Hospitality by treating us all to a fabulous meal after the guys finished their round of golf. After a fabulous meal, sticky toffee pudding for dessert, and a couple of bottles of wine, we sat around with our hosts for some great conversation and assured them they had a place to stay if they ever made it to Washington, PA.