Taking it Easy in Miramar Beach

Posted on March 20, 2015 by kcbernick

Wednesday, March 18

Mark’s birthday! We didn’t do much today, just enjoyed the fabulous weather here. The sun was shining most of the day, and the temperature was in the upper 70’s. We celebrated Mark’s birthday with Steve and Joan at Pot Roast and Pinot in Pensacola, a small restaurant with really good food. Instead of cake, we shared a pina colada creme brulee.

Thursday, March 19

Stayed close to the condo today, walked on the beach and had lunch at The Whale’s Tail Beach Bar and Grill again. They really do have good food for a beach bar. There are still lots of students enjoying their break. Who can blame them? The beaches are beautiful here, and the weather has been very cooperative.

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Everyone’s Irish Today

Posted on March 18, 2015 by kcbernick

Tuesday,  March 17

After my morning walk on the beach, Mark and I went to Pompano Joe’s for lunch. Situated on the beach, the food was as good as the food.

This afternoon, we took a ride on the Southern Star to look for dolphins. Mission accomplished,  plus we got to enjoy the Destin Harbor and a bit of the Gulf. Only a bit since it was pretty choppy.

We then walked over to McGuire’s,  hoping to get a good Irish dinner. No chance of that. The place was definitely hopping.  Oh well, We weren’t too disappointed. It was a good day, all in all.

Erin go bragh!

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Sunny Beaches

Posted on March 18, 2015 by kcbernick

Monday, March 16

I headed to the beach for a nice long walk this morning. There were several families and a few students already out enjoying the sun when I started. More and more students had shown up by the time I was done.

Mark and I returned to the beach for lunch at The Whale’s Tail, part of the resort, but located on the beach. A good spot for people watching.

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March Idesness!

Posted on March 17, 2015 by kcbernick

Sunday, March 15

Today is the Ides of March, probably only important to Julius Caesar.

This morning, we headed to McGuire’s in Destin for brunch. Brunch included Irish coffee and beignets. The coffee could be hot or cold. Basically, the cold Irish coffee is a milkshake. Omelets are made with six eggs. Mark and I together could not finish one. Of course, we did each have a bowl of their Senate Bean Soup as well. If I lived down here, I’d probably hit one or the other McGuire’s weekly for this soup, and/or their Shepherds Pie, which could feed a family of four. Besides the food, both McGuire’s locations are known for the dollar bills stapled all over the walls and ceiling.

After brunch, we walked across the street to Harborwalk Village, an area of shops, restaurants and activities, all designed to separate the tourist from his/her money. One of the activities there is a monthly art walk, which we wanted to check out. The quality of the items was good, but the quantity and variety were limited. As long as were there, we stepped into one of the bars overlooking the harbor. It’s a beautiful place to enjoy the wonderful weather here.

Steve and Joan headed home, and we went back to the condo to cook dinner and catch up on our sleep.

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Cards Against Exhaustion!

Posted on March 17, 2015 by kcbernick

Saturday, March 14

We left home at 5am today, headed for Destin, Florida again. Did you know that today is Pi Day! 3.1415 represents the first 5 digits of the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Important to know! And at 9:26:53 am and pm, you get the next five digits.

Our plane landed in Pensacola at about the time that St. Pat’s activities were winding up, including a 5K run sponsored by McGuire’s Irish Pub. Traffic was pretty heavy, and we had to watch for happy folks dressed in green crossing the streets.

We checked into a lovely condo at Seascape Resort in Miramar Beach. Our lanai overlooks a small lake and the resort’s golf course. We are in a two bedroom, two level condo just across the road from the beach. We didn’t know it at the time, but this is spring break for a lot of students, including several in the condo next to ours. So far, they’ve either been gone, or the unit is well soundproofed.

Friends Steve and Joan came out to spend the night. We met at Margaritaville for dinner (I know, pretty touristy, but we had been up for a long time. The food was fine. We headed back to the condo and played a game of Cards Against Humanity, always good for laughs. The youngest member of the group (Steve) won, and the oldest (me) came in second. Mark, who usually wins, excused his play by saying, over and over again, “I’m so tie-errd!!” Should I suggest this as a new Cards card? It could be used in a senior citizen pack.

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Time to Leave

Posted on March 1, 2015 by kcbernick

Saturday, February 28

Our last day before returning to frigid weather, and I’m trying to spend as much time outdoors as I can. Palm Desert is such a pretty city, it’s hard to believe we are in the desert. Flowers are in bloom everywhere. My camera is getting more of a workout than I am!

The weather was lovely again, although a bit windy. We walked to a nice Italian  Restaurant, Bella Vita, for our final dinner here. We’re  packed and ready to go in the morning.

You’ll hear from me again in about three weeks.

 

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Exploring the Palms

Posted on February 28, 2015 by kcbernick

Friday, February 27

We boarded the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway at 10am, and rode a mile up the mountain to the Mount San Jacinto State Park. The 10 minute ride is in a tram that rotates as it climbs from and elevation of 2,643 ft to 8,516 ft. The rotation allows the passengers to look down into the valley at Palm Springs, and up to the top of the ride between mountain peaks. The tram opened in 1963, after 26 months of construction.

Thanks to a snow storm earlier this week, the park had snow for the first time this winter. The locals are very grateful, as the area has been suffering a drought for some time.  We, of course, weren’t overly impressed with the snow, but many others were.

Next stop, Sunnylands Center and Gardens, the former home of Walter and Lenore Annenberg. The Anmenbergs wanted Sunnylands to be used to advance world peace – the center serves as a retreat center for world leaders, and gardens are open to the public. We were there for the gardens, which are truly beautiful.

After this, we headed to El Paseo in Palm Desert for a late lunch at the Wolfgang Puck Pizza Bar, followed by a bit more shopping. We didn’t try the pizza, but the PB burger and the beet salad were both good. Then, back to the condo.

It was a good day.

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The Road Less Traveled

Posted on February 28, 2015 by kcbernick

Thursday, February 26

As we were leaving Henderson, our GPS warned us of severe traffic on I15, and calculated a new route for us. We drove about 40 miles through the Mojave National Preserve. It is starkly beautiful, with miles of Joshua Trees, scrub brush and potholes.

Although signs warned of bighorn sheep and tortoises on the road, we never saw any. Sure wish they would have warned of the road conditions. For much of the route, it was almost impossible to avoid the potholes. We were worried that we’d blow a tire!

This evening, we were invited to a cocktail party at our friends, Sally & Jeff’s condo in Palm Spring. We carpooled to the party with  some other St. Cloud natives, Rick and Karen. A few of Jeff’s siblings were there as well, and we had a lively evening.

 

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Las Vegas Lights

Posted on February 27, 2015 by kcbernick

Wednesday, February 26

This was a long day. Mark had learned just last week of an LED and Lighting show taking place in Las Vegas this week. Looking for information and resources for his own LED products, we decided to make the four hour plus drive from Palm Desert to Vegas.

We left around 6am and arrived at the Sands Expo Center around 11am. There isn’t much on the way – scrub brush, Joshua trees and sand. Don’t head out without plenty of water and a full tank of gas. By the way, gasoline costs almost $1 per gallon more here than in Minnesota.

There were several hundreds of vendor booths for Mark to explore, and he gathered quite a bit of useful information and contacts for his new LED light products. I stayed for about an hour and then went to the shops at the Venetian to my own exploring and gathering.

Tonight, we stayed at Mark’s brother’s home in Henderson. We were treated to a tour of his new home (lovely),  and had a good dinner at the Tuscany Grill.

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So Much Energy!

Posted on February 25, 2015 by kcbernick

Tuesday, February 24

After a mostly healthy breakfast of french toast (with vanilla greek yogurt mixed in with the eggs – yummy), cereal, fruit and yogurt, we took Sally and Jeff back to their resort in Palm Springs.

We spent a little time shopping in downtown Palm Springs, and then headed to a premium outlet mall a few miles out of town. These really were premium stores, including Dolce and Gabbana, Ferragamo and many more equally inviting stores. We were on a mission to replace our luggage, and I’m happy to say that we were successful. I can’t wait to take our ratty bags to the dumpster.

After shopping, we drove by some solar and wind farms. We had read recently about a 550 megawatt Desert Sunlight solar project near here, which is expected to power 160,000 average homes in California. The project is located on land managed by the Federal Bureau of Land Management, near Joshua Tree National Park. The solar panels are located amidst hundreds of windmills. It’s an impressive sight.

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