Live: London<BR><BR>Friday evening I thought about writing my Venice trip report, but decided to watch TV and relax instead.<BR><BR>Saturday watched a little of the coverage on Queen Mum's procession before I went house hunting locally with a friend as well as helping her show prospective buyers round her place. They all seemed to arrive when the previous person was still there, so it was somewhat hectic but since she only put it on the market that morning I think it's a sign that it will sell really quickly. London prices are truly crazy right now. Everyone keeps reminding me how my house must now be worth x% more than I paid for it, what they forget is that unless I move out of London, any house I buy is x% more than it was when I first bought mine and x% of a larger house means a lot bigger mortgage!<BR><BR>Later went for a drive in nearby countryside with hubby.<BR><BR>Sunday did very little, popped out to local shopping centre for Pizza lunch and minor shop.<BR><BR>Very lazy and relaxing weekend.<BR><BR>Kavey

Went to the botanical garden, took my camera and got some beautiful shots of the daffodils and cherry trees. Bought birthday presents for my 8-year-old niece, wrapped and boxed them to send to California. Made foccacia to have with salad for dinner--so good. BF makes the best homemade salad dressing. Ordered a jacket for BF for our upcoming trip to Paris in May. Went through my wardrobe to try and decide what to take. Is more, but that's enough

Friday night: stayed in and relaxed. Hot tubbed and into bed early for am soccer game. It snowed about 3 inches. So much for spring.<BR><BR>Saturday: 10 yr old son had 9 am soccer game, was amused to watch them play in the snow. We won 5-1, son had 3 goals. Saturday night invited to sister inlaws house for dinner. Had deep fried Lake Erie perch dinner, watched movie "training day" with Denzel Washington. Home late.<BR><BR>Sunday: woke late due to Daylight savings time change. Was very angry with husband. I slaved in kitchen: made prime rib, king crab, baby red potatos, salad, candles lit, linens on table. Husband spent day at fathers putting engine in auto. Called to see when he'd be home for dinner, His mother fed him PORK and Sauerkraut. Needless to say, quite a few F words flew and my children were all quite shocked at my tirade,but hey, I spent day in kitchen. Dinner was fine after all, 4 glasses of wine and I was happy again.

Poor sue<BR>at least you ate well and had some wine at the end of it all<BR>There seem to be some really good cooks here!<BR><BR>keep em coming, this is sooo interesting and enjoyable~

Hey, Sue, I feel for ya. But on the other, that made more prime rib and king crab for you, right?!!! Not to mention more wine. <BR><BR>Ah, well. Life goes on.

Baseball game!!!!!!!

You are all so good and inocent. No one here got on Fodor's board and posted any mean answers? I don't believe you people<BR>As to me I screwed all weekend, all right?

sam, you are impotent and you know it.<BR><BR>I bet my screen name more accurately sums up your weekend.

I'll play!<BR><BR>I live in Columbia, SC and we had awesome weather this weekend. Friday my fellow and I had friends over for a cookout and then we all went over to the 3 Rivers Music Festival.<BR><BR>Got up Saturday and drank coffee and read the paper. We then went mountain bike riding with some friends and I totally crashed on the couch when I got home. Dragged myself to the shower and went back to the music festival with same friends.<BR><BR>Sunday got up at the crack o' dawn to drive to Charlotte, NC for a HUGE antique sale. We saved all our change for about six months with the goal of buying dining room chairs- and we did, with a few dollars to spare. Got home, went shoe shopping (got a classic pair of Dr. Scholls exercise sandals like Mama had!), grocery store and finally made a great Pad Thai for the first time.<BR><BR>Overall it was a good weekend, but very tiring. Next weekend camping in NC!!! <BR><BR>Our next trip is Memorial day weekend (till that Wed.) to Park City, Utah for mountain biking. Lord help my lungs and legs!<BR><BR>Happy Trails everyone!<BR>Jessica

Friday night sweetie & I cooked a mixed grill of steak & lamb chops, salad, and redskin potatoes and had some wine, watched an episode of "The Living Edens" on Tasmania (still trying to figure out where we want to go on our Australia-NZ trip in November), and watched an episode of Rick Steves on Paris. Saturday, slept in & spent most of the day planning out an itinerary for our trip to Paris next month (his first time, my 4th -- we can't wait) & figuring out which daytrips we want to take (decided not to do Lyon this time, instead spending one day at Fontainebleau & Vaux-le-Vicomte and another day to Amboise, Blois, & Chambord). Saturday night grilled some pork chops with Maui onion mustard (delish) and wonderful fresh asparagus (now I know it's spring) & some nice white wine, then watched a funny old movie ("You Can't Take It With You" -- Jimmy Stewart & Jean Arthur). Sunday slept in again (2 days in a row, how decadent), watched Rick Steves & Rudy Maxa, ran errands, went grocery shopping, browsed the travel section at Borders for a good long while, coffee & croissant at Le Madeleine at a sunny table outside, read the Sunday paper, went home and did my time on the treadmill, watched "60 Minutes" while doing laundry & tidying up & generally getting ready for the week ahead, caught up with a couple of friends & family members on the phone, read a couple of chapters of the book I'm into at the moment ("Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family" by Patricia Volk -- so funny and touching), fell asleep. All in all, a nice relaxing weekend...

Enthralled with Cardinals baseball! That's why I don't travel much in the summer and wait till late fall or early spring. Although, I am going to Montreal end of this month and Chicago over Labor Day Weekend... to see my Red Birds!<BR><BR>Sandi

In connecticut too, and pretty dull! <BR><BR>Friday night went out to dinner with husband and one son, while other son was at birthday party sleep over.<BR><BR>Saturday, husband took son to baseball practice while I picked up son from sleepover. He was in a foul mood as he never went to sleep the entire night. (when will I learn??), and he got his fingers closed in a door by another 9 year old. When he came home he refused to go to bed, so he sat on the couch and fell asleep, sitting up, until I finally woke him at 3:30 to go car shopping.<BR><BR>After nearly choking at the lease price of hubby's preferred new car, we grilled some porterhouse steaks, homemade fries (my husband makes them and they are great), sauteed spinach with garlic and a bottle of cabernet, we rented K-Pax. Interesting movie, disappointing ending.<BR><BR>Sunday, Raked out flower beds, cleaned out refridgerator, then spent afternoon cooking while hubby attended other sons baseball practice. Mother in law came for dinner, husband made a great soup, we had lobster/crab cakes, a nice Sauvignon blanc and strawberry shortcake.<BR><BR>Now I'm off to the gym to erase the damage from the weekend.<BR>

Live: Seattle<BR><BR>We did an early spring driving getaway with another couple to (a) get away from work and computers and work (oh I said that) and (b) enjoy one of the great under-visited areas of the US at a splendid time of year.<BR><BR>Friday – left home early and traveled over the snowy Cascade Mountains to the Yakima Valley, stopping in this heavily Hispanic area for lunch at one of the best Mexican restaurants in the region, then carried on south through the Yakima Indian Reservation (wonderful old west country) to the Columbia River, where wife had a business meeting (I know) and we toured once again the Maryhill Museum, a remarkable institution situated on a high bluff above the Columbia Gorge. The museum’s collections are eclectic to say the least – many of Rodin’s plaster studies for his masterworks; one of the premier collections of Native American artifacts in the world; a collection of mannequins used by the French fashion industry to market their lines in the fabric-short days after WW2, displayed in miniature sets designed by the Paris Opera; the furniture, personal effects, royal regalia and other stuff owned by Queen Marie of Romania (one of Victoria’s clan) including a slashed portrait of her cousin the Czar; and on and on. Then we continued down the Columbia Gorge past blooming orchards and wildflowers to Hood River, Oregon, for the night, surrounded by fruit orchards just coming to.<BR><BR>Saturday – back east along the river through increasingly dry country and red rock cliffs to Pendleton, Oregon, home of the great Pendleton Round-Up (one of the biggest rodeos in the country) and also the home of Pendleton Mills, a famous producer of woolen blankets, shirts, etc. After dropping a few bob at the factory store, we continued north to Walla Walla, Washington, and from there into the Palouse country of SE Washington State (from whence Appaloosa horses, BTW.) This was the real target for the trip – the Palouse is the premier wheat-producing region in the US, and in the early spring the young wheat on the rolling hills makes for more shades of green than you can imagine – deep, pale, yellow- and blue-greens, combined with blue streams, red barns, elaborate Victorian county courthouses and church steeples – like I say, under-visited Americana at its best. Overnight in Dayton, Washington, after a meal at the Patit Creek Inn, a multi-star French restaurant (would hold its own in France) plunked down in the boonies. <BR><BR>Sunday – a leisurely drive through the Palouse hills and fields, stopping at Palouse Falls, a remarkable high waterfall into a tiny circular amphitheater surrounded by jagged brown-to-red rocks and basalt columns. In early spring flood it was pretty impressive. Not many people in this region are even aware of the falls (including our friends) and the universal expression from first-timers when they get to the retaining fence is “Oh my God.” Then we put pedal to metal and headed west, back across the mile-wide Columbia then again over the Cascades into Seattle. <BR><BR>The bills, taxes, and work were still here, but the weekend served as an effective reminder of why we live in these parts.<BR>

Phoenix:<BR>Friday - after hours on the internet and an hour on the phone, FINALLY got flights to Paris eom May.<BR><BR>Saturday - weird storm front came in "dry lightning" which is pretty dangerous when there's little rain and very dry timber; stayed in and read (girl on bicycle not good in lightning storm)<BR><BR>Sunday - lunch at an Irish pub (Guinness and really good fish and chips), then the Chihuly exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum (we wanted to take most of it home with us). A little shopping, a little ice cream, perfect day.

elvira-you know exactly what a perfect day is!<BR>hoping it was chocolate ice cream

Phoenix too!<BR>I should have had Elvira's weekend but I had to do taxes. Totally messed them up Saturday and had to start over on Sunday with my husband this time. Got them done so I have a refund coming to help pay for my trip to Paris in May!<BR><BR>Elvira, where is the Irish pub in Phoenix?

Split firewood Got over the flu bug.<BR>Also, sorted our papers/literature for trip to Tanzania. Less than 2 months away.

Live: Moorestown, N.J.<BR><BR>Friday - went to movies with hubby - saw "Kissing Jessica Stein" - very funny, witty movie - totally jealous of life in NYC and clothes the women wore!<BR><BR>Saturday - walked Spanky & Pirate (Canaan & BC dogs) - transplanted hosta into decimated-by-drought pachesandra - grocery shopped - played soccer with Pirate (he's the BC who has to be kept busy or he's into stuff you don't want him to get into) - hiked with hubby and dogs in the woods - went to dinner with friends to talk about their recent trip to St. Maarten.<BR><BR>Sunday - read the morning news - more gardening - more woodsy hiking with dogs - started "Girl With a Pearl Earring" - cooked dinner - fell asleep in chair before bed.<BR><BR>All in all a very good, relaxing weekend! <BR><BR>Spanky

Not chocolate ice cream, 'sweet cream' vanilla ice cream in a rootbeer float.<BR><BR>Irish pub "Rosie McCaffery's" is where the Eggery used to be (next to Toys 'r' Us) corner 9th St and Camelback. Not too corny an atmosphere, and several Irish beers on tap.<BR><BR>I always do my taxes mid-February; whichever has a refund (state or federal) gets mailed immediately; if I owe, that sucker gets mailed 4/15.<BR><BR>Did anybody else watch the NBC special on Late Night TV shows and see Mel Gibson describe haggis to Jay Leno?

Elvira, Describe and then take a huge bite of. Ugh!<BR><BR>I worked hard at NOT doing my taxes. <BR><BR>Sat. shopping for painting for behind my new couch. Bought a wonderful oil of Amalfi. Sat. night, had 3 yr. old granddaughter over for dinner.<BR><BR>Sun. went to San Francisco to prowl some of the streets I've been reading about in "Disaster" (about the 1906 earthquake). Primarily Chinatown and North Beach. Had a wonderful Italian lunch in North Beach.<BR><BR>Go Giants (6 and 0!)