Maryland - First Impressions

Hi folks and sorry for the long delay between posts. We spent a month with my mum in Arizona (she's making a really good recovery) then waited for a bit longer in Vegas for our worldly goods to arrive from Australia.

In the meantime, we changed our plans a bit and headed for Annapolis, Maryland, on Chesapeake Bay. This beautiful old city claims to be the sailing capital of the USA, and first impressions bear this out. There are countless small bays, inlets and marinas, and every one of them is choc a bloc with boats. Every street seems to lead down to the water, but on the way it manages to display several beautiful 18th century houses, a great seafood restaurant or two, a bar, a boating supplier of some kind and an unbroken avenue of magnificent trees. There are many layers of history here - early British settlement during the reign of Charles 1 (Maryland was named after his wife), revolution, the establishment of the Union, major battles of the Civil War (in which the state's loyalties were divided). The people of Annapolis have done a brilliant job of preserving, restoring and recording their historic sites.

The history of race relations in Maryland is both tragic and inspiring. Two very famous figures lived here - Harriet Tubman, who was such an important figure in the 'underground railroad' system for smuggling slaves out of the south to freedom; and Frederick Douglass, the great civil rights activist. The state was also home to Patty Cannon, a woman of legendary strength and brutality, who ran a gang of slave-catchers, kidnapping both escaped slaves and freed blacks and selling them back to the southern states. She had secret dungeons in her house, and was so terrifying that she became a kind of bogeyman figure, used by mothers for generations to frighten their children out of bad behaviour or straying too far from home.

On Memorial Day, Terry lent a hand to the women who maintain the Brewer Hill Cemetery, to lower their flag to half mast. We had a really interesting and moving wander around the historic African-American cemetery (of course, like everything else, cemeteries were segregated until the 1960s). Some of the stone markers told terrible stories of lynchings and people hanged for crimes they didn't commit. But it is a peaceful and beautiful place now. One of the custodians told us, "My mama's here, my brother's here, my baby's here, and there's a nice green place waitin for me here too someday."

We're off to Washington DC for a couple of days, then back for some serious sailing and boat shopping.

Terry's Beer Reviews

Note:- most of these websites insist on you keying in your age – there’s plenty of “Prohibitionists” around here still.

Castello

Very nice Italian beer.  Now that both Nastro Azzura and Moretti are owned by major multinational breweries(Peroni by SABMiller, and Moretti by Heineken) Castello is a great successor.  Heineken sold the Moretti plant to Castello.  Nastro is still a great beer, but I think Heineken has rooted Moretti.

http://www.birracastello.it/main.htm

Haywards 5000 owned by SABMiller

Very very nice.  Would drink this regularly if available.

http://www.indiaovenlasvegas.com/

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/haywards-5000/13468/

Dos Equis Lager  (warned off Tecate by the waiter.)  Circus Circus Las Vegas Nevada

http://rockandritas.com/

Corona

Despite the sneers from VB & EB drinking bogans, this is still one of the world’s great beers.

Fallback in all restaurants that have limited choice e.g. Coors, Coors Light, Bud, Bud Light.

While on the subject of the world’s great beers, I was pleased to find Coopers Sparkling Ale in the Whole Food Market in Las Vegas, Nevada so I bought a six for Ron.

Sam Adams draft – at Chilis

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&num=10&lr=&cr=&safe=images&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=restaurant+%22chilis%22&fb=1&gl=us&hq=restaurant+%22chilis%22&hnear=Bullhead+City,+AZ&cid=6606411232493315248

Oak Creek Brewery 23/April 2011 to 25^th April 2011

Got 5 different ones

A-1 Pilsner – excellent.  Not much fizz.  Strong rich caramel.  Only 4.2% alcohol.  Definite keeper.

Amber Ale. 5.0%.  Very nice, clean crisp for an ale.

Nut Brown Ale  5.5%.  Thick & chewy

http://www.oakcreekbrew.com/oakcreek/home.php

Landshark Lager

Jimmy Buffett’s lager from Florida.  Nice, crisp. 4.7% (also in a 4.0%, which is getting dangerously close to “light”.)

It’s an Anheuser-Busch product but brewed for Margaritaville in Jacksonville.

I’m biased on this, having been a Parrothead for about 35 years.

http://www.landsharklager.com/public/agegate.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fdefault.aspx

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

From California.  Decent head, caramel taste 5.6%

http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/paleale.html

San Pellegrino Limonata and Aranciata.

Not beers but refreshing lemon and orange drinks from one of the masters of sparkling water.  Actually been owned by Nestles since about 1997.

“San Pellegrino mineral water has been produced for over 600 years.^[2] In 1395, the town borders of San Pellegrino were drawn, marking the start of its water industry. Leonardo da Vinci visited the town in 1509 to sample and examine the town's "miraculous" water, later writing a treatise on the subject.^[2] Analysis shows that the water is strikingly similar to the samples taken in 1782, the first year such analysis took place.

The earliest existing records show that 35,343 bottles were produced (5,562 of which were exported) in 1899. Nine years later, San Pellegrino was exported to the main European cities, as well as Cairo, Tangiers, Shanghai, Calcutta, Sydney, Brazil, Peru and the United States.”  (Wikipedia)

Barking Frog Grille, Sedona Arizona.

http://www.barkingfroggrille.com/

Fat Tire Amber Ale.  Good without being memorably great. 5.2%.  My notes say “Sour caramel taste. Very nice.  No head or bubbles, even for an ale.  Certainly true Belgian style.

Carol had a Blue Moon which she liked but I found a bit fruity (Orange-ish?)  Would be good on a hot day after the beach.  It actually came with an orange slice and that seems to be their website’s suggestion.

http://www.newbelgium.com/beer/detail.aspx?id=7c5b394b-d7b7-486a-ac9a-316256a7b0ee

http://www.bluemoonbrewingcompany.com/

Patron Reposado Tequila

I asked for a shot straight after dinner.  What came out was about 3 Australian shots in a salt rimmed glass with a half-lime slice.  Very, very smooth and very potent.  Nice finish to dinner.

Some of this range can cost a lot of money but this is about mid-range – about $8 in the US, which is pricey- probably about $25 in Oz.

http://patrontequila.com/#/tequilas/patron-reposado/

Here’s a nice find:

Most of the “whole-food” or “good earth” style supermarkets have a small restaurant section where you can order stuff from the deli or select from bains-marie they have and sit and eat it.  We’ve been trying all the different soups you can get – for about $4 a large bowl, you can get some great quick lunches. It's one of the few ways to avoid massive over-ordering of food.

New Frontiers Natural Market, Sedona Arizona – Turkey Chili soup with organic sesame crackers $3.99 a bowl.  Carol had Spinach & Potato – very good.

Las Vegas Whole Food Market.  Beef and Vegetable soup then on a return visit, plain Vegetable soup.  Very filling, very tasty.

We tried the same trick in a Safeway supermarket but the soup was very ordinary indeed.

Corn chowder for lunch at the Secret Garden in Tlaquepaque Village, Sedona

I agree with the third commentator – nice but I did expect some close-to-the-border heat in it.  Their specialty soup is “day-old soup” – they make it up the day before and let it blend.  All gone by the time I asked for some (12 midday!)  I think people come and have it for breakfast.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/141/916326/restaurant/Flagstaff/Secret-Garden-Cafe-Tlaquepaque-Village-Sedona

The Cracker Barrel chain runs good soups daily also, again for 4 or 5 bucks a large bowl.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., is a chain of "Old Country Stores," each combining a retail store and a restaurant. As of September 2009, the company, founded in 1969 and based in Lebanon, Tennessee, was operating 591 full-service locations located in 41 states in the United States.^[1] In 2009, Cracker Barrel was ranked as the top "family dining" chain for the 19th consecutive year in Restaurants & Institutions magazine "Choice in Chains" annual consumer survey.^{[2] (Wikipedia)}

Coffee is genuine garbage in most places – water with something nasty in it.  I think I’ve had better instant sometime years ago.  We have found two places that served proper stuff – a café/bakery that specializes in wedding cakes in Sedona (run by a Cajun guy I think) that had superb French pastries that he made as well and a place down in Oak Creek Village.

Sedona, AZ

After a couple of days in Sedona you start to take the awesome views a little for granted. The varying perspectives on those massive red rock formations are still astonishing, but you come to expect that that is what you'll see from any old carpark or coffee shop - and you do!

Sedona is up there with the Grand Canyon as a tourist destination, but it has an edge in that you are right there in amongst the rocks and canyons and, as a town in its own right it has further attractions in a vibrant arts community, excellent restaurants and the distinction of being the New Age capital of the USA. In the 1980s, Sedona's red rocks were 'discovered' to be the source of a series of electromagnetic 'vortexes' which focus spirals of healing energy and spiritual enlightenment for those who spend time within their influence. Everyone knows that I am the most sceptical of unbelievers, but there is definitely something deeply restorative about a gentle. trek through those massive, layered sculptures that represent millions of years of geological time.

And of course there's more to Sedona's New Age status than a vortex or two. Stroll down the main street and you can have your pick of crystal purveyors, shamans, psychics, native spirit guides, tarot readers, aura readers, reiki therapists and a bloke who resembles Gandalf and wants to help you regress to your past lives. We settled for a nice massage.

Great meals at The Barking Frog and Angels Mexican Restaurant, as well as the local whole foods store; two places that made decent coffee*; a buttock-clenching but brilliant jeep tour around the canyon rim at sunset; wonderful walking trails through the rocks and down through Oak Creek Canyon; an overwhelming abundance of  high quality artworks ... The only downside was that there was a big crowd in town for the Easter** weekend and it was a bit difficult to park anywhere uptown. Despite the crowds (they get over 3 million visitors a year) it was very easy to find a quiet place of your own to relax and enjoy the beauty of Sedona.

* How can the world's greatest consumers of coffee tolerate such crap coffee? Everywhere you go, they serve boiling dishwater in gigantic buckets. 'Gourmet coffee' means they put some disgusting flavoured syrup in it. For the record, the Oak Creek Coffee House and a small French patisserie at the downtown end of the main drag got it right.
**We found it weird that Easter was such a low key festival in the US, given the number of holy rollers on the loose and the opportunity it presents for merchandising. Around these parts at least, there were virtually no choccy eggs in shops and Good friday wasn't even a holiday!

Arizona

Hi y'all
We've just arrived home from a huge road trip from north-western Arizona to El Paso in Texas. This was so that Kent could attend a medical assessment required by his lawyers. So that's a round trip of about 2,200 k - two days' driving (and that's Terry's driving) each way -  for a two hour examination. I will never fathom the complexities and irrationalities of health care, insurance or the law in this country and I hope I never have to.

Frustrations of all that aside, it was an opportunity to see a bit of Arizona and New Mexico, which are mostly long expanses of desert punctuated by spectacular geological features - canyons, buttes, mesas, washes and mountains as well as meteor craters. We saw the famous Rio Grande and passed through several checkpoints designed to dissuade would-be illegal immigrants from Mexico. I hadn't realised how different deserts could be from each other, but over the course of the trip we drove through the Arizona desert which is currently green and blooming after a wet winter, the Sonoran Desert in New Mexico, studded with those classic tall cactuses in amusing humanoid forms, then the red desert of  the Navajo nations where huge sandstone rocks have been pitted and moulded over time by the fierce desert winds. One major difference from this sort of landscape in Australia - no flies! 

Our time in El Paso was mostly spent dealing with the medical system, so I can't really comment much, except that nine out of every ten people we encountered were Hispanic. Only saw one guy in a ten gallon hat and cowboy boots. Terry did encounter a lynx crossing the road in front of the hospital, which was pretty interesting in the middle of a big city. Anyway, after four days of Interstate Highways, motel rooms and way over the top servings in diners, we've accomplished the mission and are back at mum's place. Terry and I will hire a vehicle and head off to do a bit of exploring in the coming week.

All the best to everyone - happy holidays to all the school people and take care.

Lost in Vegas

Everything in this city is excessive. Each major hotel-casino takes up a city block or more and reaches for the sky; a 'side of fries' would feed a family of four. Not surprisingly, it has to be the huge arse capital of the world. We took a bus downtown on Wednesday and, apart from a few tiny Asian women perched on the edges of seats or wedged in the gaps between more substantial passengers, everyone had the dimensions of refrigerators (only more rubbery). Las Vegas is The Strip, of course, but its suburbs and service areas sprawl out across the Nevada plains to the mountains on every side. Millions of tourists from the US and everywhere else; millions of dollars gambled daily, tons of food, power, water, stuff by the truckload streaming in every minute. Consumption on a scale you just can't quite believe.

But you have to love it. The dress code ranges from couples in Armani suits and gorgeous designer dresses to Billy-Bob and Bubba in their best bib overalls. Hispanic hotel receptionists switch effortlessly from English to Japanese to French depending on who turns up at the desk. The service is fabulous - endlessly friendly, kind and efficient, people can't do enough to help you, even if your problem is nowhere near part of their job description. Nearly everything is open nearly all the time and those slot machines hum and buzz and ching away as background to it all. The shows are amazing - we only had time for one, but it was The Platters, The Coasters and The Marvelletes (Wait a Minute Mr Postman) for under $50. Better still, it was in a cabaret theatre where you can sit on a lounge with a drink while you enjoy the show - it was just brilliant.

There is so much more than casino culture here - amazing exhibitions, artefacts and experiences are everywhere. We managed to get to the Shark Aquarium at Mandalay Bay and the Moden Masters and gardens at Bellagio, but there were also artefacts from the Titanic and hundreds of other interesting things we'd have loved to see and do.

The financial downturn has taken its toll here, far more than in Australia. Lots of businesses have closed down and the frantic building we saw in 2007 has virtually ground to a halt. It's sad to see some of  the great little restaurants off the Strip really struggling (do go to the India Oven on East Sahara if you're ever here) and to feel an air of desperation in many places. Driving downtown this becomes much more evident, with pawn shops, bail bond providers, loan sharks and low rent lawyers in run-down premises everywhere. Ultra-seedy and ultra glamourous sit side by side.

Being on Australian time, it was easy for us to wake before dawn for a helicopter ride through the Grand Canyon. We found it awesome on our last trip, just viewing from the rim near Flagstaff, but this was THE way to see the canyon. Words and pictures fail me, but I'll post a few anyway. We're off to Arizona this morning to see my mum at last. Love and best wishes to everyone.

Life on Paper

Running away from home when you're five years old is relatively easy. I think I packed my teddy, a pair of undies and an apple, and left a note saying, "I HAT you and my SISTA". So the paperwork back then was quite straightforward.
Running away in middle age is slightly more complex, and the paperwork is the most complicated part. The following is a very conservative list of the pieces of paper we've had to deal with in the last few weeks alone:
- US Visas: a slightly unnerving process which requires an interview under top security conditions at the US Consulate, and the provision of passports, licences, financial statements and property holdings.
- Suspending Medicare and private Health Insurance and taking out overseas cover.
- Transfering ownership of three cars, including sale of one.
- Sale of share portfolio including shares acquired over the last 20 years.
- 2010 tax
- Shipping of six boxes of goods to US and insurance cover for same.
- Rental arrangements for house
- Change of house contents insurance to landlord's cover
- International driver's licences
- Advise police of absence re driver and gun licences
- Firearms transfer forms
- Change of banking arrangements to an international bank (again, interviews and ID)
- Closure of utilities, including internet and payment of final accounts
- Mail redirection and changes of address
- Tickets, travel insurance, RV rental in US

I'm sure that's not all, and it isn't quite over yet, but we have ticked off most of the above list.
Now where did I leave that teddy?

In the Doldrums

'The Doldrums' was the name given by mariners to the Intertropical Convergence Zone, where the weather systems of the northern and southern hemispheres meet. In these tropical latitudes you could (and can) expect to encounter erratic weather - violent storms punctuated by weeks of stagnant calm. So, after weeks of violent upheaval, here we are in the Doldrums, waiting, waiting ...
The car should sell at auction within the next few days; all the final intricacies of tax, banking etc should be settled; the kids should be self-sufficient (!); and all family farewells said by Wednesday next week, after which Terry might just be confident to buy some tickets!