escaping the heat

 My parents came to visit -- and it was HOT.  So we decided to head up the mountains a bit… to the cooler climes of Keystone (the base of which is ~9,200 feet).  Here are some photos from the top of the gondola at Keystone.  It was a pretty afternoon.  We enjoyed not only Keystone, but Bravo Vail -- an annual music festival, where we saw the New York Philharmonic.  Very cool.

Although the clouds might look foreboding here, the weather was actually great.  We had a few sprinkles, but mostly 75 degrees & sunny -- just about perfect.  Thank you, thank you to Mark & Joanna for letting us stay at the condo!

water activities

 On the last day of my conference activities, Tom's cousin, John, took him out for some ocean-fishing.  Thanks to some over-the-counter meclizine, Tom didn't even get sea-sick!
They went out to "9-mile point."  Apparently, there weren't tuna to be had that day, but they ended up enjoying some great whale watching.
They returned closer to the shore and caught a great bounty of cod and other white fish, which we promptly cooked for dinner that night.  Nothing better than fresh-caught fish tacos!

On our last day in San Diego, we did "all things beach."  First, we rented Stand Up Paddleboards, and tooled around Mission Bay for a while.  Then, when our arms were tired, we headed over to the beach and played in the surf for a while.  I can't remember the last time I played in the ocean… it was amazing.  Gotta love salt-water swimming!!!

pizza night!

 One of our nights dining with Mike and Sherry was pizza night.  Delicious.  Tom had brought one of his Christie's Auction magnums as a gift for our hosts -- and it was perfect with the pizza selections.
The first pizza of the night was a mushroom, red pepper, basil & bacon bits.

 Then we moved on to goat cheese, capicola & swiss chard.

 Next was chorizo, onion, potato & cilantro -- our nod to a breakfast pizza.

Last was a shrimp, parmesan & kale.  All were outstanding.

what to do when visiting San Diego?

 Drink beer!  Sherry and Mike brought us to a number of their favorite places -- some old and some new.  The top photo was at a place called Amplitude.  The beer (according to Tom) was great, and their happy hour (including the $5 steins) was excellent.
We also went to a tap room called the Barrel Republic.  They have maybe 40 beers on tap.  When you arrive, you show your ID, give them a credit card, and you are given an RFI tag.  You can peruse the beer selections, and when you find one you want to try, you tap your RFI to the screen -- which then identifies who you are.  You are free to pull as much or as little beer as you want -- and then you are charged by the ounce.  Very cool.

hanging out in San Diego

 I had an opportunity to attend a critical care conference in San Diego last week.  Too bad the conference was abysmal.  But enough about that….
One of the cool things about the trip was that the conference was held at the Catamaran Hotel in Pacific Beach.  This is where Tom and I stayed for a weekend as an abbreviated "honeymoon" after we got married… so we were excited to go back.  We were not disappointed; here are the views during the day and at night from our room.

enjoying cooler climes

 Steve & Tiffany came for a visit -- to escape the Phoenix summer heat.  We seemed to get rain for a little while most afternoons -- which was perfect.

 I like what the rain does for flower photos…

only in Ned

We went up to Nederland with Steve & Tiffany, to go to one of Tom's favorite smokehouses for lunch. We parked next to a nearly-vacant lot that was for sale.  Yep -- here was the only structure on the lot.

I don't know the asking price -- the info-box was empty.

Tom rocks!

 We had another delicious, successful journal club.  After appetizers, the first course was a cold cucumber soup (which I will definitely request again).

 The second course was a heart-of-romaine salad with a panko-crusted scallop.

 The main course was a tabouleh with greens, and smoked salmon.

And the dessert was fresh berries with whipped cream…. who can go wrong with fresh berries???