Category: Travel

We’ve arrived in Buenos Aires!!!

After a very long trip (two 6 and a half hour flights and a detour at a slummy hotel for one night), we are finally here at Hotel Home in beautiful Buenos Aires, Argentina! We look forward to some amazing times and will have lots and lots to write about in the coming days.

We did want to share just a few images from our journey and our first moments here.

Here’s us on the plane:

Ed had a beer on the plane, of which the slogan is (in Spanish) “It is what it is”. Truth in advertising, we guess, especially since the beer was about the quality of Natural Light!:

We arrived and checked into our temporary first night digs, a shady “Embassy Suites” that has no relation to the Embassy Suites we know at home. We only stayed here overnight because our arrival into the city was after the front desk at Hotel Home closed at 11pm. It’s here that we really became aware of those little differences one notices when traveling abroad.

Check this toilet for example:

We spent 20 minutes trying to figure out how to flush the darn thing! Finally, we found that the flush button was inexplicably hidden in the shower. Why? We don’t know!

After being flummoxed with the toilet, we decided it was time to get some food. We ate at a nice little restaurant down the street and enjoyed a nice bottle of wine. Perfect way to settle in.

Now we’re checked into Hotel Home, a BEAUTIFUL boutique hotel where we’ll stay for the duration of our visit. Let the adventures begin!

Visiting Shannon in Santa Cruz: Day 3 and Back Home

Ed’s 3rd day in Santa Cruz was all about experiencing a “day in the life of Shannon”. We started out by taking a morning hike in the forest right outside their backyard. Literally!

Gorgeous scenery was everywhere. It’s amazing that all this was literally behind Shannon and Mani’s house. We took the three dogs along for the walk.


Yogi Bear is such a cool dog:

Poor Spirit…he loves going on walks but because he’s getting old, he often drags his butt along the ground because his third leg is so tired. He kicks up a plume of dust whenever he does this!


This is a fairy ring. New redwoods grow around the dead stump of an old tree. Apparently, they grow from the roots of the dead tree, hence the circle of trees around the stump.

Afterwards, Ed tagged along with Shannon to her job. She takes care of these two adorable kids named Orion and Marina, ages 3 and 2, respectively. They are so precocious and talkative. They took to Ed really quickly considering he was a complete stranger! Ed also has to say that Shannon is SO good with kids…she knows how to be loving and fun but also knows how to lay down the law – while at the same time empowering them to come to the best decisions.

Shannon looks so domesticated driving the minivan, doesn’t she?

We went for a short hike in one of the many gorgeous state parks in the area. The kids absolutely love it – it really stokes their imaginations and gives them such an appreciation for the nature that surrounds them.

This is one of the biggest redwoods in the area. Look how big it is compared to Shannon and the kids!

Orion declared himself King when he climbed into this giant stump. He declared his little sister as the Princess.

And finally, here’s Ed and Marina! SO cute! She’s very talkative, but you can only understand maybe a quarter of what she’s saying. She’s definitely learning to talk…and since her brother uses such big words for his age and she copies him a lot, she’s probably trying to use words that are bigger than her developed level of speech. It’s adorable.

So that’s it! Ed had such a wonderful trip. Santa Cruz was awesome and beautiful, but most of all he got to spend some real quality time with Shannon. Ed can’t wait to get back there…only this time with Carrie!

Visiting Shannon in Santa Cruz: Days 1 and 2

This past Sunday Ed took a road trip to visit Shannon in Santa Cruz. She and her boyfriend Mani left the rigid confines of South Orange County about a year ago for the forested wonderland that she had dreamed her entire life of living in. Shannon and Ed have always been very close, so it was hard to see her leave but at the same time Ed knew this was a step she just had to take!

So, on with the show:

On the road northwards.

Cowschwitz, as Ed likes to call it. This is along the 5 freeway somewhere in the vast Central California valley. Sometimes you gotta remember where your meat comes from.

Arriving in Santa Cruz! It sure is green and pretty up here.

This is Ed at a really pretty tea club that Shannon and Mani frequent. It’s very chill and you go in and just strike up conversation with whoever’s there. You pay a monthly fee and go as much as you want. The tea was really delicious.

Shannon and Mani at the tea club.

More detail shots of the tea club. All of the woodwork is reclaimed from trash, demolished buildings, etc. worldwide. Cool, huh?

Shannon and Mani’s house! It’s up in the hills overlooking downtown Santa Cruz. It’s a guest house on a large 5 acre property.

Another shot of the property…the house in the background is the main house where the landlord lives.

Spirit, Shannon’s dog that bit Ed’s neck two years ago. He’s definitely getting older. He struggles a lot more when he walks or runs (he has three legs). Hey dawg, Ed forgives you now.

Shannon playing dog soccer with Spirit and her landlords’ two dogs, Yogi and Eepo. These dogs are adorable. Eepo (the Lab) never runs out of energy though!

Mani’s old diesel Benz! Ed has always loved there cars. He plans to convert it to run on veggie oil. Ed loves it.

Shannon’s landlord built this treehouse for his kids. It totally rules.

This is Ed doing his best Risky Business impression on Shannon’s slippery floors.

And then, Ed made his first sushi for their picnic lunch! Ed officially knows how to make sushi now!




Hiiiiiya!!!

The three of them then went to Santa Cruz’s famous Mystery Spot. It supposedly has all kinds of bizarre things going on that makes physics not apply. In reality, it’s all probably a play on angles and optical illusions. No matter, it was a TON of fun for $5.

Ed’s best Matrix impression:

Trippy:

Shannon looks like she needs to be exorcised here!

Afterwards, the three of them picnicked in town by a surf spot. It was mindblowing – these are “average” waves in this spot and they were huge by Southern California standards. These waves crash right into rocks and the rocky bluff Ed was taking these pics from. These guys have WAY more guts and skill than Ed will ever have! Ed wants to live!


All the while, the sea lions were barking away!

After lunch, Ed, Mani, and Shannon took a leisurely bike ride through town (well, skateboard ride for Shannon).

We’ll post today and tomorrow’s pics soon!

We love Portland.


This past Labor Day weekend, we finally made it to Portland to visit our dear friends, Rebecca & Jody (You may know Rebecca as our very talented friend who made our wedding cake topper). They have a BEAUTIFUL mid-century modern home in Portland, and were the best hosts we’ve ever had the pleasure of staying with. They had a full weekend planned for us with lots of sightseeing, and they even made us breakfast every morning! Thanks for the pumpkin pancakes and home-grown veggie scramble, you two!

We were a little concerned about the madness of Labor Day weekend travel at LAX, but we just had to grin and bear it. Vacation time off is limited, so when a “free day” comes along, we just gotta take it! However we were pleasantly surprised* – it was an absolute GHOST TOWN at 5:30pm on the Friday evening of this holiday weekend! Here’s the proof:

*Okay, maybe we were slightly freaked out by the fact that it was so empty, like What the heck is going on?, but after we got over that, the pleasantly surprised part settled in …

Portland is a pretty great place. Lots of young folks just like us, a real artistic vibe, and a general concern for things like locally grown foods and independent businesses. No McDonald’s on every corner in Portland! As soon as we got off the plane, Rebecca and Jody drove us downtown, so we could visit the famous, Voodoo Doughnuts. They are known for some pretty wacky creations (check the menu!) – including their famous Maple Bar, topped with a giant piece of bacon. We went for the kitschier variety – Ed got the Captain Crunch doughnut, and Carrie opted for the Fruit Loops. Sweetness overload!

There are so many fun foods to document about Portland, but we’ll cut to the chase and get to the pictures! Feel free to click the “Portland” link under the photos too, if you want to check out the entire album.

Some favorites:

Rebecca & Jody at a local Cafe

Ed’s heart attack on a plate – Scotch Eggs. Huh?

Portland is known for their beers – and here, they feature a Beer Float! Ed says they taste great.

Vietnamese cuisine is pretty popular in Portland, and we couldn’t be happier. This is Jody after his giant crepe arrived at the table!

Now for the pretty stuff. On Sunday, we took a full day to just drive and enjoy the gorgeous Portland Scenery. We had to admit, for two city people like us, we were pretty enamored with Oregon’s green. We’re typically not the nature-y type, but we definitely fell in love!

Beautiful views on our way up to The Gorge

One of many waterfalls, peeking through the green.

Crazy for trees!

Self-explanatory.

After all of the falls, our grand finale was to visit Timberline Lodge, a historic ski lodge at the top of Mt. Hood. The place was amazing. It’s also the lodge you see in The Shining. We didn’t see Jack Nicholson, but we did see SNOW – on the last day of August! It was pretty cool.


To wrap up our trip, we flew home 1st Class – just by pure luck! Our trip was courtesy of Delta (thank you, Frequent Flyer miles!) and on the way home, they just happened to put us in 1st class!

We admit it – we are happier in 1st class. :)

All in all, it was an amazing trip. Thank you, Rebecca & Jody for being such fantastic hosts! Check out the album for more beauty …

Portland