Friday, June 16, 2023

DD and her BF leave today :( It has been a good week with them. I drove them to their fancy dinner last night and I think they had a great time.

Interesting to note changes at the timeshare here these days. We had a special assessment for the prior 3 years to fund renovation of all the rooms. They are so much more up to date and light and airy. They were very dated before but always clean. I actually liked them but they were having problems attracting new owners/renters. Well that has apparently been turned around as there are a lot more young people and some with children which had not been the case a few years ago. But the restaurant which had become one of the top ones under prior owners is declining. One of the former owners opened a fancy even more popular restaurant in the high-rise area which we are going to next week. He had a break with his sister who carried on here but she doesn't seem to be present anymore. Kind of strange. The regular bar food (like burgers) is fine, but the fine dining in the evening is not so good and very few people went there last night (we ate at the bar outside so watched to see how many). The karaoke night last night used to be a big hit but it was a real dud last night. The guy keep playing karaoke songs but no one participated partially because there was no one leading it. The DJ never said a word, just kept playing songs.

Anyway as a result we went to bed relatively early so we are well rested. Tonight I think we are going with our friends to find a new winery. Something different. Our last 2 forays to local restaurant/bars haven't been super successful so maybe this one will go better.

Walk time! Have a fine Friday!

Too bad about the decline in the restaurant. It was probably nice not to have to go far afield to have a nice dining experience.

DH didn't have his part-time shift today, as they are cutting back on hours a bit. He will work Tu, Wed, and Thurs next week and be done for the summer. So this morning we got up and drove to our favorite coffee shop in St. Paul. I usually do not ever plan on eating my scone in one sitting, but that is more of a decision I make. This time I had a couple bites, and I didn't decide to stop eating, I had to stop. Anyhow, DH and I had a nice morning, and now I am going to work out, and he is going for a bike ride.

Our trip includes 3 days in Dublin before we get on the cruise. My Aunt has been busy planning cruise excursions etc and asked us to plan a few things in Dublin. I roughed out an itinerary last night, and need to research some restaurants tonight. Also, time to begin preliminary packing. 2 bigger decisions, what will I wear on the plane to NYC, because that's what I'll be wearing all day and what to wear on the flight to Dublin. We land at 7:30 am, so whatever I was wearing the day before is likely what I will be wearing the first day in Dublin, as we probably won't get into our rooms until afternoon.

Good luck packing for your travels! I am the worst to give advice as I always seem to overpack. I think it is most difficult when you don't know what the weather will be like.

Thanks, it feels challenging! When we went to Ireland in 2019, i just brought athleisure wear type clothes in a carry on. Our trip was mostly in the country, hiking around. But now I've got NYC, Boston, Dublin and a cruise, to add to the mix. Looks like it will be close to 90 in New York. And when we return July 12 to Boston, where we will stay a week, I expect it will be warm. Extended forecast for Dublin looks like the 60s. And the northern most part of Scotland?

Boston in July? Maybe we shall come meet you somewhere again!

Greetings all

Sunny again but windy. The ocean supposedly has big waves but I wouldn't know. I am amazed by the fact that I never go to the ocean anymore except when on gallery duty and I can see it out the window.

Speaking of gallery I just spent the afternoon glazing. Actually paining underglazes which will be covered by a clear glaze. Gallery reports a number of sales for me so my display may be nearly empty. These items will get fired a week from today and three days to cool. So no replacement stuff for awhile.

DD two bites of a scone! Thats truly an accomplishment. So reminiscent of the good old days with a young sleeve. Wygovy is working. So glad for you. I may have mentioned we were in Ireland and Scotland some years ago (right before my sleeve). Dublin had an old town area closed to cars so it was fun. You will see famine houses in the countryside which I found very moving. I will be thinking of you. And when we arrived in Dublin we went straight to the hotel and took naps so we missed out on that cool university library.

Liz too bad the restaurant has declined. Seems like it's a volatile business and not many remain good for years and years. Sounds like icky karaoke.

DH went to lunch with friends and brought home a half a reuben. So thats dinner.

Well the dogs are lobbying. Guess I had better get their dinner. I cook more for them than us!

Diane S

Rough night sleep, hopefully tonight is better! I got several phone calls made today that I was dreading so that was good. Funny how I choose to dread for days versus just getting it out of the way so it's behind me. Procrastination is masochistic. Like that bully's game where they smack you with your own hand while asking, "why are you hitting yourself?" Except I am both the bully and the smackee!

Tomorrow I get my hair colored. A slow weekend otherwise... I think I will enjoy that!

Hope everyone is well!