Vacation
Sticking my head up out of the delicious fog that is a summer vacation to update on the break-neck pace of life in Southcentral Alaska .
Our houseguests left Thursday, so of course our weather has improved. Two sunny days in a row! Well, yesterday started out foggy with occasional rain but the clouds dissipated in the early afternoon. Despite the mist and rain, the air was so warm it had to have been tropical in origin, so I guess the typhoon season has started. Since then, it has been clear and sunny but I have no doubt we will soon have our familiar gusty, wet late-summer weather to remind us that winter is coming.
We drove to Anchorage on Thursday--both to deposit our guests at the Anchorage airport for their return flight to California and to see a dental specialist to complete my root canal. (It seems I have calcified canals in some of my teeth.)
After tending to those tasks, we went to Costco for some half-hearted shopping. The prospect of "going to the big city" always seems to loom larger in the mind than the actual experience. Part of it is my prosaic husband. I wouldn't mind hitting some special stores--bookshops, music or video stores, clothing, etc. Then maybe have a nice lunch at a Mexican place or one of the nicer franchise restaurants. But Denny seems focused on Sam's Club, Costco and maybe--if he has the need--a marine or auto parts store. Loading case lots of cat food and kitty litter on a large, unwieldy cart is not my idea of shopping fun.
Also, as soon as I was dropped off at the dentist, Denny and the guests went out and got some lunch. So he wasn't hungry by the time he picked me up, while I was lusting after a hamburger. I dropped a few hints on the way to Costco that went over his head. While we were waiting in line to check out, he pointed out the cheap little fast food stand in the store: hot dogs, pizza slices, etc. I observed that they didn't have hamburgers.
"Oh, would you like a hamburger? Let's see if we can find you something..." Something that wouldn't take us too far from the straight-shot from Costco to the Seward Highway, of course. Which seriously limited our options.
While I gazed longingly at the various food franchises on the opposite side of Dimond Boulevard, Denny quickly dismissed any possibilities on our side of the divided highway. The nearby Burger King was "nasty" and when we spotted a McDonald's, his whole tone of voice implied all manner of reservations about anyone who would willingly eat one of their burgers. In fairness, I had to agree--the typical thin, rubbery patty of meat with that noxious sauce nestle amid a meager offering of wilted lettuce and soft, tasteless tomato wasn't what I was longing for. It would take a real restaurant to provide what I was lusting after and it became apparent that it would take more whining and wheedling than I was up for to get that from Denny, who wasn't hungry and wanted to hit the road.
Oh, but there was a Subway nearby and for some reason, Denny is into Subway sandwiches, so guess what I got? It wasn't a burger and while it was sustenance, it wasn't the eating pleasure I had hoped for. (As far as cold sandwiches go, I prefer those that Arby's makes.)
But that's Denny--if it isn't fast and cheap, he doesn't have much use for it--at least as far as "eating out" is concerned. But the disappointment wasn't worth complaining about. Denny has many great qualities and being careful with money is hardly a fault. Honestly, I wasn't likely to find a burger that brought as much delight to my mouth as one I could make for myself at home would do. So I'll just make myself some burgers at home to scratch this culinary itch.
The drive home was wet and windy until we got on the south side of Turnagain pass--then it was just showery. We managed to get home before 8 pm so the whole expedition took less than twelve hours. My tooth was pretty excited by the time we got home, so I took one of Denny's pain pills and sleep very well. I filled a prescription for my own pills on Friday. They aren't as powerful but then, I don't need to take a two-hour nap every time I feel a twinge either.
Our houseguests left Thursday, so of course our weather has improved. Two sunny days in a row! Well, yesterday started out foggy with occasional rain but the clouds dissipated in the early afternoon. Despite the mist and rain, the air was so warm it had to have been tropical in origin, so I guess the typhoon season has started. Since then, it has been clear and sunny but I have no doubt we will soon have our familiar gusty, wet late-summer weather to remind us that winter is coming.
We drove to Anchorage on Thursday--both to deposit our guests at the Anchorage airport for their return flight to California and to see a dental specialist to complete my root canal. (It seems I have calcified canals in some of my teeth.)
After tending to those tasks, we went to Costco for some half-hearted shopping. The prospect of "going to the big city" always seems to loom larger in the mind than the actual experience. Part of it is my prosaic husband. I wouldn't mind hitting some special stores--bookshops, music or video stores, clothing, etc. Then maybe have a nice lunch at a Mexican place or one of the nicer franchise restaurants. But Denny seems focused on Sam's Club, Costco and maybe--if he has the need--a marine or auto parts store. Loading case lots of cat food and kitty litter on a large, unwieldy cart is not my idea of shopping fun.
Also, as soon as I was dropped off at the dentist, Denny and the guests went out and got some lunch. So he wasn't hungry by the time he picked me up, while I was lusting after a hamburger. I dropped a few hints on the way to Costco that went over his head. While we were waiting in line to check out, he pointed out the cheap little fast food stand in the store: hot dogs, pizza slices, etc. I observed that they didn't have hamburgers.
"Oh, would you like a hamburger? Let's see if we can find you something..." Something that wouldn't take us too far from the straight-shot from Costco to the Seward Highway, of course. Which seriously limited our options.
While I gazed longingly at the various food franchises on the opposite side of Dimond Boulevard, Denny quickly dismissed any possibilities on our side of the divided highway. The nearby Burger King was "nasty" and when we spotted a McDonald's, his whole tone of voice implied all manner of reservations about anyone who would willingly eat one of their burgers. In fairness, I had to agree--the typical thin, rubbery patty of meat with that noxious sauce nestle amid a meager offering of wilted lettuce and soft, tasteless tomato wasn't what I was longing for. It would take a real restaurant to provide what I was lusting after and it became apparent that it would take more whining and wheedling than I was up for to get that from Denny, who wasn't hungry and wanted to hit the road.
Oh, but there was a Subway nearby and for some reason, Denny is into Subway sandwiches, so guess what I got? It wasn't a burger and while it was sustenance, it wasn't the eating pleasure I had hoped for. (As far as cold sandwiches go, I prefer those that Arby's makes.)
But that's Denny--if it isn't fast and cheap, he doesn't have much use for it--at least as far as "eating out" is concerned. But the disappointment wasn't worth complaining about. Denny has many great qualities and being careful with money is hardly a fault. Honestly, I wasn't likely to find a burger that brought as much delight to my mouth as one I could make for myself at home would do. So I'll just make myself some burgers at home to scratch this culinary itch.
The drive home was wet and windy until we got on the south side of Turnagain pass--then it was just showery. We managed to get home before 8 pm so the whole expedition took less than twelve hours. My tooth was pretty excited by the time we got home, so I took one of Denny's pain pills and sleep very well. I filled a prescription for my own pills on Friday. They aren't as powerful but then, I don't need to take a two-hour nap every time I feel a twinge either.
Comments