Planes, Trains and Formula 1

This week my feet were inspired to walk with the boys to the beach every morning. I varied the route a bit every day, and on Tuesday we walked down a new street and saw this beautiful classic Chevrolet. We may not be able to travel, so instead I’ve learned to discover new things where we are. Isn’t she beautiful? #planestrainsf1 #hermosabeach #chevrolet #classiccars #antiquecars

As today marks the start of Chinese New Year / the Lunar New Year, I scrolled through photos of my trip to China in 2019 looking for something red and festive. This is Dafo Temple in Guangzhou. According to Wikipedia, it was built by Emperor Liu Yan in the Southern Han Dynasty (917-971). It was demolished in a war in 1649. It was rebuilt in 1663. It served many different purposes in the next several hundred years until it was reopened as a temple in 1986. In 1993, the Guangzhou Municipal Government listed it as a Municipality Protected Historic Site. We happened upon it one night as we were walking to a shopping district. With the beautiful lighting, it’s hard to miss! Happy Chinese New Year! Gong Hei Fat Choy! Happy Year of the Ox! #KRchina #guangzhou #buddha #dafotemple #China #happychinesenewyear #travel

What a treat it is to eat outside restaurants again. It has been two months since restaurants were closed to outdoor dining in Los Angeles, and my friend Christel and I are so happy we can share a meal after our weekly outdoor walks! We discovered @tacolicious during the pandemic (this location opened right before the shutdown in March), and we love their four taco sampler. We try different tacos each time we visit. Yesterday we had pastrami, cauliflower, shrimp, and grilled fish. All delicious, and paired with freshly made chips, salsa, and guacamole (not pictured). They also have queso on the menu - a bit too spicy for my sensitive palate, but sometimes I can’t resist. If you’re in the South Bay, eat at Tacolicious!

It seems like a good day to look back at an earlier version of Air Force One, on display at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. I copied the full description of this plane from the museum’s website as this plane has such an interesting history - flying eight presidents, commissioned by JFK with a color scheme picked by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. It retired as Air Force One in 1990. If you visit the museum, you can walk through the plane. Second photo ...is credit @afmuseum. #planestrainsf1 #airforceone #airforce * From the museum’s website: The Boeing VC-137C on display was the first jet aircraft built specifically for use by the President of the United States. During its 36 year flying career, it carried eight sitting presidents and countless heads of state, diplomats, dignitaries and officials on many historic journeys known as Special Air Missions (SAM). On Oct. 10, 1962, the Boeing Co. delivered to the Air Force a highly modified civilian 707-320B airliner, serial number 62-6000. Bearing the unique call sign SAM Two-Six-Thousand, this aircraft illustrated the Air Force’s commitment to providing safe, reliable and comfortable air transportation for the president and other key personnel to locations anywhere around the globe. Whenever the president was onboard the aircraft, the call sign changed to Air Force One, a special designation established in 1953 to avoid confusion with other aircraft in flight. At the request of President Kennedy, a new paint scheme was developed by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and famous industrial designer, Raymond Loewy. In addition to the vibrant blue and white colors, the words United States of America were emblazoned in tall letters along the fuselage and an American flag was placed on the tail. These distinctive markings reflect the stature of the Office of the President and serve as a highly visible symbol of American prestige. One of the world’s most historic aircraft, SAM 26000 carried eight American presidents: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Clinton. SAM 26000 played an important role in American presidential, political and diplomatic history...

Tonight, we’re staying home for a quiet New Year’s Eve. That’s what we usually do, but this year, I’m celebrating the end of 2020 with Zoom cocktails with my friends Amanda and Kelly. I suggested we have Spencer Spellman’s BlackBerry Fizz as our signature drink, but we’ve decided that this year it will be Fizz Off 2020. (Recipe at link in bio) I first made this drink five years ago, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with friends (virtually) this year as we bid farewell to a year we would all like to forget. Here’s to a brighter year next year, and hopefully we’ll be clinking our glasses together in person a year from now! #gin #champagne #newyearseve #cocktails #blackberry #byebye2020

Merry Christmas from our pack to yours!

It’s been a minute since I last posted. It’s also been well over a minute since I’ve explored somewhere new. Missing walking into a grand train station to take a train to somewhere new. #planestrainsf1 #ChicagoUnionStation #KRinMKE #trains #amtrak #trainstation #Chicago

Taking a break from Zooms for #HomecomingatHome to get outside in my Penn gear - a @penn_1993 reunion cap and a @penncampusrec Penn Alumni Run 20th Anniversary t-shirt (that is 20+ years old). #pennalumni #lovePenn #schoolspiritsaturday #penn1993 #manhattanbeach

When I heard the news yesterday morning, that Pennsylvania was called to be won by former Vice President Biden, I knew what I wanted for dinner - a Philly cheesesteak! Growing up in New Jersey, then returning to the area to attend college at the University of Pennsylvania, cheesesteaks were the best local comfort food. Luckily Big Mike’s is walking distance from the house - and their cheesesteaks are legit. Plus they have another Philly food - Tastykakes! I wrote 80 postcards to voters in Pennsylvania encouraging them to vote for the Biden/Harris ticket. So enjoying this taste of home last night, knowing that Pennsylvania helped Joe Biden win the presidency of the United States was particularly enjoyable. #phillycheesesteak #bigmikessubs #bigmikes #tastkakes #redondobeach #lovephilly #philadelphia #bidenharris #counteveryvote

Dreaming of returning to Hawaii. Not sure if we’ll visit this year - usually we visit family at least once a year. We’ll have to share the aloha from afar for now. #outriggercanoeclub #honolulu #oahu #livealoha #waikiki #hawaii #31placesin31days

We ran our hands over their names. We paused. We reflected. We prayed. We cried. We remembered that horrible day. We will never forget. #911memorial #neverforget (link in bio for my visit here in 2016).

A friend is in Athens, and my first thought was of the Evzones, the special Greek military regiment that guards the Greek memorial to unknown soldiers. Their changing of the guard is mesmerizing to watch. This photo was taken in the fall (2017), so they’re in a winter uniform. If you visit Athens, you must go see the Evzones! #krgreece2 #evzones #athens #evzonesofgreece

Apparently it was #nationalrumday on Tuesday (thanks for the tip @pubclub), so I felt the obvious thing to do was make mojitos, my favorite rum drink. It reminds me of Cuba where we drank mojitos with every meal! And then when I was in the grocery store, I noticed someone with a watermelon, and I decided the obvious thing to do was to make watermelon mojitos. They were refreshing after a long walk home from the beach. And, I won’t wait for a specific day to make them again. Bonus - extra watermelon and mint for a mint-watermelon-feta-arugula salad last night. #kieracocktails #rum #mojitos #watermelon #bacardi #watermelonmojitos