Happy birthday!!

Saturday was Spouse's birthday!  And Walter's birthday!

This year I planned a very social weekend away for Spouse's birthday but kept all the details a secret.  I told him to simply pack casual clothes and don't try to figure everything out.

So Sat morning we drove to the DC area where we used to live and arrived just in time for lunch at the Taco House with our friends Jeff, Shaun, Brandon and David.  Spouse was happily surprised to see them, and of course equally happy to eat at our longtime favorite Mexican restaurant.  I'd emailed in advance to be sure the owners (who are also friends) Juan & Gloria would be there, so we had a nice reunion with them too.  Unfortunately I took no photos.

Next we drove over to have a short visit with our good friends Bugsy & Roger.  It had been about a year since we'd seen them at our house so we enjoyed a nice, relaxing visit at their home.  Again I took no photos.

Then we drove several miles south to the area where I grew up, but that has changed quite a bit.  Spouse knows that our friend Carl lives there so he guessed we were either going to Carl's house or meeting him somewhere for dinner.  But instead, we arrived at a hotel and checked in.  After a few minutes of relaxing and changing our clothes, we went to a hip bar/restaurant nearby.  Waiting for us to arrive was Carl, Kerry & Hugh, Kelly, Kim, Justine & Liz, Harriet & Bob, Ana & Jose, Javier, and Emily & Brandon!  This time I managed to take a few photos but they're pretty bad.  

L-R: Kelly, Javier, Harriet, Bob, Jose, Ana, Hugh, Kerry

L-R:  Carl, Kim

L-R: Kerry, Justine, Liz, me

The birthday boy

I didn't give people time to look at the camera or smile, I just snapped away.  As you can see from the table, alcohol was involved which likely contributed to the (non-)quality of the photos, but at least its better than no photos.

About 3 hours later everyone left except Kerry & Hugh and Carl, so the servers moved us to a smaller table where we ordered a couple desserts to share and continued visiting.  We had a lovely, lovely birthday dinner, as well as a fun day overall.  We got back to the hotel and crashed.

The next morning we showered, checked out, and headed back north to Spouse's sister's house.  Waiting for us there was his sister, her husband, her 2 sons, and Spouse's brother and his wife.  'The family' had a yummy brunch and visited for a couple hours before heading home to DE.

Spouse complimented me on the terrific birthday weekend and said it was probably his favorite ever.

Sharing Spouse's birthday, although completely overlooked this year, is Walter who turned 5 years old.  We adopted him in Sept but were told he was born on July 20, the same day as Spouse.  That is why Walter's middle name is the same as Spouse's first name.

Friday refreshment

This evening Spouse & I went to dinner with our buddies Steven & Thad at a waterfront restaurant and ate outdoors since the temperature cooled off.  The scenery was beautiful, but to be honest on a Fri evening after a long week, I was more interested in this scenery:

Mon

Over the weekend Spouse & I had a rare opportunity for a bit of a date night.  We typically eat out Fri, Sat, and Sun evenings with our buddies Steven & Thad (and occasionally a few others join in) so we welcomed this opportunity.

We went to our favorite Mexican place and I ordered a Blue Curacao Margarita that was delicious.

After a leisurely dinner and easy conversation, we went for a nice summer night drive, stopped for a few minutes at the beach to look at the water, and then watched a little TV with the pups glued to our sides. 

Clearing out

Our friends Steven & Thad live in a community that has an annual yard sale that's very well attended.  Last year they unloaded a bunch of stuff so I decided I'd participate this year too.

Not that I have anything to sell that's particularly valuable.  The point is not to retire off my yard sale proceeds, but rather to get rid of unneeded items.  Clear out cabinets, clear off shelves, thin out closets.  You get the drift.

Knowing that Spouse the "collector" would likely be adverse to me attempting to sell everything that I think we don't need, I convinced him to help me go through the items in our kitchen cabinets, in the garage, and in the closets to approve or deny my suggestions of what to sell.  It worked, and he was surprisingly open to getting rid of most of the stuff I wanted to get rid off.

Of course, the yard sale is at Steven & Thad's, not at our house, so that means I'll need to haul it there. Although the yard sale is not until next Sat, I decided to load up as much as I could fit into the back of my SUV yesterday, while I had the time to do so.

Unfortunately, this is less than 1/2 of the stuff and the rear of my car was already full!

Because I use my car for driving real estate clients around I couldn't fold the back seats down to put any more stuff inside.  The rest of it had to sit in the garage and next to the side door which leads out to where my car is parked.

I actually enjoy selling stuff at yard sales.  Spouse & I used to buy lots of stuff at yard sales so I know what people are expecting to pay for someone else's used stuff:  not very much.  So I am quite realistic with my expectations of what someone will give me for my used stuff.  

I don't bother putting price tags on anything.  Its a waste of time, and if sales are slow and you wish to be negotiable you have to reduce all the tags.

No... 

I don't price anything.  When people ask how much stuff is, I ask them "How much do you want to pay for it?"  At least 50% of the time they're willing to pay as much OR MORE than what I would have asked.  I think people really like it when they suggest a price and I say "Works for me!"  And if they offer me less than what I want, I simply say "Hmm, I was thinking more like ___" and see how they react.  I certainly don't want them to walk away empty-handed over a couple bucks.

For sure my goal is to clear out unneeded items, and whatever money I make in the process is a bonus.  Look for a follow-up post with my results.

Productive Sunday

Yesterday Spouse & I took advantage of a mutual day off and incredibly beautiful weather to clean up our screened porch and do a little planting.

Every fall we store the cushions and pillows in large plastic bags in the garage.  The screened porch furniture stays on the porch over the winter because its all water proof and we don't have room in the garage for all the furniture.  So that means in the spring after the big pollen 'burst' we have to do a big cleaning of the screened porch to remove all the dust, dirty, pollen, and cobwebs.  

So we started by wiping down all the furniture, wiping down the painted wooden supports of the porch, cleaning both sets of french doors leading to the porch, and then sweeping the porch floor.  Once everything was clean we could bring the cushions and pillows back out and set up the lanterns and luminaries.  Our beloved screened porch is now ready for the upcoming holiday weekend and visits from some good friends and family.

Next we planted 5 day lilies Spouse had ordered from one of the TV shopping channels, and then we planted 4 varrigated hostas that a friend from work gave me.  Her's had gotten too large so she dug them up, split them, and gave me the excess.  I love varigated hostas because of their striking dark green and white leaves and the fact that they will grow in nearly any condition, from full sun to shade.

The weather was about 82 degrees, sunny, light humidity, and a steady breeze.  It was the perfect day to be busy outside.

After showering I decided to continue my productivity by moving all my long sleeved shirts from our primary closet to smaller one, and moved all my short sleeved shirts from the smaller one to the primary closet.  I'm fairly certain I won't be wearing long sleeves anymore for a while, and should I need one they're still fairly easy to access.

It felt good to get this work done and its almost always nicer to do these things together.

What did YOU do this passed weekend?

Yumminess

Over the weekend Steven & Thad and Spouse & I had dinner at Iron Hill Brewery, which has become one of my favorite places.  The crowd is our age or younger, the staff is a mix of hipsters and regular folks, and the food is really good.  They have a 'scratch kitchen' which means they make all the food, rather than getting food from huge suppliers that is microwaved or dressed with a sauce or something.

Iron Hill brews their own beers so I decided to have a couple (free) samples that sounded good, then selected one to have with dinner.

I started with their soup of the day which was roasted poblano soup.  It was creamy and delicious!

For my entree I ordered what is actually an appetizer, but was the perfect accompaniment to the soup, the Thai chicken lettuce wraps.  The chicken was nicely seasoned with hints of lemongrass, and the spicy peanut sauce had a really nice after burn.  It was really good!

I'm eager to go back and do it again!

Final vacation highlights

Fri was our final day in Puerto Vallarta.  We decided to go back to Coco's Kitchen for a late breakfast.

Spouse at Coco's Kitchen

In Mexico it is customary for servers to wait until you ask them for the check, which we kept forgetting to do, so our meals always included extra time relaxing.  Then we returned to Blue Chairs beach club for our final day at the beach.  It was a bit overcast with periods of sun poking through, but we didn't mind.  It was so relaxing to sit under the palapa and hear the waves, watch the men, and go in the ocean.  

After cleaning up at the condo we headed out for the evening.  This was our view that evening:

Spouse wore his new bear tank top which looked so cute on him!

Our 1st stop was Anonimo bar for a pre-dinner cocktail.  I'd read online that the bartenders were gorgeous there, which was not an exaggeration.

Bartender at Anonimo

And trust me when I say that as good-looking as he is in this photo, he was even MORE beautiful when he smiled.  While enjoying our cocktails we had a celebrity citing!

Me and Cher

Actually, her name is Thirsty Burlington and she was out promoting her Cher impersonation show.  

She was just as funny as Cher and sounded just like her!  We were sad that it was our last night in PV and that we wouldn't be able to go see her show.

Then we went to dinner at La Piazzetta for dinner.  The menu of Italian specialties was quite extensive and delicious.  The 3 of us shared 2 appetizers and then each of us had a wonderful, authentic Italian entree.  Then we walked onto the pier at Playa Los Muertos.  It was dark and I knew my photos wouldn't turn out, so I'm borrowing this one from PeterKTravels.com.

Then we returned to the condo to begin packing and tidying up, then we had some 'screen time' on the terrace before going to bed.

The next morning our property manager/driver (who was absolutely gorgeous) picked us up at 10am and took us to the airport.  Our flights to Chicago and DC were uneventful, and we were picked up by our nephew and taken back to Spouse's sister's house where we spent the night.  Sun morning Spouse's brother and his daughter came from MD to join us for breakfast before we headed home to see our boys.

We had a wonderful trip and I'd recommend Puerto Vallarta to anyone who enjoys a relaxed, LGBT-friendly beach environment.  The peso-to-dollar ratio is terrific.  We always felt safe.  The food was delicious.  The prices were very reasonable.  The locals were very nice and everyone speaks or understands English.  This was our 3rd visit to PV (and our 2nd Beef Dip) but certainly won't be the last.

Further vacation highlights

Instead of having a light breakfast at home, on Wed we went to the ever-popular Coco's Kitchen for a late breakfast.  Its a charming garden cafe with lots of breakfast and lunch options.

Our food was very good and we loved the atmosphere.  Afterward we went directly to the beach, returning to Blue Chairs.  Again the weather was beautiful, we had food and drinks on the beach, and had fun in the ocean.

For dinner we went to Jorge's Hideaway.  Spouse & I had a wonderful meal there with the Newlyweds on our last visit so we wanted to return there with Carl.  I started with a lime mojito which matched my shirt!

Spouse & me and my matching cocktail

I typically do not post photos of food (here or on Facebook) but I'm making an exception.  I ordered the pineapple shrimp diablo which was so beautifully presented (and delicious) I thought it warranted a photo.

They cut a pineapple in half lengthwise, hollowed out the body, and filled it with shrimp, chunks of pineapple, and this wonderfully spicy and flavorful sauce, then melted some cheese over it.  It was served with red rice and a salad.  Amazing!

Afterward we went back to the condo and changed into our outfits for the White Party held at CC Slaughter nightclub.  We intentionally went late so there'd be people there, since the disco party really didn't get started until at least an hour after the official start time.  Well our strategy worked, maybe a bit too well, as it was absolutely packed when we arrived.

We danced and hung out a bit but it was so crowded it became a bit uncomfortable, so we went outside onto the sidewalk where a bunch of others had escaped.  Earlier in the week we'd seen a guy wearing a tiny green glittery fascinator.  I saw him again at the White Party wearing a tiny silver glittery fascinator so I had to talk to him about it.  First, he was impressed that I knew his miniature hats were called fascinators.  Second, he was impressed that I knew what color fascinator he'd worn to the disco party.  Eventually I asked Spouse to take a photo of me with the fascinator guy and his best friend since childhood.

The friend, me and the fascinator guy

Unfortunately the fascinator is kinda cut off in this photo, but you get the jist.  The glasses I'm wearing had multi-colored lights that flashed.  They were fun guys to hang with for a while.  We also ran into a couple of guys we'd met at the pool party the day before, Will, Alex, and Renzo.  It was a fun night!

Thurs we repeated our typical morning coffee on the terrace routine, then eventually returned to Mantamar Beach Club for a day at the beach.

Carl

Spouse

Carl and I both had foot and leg massages on the beach, then the 3 of us hung out at the pool for a couple hours with some of our new friends.

Will, Alex, Me, David, and Spouse

After showers and a little relaxation time on the terrace, we took the recommendation of a few friends and some strangers on Yelp to eat at Joe Jack's Fish Shack.  It was a charming 2-level restaurant and we were fortunate to be seated on the upper level which had no ceiling.  The food was yummy and the service was great.  I also loved the tile in the men's room:

After dinner we went to the Almar hotel, a recently completed new building associated with the Mantamar Beach Club, for a rooftop party.  The music was great, the coastline views were great, and the vibe was fun.  The recently completed rooftop bar and party area were really gorgeous.  This resort really strives to be upscale.

Alex and the bearded drag queens

Sexy muscle bears Kayvon, Spouse, Alex, and Will

As I am want to do at parties, I began taking selfies with many of our new friends.

Me and Will

Spouse photobombed my selfie with Renzo...

...so Alex took a photo of me, Renzo and Spouse

Me and Alex

Me and Joe from Austrailia whom we met a year earlier in Palm Springs!

It was a really fun party!

NYC

Last Wed Spouse & I spent the day in NYC.  My realtor association charters a bus every year on the 1st Wed in Dec so Realtors and others can spend the day in the city.  Many of us go to see a matinee, while others prefer shopping, looking at the department store windows dressed for Christmas, and site-seeing.  We try to do a bit of it all.  Our friend Joey and his husband Glenn went with us again this year too. The weather was in the upper 30s so it was cold but it wasn't windy so it was pleasant to be outside.

We started with a Christmasy photo in front of the giant balls.

Next we stopped in at Capital Grille and just beat the lunch rush.  Spouse had a rib-eye steak sandwich with caramelized onions and Havarti.  I had a lobster roll, and we both had yummy truffle fries.  Wow!

Next we headed toward the theatre, stopping in at a few stores along the way.  I admit it - I love to look inside those "I Love New York" stores at all the souvenirs and touristy crap!  I don't know why but I do.  Then we arrived at the Helen Hayes theatre.

And right next door was the famous Sardi's.

We all enjoyed Torch Song!  Its interesting because the play Torch Song was written in the early 80s, then made into a film in 1988 called Torch Song Trilogy.  Now the original play is back on Broadway.  I saw the film first so it was interesting to see how they condensed all of the locations in the film back into just a few locations in the play, like the original.

The Helen Hayes theatre is a smaller, intimate venue which we enjoyed a lot.  I'd purchased tickets online ahead of time so we were just a few rows from the stage.

After the show we walked over to Rockefeller Center to see the official tree.

While there Spouse & I posed for a photo with the tree in the background.  I posted it on Facebook and got many compliments on the photo, which I agree is one of the best of us.  I typically don't like photos of myself because my smiles don't look natural or my eyes are squinty.  But this photo turned out really well I think.

It was a very nice day in the Big Apple.

New York, New York!!

Today Spouse & I are in NYC for the day with our friend Joey.  

Our local realtor group charters a bus every year, giving us an easy opportunity to get in and out of the city.

Last year we saw the Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall.  This year I'm super-excited that we're going to see Torch Song!

This is based on one of my favorite films Torch Song Trilogy.  If you've never seen the film, find a way!  It was one of the earliest films portraying gay men with both tenderness and strength.  I'm hoping Spouse & Joey enjoy it too.

Thanksgiving highlights

We had a great Thanksgiving meal and visit with the family.  Spouse made his famous dressing (with Granny Smith apples, Craisins, pecans, celery and onion) which was off the chain delicious.  We've somehow lost the origin of this much-loved recipe.  I believe I suggested the ingredients to Spouse for our 1st Thanksgiving together, but he says he'd been making this dressing before he met me.  I don't think either of us would bet our paychecks on it, but our ongoing claims make for a funny conversation every year.

Corn casserole in the oven

This year he also made a cannoli cheesecake which was also very good.  I made corn casserole which is also a family favorite.  I've taken it to work for our office Thanksgiving meal several times and everyone loves it so I'm not allowed to bring anything else.

When we arrived at Spouse's sister's house she explained that we'd be having an unexpected visitor for Thanksgiving this year; the cashier from CVS.  Spouse's sister frequents this store because its close to her home so she's familiar with many of the employees.  As she was checking out she'd engaged in a little casual small talk and asked the young woman if she was having Thanksgiving with family or friends.  She explained that her family is from Bangladesh and her parents have not adopted American holidays like Thanksgiving.  She further shared that her older sister (a physician) had a baby recently so their parents were fully consumed with their 1st grandchild.  She said she'd just go home when her shift ended at 6:00.  She's in college but her roommates were all away, spending Thanksgiving with their families.

Spouse's sister suggested that she stop over after her shift and pick up a plate to go, since we would have already finished our meal by 6pm.  The young woman was very appreciative and they exchanged phone numbers.  A few hours later the young woman called to say there'd been a schedule mix-up and her shift was ending at 2pm, not 6pm, and asked if she could come over then.  So, the invitation for a plate to go turned into another seat at the table!  

My plate

But it worked out fine.  The young woman was very nice.  She loved all of the food, but needed explanations as to the ingredients since she'd never eaten some of these dishes/combinations.  

I could see the wheels turning in her head as she struggled to figure out how these diverse people were related, so Spouse's sister introduced us all and explained the connections.  "This is my brother and this is his husband Mark, and this is Mark's aunt Mary, and this is my daughter Anna and this is her husband Randy and their daughter Gabby..."  Anna is white/Italian, Randy is African American, and their daughter is biracial.  Honestly I felt a little proud of our diverse family and everyone's willingness to have a stranger join us for Thanksgiving dinner.  

Later, after we'd all had desert and were relaxing and talking, our nephew Eric was talked into playing his guitar and singing.  Baby Gabby quickly joined in by blowing on a recorder, creating a clash of chords and chaos.  It was a very nice day!

We left on Fri around noon and got home about 2:30.  I put away the pots/pans we'd taken with us, ran the dishwasher, and then began decorating for Christmas.  First the wreaths were placed on the doors, then I removed all the photos from the mantel and put up the candles, garland, dried flowers and fruit.

Later that evening Spouse & I joined Steven & Thad for carol singing and the lighting of the Rehoboth Beach Christmas tree.  

Thad opted not to be in the selfie

It was really cold that night but the turn-out was big and we had fun.  Despite having lived here for nearly 12 years and having visited here prior, we'd never attended this tree lighting and carol singing event.  Then we had dinner at a nearby spot. 

Palm Springs: day 7

On Fri we had breakfast at home, then headed to our 2nd home tour:  Twin Palms, the Palm Springs home of Frank Sinatra. The docent said the architect was new at the time Sinatra contracted him to design his home.  Sinatra wanted a colonial style home but the architect was afraid designing one in Palms Springs would effectively end his career, so he persuaded Sinatra to accept a completely different design with custom touches which blends beautifully into the community.

Twin Palms got its name from these 2 tall palm trees in the back yard

The docent also said that this home is not a 'time capsule'.  The current furniture and decor in the home did not belong to Sinatra. Apparently the home was empty and in disrepair at some point, and the buyer of the home was unaware it once belonged to Sinatra.

Master bedroom

The guest bathroom is completely clad in smokey mirrors.  My guess is that this wall treatment was applied in the 70s.

Below the modern flat screen TV is the original stereo sound equipment believed to have been used by Sinatra. Bi-fold doors close to hid the equipment when entertaining.

This is the living room.  Behind the 2 arm chairs and side table is a fireplace, obviously not used with this furniture arrangement.

Guest bedroom with cone shaped fireplace and flame style sconces.

I love the lighting on both sides of the mirror

Another guest bedroom with a unique fireplace

I'm in love with this breakfast room chandelier which resembles a collection of tom-tom drums!

I love all the textures in the dining area with the wood ceiling, stack stone wall, terrazzo floor and sculptural light fixture.

The 3 of us agreed the home wasn't as large or glamorous as we'd expected, but its design was very cool, especially for 1947.  One of the custom touches the architect added for Sinatra is the openings in the breezeway roof.  This was done so that the shadows would create a piano keyboard effect.

While its not as apparent in this photo due the angle from which I took it, the pool is in the shape of a grand piano.

 The front of the home featured a circular driveway.

Following the Twin Palms tour we headed over to McCormick Classic Car to view some of the cars they'll be auctioning soon.  Sorry that many of these photos are partial car shots.  Because the cars were not parked to be photographed it was difficult to get shots of the entire car in many cases.  Hopefully you'll these anyway, as we did.

Love the color of this mid-50s Chevy

Thunderbird

Rolls Royce

Thurnderbird

Rambler wagon

AMC woody wagon

Ranchero

Rolls Royce

Continental

Buick

Corvette

Camaro SS convertible

Next we went for a little road trip to explore the towns just outside Palm Springs.  We took hwy 111 which goes in a south easterly direction and drove through Cathedral City (which Spouse accidentally called Cathedral Ceiling!), Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, and La Quinta.  On the way back we stopped at Del Taco for a quick lunch before heading back to the house for pool and spa time.

After getting ourselves cleaned up we went to Wangs for 'Boys Night Out' happy hour but we didn't stay too long because the music was too loud.  So then we moved onto Hunters for another drink, then walked over to Ruby's Diner for dinner. Then we walked over to Chill Bar to see what was going on there. Back at the house we sat out by the pool for a little while before going to bed.