Sounds like all the planning was worth it, Allison. Ooooh - fun socks at Target - I'll have to get over there to check that out!
Marcy

: trip joy dots
: *hearing an Eastern Screech Owl
: calling (We hear Western at home
: but this was the first time I'd
: heard an Eastern - big thrill to
: hear it and know what it was.)
: *beautiful color along the freeways
: *walking in a park on the bay with my
: father and stepmother and their
: adorable dog, who got very frisky
: in the grass
: *a huge flock of Double-crested
: cormorants on a pier
: *an endless stream of Tufted Titmice
: at a bird feeder
: *walking on the beach on Cape Cod
: *sandpipers!
: *a shopping spree with my sister
: *getting to go to my friend's
: Halloween party (and getting to
: wear a cape)
: *getting fun socks at Target
: *having delicious dinners served to
: me at my father's house

: I wrote about my travel preparation
: before I left on this trip. The
: part of the trip I was concerned
: about was the business trip to
: Cape Cod. Breakfast and lunch were
: supposed to be provided, but I had
: a feeling I'd better have backup
: food, and I knew that my hotel
: room had a fridge. After I picked
: up my rental car, I stopped at a
: grocery store and bought almond
: milk, gluten free bread, apples
: and chicken salad.

: The first morning of the training, I
: showed up for breakfast and
: registration and found that, just
: as I had suspected, breakfast was
: muffins, pastries and bagels. I
: went back to my room and took out
: a baggie with protein powder and
: mixed it with the almond milk in a
: blender bottle, and then had some
: yam cakes which I had also brought
: with me. That is less than I
: usually eat, but it did hold me
: until lunch. For lunch, a friend
: from grade school who lives on the
: Cape met me in the lobby and
: brought sandwiches. I had seen the
: menu from the sandwich place and
: was able to get one with bread
: that worked for me.

: The next day, I got an omelet and
: home fries in the restaurant in
: the hotel. Lunch was supposed to
: be Italian, so I was worried that
: everything would be pasta, but
: only one of the dishes was a pasta
: dish and I didn't have to use my
: backup food. I had dinner in the
: hotel restaurant both nights and
: that worked out well.

: For the flight home, I had to get up
: at 3:30 AM. I made a shake with
: the second serving of protein
: powder I had brought and the
: leftover almond milk, and ate the
: last of the yam cakes. I made 3
: chicken salad sandwiches, and I
: had those and apples throughout
: the morning of travel. Maybe not
: my best food, but planning ahead
: and bringing backup food averted
: any food crises.

: The training ended early on Tuesday,
: so I had time to go for a walk on
: the beach before leaving Cape Cod.
: It was heaven! I am not a
: sunbathing with a huge crowd kind
: of person. I am a walk on the
: beach and have it mostly to myself
: kind of person, and that is what
: happened. I did get to greet a
: couple of dogs. I really enjoyed
: watching the sandpipers racing in
: and out with the waves.

: On the flight home, as we were over
: Albuquerque, I saw the golden
: ribbon of cottonwood trees along
: the Rio Grande. On the drive home,
: there were glowing yellow trees
: against bright blue sky. All in
: all, a lovely 5 days.

: Allison