Posts Tagged ‘pfizer’

Cheers from Boston

Friday, November 16th, 2012

Winding down on our East Coast Tour. It is perfect weather in Boston and we arrive for Veterans Day. Because of our military ID’s, our Hop-On, Hop-Off  Trolley is FREE!  While Steve works his Liver Convention, I get to tour the city.

My game plan is usually to take the trolley for the whole circuit and then decide where I want to Hop Off.  The Tea Party Museum (new, and fabulous), Beacon Hill for lunch, Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market were my choices.

At night we journeyed to the North End, which is 95% Italian! What an experience we had the first night at Daily Catch Restaurant for dinner. The place  holds, maybe, 16 and the kitchen and one chef is right there doing his thing. You sit with others, help pass things, interact and are truly amazed at what can be done in such a dinky space (my bathroom and closet are bigger).

The line snakes out in front of the door and hungry faces gaze in and bet which diner is closest to finishing. It is worth the wait. I dined on fettuccine and shrimp in white sauce and Steve had squid ink pasta al freddo. And then a stop at Mike’s Pastry for jumbo Cannoli!   Mama Mia!!

Good thing we had a decent walk to get to the subway. Past the Meeting house and Fannueil Hall, in front of John Adams, cross to the underground. Take the Greenline Heath spur and off at the Prudential stop for the Sheraton Hotel. Just like a native!

Silver and Gold

Wednesday, October 24th, 2012

“Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.”

That was going back to my early Girl Scout days and is certainly true on this East Coast 2012 trip.

Patty and Doug Halvorsen, our very first neighbors as newly weds, taught me bridge, killed my spiders, and were with me when the nurse called to say I was pregnant with Robbie. They held my hand while Steve was in Vietnam for 7 months, and all those other times he was at sea, ate my cooking, played ultimate Frisbee, and built me a patio cover.  Good times.

Nelda and Ed Cockman were church friends in Huntington Beach and had boys that could play with Robbie and Andy. We were in a small group that would do ANYthing for each other and we still all stay in touch. Forever friends that bounced around a lot but find that Pinehurst, North Carolina fits just right!

Elaine and Cliff Faille who are Pfizer folk, and became friends in retirement as we travel to medical conventions. Crazy Elaine inspires me to come out of my shell, and Cliff and Steve have ‘history” together. They are the ultimate grandparents, and she’s a “Mimi” too! And I couldn’t keep her still enough to get a photo this time!

Headed to DC now to be with cousins who are more like good friends! Precious times with everyone.

Chemotherapy Begins

Saturday, September 17th, 2011

I find it amazing that yesterday was actually a little fun?  I was with my good friend Betty for 14 hours while she drove me, sat with all the infusion junk, and stayed with me until Steve returned home from Pfizer travels. We met new people, some awesome medical folk who we charmed the pants off, had an awesome dinner brought in by caring gal-pals, flowers on the front door step, cards in the mail…what’s not to like?

Oh yeah , the medical stuff.  I am so medicated at the moment NOT to have the scary side-effects that I am ok. But THOSE pills have side-effects — restlessnes. NO sleep when I am impossibly tired. But prayer and books are filling the time. I just dusted the house!?

And it’s time to be germ cautious as a little bug could do me in.  So there will be no gardening, no crowds, no food prepared without absolute cleanliness of all ingredients — regrettably not even fast food or even healthy take-out — can’t be around kids who have just had vaccines, or any one exposed to anything even if they didn’t come down with it. No petting the dogs, yes double flush the toilet, no shoes in the house or at least on the carpet, no flossing, and the list goes on.  

Gotta have a sense of humor, and oh yeah, no hair in 3 weeks! But I went into the Chemo with the best blood pressure in a month and lifted up,up,up in prayer. It was a Good Day!

Calvin And Hobbes New Adventure

Denver June 2011

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

Our suitcases were calling out, so after one month up on the shelf, they are packed again and on an excellent adventure.

Steve is working a convention in Denver (that is the convention center with a big blue bear sculpture looking in) for Pfizer and that is always an open door to see more of the world.  

We are headed to Yellowstone National Park, and Couer d A’lene, Idaho with lots of stops on the way. We fly home from Seattle.

This is new territory for me!

San Fran And Points North

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

We finished the Pfizer year with a convention by the bay. We had a great view high atop the Westin in the center of everything.  The weather was blustery but it did not keep us from seeing the town and having a Montalcino reunion with the Rutters:  Tom, Donna, and Justine!

Once again it was the HopOn Hopoff bus for me as I was on my own this trip. I rode the whole circuit before hoping off on the second go-around. Ghiradelli, Union Square,AG Ferrari’s,Williams Sonoma all enticed me.

But it was great to pick up Ken and Donna Kalla at the airport and journey up to Napa Valley. We had a super time and the wine wasn’t bad either! Since we had driven  instead of flown, we had a car to go and see so much. Great food, good company, tasty wines and beautiful changing colors.

Steve and I had a magnificent year of travel, and the locations were made that much more special by the people we saw and spent time with. To God be the glory for being a great travel agent and guide.

 

Rocky Mountain High

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

Steve and I got to travel around Colorado (May 12-19) mostly on Pfizer’s dime. Cliff and Elaine Faille traveled out from North Carolina to join us for the convention in Denver, then we stayed on and reconnected with friends and toured an amazing state.

Colorado had not decided what season it was yet because we had hail, rain, snow, sunshine, thunder and lightning all in the same hour!

December in Vegas

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

All Carnations!

My tales of this years’ travels would not be complete without mentioning LasVegas!  Steve was covering a convention for Pharmacists Dec. 6-9 at the Venetian. It was cold and rainy, but  the storm dusted the surrounding mountains with snow and left everything so fresh and clear.  I was eager to see how Vegas decorates for Christmas and I was mostly disappointed, except in the Bellagio; oh my , what a showstopper!! Lights, flowers, pointsettas, snow, music, and a little magic. 

We also enjoyed meeting up with the Finnanes for dinner at the restaurant “Switch”, a restaurant whose walls and ceiling change decor every 20 minutes, and Suranowitzes for dinner at Grand Lux Cafe , owned by Cheesecake factory.  I had a great time being on my own: window shopping, reading, people watching.  A lot of the Italy scenes at the Venetian tugged at our hearts as they reminded us of our time spent seeing the real thing (like the mimes, or musicians or the art).

Long drives, but got a book on tape from the library and it made time speed by.   Now I return a week behind for my Christmas plans ,and to embark on Radiation. Then I can have a Holiday Glow too!

Family Time In Daytona

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

mtvernoncoupleWe were so warmly welcomed in Janet’s home  and happyt to spend a few days with she and my dad and celebrate his 85th birthday with he, Janet, Aunt Marilyn and lots of cronies.

We particiated in their Friday night get together (karaoke and all) a wonderful homecooked meal at home, and dinner at Outback, guests of Marilyn. I have had the priviledge of seeing Dad 3x in the last year. Maybe with the new baby coming there will be another visit this summer.

Then we headed back to Orlando and the flight home. Five weeks, two Pfizer conventions,  monuments, museums, friends, family, a BIG birthday, Disney, new sights and tastes…..priceless!

Free Mickey

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

mickeytopiaryWe escaped the Pfizer work at the American Heart Convention and are ready to play! On our own, we have reservations at “Shades of Green’; a military resort on the disney properties.  There are 5 military resorts worldwide and we have been fortunate tostay at 3 of them:  Disney, Garmish, and HaleKoa(the other two are seoul and virginia beach). 

Shades of Green has all the amenites of  any Disney resort and cheaper. When we checked in, we  found out that every  active duty or retired service person was intitled to a free five day pass to the Disney theme parks and a reduced price for anyone with them!!!!!  

Our original plan was to spend one day at Epcot and then head to my Dad’s. Change of plans:  add one day at Disney Studios and be a day late to Daytona (they understood)!

Outerbanks to Southport,N.C.

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

cliffandelaineThe entire east coast from Maine to Texas, has a  cluster of islands and jettys that keep the Atlantic from directly hitting the states. This region is called the outer banks. ( it gets the brunt of hurricanes, but had lovely beaches and lots of seasonal homes built on stilts) Names such as Nagshead, CapeHateras, Cape Fear, and Kitty Hawk are names associated with it. Kitty Hawk was really informative and the beginning of turning the world as people knew it around!( I have a really great photo of Steve next ot Orville Wright on a replica of the KittyHawk that is in re-sized cyperspace)

We were priviledged to enjoy the hospitality of Cliff and Elaine Faille, who have a new home (awesome eastern building techniques, and beautiful location in St. James) and boat (the “Y Knot”)  We spent the day on the inter-coastal waterway, and even tied up at a restaurant’s dock to have some great viddles. What a wonderful, happy time we had with these two crazy retired Pfizer Pholk.