Randy’s first trip to Cozumel since his transplant!

January 6, 2015 By Tam Warner 14 Comments

Randy and I getting ready to swim with the whale sharks! See it just behind me?

Yes, Randy has been given the OK to travel to Cozumel and to scuba dive! We have planned a two week trip to Cozumel, one week with friends, and one week just the two of us. I have been so excited….but now, I’m feeling a bit nervous. I suppose it is natural to feel this way…with everything we’ve been through, every trip seems risky. However, this is Mexico, and there are many who have advised Randy not to go (family members). The transplant team has given their blessing, and the transplant coordinator even suggested she come along to make sure Randy is well. Of course, she was joking.

Mexico has its risks, but we’ve been going to Cozumel for almost 30 years. Our house has filtered water, air conditioning, and is not in town, but on the water. People still picture Mexico as third world, and in most places it is. Cozumel’s amenities have improved so dramatically that it is nearly as comfortable as our house here. Nearly.

I’ve gone out and bought him a brand new regulator, new booties, new snorkel and new mask. I just think it best if he has new, clean items. I have citronella and sunscreen (biodegradable of course). January is the dry season, but mosquitoes might still be around, so he should be wearing insect repellent. As you can probably tell, I’m a little nervous.

Being a bit nervous should help keep him well, though. I’ll certainly be vigilant about the food we buy and eat. We know well the restaurants that are absolutely no problem. Actually, Cozumel is not known for tourista these days, it has become more and more careful about food, water and service due to its dependence on tourism.

Dinner out with the "kids" — Dinner out with the “kids”

So, we will be off to Cozumel in 5 days, and Randy is very much looking forward to it. Our home there has played a very large role in our lives, and in the lives of our children and their friends. Since he’s been ill I’ve had the house painted and leaks repaired, and new furniture put into place. I am hoping very much he likes all the changes, but most of all I hope for a quiet, lovely, healing time for him, and for us.

5 days!

Oh, and we also lease/rent our home! Check it out at www.vrbo.com/368692!

We'll soon be there! — We’ll soon be there!

The Best of 2014

January 1, 2015 By Tam Warner 6 Comments

The last few years have been, for me, at least, a perfect storm. Circumstances have conspired to create the most challenging years of my life. So much so, that there have been times I have almost had to laugh at the continuing onslaught. Although 2014 has been a year of challenge, there have been moments of joy and signs of better times coming. What we learn during the bad times is that there can be no light without the dark, no true happiness without deepest sorrow. As trite as that sounds, it is the truth. I have high hopes for 2015, and plan to do my best in continuing cultivation of a positive, and optimistic, outlook. For now, I wish to share with you the best moments of 2014, it has certainly been one hell of a year!

Randy’s remarkable recovery from a double lung transplant in September 2013 continues! The story is HERE.

In January 2014, friends from around the country came to celebrate Randy's recovery. — In January 2014, friends of Randy’s from around the country came to celebrate Randy’s incredible continuing recovery from a double lung transplant, September 2013.

My cousin Kathy and I took a quick trip to the Exumas to swim with feral swimming pigs!

I took a dive trip to Thailand, and was joined by my daughter! It was an incredible trip for us both.

Engagement! My son, Wes, and his fiance, Carisa, with their animal family!

Randy’s first trip out of Dallas since his transplant, we headed to the Texas Hill Country.

In June of 2014 Randy and I took a glorious drive on the Pacific Coast Highway, all the way north to Shelter Cove, CA. Then we met up with friends in Tahoe. This trip really pushed Randy to a whole new level in his recovery. Since then, he has gone up, up, up.

Incredible view from the hills of Santa Barbara

spending a day with my niece and her children in Santa Barbara

Big Sur's elephant seals! — Big Sur’s elephant seals!

and Lake Tahoe with friends we hadn’t seen in 15 years!

t 14 jill don tam ran — Enjoying good friends.

t 14 emerald bay — Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe, has to be one of the most beautiful spots on the face of the planet.

I had a chance to go to Cozumel in August, and met up with an old friend I volunteered with in Mozambique, Leslie. Of course, she’s young enough to be my daughter, and many people thought shewas! A couple of my yoga buddies came along as well!

In August, my daughter, Alexandra, became engaged to be married! She and her fiance, Mike, plan on an October 2015 wedding.

Then, in September, I went on a volunteer science expedition with Marine Megafauna Foundation. Off the coast of Ecuador 3 currents converge at a small island called Isla de la Plata, and with those currents come Giant Manta Rays and other pelagic sea life. I volunteered to dive and photograph the animals. It was a very physically demanding trip, but I loved every minute.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — The wonder of these graceful, beautiful animals is beyond words.

Meeting up with Marine Megafauna and volunteers, some of whom I’d been with in Africa.

Then, a one year “Re-Birthday” celebration for Randy….one year post double lung transplant. An important milestone, and just the first of many I know he will reach!

Next, a wedding and Randy’s 40th High School Reunion. What an incredible night it was, we were all so thankful that he was able to be there.

I visited my family and friends in Ohio in October, which was wonderful, and I even went on a hayride with my sistah Holly’s granddaughter, Becca. Then, off to Kentucky for my cousin Brittane’s wedding!

I hadn't seen an Ohio autumn in 20 years, at least! — I hadn’t seen an Ohio autumn in 20 years, at least!

High school friends meeting for a great dinner!

My daughter, Ally, was Brittane's Maid of Honor — My daughter, Ally, was Brittane’s Maid of Honor, doing the Cotton Eyed Joe!

My cousin Lisa and her daughter Brittane

My son performed the music at the wedding.

A quick, and successful, trip to Vegas!

Then, time spent with family and friends during the holidays.

Ally and Carisa with their dogs at the Turkey Trot 5K

xmas 14 tam bodie sofia — Watching Lyn’s grandchildren opening gifts.

Poker for Christmas, Mintons and Greenbergs — Poker on Christmas Eve with the Mintons and Greenbergs

I do believe the signs for 2015 are looking good! Two weddings coming up should give us plenty to celebrate!

Happy New Year to you and yours! Let’s all look forward with joy.

Fab Photos Friday: Culinary Delights in Cozumel, Mexico

December 19, 2014 By Tam Warner 6 Comments

La Cocay's Garden Seating — La Cocay’s Garden Seating

Fabulous food should be part of everyone’s vacation. Good food cannot be confused with fantastic food. In Cozumel, the restaurant to go to is La Cocay. La Cocay means “dragonfly” in the Mayan language, but it’s food is distinctly Mediterranean. Here is some good news: they have enlarged their menu!

I confess that La Cocay is my favorite restaurant on the island. I love the location (3 or 4 blocks off the oceanfront, in a non-descript area) because you would never expect to find such a gem there. When my friends walked in, they said, wow, this is beautiful. I was kind of worried about this when you drove by here! No worries, Mexico has all kinds of hidden surprises!

Leslie (my roomie from Mozambique) and I

There is inside seating, which is lovely, but my favorite place is the garden seating. In August it can be a little warm, but the evening we were there wasn’t bad at all. I loved hearing my friends and their “ooooo’s” and “ahhhh’s”. La Cocay has wonderful artistry in their presentation of every dish.

We gobbled the tapas before I could photograph them!

oops. They were really, really good though!

Next up were the Phyllo Rolls…..they melted in your mouth!

Phyllo Rolls with Blackberry Cherry Sauce. Heavenly!

And my favorite salad in the world, La Cocay’s Napa Salad! Loaded with fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts,

it has to be tasted to be believed!

Leslie ordered Mahi-Mahi served with potato augratin….a culinary masterpiece, truly. I’m not a foodie, I have no idea how it was prepared, I only know it was an explosion of flavor! Kamailie and Lana enjoyed a Margharita Pizza from the wood oven. I had a bite of each….muy delicioso.

But I was waiting for the coup de gras! Chocolate Torte! I haven’t had any of their other desserts, though they look delicious. I HAVE to have my torte!

I have so many photos of our family and friends enjoying wonderful evenings at La Cocay. Once all of our kids were old enough to appreciate it, we’ve spent birthdays there (instead of at Carlos and Charlies). I hope our family will continue to enjoy La Cocay for many years to come!

A 2011 birthday celebration at La Cocay.

San Francisco – A walking food tour of North Beach & Chinatown

December 7, 2014 By Tam Warner 11 Comments

Another food tour adventure? Why yes! Thank you!

Just recently I took a fantastic tour by Chris Milano’s Foodie Adventures in San Francisco’s Mission District. The Mission, Latin Food Tour was so delicious and I loved it so much that on my next trip there I just had to take the North Beach and Chinatown Tour! It is no surprise that once again Chris dazzled us with his knowledge, charm and passion for the delectable food of San Francisco.

On this tour we sampled everything from buttery, coconut buns from the Chinese Bakery to five different types of dim sum from Delicious Dim Sum – nine stops in all. Yes, nine. We most certainly got our money’s worth and a very full belly. What a delightful way to spend the day in a city that is known world wide as one of the absolute best cities for an outstanding variety of delicious cuisine. This tour was so unique and filled with hidden treasures that I could have never created it on my own. We were fortunate to take advantage of the personal relationship Chris has developed with each of these small business proprietors. When we arrived at every one of the stops, our food was piping hot and ready for us to savor and then gobble up!

The North Beach area of San Francisco is in the Northeast area of the city and adjacent to Chinatown. The area in San Francisco’s Little Italy has historically been home to a large community of Italian Americans. There is still a large representation of Italian bakeries and restaurants, however as Chris explained, the Chinese entrepreneurial community is expanding and has taken over several of the Italian eateries and small businesses.

There were about 20 in the group of “foodie adventurers” who gleefully followed Chris as he led us through a maze of streets, an assortment of cuisines and unique locations for some absolutely incredible specialty dishes.

Take a deep breath, put on your elastic waist pants (for extra room) and join us as we go on the North Beach and Chinatown Foodie Adventure! We honestly went to so many locations it was difficult to keep it all straight in our minds. Anyone can visit the vast array of beautiful sights of San Francisco like the The Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf and Ghiradelli Square, but on this tour we were smack in the middle of a community, experiencing their culture on a very personal level. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be invited to view San Francisco on the inside, talk with the locals and share in their passion of their unique heritage. We were not in the touristy areas of these diverse culinary areas of the city. We visited the family owned, small eateries where the owners work six days a week (or more) and put their heart and soul into every bite of food.

Lovely San Francisco – My view from the 34th floor of the Grand Hyatt

The Tour Begins:

Chris Milano sharing fresh foccacia from the Italian bakery

XOX Truffles

All of the ingredients to make our decadent truffles

Chef Jean Paul making our divine truffles by hand

I wanted a ladle full of chocolate!

The finished truffles, still warm, lovingly made by hand

Mmmm Dim Sum

Chris with camera-shy Annie, owner of Delicious Dim Sum

Part of our group enjoying many different kinds of Dim Sum

A delicious roll and steamed dumpling with chili sauce

The Goldengate Fortune Cookie Factory

The Goldengate Fortune Cookie factory really touched my heart. This sweet lady makes every cookie by hand on the antique cookie press. Notice the cookie press assembly: a hose sprays the batter on the piping hot press and then the machine presses down on top to bake off the cookie. She then pulls off each cookie, inserts the fortune, then bends the still-warm cookie in to the form to make the famous fortune cookie shape.

In addition to the traditional Chinese fortunes, the owner is famous for her “adult” yet tame, versions. They are very funny! See below.

The beautiful red lanterns decorating Waverly Place in Chinatown

Tin How Temple – Built in 1852

Visiting the Tin How Temple was a very new adventure for me. We were not allowed to take photos in the temple. and as we climbed three flights of narrow stairs, the smell of incense permeated the air. In 1852 the Cantonese Clan of San Francisco built the Tin How Temple which is one of the earliest Chinese temples in the city. Inside the temple there is a shrine with offerings and hundreds of small red lanterns that hang from the ceiling. Devotees pledge money to the temple in hopes of a bright and successful New Year. I have never seen anything like it and I enjoyed the colorful experience. We were allowed to take the photo below of the urn, incense and oranges.

Red Blossom Tea Company

A sampling of orange blossom Chinese tea

We were treated to a short lecture about tea from China by the owner

Chinese tea in beautiful vessels

The lovely cannisters of tea

Blossom Bakery

Warm, buttery coconut rolls (my favorite)

Inside the bakery, men & women sit for hours playing Keno

The very popular Z & Y Restaurant

Chris is ready to share our vegetarian pancakes and beef rolls

Last Stop: Golden Boy Pizza, North Beach

Our final bite of the day was this delicious handmade pizza

A a parting gift – Chris’s favorite Chinese Candy

This was my second tour given by Chris Milano of Foodie Adventures. I love different types of food and the idea of eating and walking off the calories was very appealing to me. Not only do I get to experience the local culture, but I was guided safely through a very large city in areas I would never have ventured on my own.

Our eclectic group of enthusiastic eaters mingled and shared their personal stories throughout the afternoon. Some members of the group were locals, some were returning for a second time bringing a visitor with them. There were tourists from all over the nation and abroad learning and eating together!

I only took a bite or two of each dish, but I was still incredibly full. I would highly recommend taking ANY of the Foodie Adventures tours. They are so personal and authentic, which is not typically what you would expect from a tour in such a big city.

I plan to continue my quest to find delicious food in every city we visit. Have you found special out of the way places to eat while traveling?

Safe travels,

Suzanne

I love Paris in Las Vegas!

November 20, 2014 By Tam Warner 10 Comments

Mostly Wordless Wednesday….though of course I have comments! Paris is one of my favorite casinos in Las Vegas, and one I always return to. Partly for the beauty of the casino which looks like an outside Paris street, partly because the chocolate crepes are fabulous, and partly because I always seem to be lucky in the casino!

vegas 14 balloon — The famous Paris balloon

Even the restrooms are worth looking at!

Nice restroom, yes? — Nice restroom, oui?

And now for my very favorite part of Las Vegas……………WINNING!

Fun and a Tournament in Vegas

November 16, 2014 By Tam Warner 1 Comment

Next week will find me in Vegas, playing in a Video Poker tournament! I have been a video poker player for nearly 30 years, and I play seriously, but I have never been in a tournament. Well, here is my chance!

I’ve loved poker since I was a child watching the penny ante games my grandparents used to play. My parents were card players as well, and poker was an extended family activity. I grew up playing Euchre, a trump game, at lunch during high school, and with friends. Cards were a big past time where I grew up (Southern Ohio/Kentucky), but once I moved to Dallas I realized cards aren’t played everywhere. My husband, Randy, and I found a few couples to play with, but for the most part, we were not surrounded by card players.

I learned video poker on my first trip to Vegas in my early twenties. My mom and dad took my brother and I to Vegas, and at that time, it was the remnant of the old Vegas. The RAT Pack Vegas. For those who don’t know, the RAT pack consisted of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, Sammie Davis Jr, and Peter Lawford. I think those are the guys, anyway. These were people that graced the covers of the movie magazines my mother was so fond of. The legends of Vegas were a large part of those stories. Mom also read a lot of biographies, and the more illicit the better. I often read these books even when I was little, learning about Marilyn Monroe and the Kennedy’s, Frank Sinatra and Eva Gardner and Mia Farrow….when the book The Godfather came out it included a lot about Vegas and the mob. I was raised on conspiracy theories about Sam Giancana, the Rat Pack, the Kennedy’s, Marilyn and Judith Campbell. And of course, the biggest star of all….Jackie O. My first trip to Vegas was like a trip to Disneyland.

At the most famous show in town....Siegfried and Roy! — At the most famous show in town….Siegfried and Roy!

Now, even people my age might not remember all of the saga and legend surrounding Vegas, and certainly our kids would have no idea. When I was in my early twenties, Vegas was still a legend….The Sands Hotel and Casino, The Desert Inn, Circus Circus, The Tropicana, The Flamingo which was started by Bugsy Segal the mobster, Caesar’s Palace…..the MGM Grand, The Frontier…..the only ones left are the Flamingo and Caesar’s Palace. At that time you could walk the strip easily….without all of the stairways and weird entrances and the skyrails….don’t get me wrong, the new Vegas is amazing. The techno and out of this world quality is truly….out of this world. But it isn’t the old Vegas….it is an entirely new city.

tam 86 caesers — Bathing in the fountains at Caesars?? No, it’s a double exposure. I love this pic of me though!

The Gambling Sisters, my Aunt Nonnie and Mom.

My mom and Aunt Nonie taught me to play video poker at the Imperial Palace. As time went on, a yearly trip formed. My mother in law, mom, cousin, and I went every year for a girl’s trip. Others joined us from time to time. Mom and Betty (mother in law) had “comps”…. free rooms, free meals…my cousin Lisa and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Those trips were epic. I began to learn how to play video poker….the statistics of it, the math surrounding the odds. I still love to play, although there are plenty of losses to offset my winnings.

It is different now. The new Vegas is a huge, sprawling, bizarrely opulent city. Now it’s me getting comps…and pretty awesome comps at that! The year before my mother died I took her for what I knew would be her last trip….we had a suite at Paris, and she had a terrific time. Both mom and Betty are gone now. Lisa and I took our two girls for their 21st birthdays, but since then, we haven’t been out there together. I would love to start those girl’s trips back up.

Lisa and I with our daughters at the Voodoo Lounge, 2009

Ah, I love thinking about the old Vegas. But the new Vegas waits for me….and I cannot wait to play in the tournament! I’ll blog again from Planet Hollywood! Til then, wish me luck!

Travel Adventures!