Travels with Tam

Adventuring on Lake Tahoe less than a year after Randy’s Double Lung Transplant

July 2, 2014 By Tam Warner 8 Comments

Adventuring on Lake Tahoe, lake tahoe, emerald bay — Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is wonderful. I usually get altitude sickness, but this time, I didn’t . A little short of breath, yes. After all, it is 7,000 feet up from sea level, and I live mostly at sea level. Randy’s been a little breathless, too, but he checked his spirometer numbers (a lung capacity exercise) and those numbers are even better than they were in Dallas a few weeks ago. I think the fresh air and walking for the last couple of weeks have really exercised both him and his lungs. He is still a little weak, but that’s to be expected. Eleven months ago he couldn’t even walk, and now he’s walking some steep hills and a lot of stairs. Good for us both!

With a Little Bit of Luck!

June 30, 2014 By Tam Warner 6 Comments

I love northern California! The grass looks like gold!

The drive to Lake Tahoe from Shelter Cove is about 8 hours, so we decided to break it up by leaving a day early from Shelter Cove. Randy’s legs have been swelling a bit due to his prednisone dosage(steroid), which he takes as a precaution against inflammation in his brand new lungs (see An Unexpected Journey, Lung Transplant). Why don’t I drive? Well, because Randy cannot stand it when I drive. I hear all kinds of bitching about what a terrifying driver I am (which is bullshit, pardon my French), but I dislike driving with Ran in the car because he constantly tells me everything I am doing wrong. Anyone would be nervous if they had constant criticism while they were driving. I like it better when he drives and bitches about all the other drivers and how they don’t know what they are doing.

By the time we were half the way to Tahoe, Randy decided he felt fine and wanted to drive on into Tahoe. I called my casino host at Caesar’s Group, Katy, and arranged a room at Harvey’s Hotel and Casino, with a gorgeous lake view! Not that I looked at it for very long as I was in the casino and playing in no time. Katy is my casino host with Caesar’s Group, which includes Harrah’s, Caesar’s, Harvey’s, Flamingo, Horseshoe, Rio…and other casinos and hotels. Yes. I enjoy gambling. I love to play poker, and I am pretty good at it. I don’t play the tables, especially not Texas Hold ‘em, which I find time consuming and boring. The table games are too S L O W. I can play 725 hands an hour on the video poker machines, so that’s where I head. Randy likes to play Hold ‘Em at the tables.

Hitting Aces on a Double Double Bonus Poker machine is awesome fun!

Within the first hour I hit a very nice jackpot, and….I kept winning. There is nothing like winning, right?!! And yes, you put some of those winnings back into the machine in order to win again, if you are lucky. I took a dinner break at Cabo Wabo (Sammy Hagar’s restaurant), but it was not a good meal, can’t say I recommend it (Sorry, Sammy). I’d rather eat at Taco Bell. I ended up sending my dinner back because it was slimy. Yuck. Randy’s meal was lousy as well. After a dinner I did not eat, I went back to the poker machines, and Randy went back to the poker tables. I was doing so well I arranged for a late check out the next day so I could play in the morning. Yep, I won again!

I come by my love of poker honestly…I can remember being a very, very little girl and watching my grandparents play penny poker with their friends. I grew up playing cards, Euchre (a trump game) and poker were my favorites. My mother and dad went to Vegas once a year, and after dad died, my mother, my mother in law, my cousin, and I (with various friends from year to year) did a yearly “girl’s trip” to Las Vegas. Sadly, my mother became a gambling addict, so those trips ended back in 2007 when Betty became very ill, and passed away. At that point, I tried to keep my mom away from casinos. That is another story…but I still love to hit the casinos every now and then. I play on my computer at home as well, training for my trips! The more you play, the better you get.

After a successful evening and morning at Harvey’s Casino (thanks Harvey!) we drove to the house we are staying at in Tahoma. It is a lovely home, with great lake views. We are members of 3^rd Home, a great club for people with second homes. If you have a vacation home, you might want to take a look at it! Time to go exploring, I’ll be checking back in!

Fabulous Photos Friday: California, continued!

June 27, 2014 By Tam Warner 4 Comments

What a wonderful trip we are having in Northern California! And the best part? It isn’t over yet! We are currently in Shelter Cove, Ca., in the King’s Range Conservation Area, and on Saturday we head to Lake Tahoe. The wild Northern California coastline is just spectacular. From the Redwood Forests to the Pacific coast, this land is absolutely meant for me! And for you, too.

Baby Mola Mola in the Bay (a rare sight!)

We have quite the view in Shelter Cove, Ca

shelter cove's "cove" — shelter cove’s “cove”

Around every corner, gorgeous black tailed deer

A fisherman at Glass Beach, Ft Bragg, CA

We watched a spearfisher today off the shore. Whew, talk about cold! I think the smell of abalone brought in the vultures, because they were all over the place today, including on our deck!

The Black Sand Beach is stunning. I showed it to Randy today, and we took a walk, then sat down for a while. We were joined by a bird! The 3 of us watched the fog rolling in from the ocean.

Our little friend was quite comfortable with us.

Tomorrow, we are off to Lake Tahoe! To be continued…..

Whale Watching in Monterey Bay!!!

June 26, 2014 By Tam Warner 8 Comments

A Whale "blow" and a fluke! — A Whale “blow” and a fluke!

What is a trip to California’s Monterey Bay without going on a whale watching expedition? It would be incomplete! Randy and I headed out with Sanctuary Cruises, and we were not disappointed.

It is the time of year for whales to migrate south along the Pacific Coast, and during the summer months Monterey Bay has more than it’s share of marine mammals. I cannot begin to count the number of Humpback Whales we saw! Sanctuary Cruises carries a Marine Biologist on board for every cruise so you can learn about the whales, the bay, and other marine animals. I LOVED it! We were barely out of the marina when we began seeing Humpbacks! What a thrill! They are immense creatures, and we were lucky enough to see mothers and babies, and groups of 2 or 3 whales together.

Where there are whales... — Where there are whales…

Our marine biologist, Doris, called the groups of male seals around the whales “gangs”, and the term is certainly apt. Look at the size difference in size between these seals and a whale tail! The seals were so fast, and whenever a group of them came into view, the whales followed.

Humpbacks do not have teeth, they are filter feeders, basically. They have baleen to filter out the water from the krill they eat. Isn’t it interesting that the world’s largest creatures feed on the smallest ones?

The trip was so exciting that I stood on the edge of the boat the whole time, just waiting and looking for them. When I returned from the trip, my feet and legs were absolutely killing me. I didn’t feel the pain while the whales were around, but by the evening I was limping. It was worth it!

Next time, I’ll be kayaking the bay with whales!

California, here we are!

June 24, 2014 By Tam Warner 9 Comments

Beautiful Santa Barbara view from the hills.

Who doesn’t want to drive the California coast? Randy and I have always talked about it, but we never did it. Now, we are doing it. At 9 1/2 months post double lung transplant, Randy is out and about and doing very well.

The Duke greeted us at John Wayne Airport.

Our trip started in Orange County, as we landed at John Wayne/Santa Ana Airport. The Duke was waiting for us. And so was Michael Hurst, aka “Don”. We had lunch and then “Don” took us for a little tour of Balboa, including the car ferry. The car ferry takes a whopping 3 cars across a canal small enough to easily swim. It is so fun and cute, though! The whole area is just gorgeous. “Don” Hurst thinks Randy looks much better than he did in January…yes, that is true. He is much stronger, and his attitude has really turned around. We have been thoroughly enjoying our trip.

Our next stop was Santa Barbara, one of the most beautiful towns you could ever find. Beach, ocean, hills, mountains, and the flora! Trees and flowers and plants of all different shapes and sizes! Parks and hiking paths every other street, it seems like. We were very fortunate to have one of our “sons from another mother (and father, too)” come to visit us in Santa Barbara. Charlie grew up with Wes, and has spent a lot of time with us, not only in Dallas, but in Cozumel. He graduated from Harvey Mudd College a year ago, and is working in Los Angeles. We had a great dinner, and laughed the entire time. My little Charlie! What a sweetheart to drive all the way to Santa Barbara to see us.

We stayed at the Hyatt Santa Barbara, and I can highly recommend the hotel. It sits across the street from the beautiful beach. My “niece” (my friend/family relationships tend to be complicated and confusing, sorry) lives near Valencia, and she brought her two children for a beach day with me. Randy is wisely not spending much time on the beach, he is 50 times more likely now to get skin cancer, so he needs to stay out of the sun! Or wear sunscreen, which is so difficult to get him to do.

We enjoyed dinner one night at Brophy Brothers, on the pier. Dee-licious and excellent views. I walked the pier, and there is a statue of a seahorse with a boy riding on it, a gift from Santa Barbara’s sister city, Puerto Vallarta. Unusual, but hey, certainly an interesting statue.

Santa Barbara's seahorse. — Santa Barbara’s seahorse.

If you have not visited Santa Barbara, make your reservations right now! It really is stunning, with perfect weather, and gorgeous scenery. As Randy’s illness has reminded us, you only have NOW. Make your NOW count.

The Glorious California Coast!

June 22, 2014 By Tam Warner 3 Comments

I have been on the go and traveling, traveling, traveling for a week, but now I am tucked away in Shelter Cove, California, with a view of the rugged coast from right to left. Glorious! I will settle down now to write some posts, but in the meantime, enjoy some fabulous California photos!

Travel Adventures!

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