Fabulous Photos Friday: Cornwall, England

May 23, 2014 By Tam Warner 5 Comments

Cornwall! Just the name thrills me! Cornwall is a mystical land where fairies, and piskies (“the little people”), and ghosts roam; where Percival threw Excalibur into Dozmary Pool; the birthplace of Arthur Pendragon (Tintagel) and the lovers Tristan and Isolde….and the setting of the novels I avidly read growing up. Daphne du Maurier’s classic novel, Jamaica Inn; and a host of novels written by Victoria Holt, aka Phillippa Carr. My imagination took wing, and I could see the ghostly images of the Nine Maidens turned to stone because they danced on a Sunday; the Hurlers and the Pipers who were also turned to stone for the same reason; Jamaica Inn, home of wreckers and pirates and smugglers; the Mermaids of Zennor and Padstow. The Cheesewring, a granite geological feature on Bodmin Moor which was supposedly created by giants; St Michael’s Mount, where a young boy named Jack led an angry Giant to his death. Yes, Cornwall is a land of magic! (I will save the Arthurian locations for another photo blog as Cornwall, and England, have so many sites commemorating the events of Arthur’s legend).

I’m not sure how to explain how I felt when I arrived in Cornwall. It’s beauty and strange landscapes were much more than I had ever imagined! I booked Jamaica Inn, (a place known to be haunted by those killed by wreckers and pirates) for 3 nights, excited to explore the area of Bodmin Moor. The Inn frightened me to the point where we checked out the next morning and left! I don’t know if it is really haunted, or if it was just the knowledge and atmosphere of the evil carried out there by wreckers (men who lured ships onto the rocks, killed the crew and stole the ship’s cargo), but I couldn’t stand being there! There was just something….wrong, evil. Randy, my husband, and my two children, Ally and Wes, said they could feel it as well. I won’t be sleeping there again!

Randy at the incredible Minack Theater, built into the Cornish Cliffs

Wes on Bodmin Moor, the Cheesewring on the hill

One of many little waterways in Cornwall — One of many little waterways on the moors of Cornwall, so magical!

St George slaying the dragon, Zennor Church

uk 07 bodmin horsey — A pony roaming the moor

uk 07 little lamb on bodmin moor — A lamb gamboling about the moor

Happy as a pig in mud, Greeb's Farm, Land's End — Happy as a pig in mud, Greeb’s Farm, Land’s End

uk 07 lands end farm — Greeb’s Farm, Land’s End

Such a cute little goat! — Such a cute little goat at Land’s End

St Michael's Mount, home of the St. Aubyn Family — St Michael’s Mount, home of the St. Aubyn Family, and where Jack killed a Giant

Wes and Ally with visitors at our hotel in Penzance

Cornwall- Da and I — Randy and Ally at Land’s End

IMPORTANT! Facebook has decided to charge pages like Travels with Tam a fee to share posts, even with people who have Liked our page. I have over 3,600 fans, but only 47 saw my Mother’s Day Post! This sucks, right? If you are on Google +, so am I, and if you’d like to get my posts you should subscribe via email, on the upper right of the page. I will be so so happy if you do!!!!

Road Trip to Bossier City, LA???

May 20, 2014 By Tam Warner 10 Comments

The Horseshoe Resort and Casino in Bossier City, LA

Yep. I took a road trip from Dallas to Bossier City, LA. In case you don’t know, Bossier City is just across the Red River from Shreveport, LA. And it has gambling casinos….lots of them! I am true to Caesar’s Group, so I stayed at The Horseshoe, a very nice resort located on the river. Actually, all of the casinos are on the river. Why? Because gambling (with a couple of exceptions like New Orleans) is only allowed on riverboats. The Horseshoe Casino is built as a “riverboat”, and they even start the engines once in a while as law requires. It is, however, attached solidly to the rest of the resort. It looks pretty funny, doesn’t it?

Riverboat is on the bottom left, and downtown Shreveport across the Red River

Heading east from Dallas is depressing given my Ohio born and bred sensibilities. Dallas could not be any flatter, or less appealing as you drive the labyrinth of expressways to get out of the city. Ugh. Concrete and more concrete. It is mid-May and the wildflowers are mostly gone, though a few remain as one drives farther east. The land around Dallas is dry, flat, with short trees…and although I left Ohio 30 years ago, I still miss the green, rolling hills and fields of cattle and crops…corn, wheat, tomatoes, strawberries, pumpkins…trees hundreds of years old; tall, reaching for the sky. My favorites were always the Blue Spruce pines. They are so beautiful, and huge, and yes, they really are blue-ish.

It gets better as one drives into East Texas. East Texas is filled with pine trees, none as tall and glorious as the Blue Spruce, but some pines are better than none. There are lakes, and taller trees, and even some inclines in East Texas! The green of East Texas is soothing and pretty heading toward Louisiana.

I spent two nights at the Horseshoe, and happily played video poker for hours and hours, leaving a winner! I was introduced to video poker when I was 23 years old, by my compulsive gambler mother (though she was not compulsive at the time because my dad was still alive and able to drag her away from her beloved slots). Of course, if he hadn’t been there she wouldn’t have left, so perhaps that compulsive gambler was always in there. Digression. I love poker, and hate the slowness of the poker tables, so video poker and I are happy companions. I have studied the statistics of the games, and adhere to my poker strategy. I was certainly lucky this time!

Like Kenny Rogers says, “you got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em”…and “I found an ace that I could keep”. Here are MY aces!

So much delicious food in Seattle!

May 13, 2014 By Tam Warner 5 Comments

by Suzanne Simone Stavert of ADVENTURES OF

EMPTY NESTERS.

Eating all of the delicious food in Seattle is one of my favorite things about going there.

My goodness we had a great time and many of our favorites times were discovering new restaurants in a city with so many culinary delights! All I can say is food, food and more food…Leslie turned to me on Day Two of our gastronomic adventure and exclaimed, “No more, I can’t eat another bite!” (Truth: She did eat one more time at Sunday lunch! Sorry Les!) The good news is that in addition to eating our way through Seattle, we walked endless miles as well. We must balance the calorie intake with calories burned…right?

I really could write several posts about where we went to eat and how each chef dazzled us with their talent. I guess that would not be so bad to read about would it? Seriously though,I am the one who takes photos of most of my meals in restaurants. The dishes are so gorgeously presented on the plate, they are like works of art! One meal that could be characterized as one of our most favorites was breakfast atPortage Bay. The food is large, local, organic, tasty, sustainable and oh so delicious! We giggled all through breakfast at how fortunate we were to be eating there!

They have a unique pancake topping bar that contains huge glass bowls piled high with strawberries, blueberries, pears and boysenberries. There is a mountain of whipped cream, a small “hill” of butter and pitchers of pure warm maple syrup. I can honestly say that I have never witnessed a more gorgeous set up for breakfast. These were just the toppings! It was ridiculously good.

I believe you would characterize these photos as “food porn”. It was so fun to throw our diets out the window and splurge on these amazing dishes.

In addition to serving delicious food the owners of Portage Bay have a simple philosophy about food and I LOVE THIS!

Eat like you give a damn about…

where your food comes from
what goes in your body
the ethics of how your food is raised and handled
how your food tastes
the environment

When you combine delicious food with a company who cares about the rest of the world it is a home run in my book. If you are in Seattle, visiting Portage Bay is a must. Love this place! <3

Hungry now?

Fab Photos Friday: An Awesome 4th Dive Day in Cozumel!

May 9, 2014 By Tam Warner 5 Comments

Our last day of diving went well. I very much enjoyed my days with Challenge Diving, they do a great job. On my dives were people from Colorado…and one man from New Jersey. He was a hoot. Italian, with a great Jersey accent, and a name like DeLucci! On our second dive, Greg DeLucci’s mask broke. It was bad enough that he had to ascend. On his safety stop, I glanced up to make sure he was doing all right, when I saw what looked like glass falling through the water to the reef. I went after it, and it turned out it was his prescription lens. As a diver with a prescription mask, I appreciate how devastating the loss of a lens would be during a trip! When I ascended and was in the dive boat, I told him I found the lens, and he could not have been any happier! He told me that just before I came up, he had said, “Tony Tony please come down, something’s lost and must be found!” I had never heard that before…but it turns out it is something he says to St Anthony (Patron Saint of the Lost) when he loses something. Of course, he calls him Tony. Funny guy!

take nothing with you and leave only bubbles when you dive!

The trials of Tam en Cozumel, Mexico!

April 27, 2014 By Tam Warner 27 Comments

Did I mention I was traveling to Cozumel? Well, I haven’t been here since last July, and Randy became so critically ill right after we got home (glad he didn’t go critical in Cozumel, he wouldn’t be here), and many things have just been put to the side because of Randy’s recovery. The need to find new management prompted the visit, but a lot needs to be done. So, now painting is scheduled, I’m oiling some furniture (yes, OILING it, it is wood), I bought new appliances, and new outdoor furniture, and new kitchen stuff, and lamps…etc. A lot of other things are in the works. I’m spending tomorrow making sure we all have our duckies in a row.

What struck me when I arrived was the quiet. The Cozumel government decided (finally!) to enforce the one way only coastal road between the ocean and our home. Now the traffic is southbound only, and no taxis allowed. The other lane is for walkers, bikers, runners, scooters, segway tours, and things like that. It is so quiet! I hear my chimes in the breeze, the birds, the wind through the palms, and even the ocean once in a while! (we are on the leeward side of Cozumel where the water is very calm). I’ve just been mesmerized by it! Today is Sunday, so the locals are on the beach, but they will leave southbound instead of northbound! Awesome. This is just fantastico!

So, the first day I arrived I jumped in the water to snorkel right away. It was very peaceful….and I’m staying shallow because I am alone. But shallow is fine. I met with our new managers the next morning, and it went very well, even though I was so distracted by the quiet and the blue of the water. Then I had things to do, like go over to the mainland and buy stuff. I hate taking any time away from the water, but I forced myself on the ferry. Of course, as I pulled out of our palapa to leave, I accidentally hit the rear view mirror driver side and busted it. Ever tried driving without it? I do NOT recommend it. I ended up taping it on! So off to Playa del Carmen. I found a cab, told him I wanted to go to Liverpool *(department store) spend 30 minutes shopping and rush back to catch the next ferry back. So that is what we did. It took a little more than 30 minutes…even though I had all the model numbers ready, it takes them a while to figure out the sale. Whatever, just hurry it up! After 45 minutes or so I was finished, so back to Playa. I needed water so I stopped into an Oxxo, and left my Liverpool bag in the store. Don’t worry, I got it back. I also realized on the ferry over that I had forgotten to bring my cell phone. Oh, and I also forgot to lock the door to my house. It is so true: I would leave my head behind if it was not attached. Idiot!

I had a couple of nice, easy going dive days, then scheduled a day of the cursed shopping. I went to the lighting store, Boxito, which is a big retailer here for home decor. The light I want is hanging on display. But I was informed it does not exist. It’s in the 2014 catalog. Oh. Well, it is no longer available. Anywhere in Mexico. Sorry. OH! There are two in Playa del Carmen. I said great, I’ll take those two and the light on display at the store, and that will make the 3 lights I need. THAT was an issue. Special permission would be needed. The next thing I know, the lights are not in Playa, they are nowhere to be found in Mexico. Period. My head was spinning. Then it was off to Sam’s with Laurel, our next door neighbor and former manager. Now, when I shop, I walk in, tell them what I want, then I get OUT. I hate shopping, especially here. It took over an hour for me to buy the things I needed. The salesperson had to check with his superiors a million times. Anyone not familiar with the 3rd world would have an attack if they went shopping down here for anything other than souvenirs.

Now, there may be people who bristle at my calling Mexico a third world country, the now PC term “developing nation”. But it is. And here is why, I have one criteria for whether or not a place is 3rd world. If the country still uses carbon paper to make copies, it is 3rd world. End of story. And yes, they still use carbon paper down here. It has come a long way, but they still use carbon paper. It is also the truth that in every 3rd world country I have visited I have noticed the lack of problem solving skills. There must be a study on this, I will have to look. But from Mexico to Zimbabwe to Mozambique to Nairobi…no one seems to be able to solve a problem. And when YOU come up with the solution, they look at you as though you just grew 3 heads. And of course, they don’t do it. They just pass you on to the next person who will not be able to help you.

A sunset while snorkeling.... — A sunset while snorkeling….

Ah. As I sit in my dining room, looking at the bluest of Caribbean seas, I have to admit it is worth the aggravation to be here. I snorkeled once today, but I need to go back out at sunset and hunt for octopus. Today I looked for seahorses. No, I did not find any, but I know they are there! Well, back to oiling my table, then heading out to see what is going on in MY ocean. I’ll let you know.

A delightful bonus on Maui: Amazing food!

April 24, 2014 By Tam Warner 4 Comments

A wonderful foodie travel post from Suzanne Stavert of Adventures of Empty Nesters! As we grow older we experience different stages in our lives… being an Empty Nester is a really big one! The kids have moved out of the house and we are ready for the next step. Aren’t we? Maybe not, maybe so, but this site is a great way to share ideas and enjoy the triumphs and stories with each other! by Suzanne Stavert

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.”
― Julia Child

When I travel, I feel that the quality of the food Craig and I eat is as important as the exciting destination. Do you feel the same? I recently wrote about our unbelievable vacation at the extraordinary Andaz Maui at Wailea. If I haven’t enticed you to go there because of the property and the views… the food will seal the deal! The cuisine at the Ka’ana Kitchen is some the most incredible food I have had in a long time and in some cases, EVER. I realize that is quite a statement, but it is totally true.

Before we leave for a trip, I research where we are going and our trip to Maui was no exception. As they say at the Andaz Maui at Wailea: “We bring you the best dining on the island from local farmers, foragers and locavores, and we procure many of our ingredients exclusively from Ka’ana Farm and its neighbors”. They even print on the menu the names of the farms where the local fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy come from.

While staying at the beachfront resort, we enjoyed most of our meals (breakfast and dinner) at their signature restaurant Ka’ana Kitchen. As a self proclaimed “foodie” I was in gastronomic heaven! We also enjoyed lunch poolside one day as well.

On most days,we started with a delicious and rather enormous brunch. It was enormous because there were so many tantalizing choices, I could not decide! Do I choose the custom made omelet? The vast array of pastries, Ginger Scones, Taro Scones, Grilled Smashed Potatoes and housemade sausage, Macadamia Nut Waffles, Kale Salad, tropical fruits…the list goes on! Each day we were served a green juice of the day as well as a bit sweeter fruit juice of the day. Seriously? Oh my gosh they were great. One of each please! I always put way too much on the plate, but I wanted so badly to try all of it! Afterward, we took long walks along the gorgeous beaches and attempted to work off the morning’s calories.

Before we left for Maui I had made several dinner reservations at other restaurants at hotels which are very popular and well known. Once I had tasted the food from Ka’ana Kitchen, I cancelled them all. I have never done that before on a vacation. The food was so damn good we did not want to leave!

The Juice Bar! Are you kidding??

Two of our phenominal dinners were spent sitting at the chef’s table directly in the restaurant kitchen. We had a front row seat to observe all of the well orchestrated activity in the kitchen. We were thrilled to spend time talking with Chefs Isaac and MiJin. Although they were incredibly busy,they stopped to chat and talk about food, ingredients and the dishes they were preparing. I felt like a teenager hanging out with a rock star! I LOVED IT! We were also seated next to the bar where they created handcrafted cocktails with unique flavor combinations. They were crazy delicious! It was such a treat for me to be a part of their world if only for a short time!

Our view of Chef MiJin- So fun!

Our adorable and talented bartenders

So what did we eat? Lucky for you I take pictures of my meals if they are particularly photogenic!

Did I say… we ate AMAZING FOOD in Maui!

Here you go…A feast for the eyes!

Poolside – Lobster Grilled Cheese, yes I said lobster!

Chopped Kale Salad – My favorite

Hand Crafted Raspberry Lemonade

Brunch – Enormous, but worth every bite

Extraordinary Dinners

Lobster Ceviche – Out of this world!

Grilled Octopus Salad – A first for me!

Bigeye Ahi -My favorite dish of the trip (I ordered it twice)

Craig and I eat out a great deal and when we travel, we especially look forward to visiting great restaurants and experiencing local cuisine. I am such a food geek, I am constantly reading about chefs and what they are creating and we attend food and wine events whenever we can. I often hear from friends who are traveling and they need a restaurant recommendation. I have even begun writing guides to some of the major US cities that we frequent.

To be clear, I did not eat all of these dishes at each meal, they were spread out over the week! I could have posted photos of several more enticing plates, but I restrained myself! If have not impressed upon you enough, the delicious farm to table food was a highlight of our stay in Maui. It was such a treat!

I can’t wait to plan my trip back to the Andaz Maui at Wailea.

Travel Adventures!