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Sunday, January 31, 2016

Florida Wildlife

Seen in the Hilton Melbourne (Florida) parking lot...






Fort Pierce, Florida: La Haciendita

We found this little taqueria on Yelp and stopped in for a snack - fabulous, especially at a price of $1.79 per taco.

Muy Bueno!






Miami: A Night at the (Florida Grand) Opera

We met Bob and Fran some number of years ago in Australia through Flyertalk.

Since then, we've gone on wine tours with them in Washington State and Alsace. Last Fall they stayed overnight with us on their way between Seattle and Vancouver, suggesting we would enjoy attending the opera Norma at the Florida Grand Opera in January. Did we ever!

We drove from their lovely waterfront home in Boca Raton the hour or so to the Adrienne Arscht Center, a rather magnificent facility.

Once we handed the rental car over to the valets, we enjoyed the convenience of dining on-site. The joint was busy, the seating was tight, the food was satisfactory, but the company was excellent.




Lobster Ravioli...

Chicken something or other...


From there we entered the auditorium / theater itself. It's definitely impressive. Understandably, no photos are allowed during the actual performance, but we snapped a few beforehand, including one of a bass (contrabass?) trombonist warming up. It was easy as we literally had front-row seats.

As to the opera itself, it was wonderful. Like a Michelin three-star restaurant, it was worth a trip. The production, coupled with a lovely visit with Bob and Fran, add up to a 2016 travel highlight - and it's only January.

We caught part of the pre-opera talk, and stuck around after the performance for an interesting question-and-answer session with the conductor, three of the four lead singers, and a couple of the backstage big shots.





A superb experience!

Friday, January 29, 2016

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Naples, Florida: Em-On's Thai Cafe

Despite the rainy weather, we're enjoying our visit with Tom.

We enjoyed a Vietnamese lunch and an American (Wyld's Cafe) dinner.

Yet another good lunch here today, including soup, larb, duck curry, and a tasty seafood dish.




Sunday, January 24, 2016

A Morning of Flying: SFO-SEA-BLI

Leaving SFO on Alaska 313 at 6:50 a.m. That's a full moon to which our photo can't do justice...

A light breakfast SFO-SEA...

Leaving SEA on AS 2486...

Mt. Baker 'peaking' out above the clouds...

Bellingham below...

Final approach into BLI...

We've "deplaned" (what a word) from the Horizon Bombardier Q400 at Bellingham and waiting for our gate-checked bag. We're home - for two sleeps.

Fishermen's Wharf and Pier 39

The Hills of San Francisco

San Francisco Cable Car Museum

Well worth a visit - and it's free!










SFO - Cathay Pacific Lounge

The good news? With an Alaska Boardroom membership we get to use the lounge.

The bad news? We're here at 5 and the noodle bar doesn't open until 7 a.m. 

Sigh...






Friday, January 22, 2016

The BLI-SEA Hop

It was rainy and windy when we took off from Bellingham on a Horizon Q400 this morning, and just a little brighter in Seattle.

We have a long enough layover in Seattle before boarding our San Francisco flight that we could try out the new Alaska Boardroom for the first time.

Leaving BLI...



Approaching SEA...