Where did this year go??? I cannot believe it is November already. Retirement has proven to be busier and way more fun than I ever imagined.
In mid-October, my husband and I took off on a two-week road trip. We drove from southern Florida all the way to Maine, stopping along the way to do some touristy things, but mostly visited friends. We used AI, Google’s Gemini, to plan our trip, and it was a fantastic resource! We drove a Tesla Model Y, so charging stops had to be planned, which luckily for me, coincided with my need to stop every few hours and walk around.
Our first stop wasn’t until Savannah, Georgia, so the first day involved some serious driving. Just getting out of the state of Florida is a loooong drive! I’ve wanted to visit Savannah since I read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, so we spent the night at a boutique hotel and the morning wandering the city – Gemini came through again and plotted out a 2-hour walking tour with a coffee break in the middle. It was lovely, but I have to say I was a little disappointed. I was expecting beautiful old homes and historic architecture, which there was plenty of, but there were also a lot of big chain hotels and too much touristy stuff. Then it was back on the road with our next stop in North Carolina, where we spent a couple of days with my best friend from high school!
We visited other friends in Charlotte (Hi Kathy & Chris!) and Lewisville (Hi Caitlin, Zach & Connor!) then headed to Virginia. We went to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, which houses the largest collection of Fabergé eggs outside Russia, then went to Fredericksburg to see Amy. my favorite boss, who became a good friend.
Then it was off to NY to see my son and his family before visiting Portland, Maine, where one of my closest friends moved over 20 years ago – and it was my first visit! Absolutely loved Portland, and I managed the cold with plenty of layers. Lynne & Jess booked us an amazing trolley tour of the city and took us to their favorite restaurant. The lobster almost makes it worth the weather…
Then we started heading south, and spent a couple of days with some friends in Scituate, Massachusetts. Ann and Steve drove us all over Scituate, then took us to Cape Cod, which was gorgeous, and to a local art museum. We also got to see Plymouth Rock (or as they call it, Disappointing Rock – it’s pretty small!) and the Mayflower II, a replica of the original, which was also much smaller than expected.
After that, we headed home. It took three days of driving 8+ hours a day. The ride itself was glorious – my first autumn in many years, and it was spectacular! We only stopped for charging the car, walking around a bit, eating, and sleeping – the least fun part of the trip. That included stops at Buc-ees, which is amazing – tons of Tesla chargers, great food, and oh, so important – immaculate bathooms. We listened to podcasts, practiced our Spanish, and honestly, thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Our next trip will be Disney with the grandkids, then to Panama to start our visa process! Lots of exciting stuff ahead.
Food News
10 Costco purchases chefs swear by
When it comes to cooking at home, chefs like the rotisserie chicken, frozen vegetables, Parmigiano-Reggiano and more. And so do I!
Need a Treat? Here Are Our 24 Best Fall Baking Recipes.
It’s Bake Time! Celebrate the start of the season with these crowd-pleasing recipes.
Good News
Inmates drew portraits of shelter dogs. Then the adoptions began.
The hand-drawn sketches are helping overlooked pooches find homes.
Just FYI, I still have a few reviews in the hopper, so they will show up as the books are published. Comments are always welcome! Thanks for reading.
Thanks to The New York Times and The Washington Post for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles and recipes, a lovely perk for subscribers!
Posted by Stacy Alesi 
