Wheels Down: Heading South Where It's Cooler

Hitting the road again and decided to reactivate the blog after a 4 year hiatus.  Figured it would be the most efficient way to communicate with (or bore to death) family, friends and Facebook followers (assuming the IFTT recipe functions properly). This is the first summer in quite a while that Pleep won't be tied up editing and managing a new Collins blog.  (At least he's planning on having the summer off although Facebook rumors about a Collins trip to Cuba may alter those plans.)

We are always asked about why we head to Florida in July.  It's actually a no-brainer decision: 1) Temperatues & humidity in Daytona are typically better than Kansas.  2) Always a nice breeze off the ocean. 3) Our neighbor graciously manages all the landscape & lawn mowing action. 4) Family and friends love visiting us on the beach.  

We're looking forward to arrival of Maggie,Crieghton & June Deasy for a long 4th of July vacation.  The Ida & Perry Parker hit town with Pleep's best buddy, Oscar.  Oscar should get to enjoy the dog beach this trip and he certainly won't need his down coat and boots.  Perry's sister Nan & brother Roger are joining them at the beach too.

Organizing the homefront for departure is always a firedrill - packing, cleaning, hand watering new trees and landscaping, backing up all the mobile devices.  Watching all the activity, Pleepleus starts getting nervous about being left behind so he tests various staging positions to see which one is the best:

With the boxes? Not very comfortable and other than the crackers not much to interest or entertain a monkey for the 1,256 miles.

With the beer? That could be a great place expect it gets loaded in a cooler, packed in a lot of ice blocks then covered with blanket and stashed in the back of VW Jetta TDI.  Plus he's been warned not to attempt drinking as these are special beers reserved for Creighton Deasy.  He's looking forward to spending lots of time with Crieghton including trips to New Smyrna Brewery and Daytona Beach Brewery.  Plus a trip to the surfer bar is always a must do.

With the finding nemo cocoon crocheted up for great niece June?  That is certainly a comfy idea but not very practical in the 90+ temps.  Having tried it on, Pleep's a bit concerned that while it is clearly long enough it may not be wide enough for June.  Good thing one of the boxes is filled with more yarn & tools for crocheting another one.

ETD is 28 June at 16:00 following Ed's pt session.  With luck we'll hit Fort Campbell, KY 7 hours and 35 minutes later.  TDI mileage means no stops necessary but Ladbrokes betting line is on at least one. Pending construction & traffic issues, next update might be tomorrow night.  

Big Driving Day

Pleep was very excited to be returning to Florida. He loves hitting the beach and this year is planning a surprise for Cinco de Mayo. Thanks to his friend Patti, he will be sporting a very nice outfit.

KC departure was prompt at 6:00 am. Despite several traffic issues and near collisions from bad drivers who were not paying attention, Ed pulled into the La Quinta in Stockbridge, Georgia precisely as expected at 8:15 eastern time.

Total mileage was 842 with the Jetta TDI averaging 40 mpg. Total stop time was 20 minutes for refueling & passenger unfueling, aka as a loo stop. The diesel prices were best in Missouri and thanks to the Gas Buddy app, Pleep was able to identify the best prices for the refueling in Clarksville, Tennessee.





After such a big day monkeybutting bad drivers (especially in Chattanooga & Atlanta), Pleep said Ed and Peggy deserved couple of cocktails and a nice dinner. Frontera Mex Mex Grill is one of Ed's favorite places in Stockbridge. Plus, Pleep was very excited becausethey were having a warm up Cinco de Mayo party with live music, decorations and special Patron margaritas. Ed ordered up a giant beer and Peggy opted for the margaritas.


Frontera Mex Mex is a local chain of 17 restaurants in the Atlanta area started 25 years ago by a Georgia Tech student from Mexico. Their menu is great with a mix of traditional tex-mex fare plus unique Mexican entrees. Ed opted for the pork shank osso bucco style in a spicy sauce. He was extremely pleased with the meal and with the fact that he did not end up having any heartburn. Today the drive into Daytona is short with only 425 miles. It should only take about 6 hours and because it is Saturday, Pleep does not expect to have to deal with much traffic and therefore minimum monkeybutting.

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Santa Fe

Santa Fe has again proven to be a great place to visit. Thanks to the great staff at La Fonda, especially Rebecca, our concierge, at The Terrace section. She made everything memorable topping things off with delivery of a fab bottle of champagne to toast our art acquisitions.




Snow started on Monday and continued through Tuesday night but it didn't hamper any of the activities from walking Canyon Road through sampling beers again at The Marble Brewery. When the snow started falling into David's beer, he insisted we take things indoors and continue discussions on what we needed to buy.




Patti has been eyeing one artist's bronze dogs since their visit last fall. Ed and Peggy were searching for another James Busby sculpture and a piece for the stairway wall. The gallery tour resulted in finding several interesting pieces. No one, especially Pleep, liked the monkey art depicting several of Pleep's relatives. Following a long discussion over several of Marble Brewery's IPAs, it was determined we would return to the 3 different galleries and make our purchases on Tuesday morning.




First thing Tuesday, the crew headed to one of Peggy's favorite churches, the San Miguel Mission. The docent was just coming on duty and explained the extension renovation that is nearly complete. The snow made everything very beautiful. Pleep could not convince Patti to ring the bell but several other visitors did.




The next stop was to purchase the bronze dog that Patti had decided was perfect for the backyard and in front of their fireplace. This artist models all her dogs and cats from rescue animals she keeps at her studio/ranch in Utah. Patti's pick was named Dreamer and appears to be at least part Lab.




After that, the group headed to another gallery to purchase James Busby's Texas Ranger, a bronze that will join The Gondolier and Don Quixote in the living room. The last stop was at the Due West Gallery to purchase two paintings from Thom Ross' series on The Gun Fight At The OK Corral. The afternoon wrapped up with final visit to The Marble Brewery to warm up at their fireplace and a bit of shopping for boots, clothing and Santa Fe Cooking School items.

The plan for today is a leisurely drive to Durango with a few stops in Abiquiu and other scenic spots. We expect to land at the Strater Hotel and then hit the Ska Brewery tap party for their Mexican Logger.


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Location:E Water St,Santa Fe,United States

Return To Santa Fe

The flight from Phoenix to Albuquerque went perfectly and the drive up to Santa Fe was a breeze, even given the strong winds. Patti & David joined Peggy & Ed at the La Fonda. Because Ed had been tracking things, we landed great suites in The Terraza concierge level of the hotel. The rooms are all huge with balconies that adjoin a large deck area overlooking the cathedral.




Because the weather has been so great, the famous Bell Tower 5th floor outside bar was open. The Silver Coin margaritas they make are fantastic. Patti loaded up on them as she was still recovering from the practical joke played on her by David's coworkers. They had sent an email to David demanding his attendance at a global compliance meeting scheduled for the same weekend as their upcoming wedding. It was a bit breezy but Pleep secured a nice table in the sun and plenty of blankets were available from the hotel.




Leaving the La Fonda, the crew headed over to one of everyone's favorite places, The Marble Brewery. Patti continued to assuage her feelings by ordering up a load of pilsners and pizzas. Marble Brewery's deck overlooks the famous Santa Fe Plaza area so it makes for great people watching, Sunday night offered the normal array of interesting characters, dogs and activities. The low riders cruising around in formation coupled with a lot of motorcycles caused rounds of applause from the deck crowd.





The evening came to a close back at the Gathering Room near our suites. The evening view of St. Francis combined with the bells marking the hour made for a relaxing finish. The plan for Monday is hit the galleries, dine at La Plazuela and watch KU play UK. With luck, Kansas will put on a great performance sending Calipari and crew back to KY.

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Location:E Water St,Santa Fe,United States

Spring Break

Peggy is enjoying her spring break while Ed, unfortunately, has work to do. The view from the room is fabulous, the weather is perfect, and the food is outstanding.

Yesterday's flight went very well and we landed ahead of schedule. The funny thing was the entire Arizona rattlesnakes arena football team was on the flight so not only was every seat taken but some of the seats were taken by men who were so incredibly huge they probably needed two seats.




The plan for today involves a lot of nothing. First thing was to spend some time at the pool with a nice book. Then, Peggy & Nacy headed to TJ Cooks for a fabulous chef's demonstration by Chef Lee Hillson. The menu paired several of his best dishes with wines. The event is held right at a bar in front of the grill, wood burning oven, and prep station where Chef Lee prepares evening meals.




Four courses started with watermelon and feta paired with a Prosecco. The salad took mere minutes to prepare and was fantastic, including edible orchids.


Then slow roasted pork belly on cauliflower puree paired with a Perrin Reserve Cotes du Rhone Rouge. The pork belly was prepared with a zatar rub and green harissa sauce.


The entree was pan roasted scallops with saffron gratin, sweet peppers & celery paired with a Bodegas Salentein Unoaked Chardonnay.



It all concluded with a dark chocolate hazelnut "candy bar" paired with a Vau Vintage Port.



Chef Hillson was truly entertaining, friendly and educational sharing great stories about his training, work with children's charities and even gave out his recipes. Pleep highly recommends participating in the chef's table events any time you get the chance.

Because most of this group hails in the Kansas City area there's a pitched fever about today's game with Kansas playing Ohio State. Pleep has seen Kansas choke on too many occasions so he doesn't hold out a lot hope that they're going to make it to the finals.

The evening ends with happy hour and a meal at Lon's at Hermosa Inn. hopefully Peggy and Nancy can recover sufficiently from lunch to enjoy at least a little something at Lon's.




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Location:E Camelback Rd,Phoenix,United States

On The Road Again

Pleepleus is ready for another road trip. It all starts tomorrow with the flight to Phoenix. First, he will be hooking up with one of his favorite couples - Nancy & Jay. Plans include poolside margaritas, a cooking demo at Cook's in the Royal Palm, and happy hour at Lons.

Then we head to Santa Fe where we hook-up with David & Patti. Pleep and Patti are fast friends, especially as they share a taste for Guinness. Plus, Patti crocheted Pleep's favorite hat for him to wear on St. Patrick's Day. David has tried to scare Pleep with threats about letting a relative's dog play with him but Pleep just gives David his patented monkeybutt maneuver.

After a few days in Santa Fe, the crowd will head north to Durango and the Strater Hotel. Ska Brewery, one of Pleep & Ed's favorite breweries, is having a Mexican Logger kegger.

Peggy has purchased the new iPad and the bloggerpress app so watch for a few posts from the road.

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Pleep Enjoys Friday Night Lights and Homecoming Court

Pleep was very excited when Kate invited him to the Shawnee Mission Northwest High School Homecoming game.  It was his first high school football game and Kate was also in the running for homecoming queen.  Peggy hadn't been to a high school football game since high school (which was more that just a few years ago).   Pleep was very excited when SMNW got off to a big start scoring two touchdowns and recovering a fumble all in the opening minutes.  By half time with the score 27-0, Pleep was taking credit for being the lucky monkey.  He started lobbying the crowd to name him new mascot rather than the cougar.

At halftime, all the girls who were competing for homecoming queen were walked onto the field by their dads.  Pleep was very excited and joined the Cascone girls, Kate's grandparents and friend in cheering very loudly when she walked out.  He thought the band should have given her a bigger drumroll.  When they announced the winner, Pleep was very disappointed that it wasn't Kate.  He thought she was by far the prettiest with the best dress.  Plus, she was the only girl there with her own monkey cheering squad.  

As halftime ended, Kate came up in the stands to join her crowd and watch the second half.  It started badly for SMNW with an onside kick and immediate touchdown.  Peggy warned Pleep that it was shaping up to be a repeat of the ND-USC game from her college days.  As things played out, the opposing team quickly ran up several touchdowns and had tied the game by the end of the thirds quarter, 27-27.  The bad defensive play continued and they went ahead 34-27 early in the 4th quarter.  Pleep decided to turn his attention to Kate and lobby for an invitation to the homecoming dance on Saturday night.  Kate politely explained that she already had a date and he was the quarterback.  At that point, Pleep decided it was time to head out in search of adult beverages and the Cardinals baseball game.  Kate sent Pleep a text later in the night alerting him that SMNW did end up winnning the game in overtime.