Debbie Macomber's Blog, page 42

Moving at the rate of a turtle

Wayne and I are going bike riding this afternoon.  Now, I admit that Florida is nice and flat, unlike the hilly landscape in the Pacific NW, where I learned firsthand that riding a bike can be brutal. So taking up bike-riding here in Florida sounded like fun. Here I wouldn’t need to worry about battling those dreadful hills, pumping my legs for all they’re worth, sticking my butt in the air and struggling to breathe.  Wrong!  What I didn’t count on was the Florida wind. So here I am, on my new bike, peddling to save Dixie, giving it my all, moving at the rate of a turtle. And once again my butt is in the air.  Sigh.

Walking in water

Wayne and I have been “walking” in the pool every morning for a week.  We put on the Oldies radio station and be-bop in the pool, dancing, walking and talking.  I call it our Pool Talk Time.  What I find amazing is that we’re together nearly 24/7 here in Florida (in Port Orchard I have an off-site office and staff), but in Florida it’s just the two of us.  Still, we have so much to chat about.  While the exercise is good for both of us, and the music brings back such great memories, what I enjoy most is chatting and dancing in the water with my husband.

A bicycle for me!

Wayne surprised me with a new bicycle for Mother’s Day a day early, so Saturday afternoon we went for a ride to try it out.  You know what they say about never forgetting how to ride a bike?  Don’t believe it!  Well, once I was on the bike it sort of came back to me.  The getting on and getting started were the hard parts.  Earlier in the year Wayne bought himself a recumbent bicycle. Unfortunately, that’s about the same time he fell and broke his arm, which meant no bike for Wayne for a while. Now that his arm has healed, we’re making up for lost time and are determined to get out every day.

Mother's Day

I’ll be away from our family this Mother’s Day which is rare for me. I’ve often flown back to Washington just so I could spend the day with my children.  When they were younger I had them work in the yard on Mother’s Day, weed the flower beds while I planted our herb garden.  Even now I can hear them mutter and complain.  To their credit everyone dug in, and after two of three hours we were finished.  Then we’d go to dinner at my favorite Chinese restaurant.  So for this Mother’s Day I’m going to let Wayne treat me to Chinese food, although he’s quick to remind me I’m not his mother.

Wayne's Birthday

I’m off again this week on another business trip, this time for three days. I travel a lot, so it isn’t unusual for me to return home from one trip, wash clothes and repack.  Unfortunately, this trip means I’ll be away from Wayne on his birthday, which is tomorrow, May 8. That’s right—Victory in Europe Day (from World War II).



Yesterday I cooked Wayne’s favorite dinner for him with peach cobbler for dessert and made sure there were enough leftovers to hold him until I return. While I’m away what I’d like you to do, my faithful readers, is post birthday greetings to my dear husband either via my website guestbook (http://debbiemacomber.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=nnp&pageID=2) or on my Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/DebbieMacomberWorld). Many thanks in advance. Meanwhile, here’s that peach cobbler recipe, given to me by a friend:



Peach Cobbler

Melt 1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter in a 9” x 11” pan



In a bowl combine:

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk



Pour mixture onto melted butter.



Dump one large can (28-32 oz) of sliced, undrained peaches over butter and flour mixture. Do not stir.

Bake at 350 degrees until brown and bubbly, approximately 45 minutes.

What Time Zone am I in Again?

I was awake at 3 a.m. again this morning.  It seems my body hasn’t figured out what time zone it’s in just yet.  Waking early does has one advantage--I had three loads of laundry done before 6 a.m.  Wayne (who seems to be suffering from the same problem), Bogie, and I were finished with our morning walk by 7 a.m. and we still had the entire day stretching out before us.  This afternoon I’m packing my bags again for a quick business trip to NY.  Does anyone remember what time zone that’s in?

Nice and Monaco

Wayne and I are home after a lovely, lovely time away.  We spent the last two days of our vacation in Nice with its spice market and colorful flower market.  On Friday we had the opportunity to visit Monaco—think James Bond 007 at Monte Carlo.  I’m pleased to tell you my French has greatly improved.  Before we left, all my two years of high school French allowed me was the ability to conjugate verbs.  Now I can read a menu and order wine.  After nearly three weeks I’m here to tell you everything written about French wine, cheese and pastries is spot on. Ooo-la-la!!



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Cruising the Rhone River

Wayne and I have so enjoyed touring the wine growing regions in France along the Rhone River.  We've walked through the vineyards, met with wine makers and enjoyed sampling the wine.  Each appellation, or growing area, has its own unique soil, which brings out certain flavors in the wine.  It's been quite a challenge to distinguish the flavors and scents (or nose) of the wines.  Some people can detect the aroma of black current. Others smell strawberries or cherries.  Me, with my discerning pallet . . . I smell grapes!

Bordeaux, France

Wayne and I have been in the city of Bordeaux, France, for a few days.  We took a side trip and walked in the walled city of Saint Emilion.  Wayne bought a French beret, and I think he looks handsome wearing it!  In fact, he has been mistaken as being a Frenchman!  We had a private tour of Chateau Lasseque, a wine estate.  Our tour guide, Monique, arranged for us to sample their 2011 vintage, which has yet to be bottled.  Fantastique!



Yesterday we decided to have a light lunch, and, since we were in Bordeaux, we settled on cheese and bread at a wine bar close to the hotel.  We had sampled wine at this bar the night before, so we felt confident we could communicate on our own. Wrong! When the order arrived we realized we had ordered three large glasses of wine each instead of one! I know our tour guide will chuckle when she hears about our adventure!

London!

We had a great time in London, England.   One of our stops was the Imperial War Museum .  Wayne ventured to other parts while I went to the WWII section.  I was especially interested in the V-Day displays because my dad was involved in that.  It gave me a much deeper appreciation of the war.  We also visited the Churchill War Room and saw where Churchill conducted many of the planning meetings.  Wayne has been studying military history, so naturally all of this was extremely interesting to both of us.



The next day was less somber and included shopping for antiques in Porto Bello Road.  I was thrilled to find and purchase a map of North America from the 1600s.