My name is Marion Vermazen. I am a traveler, hiker, reader, Sun alumnus, computer geek, YouTuber, Spanish and French language student, knitter, weaver and genealogist.
We are on vacation in Estes Park, Colorado. We flew in yesterday. By volunteering to take a later flight we got reimbursement from Southwest. Given that the tickets were free Rapid Rewards tickets that is very cool.
We are staying in a wonderful room at the Caste Mountain Lodge. It is 45 degrees here, windy and sunny. We are off to do some hiking. More later.
I’m in Atlanta on business. I flew out Sunday and will be flying home tomorrow night. A group of us are getting some training on PortfolioMinder reports which has been incredibly useful. There are so many different ways to look at investments and the return that is being achieved that it has been really good to spend some time focused on the canned reports that come with the product.
Unfortunately there was no time for site seeing. I have been out to Atlanta once before on business but I have yet to see anything but the freeways of Atlanta. The weather has been absolutely perfect. Maybe next time I’ll get to see Atlanta.
In my last posting I mentioned our weekend trip to the California gold country. For one of the nights of our long weekend we stayed at a winery, bed and breakfast that we have stayed at before and love. Not only is it in a beautiful setting with big comfortable rooms and a wonderful view but it is really fun to talk to the owners Brian and Diane about how they built the winery and the bed and breakfast. Fitzpatrick’s seems like proof that you can achieve what you dream about if you are willing to persevere and work hard. Fitzpatrick’s is a magical place. It is a big log lodge sitting on top of a hill in the middle of a vineyard. We love staying there.
Not long after we got back we got an email saying that Brian and Diana are selling Fitzpatrick’s. It is really fun to read about what they have built and now are selling and why.
How many places are truly unique? So many restaurants, stores, homes and towns feel like they are just copies of one another. It is rare to find a place and a restaurant, especially in the San Francisco bay area that is not just like all the others. I think maybe homogenization comes with population density.
A few weeks ago Duke and I took a long weekend and went up to the California gold country. On our way we stopped for lunch in Isleton, a small town on the Sacramento river delta. Isleton feels unique. The shops and restaurants all have character. The restaurant we stopped at for lunch is well worth going out of your way to eat at. This trip was the third time we have eaten at the River’s edge. Every meal we have had there has been special. The cafe is in an old renovated building. The hardwood floors look original and are accented by purple tile. The eggplant green and purple walls are decorated with geometric modern art. The result is a warm wonderful feeling before you even open the menu.
But the food………… ah my mouth is watering just thinking about it. All the sandwiches come with salads, mine had fresh, wonderful, room temperature greens with a tangy raspberry dressing. My sandwich was chicken meatloaf and Duke’s was the roast lamb. Both were on homemade facacia bread with homemade mayonnaise that brought out the flavor of the meat.
The breakfast menu had my mouth watering too. So last weekend we drove out to the River’s Edge for breakfast and then took tours of the Jelly Belly factory and the Budweiser factory which are in nearby Fairfield. With all the rain we have had and the concern about the integrity of California’s levees it was interesting to drive on top of one of the levee’s along the river. Isleton feels like it is way below the level of the river. Our breakfast at the River’s Edge didn’t disappoint me.
The River’s Edge is worth making a special trip to visit. Next time you are driving down highway 80 from the Bay Area to Sacramento take a detour to Isleton and the River’s Edge. You won’t regret it.
Duke and I just got back from a nice 3 day mini vacation to Las Vegas. We left Sunday morning and just got back. We played some Black Jack and won enough to pay our air fare. Winning is sure a lot more fun than losing. We hadn’t been to Las Vegas in about 8 years and there are a lot of new casinos. The Venetian and the new Wynn Las Vegas were my favorites. We stayed at The Mandalay Bay which was very nice. We got a pretty good deal. I would definitely stay there again. We saw the show Mamma Mia which I would recommend if you want some light entertainment. It was enjoyable. I’m back to work tomorrow and the countdown to the launch of PortfolioMinder. It is getting close so all the support processes and systems are in final testing.
Marion's Blog 