The Easy Chair: A Year Off

Diversity in Vancouver

2010-02-24T22:28:00.000-08:00

Vancouver is a melting pot of cultures- check out the various shopping and eating venues. Japadog- hungry customers waited 1-2 hours in line for a taste of Japanese style hotdogs.

JSP in the House of Pocky. Jeff in front of the House of Clogs.

Jeff's Olympic Experience

2010-02-24T22:25:00.000-08:00

A close up of Jeff's Olympic Ski Jump- do you recognize him in the air in the picture?

Miga, Jin Sun, and Quatchi

2010-02-24T22:23:00.000-08:00

JSP didn't remember who won the Olympic ski jump event at Whistler, but she will never forget Miga and Quatchi- 2 of the mascots of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Celebrity Sitings in Vancouver

2010-02-24T22:11:00.000-08:00

JSP with Tojo at his eponymous restaurant. Self proclaimed inventor of the California Roll, Tojo is the Nobu of Vancouver and the only celebrity JSP cared aboot. Tojo was gracious enough to introduce us to his other friend from the Bay Area, Raj Mathai.

We spotted Cris Collinsworth at the Bay Dept store doing some shopping on his time off from press coverage from NBC.

The OBX- Fishing

2009-10-08T15:29:00.001-07:00

We caught all kinds of 'exotic' fish- including this robin fish, a few puffer fish, flounder, and a trigger fish. They were all part of a stew cooked later that evening- eaten only by the truly courageous.

The Outer Banks, NC

2009-10-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

The Park Family Vacation in the Outer Banks, NC. Activities included: Golf, swimming, sunbathing, sightseeing, fishing, and more!

Burning Man- Part 5

2009-10-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

The Chant- no, that's not Jeff with the yellow top hat and camelback...

Burning Man- Part 4

2009-09-24T11:29:00.001-07:00

Jeff's favorite hangout was the Hug Deli. "I'd like one Long Uncomfortable Hug with a side of Back Scratch, please."
Another Jeff favorite- just a few feet from our camp. We saw too many exhibitionists taking that advice literally- out and about in 'Burntown'.

Burning Man- Part 3 (The DMV)

2009-09-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

The Black Rock City Dept of Mutant Vehicles licensed these outrageous cars to drive around. That's an actual working ferris wheel and the Golden Gate was being driven from camp to camp for all to see.

Burning Man- Part 2 (Day 1)

2009-09-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

The Man to be Burned- right behind JSP.

The art installations were a sight to see. Here are a few that were interactive and bigger than life.

Burning Man 2009- Part 1

2009-09-07T18:08:00.002-07:00

Yes, Jeff and I went to Burning Man! It was a last minute decision and fortunately, we were able to join our friends' Juliane and Andre's camp, Kitchen Chromosome.

Here we are arriving into Burning Man 2009. We get hauled out of our car to join some Burning Man vets in a rite of passage- the Dust Angel and Ringing of the Bell. It was just the beginning.

South Lake Tahoe- Fire and Ice

2009-09-07T18:08:00.001-07:00

We ventured to South Lake for some eating, socializing, and gambling with D$ and the Szizzle. You may remember them from their rockin' party in blog post dated 8/27/09. Here we are at Fire & Ice- a DIY Mongolian Grill of sorts.

New Extreme Sport- Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP)

2009-09-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

We tried out the newest watersports craze on the lake- Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP). It's actually one of the easiest activities and quite leisurely. JSP swore her heart rate never jumped above 90 BPM and immediately wished for a faster board. We can't decide if this really qualifies as 'JinStreme'- especially when most of our pictures are of us lazing around in the water.

North Lake Tahoe- End of Season Chillaxation

2009-09-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

Jeff and I spent the last half of Aug and the beginning of Sept in North Lake Tahoe. Our days are filled with exploring local hangouts and enjoying the beauty of the lake. Here we are at Pier 111 at Hyatt@Incline Village. Afterwards, we had dinner at the Eagle Grill- a perfect ending to the day.

Weekend in SF- Celebrating D$ and Jules

2009-08-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

The Szizzle and D$ hosted a gathering in San Francisco to celebrate D$'s birthday and Jule's visit to SF. For those of you still on FB, you've seen a few of these already. If you've already fled FB, enjoy.

Shirtless in Tahoe!

2009-08-27T18:05:00.001-07:00

This photo is proof that we actually saw this on the boulevard. We couldn't decide if it should be filed under "Shirtless" or "Brazilian or Gay"

Salina, KS- Cheese Free Sliders @ Cozy Inn

2009-08-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

Our Road Food book has never steered us wrong. We stopped in Salina, KS for the home of the one of the original slider joints opened back in 1922. They serve their sliders with onions and no cheese- you provide the mustard and ketchup. No exceptions- well, except for Jeff who asked very nicely during a non peak time...

http://www.cozyburger.com/history.html

Kansas City BBQ- Arther Bryant's

2009-08-26T18:03:00.000-07:00

Little known fact: From Sept 1996 to March 1997, JSP lived in Kansas City, MO. She lived with her co-worker from Accenture, Nancy, in a 2 bdr apartment above Houston's in the Plaza. They had rented furniture from CORT and a Schwinn exercise bike.

Besides that, Arthur Bryant's burnt ends sandwich was the only other thing she remembered.

Road Food- Foot High Pies @ Blue Springs Cafe

2009-08-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

There was no way we weren't going to stop for Foot High Pie at the Blue Springs Cafe on our way to Kansas City, MO. We had chicken dumplings and a piece of the chocolate pie. Mmmm...

Here's are a few more detailed words and pictures of the place and their pie...
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=13677

B-Town in O-Town- Ottawa that is...

2009-08-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

Our last stop in Canada was Ottawa to visit Jeff's cousins, Andy, Sheli, and their three kids. As with the rest of Canada, it's an impeccably clean and friendly town with beautiful sights and a picturesque waterfront. Did you know it was the capital city of Canada?

In case you were wondering, according to Andy's son, Liam, Ralph's has the best bacon in the world.

Montmorency Falls, Quebec

2009-08-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

On our way out of Quebec, we stopped by Montmorency Falls. You can't tell from these pictures but these falls are higher than Niagara Falls by 275 ft.

Sting in Quebec!

2009-08-24T18:50:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Quebec at the best time of the year- right at the final weekend of the summer music festival. The city was crowded but not overwhelmed by festival goers, and the festival itself was very well organized. The festival is 11 days of live music- all kinds from reggae to pop, classical to hip-hop. It cost only $45 for an 11 day pass!!! It's the best deal and we highly recommend it if you ever decide to take a vacation to Quebec in the summer. Feist opened for Sting- here are some pics of the concert and the after party.

Ville de Quebec

2009-07-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

We made it to the beautiful city of Quebec- the furthest north either of us had been in eastern Canada. It's everything you ever heard about Quebec and more- charming, quaint, pretty, European, etc. Here are some pics of the old town- surrounded by ramparts, one of the only remaining fortified walls in North America. And yes, everyone spoke French as their first language...

Shirtless in Canada!

2009-07-25T16:06:00.000-07:00

We had lunch at a rooftop bar at a swanky hotel... lo and behold- shirtless is back! Although one might argue it's never really gone away. A year round look perhaps?

The Sights in Montreal

2009-07-22T20:30:00.003-07:00

Habitat 67- an ubercool housing complex built for the World Expo 67.
The Biosphere- The US contribution to the World Expo 67
The Olympic Park for the Montreal Olympics in 1976
The Just for Laughs Comedy Festival