Episode 58: January-March 2012
Highlights of the quarter:
• Winter? What winter?!;
• Neal starts a new job;
• Deb’s spends a week in San Diego, California;
• Shorg Spring Break in Los Cabos, Mexico.
Our 2012 began in the southern hemisphere, with family and friends in Australia. In a last ditch attempt to see as many people as possible before we left, we sent out a broad invitation for brunch at a restaurant in Williamstown on New Year’s Day. It was wonderful that so many people were able to stop by, have lunch, and just hang out for a few hours. The weather even cooperated, and we ended the day with a game of cricket in a nearby park. After that, we fit in one more catch-up with Dad and Julie, and one more family dinner at Mum and Tony’s. And with that, it was officially the end of vacation and time to head back to cold, snowy Michigan.
Or so we thought…. Looking out of the window as our plane landed in Detroit (thirty hours later), we were surprised to see that there was no snow on the ground as far as the eye could see. That was an early sign of the winter (or lack thereof) ahead of us. It has thus far been an unseasonably warm winter in Michigan, with temperatures rarely falling below 40 degrees (~5 degrees Celsius) and only a few, short encounters with snow. Overall, winter has kind of been a non-event this year…yah!
As Neal returned to the office, he began transitioning to a new role. Still with Dow, Neal moved out of Investor Relations and into the role of Finance Director for our Chemicals portfolio. As with any transition, Neal has faced a steep learning curve, but he’s taken to his new role with gusto – enjoying having significant people leadership responsibilities, building relationships with the business directors, and getting familiar with the nuances of the various businesses that make up the portfolio.
Most of January’s down time was spent catching up with friends. We also spent a weekend in Detroit where we went to see Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam performance (not our favorite Cirque show, but they never disappoint) and spent the remainder of the weekend exploring parts of the city that we hadn’t previously spent much time in.
In February, I traveled to San Diego, where I was asked to speak at a conference. I took advantage of the opportunity to arrive a few days early and spend a long weekend with my dear friend, Nat. This was a real treat given we had just seen so much of one another in Australia. We enjoyed every minute of our time in San Diego. Our time was filled with chilling out, sharing book reviews, eating great food, hitting the North End for some shopping, and checking out the local art scene at the Roots Art Factory. If that wasn’t enough, Nat spoiled me with a special treat – a road trip to Anaheim to see a professional ice hockey game with friends, Hector and Claire. We began our day with a delicious Mexican breakfast at San Marcos, picked up Claire and Hector, and headed for Anaheim. Despite the Anaheim Ducks beating the Chicago Blackhawks – I was rooting for the Blackhawks – it was a great day out.
San Diego was great, and the conference went well. Before I knew it, the week was over and I was headed back to Michigan. No rest when I landed back home, as that evening was Bowl for Kids Sake, the largest annual fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters. In essence, this event involves people forming bowling teams, raising money, and then spending an evening of bowling fun. I was on the organizing committee this year, and was very pleased with both the turnout as well as the funds raised for the agency. We formed our own team with a few friends, and a great time was had by all – especially the kids.
As we got into mid-March, Mother Nature gifted us a week of temperatures in the 70s (20-ish degrees Celsius), which ushered in some after-work alfresco dining and bike rides outside. Neal relished the opportunity to do some outdoor training for his upcoming 300-mile (~490-kilometer) bike ride that he is doing in June to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society in June. (Note: If you’d like to make a charitable donation to support Neal and the Multiple Sclerosis Society, click on this
link.)
For our final adventure of the quarter, Neal and I headed to Los Cabos, Mexico, for a week-long Spring Break. Los Cabos is located the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, which is directly south of California. Having never been to this area, we were in awe of the gorgeous desert landscape surrounded on one side by the Pacific Ocean and the other by the Sea of Cortes. We were also amazed by the occasional nightly show from migrating whales and dolphins that passed literally just a few hundred feet from the coastline. In fact, one night a pod of dolphins passed the shoreline and decided to have a play, jumping out of the water over and over again…it was like Sea World in the wild! Our resort was nestled in an area called “The Corridor”, which is a region of coastline between the two largest towns in the region: Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. We spent the vacation lying by the pool, eating, and going on the occasional adventure in the countryside. Just the kind of vacation we were looking for.
During the trip, we made a couple of journeys to Cabo San Lucas. During our first trip there, we stopped at an amazing, hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Gordo Lele’s, which was recommended to us by our friends, Stephanie and Luis (not to mention a popular pick on TripAdvisor). We were not disappointed, but I did commit a cultural mistake there. As we were leaving, I thanked the rather large owner (Lele) in my very challenged Spanish with a gleeful “Gracias, Gordo!” It was only later that Neal told me that rather than calling him by his first name – which I thought I was doing – I actually said “Thank you, Fat One!” Note to self – take Spanish lessons.
Following that, we wandered into the old town to see the sights (although they were fewer than we imagined), and then headed to the marina where we took a spontaneous boat ride to a collection of rock formations, known as “The Arch.” The boat ride was quite the adventure – picture a toothless, rogue captain teetering on the tops of some raging Pacific Ocean waves in a tinny little boat – but the scenery and rock formations were quite spectacular. After disembarking, we explored the town a bit more and then had a late lunch at another fabulous local find – Mariscos las Tres Islas – where we had a healthy serving of ceviche and quite possibly the best octopus ever.
We returned to Cabo San Lucas later on in the week, this time for dinner. After walking along the beach and watching some of the college Spring Breakers act like fools, we walked into a restaurant called Corazon de Alcachofa (or Heart of the Artichoke). True to form, the restaurant served a great grilled artichoke, as well as a great selection of daily specialties. We enjoyed the opportunity to dine outside under the stars, without much bother from the partying Spring Breakers nearby.
On another day during the vacation, we rented a hard-top convertible Jeep for a day trip adventure to Todos Santos, a rustic artisan village made famous as the home of Hotel California, the supposed subject of the famous Eagles song. The real adventure of that day was the road trip on Mexican highways. The scenery was spectacular – the ocean on one side, and a desert on the other. But we did not get many chances to view it, as there was quite a bit of construction being done to the highway, which in Mexico means that traffic is diverted onto long stretches of desert landscape, which made us look like geniuses for renting a Jeep. On the way back to our hotel, we were stopped on the highway by a police officer (who looked quite fierce, sporting a large automatic weapon) who asked us a few questions, peeked into our car, and then waved us through.
That same evening we headed into the other main town close to the resort, San Jose Del Cabo. Contrary to Cabo San Lucas, this town was not really for the Spring Breakers, but rather for the grown-ups – pretty and quaint, with lots of art galleries and studios. We got stuck at the first gallery we came across, where the gallery owners welcomed us with tequila drinks, giving us a tour of their house (which was also the gallery), and introducing us to the artist, Frank Arnold. With an introduction like that, we could not help but make a purchase! After buying some art, Frank suggested that we come back the following night for the weekly art walk. He also gave us an amazing dinner recommendation for that evening, called Flora’s Field Kitchen. After an adventurous drive over some of Mexico’s bumpiest dirt roads, we arrived at Flora’s and found a truly fantastic farm-to-table restaurant that grows and raises all the produce it serves at its outdoor rustic restaurant. The ambience was great, with local musicians playing some great background tunes, soft lighting, and entertainment coming from the open kitchen. It was a great concept for a restaurant, and although the place clearly catered to foreigners, it was well worth it.
We took Frank’s advice and returned to San Jose Del Cabo the next evening for the art walk. Unlike the previous night, all of the streets were blocked off – foot traffic only – and the art galleries stayed open late, with many of them serving free wine or tequila. They did a great job of creating a street party atmosphere. We really enjoyed being able to meet with and speak to the artists at the galleries, and were very happy with the two additional pieces of art that we bought – they will no doubt look great in the house and conjure up fond memories every time we look at them.
The remainder of the trip was spent by the pool or ocean, relaxing, reading, swimming, and getting our fill of vitamin D. Our entire time was not work free, as there were some demands back at the office that had us working a little more than we would have liked to, but overall, it was a great Spring Break and a great way to end the quarter.
Until next time, take care!
