It’s the middle of summer and it is going by too fast! Do you feel that too?

Here’s to a mid-summer check-in. How’s your summer going? Is it going by far too fast? The weather in the Pacific Northwest has been spectacular! We traveled to Southern California, and although it is always beautiful, it was HOT! We are attempting to squeeze in every adventure we can this summer. How about you?

This newsy letter is my way of filling in the gaps for sharing our latest adventures. On the Travel Connections Podcast, we drill deeper into specific subjects and meet amazing guests. In some episodes, I share more details of our recent travel experiences, and sometimes, we are introduced to brand-new travel inspirations. In next week’s episode, I talked with Susie Chau, a Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist, and we had an incredible conversation! This episode is published on Friday, August 9th.

Our sweet little garden

Our very compact container garden is overflowing with goodness! I cannot really comprehend what is making it grow so well this year, but I am a happy gardener. I did sprinkle some bone meal- could that have done this?

VEGO makes the container gardens we planted, which have been such a hit. They are customizable, and I love that I don’t have to bend over to weed and trim. I also think they are fun and design-forward!

Every day, when I am not traveling, I go out to see the garden’s growth and when I return from a trip, it feels like Christmas! Everything is bursting with life. Last night, I made a delicious salad with four kinds of lettuce, homegrown baby yellow tomatoes, salty kalamata olives, creamy feta, and a light red wine vinaigrette. Summer in a bowl!

In our garden:

• Nasturtiums – to decorate cocktails and salads!
• Italian parsley
• Rosemary
• Basil
• Plum tomatoes
• Four kinds of lettuce
• Marigolds for attracting bugs (away from the veggies)
• Cherry tomatoes
• Zucchini
• More tomatoes!

Santa Ynez Weekend

After our return from Italy, we headed to Santa Barbara County, where we enjoyed a long wine weekend in the Santa Ynez Valley with our son Nick and daughter-in-law Kylie. We decided to rent a cute little Airbnb ranch house so we could hang out together more easily—BIG WIN!

We sipped, tasted, and ate at some fantastic restaurants that Kylie had curated for us. Everything was delicious, and the landscape was stunning—I highly recommend it.

Stay tuned for an upcoming episode on Travel Connections with all the itinerary details!

The Ranch Table

We also dined at a Gathering of The Ranch Table, a community dining experience created by Elizabeth Poett on her ranch, Rancho San Julian. We enjoyed every morsel—she is a spectacular hostess, and the setting was incredible. Elizabeth Poett also has a television show on the Magnolia Network called The Ranch Table, and I am a big fan of hers. She does it all! Elizabeth will also be a guest on an upcoming episode of Travel Connections! More details to come!

A Weekend on Camano Island, WA

My final mid-summer update is about our exceptional R&R weekend on Camano Island. We rented an adorable little beach cottage on the island’s East side, right on the shore. On one of the days, we welcomed the twins and their parents for a day of “rock throwing” (their favorite activity), grilled burgers, and popsicles (also a favorite). With bright sun and azure skies, we held hands and enjoyed this family time that I will never forget.

In case you missed it!

Our latest episode on Travel Connections;

Our Epic Cruise to Alaska – A Mother-Daughter Adventure

Hope your summer is going well! Where are you going next? Do you have a summer garden? If so, what are you growing?

Suzanne

The post Mid-Summer Update: Garden Abundance, A Wine Weekend & More! appeared first on Adventures of Empty Nesters.

What is a cruise to Alaska really like?

Beyond was the first thing that came to my mind. The cruise to Alaska was beyond any and all of my expectations. Of course, Alaska was as beautiful as I had hoped, but it was SO MUCH MORE! Up until now, my spectacular trip to Iceland was the finest example of nature so BIG you could not believe your eyes. Alaska is equally as stunning.

My daughter Alex and I took the Celebrity Edge Cruise to Alaska. It was our first ocean cruise, and the entire experience was near perfection. Why wasn’t it 100% perfect? Wi-Fi in the middle of the ocean is a challenge. But seriously, should that even be a worry while discovering the beauty of nature in the Alaskan wilderness? Of course not. To be clear, while on board, you use the Celebrity App quite a bit, and you need Wi-Fi to use it!

The ship was magnificent, the cuisine delicious, and the service fantastic. I don’t know how the Celebrity crew did it, but the service felt personal even though there were 3,000 passengers!

We did choose to stay in Aqua Class, which has definite advantages. The primary one is that we had Blu, our own gourmet restaurant, to dine on fine china with a myriad of food choices! Blu is the special restaurant for Aqua Class. We ate lots of fresh fish and veggies, and everything was so healthy and innovative. The service is attentive and friendly. Other stateroom classes above ours offer even more luxury and amenities, and I may try those on my next cruise to Alaska.

Since I live in Seattle, the embarkation city for this Alaskan Cruise, it was just too easy for us to go on our first cruise! Our friends and fellow travel writers Ann and Steve Teget of Postcard Jar organized 85 people to take this cruise together. Their expertise and relationships with the ship management allowed our group several opportunities to enjoy some exceptional experiences, like a private tour of the bridge, taking a martini class, enjoying a cooking demonstration, and learning to make Baked Alaska, among many other delightful treats!

Alex will join me on my podcast, Travel Connections, and we will discuss all of our adventures! There are too many details to write here, and I hope you will listen to the episode! Oh, the stories we have to tell. The Alaska episode will air next month!

Cruise Highlights

The highlight for both of us was seeing the Dawes Glacier. We both cried from happiness and awe and we felt like we walked into a scene from Game of Thrones. A Celebrity Cruise excursion took us on a small boat out to see it up close. Stunning!!!

It was also fun to relive the Alaskan Gold Rush history within the tiny towns of Ketchikan and Skagway. On the ship, we enjoyed afternoon tea daily, live entertainment after dinner, and lots of time in their state-of-the-art gym and luxurious spa.

We were so enamored with the ship’s design details and art that we took a very informative Art and Architecture Tour while at sea. As a first-time cruiser, I definitely see the advantages of unpacking once and seeing geographic destinations that can only be reached by sea or air. I can’t wait to tell you more in July!

Podcast News:

Have you had a moment to listen to my episode with the tastemaker JeriLynne Clifford? If you click HERE, you can listen directly on my website.

Upcoming Episodes:

Details from our Alaskan Cruise Adventure

Road Trip from Montana to Lake Louise & Calgary

Mid-Season Podcast Hiatus;

Newsflash: My team likes to travel! My Travel Connection Team will be traveling most of June and part of July, so we will not offer a new episode until July 26th. However, I will publish a minisode (mini-episode) this Friday, June 7th, giving you some updates and summer travel tips!

What are your summer plans?

Travel Safe,

Suzanne

The post Beyond Every Expectation: Our Cruise to Alaska Was Incredible appeared first on Adventures of Empty Nesters.

I write this newsy letter twice a month when I am not publishing a podcast episode on Travel Connections. Lots of adventures are happening outside of the podcast! Summer is BIG for me. We are doing some new things and headed to some new destinations this year and I look forward to taking you along. I appreciate you reading and for your comments as well!

My Spring Tulip Journey~

Have you ever planted tulip bulbs in the winter to come up in the Spring? I did it for the first time last year. I seem to equate the entrance of Spring with the wild tulips that pop up everywhere here in the Northwest. Since living in the Northwest, we try to plan a visit to The Skagit Valley, an hour north of Seattle, to see the planted fields, which are spectacular. I guess I have a slight obsession with tulips in general.

In September, I purchased 25 bulbs of the Triumph Mix from Tulip Town. Tulip Town is a place where tourists and flower lovers from around the world come to visit in April and other months, too!

My mother, an avid gardener, mentioned that she was concerned that our wild bunnies would eat up all of the tulips once they started coming through. So, I planned to outsmart these garden bandits and plant the bulbs in my above-ground planters. I ended up planting them on November 12th, and my plan WORKED!

I waited many months before I saw anything green poke up through the dirt. I watched and waited and received the greatest gift! In late April, I waited until they were fully grown to cut them and put them in a vase. I had such fun watching them grow slowly as the weeks went by.

The blooms are enormous!! I have already enjoyed them for a week indoors, and they still have a few days left! This was a gift I gave myself, and it keeps on giving!

Fruit Turtles~

Our twin grandchildren love arts and crafts and especially love to cook. I looked through Pinterest to find an easy and entertaining activity we could do together. We made delicious baby turtles from sliced kiwi and green grapes.  The eyes are mini-chocolate chips! The kids are still talking about this adventure. They truly had a blast, and so did I.

Author Event

My daughter Alex and I attended an author talk given by Gabrielle Zevin. I have read several of her books, but she primarily focused on her latest novel, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. Have you read it? It’s fantastic. Do you look for events like this in your area?

Seattle Trip ~

On a bright and sunny Saturday, Craig and I headed into Seattle for a day trip that included our favorite brunch at Oddfellows and shopping at Pike Place Market. The market was so alive with tourists and bursting at the seams with Spring Flowers! What a treat!

Travel Connection Podcast News~

On the podcast: Take a listen to our latest episode – A Spectacular Day at the Seattle Center

Coming soon! 

I interviewed Cindy Greenstein, The Points Mom. She is so knowledgeable and will save you money and time on your travel. This episode is a must-listen and will be published on Friday, May 10th.

Warning: Lots of travel ahead!

• Another trip to So Cal
• Cruise to Alaska with Alex
• A summer blockbuster of new destinations
• A fantastic fall schedule – and another new continent with Collette!

Until next time!

Suzanne

The post Spring Tulips, Fruit Turtles and More! appeared first on Adventures of Empty Nesters.

Travel News for Spring

Spring is in full bloom in the Northwest. Blue skies, tulips popping up, and wild daffodils sprouting everywhere. It feels good!

I decided to write a short “newsy” letter to all of you, catching you up and keeping you in the loop. I don’t know about you, but social media can be exhausting and frustrating, and I never seem to see what I am looking for. Frankly, I am too busy to go searching, but I would love to learn about new things from inside my inbox and not have them disappear (like an Instagram Story) in 24 hours! So here we go!

Travel in a nutshell

Our travel season has already begun with several fun long weekends! However, 2024 is more spread out (at least at the beginning of the year!) I am trying to avoid overloading every month with multiple trips. Last year almost killed me! However, once June rolls in, we are off and traveling to some pretty spectacular places! I can’t wait to share it with you!

In January, we visited Nashville and saw Elvis Costello at the Ryman—AMAZING. We also enjoyed some great dinners, but not much sightseeing…the weather was quite cold. We continue to visit one of our favorite local weekend retreats – Whidbey Island! We love Whidbey so much that I have truly embraced my travel connections. I recently interviewed Aurora Echo, an impressive powerhouse of a woman who created Wildly Beloved Foods, where she makes pasta using only organic ingredients and Italian flour. Listen===> HERE

At the tail end of the Nashville trip, we went to Pasadena to visit family! Always a treat! As spring approached we then headed for warmer temperatures in Arizona. Our road trip to Arizona was so fantastic that I decided to create a special podcast episode so I could share this incredible itinerary! The trip included a Dodger home game and Spring Training, new restaurants, a new hotel, and we finished with three days in Sedona and the Grand Canyon. Absolutely epic.

That episode comes out on Friday, April 12th, and you can find the Episode Summary here!

What I am loving!

I continue to read a great number of books each month and just finished this charming and thoughtful travel memoir by Angela Correll. The book is called Restored in Tuscany. Her story of loss and personal renewal, coupled with a renovation in Tuscany, checks all of my interest boxes~ Her book is so compelling I asked her to come on Travel Connections and talk about the book.

Did you know that I have an online photography store? You can purchase prints, create notecards, notebooks, iPhone cases, and many other things with my images. Come check it out at the Fine Art America link below.

Restored in Tuscany by Angela Correll – My Amazon Store
Tulip Photography/Mother’s Day Ideas – Fine Art America

Easter

Decorating for Easter was so much fun this year. Our twin grandchildren are at the perfect age to enjoy every single detail. This year, Craig bought enormous rainbow-colored eggs to hide little toys and stickers inside. The weather was spectacular, and we all had a blast.

What’s up next

A Trip Back to Skagit Valley, WA

I try to visit Skagit Valley for the tulip festival every April and I wonder if you have been as well? Also, we will be traveling to Newport Beach, California, for some baby and birthday celebrations with old friends. I am looking forward to some great weather and happy merrymaking!

My first trip to Alaska!

Can I get a woo-hoo for this? It will be state #44 and my very first ocean cruise. We are traveling on Celebrity Edge, where the interiors were designed by Nate Berkus. My friends Ann and Steve Teget from Postcard Jar organized the group and guess who is coming with me? My grown-up daughter Alex! Her fantastic husband is taking care of the twins for the week and she and I will be staying on the Spa level of the ship and have planned many excursions to enjoy together. This is what the cruise looks like ===> Here!

More details about the cruise in the next newsy letter!

Between my podcast, travel, family news, and adventures, there is a lot happening! If you have questions or want more details about a trip or information I shared, just let me know in the comments or email me at suzannestavert@me.com

Suzanne

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