I suppose this is a character trait that I inherited from my mother, but I am completely addicted to bright, vibrant, saturated colors. I suppose if you peek around our website, that becomes fairly obvious.
You won’t find any pastels lurking here.
I shot this photograph at the Desert Botanical Garden here in Phoenix, Arizona.
How about you? What kinds of colors bring you joy?
The Beach House Restaurant ~ Kauai, Hawaii – The Beach House Restaurant on Kauai is well-known to both residents and visitors for its spectacular oceanfront setting (think beautiful sunsets) along the island’s sunny south shore.
The restaurant is a consistent winner of Honolulu Magazine’s “Best Kauai Restaurant”. Further, their fish is sourced from Island fisherman, with their beef and coffee coming from neighboring ranches.
Our visit found us at a spectacular oceanfront table, in front of large, opened sliding glass doors, so that we might enjoy the sound of the surf and the coming sunset.
After a nice glass of bubbly, we started our Hawaiian gastronomical journey with The Beach House Ceviche (served in a Half Coconut with Island White Fish, Scallops, & Tiger Prawns marinated in Citrus & Passion Fruit Juices with Cucumber, Tomato, & Avocado). YUM!
Next, we shared Seared Island Fresh Fish Ahi Poke (served in a Crispy Lumpia Bowl with Asian Slaw, Wasabi Mirin Aioli & Tabiko Caviar). Most delicious, and a hint that we were in for a consistent and fabulous journey.
Next up was Watermelon Salad (with Omao, Kauai Greens, Red Onion, Carrot, caramelized Macadamia Nuts, Gorgonzola Cheese & Raspberry Vinaigrette). Nice!
We further shared Seafood Corn Chowder (with Crab, Fresh Fish, Chive & Sherry). Yabba Dabba Doo! That was good!
As we were enjoying our appetizers, we noticed quite a crowd building outside to photograph our table-side sunset view. Very nice, don’t you agree?
Now, for her entree, Carol opted for the night’s fresh catch: Opaka (Grilled and Sesame Crusted over a Braised Artichoke Salad and Mustard Greens. Served with two Jumbo Furikake Crusted Shrimp with a Sweet Thai Chili Aoli). Wow!
For my entree, Mr. Roaming Boomer ordered Wasabi Crusted Fresh Island Mahi Mahi (with Lilikoi Lemongrass Beurre Blanc). Major Mouthgasm Alert! Have you ever enjoyed a dish so much that you were tempted to stand on your tabletop and sing your entrees praises? Seriously, this just may have been the best fish entree of my entire life. Absolutely, out of this world, incredible!
I don’t smoke, but I think I need a cigarette after such a wonderful rush of endorphins.
As the final round of our majestic gourmet symphony was about to conclude, out came Molten Chocolate Desire (A Flour-less Chocolate Tort, Baked to Order & served hot with Lappert’s Vanilla Bean Ice Cream & Espresso Créme Anglaise). With a double espresso in hand, this was the absolute perfect ending to a most romantic, and delightful evening.
To Chef Todd Barrett, and the whole Beach House Restaurant Kauai team: Bravo! A perfect dining experience in every possible way!
We quite often here from our readers that they can’t afford to stay at many of the five-star resorts that we frequent.
Well, here’s a little secret.
With a little planning, you absolutely can afford to enjoy champagne travel on a beer budget.
5 Tips to Enjoy Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget
So, raise your right hand and repeat after me: with a little planning, I too can enjoy champagne travel on a beer budget.
The key is planning.
So, put a plan in place, and get out there and travel. The world awaits you!
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced new airline passenger protections that will require airlines to reimburse passengers for bag fees if their bags are lost, provide consumers involuntarily bumped from flights with greater compensation, expand the current ban on lengthy tarmac delays, and disclose hidden fees. The rulemaking finalized today builds on passenger protections issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation in December 2009, which prohibited U.S. airlines operating domestic flights from permitting an aircraft to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours, with exceptions for safety, security and air traffic control related-reasons. The rule also required U.S. airlines to provide basic services such as access to lavatories and water in the event of extended tarmac delays.
“Airline passengers have a right to be treated fairly,” said Secretary LaHood. “It’s just common sense that if an airline loses your bag or you get bumped from a flight because it was oversold, you should be reimbursed. The additional passenger protections we’re announcing today will help make sure air travelers are treated with the respect they deserve.”
Lost Bags and Bag Fees. Airlines will now be required to refund any fee for carrying a bag if the bag is lost. Airlines will also be required to apply the same baggage allowances and fees for all segments of a trip, including segments with interline and code share partners. Airlines are already required to compensate passengers for reasonable expenses for loss, damage or delay in the carriage of passenger baggage.
Full Disclosure of Additional Fees. Airlines will also have to prominently disclose all potential fees on their websites, including but not limited to fees for baggage, meals, canceling or changing reservations, or advanced or upgraded seating. In addition, airlines and ticket agents will be required to refer passengers both before and after purchase to up-to-date baggage fee information, and to include all government taxes and fees in every advertised price. Previously, government taxes and fees were not required to be included in the up-front fare quotation.
In addition, the rule announces that the Department will issue a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking later this year that would require, among other things, that ancillary fees be displayed at all points of sale.
Bumping. Today’s rule doubles the amount of money passengers are eligible to be compensated for in the event they are involuntarily bumped from an oversold flight. Currently, bumped passengers are entitled to cash compensation equal to the value of their tickets, up to $400, if the airline is able to get them to their destination within a short period of time (i.e., within 1 to 2 hours of their originally scheduled arrival time for domestic flights and 1 to 4 hours of their originally scheduled arrival time for international flights). Bumped passengers are currently entitled to double the price of their tickets, up to $800, if they are delayed for a lengthy period of time (i.e., over two hours after their originally scheduled arrival time for domestic flights and over 4 hours after their originally scheduled arrival time for international flights). Under the new rule, bumped passengers subject to short delays will receive compensation equal to double the price of their tickets up to $650, while those subject to longer delays would receive payments of four times the value of their tickets, up to $1,300. Inflation adjustments will be made to those compensation limits every two years.
Tarmac Delays. The new rule expands the existing ban on lengthy tarmac delays to cover foreign airlines’ operations at U.S. airports and establishes a four hour hard time limit on tarmac delays for international flights of U.S. and foreign airlines, with exceptions allowed only for safety, security or air traffic control-related reasons. Carriers must also ensure that passengers stuck on the tarmac are provided adequate food and water after two hours, as well as working lavatories and any necessary medical treatment.
The extended tarmac delays experienced by passengers on international flights operated by foreign carriers at New York’s JFK Airport during the December 2010 blizzard was an important factor in the Department’s decision to extend the tarmac delay provisions to foreign air carriers and establish a four hour tarmac delay limit for international flights.
The Department of Transportation’s rule will make air travel simpler and easier in a number of other ways, including:
Secretary LaHood announced the first airline consumer protection rule in December 2009, and that rule has resulted in the near-elimination of lengthy tarmac delays. Between May 2010 and February 2011, the first full 10 months the rule was in effect, the largest U.S. airlines reported only 16 tarmac delays of more than three hours, compared to 664 from May 2009 through February 2010. The new rule also required these airlines to post on-time performance information for each domestic flight they or their code-share partners operate.
It’s no secret that baby boomer travelers look for experience and ways to find self-actualization when they travel. Educational travel is a means to accomplish both.
Road Scholar (formerly Elderhostel) is a non-profit organization founded in 1975 to provide lifelong learning opportunities at a remarkable value for baby boomers and seniors.
In poking around their website, I found organized educational trips that included things like photography, digging for woolly mammoth bones, service trips, impressionist painting, hiking, biking, history, and much, much more.
Road Scholar Program formats include:
Additional programs include:
This sounds like a blast and is immediately going on our travel bucket list!
The Roaming Boomers