Pho | Peaches Prattlings

{March 2, 2024} Breakfast with dad, drive to Bahston, dinner with my sis

All is a day, of course!

I got up way to early for a Saturday, why can’t I sleep past at least 6am!? I decided to linger, I didn’t feel like getting out of bed, going out into the rain, and the bed got softer and I kept sinking deeper and deeper into the warmth and comfort of my childhood bed. Don’t roll your eyes, it’s a very comfortable bed, the mattress is just right, and the blankets were piled on and just cozy! It’s a twin, yup, you know how much I love a king or california king bed, but I grew up sleeping on a twin bed. You should have seen the number of pillows and stuffed animals I had, used to give people ‘hives’!

I got up eventually, got dressed, got the dogs out of their travel crate, and took them out for a walk. It was still raining, not too hard, but enough, hoping it wasn’t going to get too bad on my way to Boston, but I was not so lucky! We walked around the block I grew up on, back to the house, say good morning to paw-paw, fed them, let them hang out for a few minutes, then back in the crate and dad and I went to Z-One for breakfast. First, we tried to go to Zara Forest Grill, we saw they had breakfast, but it turns out they don’t open until 11am on Saturdays, that’s brunch, not breakfast!

I love my one-on-one time with my dad, we talk about everything and nothing, we reminisce, we plan, we strategize, we joke, we tell stories, it’s just that good!

After breakfast, we made a pit stop at Michael’s, it was for him, not for me! But who am I to stand in the way of creativity! I had so much fun crafting with him last night! When we got back home, I packed up the pups crate, food, and bowls, and of course, the dogs, got in the car, made sure the window cover was secure, plugged in the address of the hotel and headed out into the rainy day for parts, I can’t say parts unknown, I know where I’m going! ha ha.

It was about a 4.5 hour drive with no stopping, well, we know me well enough to know that’s not possible! With the rain, stopping for gas, and one or two potty breaks, I made it in about 5-5.5 hours, that’s not bad at all! I got the dogs out, walked them in the rain, got them into the room, unloaded the car, got the crate and their bed set up and then I got to work feeding them.

After a bit, I got in touch with GES and we worked out that I would go over to their house so I could see MGS, and we would order take-out, but if they bring it to you, is that take-in? hmmm…it was good, we had pho, and it was pretty good. I definitely had leftovers to bring home! We hung out, talked, played with Bailey, their dog, and Piper, the labradoodle they were dog sitting for the weekend. We talkd, laughed, enjoyed just spending time together, then EJS came home, and then ACS, the gang’s all here!

It was nice, I hung out until about 10p and I was getting a little tired, only because I knew I had to drive back in the rain, then drive back to PA tomorrow, with a pit or dinner stop at dad’s. I got back to the hotel, they let me park my car at the entrance, so hopefully the plastic holds and no rain gets in, thank you Romeo!

I’m back in the room, the dogs have been walked in the rain, I think I’ll let them sleep with me tonight, I have this whole bed to myself, and I know they would love the cuddle. I’ll love the cuddle, except for the part where they push me out of the giant bed! grrr…

Tomorrow, it’s a birthday party for Uncle A, I get to see PSM, and his whole family, celebrate, then drive to dad’s and then back to PA. I need a nap!

G’night!

{January 27, 2024} Saturday…Hmmm…A new coffee shop, tattoo expo, and some yummy pho!

Moss does not grow on a rolling stone! And who doesn’t love the Rolling Stones?! ha ha!

We started the morning with a dog walk, well, first it was a snuggle with the dogs, I let them sleep with me last night, I couldn’t resist, they’re so cute and cuddly! After we got out of bed, it was a walk around the blocks, Bee decided she wasn’t going, so I left her at the house and Ruby and I walked around the blocks. It’s a little easier with just one, doesn’t happen very often. And we think that Ruby would walk for days if we let her!

After taking a walk, PSM rode his bike to Hernley’s Indian Motorcycle dealership, PSM needed to get something done to his 2020 Indian Challenger, it was brrrr cold, but he is determined to ride at least once per month and he did it in December, and now January, he’s set for the month! The pups and I jumped in the VW Beetle Convertible, dropped the top, yes we did! I had on a scarf, heavy sweatshirt, among other layers, gloves, and we were off to meet and pick up PSM at the dealership. The dogs, well, Ruby la la la loves going for rides in the car, Bee doesn’t want to be left behind! ha ha

After picking him up, we headed home, dropped the girls off and got them settled in their crate, music on, and off we go! First stop…Timber Creek Coffee, ready for another stamp on our Lebanon Valley Java Journey passports! PSM tried the signature drink, it was very sweet and had a gingerbread cookie on top! He enjoyed it, he loves gingerbread! I wish I could remember what the signature drink was. I’ll do a wrap up post on the entire journey and let you know what they all were! I had a chai with oat milk, it was very good, a place I would go back for a hot beverage! We got a cinnamon roll, a blueberry muffin, a coffee cake muffin, and a gingerbread cookie, the pastries were terrific! Win-win!

The atmosphere was clean, and by that I mean, not cluttered, but welcoming, and warm, not just because of the fireplace. It wasn’t too crowded, we got there just after and before a rush, perfect timing! They also had one of those train station signs that changes messages, it was really cool!

Now, let’s hit the road, we have a 2 hour drive into Philadelphia, or as I used to call it as a kid, and still do ‘Phildadelphia’, no idea why, but it stuck! Bertha, my GPS, did fine until we got to Philly, then she took us off the highway through some very sketchy neighborhood. I told PSM I just want to take him to all the best places! ha ha. When we got out of that area, it got better! We found the Philadelphia Convention Center, then a parking deck about a block away and walked to get in line with everyone else for the Villain Arts Philadelphia Tattoo Festival. The last tattoo expo we went to was in Hawai’i, it was time.

The place was packed! I mean packed! We walked up and down almost every aisle looking, marveling, wondering, considering. Each artist had a sign that was either ‘I have availability today’ or ‘I am booked today’. Some people make appointments in advance with a particular artist they like while they are in town for the expo. We were both looking to see if someone struck our fancy to get some new ink.

PSM has a particular idea, but needs some help making the vision come to life. I know what I want, I just need to find someone to do it. The only artist who’s work ‘spoke to me’ wasn’t doing any original work. All of the artists had samples of their work and some had only what they were going to do this weekend, that’s fair, disappointing if you want something special, but that’s why you make an appointment. PSM found an artist he was drawn to, he was definitely a Pacific Islander. He had availability and idea for PSM, come back about 5p. Sounds good.

We walked around a bit more, by now, it was about 330p and we were running out of steam! We had both been up pretty early and been walking around for a few hours, so…we went outside and went in search of food and found Pho Street on Arch Street. I can’t give you the website, when I click it, it goes to a gaming site, sorry! They had vegan pho for me, wa to the hoo! We ordered big bowls of pho, it so hit the spot! And we did not finish either bowl, can’t wait to have my leftovers tomorrow!

After eating, we headed back to the expo, PSM was going to talk to the artist and if they gelled on the idea, I would drive home to take care of the pups, then come back for him. Unfortunately for PSM they didn’t gel, the design was fabulous, but it was WAAAYYY bigger than he was looking for! We were both bummed, PSM because he has really wanted to finish this one tattoo, me because I was going to pay for it! But not too bummbed because we were both a little tired and thinking about driving 2 hours home and then 2 hours back to Philly, then 2 hours back home…well, you can imagine!

When I told the artist his work was fabulous, but not what PSM wanted he wished me a safe drive home and mahalo nui loa, thank you very much in Hawaiian. The literal translation of mahalo is “in breath” or “life essence.” It means to live in constant gratitude!!! LOVED it! I said a’ole pilikia and wished him well at the expo!

So…home we went. Dogs were happy we were home, there was joy and merriment, wagging tails, lots of kisses, was it for us or for the fact we were home and they were hungry? Who cares, they were happy and we were happy to be home!

Tomorrow, what’s in store? I was thinking about going skiing, but guess what Mother Nature thought, nope, I’m going to ‘rain on your parade’ literally! So… what to do? You know us, we’ll find something to do!

Happy Saturday Night! Zzzzzz

{May 14, 2021} Another great meal! DD Mau…you don’t disappoint!

Admittedly, I don’t often make declarative statements about where or what I want to eat. I know, you’re thinking, what? But JJ, you have so much to say, how is that possible?! Well friends, it is. I don’t always know where or what I want and I don’t want to take all the focus, but today, I had an answer!

I was thinking about it earlier and I am sure that’s not what you’re supposed to be thinking about while you’re in yoga and contemplating, but there it was, I made a decision. We got in the truck and I asked PSM if he had an idea, nope, great! I wanted Indian and/or vegan food! Indian was a no, the reason, which is fair, we haven’t found any Indian food here that isn’t crazy spicy, not a problem for PSM, but as you know, no good for me, or that wasn’t super salty. Fair point. There is a vegan place near us that I’ve told you about that serves only vegan Indian food, Bombay Food Junkies, but…still mostly spicy, but I do like it.

Ok, then vegan it is! BBQ at Smokee Mo’s St Louis BBQ or maybe DD Mau. I have a feeling you can guess where we went! HA HA. DD Mau it is! I have been craving Bánh mì for a lllooonnnggg time, especially since we went there the first time. I fell in love with Bánh mì when I first had it in Ann Arbor, MI, when I was on a project there, and it was vegan, otherwise, I would not have tried it and I fell in love! I’ve only found vegan Bánh mì twice since then, once in Hawai’i, and now, and it was soooo worth it! For a vegan Bánh mì, I had the choice of tofu, veggies, shrimp, or beef. I asked for a recommendation and they were out of shrimp, so that made it easy! I got a beef Bánh mì, no jalapenos or cilantro, if you ever get it, you might like it fully loaded, who knows!

I ordered the sandwich and an order of vegan cheese rolls, they weren’t bad! Like Krab Rangoon, but without the crab, it was like a spring roll with creamy cheese, vegan of course! PSM had Thai Chili Pepper Wings, they were hot and tasty, but not his favorite wings, he’s having a tough time finding wings that knock his socks off here! He also got Pho and a Hitachino Nest Beer.

Let’s just say…I was not disappointed and there was nothing left to take home for me! Shocker, I know! It really was a good sandwich! There are so many more options to try, can you tell I’m a little excited!?

One of the things I told PSM tonight…I was glad we found a place that has options for both of us. I love that he is accommodating and will try things and go to vegan places with me, but I like the fact that he has more options and there are actually a lot of options for me!

Man…now I’m hungry again!

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What was I thinking?