I'm looking into buying a bike. And I need advice.
It's use will be purely laid-back and recreational - peddling around a park or if I'm being more strenuous, biking up a few trails around the area. Which means no gradation at all. Because we're in Dallas.
So, any and all advice on the following would be helpful:
-bike brands or models suited for the aforementioned activities
-purchasing locations and general pricing
-car-toting equipment suggestions
-future biking locations! Parks! State forests!
Oh, and to get in shape for all of this biking, I'm thinking of taking a spin class at 24 Hour Fitness this spring. Any takers?
2.21.2011
January Post-Dated Post
Ignore the saccrine post title.
Since I don't want to travel that far back in time, I'm going to choose my favorite photos from the Santa Fe trip and my birthday.
Santa Fe National Forest
Also, I just realized my photos from when Michael took me to St. Martin's for my birthday are all super dark. So, rather than making them look like a cartoon with lightening them up, I'll show you a professional photo from Google Images. Ahh, compromise.
Lovely times. I love snow, and I love St. Martin's duck.
Since I don't want to travel that far back in time, I'm going to choose my favorite photos from the Santa Fe trip and my birthday.
Santa Fe National Forest
Also, I just realized my photos from when Michael took me to St. Martin's for my birthday are all super dark. So, rather than making them look like a cartoon with lightening them up, I'll show you a professional photo from Google Images. Ahh, compromise.
Lovely times. I love snow, and I love St. Martin's duck.
1.20.2011
1.15.2011
Weekend Report
This past week is over, and I'm enjoying my weekend.
Last night Michelle and I went to Tillman's Roadhouse in the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff. We made the trip out there, which was full of traffic, but made it to the cute, newly up-and-coming area. The Arts District has a ton of swanky restaurants and bars to puruse, with art galleries scattered throughout. Tillman's was 'cowboy chic' for sure, and the food matched. We ordered the lavender honey salmon with asparagus rice, and the seaweed grower with plantain-sweet potato puree. Yum! For dessert, we got the table side s'mores. It had a small flame coming from a cast iron jar, and was served with three flavors of marshmallows, chocolate bars and cinnamon graham crackers. The marshmallow flavors were maple, coffee and orange. What a fun dessert!
Then we went down 7th to Hattie's, and had a few fancy drinks. As I looked the menu over (for funsies), I noticed that their famous chicken and waffles dish wasn't listed. Shock! No late night munchie for me. Maybe they are taking a break from their classic? Either way, we were too full to eat anything!
Today is stay at home day, so we're doing very little. I love Saturdays like this. I'm thinking about dinner, too. Maybe spaghetti and three-meat meatballs? Or homemade chili with cheddar-dill cornbread? The goal is to use the Le Creuset. Some way.
Now, enough talk about food. It's time for a workout!
Last night Michelle and I went to Tillman's Roadhouse in the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff. We made the trip out there, which was full of traffic, but made it to the cute, newly up-and-coming area. The Arts District has a ton of swanky restaurants and bars to puruse, with art galleries scattered throughout. Tillman's was 'cowboy chic' for sure, and the food matched. We ordered the lavender honey salmon with asparagus rice, and the seaweed grower with plantain-sweet potato puree. Yum! For dessert, we got the table side s'mores. It had a small flame coming from a cast iron jar, and was served with three flavors of marshmallows, chocolate bars and cinnamon graham crackers. The marshmallow flavors were maple, coffee and orange. What a fun dessert!
Then we went down 7th to Hattie's, and had a few fancy drinks. As I looked the menu over (for funsies), I noticed that their famous chicken and waffles dish wasn't listed. Shock! No late night munchie for me. Maybe they are taking a break from their classic? Either way, we were too full to eat anything!
Today is stay at home day, so we're doing very little. I love Saturdays like this. I'm thinking about dinner, too. Maybe spaghetti and three-meat meatballs? Or homemade chili with cheddar-dill cornbread? The goal is to use the Le Creuset. Some way.
Now, enough talk about food. It's time for a workout!
1.11.2011
Unrealistic?
So, I just did the math (amazing, no?), and if I want to attain my goal of 100 blog posts this year I need to post at least 8 or 9 times a month. Wow! Can I do it?
1.09.2011
First of 2011 Update
It's been a while, but I'll do my best to make a update that is both detailed but not exhaustive. First, Happy New Year! I am excited to see what 2011 holds for the Oates'.
Let's take a journey back to October of last year. Michael and I went to San
Francisco for his birthday and to visit Jamie and Qas. I talked about the first part of the trip, but didn't ever update on the second half. On Sunday, Michael rented a SUV and we all went to the Napa and Sonoma area to view the lovely countryside and do some wine tasting. It was rainy while we were there, which was a treat for me since I'd never seen the area like that. We ended the afternoon with going to the Patz & Hall Tasting Room, which has our favorite wines.
That night we stayed in Yountville, and ate at one of Thomas Keller's restaurants, Ad Hoc. You can take a look at the Web site . It was amazing! The menu that night had one choice (as many do these days), and it was veal. If you know me, you know I don't eat veal, so the chef made me a filet with sides that had no veal stock or fat in them. Delicious! And concerned! After dinner we walked through the town and look at the other famous Thomas Keller restaurants and saw Michael Chiarello's restaurant, Napa Style. Lovely town, and I'd like to visit there again to go to French Laundry.
The next morning (early!) Qas took the ferry back to San Francisco, and Jamie, Michael and I took the SUV back to the city by way of Highway 1. Lovely as always. We stopped off at Muir Woods so Michael could see the redwoods before we went back and had a dinner of pho at Jamie and Qas' favorite pho place. I have to say, it was some of the best I've had.
On our last day there, we woke up and went with Jamie to work to drop our luggage off. We shopped around the Ferry Building and the Financial District, deciding on a few last items before getting on the BART to SFO. It was a fabulous trip, and I hope we get to go sometime in 2011 or 2012.
The holidays were fabulously relaxed this past year. Jamie came in for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it was nice to spend time with her for a while. The rest of the family are all doing well, and it's nice to see that another 2009 and 2010 aren't happening again. Those were tough years for us all.
Stay Tuned for the New Year's Eve and Birthday post!
Let's take a journey back to October of last year. Michael and I went to San
Francisco for his birthday and to visit Jamie and Qas. I talked about the first part of the trip, but didn't ever update on the second half. On Sunday, Michael rented a SUV and we all went to the Napa and Sonoma area to view the lovely countryside and do some wine tasting. It was rainy while we were there, which was a treat for me since I'd never seen the area like that. We ended the afternoon with going to the Patz & Hall Tasting Room, which has our favorite wines.
That night we stayed in Yountville, and ate at one of Thomas Keller's restaurants, Ad Hoc. You can take a look at the Web site . It was amazing! The menu that night had one choice (as many do these days), and it was veal. If you know me, you know I don't eat veal, so the chef made me a filet with sides that had no veal stock or fat in them. Delicious! And concerned! After dinner we walked through the town and look at the other famous Thomas Keller restaurants and saw Michael Chiarello's restaurant, Napa Style. Lovely town, and I'd like to visit there again to go to French Laundry.
The next morning (early!) Qas took the ferry back to San Francisco, and Jamie, Michael and I took the SUV back to the city by way of Highway 1. Lovely as always. We stopped off at Muir Woods so Michael could see the redwoods before we went back and had a dinner of pho at Jamie and Qas' favorite pho place. I have to say, it was some of the best I've had.
On our last day there, we woke up and went with Jamie to work to drop our luggage off. We shopped around the Ferry Building and the Financial District, deciding on a few last items before getting on the BART to SFO. It was a fabulous trip, and I hope we get to go sometime in 2011 or 2012.
The holidays were fabulously relaxed this past year. Jamie came in for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it was nice to spend time with her for a while. The rest of the family are all doing well, and it's nice to see that another 2009 and 2010 aren't happening again. Those were tough years for us all.
Stay Tuned for the New Year's Eve and Birthday post!
12.28.2010
11.14.2010
Busy Weekend!
The holiday season is in full swing, mainly noted by all of the money we've been having to spend (Gifts, Food, Travel, etc.) This past weekend has been fun, but I'm not going to be able to write about the second or third parts of our San Francisco trip. Maybe with my time off?
Friday evening, Amanda and Martie (my sister- and mother-in-law) came to eat dinner with us and stay the night. Roy (my father-in-law) joined us for dinner at La Duni at Northpark. We ate inside because of the rainy weather (I love their outdoor seating!).
The next morning was the 2010 Memory Walk, hosted by the Dallas chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. It was held at the Dallas Zoo, and was a pretty good time! The animals were out and about - the giraffes were especially friendly, and I was able to touch two of them a couple of times. It didn't rain, and the weather was clear and cool. Other than it being a little disorganized because of the way the routes were shaped, it was a great event.
Today I've been doing some catch-up on work (not nearly enough), and am about to get ready to head to Sherman. We're picking up some of our holiday decorations, as well as eating dinner with my side of the family for my Uncle's birthday.
What a weekend! We also made stops by Whole Foods, Nordstrom, Neuhaus Cafe and Daria Lane. I'm looking forward to getting through this week at work, and then enjoying Thanksgiving!
Friday evening, Amanda and Martie (my sister- and mother-in-law) came to eat dinner with us and stay the night. Roy (my father-in-law) joined us for dinner at La Duni at Northpark. We ate inside because of the rainy weather (I love their outdoor seating!).
The next morning was the 2010 Memory Walk, hosted by the Dallas chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. It was held at the Dallas Zoo, and was a pretty good time! The animals were out and about - the giraffes were especially friendly, and I was able to touch two of them a couple of times. It didn't rain, and the weather was clear and cool. Other than it being a little disorganized because of the way the routes were shaped, it was a great event.
Today I've been doing some catch-up on work (not nearly enough), and am about to get ready to head to Sherman. We're picking up some of our holiday decorations, as well as eating dinner with my side of the family for my Uncle's birthday.
What a weekend! We also made stops by Whole Foods, Nordstrom, Neuhaus Cafe and Daria Lane. I'm looking forward to getting through this week at work, and then enjoying Thanksgiving!
11.05.2010
Awaiting My Fate
I'm at Boardwalk Volkswagen, waiting on Hetta to get out of the shop. I hope it isn't a million dollars!
The reason I'm here: Michael's car wouldn't start earlier this week, so we took it to a mechanic to get it checked out. Apparently, the battery we had it replaced with in January wasn't a good one. That's what we get when we have it replaced at Walmart while out of town. Boo. Moral of that story - never trust you car to Walmart, even when you're out of town! Find a small mechanic!
I'm thinking all I need is my brake pads to be replaced. Watch me leave here will a list of things replaced and a lighter bank account. Maybe some will be covered under warranty? ;)
The reason I'm here: Michael's car wouldn't start earlier this week, so we took it to a mechanic to get it checked out. Apparently, the battery we had it replaced with in January wasn't a good one. That's what we get when we have it replaced at Walmart while out of town. Boo. Moral of that story - never trust you car to Walmart, even when you're out of town! Find a small mechanic!
I'm thinking all I need is my brake pads to be replaced. Watch me leave here will a list of things replaced and a lighter bank account. Maybe some will be covered under warranty? ;)
10.30.2010
San Francisco Trip: Part 1
Since I took all of my photos on my new phone, it's taken me forever to sit down and download them all to my computer. But I finally did it! I won't bore you all with a million photos and descriptions, so I've only chosen a handful. If you want to know EVERYTHING we did, please ask!
Friday
We arrived in the Bay Area around noon, and spent the morning with Jamie in her {then} neighborhood, the Haight. We grabbed an amazing sandwich from a small gourmet cheese shop, Say Cheese, in Cole Valley. Then we changed and caught the bus to the Mission. Lovely area, and I like it just as much as the last time I was there! We grabbed a gelato from Bi-Rite and spent the afternoon in Dolores Park before meeting up with her boyfriend for dinner. Let's take a moment for a few photos.
Love the windows. The weather was crisp and lovely as the sun went down.
Michael's dinner choice was Bar Tartine. I didn't take any photos of the food, but I should have! It was excellent. They serve bread from their bakery {which is a whole other story in itself}, which made the meal studded with deliciousness. I also had one of the best chicken liver pate {I can hear some of you groan}. It almost beats the CLP at the Mercury in Dallas. Almost.
Saturday
Our first stop was the Ferry Building. This is a fantasic place to get a feel for SF area food. So fresh, and always different. Outside the building, tons of local farmers and food stands are set up. We had cheese, wine, fruit, jams and barbecue samples, before heading back inside. I snapped a quick photo of the Bay Bridge before looking at the culinary shops inside.
We dragged ourselves from the majesty of the Ferry Building and headed to Chinatown for Husband to take a look at one of the biggest tourist traps of all. No, I'm kidding. {Kinda.} It's a fun place to enjoy your first time in the city. We then headed up the street to North Beach, another one of SF's neighborhoods, to get a little Italian...everything. On our way I snapped this picture of Michael's favorite part of the SF skyline: the TransAmerica Building.
We stopped at a wine bar {to remain nameless} that was blasting the Giant's game far too loudly to hear regular conversation, so we left. Steps before the entrance, we heard and subsequently ducked into a bar that was featuring a jazz band. The band was made up of oldies, but goodies!
After we played a couple games of pool {!}, we went to a bar a few blocks away, the Church Key. It reminded me of a downtown bar in looks, but the Old Monk in Dallas in their fabulous beer choices. Very lovely for all parties involved. I had some beer I couldn't pronounce, and Husband oogled over the variety. Here is one of the 50+ photos from the Church Key:
Later, we had dinner at Cafe Sport. They specialize in fresh, Bay Area seafood within their delicious Italian fare. We had oysters, mussels, calamari, ravioli, tortellini, linguine, and more. We had a FEAST!
Stay tuned for part two!
Friday
We arrived in the Bay Area around noon, and spent the morning with Jamie in her {then} neighborhood, the Haight. We grabbed an amazing sandwich from a small gourmet cheese shop, Say Cheese, in Cole Valley. Then we changed and caught the bus to the Mission. Lovely area, and I like it just as much as the last time I was there! We grabbed a gelato from Bi-Rite and spent the afternoon in Dolores Park before meeting up with her boyfriend for dinner. Let's take a moment for a few photos.
On the way to our dinner spot, we window shopped and then stopped at Heart, a wine bar.
Love the windows. The weather was crisp and lovely as the sun went down.
Michael's dinner choice was Bar Tartine. I didn't take any photos of the food, but I should have! It was excellent. They serve bread from their bakery {which is a whole other story in itself}, which made the meal studded with deliciousness. I also had one of the best chicken liver pate {I can hear some of you groan}. It almost beats the CLP at the Mercury in Dallas. Almost.
Saturday
Our first stop was the Ferry Building. This is a fantasic place to get a feel for SF area food. So fresh, and always different. Outside the building, tons of local farmers and food stands are set up. We had cheese, wine, fruit, jams and barbecue samples, before heading back inside. I snapped a quick photo of the Bay Bridge before looking at the culinary shops inside.
We dragged ourselves from the majesty of the Ferry Building and headed to Chinatown for Husband to take a look at one of the biggest tourist traps of all. No, I'm kidding. {Kinda.} It's a fun place to enjoy your first time in the city. We then headed up the street to North Beach, another one of SF's neighborhoods, to get a little Italian...everything. On our way I snapped this picture of Michael's favorite part of the SF skyline: the TransAmerica Building.
We stopped at a wine bar {to remain nameless} that was blasting the Giant's game far too loudly to hear regular conversation, so we left. Steps before the entrance, we heard and subsequently ducked into a bar that was featuring a jazz band. The band was made up of oldies, but goodies!
After we played a couple games of pool {!}, we went to a bar a few blocks away, the Church Key. It reminded me of a downtown bar in looks, but the Old Monk in Dallas in their fabulous beer choices. Very lovely for all parties involved. I had some beer I couldn't pronounce, and Husband oogled over the variety. Here is one of the 50+ photos from the Church Key:
Later, we had dinner at Cafe Sport. They specialize in fresh, Bay Area seafood within their delicious Italian fare. We had oysters, mussels, calamari, ravioli, tortellini, linguine, and more. We had a FEAST!
Stay tuned for part two!
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