Author: Candee

My Dad’s Favorite Rock Group–Mount Rushmore

On By CandeeIn Animals & Birds, Food, South Dakota, Work Trips, WyomingLeave a comment

I was scheduled to work in Wyoming for two weeks, so it really didn’t make much sense to fly home between the trainings. Instead, I decided to take a road trip to South Dakota. I actually wanted to see two things while I was there–bison and my dad’s favorite rock group, Mount Rushmore, which has been near the tippy-top of my Bucket List for a long time!

I checked and re-checked the weather forecast, because the drive was in an isolated area, and I didn’t want to add bad weather to the mix. On Saturday morning, multiple sources said, “No snow,” so I set off early, insuring that I had many hours of daylight in front of me. The landscape of southeast Wyoming is flat, flat, flat with a backdrop of hills and mountains in the distance. And trees? What trees? The ground had a bit of snow cover from the last storm, and for the most part, the roads were clear, but remnants of snow and ice came and went in patches as I drove past.

I was so fascinated by the landscape, that I pulled over several times to take pictures. At one point, I just stopped in the middle of the road to take a ‘road shot,’ because I couldn’t see a car in either direction!
South Dakota–another new state to add to my list!
This scene was so surreal that I stopped the car to check it out. Everything was frost-covered and the low lying fog and burned trees created a mystical looking environment.
  • Yes! I’m getting ready to see all sorts of animals!

I barely saw any cars as I was driving through Wyoming and into South Dakota. I finally entered the “tree zone” area of the Black Hills, which is where Custer State Park is located. While I was in park, I didn’t see another single vehicle (or person) for the entire time that I was there. It was magical and eerie, all at the same time! I was told that my best chances of seeing bison was at this park, so I kept looking and looking!

At one point, I came round a curve and I saw a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye. I pulled the car over and looked out to see hundreds of prairie dogs popping in and out of their holes. I opened the window and listened to their elaborate communication system–where each would squeak and chirp, disappear underground for a few seconds, then reappear to seemingly start the process again. They looked like the ‘whack-a-mole’ game that many of us have played when the carnival rolled into town for the weekend when we were kids—pop up, squeak, pop down, pop up, squeak! The only thing missing was the whack, whack, whack! I could have watched and listened to them all day!

It was hard to capture them with my cellphone camera, but you can see three prairie dogs in this picture, and you can faintly see many of the mounds in the distance. Look carefully!
This was the only bison that I saw while I was in the park! Bummer!

One lane tunnel–Mount Rushmore can be seen on the other side!
I never knew that you could view the sculptures from outside of the park–you can! Amazing!

They say timing is everything…about 45 minutes after arriving at Mount Rushmore a huge fog bank rolled in. Check out the difference in the pictures! As I was leaving, I stopped at the visitor center and I was told that the fog was expected to stay put for the rest of the day–I was SO lucky! I felt bad to see the visitors walking in and overhearing them ask, “Where is it?”

The restaurant lined with tall glass windows, overlooks the famous rock face, and as I enjoyed the scenery I enjoyed a bowl of bison stew.

When I asked the rangers at Mount Rushmore about seeing bison in Custer State park, they agreed that was the best place to see them. I told them that I didn’t see any and the ranger guessed that the animals were probably huddling up to keep warm, and to protect themselves from the approaching snow. SNOW?

“It’s supposed to snow?” I asked, trying to hid the surprise in my voice. “The weather report said that we weren’t expecting snow.”

He smiled, and replied, “It’s going to snow….soon.”

I saw three deer on the side of the road as soon as I left the park. It was already snowing and the fog was rolling in quickly.

It was snowing by the time I pulled out of the parking garage of the park….so much for no snow! I left Mount Rushmore at a few minutes before 3:00 p.m. and I was heading for Deadwood, which is located about an hour and twenty minutes north of the park.

To sum it up–the drive was beautiful, Mount Rushmore was amazing, but no bison sightings—‘two out of three ain’t bad!’ Now I have to worry about the snow…

Bacon…again?

On By CandeeIn Stories from the RoadLeave a comment

For some reason, bacon always seems to be at the center of my world. I like bacon, but I’m talking about ‘bacon stories‘ popping up right in front of me. This time, I was in a hotel near the Denver airport, and I standing at the end of the breakfast buffet, in front of a little ‘we make it while you wait’ omelette stand. I had just given the woman manning the station my order, when another woman approached us. The woman had long gray hair, and her clothing looked crumpled, almost as if she had slept in them. She had slippers on her feet and a stern expression on her face.

In a garbled, hard to understand voice, she asked, “Do you have more bacon?”

The woman behind the counter asked politely, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t understand what you said. What would you like?”

“Bacon! Do you have more?”

Again, the woman making my eggs couldn’t catch what she was saying. I interrupted, and explained, “She wants to know if you have more bacon. I guess the bacon container is empty on the buffet.”

The crumpled woman glared at me.

“If you wait a moment, I can fill it up, but I need to finish making this omelette first.”

The woman turned around without saying anything else, and walked back to her table. As she sat down, I noticed that she had a small plate on her table that had at least 4 or 5 slices of bacon on it. I turned to the woman who was now finished making my omelette, and said, “Perfect timing. I’ll walk over with you, I’d like some bacon, too.”

I waited near the buffet, as she walked into the kitchen with the empty bacon tray. When she returned, I stepped out of the way, so she could maneuver the tray into position. As I stepped back, the gray-haired woman stepped in front of me, insuring that she was ‘1st in line’ to get the bacon. I watched her pile at least 40-50 slices of bacon into a towering mound at the center of the dinner-sized plate that she was holding.

Perplexed, I waited for her to finish, and then I stepped forward and served myself. When I my finished breakfast, I got up to leave and when I walked by her table, I noticed that the bacon pile was considerably smaller–by about half! Her table was set for one place, and the seat across from her empty–she had eaten it all by herself!

Wow–I like bacon, but she must love it!

Off to Wyoming!

On By CandeeIn Work Trips, WyomingLeave a comment

I found out that I was scheduled to work in Wyoming for two weeks in December and two weeks in January, and I was really excited because I had never been there before. As the time drew closer, I found myself thinking (and worrying) about the weather–Wyoming in December sounds a bit ominous, especially since I knew I would be flying into Denver, and then driving three hours north to the training location.

I arrived at my hotel in Denver at around 9:30 p.m last night., and my plan was to hit the road first thing in the morning. After breakfast I checked out, and the man behind the counter asked how long I was planning to stay in the Denver area. After I explained that I was going to be training in Wyoming for two weeks, he asked where I was heading.

His facial expression changed immediately when I told him that I would be about an hour northeast of Cheyenne. “People around here usually say that’s the ugly part of Wyoming,” he explained.

I frowned, and he quickly added, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin your time there.”

I replied with smile, “I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

He laughed and continued, “Let me tell you something that will make you feel a bit better.” He paused to make sure I was listening. “Did you know that there are more people living in the Denver area than the entire state of Wyoming?”

I’m not sure why he thought that would make me “feel better,” so I replied, “Feel better? Now I know that I’m about to drive through the ugly part of the state, and I have to worry about what will happen if I break down…since it’s so isolated, I won’t be able to count on someone stopping to help me!”

A funny look crossed his face, and then he replied, “I’m sorry! I’m definitely ruining your stay! Aren’t I?”

His comment made me laugh and he immediately joined in–it was a funny moment! Beauty is most definitely in the eye of the beholder. I thought the scenery was incredible along the way, but he was right about one thing—Wyoming doesn’t have many people! Few houses, few buildings, and few people…and wide open land as far as you can see!

Welcome to Wyoming—If you squint, you can see bison in the distance!

Flying the Friendly Skies

On By CandeeIn Airlines, Stories from the RoadLeave a comment

Prior to boarding my flight yesterday, I saw an elderly lady in a wheelchair near the ticket gate. I think I took notice of her, because she looked like a character straight out of a storybook. She was quite small, and she was wearing a long floral skirt, a floral blouse that didn’t match the skirt, a bulky sweater, and some sort of a head wrap. She was wearing fluffy pink and white slippers, and she had a big black handbag tucked under her arm. She had light brown skin and appeared, at least to my eyes, like a Romanian gypsy.

She was boarded first, and when I got on the plane, I saw that she was seated directly across the aisle from me. She had an empty seat beside her and a young man was occupying the window seat. I was in the aisle seat and both seats next to me remained empty. When the flight attendant walked down the aisle, the woman gestured to her. I could tell from the interchange that the woman either spoke no English, or very little. The flight attendant patiently listened, and finally figured out that the woman was cold, and wanted the overhead vent to be shut off.

About 15 minutes after take-off, the young man seated by the window, leaned forward and tried to get my attention. It was dark, with just a bit of ambient light, but I could see that he looked concerned.

“Excuse me….She’s trying to talk to me, or ask me something, but I don’t know what she’s saying.”

I looked at the woman seated between us, and I saw that she was holding an object that looked like a pen, but much thicker. The woman looked at me, held up the object for me to see, and then she mumbled something. I didn’t feel panicked, but I didn’t understand what she was showing me, and I certainly didn’t understand what she was saying. I unbuckled my seatbelt, stood up, and hit the flight attendant call button.

The flight attendant arrived immediately, and I quickly filled her in on the situation. I was able to be quick about it, because I had no clue what was going on. The old woman waved the object around, and the the flight attendant replied, “Oh, no…you can’t smoke that on the plane.”

I peered around her and said, “I don’t think it’s a vape pen. Is it an EpiPen?” I had never seen one before, so it was just a guess.

“Oh…I thought she was asking if she could vape.” We smiled at each other. “But I think she’s trying to say that she wants the light on.” When she flicked on the light, we could see what appeared to be a needle housed in a plastic tubular case.

Once again, the flight attendant turned to me and said, “I think she’s diabetic, and it looks like she’s checking the dosage. In the moment that it took me to agree, we watched the old woman unbuckle her seatbelt and lift up her blouse to expose her belly. She grabbed a roll of skin and then stuck herself with the needle.

I looked over at the young man and he still looked shocked.

It was an awkward situation, but the flight attendant was so kind and supportive. I don’t know her name, but I want to give her a huge shout out! After the flight attendant walked away, I could see that the woman was struggling to put her seatbelt back on. I reached across the aisle and clicked it into place for her, and her smile of appreciation warmed my heart!

Book #23–A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome

On By CandeeIn Books That I’ve ReadLeave a comment

This book title jumped out at me as I was browsing the shelves of an airport bookstore. I’ve completed the Camino de Santiago, not once, but twice. My feet have carried me 1,000 miles to Santiago, which is roughly the same distance from Canterbury to Rome. The author, Timothy Egan, has a really comfortable style of writing, that makes you feel like you’re walking with him. I wasn’t interested the religious of aspects of his journey, per se, but I did find the history fascinating, and I loved how he described all the stops and landmarks along the way. He has many great quotes in the book, but this one was my favorite—

But for many of us, malnutrition of the soul is a plague of modern life.

~Timothy Egan
Food for my soul–a good book, a nice lunch, and perfect weather!

Rockland Bakery—Nanuet, NY

On By CandeeIn Food, New York, Work TripsLeave a comment

Okay, let’s first talk about the smell—-as I was nearing the bakery, I could smell the scent of bread from the inside of my car! Seriously—the smell alone must be their secret weapon! I’m training in Nanuet, NY this week, and I stopped by Rockland Bakery this afternoon, because I was told that it was something that I just had to see, experience, and taste.

It was a good tip!

The bakery has a sweets shop, a deli, and the customer is allowed to go straight into the production area of the bakery to hand-select the bread that they want to purchase. My head felt like it was on swivel-mode as I looked around at the Willy Wonkaesque scene that unfolded around me. Conveyer belts moved breads and bagels across the room, on twisted tracks, some running overhead. It was fascinating to watch the workers, and equally as interesting to watch the customers walking around with gloved hands plucking what they wanted from trays stacked high with huge varieties of rolls, breads, and bagels.

As I waited in line to have a sandwich made at the deli, I began to chat with a woman who was standing next. She was there with her young daughter who was clutching two long loaves of Italian bread. The woman told me that she stops at Rockland twice a week to get fresh bread, and that coming to the bakery has been a biweekly family tradition since she was a young girl.

She said that she remembered coming in and being allowed to pick a roll, and being able to eat it before she even got back out to the car. As she told her story, I glanced down at her daughter who was nibbling at the end of one of the baguettes that she was holding. I laughed and unfortunately tipped off her mother, who abruptly halted her daughter’s mid-afternoon snack.

I guess it was a case of, ‘do what I say, not what I do!’ LOL!

Fresh bagel, anyone?

If you find yourself in the neighborhood—stop in! They’re open until 10:00 p.m. every day of the week!

For the Love of Bacon–

On By CandeeIn Stories from the Road, Work TripsLeave a comment

I’m enjoying my breakfast at the restaurant in my hotel, and I just noticed that the middle-aged couple sitting at the table next to me is taking a series of selfies. The star attraction–bacon! They’re taking turns feeding each other bacon while aiming the camera at themselves. After each picture, they admire the image, laugh at themselves, and then kiss. Obviously each new pose has to be more creative than the last, so now I’m now watching him dangling the bacon over her head, with her waiting for it, mouth open like a baby bird. Their final pose involved each one putting the end of the bacon between their lips and nibbling the strip of meat until they could seal their accomplishment with a kiss. My seat is directly facing them and I’m only a few feet away, so I have no choice but watch them. Lucky me!

In contrast, off to my right is huge table with 15 people around it. They appear to be an extended family with parents, grandparents & kids. One of the men is loudly telling the kids a series of ‘Why did the chicken cross the road jokes.’ At one point, one of the kids screams out his final answer, “So someone could take a picture of the chicken’s butt!”

The whole table laughed (I did, too!). You pick—would you prefer family chaos or the bacon kissers? I’ll pick Uncle Joker and his lame chicken jokes anytime!

This just in, and the icing on the cake—two women are sitting behind me, and one of them belched so loudly, that it startled me—I actually jumped! Bacon kissers, loud jokes, and a super-sonic burp –ahhh, the joys of public dining!?

Escaping the Cold in Florida!

On By CandeeIn Florida, Food, Work TripsLeave a comment


This week, I trained at Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, Florida. The temperature was great, fluctuating between the high 70’s and the mid-80’s. I was able to experience a few beautiful sunny days toward the beginning of the week, but it rained heavily for the remainder of the time that I was there. I’m not complaining, however, because the temperature at home was damp and cold, hovering near the freezing mark. I’ll take warm summer-like rain over that—yes, please!

Lunchtime view at Saint Andrew’s
Just lovely!

One night, I ate at a place called, ‘818 Heat: Hot Pot & BBQ.’ It was really good. I’ve had hot pot before, but this was an all-you-can eat place, so it was fun to be able to try small amounts of different things. The first thing that you’re asked to do is pick a soup base, and then you need to pick your protein. The vegetables were set out in portions on refrigerated shelves, so I was able to help myself to whatever I wanted to try. The soup base is served in a pot and placed on a warmer built into the table. After the soup base warms up, you add the ingredients as you want, and then eat them when they were cooked. I had fun, but it probably would have been even more enjoyable with a group of friends.

My hot pot experience—I picked beef and shrimp as my proteins and a tried all sorts of different veggies. I even tried something called, seaweed knots. Is seaweed considered a vegetable?

Lots of fresh choices!

One night during my stay I had dinner at the ‘City Fish Market,’ which was located right next to my hotel. I ordered a few oysters as an appetizer and I had sea scallops as my main entree.

The oysters were a “sampling,” which meant that I could pick a number to try (I picked three), and my waiter selected several different varieties for me to sample. They were presented on a bed of ice, and served with a wedge of lemon and two sauces, one being a traditional cocktail sauce with an extra dollop of horseradish spooned over the top.

I was given two east coast varieties—James River and Bluepoint, and one west coast variety—Kumamoto. All three were delicious, but I need to rave about the Kumamoto. It was smallest of the three, but by far, the most flavorful. ‘Kumies’ originated in Japan, but are now grown in California and Washington. They are mildly briny and have a sweet, fruity flavor. I could have eaten a plateful of them—I’m going to be on the look out, so I can try them again!

You can’t say you’ve been to Florida, if you don’t snag at least one palm tree picture!

On one of the nights that I was out and about, I noticed these two businesses situated right next to each other, and yup, I did a double take! I suppose both places could be named, ‘Everything Hair’ if the owner of the ‘European Wax Center’ had a funny streak. ??? It cracked me up!

Sweet Home Alabama

On By CandeeIn Alabama, Signs Along the Way, Work TripsLeave a comment

When I saw that I was scheduled to work in Alabama this week, I was pretty excited. I had driven from Destin, Florida to New Orleans about 20 years ago, and we had crossed through the bottom of the state near Mobile. We were in and out of Alabama so quickly though, that I really couldn’t get a sense of it as a place.

On Sunday, I flew to Atlanta and then drove to my training location, which is located about an hour and twenty-five minutes west of the city. When I crossed over the state line into Alabama, I saw a welcome sign that read, “Sweet Home Alabama.” The image stirred up long ago memories and instantly brought a smile to my face. When I was a teenager, my boyfriend introduced me to the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Their songs were different from anything that I had ever heard before, and Freebird, Gimme Three Steps, and Sweet Home Alabama (among several others) were songs that I had played over and over in my bedroom.

As I drove past the sign, I sang the song at the top of my lungs…

Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you

I wanted to pull over and get a picture, but I hesitated, because it seemed like such a touristy thing to do. As the sign disappeared behind me, I instantly regretted my decision. Later in the week I told my participants about seeing the sign and wishing that I had stopped. They immediately encouraged me to drive back to the sign after class to get my picture. I hesitated for a moment, before realizing that they were right…every day should be an adventure!

Alabama is beautiful, and I’m here at the perfect time. The autumn leaves are in mid-change, and the rolling hills were illuminated with the color of the setting sun as I drove back to snap my picture. Once again, I found myself singing the familiar tune…

Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you

Did I have to drive back and get the picture? No…but I’m glad I did. The words on the sign reminded me of being young, falling in love, and feeling free. Sometimes we take ourselves too seriously. I enjoyed an old memory, and it was fun creating a new one!