This weekend, I went to Chicago and attended Frequent Traveler University, a symposium of experts in the miles and points game. Workshops on everything from redemption programs to manufactured spending gave attendees tips and tricks to make everyday spending work for their practical and aspirational travel goals. One thing I didn't know was just how easy it is to accumulate points, both airline and hotel points when you're part of a loyalty program. For example, Marriott is running a promotion right now with the NFL called Extra Points Sunday. All you have to do is connect your Marriott account to your Twitter account before you play and reply to a question that's posted each week. Tweet your response with the hashtag #RewardsPoints and you will earn 1,000 points each week of the promotion. Questions are posted on Sundays and you have until 8:00 p.m. Eastern to answer.
With points averaging about $.09/point, you're not going earn a free night, but every point counts. Earning $9 for a few minutes work is not bad at all.
Happy tweeting! I'm new to the miles and points game...any tips or tricks that worked for you? Please share in the comments.
This weekend, Gracie and I took a road trip to a nearby town for a celebration of all things dogs.
The Woofstock Dog Festival is a benefit for the Buddy Dog Humane Society and features pet-centric vendors, K-9 demos, food, music, raffles, and plenty of nose-to-butt-nose interaction for our four-legged friends.
There was also a reunion area for families to gather with their pups and seek out siblings who were re-homed with other families.
While we were at Woofstock, we had the opportunity to meet with Gracie's rescue organization, All-Sato Rescue. This is an organization that is dedicated to the rescuing and re-homing abandoned and otherwise homeless dogs in Puerto Rico. The word Sato is slang in Puerto Rico for mutt. In addition to their rescue work, they strive to address the root causes of overpopulation, neglect, and abuse through education and advocacy and through low-cost spaying and neutering clinics.
It was wonderful to meet and thank volunteers from the partner organizations of All-Sato Rescue.
We even picked up some Sato tee-shirt swag while we were there.
And we sent messages of love and gratitude to the rescue heroes on the ground in Puerto Rico.
As you can imagine, rescue efforts in Puerto Rico are challenging with the damage caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. According to the organization's web page:
We finally heard from ASR President, Edilia Vazquez, that she and the many dogs and cats that she is caring for are all right. We are slowly hearing from the many other rescuers that work with us and so far, every one of them is safe as well. But, things on the ground are very bad. Most of the island is without power and communications. The infrastructure is badly damaged, the airport is closed, and there are so many trees down that getting anywhere is challenging. The weeks ahead are going to be very difficult and we are not sure when we will be able to resume normal operations. Many of you have very kindly asked what we need most. Much as we need basic supplies--dog food, kennels, medications--delivery is impossible. Gift cards to local chain stores, like PetSmart and Petco would be much appreciated, as would monetary donations to cover what will surely be extremely high vet bills as we attend to the many animals that were injured during this ordeal. Your outpouring of support has meant so much to us. We couldn't keep going without you--you are giving us the strength to continue.
Our family is so deeply grateful for Gracie and the rescue work that All-Sato Rescue continues to do in Puerto Rico. We are blessed to be able to donate to this selfless organization and the shelter where we adopted Gracie. If you are interested in helping All-Sato Rescue in their efforts to rescue and re-home dogs like Gracie, this link will help you do that. Or, if you are looking for other organizationsfor causes near and dear to you, there are many on the ground ready to help in all of the recently affected disaster areas of Puerto Rico, Texas, Florida, the Virgin Islands, and other places in the Caribbean. Woofstock'17 was a huge success. Gracie came home tired and happy. We both did, and for me, a heart a little fuller with love and gratitude for those who work to help those so vulnerable in our world.
Overlooking a serene mill pond in Down East Maine, Pilgrim's Inn on Deer Isle in Penobscot Bay, was the perfect place for the Señor and I to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary.
Built in 1793, this beautifully restored post and beam inn is on the National Register of Historic Places. Innkeepers, Tony Lawless and Tina Oddleifson, purchased the inn in 2005. Their hospitality philosophy is "to anticipate the needs of our guests and provide excellent service, while at the same time giving people the space to create their own experience." And they did, indeed.
Pilgrim's Inn is a member of Select Registry, a portfolio of more than 300 quality assured, premier bed and breakfasts, inns, and select hotels. Each property is held to a 200 point inspection, insuring that guests are treated to the highest quality experience. Tony and Tina provided that, and so much more.
From the middle of May through the middle of October, Pilgrim's Inn offers twelve rooms in the main inn, as well as three cottages for a more secluded experience. All rooms have private baths, lush linens, air conditioning, bathrobes and hairdryers.
Guests have access to free, on-site parking, wireless internet throughout the inn, a guest computer, and a guest phone line, which offers free calls throughout the US and Canada. The main room has a library filled with books and a game room with board games and cable television, the only television in the inn.
Outside, the property has Adirondack chairs for relaxing beside the pond.
And lovely grounds to stroll.
The Señor and I stayed in Room 2, featuring a beautiful king-sized bed that overlooks the mill pond, lawn and gardens.
BeeKind is a line of products with all-natural ingredients. A portion of their sales goes to honeybee research.
Such a lovely touch.
We had dinner in the Whale's Rib Tavern, and what a treat it was!
Fun lobster trap chairs.
We began with drinks in the bar. The Señor enjoyed a local brew, and I asked the bartender to create something fruity. Using fresh Maine blueberries, that's exactly what she did, and it was delicious.
In the dining room of the restaurant, the Señor and I toasted to our anniversary over a bottle of full-bodied cabernet. He enjoyed a perfectly cooked grilled beef tenderloin and I chose a grilled duck breast.
For dessert, we chose a chocolate pot de creme and Maine blueberry crisp. It was easily, one of the best meals of our lives. Reservations are highly suggested at this destination restaurant. The staff is knowledgeable, helpful with recommendations, and do everything to make your experience one to remember. Tony, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America with over 25 years of industry experience, oversees the kitchen and insures the highest quality of flavor, presentation, and service.
A full breakfast for two people is included in your stay at Pilgrim's Inn, and homemade cookies, fresh fruit, and beverages are available throughout the day. Breakfast is served in the inn's restaurant, the Whale's Rib Tavern, and, at this time, is open to guests of the inn only.
Pilgrim's Inn was featured in the The Boston Globe and Maine Magazine, and was an Editor's Choice in Yankee Magazine. It was also featured in A Thousand Places to See Before You Die: North America Edition. In addition, Pilgrim's Inn has received Certificate of Excellence awards from Trip Advisor, and they are members of the Diamond Collection withBedAndBreakfast.com. Deer Isle, Maine, is close to Acadia National Park, Stonington, and Isle au Haut. It is rich with activities related to hiking, kayaking, bird-watching, art galleries, and farmers' markets.
Anyone can stay at a chain hotel that offers an impersonal front-end experience; but if you're looking for more...a place where you are welcomed as if you were coming home, then choose a Select Registry property like the Pilgrim's Innand experience Down East Maine like a local. It is a lovely place, indeed.
We are grateful to Tony and Tina, who hosted our stay and anniversary celebration, in partnership with Select Registry. For booking information, call 888-778-7505.Pilgrim's Inn is located at 20 Main Street, Deer Isle, Maine. They can be contacted at innkeeper@pilgrimsinn.com.
We had great plans to go out on Friday night, but with the rain and long week behind us, we opted to stay local, shop for a new laptop for the Señor, and have dinner at one of our local old-school favorites. Saturday found us running errands, like getting one of the cars serviced and getting the food shopping done for the week. On Saturday afternoon, we went to the BirchTree Bread Company, a wonderful local bakery that specializes in all things toast and coffee. The bakery is located in a great old building that houses a weekend farmers' market and the cutest collection of curated boutique items, antiques and handmade goodies.
A lovely courtyard for al fresco enjoyment.
The Señor tried an olive and herb toast spread with whipped feta and drizzled with olive oil...SO good!! I had my regular: local wheat toast with cultured butter, local honey, and sea salt.
Then, it was a movie for date night, and we opted for the biographical drama, Papa: Hemingway in Cuba.
Yesterday began with some playtime with Gracie.
Then, we had the wonderful opportunity to take my parents and my mother-in-law out for lunch in honor of Mother's Day. We went to a traditional Portuguese restaurant, featuring food from Portugal and the Azores. The Señor and I had been there before, but it was a first for our parents. The restaurant and staff did not disappoint, and we all had a great time.
Appetizers of cured cheese and prosciutto and
above that, morcela (blood sausage) with sweet potato.
My husband and father took care of the morcela...it's not for me.
Grilled octopus was one of the entrees. I opted for arroz marisco...a Portuguese paella of sorts.
Mom and me doing our annual backseat selfie.
Backseat selfies with my mother-in-law.
My Mom and Dad.
I'm still my Dad's girl.
An emotional mother and her son.
And one with my Señor.
And after what feels like weeks of rain, the sun came out, which seems to have brought a strong, cold wind. I'm grateful nonetheless because it was a lovely weekend, indeed. How was your weekend?
Here in Massachusetts, we enjoyed a much-needed and well-earned three day weekend. Yesterday, Monday, was Patriots' Day, or Marathon Monday (the 120th running). While some companies use this day as a floater, my husband had the day off and so it became an opportunity to plan a staycation, and catch up on a few chores. The Señor likes craft brews. He likes trying small batch beer made by local breweries and so we decided to try a local brewery and gastropub, which became the theme of the weekend, visiting three local breweries in three days. On Saturday, after some house chores, we went out west for a coffee at a bakery which makes my favorite almond-sesame-maple cookie. When we arrived, we were surprised (as was another patron) to find that the bakery had closed early that one day. So, it was on to Plan B, and thanks to Yelp, we found another independent coffee house where we indulged in iced coffees and biscotti. After picking up some needed house supplies at the big box store up the road, we went in search of a local brewery and as luck and location would have it, just over the border into Vermont, we found the Whetstone Station Brewery and Restaurant in nearby Brattleboro.
The brewery and gastropub, with a fire-lit deck and bier garten, overlooks the Connecticut River and features a Mug Club, which rewards you with your own personalized mug and other discounts and benefits once you have tried 99 of the experimental brewery's beers in one year. They only make one brew regularly: their own IPA, but they publish their recipes on their website. The Señor tried the beer sampler... And their famous Brewer's Burger; however the local favorite seems to be Tim's Awesome Burger, loaded with Vermont cheddar cheese, red onion, tomato, maple marinated bacon and peanut butter...yes, peanut butter.
Not the famous peanut butter burger, but delicious, nonetheless.
On Sunday, we took off for Maine, heading up to Portland. The northern New England coast has its share of local brews as well, but in Portland, after a lovely afternoon tea in a cute French patisserie,
we went for an in-house brew at Gritty's, self proclaimed as Portland's Original Brew Pub. They also have locations in Freeport and Auburn, Maine.
We took advantage of the $.50 wing happy hour special and the señor enjoyed their famous BPA. On Monday, we went back out west for two reasons. We planned on purchasing our flights for Spain and Portugal, which we did at the travel agency we typically use, and we planned on coffees at a favorite coffeeshop, and dinner at another brewhouse in the Pioneer Valley. What we didn't plan was having dinner with a dear friend; what a wonderful surprise, indeed!
We finished off our weekend with cappuccinos and cannolis at the bakery across the street from the brewery.
It was a lovely end to a lovely weekend. If you're visiting New England, here are the places that made our weekend itinerary.
Whetstone Station 36 Bridge Street Brattleboro, VT 802-490-2354 Portland Patisserie and Grand Cafe 46 Market Street Portland, ME 04101 207-553-2555 Portland Brew Pub 396 Fore Street Portland, ME 04101 Esselon Cafe 99 Russell Street (Route 9) Hadley, MA 01035 413-585-1515 Northampton Brewery 11 Brewster Court Northampton, MA 01060 413-584-9903 La Fiorentina Pastry Shop 25 Armory Street Northampton, MA 01060 413-586-7693 What was the highlight of your weekend? Are you a craft beer fan? Where is the best local brewery and gastropub in your area? We're always up for a road trip.
Happy Spring! As it turns out, we're expecting another snow storm.
Last night, the Señor and I were lamenting how quickly the weekend passes. His proposed solution? Go out more often on Friday nights.
This weekend was no different. Friday night was met with warm pajamas, a glass of cabernet, a fierce game of fetch with Gracie, homework, and an early bedtime. Saturday morning began at a local bakery and farmer's market.
Then, I had class, where we were presented with an interesting question about culture. We began the session with this time lapse video on borders, which served as a launchpad for a discussion on culture.
Our instructor asked us to identify the four dominant traits of our own culture, including, but not restricted to country of origin, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomics, race, and class. Then, he asked us which trait of the four was non-negotiable and which trait we would be willing to abandon. It brought up an interesting conversation about privilege and how we identify ourselves. After class, we went to my Mom and Dad's, where we indulged in my Mom's annual corned beef and cabbage dinner. Dinner was delicious, and our time with my Mom and Dad is always a treat.
On Sunday, the Señor and I celebrated Macaron Day with cafe au laits and macarons at another local bakery. Thanks to The Good Life France for the heads up and history of macarons. It reminded me of my own adventure with macaron making.
The weekend ended with a late matinee to see The Big Short, before coming home to prep for the week ahead and do a little reading. The weekends do pass too quickly. Perhaps going out more on Friday nights will help. In the meantime, there's a lot of living to do between now and next Friday. Cheers to the new week, new goals, and new smiles.
