Yesterday we headed down the road about 30 miles to Ashland, Oregon, home to the highly regarded Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Southern Oregon University and, this weekend, the 6th Annual Oregon Chocolate Festival. Because I am one of those people who believes that chocolate should be a separate (essential) food group, you can be sure that I was not going to miss this event.

More than 30 vendors offered tastes and sale of their products at the lovely and historic Ashland Springs Hotel (formerly known as the Mark Antony), just steps away from the OSF theaters. The entire town was focused on the chocolate event this weekend: Friday night the monthly First Friday Art Walk included chocolate goodies in many of the galleries, and all weekend theater-goers could enjoy 50 percent off their evening show tickets by mentioning “chocolate” at the ticket windows. (We weren’t able to take in a show this year but will have to keep that in mind next spring!) Able to devote just a few hours on Saturday, we nonetheless made good use of our time and had our fill of all manner of chocolate and chocolate-related goodies.

Four local wineries offered tastes of red wine varietals and blends as well as sweet dessert wines that paired nicely with the baked goods and truffles on hand. Rogue Ales offered samples of their Chocolate Stout, and Organic Nation Spirits provided sips of organically produced vodka and gin — distilled right in Ashland. All of the companies represented at the festival are genuinely Oregon-based, and many hail from the southwest region; a heartening thought: I don’t have to travel far to get a chocolate fix or something delectable to go with my favorite vice!

I noted a couple of interesting variations on your typical chocolate decadence. Two vendors offered raw chocolate confections: no sugar at all, but sometimes flavors such as ginger or chiles were added. The idea, I guess, is to get the nutritional benefits of chocolate without those added, processed calories. And Missionary Chocolates out of Portland creates dairy- and gluten-free truffles; their creations are a feast for the eyes and the palate!

Several local restaurants participated in a Chocolate Dessert Competition, and this presented a nice opportunity to the crowd of sweet-lovers. Plates of the contested items were available at a silent auction, with proceeds to benefit a local food bank. Although we didn’t place a winning bid, it was great to see some truly extravagant presentations and make a note of a place or two where we might drop in for a special dessert some evening in the future.

Once we’d had our fill of chocolate (hard to imagine, I know, but it is possible) and the crowds, we took advantage of the sunny, warm, early spring afternoon and strolled Main Street for a bit of window shopping. Ashland is a charming town with plenty of fascinating shops which appeal to its flood of play-going visitors, and we’ve barely begun to plumb what it has to offer. I’m sure we’ll be back over and over again — especially if the chocolate is out!

– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for quite a while. Not because we had any big plans or were going anywhere special. I just was anticipating a leisurely three-day weekend (more for my husband than for me, since working from home means my work days can often be indistinguishable from weekends and holidays), with Valentine’s Day and the start of the Winter Olympics adding fun and excitement to the mix.

This year we decided to forego a nice dinner out at one of our favorite places and instead create a nice dinner in for Valentine’s Day. I think I’ve mentioned before that Harry is some mean cook, so I’m anticipating a meal of coconut shrimp, wild rice and asparagus with Hollandaise sauce and, of course, a bottle of wine or two. I’ll be contributing a yummy chocolate dessert — can’t have Valentine’s Day without chocolate! We’ll also take in a couple of movies this weekend (we each choose one, so there’s a nice balance) and just enjoy a few unhurried days together.

The weekend began with watching the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Games in Vancouver. Well, I will admit that I was reading a magazine and doing a few chores at the same time, as all of the coverage did not require my undivided attention all of the time. I did enjoy much of the visual spectacle, though. And, with the games being held here in the Pacific Northwest, we have an added interest in them. Having lived in the Seattle area and Washington state for two decades, we’ve visited Vancouver a number of times. It is definitely one of my favorite cities for it’s stunning setting, cosmopolitan atmosphere and cultural diversity. After observing all of the preparations over the last several years for this big event, it’s exciting to now see it all coming to fruition and to see the rest of the world’s reaction to this beautiful place.

I’ve always enjoyed both the summer and winter Olympics. I have very little athletic talent myself, but I really get drawn in to the various competitions and can’t help but admire and respect all the effort and sacrifice the athletes put forth to achieve their goals. A few peeves about the coverage, though. This one applies not just to the Olympics, but any sporting event: Please, do away with the pre- and post-event interviews with the athletes. The same old cliched questions are asked, and the same old cliched responses will be given. I like the pretaped background stories on the athletes’ lives, but not those stale bits that reveal absolutely nothing new.

I’d also like to to see the events in real time, not tape-delayed and broadcast during prime time (admitting that there may be options via satellite and such). For those of us living in the same time zone as the Games are being held, it would mean we don’t have to stay up ’til midnight to catch the finals of big events. I appreciate the editing which compresses time between preliminaries and individual performances, but too much manipulation takes some of the spontaneity and anticipation out of the viewing.

Finally, I just don’t like the participation of professional athletes, especially in the team events like hockey, basketball and baseball. I know all of the history, the political and economic reasons behind the change in the rules. I know that there are the Shaun Whites and Apolo Ohnos who have made a lot of money in their sports, too — more than most professional athletes in team sports. Still, especially in those team events, I think it makes for especially uneven “competition.” And who believes the 1980 Miracle on Ice victory would have been as sweet if the U.S. team had been loaded with pros? 

Ah, but enough of that. I’m just going to sit back and enjoy the rest of my weekend, and may you do the same.

– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

Right now, as my daughters read the title of this blog, they are cringing. I will happily admit that I get a bit of wicked pleasure in embarassing them with goofy antics and purposely dreadful/playful attempts to drop modern slang and references into conversations with them. Actually, they know what I’m up to and play their part in this little interaction, rolling their eyes and shaking their heads in mock horror at my blatant lack of cool. We all enjoy this teasing aspect of our relationship, and it’s one which I don’t get to indulge in as much as I’d like, with both of them living in the Chicago area most of the year. Some of the body language and timing is lost over the phone lines (even with Skype) or in emails, an immediacy that only being physically together actually satisfies.

This last week, then, was a completely pleasurable one for me as both girls (and son-in-law Dan) were home for Christmas. We had plenty of time to catch up on just being together without going anywhere particularly special or doing anything terribly remarkable. (Well, I take that back a bit; Sarah, Dan and I took a quick afternoon trip down to the redwoods, which Jenny, Harry and I had seen together last summer. As I wrote in my blog at that time, that is a VERY special and remarkable trip.) After a Christmas Day in which all of us spent the day in pajamas, we took in the George Clooney film Up in the Air. It was the one we all (including my mother-in-law) could agree on seeing together, and we all enjoyed it. As Kim mentioned in her blog a few weeks ago, I’m sure it holds moments to which most of our frequent-flyer GT readers could relate.

After hearing our raves over the past several months, our guests insisted that we take them to two of our favorite places in Central Point: the Rogue Creamery and Lillie Belle Farms (I’ve also mentioned each a few times in my blogs). Located next door to each other, the businesses serve up amazing cheeses and chocolates, respectively, created from local raw ingredients and appreciated (and awarded) internationally. After sampling several Rogue cheeses and an assortment of other producers’ cheeses from the creamery’s case, we forced ourselves to narrow our purchases to a few exquisite choices and then trooped next door to Lillie Belle. I could almost be satisfied with just walking in the door and inhaling deeply for several minutes, but why stop there? The rest of our party agreed, and after another opportunity to freely sample from chocolatier/owner/wizard/artist Jeff Shepherd’s heavenly concoctions, we each chose some goodies to take home and gift to friends and relatives not lucky enough to be with us that day.

Another evening we chose to forego more football games and Christmas movies on TV and visited the local bowling alley, Lava Lanes, for a few games of not-very-competitive play. Thankfully, my level of fun was not at all in proportion to my score, which was truly abysmal. We also spent some time in the adjoining video arcade, where I had my first introduction to Dance Dance Revolution (that could become addictive; I may have an idea for next year’s Christmas list!) and the kids enjoyed blasting aliens in “Area 51.” 

In between our jaunts around town, we collectively completed a few jigsaw puzzles and laughed over old home videos from the girls’ early years. Nothing special, as I said, but also utterly delightful. Yep, there’s nothing better in life than hangin’ with my homies (cue the eye rolling and head shaking).

 – Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

Is it really just one week away from Christmas? Where has the time gone? It feels like just yesterday it was Dec. 1, and now here we are staring down the holiday.

The GT staff is getting in the holiday spirit today, celebrating our annual holiday party this afternoon. The luncheon is always a good time, with yummy food, lots of laughs and an entertaining gift swap. This year we are holding the event at Jericho National Golf Club, and we have staffers coming in from New York City, Connecticut, Boston and, of course, Pennsylvania. And, thankfully, we never have to deal with those work Christmas party nightmare stories you often hear about this time of the year.

I am dreading heading out to finish my Christmas shopping this weekend. I know the stores will be packed and the lines will be long, but I have no choice. When else will I finish up? Not only will I have to battle crazed, frantic holiday shoppers, but I will also have to battle an impending snowstorm. The unpredictability of this storm makes me nervous. As I watched the weather this morning ,the local meteorologist couldn’t pin down the amount of snow we could expect. It’s either between 1-3 inches or between 5-10 inches.

So my plan is to wait and see what Mother Nature brings us tomorrow. If the weather turns out to be quite white, then I plan on spending the day baking and finishing up my Christmas cookies. I made chocolate chip banana oatmeal cookies the other night and shortbread cookies last night, but I still have a chocolate peanut butter cookie, a chocolate hazelnut cookie and raspberry linzer tart left to make. And then, hopefully, I can battle the rest of that shopping list on Sunday!

Happy Holidays!

– Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive

As I mentioned in a blog a few weeks ago, I was happy to return to London this October after an almost five year hiatus. I spent more than three months in the city during my junior year at Syracuse University, and I was eager to return. And, once again, London did not disappoint and I made the most of my time there.

I arrived early in the morning on Wednesday and checked into the InterContinental Park Lane. To refresh and rejuvenate after the long flight, I enjoyed a reflexology treatment and spent about 15 minutes in the spa’s flotation bed. After catching my breath, I enjoyed lunch and a Champagne flight on the London Eye. The Champagne flight is available to all passengers of the London Eye. A consultant comes on the pod with riders and everyone enjoys a bottle of bubbly as they soak in the sights of London.

On Wednesday night, I was able to attend the exclusive Vanity Fair/London Restaurant Festival Week launch party at Quaglino’s. Following the reception, I enjoyed the opening night of Pierre Koffman’s pop-up restaurant on the roof of Selfridges. The pop-up restaurant was originally intended to be only open during the festival, but due to its popularity, it has been extended through November. Should you find yourself in London next month, check it out. I dined a table away from Tom Parker Bowles. The pistachio souffle is a must!

Thursday, I enjoyed a morning stroll through Covent Garden market. I watched all the vendors set up shop and enjoyed the sounds of a classical music busker ensemble. In the afternoon I made my way over to the Tate Modern. Pop Life, an exhibit featuring the work of Andy Warhol and others, is currently at the museum. It was my first visit to the Tate Modern. Afternoon tea at Harvey Nichols was a perfect way to wind down in the afternoon. I spent a relaxing evening enjoying dinner at Theo Randall, in the InterContinental, and cocktails and dancing at the nearby Met Bar.

When Friday rolled around, I was disappointed I only had two more days in my favorite city. But, boy, I filled them. In the morning, I visited the Judith Blacklock Flower School for a flower arranging lesson. I spent the afternoon browsing Borough Market and enjoyed lots of delicious treats. In the evening, as a special treat, I enjoyed the InterContinental’s cinema suite. Due to technical difficulties, the EatFilm launch, a part of restaurant festival week, was canceled. The event showcased a food movie, followed by a dinner with a menu inspired by the film. No worries, watching Chocolat and having a special company come in to teach me about chocolate and how to make my own helped me create my own EatFilm night.

On Saturday I visited the Tower of London in the morning. In all the time I spent in London, I had never made it to the Tower. I enjoyed lunch at the Royal Academy with GT representative Joanna Percy. We also took in the Anish Kapoor exhibit. I took a trip down memory lane in the late afternoon, taking the Tube to Edgware Road and walking around the old neighborhood and past our old townhouse. In the evening, I went to the theater and saw Oliver, which was great! Those children could really perform.

And, alas, Sunday came and it was time to return home. I’ll save my thoughts on Heathrow’s Terminal 5 for a different day.

– Kimberly Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive