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Around the World 2016 | China | Penny & Me

Penny & Me

July 13, 2016 by Jenn

The penny enthusiastically traversed 12 miles of China’s Great Wall:

Great Wall (Gubeikou)

Great Wall (Gubeikou)

Great Wall (Jinshanling)

Great Wall (Jiankou)

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China

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Road Trip Days 3 & 4: Having driven across the co

Road Trip Days 3 & 4:

Having driven across the country six times now, Sanchez, Stephan and I all concur that our favorite route is via I-70/80 – right through the country’s heartland. One of the main reasons for this? It passes through two awesome food cities: St. Louis and Kansas City, MO.

Sanchez has especially come to love the two BBQ meccas, and was pumped to cross a couple more local joints off her list. She eased in with a small rack of ribs from Sugarfire in St. Louis, then splurged on Jack Stack’s three-meat combo in KC – a pile of brisket and beef and pork burnt ends. A diehard fan of the city’s traditional beef burnt ends, she all but lost her mind with this ‘cue joint’s pork belly version.

During our stop in St. Louis, we also finally made it to a bakery we’ve been trying to visit for two years (we always seem to be passing through on a day they are closed). Nathaniel Reid has been a repeat James Beard semi-finalist and was voted one of the ten best pastry chefs in the country. After just one visit – and a complete lack of restraint – we can see why. This place easily outranks many of the patisseries we’ve visited across Europe.

After a whirlwind two-city food tour that included three BBQ joints, two breweries and one bakeshop, day 4 was nothing but a nine-hour slogfest from KC to Denver. We’ll now be parked here for a couple days, eager to spend time with some of our dear friends we haven’t seen in over two years.

Road Trip Days 1 & 2: After spending a fun night

Road Trip Days 1 & 2:

After spending a fun night with some of her favorite friends over in Boone, Sanchez directed us to Louisville, Kentucky so she could sample the world famous Hot Brown.

Invented at Louisville’s historic Brown Hotel in 1926, the now-iconic dish features an open-faced turkey sandwich topped with bacon and smothered with Mornay sauce. Street dogs may not be allowed in The Brown’s swanky Lobby Bar, but the gracious hostess made sure Sanchez was able to take her special order to go.

The verdict? This little mutt was beyond stoked about this local fare. She trembled with excitement as Stephan dug through layers of cheese and meat – a pile of her favorite foods – with his titanium camping fork. If you ever find yourselves passing through Louisville along your travels, a stop at the birthplace of the Hot Brown is an absolute must.

After two weeks in North Carolina – and our annu

After two weeks in North Carolina – and our annual battery of wellness, dental and vet exams – it’s time to hit the road again for another year of adventures.

While we were in Cary, we enjoyed abundant sunshine, temperatures in the 60s, and winter roses in bloom. We hit up some local trails, indulged in some of the best sorbet on the planet, and visited Sanchez’s beloved pet store. I recharged my soul with a few practices at my favorite yoga studio with my two favorite instructors. Stephan returned to the office for the first time in three years for some in-person meetings and discovered his desk was still untouched –curiously frozen in time from an unyielding pandemic. We spent time with good friends we hadn’t seen in far too long, and even got to celebrate a couple of inspiring and amazing new U.S. citizens.

Thanks to all our people in NC! Until next time!

You learn a lot from living in AirBnbs. This week,

You learn a lot from living in AirBnbs. This week, I learned there is such a thing as a bathroom exhaust fan with built-in Bluetooth speaker (I hope someone out there was as clueless as I).

As I was lathering up my hair the other night, a Kermit & Piggy duet of ‘Rainbow Connection’ suddenly started reverberating from the ceiling. I was floored. What I learned beyond the mere existence of a music-playing fan was this:

(1) There is no limit to the amount of superfluous shit on the market.

(2) Although I don’t need to listen to ‘Rainbow Connection’ while I shower, it actually does kind of enhance the experience.

(3) You know you’ve found your person when: (a) he remembers your favorite Muppets song, and (b) has the technical acuity to zap it to a random bathroom appliance. Not to mention, he's someone who even knows what the hell the stupid thing is in the first place.

(4) The contemporary version with a little Electric Mayhem cameo thrown in rivals Kermit’s solo in the film.

It’s crazy to think that our time in New Hampshi

It’s crazy to think that our time in New Hampshire has already come to a close. We had such a great time visiting family and friends around New England, and miss everyone already… especially this little tulle-clad princess.❤

Thanks to everyone for such a fun couple of months!

On January 16, 2017, a scruffy little street dog f

On January 16, 2017, a scruffy little street dog flew 10,000 miles from Bangkok to Boston to begin life with her forever family.

Shellshocked by her new surroundings, she was too afraid to walk around the block, would recoil when we opened a bottle of seltzer water, and needed an eating coach to coax her through every meal.

Six years later, she’s blazed 1,300 miles (2,400 km) of wilderness trails across fifteen states and two countries and climbed over 62 vertical miles (100 vertical km). She now runs freely toward the sound of a whirring food processor, and has eagerly sampled an assortment of regional fare from across the continent. She’s confident, intrepid and exuberant, and has brought more joy into our lives than we ever could have imagined.

Happy gotcha day, baby girl! ❤

On Monday, we rang in 2023 with a quick hike up Mt

On Monday, we rang in 2023 with a quick hike up Mt. Monadnock.

If you’re not local to the region, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve never heard of Mount Monadnock. With an elevation of just 3,165 feet (965 m), it’s a rather humble little summit. Remarkably, though, this obscure, granite-crowned centerpiece of southwestern New Hampshire ranks as one of the most climbed mountains in the world – second only to Japan’s Mount Fuji. Its accessibility, low level of difficulty, and proximity to larger urban centers make it both a popular and attainable summit. It’s a pretty scenic little spot and, on a clear day, you can even spot the Boston skyline some 70 miles east.

If you live in the Keene area, you’ve probably made at least one ascent to the top. Stephan and I hiked Monadnock on one of our first dates back in 2004, and it’s always special to revisit this hometown gem.

Joy is one of those magical things. You can find i

Joy is one of those magical things. You can find it almost anywhere and it takes on many different forms. Sometimes, joy is the sweeping view from a Rocky Mountain summit. Other times, it’s a wagging tail or hot cup of tea. And sometimes, joy is matching pigtails and a dirty sock in your burrito.

Whatever joy looks like to you, we hope everyone finds an abundance in 2023.

Happy New Year! 🎊

The spectator, the instigator, and the daredevil.

The spectator, the instigator, and the daredevil.
.
.
Back on the same nature trail that helped forge a friendship thirty-something years ago, and the same nature trail that helped foster my love for everything outdoors. It doesn’t get any better than this. ❤

'Slice up the fruitcake, It's time we hung some ti

'Slice up the fruitcake,
It's time we hung some tinsel on that evergreen bough...' 🎶

...or on the little Thai mutt.

Merry Christmas and a snappy, happy ever after from our festive little family to yours! 🎄

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