Sometimes what we crave is a great adrenaline filled adventure. Sometimes it is simply to go home, relax and decompress in our own little corner of the world. Sometimes, simple things are all the pleasure one needs.

I have had a few of those simple moments and cravings for home in the last couple of weeks…

1. After leaving Portland via train to Seattle, which I highly recommend for the stunning water views of the southern Puget Sound fingers, I took my colleagues out and about. They had never been to the city so I was obliged to take them to the most famous tourist spots…Pikes Market and the Space Needle.  SORRY THE VIDEO IS CROOKED – I’LL FIX ASAP!

At the market, which was horribly crowded on a Saturday afternoon, I was feigning patience and trying to stay warm in the cold rain by sipping on a Earl grey tea with steamed soy milk. Leaving the coffee shop, we came upon a stunning street performer who managed to brighten my whole afternoon and make me smile. He wasn’t just singing, or playing the guitar, or hula hooping, or dancing, he was doing all of the above simultaneously in such a wondrous manner I couldn’t help but stop.

I see street performers galore during my travels but this was something truly out of the norm. I was so impressed I whipped out my camera and started videotaping. He noticed and kicked it up a notch. It turns out he was world famous, modern troubadour Emery Carl (lookup hula hoop on wikipedia and his picture is there!). Thank you Emery for making me smile and making elbow room only at Pikes more bearable! http://www.thetroubadourshow.com/EmeryCarl.html

2. The morning after I returned from Seattle, I had to go to Charleston, SC – a town I adore and recommend everyone visit at least once. After a long day of driving the market, we went to dinner at a new spot, Molly Darcy’s Irish Pub (in the building where Meritage used to be, right off of the Market). Since it was mid-January off season and a rainy Monday night, the place was nearly empty. I had invited our corporate pilots to dine with us and it turned out to be a wonderful night. We traded stories of great adventures (as pilots, they’ve had their share). One of them, “Fiji Dave” was kind enough to ask a contact of his to watch out for me in Thailand (my next great trip, in February). In his email he called me “barewa” which I later found out means kind, beautiful, nice (or maybe even a little more!)….All in all, it was a lovely night. Good but not notable food, but definitely great company and smiles all around. Good company truly makes all the difference.

Abby in the snow 2011

3. On the way home from Charleston, there was a heavy cloud layer. I’d spent a whole week traversing the country and had barely seen the sun once. From rain in Portland and Seattle to rain on the east coast, I was just ready to go home. Home to my own comfy bed, my loving pup Abby, my dvr’d tv shows.

Then all of a sudden I looked out the plane window to the sight of the rays bouncing off of what looked like a fluffy cotton blanket as our plane broke through the clouds. It made me smile and I couldn’t help but take this quick shot…

The Sun Is Always Shining

As one of my colleagues mother says, no matter how dull and wet it might be, the sun is always shining!

What made you smile today?