Otter's Outings

So, after an epic planes, trains and automobiles experience to get to the correct hotel, I arrived at the Beverly Wilshire, site of the great classic, "Pretty Woman."  Mind you after traveling all day I was looking a bit ragged, only further acsentuated by my fishing shirt and torn up comfy travel jeans.  This hotel is swank with a capital S.  So here is a brief list of things I learned within 12 hours of being on Rodeo drive at Wilshire: Dress Code: If you are returning from the spa, it is perfectly natural to sip champagne in the elevator, in a bathrobe and casually tell the other elevator patrons that you are naked under your robe.  3 is a crowd in this case. The Help: I would never refer to hotel staff this way, but it is clear they expect to be treated as such.  A polite hello is immediately met by a downward glance.  The reservation staff is even more interesting with a level of politeness and hospitality that it is almost awkward.  They ...

This is one of those adventures where it is nearly impossible to describe the feelings elicited by the overall experience.  I'm going to try, but understand this will in no way be comparable to the experience.  It all starts with a plan to go an overnight canoe/kayak float trip.  None of us had ever done it, but we had exuberance, enthusiasm and the right gear to hop in the car and go! The two companions are Julie and Mim.  Women I love dearly and count among the many mothers I've been so blessed to have in my life.    We set out with expectations of frightful weather, but again, exuberance and complete freedom in leisure and each other.  The canoe and kayak were loaded with a little more than a whole camp and off we went.  The day was filled with swimming and laughing and more than a few wonderful moments. The snail that traveled 3 hours from my house, to the river, to crawling up my leg in the kayak, to finally crawling over the kaya...