234: The Sunflower Episode
A GREAT time was had by all at our inaugural PodCastaway Retreat with these amazing humans! Saying goodbye was bittersweet, but the retreat weekend was only the beginning of Team 10K helping these new podcasters amplify their voices in the world of podcasting! And our Discord group has kept us right there by their sides for feedback and assistance ever since they left!
Alison is obsessed with her morning breakfast of cottage cheese! And Lulu dropped some dairy knowledge on her with the fact that organic whole milk large curd is the 10K Miss Muffet way to experience cottage cheese!
While she is getting her hair done by her professional cosmetologists for the show, 1776, Lulu uses her current obsession. And that is her USB heated eyelash curler. Who knew!?
Lulu has been enjoying getting to know the Boston/Cambridge area while there for work and wishes for a shopping spree & a townhouse in the historic, gaslit & swanky Beacon Hill area. Click on the link or image to find out the Top 8 things to do in Beacon Hill.
Alison wants a home where she can have the Laundry Jet system for utmost laundry convenience. Think of it as an old bank drive thru style laundry chute! And I love that Lulu and I had the same fear…how can you stop kids from putting puppies or kittens in the chute? Oh, boy…
Photo credit: Andrea Canny
I agree with Lulu, that sunflowers bring an overall feeling of love, peace and sunshine! My Dad used to grow the big ones and I’ve been fascinated by them since I was a kid. If you’re in the Orlando area, you can go to Southern Hill Farm to pick sunflowers, zinnias, blueberries, strawberries & peaches when they’re in season. It’s a fun day trip, for sure!
Photo credit: Andrea Canny
In researching places to go for sunflowers, Alison realized that in the 4.5 years of 10K Dollar Day, they have gone to many cities in Utah, just not Moab. So, staying at the Sunflower Hill Inn was the winner! She got a spacious deluxe room w/vaulted ceilings, a lavish king bed, luxurious bath with deep jetted tub/shower, and French doors that open onto a private balcony. Breakfast was included, so she fueled up before taking her Viator Private hiking tour. She was intrigued by the option of finding many things, from red rock formations to dinosaur tracks! They create tours based on your interests and skill level. “Explore Moab off-road and hiking in Arches National Park. No need to bring food—snacks are included.”
Although there are snacks included, she was sure all that hiking would rustle up a good appetite. So, she went to the Moab Food Truck Park where she spent $20/each at the 11 food trucks. Since she would need a place to sit to enjoy the cuisine, she purchased pop-up tables and chairs and once she had priced them, she realized that price was for 100 of them. So, YOU get a pop-up table and chair set and YOU get a pop-up table and chair set and YOU… And since it was super hot and sunny, she needed a Pop-up Tent that she outfitted with a ‘Lulu approved’ Portable battery operated air conditioner to keep her cool.
Feeling a bit ‘nappish’ after the hike and food, Alison consulted with an online forum to see where the best spots in Moab were to enjoy a hammock. Once she decided on Kane Creek Road, she bought a Hammock Tent for a little nippy nap before heading back to Sunflower Hill Inn to get ready for dinner. Dinner attire was a linen sunflower jumpsuit and she ate at Desert Bistro, that has been called, ‘A 2 Michelin star dining experience in a ranch background’.
And although she doesn’t often do this on 10K days, she decided to stay the 2nd night at a different place close to Moab. She chose Under Canvas where she got an incredible ‘glamping’ experience amidst the beauty of “the towering plateaus, sandstone cliffs and naturally occurring geologic wonders of Utah’s Canyon Country.” It was awarded ‘Top 20 Resorts in the US – Pacific Northwest & West’ by Condé Nast Traveler.’ Now, that sounds like a great way to end out a 10K Day!
Lulu went to Princeton, New Jersey to experience the 1000’s of sunflowers at Terhune Orchards. She stayed at the Nassau Inn, where many famous former guests have rooms named after them. Some examples are Dolly Madison, George Washington, Albert Einstein and the room she chose, the Christopher Reeves room. And that room is a “fully handicap-accessible three-bedroom guest suite features one queen Murphy bed with a living and dining area, plus an option for two connecting guest rooms with one king and two queen size beds.”
The Terhune orchard is a family-run, 200-acre farm in Princeton, NJ. And you can expect to find over 1,000 sunflowers starting to bloom from the end of June. For one weekend, generally towards the end of August, the orchards are open to the public for people to roam through the sunflowers, pick fresh peaches and apples & do wine tastings of their award-winning wines. Currently, in June, they have cherries, blueberries and flowers. And since Lulu’s mom LOVES fruit, she flew her first-class to join her at the orchard, where they would pick and eat to their hearts content and then her mom would be able to take home plenty of that fruit in her new Rolling Cooler that Lulu had customized to say “10K an apple a day.” She got 11 of them so she could also send Apple Cider Donuts and The Bent Spoon ice cream in the coolers to 10 of 10K’s top correspondents.
1. Mike in England
2. Amy in Maine
3. Gregg in New York
4. Andrea in Poland
5. Andrea, our producer, currently in Phoenix! (man, can I use the ice cream in this heat!)
6. Daniel in Seattle
7. Billy in Orlando
8. Yamilet in Orlando
9. Laurie in New York
And realizing her 10K math didn’t add up, she sent one to Alison as well. The Bent Spoon has interesting flavors like beet basil, cointreau cilantro, lavender mascarpone, and cantaloupe sorbet.
Following the orchard, Lulu and her mom went to Einstein’s home, where they dressed up like Einstein, wearing grey wigs, styled like Einstein, L’Atelier Forte Vlad Men’s Knit crewneck sweater and the personalized L’Atelier Forte Cambridge men’s woven professional lab coat Forte47 Woven, the antimicrobial fabric infused with Double Jacquard Woven Silver Ion. “Our Forte47 lab coats are developed in partnership with the most prestigious Italian mills, pairing the finest antimicrobial fibers with precise tailoring. Crafted with four-way stretch antimicrobial fabric, the Cambridge is water repellent and wrinkle-resistant, ensuring a sleek look all day long, while a built-in sweat pad collects excess moisture for lasting comfort.” Talk about fancy AND useful!
While viewing her husband’s new film in an historic theatre, Alison got to enjoy a good ol’ blustery Florida thunderstorm. It enhanced the experience of the film’s suspense. I do love a good ol’ green sky FL storm! Just like Alison says, scary and soothing at the same time.
Lulu is in the midst of an incredible life experience doing her 1st Broadway show, 1776 and it’s bringing so much joy to her heart to have those people she loves to share it with her! 10K Bae, Jason Wetzel came in from NYC and some of her students came with their parents from NC to see her in the show!
CHECK OUT THE CHARITIES WE FOUND IN THE CITIES WE VISITED:
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