Saturday, Sept 13, 9:30 am
Me, Bob, Annie and Andrew left for our trip south to NC—with plans to take a more scenic route and stop along the way. We went into VA and drove down RT 3 through Colonial Beach. Our first stop was at George Washington’s birthplace. Very pretty there—right on the Potomac. As with Mt. Vernon, I could easily picture myself living there.
We spent a little time there then got back on the road.
Our next stop was in West Point, VA, off Rt 17 for lunch at the Pizza Hut.
We took a short break at the VA/NC border. Shopped a bit, had some ice-cream and headed for Duck, NC. We took one more quick break at a roadside fruit and veggie market and bought some tomatoes and apples.
We arrived at the house around six or a little after and got settled into our rooms. Spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing around the house/pool.
9-14-08
I got up early on Sunday—about 5.30 -- although it was still sleeping in for me. I spent a half hour on the exercise bike—went about 12 miles and then walked for over an hour.
We’ve all had breakfast now, cleaned up and I think everyone has scattered to different areas of the house to relax and enjoy their vacation. Sit by the pool, walk, shop—just whatever they want to do.
More later!
Just a little after 7 pm. Had a great day. Bob and I went to the beach around 11, waded in the water a little bit, then went shopping. After shopping, we had lunch, sat around a bit then went back to the beach. The first time we just waded. The 2nd time we actually went into the ocean. I love the ocean—and watching the people in the water earlier was too much for me. So, I knew I had to go in! It was great—a little rough—but great. I got knocked down quite a bit. We had so much fun. When we got back to the house I had to take a shower to get all the sand and rocks off me. The water is so rough that it pushes and shoves you. It kept knocking me down and I could feel the sand and pebbles inside my suit. That isn’t very comfortable. But, I don’t care—I love it and can never get enough of the ocean.
We also spent quite a bit of time looking for shells and found quite a few. We found some pretty ones with purple in them.
It was a great day. Since then I’ve been working on the computer and just relaxing.
Before dinner, we all went up to the roof to what is called the widow’s walk—basically a deck on the roof to look at the view.
Then we had dinner and after that, Bob and I went for a short stroll, followed by sitting around the pool for a bit. It was a fabulous evening, it had cooled off a bit, wasn’t as humid and there was a wonderful breeze. There was a beautiful, bright full moon.
It had been a full day and I finally went to bed around 11.
I haven’t been sleeping very well here. The bed and pillows on our bed are very uncomfortable, Bob snores, people are up late at night and sit out here in the living room talking or down by the pool talking and it’s noisy for me. But, I still get up at the same time, so by around this time of day—11:00—I’m feeling very sleepy.
In spite of the lack of sleep, I have been having a wonderful time. I love the beach. It is so refreshing to walk along a beach at the Atlantic Ocean and see just houses and nature. It is so different from the commercialized areas of Virginia Beach and Ocean City. No hotels or restaurants in site. Very nice. It was like this in Cocoa Beach, FL. Although I believe there were some hotels along the beach, part of it was a state park, which was nice. It gives the locals and general public a place to park, have lunch, use the facilities. Where as in Va. Bch and Ocean City, it is so commercialized, locals and folks who aren’t staying in a beach side hotel are out of luck with parking and bathrooms and it isn’t fair. Those cities really should have done like this area and left some of open to public parks so all people had equal access to the beach.
This beach is less crowded and more peaceful. Most of the homes here are large, rentals. I like renting a house over going to a hotel. You feel like you are in your own home, can spread out and don’t feel cramped like you do in a small hotel room. We only have to share the pool with the others in the house.
I think I would drive the 2 extra hours and rent a house or apartment here for a week rather than go to VA Beach.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Another early day for me. I was up and out walking by 6. The sun was just starting to hint at getting up—the sky in the east was slightly pink. The moon was still out. I got pictures of both the sunrise and the moon all on the same walk.
I went for a nice brisk walk, then went to the beach around 6:40—just in time for the sunrise. I love being on a beach at that time of day. It is so peaceful. There were people fishing, walking and gathering shells, taking pictures and the folks just sitting on the beach watching the sun and soaking up the quiet. I love that time of day and especially when I can spend it on the beach. I gathered up a few more shells and a couple small pieces of driftwood. I took some pictures of birds, waves, beach grass. I love it. There is something about that time of day—it charges your batteries—and you feel no stress. As you stand at the water’s edge in your bare feet, you can feel the sand under your feet being pulled out to the ocean. And for me, I feel as if all my cares and worries are being pulled right along with it. It is a moment of instant calm and peace.
After I was done greeting the sun, I went back to the house, showered, dressed and had a relaxing cup of tea and a bagel before everyone else slowly came out for breakfast.
We had fun talking to each other while we ate, then we all drifted to do what we wanted to do for the day. Some have gone to the beach, others are relaxing around the house.
Bob and I are investigating things to do in this area. We are planning to go to the Orville/Wilbur Wright museum, maybe to a wildlife refuge or a state park. Tomorrow, it may be to a nearby outlet mall.
That is all for now.
Almost 7 pm, Monday, September 15, 2008
Most, but not all of us went out and about today. We went to the Pea Island National Wildlife Reserve. That was very interesting. Sand dunes all over. I love those—I love the dunes and beach grass and the weather worn picket fences that run along the tops of the dunes. After that, we drove to the Bodie Ligththouse. We couldn’t go in it, but, it was interesting to see. Tina loves lighthouses, so I know she enjoyed that. They have several light houses in the Outer Banks. The Outer Banks is a very narrow strip of land right in between the Atlantic Ocean and the Inter Coastal Waterway.
After that, we drove back toward Duck and stopped at the Orville/Wilbur Wright museum. That was interesting, but we got there late in the afternoon and only had time to hear the lecture of the history/background of the Wright Brothers and everything they did to accomplish the feat of getting the plane to fly. Since it is a national park, our tickets are good for 7 days and so we can go back another day.
After we were done there, we stopped at the gift shop we were at the other day and decided to buy the Bob Marley shirt for Shawn. We didn’t buy him one the first time because the sizes all were huge. But, I decided I wanted to go back and buy one anyway. We did manage to find a large—so that won’t be too bad. Then we did the Wal-Mart thing and came back to the house.
Some people are out on the deck—well, the deck off the kitchen—there are quite a few decks to choose from around here. And I think Bob and Brian are cooking dinner. They are grilling hot dogs and burgers. So, I guess that’s all for now.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 6:20 pm
I did my usual early morning walk this morning.
We had a rainy day today, but that didn’t bother us—the ladies—we went shopping. It may have bothered the guys because they went fishing, but if it only sprinkled for them like it did for us then it may not have been too bad. We had a great time. It was an outlet mall and I got some good deals. Did a little Christmas shopping. We had a great lunch and stopped later for ice-cream.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008, 1100
As always, went for my walk this morning.
Since then we’ve had breakfast, I did the laundry and Tina, Annie and I did some vacuuming.
And, that is my morning report.
In the afternoon, we took a drive to Corolla, NC. Another charming, picturesque town. We did some shopping in the quaint shops and had a nice lunch.
When we got back to the house everyone was trying to figure out where to go for dinner. Took a while, but we finally found a place. Had a nice dinner and when we got home, we all hung around “manland extension.” We took pictures, talked, some of them played pool. Then we moved outside and had a bon fire by the pool. It was very nice. A little smoky-but still nice to sit outside, and enjoy the company and the full moon. Didn’t see too many stars, though.
Thursday, September 18, 2008, 5.30 pm
We’ve been busy today. Of course I took my usual 4 mile walk first thing and went to the beach for a little bit to see the sunrise.
After breakfast, Bob,Andrew,Annie and I finished our tour of the Wright Bros. museum and memorial. Since it’s a national park, you get 7 days to use your ticket. We were there about 2 hours and had a great time. Then we went to a gift/country store called the Cotton Gin—huge—2 floors—and I loved it, of course.
After that, we went to Ace Hardware. I have to admit, this is the first time we have had guests ask to see Ace Hardware. Apparently Andrew had heard about and tried a brand of work jeans Ace sells. So, he came to the states in the hopes of getting to an Ace Hardware to buy jeans.
We came home, had a late lunch and I think later Bob and I are going for a walk on the beach. My last trip to the beach—well, maybe I will sneak in one more trip to the beach before we leave tomorrow.
The Wright Bros. memorial is wonderful – well worth seeing if you ever take a trip to the Outer Banks. When you look at that plane and compare it to the modern day plane and the space shuttle that they had pictures of—it is amazing to know that that little plane was the start of all that.
After dinner we have a little surprise planned for Annie. Tomorrow is her b’day and we bought a little something and a cake and will surprise her with it later.
Annie was surprised with her birthday party. She said she dind’t expect it. she liked the gifts we gave her. After dinner all of us except Bear and Dave went to the beach. It was dark, we couldn’t see very well—no one had a flashlight. But, we had fun at the beach. The waves were choppy because it was so windy. The sand was hard to walk on normally, but it was especially hard in the dark since we couldn’t see where we were going.
After we got back from the beach, Bob and I and Annie and Andrew had to start our packing because we were leaving Friday. Everyone else was leaving Saturday. We all were leaving a day early because they all were traveling again on Sunday and needed a day at home to do laundry and re-pack. Bob was going on business travel and Andrew and Annie were going to Arizona to continue their vacation. That was fine with me to leave early. It gave me an opportunity to go see Artfest at Ann Marie Gardens.
Friday, September 19th
We finished cleaning our rooms and bathrooms. We loaded the car and then we all gathered outside in front of the house to take pictures. Bob has a timer on his camera and used a trash can as a tripod. We took several group shots and some of all the guys and all the girls.
Reluctantly, it was time to say good-bye and head on out. It had been a good week—I hated to see it end—but at the same time, I’m always anxious to get back to the house. (not back to work—just back to the house)
We stopped a couple times to stretch and arrived home around 5 or so Friday evening.
We unloaded the car, ordered pizza and around 6 Shawn called to say he was coming down for the weekend.
After dinner Annie and I watched “You’ve Got Mail” and Bob and Andrew headed out to Manland for pool.
Shawn arrived much later than I thought he would but then when I found out why, I understood. He got a flat tire between Prince Frederick and Solomons Island. It was dark and he pulled over to fix the tire. A man drove by and when he realized Shawn just had a tiny flashlight, he turned around and pulled up behind him and shone (shined?) his headlights on Shawn while he changed the tire. To show his gratitude, Shawn gave one of the containers of ice-cream he was carrying to the man. He was bringing us 2 kinds of ice-cream and let the man choose one. Once I heard this story I was only too glad to share the ice-cream with him.
Shawn, Annie and I had some of the other ice-cream—mint Oreo cookie—and Shawn finished the pizza. We visited for a little bit then we went out to Manland so Shawn could meet Andrew. Andrew just happened to be showing Bob aerial views of Chichester and the area. He showed us where the ferry boats are that go across to France. And he showed us where the 100 acre wood is and the bridge for Pooh sticks.
But, it was getting late and we all were tired. Shawn had to have a new tire put on and Bob decided that rather than go with us to Artfest in the morning it would be better to take Shawn’s car in to get the tire fixed, the front end aligned and to have it looked at. Shawn had been hearing a popping sound and it needed to be taken care of. I agreed with that.
Saturday, September 20th.
Bob went out to the grocery store, and then was planning to catch up with Shawn to take care of the car. In the meantime, Andrew, Annie and I headed out to Artfest. We bumped into Linda and her friend Brenda there.
We spent a few hours there then headed back home. Bob fixed one of his typical fantastic BBQs for dinner.
We had to say good-night early since the three of them had to get up and leave for the airport at 6:30.
So, Sunday, September 21st, at 6:30, I said my good-byes to Annie and Andrew and the 3 of them left.
And at 6:30, I went back into the house to start the laundry and housecleaning. Always a telltale sign that my vacation was over.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Mini movies from our Circle Trip
Here are links to 2 mini movies Bob took while we were on our trip. One is of someone water skiing--either Keith, Mitch or Allie--at Jeff and Stephanie's lake house.
The other one Bob took of Niagara Falls.
Water skiing:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11443252@N07/2814040173/in/set-72157607042242145/
Niagara Falls:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11443252@N07/2814073329/in/set-72157607042548755/
The other one Bob took of Niagara Falls.
Water skiing:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11443252@N07/2814040173/in/set-72157607042242145/
Niagara Falls:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11443252@N07/2814073329/in/set-72157607042548755/
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Our Circle Trip--interesting note
One thing I noted about our trip was that through Michigan, Ontario, New York and the return trip through Pennsylvania I did notice a smattering of trees had leaves already starting to turn.
Our Circle Trip--New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland
Thursday, August 28th
By this point, I am beginning to sound like a broken record—but we got up early yet again for a long car ride home. Bob got on 219 South for a good amount of the trip—all the way through NY and part way through PA. It was a beautiful drive and I enjoyed it very much. It took us through lots of small towns and I took several pictures. (and I noted all the antique stores--perhaps another trip, Bob??)
The only negatives with the drive was the rain—it rained almost all the way—and since 219 was a small road—many times only one lane in each direction—it was slow going when a big truck got in front of us. Otherwise, I loved it. Even after he picked up a main highway in PA, the scenery remained pretty. Once we got into Maryland the scenery kind of dwindled. Not necessarily Maryland’s fault. Just happens to be near DC and several major roads come together at that point. Lots of traffic, hotels, stores, etc.
We arrived home around 5 or 5:30. Not too bad. Considering the slower roads and the rain and stopping for lunch.
The house and cats were fine. All in all, I’d say the trip went well. I know I had a wonderful time.
By this point, I am beginning to sound like a broken record—but we got up early yet again for a long car ride home. Bob got on 219 South for a good amount of the trip—all the way through NY and part way through PA. It was a beautiful drive and I enjoyed it very much. It took us through lots of small towns and I took several pictures. (and I noted all the antique stores--perhaps another trip, Bob??)
The only negatives with the drive was the rain—it rained almost all the way—and since 219 was a small road—many times only one lane in each direction—it was slow going when a big truck got in front of us. Otherwise, I loved it. Even after he picked up a main highway in PA, the scenery remained pretty. Once we got into Maryland the scenery kind of dwindled. Not necessarily Maryland’s fault. Just happens to be near DC and several major roads come together at that point. Lots of traffic, hotels, stores, etc.
We arrived home around 5 or 5:30. Not too bad. Considering the slower roads and the rain and stopping for lunch.
The house and cats were fine. All in all, I’d say the trip went well. I know I had a wonderful time.
Our Circle Trip--Ontario, Canada
Tuesday, August 26th, Ontario, Canada
We crossed the international bridge to Canada. Once we left Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, it turned out to be a beautiful drive. It started off hilly, and then there were some rocks mixed in with the hills. It reminded us somewhat of Western Maryland.
I took a lot of pictures. The scenery all the way across to North Bay was beautiful. There were very few times when the scenery wasn’t attractive to look at. But most of it was gorgeous. Trees, rocks, hills, flowers beaches and lakes. Some areas were so rocky it looked like a giant rock garden with gigantic rocks.
We were stopped a few times for construction; but the delays were usually only about 5 minutes or so, very unlike the United States.
One thing we noticed was that the road signs had both English and French. The closer and closer we got to Sudbury, the more French we saw. It was neat, gave me a chance to learn some French. Est is East. Quest is West. Sud is South. Sortie is exit. Debut is begins. (as in the highway begins)
We arrived at the Clarion Pinewood Park Resort Hotel in North Bay, Ontario around 7:30. At 8 we headed to the dining room for dinner. Keith explained his food allergies to the waitress who checked with the chef to see what they could fix for him to eat. It scared me at first when she came out and said “the liver,” and didn’t continue with the list right away. Keith made a face and she also told him he could have the prime rib and they would be able to steam his veggies. That worked for Keith and I felt much better knowing he would be able to have a nice dinner.
While we were still in the room, Bob and I looked over the restaurant menu. It looked huge and Bob was all set to get some pizza. When we got to the restaurant, though, the menu was much smaller and didn’t have all the same choices as the menu in the room. He ended up getting a steak. He said it was good, but when Sarah asked him how he liked his Canadian steak, he answered with, “I’d rather be eating some Canadian pizza.”
Wednesday, August 27th
For breakfast the hotel was able to toast the bagels Keith could eat. (we carried some Keith-friendly bread with us) He had the bagels with jam and had some tea.
We checked out after breakfast and started off for Niagara Falls. We stopped once about 45 miles north of Toronto for a little break and for Sarah to mail a postcard to Jen. Jen wanted her to mail a postcard from Canada.
The closer we got to Toronto, the wider and more American-looking the highway became. The scenery was less attractive--less trees and more buildings. We also encountered more construction along this route and the delays were a little longer than the day before. Still, it was neat to finally see Toronto. After living near Canada for so long, it was nice to see some of the cities I had heard about for years.
We stopped again just north of Niagara Falls at a rest stop. They had a food court and we stopped for lunch. Keith found something he could eat at Wendy’s. (whew) Bob and I got pizza. When Sarah said he finally got his Canadian pizza, he said it wasn’t all that good. What a character he is.
After driving through Canada for two days, one thing I did notice was that Canada doesn't have nearly as many ugly billboard signs as the States does. There are some near cities to advertise hotels and restaurants, but otherwise, I didn't see many.
We got in the car again and didn’t stop until we got to Niagara Falls, Canada. We stopped and looked at the scenic views of the falls, walked around the town of Niagara; (a very nice town) stopped in the duty-free shop and then went across the border. Customs was easy both entering Canada and re-entering the US.
We found Niagara Falls State Park—parked—and headed to the falls. We walked around for several hours. Viewed the falls from several angles. All I can say is magnificent. Spectacular. You can feel the spray in your face. I loved it. We all took several pictures. After a couple of hours we walked across the pedestrian bridge to Canada. They call it Rainbow Bridge. You need your passports when you head back to the states. We spent quite a while on the bridge taking pictures.
After re-entering the states, Sarah decided to go back to the far side of the park to get some T-shirts she had seen earlier. Bob went back to the car since he was tired. It was close to 8 pm by this point. I walked back over with them, took a few more pictures while I waited. On our way back, a young lady stopped Keith and asked him how to get to Rainbow Bridge. We pointed in the direction she needed to go. She seemed a little nervous, so we told her to walk with us, we were going in the same direction. As we got near the car, I headed over so Bob wouldn’t start wondering where we all were. Sarah and Keith continued walking with the Japanese girl and took her right to the bridge. They chatted with her while walking and learned she lived in Canada for a year and she was back visiting. She came across the bridge earlier in the evening, but had gotten confused on how to get back. Since it was getting dark, we didn’t want her just wandering around. Keith, the language expert, was able to greet her in Japanese. He said “Ohio,” and something else that I can’t remember. He said she was surprised he knew a greeting. As they said good-bye to each other, Keith said they bowed and shook hands. Once we all got back in the car, Keith said, “We walked a Japanese girl all the way back to Canada.”
As we drove toward Buffalo to our hotel, we noticed the sunset was so beautiful. Sarah was able to turn around and get some pictures of it. It really was a gorgeous shade of red.
We found the hotel and checked in. By this point it was already about 9 and I know everyone was as exhausted as I was. Bob and Keith decided to go to Boston Market for take-out food. They were very nice and worked with Keith to fix food he was able to eat. Being so late, they just all took the food to our separate rooms rather than eat together. I took a shower while Bob was gone and felt much better.
It was a late dinner—but sure hit the spot.
It must’ve been around 11 when we went to bed.
We crossed the international bridge to Canada. Once we left Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, it turned out to be a beautiful drive. It started off hilly, and then there were some rocks mixed in with the hills. It reminded us somewhat of Western Maryland.
I took a lot of pictures. The scenery all the way across to North Bay was beautiful. There were very few times when the scenery wasn’t attractive to look at. But most of it was gorgeous. Trees, rocks, hills, flowers beaches and lakes. Some areas were so rocky it looked like a giant rock garden with gigantic rocks.
We were stopped a few times for construction; but the delays were usually only about 5 minutes or so, very unlike the United States.
One thing we noticed was that the road signs had both English and French. The closer and closer we got to Sudbury, the more French we saw. It was neat, gave me a chance to learn some French. Est is East. Quest is West. Sud is South. Sortie is exit. Debut is begins. (as in the highway begins)
We arrived at the Clarion Pinewood Park Resort Hotel in North Bay, Ontario around 7:30. At 8 we headed to the dining room for dinner. Keith explained his food allergies to the waitress who checked with the chef to see what they could fix for him to eat. It scared me at first when she came out and said “the liver,” and didn’t continue with the list right away. Keith made a face and she also told him he could have the prime rib and they would be able to steam his veggies. That worked for Keith and I felt much better knowing he would be able to have a nice dinner.
While we were still in the room, Bob and I looked over the restaurant menu. It looked huge and Bob was all set to get some pizza. When we got to the restaurant, though, the menu was much smaller and didn’t have all the same choices as the menu in the room. He ended up getting a steak. He said it was good, but when Sarah asked him how he liked his Canadian steak, he answered with, “I’d rather be eating some Canadian pizza.”
Wednesday, August 27th
For breakfast the hotel was able to toast the bagels Keith could eat. (we carried some Keith-friendly bread with us) He had the bagels with jam and had some tea.
We checked out after breakfast and started off for Niagara Falls. We stopped once about 45 miles north of Toronto for a little break and for Sarah to mail a postcard to Jen. Jen wanted her to mail a postcard from Canada.
The closer we got to Toronto, the wider and more American-looking the highway became. The scenery was less attractive--less trees and more buildings. We also encountered more construction along this route and the delays were a little longer than the day before. Still, it was neat to finally see Toronto. After living near Canada for so long, it was nice to see some of the cities I had heard about for years.
We stopped again just north of Niagara Falls at a rest stop. They had a food court and we stopped for lunch. Keith found something he could eat at Wendy’s. (whew) Bob and I got pizza. When Sarah said he finally got his Canadian pizza, he said it wasn’t all that good. What a character he is.
After driving through Canada for two days, one thing I did notice was that Canada doesn't have nearly as many ugly billboard signs as the States does. There are some near cities to advertise hotels and restaurants, but otherwise, I didn't see many.
We got in the car again and didn’t stop until we got to Niagara Falls, Canada. We stopped and looked at the scenic views of the falls, walked around the town of Niagara; (a very nice town) stopped in the duty-free shop and then went across the border. Customs was easy both entering Canada and re-entering the US.
We found Niagara Falls State Park—parked—and headed to the falls. We walked around for several hours. Viewed the falls from several angles. All I can say is magnificent. Spectacular. You can feel the spray in your face. I loved it. We all took several pictures. After a couple of hours we walked across the pedestrian bridge to Canada. They call it Rainbow Bridge. You need your passports when you head back to the states. We spent quite a while on the bridge taking pictures.
After re-entering the states, Sarah decided to go back to the far side of the park to get some T-shirts she had seen earlier. Bob went back to the car since he was tired. It was close to 8 pm by this point. I walked back over with them, took a few more pictures while I waited. On our way back, a young lady stopped Keith and asked him how to get to Rainbow Bridge. We pointed in the direction she needed to go. She seemed a little nervous, so we told her to walk with us, we were going in the same direction. As we got near the car, I headed over so Bob wouldn’t start wondering where we all were. Sarah and Keith continued walking with the Japanese girl and took her right to the bridge. They chatted with her while walking and learned she lived in Canada for a year and she was back visiting. She came across the bridge earlier in the evening, but had gotten confused on how to get back. Since it was getting dark, we didn’t want her just wandering around. Keith, the language expert, was able to greet her in Japanese. He said “Ohio,” and something else that I can’t remember. He said she was surprised he knew a greeting. As they said good-bye to each other, Keith said they bowed and shook hands. Once we all got back in the car, Keith said, “We walked a Japanese girl all the way back to Canada.”
As we drove toward Buffalo to our hotel, we noticed the sunset was so beautiful. Sarah was able to turn around and get some pictures of it. It really was a gorgeous shade of red.
We found the hotel and checked in. By this point it was already about 9 and I know everyone was as exhausted as I was. Bob and Keith decided to go to Boston Market for take-out food. They were very nice and worked with Keith to fix food he was able to eat. Being so late, they just all took the food to our separate rooms rather than eat together. I took a shower while Bob was gone and felt much better.
It was a late dinner—but sure hit the spot.
It must’ve been around 11 when we went to bed.
Our Circle Trip--Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Saturday, August 23rd
Sault Ste. Marie, MI
After checking into the hotel, we went out to the house and Roger was preparing dinner. Found Mom and Dad and visited with each of them a bit. I helped Mom out in her cat barn then we went in to eat.
After dark me, Bob, Sarah, Keith, Roger and Dad went out to look at stars. Roger and Keith set up the telescope and found Jupiter for us to see. It was neat. The first time they lined it up we saw two moons. The second time they lined it up, we were able to see four moons. That was neat. We also could see the big dipper, the little dipper and we are pretty sure we could see the Milky Way very faintly. We all saw some shooting stars, too. Very neat.
Sunday, August 24th
Bob and I got up early and walked by the locks. We parked over at the church and then crossed the street. We walked down by the locks. A ship was going through, the Robert Pierson. Bob stopped at the observation point while I continued my walk. Then, we headed back to the church, went to Mass, and then back to the hotel. It felt wonderful to walk. I always have to get exercise, even on vacation. I got a good, brisk, half hour walk and it felt great.
After getting Sarah and Keith at the hotel, we all had errands to run at Wal-Mart/Penneys. After that, we spent the rest of the day at the house.
Monday, August 25th
I got up super early and went for a wonderful combo of a walk/jog. That was about an hour and 20 minutes. Then I went back to the hotel, had some breakfast, then changed into my suit and went to the pool. I had the pool to myself and spent about a half hour swimming and mixing in a little aqua aerobics.
We all had laundry to do, so we had our laundry adventure and went to what they called the Washetaria instead of a Laundromat. That was very exciting for Keith; he said he had never been to a Laundromat before. Only they don't call it a laundromat there. They called it the Washetaria.
Not all bad, though. We were just a block from the locks, so I walked up there while Bob sat with the clothes. I bought some fudge and small gifts for Bob, Keith and Sarah---and of course went to the Mole Hole and bought some little things for myself, too.
And, now, we are at the house. Bob and Roger did some yard work. Dad’s therapist was here. Mom is at a doctor’s appointment. It is very nice today weather-wise. Yesterday was cloudy, cold and rainy. But, today it is sunny and warm. Bob, Roger and Sarah did some yard work, I went for another long walk. I have always loved to walk down Killackey Road--although I have to admit, I enjoyed it better when it was an old dirt road. Keith spent a lot of time with Dad, mostly talking about the dollhouse furniture Dad builds and woodworking in general. I believe after dinner we are going to have a bon fire.
And a nice bon fire it was. Dad, Roger, Bob, Keith, Sarah and I sat around and had a good time. Oh, and Minnie, too.
Sarah took some wonderful pictures, in the dark, using the fire as light. It is amazing how lit up the house looks. I want a camera like that.
Tuesday, August 26th
We got up early today and went out to the house to spend time with Mom and Dad before leaving. We had lunch with them, and some of the cake Mom and I baked. Pineapple cake. Mmmmmmmmm. 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 large can crushed pineapple with the juice and 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla.
We left the states about 1:30 since it was going to be a 5 or 6 hour drive to North Bay, Ontario and wanted to get there before dark.
Sault Ste. Marie, MI
After checking into the hotel, we went out to the house and Roger was preparing dinner. Found Mom and Dad and visited with each of them a bit. I helped Mom out in her cat barn then we went in to eat.
After dark me, Bob, Sarah, Keith, Roger and Dad went out to look at stars. Roger and Keith set up the telescope and found Jupiter for us to see. It was neat. The first time they lined it up we saw two moons. The second time they lined it up, we were able to see four moons. That was neat. We also could see the big dipper, the little dipper and we are pretty sure we could see the Milky Way very faintly. We all saw some shooting stars, too. Very neat.
Sunday, August 24th
Bob and I got up early and walked by the locks. We parked over at the church and then crossed the street. We walked down by the locks. A ship was going through, the Robert Pierson. Bob stopped at the observation point while I continued my walk. Then, we headed back to the church, went to Mass, and then back to the hotel. It felt wonderful to walk. I always have to get exercise, even on vacation. I got a good, brisk, half hour walk and it felt great.
After getting Sarah and Keith at the hotel, we all had errands to run at Wal-Mart/Penneys. After that, we spent the rest of the day at the house.
Monday, August 25th
I got up super early and went for a wonderful combo of a walk/jog. That was about an hour and 20 minutes. Then I went back to the hotel, had some breakfast, then changed into my suit and went to the pool. I had the pool to myself and spent about a half hour swimming and mixing in a little aqua aerobics.
We all had laundry to do, so we had our laundry adventure and went to what they called the Washetaria instead of a Laundromat. That was very exciting for Keith; he said he had never been to a Laundromat before. Only they don't call it a laundromat there. They called it the Washetaria.
Not all bad, though. We were just a block from the locks, so I walked up there while Bob sat with the clothes. I bought some fudge and small gifts for Bob, Keith and Sarah---and of course went to the Mole Hole and bought some little things for myself, too.
And, now, we are at the house. Bob and Roger did some yard work. Dad’s therapist was here. Mom is at a doctor’s appointment. It is very nice today weather-wise. Yesterday was cloudy, cold and rainy. But, today it is sunny and warm. Bob, Roger and Sarah did some yard work, I went for another long walk. I have always loved to walk down Killackey Road--although I have to admit, I enjoyed it better when it was an old dirt road. Keith spent a lot of time with Dad, mostly talking about the dollhouse furniture Dad builds and woodworking in general. I believe after dinner we are going to have a bon fire.
And a nice bon fire it was. Dad, Roger, Bob, Keith, Sarah and I sat around and had a good time. Oh, and Minnie, too.
Sarah took some wonderful pictures, in the dark, using the fire as light. It is amazing how lit up the house looks. I want a camera like that.
Tuesday, August 26th
We got up early today and went out to the house to spend time with Mom and Dad before leaving. We had lunch with them, and some of the cake Mom and I baked. Pineapple cake. Mmmmmmmmm. 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 large can crushed pineapple with the juice and 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla.
We left the states about 1:30 since it was going to be a 5 or 6 hour drive to North Bay, Ontario and wanted to get there before dark.
Our circle trip--Grand Rapids, MI
Friday, August 22nd
Grand Rapids, MI
We arrived in Grand Rapids around 1:00. We went to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and spent an hour and a half there. Nice, very nice. I love it there. It’s colorful, fragrant and beautiful. The children’s garden was wonderful.
After the gardens, we went to Jeff and Stephanie’s lake house. I could spend a week there. I could spend a summer there. I could spend a lifetime there. I love it. It’s so beautiful.
After unpacking, we went right out on the boat with Jeff and the kids. First, the 3 kids went tubing. Jeff has a tube that can fit 3 people at once. They kids had a great time. After they were done tubing, Keith, Allie and Mitch did some water skiing. After the water skiing, Mitch and Keith tried wakeboarding. Mitch had no trouble – but Keith did have some trouble—but he still did well.
There are some house rules for the lake. (Montcalm Lake—Montcalm County, MI) No noisy boats on the water from 7-11 pm. We brought the boat back around 6:30 or so and Jeff fired up his grill. We had a wonderful dinner. Hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, roasted potatoes. Mmmmmm….
We’ve had a lot of good food on this trip.
After dinner, Jeff started a bon fire and once again we sat around a bon fire and had fun visiting with each other.
Saturday, August 23rd
Saturday morning I woke up early and Jeff got up shortly after that. I went out to the deck to read, and take pictures of the sunrise. Jeff came out with the dogs and asked if I wanted to go out on the paddle boat. He helped me get out on a paddle boat and I spent more than an hour out on the lake. I loved it. I was out for about a half hour and Jeff and Madelyn caught up with me on the other paddle boat. Jeff pulled up along side me and Madelyn got on my boat. She and I had a great time.
Got pics of loons, birds, and swans. I took several of the sunrise. We saw some turtles. We decided it was time to head back to the house for breakfast. Stephanie made some Monkey Bread. (cinnamon rolls) All of us early birds sat out on the deck and had the bread, juice and coffee and tea. After everyone else got up, they fixed a wonderful meal of eggs, bacon, toast, and fruit.
We visited until about 11:30 then decided we better head on out and get up to the Soo. We arrived around 5, after stopping first for a late lunch.
Grand Rapids, MI
We arrived in Grand Rapids around 1:00. We went to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and spent an hour and a half there. Nice, very nice. I love it there. It’s colorful, fragrant and beautiful. The children’s garden was wonderful.
After the gardens, we went to Jeff and Stephanie’s lake house. I could spend a week there. I could spend a summer there. I could spend a lifetime there. I love it. It’s so beautiful.
After unpacking, we went right out on the boat with Jeff and the kids. First, the 3 kids went tubing. Jeff has a tube that can fit 3 people at once. They kids had a great time. After they were done tubing, Keith, Allie and Mitch did some water skiing. After the water skiing, Mitch and Keith tried wakeboarding. Mitch had no trouble – but Keith did have some trouble—but he still did well.
There are some house rules for the lake. (Montcalm Lake—Montcalm County, MI) No noisy boats on the water from 7-11 pm. We brought the boat back around 6:30 or so and Jeff fired up his grill. We had a wonderful dinner. Hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, roasted potatoes. Mmmmmm….
We’ve had a lot of good food on this trip.
After dinner, Jeff started a bon fire and once again we sat around a bon fire and had fun visiting with each other.
Saturday, August 23rd
Saturday morning I woke up early and Jeff got up shortly after that. I went out to the deck to read, and take pictures of the sunrise. Jeff came out with the dogs and asked if I wanted to go out on the paddle boat. He helped me get out on a paddle boat and I spent more than an hour out on the lake. I loved it. I was out for about a half hour and Jeff and Madelyn caught up with me on the other paddle boat. Jeff pulled up along side me and Madelyn got on my boat. She and I had a great time.
Got pics of loons, birds, and swans. I took several of the sunrise. We saw some turtles. We decided it was time to head back to the house for breakfast. Stephanie made some Monkey Bread. (cinnamon rolls) All of us early birds sat out on the deck and had the bread, juice and coffee and tea. After everyone else got up, they fixed a wonderful meal of eggs, bacon, toast, and fruit.
We visited until about 11:30 then decided we better head on out and get up to the Soo. We arrived around 5, after stopping first for a late lunch.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Our circle trip--Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio
Thursday, 8-21-08
We left Maryland at about 3:30 am. We had no sooner crossed the bridge into Calvert County when Bob and I saw some deer on the side of the road. During the rest of the drive to Western Maryland, the closest we came to wildlife was the occasional whif of skunk.
About 6:30, we took a short break at a scenic overlook and then drove into LaVale to the Denny's for breakfast.
After breakfast we continued our journey to Pennsylvania and arrived there around 9:30 or so. Our goal was to get on the Laurel Highlands scenic byway, which we did. It was very scenic. We drove through a small town--but an old town by the looks of the architecture--called Confluence, PA. Then continued down the Laurel Highlands Scenic Byway. At one point we spotted a deer and a bobcat.
We made our way along that route to the Laurel Caverns--arriving in time for the 10 am tour. The tour was about an hour. Our guide was Maise (sp) and she was very good. She works there over the summers while she is home from college. One of our fellow tourists was a young man named Christopher. He must have been 4 or 5. He was so cute and a real chatterbox. He walked along with Maise--forget Mom. She was very good with him, too. He was telling he things and asking her things. She would let him hold her flashlight.
The caverns were cold and damp, as I expected them to be. I actually like them better than the Lurray Caverns in Virginia. Don't get me wrong, the Lurray Caverns are very nice--but they are extremely crowded. It was hard to walk around in there and see because of all the people. At the Laurel Caverns they only take you down as a tour group and tours run every 20 minutes.
As we walked along, she pointed out some places where people had written the year they had been at the caverns. We saw 1864, 1915. Then, there was "Bob." We all teased Bob about writing on the wall.
That was a good break. Good exercise for me—we did lots of walking around and uphill work.
I do recommend it it you are in that part of Pennsylvania---south of Pittsburgh.
After we left there we went to a place called Ohiopile, PA and saw the water falls they have there. Very nice falls. Then we went to Laurel Ridge State Park and had a speedy picnic lunch. Speedy because the gnats and flies were so bad we ate fast and left. We headed to the Pennsylvania turnpike and then the Ohio turnpike and headed to Cleveland.
We took a fast ice-cream break just outside Akron then continued to the hotel in Cleveland. We arrived there about 4:30, settled in and headed to Therese and Kevin’s house about 5:30. They put steaks on the grill and had all the best side dishes. Potato salad, tossed salad, bean salad, mashed potatoes, fruit.
After dinner, Kevin built a bon fire. I love sitting around a bon fire. After a while we had to leave since we wanted to get up early for our drive to Grand Rapids.
We left Maryland at about 3:30 am. We had no sooner crossed the bridge into Calvert County when Bob and I saw some deer on the side of the road. During the rest of the drive to Western Maryland, the closest we came to wildlife was the occasional whif of skunk.
About 6:30, we took a short break at a scenic overlook and then drove into LaVale to the Denny's for breakfast.
After breakfast we continued our journey to Pennsylvania and arrived there around 9:30 or so. Our goal was to get on the Laurel Highlands scenic byway, which we did. It was very scenic. We drove through a small town--but an old town by the looks of the architecture--called Confluence, PA. Then continued down the Laurel Highlands Scenic Byway. At one point we spotted a deer and a bobcat.
We made our way along that route to the Laurel Caverns--arriving in time for the 10 am tour. The tour was about an hour. Our guide was Maise (sp) and she was very good. She works there over the summers while she is home from college. One of our fellow tourists was a young man named Christopher. He must have been 4 or 5. He was so cute and a real chatterbox. He walked along with Maise--forget Mom. She was very good with him, too. He was telling he things and asking her things. She would let him hold her flashlight.
The caverns were cold and damp, as I expected them to be. I actually like them better than the Lurray Caverns in Virginia. Don't get me wrong, the Lurray Caverns are very nice--but they are extremely crowded. It was hard to walk around in there and see because of all the people. At the Laurel Caverns they only take you down as a tour group and tours run every 20 minutes.
As we walked along, she pointed out some places where people had written the year they had been at the caverns. We saw 1864, 1915. Then, there was "Bob." We all teased Bob about writing on the wall.
That was a good break. Good exercise for me—we did lots of walking around and uphill work.
I do recommend it it you are in that part of Pennsylvania---south of Pittsburgh.
After we left there we went to a place called Ohiopile, PA and saw the water falls they have there. Very nice falls. Then we went to Laurel Ridge State Park and had a speedy picnic lunch. Speedy because the gnats and flies were so bad we ate fast and left. We headed to the Pennsylvania turnpike and then the Ohio turnpike and headed to Cleveland.
We took a fast ice-cream break just outside Akron then continued to the hotel in Cleveland. We arrived there about 4:30, settled in and headed to Therese and Kevin’s house about 5:30. They put steaks on the grill and had all the best side dishes. Potato salad, tossed salad, bean salad, mashed potatoes, fruit.
After dinner, Kevin built a bon fire. I love sitting around a bon fire. After a while we had to leave since we wanted to get up early for our drive to Grand Rapids.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Mount Vernon
7-26-08
Today Bob and I went to Mount Vernon. We spent the whole day and had a wonderful time. We arrived about 9:30 am, got our tickets and went straight to the house. There was a line to get in. They only let about 25 people in at a time. We waited about 10 or 15 minutes.
First they take you through the servant quarters. This was for the servants and the "guest" servants when they arrived with their bosses--who, of course, were guests of George and Martha Washington. After a short talk in there by a guide, they send your group to the next stop, the large dining room. It is very well organized-with small groups in each section at a time, the guides can explain what you are seeing in that room and there aren't so many people that you can't see and you're not getting pushed and shoved.
After the tour of the house you can tour the grounds. It is beautiful. Of course it's right on the Potomac and you can see Maryland.
When we bought our tickets for Mount Vernon, we also bought tickets for the 1:00 "National Treasure 2" tour. We were able to see where they filmed the Mount Vernon parts of the movie.We also learned that Randy Travis wasn't originally meant to be in the movie. He just happened to be in DC at the time they were shooting at Mount Vernon and got hin to do the scene at the President's birthday.
We highly recommend seeing Mount Vernon for anyone who is planning a visit to the DC area. But--get there early! We only waited about 10 or 15 minutes to get into the house. By the time we went to the meeting spot at 1:00 for our tour the line was extremely long and the people must have waited in the heat for at least an hour.
We left around 3 and headed to the new National Harbor. It is an area in Oxon Hill, MD that is built up much like the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. It has a harbor, hotels, restaurants and shops. Or at least will have shops and supposedly more restaurants. They are still building it. What we saw of it was beautiful, though. I'd like to go back once it's complete. They do have a visitor's center that shows a model of what it will look like when finished.
They do have a big parking garage.
We were tired when we got home, but a good tired. It was a great day!
We decided to watch "National Treasure: Book of Secrets." We did that after going to Philadelphia--watched the first movie. It's fun to see the movie once you've been to a site they used for filming.
The road you take to get to Mount Vernon is a beautiful drive itself. It is a big park with a wonderful trail for bikers, walkers, runners, dog walkers and so on. They have parking lots at various locations along the way and lots of picnic tables. People were fishing, kayaking, canoeing. It looks like a wonderful place to live. Those people who live in that area are very lucky.
One note I'd like to add about Mount Vernon: For anyone who cannot walk a lot and especially for anyone who cannot do a lot of uphill walking, you may need to restrict yourself to just doing the main house, the nearby buildings and the gardens.
Today Bob and I went to Mount Vernon. We spent the whole day and had a wonderful time. We arrived about 9:30 am, got our tickets and went straight to the house. There was a line to get in. They only let about 25 people in at a time. We waited about 10 or 15 minutes.
First they take you through the servant quarters. This was for the servants and the "guest" servants when they arrived with their bosses--who, of course, were guests of George and Martha Washington. After a short talk in there by a guide, they send your group to the next stop, the large dining room. It is very well organized-with small groups in each section at a time, the guides can explain what you are seeing in that room and there aren't so many people that you can't see and you're not getting pushed and shoved.
After the tour of the house you can tour the grounds. It is beautiful. Of course it's right on the Potomac and you can see Maryland.
When we bought our tickets for Mount Vernon, we also bought tickets for the 1:00 "National Treasure 2" tour. We were able to see where they filmed the Mount Vernon parts of the movie.We also learned that Randy Travis wasn't originally meant to be in the movie. He just happened to be in DC at the time they were shooting at Mount Vernon and got hin to do the scene at the President's birthday.
We highly recommend seeing Mount Vernon for anyone who is planning a visit to the DC area. But--get there early! We only waited about 10 or 15 minutes to get into the house. By the time we went to the meeting spot at 1:00 for our tour the line was extremely long and the people must have waited in the heat for at least an hour.
We left around 3 and headed to the new National Harbor. It is an area in Oxon Hill, MD that is built up much like the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. It has a harbor, hotels, restaurants and shops. Or at least will have shops and supposedly more restaurants. They are still building it. What we saw of it was beautiful, though. I'd like to go back once it's complete. They do have a visitor's center that shows a model of what it will look like when finished.
They do have a big parking garage.
We were tired when we got home, but a good tired. It was a great day!
We decided to watch "National Treasure: Book of Secrets." We did that after going to Philadelphia--watched the first movie. It's fun to see the movie once you've been to a site they used for filming.
The road you take to get to Mount Vernon is a beautiful drive itself. It is a big park with a wonderful trail for bikers, walkers, runners, dog walkers and so on. They have parking lots at various locations along the way and lots of picnic tables. People were fishing, kayaking, canoeing. It looks like a wonderful place to live. Those people who live in that area are very lucky.
One note I'd like to add about Mount Vernon: For anyone who cannot walk a lot and especially for anyone who cannot do a lot of uphill walking, you may need to restrict yourself to just doing the main house, the nearby buildings and the gardens.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Gearing up for Michigan!
Well, we've already been home from Florida about 3 weeks. Funny how far away that trip seems now.
July is half over. Time keeps marching on.
In just about a month we will be heading out for Michigan. Our first part of the trip will be from here to Cleveland. We will stay over one night there. Then from Cleveland we head to Grand Rapids to see Jeff, Stephanie and the kids. We will stay over one night there--at their lake house. I'm very excited about that.
Then, finally, we arrive in the Soo and will be there a few days. For our return trip, we are heading through Canada to Niagara Falls. We will cross back into the US at Niagara and come home via New York.
Sarah and Keith have decided to join us. That is exciting. I think we will have a lot of fun.
I wish I could figure out a way for Shawn and Megan to go. Or at least drive to Niagara and meet us there. I think Megan has a passport, but Shawn doesn't. So, they couldn't do the Canadian part. I'd love for Shawn to get a chance to see Mom and Dad. Not sure how we can work that out unless they flew to the Soo. One of us would have to rent a car because we won't all fit in my car. Then, they'd have to fly to Niagara. But, it would be nice for them to be able to go along. I don't know how all that will work, though.
Really looking forward to this trip. I'm looking forward to all the little side trips we plan to take. We want to get off the beaten path, see some of the country instead of speed past it at 75 mph.
July is half over. Time keeps marching on.
In just about a month we will be heading out for Michigan. Our first part of the trip will be from here to Cleveland. We will stay over one night there. Then from Cleveland we head to Grand Rapids to see Jeff, Stephanie and the kids. We will stay over one night there--at their lake house. I'm very excited about that.
Then, finally, we arrive in the Soo and will be there a few days. For our return trip, we are heading through Canada to Niagara Falls. We will cross back into the US at Niagara and come home via New York.
Sarah and Keith have decided to join us. That is exciting. I think we will have a lot of fun.
I wish I could figure out a way for Shawn and Megan to go. Or at least drive to Niagara and meet us there. I think Megan has a passport, but Shawn doesn't. So, they couldn't do the Canadian part. I'd love for Shawn to get a chance to see Mom and Dad. Not sure how we can work that out unless they flew to the Soo. One of us would have to rent a car because we won't all fit in my car. Then, they'd have to fly to Niagara. But, it would be nice for them to be able to go along. I don't know how all that will work, though.
Really looking forward to this trip. I'm looking forward to all the little side trips we plan to take. We want to get off the beaten path, see some of the country instead of speed past it at 75 mph.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Orlando trip
June 24th, 2008---I left work early today so I could come home and get some laundry done and things like that to prepare for our trip. Tomorrow we leave at zero dark thirty for Reagan Nat'l airport for our flight to Orlando.I always keep a trip journal--so--look for updates while we are in Florida. I love Florida. I love saying the word Florida. I just love it!!!
6-25-08--We had to leave for the airport at zero dark thirty this morning, but we are in Florida now--so, the early start was worth it. We arrived at Washington Nat---sorry--Reagan National airport around 6--we breezed through check-in and security. We found a place to get breakfast. After breakfast we went to our gate. I set down my carry-on for a bit, Bob was working on his computer, so I was able to leave my bag with him. I walked a bit, bought a book and walked some more. Then I got a yogurt and sat for a while. We heard an announcement that our gate was changed. No biggie--we just took our stuff and moved.
When I sat down, I looked around at our fellow passengers. Shorts and sandal clad, my guess was they were like us, on vacation, and I bet most were Disney bound. We took off on time and landed early--couldn't start a vacation any better than that. We hopped on the shuttle that sped us to baggage claim. As we sped along, I looked out the window, I noticed the palm trees--a telltale sign you're in Florida.
As we waited for the bags, I made 3 quick phone calls. I left Mom and Dad a message, spoke briefly to Sarah and Russ. We will be seeing Russ, Mei-Fen and boys tomorrow for dinner.
After picking up our bags, we had to take another shuttle to the car rental pick up site. Once we got our car, we headed out for lunch. We were starved and ready to eat. We have checked into our hotel and that is where we are right now. We are going out for a walk soon--I need to have my exercise.
Tomorrow, we check out of here after breakfast, head to Downtown Disney for some shopping and lunch. After that we check into our other hotel.I will add more to my travel journal as I have more to add.
6/26/08--Thursday morning I got up early and used the treadmill in the fitness room then got back to the room and did some ballet, pilates and yoga. I felt terrific afterwards. Then we got breakfast, packed our stuff, checked out and went to Downtown Disney for some shopping. We had lunch, spoke to Russ about our plans to meet them for dinner. We got to the Marriott Grand Vista to check in. We hung out for a bit, went to get our groceries for the weekend, then headed out to meet Russ, Mei-Fen and boys for dinner at the Pirate Dinner Adventure.
That was great--I highly recommend it. So entertaining--the performers were fantastic--the acrobatics were great--it was a lot of fun.
Afterwards we went to a Prime Outlets mall to walk around. Had a nice visit with everyone and we made our plans for Saturday. We are going to their house Saturday. After that, we're going to a park to see natural springs--maybe go on a boat ride.
When we got over here, we strolled around the property a little, found all the pools and got to enjoy the fireworks that came from Sea World.
6/27/08--Friday. I woke up early and went "pool hopping." The pools here at the resort are fantastic. They kept the trees--palm trees--when they built the place--gave it a real tropical feel with the plants and flowers. Latin music plays and is a great combo with the Spanish style decor of the buildings. I'ts like a huge apartment complex here. Tennis courts, golf course. The pools are fun--fountains to play in. They have a white sand beach. I walked across that. They have a rock climbing wall set up and a net for beach volleyball. Lounge chairs everywhere. A lake separating the sections of the resort. A long footbridge you can walk across to the other 2 pools. I loved it. I did swim for about a half hour--then just played in the other pools and walked.
Today we are heading out to Kennedy Space Center and Russ, Mei-Fen and boys are heading to Wet-n-Wild.
We are ready to go--more later!
6/27/08--Friday. What a great day. We left around 10:30 and got to the Kennedy Space Center around 11:30. As we approached the visitor's complex, we entered the National Wildlife Preserve. Just as soon as we saw a sign for that we spotted 2 (brown) pigs on the side of the road and saw a lot of birds that neither of us recognize.
We highly recommend the Kennedy Space Center. It is well worth the money. The first thing we did was get in line for the bus tour. Our first stop was the LC-39 Observation Gantry. We could see Launch Pad A and B from there.
Our 2nd stop was Apollo/Saturn 5 Center. We saw the actual control room used for the Apollo launches. We went inside and saw a short film on the Apollo program then we saw the Saturn 5 rocket.
The 3rd stop is the International Space Station Center. But we didn't do that tour, we went back to the visitor's center. Over there we got to walk into the Explorer space shuttle. They have a lot to do there. You need to plan to spend the whole day there if you want to do everything.
While riding on the buses, we saw the current launch control center, the official countdown clock, vehicle assembly building and much more.
We left about 3;30 and headed to Cocoa Beach. As you know, I love the ocean. Being so close, I wanted to see the ocean. We only stayed about and hour--or hour and a half. But, it was worth it to me--i had a chance to enjoy the water and the beach. The first thing I noticed was that unlike Ocean City, MD and Virginia Beach, they don't have one unending row of hotels along the beach and they don't have a boardwalk. They were smart and some of the land right along the beach is state parks. That way everyone, locals and tourists alike, can have a place right near the beach to park and enjoy the beach. In Ocean City and VA Beach, you only get close-to-the-beach parking if you are staying in a hotel there. A lot of families can't afford those expensive places and end up parking blocks away and have to haul all their stuff. This worked out nice for us to be able to park right there.
We came back to the hotel and have been just sitting here relaxing. Bob just left to pick up some KFC and after that we are going to walk around the resort again--maybe even catch the fireworks again.
Tomorrow we head to Russ and Mei-Fen's. Weather permitting we will get a ride on their boat.
Saturday, June 28th. Just a little past 7 this morning. Today I went out for a nice walk around the resort. It felt so tropical--with the birds chirping and the fountains flowing. Hardly a soul out at 5:30 a.m. I saw a few people on treadmills in the fitness center. Otherwise, I didn't see anyone. They keep the property lit up, so, no problem walking in the dark.
Today we head to Russ and Mei-Fen's. More later!
6/28/08---Ok, we went to Russ and Mei-Fen's and spent the day on their power boat. Omigosh! What a great day--make sure you stop to see them if you're in Florida. They took us almost to the Gulf of Mexico--it was right in front of us.
We stopped at Shell Island, right near the Crystal River.
On our way back we went to a restaurant called Crackers at Devon's request--we pulled right up in the boat. We sat outside--that was fun.
Nicholas did most of the driving. Devon did some, too. They both did a wonderful job.
When we got back to the resort, we bought our Epcot tickets for Sunday.
Long day--that's it for now.
6/29/08 -- Sunday. Bob and I went to our appointment for the presentation on the Marriott Vacation Club. As soon as we walked in the door, we were greeted by a very attractive young lady. Later on, we learned from Chris, our salesman, that she's a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. She only did it for one year--from 89-90. We lived there at that time. Our presentation was only supposed to be 90 minutes. Ours turned out to be 4 hours--because we bought a membership. I'm so excited about this. We own a vacation home! The best part is that unlike other vacation homes or time shares where you go to the same place every year--we can travel all over the world. The price was good. I'm so excited about it. We can either get a 2 bedroom/2 bath place once a year or take a one bedroom/1 bath place once and a studio another time. And if a studio is not available--or if the smallest room a hotel has is a one bedroom--then we can get that. To top it off they have an affiliate company in which we can book rooms with non-Marriott hotels around the world. We can book a 2 bedroom/2 bath place and take Sarah, Keith, Shawn and Megan with us and let them enjoy a vacation with us. If they were able to pay for their own airline tickets and souvenirs, we'd get the room, and buy groceries. S&K could get their own rental car and we could figure out a way for S & M to get around--because some rental car places don't allow anyone under 25 to rent a car. The main thing is they'd be able to have a cool vacation without too much $$ out of their pocket. I'm so excited about this. Something good will happen so we can pay for it. I know we can do this.
After we were all finished, we headed to Epcot for the evening. We went on one ride then headed to World Showcase and strolled from country to country. We got to the UK and it started to rain--you know, the usual afternoon thunderstorm that is a daily occurence in Florida in the summer. We ducked into a store--like everyone else--until it let up a little. Then we walked to the Future World for something to eat. After dinner we went back to the UK for more shopping until around 8. At 8 it was time to line up near the lagoon for the nightly fireworks display called Illuminations. I love it. They do a great job. It was the one thing I really wanted to do.
That wrapped up our trip to Florida. We went back to the hotel and packed.
Our trip ended on the same perfect note as it started--with a flight that took off on time and landed early.
We came home and all was well--the kids did a great job taking care of the cats and the house.
6-25-08--We had to leave for the airport at zero dark thirty this morning, but we are in Florida now--so, the early start was worth it. We arrived at Washington Nat---sorry--Reagan National airport around 6--we breezed through check-in and security. We found a place to get breakfast. After breakfast we went to our gate. I set down my carry-on for a bit, Bob was working on his computer, so I was able to leave my bag with him. I walked a bit, bought a book and walked some more. Then I got a yogurt and sat for a while. We heard an announcement that our gate was changed. No biggie--we just took our stuff and moved.
When I sat down, I looked around at our fellow passengers. Shorts and sandal clad, my guess was they were like us, on vacation, and I bet most were Disney bound. We took off on time and landed early--couldn't start a vacation any better than that. We hopped on the shuttle that sped us to baggage claim. As we sped along, I looked out the window, I noticed the palm trees--a telltale sign you're in Florida.
As we waited for the bags, I made 3 quick phone calls. I left Mom and Dad a message, spoke briefly to Sarah and Russ. We will be seeing Russ, Mei-Fen and boys tomorrow for dinner.
After picking up our bags, we had to take another shuttle to the car rental pick up site. Once we got our car, we headed out for lunch. We were starved and ready to eat. We have checked into our hotel and that is where we are right now. We are going out for a walk soon--I need to have my exercise.
Tomorrow, we check out of here after breakfast, head to Downtown Disney for some shopping and lunch. After that we check into our other hotel.I will add more to my travel journal as I have more to add.
6/26/08--Thursday morning I got up early and used the treadmill in the fitness room then got back to the room and did some ballet, pilates and yoga. I felt terrific afterwards. Then we got breakfast, packed our stuff, checked out and went to Downtown Disney for some shopping. We had lunch, spoke to Russ about our plans to meet them for dinner. We got to the Marriott Grand Vista to check in. We hung out for a bit, went to get our groceries for the weekend, then headed out to meet Russ, Mei-Fen and boys for dinner at the Pirate Dinner Adventure.
That was great--I highly recommend it. So entertaining--the performers were fantastic--the acrobatics were great--it was a lot of fun.
Afterwards we went to a Prime Outlets mall to walk around. Had a nice visit with everyone and we made our plans for Saturday. We are going to their house Saturday. After that, we're going to a park to see natural springs--maybe go on a boat ride.
When we got over here, we strolled around the property a little, found all the pools and got to enjoy the fireworks that came from Sea World.
6/27/08--Friday. I woke up early and went "pool hopping." The pools here at the resort are fantastic. They kept the trees--palm trees--when they built the place--gave it a real tropical feel with the plants and flowers. Latin music plays and is a great combo with the Spanish style decor of the buildings. I'ts like a huge apartment complex here. Tennis courts, golf course. The pools are fun--fountains to play in. They have a white sand beach. I walked across that. They have a rock climbing wall set up and a net for beach volleyball. Lounge chairs everywhere. A lake separating the sections of the resort. A long footbridge you can walk across to the other 2 pools. I loved it. I did swim for about a half hour--then just played in the other pools and walked.
Today we are heading out to Kennedy Space Center and Russ, Mei-Fen and boys are heading to Wet-n-Wild.
We are ready to go--more later!
6/27/08--Friday. What a great day. We left around 10:30 and got to the Kennedy Space Center around 11:30. As we approached the visitor's complex, we entered the National Wildlife Preserve. Just as soon as we saw a sign for that we spotted 2 (brown) pigs on the side of the road and saw a lot of birds that neither of us recognize.
We highly recommend the Kennedy Space Center. It is well worth the money. The first thing we did was get in line for the bus tour. Our first stop was the LC-39 Observation Gantry. We could see Launch Pad A and B from there.
Our 2nd stop was Apollo/Saturn 5 Center. We saw the actual control room used for the Apollo launches. We went inside and saw a short film on the Apollo program then we saw the Saturn 5 rocket.
The 3rd stop is the International Space Station Center. But we didn't do that tour, we went back to the visitor's center. Over there we got to walk into the Explorer space shuttle. They have a lot to do there. You need to plan to spend the whole day there if you want to do everything.
While riding on the buses, we saw the current launch control center, the official countdown clock, vehicle assembly building and much more.
We left about 3;30 and headed to Cocoa Beach. As you know, I love the ocean. Being so close, I wanted to see the ocean. We only stayed about and hour--or hour and a half. But, it was worth it to me--i had a chance to enjoy the water and the beach. The first thing I noticed was that unlike Ocean City, MD and Virginia Beach, they don't have one unending row of hotels along the beach and they don't have a boardwalk. They were smart and some of the land right along the beach is state parks. That way everyone, locals and tourists alike, can have a place right near the beach to park and enjoy the beach. In Ocean City and VA Beach, you only get close-to-the-beach parking if you are staying in a hotel there. A lot of families can't afford those expensive places and end up parking blocks away and have to haul all their stuff. This worked out nice for us to be able to park right there.
We came back to the hotel and have been just sitting here relaxing. Bob just left to pick up some KFC and after that we are going to walk around the resort again--maybe even catch the fireworks again.
Tomorrow we head to Russ and Mei-Fen's. Weather permitting we will get a ride on their boat.
Saturday, June 28th. Just a little past 7 this morning. Today I went out for a nice walk around the resort. It felt so tropical--with the birds chirping and the fountains flowing. Hardly a soul out at 5:30 a.m. I saw a few people on treadmills in the fitness center. Otherwise, I didn't see anyone. They keep the property lit up, so, no problem walking in the dark.
Today we head to Russ and Mei-Fen's. More later!
6/28/08---Ok, we went to Russ and Mei-Fen's and spent the day on their power boat. Omigosh! What a great day--make sure you stop to see them if you're in Florida. They took us almost to the Gulf of Mexico--it was right in front of us.
We stopped at Shell Island, right near the Crystal River.
On our way back we went to a restaurant called Crackers at Devon's request--we pulled right up in the boat. We sat outside--that was fun.
Nicholas did most of the driving. Devon did some, too. They both did a wonderful job.
When we got back to the resort, we bought our Epcot tickets for Sunday.
Long day--that's it for now.
6/29/08 -- Sunday. Bob and I went to our appointment for the presentation on the Marriott Vacation Club. As soon as we walked in the door, we were greeted by a very attractive young lady. Later on, we learned from Chris, our salesman, that she's a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. She only did it for one year--from 89-90. We lived there at that time. Our presentation was only supposed to be 90 minutes. Ours turned out to be 4 hours--because we bought a membership. I'm so excited about this. We own a vacation home! The best part is that unlike other vacation homes or time shares where you go to the same place every year--we can travel all over the world. The price was good. I'm so excited about it. We can either get a 2 bedroom/2 bath place once a year or take a one bedroom/1 bath place once and a studio another time. And if a studio is not available--or if the smallest room a hotel has is a one bedroom--then we can get that. To top it off they have an affiliate company in which we can book rooms with non-Marriott hotels around the world. We can book a 2 bedroom/2 bath place and take Sarah, Keith, Shawn and Megan with us and let them enjoy a vacation with us. If they were able to pay for their own airline tickets and souvenirs, we'd get the room, and buy groceries. S&K could get their own rental car and we could figure out a way for S & M to get around--because some rental car places don't allow anyone under 25 to rent a car. The main thing is they'd be able to have a cool vacation without too much $$ out of their pocket. I'm so excited about this. Something good will happen so we can pay for it. I know we can do this.
After we were all finished, we headed to Epcot for the evening. We went on one ride then headed to World Showcase and strolled from country to country. We got to the UK and it started to rain--you know, the usual afternoon thunderstorm that is a daily occurence in Florida in the summer. We ducked into a store--like everyone else--until it let up a little. Then we walked to the Future World for something to eat. After dinner we went back to the UK for more shopping until around 8. At 8 it was time to line up near the lagoon for the nightly fireworks display called Illuminations. I love it. They do a great job. It was the one thing I really wanted to do.
That wrapped up our trip to Florida. We went back to the hotel and packed.
Our trip ended on the same perfect note as it started--with a flight that took off on time and landed early.
We came home and all was well--the kids did a great job taking care of the cats and the house.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
September vacation home
http://www.resortrealty.com/book/house.html?Num=4250
This is the house a bunch of us are going to rent in September 2008. It will be me and Bob, Brian and Andie, Bear and Tina, Dave and Barbara and Andrew and Annie. Andrew is a friend of Bob's from England. They met years ago while on the same project. Andrew and Annie are taking a trip to the states and will arrive at our house a few days before we leave for NC.
This is the house a bunch of us are going to rent in September 2008. It will be me and Bob, Brian and Andie, Bear and Tina, Dave and Barbara and Andrew and Annie. Andrew is a friend of Bob's from England. They met years ago while on the same project. Andrew and Annie are taking a trip to the states and will arrive at our house a few days before we leave for NC.
Blarney Castle
In this picture we had just arrived at Blarney Castle and followed the rest of the crowd to the castle. The views from the top are spectacular--you can see for miles. We spent 10 days in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland--and everyday it was sunny and around 80 degrees. Beautiful.
All the stones are the same shape at the Giant's Causeway
All the stones at the Giant's Causeway are the same shape. You are constantly climbing up---each level is taller than the one you are leaving--but the shape of the stones remains constant. The stones can be slippery when they are wet.
Bob at the Giant's Causeway
This is Bob at the Giant's Causeway in Northern Irland. The picture was taken in June 2006. We went to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to celebrate our 25th anniversary.
Philadelphia, PA
Well, Valentine's Day was approaching. I started wondering--what is something different I can get Bob for Valentine's Day? After all, we have been married 26 1/2 years. So, I started thinking it over and came up with the idea of going away for the weekend. We want to do more traveling. I eventually want to see every state in the nation and I want to do more traveling overseas. From our house, we are able to get to several big cities in just a few hours -- perfect for getting away for weekends and it gives us a chance to see parts of the country we hadn't seen before.
Taking all this into consideration, I suggested a trip to Philly to Bob, rather than exchanging gifts. We had a nice dinner on Valentine's Day itself. (a Thursday) We both took leave on Friday, Feb. 15th and headed up to Philly--a 3 1/2 hour drive from our house. We came home on Sunday the 17th. It was a great weekend!
We had been to Philly before when our kids were little. That was a child-oriented vacation. At that time we went to Sesame Place, the Philly Zoo and The Please Touch Museum.
This time around we went to museums. We saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Betsy Ross's House, The National Constitution Center, The Franklin Institute, The Natural Science Museum and the Philadelphia Art Museum. We also took a drive to Longwood Gardens--a little north of Philly and worth the trip if you love flowers and plants. It was beautiful and relaxing.
Now we have seen another small part of this great country and had a fantastic weekend away at the same time.
Here are some pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11443252@N07/sets/72157603970577513/
Taking all this into consideration, I suggested a trip to Philly to Bob, rather than exchanging gifts. We had a nice dinner on Valentine's Day itself. (a Thursday) We both took leave on Friday, Feb. 15th and headed up to Philly--a 3 1/2 hour drive from our house. We came home on Sunday the 17th. It was a great weekend!
We had been to Philly before when our kids were little. That was a child-oriented vacation. At that time we went to Sesame Place, the Philly Zoo and The Please Touch Museum.
This time around we went to museums. We saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Betsy Ross's House, The National Constitution Center, The Franklin Institute, The Natural Science Museum and the Philadelphia Art Museum. We also took a drive to Longwood Gardens--a little north of Philly and worth the trip if you love flowers and plants. It was beautiful and relaxing.
Now we have seen another small part of this great country and had a fantastic weekend away at the same time.
Here are some pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11443252@N07/sets/72157603970577513/
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