MD Skis Travel Journals

small local cruise--lots of fun

2010-07-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

My friends and I enjoyed a small, one hour cruise from the Calvert Marine Museum. Small cruise--lots of fun. Here is a link to the photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11443252@N07/sets/72157624473946902/

ON THE ROAD AGAIN...

2010-07-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

....this time in the UP of Michigan, visiting my parents and one brother.

Crossing the Mackinac Bridge to the UP

International Bridge to Canada

Mackinac Bridge

Staying in the states? Exit here!!

link to all the photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11443252@N07/sets/72157624540517434/

upcoming trip

2010-07-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

In just a few days we leave on another trip. This time it's our annual Ohio and Michigan trip. Going to see Therese, Kevin and family, Jeff, Stephanie and family and Mom and Dad and anyone else who happens to be in the Soo. We're bringing our passports so we have the option of heading into Canada if we want to. I sure hope we get plenty of hot, hot, hot weather and sunshine. But, we do have to plan for all temps on this trip.

Our trip to Cancun--May 2010

2010-06-05T16:58:00.000-07:00

May 21, 2010
3:36 PM
Well, here we are at the Marriott hotel near Dulles airport. Tomorrow morning we head out for Cancun!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We decided to mAKe the drive up tonight since we live so far from all the airports. We usually have to leave a 2 in the morning or some crazy time to get to the airport. I told Bob I can’t do that anymore—so he booked a room for tonight. I took today off and got a lot done before leAVing – laundry, dishes, bird seed and corn out for my little furry friends outside. We changed the sheets, cleaned bathrooms---got a lot done. It always feels good to get all that stuff done before the trip. So much more relaxing when we get home.
Now I don’t hAve all that stuff to come home to. I am SO looking forward to this trip. We have so many cool things polanned to do. Tomorrow at this time we will be checking into the hotel. We land around noon or so—they are an hour behind the eastern US. We will get our rental car, go tour Cancun, get lunch and then tour some more. By that time we should be able to check in.
Ok, next time I write it will befrom Cancun.
Bye for now!
6:55 PM
Back in our room now—we are wATching a pay per view movie—“The Blind Side” with Sandra Bullock. We went out for A pre – dinner walk then we had a wonderful dinner at TGI Fridays—followed by another long walk after dinner. Once we were back in the room we started the movie.
We get up early and get breaKFASt, and then we head to the airport.
5/23/2010
05:59---but really it’s 4:59 because we are in Central time—but mycomputer is in eastern time

Hola!

Having a wonderful time here in Cancun. We arrived safely yesterday afternoon. We took off and landed exactly on time. Our flight was 3 hours, non stop, from Dulles. I feel like I hAd’t been to Dulles in about a hundred years. The last time i was there it was one terminal with an arched roof. Now there are lots of terminals with a tram to take you from one terminal to the other. It’s a nice airport. We were smart and drove to herndon, va the night before. Then we only hAD aboout a 5 minute drive to the airport the next day. Usually, we have to allow 2 hours to get to the airport, plus extrra time for parking and security. We’ve left 4 hours before a flight before—which is ridiculous. I still think the base should offer shuttle service to the 3 big airports. They would make some good money and it would be a great service for the folks down there.
But, anyway, here we are in Cancun. I’m so excited to be here. After looking at the picture of the resort for 2 months, it’s fun to be here for real and to really be in the wonderful pool.
Our villA is wonderful. It’s a 2 bedroom, 2 story apartment, with a pull out murphy bed in the wall in the living room—so it would have been perfect for the 6 of us if all the kids would have been able to come with us. The views are beautiful—we overlook both the beach and the pools. The sand on the beach is white and soft. I could eaily adjust to this lifestyle—relaxed and easy—no worries about the time. Oh, I wouldn’t mind having a job—but something completely different from what I do now—like writing – something where I can set my own hours—and when I’m not working—just sit back and enjoy beautiful beaches and pools.
One thing we did find out was that biodegradable sunscreen doesn’t move around on your skin when you apply it. You put some in your hand and start to rub it on your arm and your hand moves across your arm—but the sunscreen just sits there—it doesn’t move.
We are getting Spanish lessons in a fun way. We went to the little market at the resort, and there’s all this food there that looks like our food—but you don’t know what it is by reading the label. For instance, I got some peach yogurt – but I had to rely on the picture of the peach to know which kind it was. (durazno) Same with milk—leche—now I’ve Always known leche was the Spanish word for milk—but I just stood there staring at the milk because I had no idea which one was low fat. Finally we decided that aT home the red label usually means whole milk and the pink ones are low fat. So, we went with the color—and turned out to be right! Some of the words are obvious—vitaminas—it was very clear the leche had vitamins A and D.
The menu was interesting. We sat down and opened our menus. Your first instinct is to say, “well, I guess I will lose weight here because I can’t afford the food.” Since it says something costs 495.00. our brains of course automatically think dollars. You have to remember pesos.
Well, that’s all for now—want to get showered and head out for a stroll before we set out on our plANned activities for the day.

5/24/2010
6:01 AM---but reALly it’s an hour behind.
Hola!
Yesterday, We drove down to Playa del Carmen. I hAve to admit, it wasn’t what I was ecpecting. Theyy way it was described to us was that it was a big city—and had a nice street there called 5th Avenue and it’s close to cars and pedestrians stroll up And down and there are restaurants there and it sounded really nice.
And it was nice—only it wasn’t quite what I pictured in my head. It is located right on the Caribbean and the beach was beautiful. Just like the ocean—people out catching the waves—beautiful.
But walking down the street was very different. You are acosted by everyone trying to sell you something. The store owners practically dragged you into their stores and are fast talkers—trying to sell you everything. We did buy some things—the stuff is nice—Bob haggled with them on the price—and it was fun—to a point. But, between that and the folks trying to sell you tours and timeshare vacation villas—they drained me. So after making some purchases—we left. I enjoyed it and I’m glad I went for the experience—but it was draining.
Once back in Cancun, we decided to pick up more groceries for our Apartment---and went to the Wal-Mart super store. They have everything there—and I mean EVERYTHING. If you need a motorcycle—they have it. Didn’t need a motor cycle—but for me it was another Spanish lesson. That is s great way to learn Spanish—you know what the item is—just read the labels and the signs—and you knoow what they are in Spanish.
In the US we all just get in—shop and get out. We don’t usually make a trip to Wal-Mart a social event. At one point they all were gathered around watching a futbol game. That was different.
Went back to our room—put away the food then headed out to the aquarium. We took the bus there. They are so nice—they help you to your seat once you get on the bus. Here is how it works. You get on, pay, and within a nanosecond, the driver goes from 0 – 60 mph, it flings you toward the back, and when you get up off the floor—you take the seat you are clutching. Simple. Easy. Works.
The aquarium was nice—typical aquarium. They are located at a local mall—and that experience was very different. Just like the US—you stroll, see a store you want to goo in—you shop, etc. the setting was beautiful—we took lots of pictrures there.
Bravely, we ventured back on the bus. Much easier this time.
Went back to our room, fixed dinner then went out to the pool for a moonlit swim. Perfect!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010
10:49 AM---minus an hour
WOW! I haven’t checked in for 2 days—we’ve been busy! But the good busy.
MondAY we took a bus to the Aqua Tours dock to catch a ferry at 9:00 for an hour trip to Isla Mures—the island right across from Cancun. What a great time we had there. First thing we did was to go to Dolphin Discovery where I had a dolphin swim scheduled at 10:30. Those of us who were swimming with the dolphins had to check in a half hour early so we could get our instructions. Depending on what kind of swim you signed up for dpended on which group you were in. I was in group B because we signed up for the basic swim. Some people chose to have the dolphins tow them with their fins others chose to have the dolphins lift them up by their feet then push them back and so on. When I first got there, I was the only one who spoke English until finally a young honeymooning couple from Boston showed up.
So, we kind of hung together as a group. They were Jenna and Chris. We exchanged our experiences in Cancun so far. Chris knows where Mechanicsville, MD is---he races cars and has been to the race track here. Eventually 2 other ladies came who also were English speakers. Our trainer taught us a few things about dolphins, then told us when to do the different hand signals we learned in our pre-swim class. He had the dolphins give us a kiss, we posed for a picture—then we swam out into the water into 2 groups and he had the dolphins sowim over to us And using the various hand signals he gave us, they danced for us, sang, or just swam by and we petted them.
Afterwe got done at the dolphin swim, we took a taxi to Garrafon water park, which is basically the same park—the dolphin discovery section is inside the Garrafon park. We had lunch over in Garrafon, then we were free to stroll, snorkel, swim, sit and relax—whatever we watned. Bob paid for a boat ride to the downtown area of Isla Murjes. Once there we rented a golf cart—it’s the “thing” to do—and we rode all around the islAND OF Isla Murjes—then met “Shrek” back at the golf cart return. Shrek is the nicknbame of our tourguide onboard the ferry boat. He was a character—very entertaIning. He liked Bob because he had an easy name – and he remembered him. Whenever he saw hin he called him “Mr. Bob.” When we got back on the boat to head back to Cancun, he was taking roll to make sure he had everyone and he got to us and he just called out, “Bob.”
The trip across takes an hour. On the way back they had some Mexican music playing and some Mexican ladies got up and started dancing—they were doing the Zumba and got the place jumping. Shrek Had a tray full of beer that he was serving to the passengers and carried it to the table – on his head. It was a lot of fun. We took a taXI back to the hotel rather than deal with the bus. I hate their buses here. Riding the bus is not a good experience.
But our day was fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday was equally as fantastic. Bob had arranged an all inclusive tour to the Tulum Mayan ruins—which also included a beautiful beach!!
After our tour of Tulum, our tour conitnued on to Xel-Ha—a water park. They have a dolphin swim there, snorkeling, lazy river---all water activities. We had lunch there, changed into our suits and then tried our hand at snorkeling. Bob seemed to catch on to it right away—but I had more trouble. The biggest problem I had was once I got in the water, the life vest kept riding up in the back and it put pressure on my head, which in turn put pressure on my mask and I was in a lot of pain. It made it hard for me to concentrate on how to snorkel. I did see some fish and took a few pictures---but I have no idea of how they will come out. It seems like it would be fun—but I have to be comfortable doing it.
After snorkeling, we went toward the main entrance, did A little shopping then it was time to meet Thomas—our guide at the bus. He asked us if we had seen any of the rest of the family. He is very knowledable about the Mayan people—he is of Mayan decent.
It turned out to be a very long dAY. We were told we’d be picked up at the hotel at 7:15—but they didn’t arrive until 7:45—we were a little upset about that—but it all turned out to be ok. We had to “go with the flow” as they say. We didn’t realize that they hAD to go around to other resorts and pick up the other passengers. So, the trip to Tulum ended up taking 3 hours—and ofcourse—3 hours back—so, by the time we got back to the hotel it was about 8:30. But it was a wonderful day—we had a good time. Now we know that next time we come down here we need to do Xel-Ha on our own so we can stay longer. I even convinced Bob to take me on a moonlit walk on the beach when we got back—loved it.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010--9:06 PM—minus an hour
Phew, now I am finally up to today’s activities. We kept it close to the resort today. Went out this morning for a stroll. Went to the little church we kept seeing down the road. Plain and simple—and very beautiful. sometimes the plain and simple ones are the most beautiful. after seeing the church, we caught good old bus number R2 and rode it to Market 28—as suggested by one of our bellboys at the hotel. It was ok—but the same as Playa del Carmen --- all the merchants trying to get you into their stores—all offering a good deal. We did buy A few things, then we strolled back over by Wal-Mart and caught a taxi to the Plaza de America or something like that. It’s an American type of mall with American stores—hence the name. my main mission was to buy a Mexican cookbook—in Spanish. I had read it wAs a great way to learn another language—and it makes a great souvenir. So, we found a bookstore and found 2 cookbooks! Now I have to learn the Spanish and fix some of the recipes.
Before leAVIng the mall we decided to have lunch. We went to a California Pizza place and had a delicious lunch of individual pizzas and a beer for Bob and tried A raspberry mojito. MMMMMMMMMM. Very good! Was ok since we were taking a taxi back to Wal-Mart and from Wal-Mart, we took the bus back sort of to the hotel. Bob shouted – alto – stop – but the driver didn’t stop AND we ended up having to walk about 20 minutes back to the hotel. We were sticky, sweaty, hot and drained—but other than the bus trip, we had a good morning. Then we changed into our suits and went to the pool for a few hours. Then back to the room for dinner. Now we are listening to the karoke going on down at the bar. Fun, fun, fun. I love it here and am so ready to move here.
Tomorrow is our jungle tour AND more snorkeling.
5/27/2010, 4:33 PM—but reallly it’s 3:33 for us
Another great tour package. We didn’t go through a jungle at all—that was the name of the tours. We rode good old bus #R2 up to the marina by the Crab House restaurant. From there we picked up our lifejackets, snorkel equipment and directions on how to operate the boat and then our tour guides took us out into the Caribbean, slowing down as we went through the marshy area and passed some other boats, then we got to speed up again after we got through that. The boat ride was awesome—or as one young couple we met on this trip put it—wicked awesome. I tried the snorkeling again, but didn’t have a whole lot better luck than I did at Garrafon water park—with the exception that the equipment we used today seemed like better quality. I liked the equipment better—and the life jacket fit much better. It still put some pressure on the back of my neck and head but I didn’t feel the same pain as I did the other day. The hard part for me is the breathing through the snorkel thing—I keep wanting to breathe through my nose and then I get messed up and I start taking in salt water. Plus salt water got into my eyes and that bothered me, too. I kept a close eye on the boats to make sure I didn’t wander too far from the boats. Once I got myself to relax and breathe calmly, the snorkeling part is cool and I love seeing the fish and coral. That part is pretty cool. It was a fun day, though and I’m glad we went.
As we are actually traveling in the boats, they make you stay in one line. The tour guide gave us hand signals before we left and the passenger was responsible for signaling the other boats. Bob and I were first behind the guide, which meant that I was the one who had to watch the guide, and when he signaled stop, slow down or speed up, I followed suit and hopefully everyone behind us did, too. I imagine they did because no one got lost. Our guide was Jose and the other guide was Johnny. They each guided 4 boats. I think we had a good group. They were all young couples--and us—one couple was on their honeymoon and one had just gotten engaged. I took pictures for them on their cameras. The young honeymooners were from the St. Louis area and both had on Cardinals hats—and to Bob’s delight—big fans of the Cardinals. I got her to return the favor and take a pictrure of us.
On our way back we passed about 6 more groups of people heading out for more tours. Some of them had huge groups. I think keeping it small is better—especially for the guides when they are out there with novice boaters. We all left the pier at the same time, but apparently Johnny’s group split off from us at one point. He seemed to have the older folks. Not sure if it worked out that way or if it was just a coincidence—but anyway—I enjoyed our group.
Since we got back we’ve just been hanging out at the hotel. We Had lunch and now Bob is out by the pool—working on his tan. I was planning to go out—but felt kind of headachey—so decided to stay in and work on my journal, upload photos and my class. Hopefully I can get the Internet up and running soon so I can do email and download my next lesson to my thumb drive. I also want to be careful of how much sun I am getting. I’ve been out in the sun a lot.
The plan for tomorrow is to hang around the hotel and pack. :o(
I guess that’s all for now.
5/28/2010, 8:47 AM---but it’s really 7:47
Took some more sunrise pictures over the water. Today is our last full day—I hate the idea of packing to go home. I just started the laundry again. As long as I have to pack, it’s so much easier to pack clean clothes—and then there’s not so much laundry to do when we get home. At least we put clean sheets on the bed before we left so we don’t have that to do and I think I also managed to get the bathrooms cleaned before we left—so it won’t be too tough when we get home. The tough part will be going to work on Tuesday. I want to go in and give notice – pack up the house and come back here to live. We’d only be 3 hours by plane from the kids.
One thing I keep wanting to mention is they have a Bubba-Gump shrimp factory with Captain Dan’s bar and a Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville restaurant.
1:35 PM---minus an hour
Just got back from having lunch at the restaurant. We had what they call a Mexican snack. It wAS a sampler platter and was enough for 2. It was delicious. Potato skins, chicken tacos, cheese enchaladas, and fish fingers. It had guacamole, dipping sauce and sour cream. Delicious!! Loved it. We also had a basket of the tortilla chips and salsa. I loved it—it was a great lunch. Can’t wait to get home and use my Mexican cookbooks to create some authentic Mexican dishes with Sarah and Keith and have our own Mexican snack!
I love sitting right neAR the beach—the breeze is fantastic—yet we were under the shade of the thatched roof—so it felt nice and cool. We saw the peddlers walking along the beach selling their wares.
Gotta finish packing now –maybe I will write more later.
We had a wonderful breakfast Saturday morning, took one last walk on the beach and strolled around the grounds, sat with our feet in the pool one last time—then it was time to head to the airpport and home. We hated to leave—we could go back to Cancun over and over.

link to photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11443252@N07/sets/72157624211635962/

CANCUN, HERE I COME!

2010-05-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

Just a few more weeks and we'll be on our way to Cancun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOCAL TRAVEL MAKES FOR A FUN DAY

2010-04-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

It was the day before Easter, April 3, 2010. Bob and I did some local traveling and had a great time. We started our day with a big breakfast of omelets, toast, grapefruit, sausages, coffee and tea-- made at our favorite place--Donna and Bob's. (ie--our house)

After packing a nice picnic lunch of sub sandwiches, chips, grapes and carrot sticks, we head out on our adventure.

We went first to the farmers' market in Charlotte Hall, MD. We strolled past all the vendors, stopping once in a while to examine something that caught our eye. After seeing all the little shops, we stopped at the fruit and vegetable stands and filled our rolling cart with bananas, huge green grapes, lettuce and green beans.

Satisfied with our purchases, we got back in the car and headed to Gilbert Run State Park. We had never been there before and were pleasantly surprised. Its a very nice park with ample picnic sites, hiking trails, a nice big lake, paddle boats, and fairly clean bathrooms.

After lunch we again got back in the car and drove to the Dr. Samuel Mudd house. Dr. Mudd was the doctor who set the broken leg of John Wilkes Booth, president Lincoln's killer. Dr. Mudd was accused of being an accomplice of Booth and was sentenced to life in prison. As you pull up to the house you are greeted by soldiers in period uniforms sitting around their camp. Bob and I were greeted by one of the Yankee soldiers and he took us to the exhibit that showed what a soldier camp would have looked like. It was very interesting.

While he was in prison the prison doctor contracted yellow fever and died. The prison officials asked Dr. Mudd if he could treat the sick--there was an epidemic of yellow fever. He agreed to help and because of that, he was released from prison after serving 3 years.

Right after Dr. Mudd was arrested and taken off, the soldiers held Mrs. Mudd and their 4 children prisoner in the bedroom the children used. They set their horses free, tore through all of their food, took their meat and in general, treated Mrs. Mudd and her children badly. They stayed at the house for 12 days and only left when they got word that a young soldier killed Booth in Virginia.

The house in Charles County is the original house of Dr. Mudd and his wife and most of the furniture is original. It still belongs to the Mudd family. There was also a game table and some other pieces that Dr. Mudd made while in prison. He sold them to the guards to have money to send to his wife. The museum eventually was able to buy the pieces.

After the tour, Bob got to fire one of the period rifles. The volunteer staff were all very knowledgeable and seem to really enjoy working there.

One of Dr. Mudd's great grandsons is the caretaker of the estate and one of his great granddaughters works in the gift shop.

It is a very interesting stop and well worth the $5 entrance fee. Check the website--their hours are very limited--open on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

After leaving the Mudd house we drove through the country for a little bit, going up and down roads we have never gone down before. It was a lot of fun to discover areas of the county we hadn't been to before. While on our tour, we saw some HUGE houses.

The last leg of our trip was to stop at Lowe's on the way home. We bought an open pit fireplace for our other patio. We have 2 patios and love to sit out by a bonfire. We have a fireplace on the lower patio and now we have one on the upper patio.

After a nice dinner, we went out to the upper patio to enjoy our new fireplace and to watch the stars. A perfect end to our perfect day in the country.

Armchair travels

2010-02-07T12:23:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been doing some armchair traveling lately. First, I went to the Alpine regions of Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and France with Rick Steves. I've seen pictures from the Alps before--but every time I see them they take my breath away. There is a lot to do in that area. I would love to have at least 2 weeks to see the whole area. It would be a good time to see a lot of countries at one time. You only have 3 languages to practice--French, Italian and German.

When that video was over I did some traveling in the United States with Lucy. Traveling with Lucy isn't quite the same as with Rick Steves. Lucy doesn't really take you out and about to see the sights--but she is funny. I went along with her on her California trip. Now, we are back in New York but soon we will be leaving with Lucy for Europe.

ANNUAL FALL TRIP -- YELLOW SPRING, WV

2009-11-08T12:28:00.001-08:00

Bob and I took our annual fall foliage trip to the mountains of West Virginia in October 2009. We were about 30 minutes from Winchester, VA. It was our first experience at a B&B and we loved every minute of our weekend.

Here are the sheep that live on the ranch.

View of the main house from our room in the Carriage House. This was our first B&B experience

A big rock in the middle of this stream flowing through the mountains of WV. This was down a back country road we stumbled upon.

A view from our room.

The same stream (river) as above with the mountains in the background.

Close-up of the leaves.

Driving along a country road.

A deer standing on the side of the road. These woods were filled with deer.

I loved this crumbling barn.

GREECE AND TURKEY

2009-08-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

I took an armchair trip yesterday. I went with Rick Steves to Greece and Turkey. I had always heard that Greece was beautiful, but seeing the pictures sure made me want to go all the more. The scenery is gorgeous and I was just longing to jump into the water!

Now, Turkey is a place I had never really given much thought to going to visit. But, after traveling there with Rick, I changed my mind. It is a beautiful country, too. They of course have ruins that are from Biblical times. I would love to someday visit all the countries where the Bible stories took place. On this trip to Turkey, Rick visited the city where Noah and the Ark landed. And he also went to the city where Abraham lived. That is so interesting to me.

He went to the mountains where some people still live in caves. They keep them warm in winter and cool in summer.

It was a fun day and best of all, I was home in time for dinner!

Our summer 2009 vacation

2009-08-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

Bob and I left in the very early hours of Friday, July 17th and our goal for the day was Cleveland. We had a lot of brief stretching, gas and food breaks and took one good break in a town called Butler, in Pennsylvania, not too far from Pittsburgh. We strolled up and down the street, did a little window shopping. And, of course window shopping leads to real shopping. We went into a couple of little shops--a bookstore and an antique store. I bought a teapot and a salt dish.

We arrived in Cleveland around 3:30 and after a brief stop at the hotel to drop off our bags and freshen up, we went to the mall that was conveniently located across the street from the hotel. We went over there to get in a good walk. I love to exercise and if my body doesn't get enough exercise during the day, I don't feel well. So, we got over there and walked around about an hour. Of course since it was a mall, I felt obligated to shop! But along with that walking, you need to lift weights, right?? What better way to lift weights than to carry around some packages from the mall???

From there we went to Therese and Kevin's--although Therese wasn't there, she was in the Soo. Dad had fallen and she went up there to help out. She took him to the doctor. He broke his hip and was going to need surgery.

Before leaving, Therese had fixed a fantastic dinner, which Kevin had in the oven. We saw Jason, Ryan and Kelsey and met Ryan's girlfriend, Kira and Kelsey's boyfriend, Cody. After dinner, while Bob and Kevin went to the store and Kelsey and Cody watched TV, I went for a walk to that wonderful park down the street from their house. When I got back, Kevin was fixing a fire in the fire pit. I love sitting around a bonfire.

Jeff and Stephanie had invited the whole family to their lake house on the 18th--so in the morning we headed out early to head toward Michigan and Montcalm Lake!

We drove along Rt. 2 and saw Lake Erie as we went along. We stopped briefly at the Ottawa Wildlife Preserve. We hiked on the few paved paths right near the building and then headed out on a few of the grassy paths through the trees in the hopes of actually seeing some wildlife. The only wildlife we saw was the teeny, tiny kind--called biting flies and mosquitoes. We didn't love them quite as much as they loved us. So, we booked it back to the comfort of the paved paths and settled for photos of the marshy grasses, wildflowers and one dragonfly. We listened to the sounds of the birds chirping and could hear frogs and fish jumping in the water.

Back to the car and back on our route to Michigan. We arrived at Jeff and Stephanie's house at Montcalm Lake around 2:30. (Saturday, the 18th) Doug and Candy were there already and around an hour or so later, Kevin arrived with Kelsey and Cody. We all greeted each other, then Candy, Stephanie and I settled in for a visit while Jeff took Doug and the kids on the boat, and Bob and Kevin set up their respective waterfront condos. (tents)

The only disappointing thing about the trip were the temps. I got colder and colder the farther north we traveled and while sitting on the deck, I had to keep adding layers. For July, it was pretty chilly--in the 60's during the day and upper 50's at night. I expected temps like that for the upper peninsula---but not for the lower peninsula. The lower peninsula is usually more like us--80's and 90's in the summer.

But the day we got there it just wasn't nice weather-wise. The sun was only out sporadically--it was mostly cloudy and I was so chilled.

The company, however, was OUTSTANDING! I love to visit with my family. Dinner was delicious and as the sun started to go down, Jeff started a bonfire. We all gathered around the fire and I was finally warm! There was a big party going on down the road--we could hear the music--and there was a general festive feel in the air. I thought the night was perfect. I was wrong--the night was about to improve. Someone across the lake started setting off fireworks. And, it wasn't just your average neighborhood firecrackers and sparklers on the 4th of July. This was a full-fledged fireworks display--a professional display. It was as good as, if not better than what we've seen in New York City or Washington, DC. And, it lasted a lot longer than what I've seen in the big cities. It was absolutely fantastic.

It was pretty late when the fireworks ended and I was exhausted, so, I went to bed and I was followed shortly by everyone else. I ended up sleeping indoors. Madelyn was gracious enough to sleep on the couch and let me use her room. I wanted to try out the condo with Bob--it was new and we hadn't used it yet--but I was SO cold--I simply couldn't warm up. So, when Stephanie offered me a bed inside, I accepted.

I was the first one up the next day and first to grab a shower. After that, I grabbed my jacket and camera and set out for a brisk walk. First, I stopped down at the lake and there was steam coming up off the water. I took some pictures then just soaked up the calm for a few minutes. I love moments like that--I felt like I was the only one up and had the lake to myself. (it was about 7:00 on Sunday, the 19th)

Then I set off on my walk, by the quiet, it sounded like everyone in the house--and outside--was still asleep. As I walked, I saw a handful of neighbors out and about--some walking and some driving. I walked with the hopes of seeing some deer. No deer, but one bunny. And, plenty of beauty. I stopped for a few minutes to take some pictures of the lake through the trees and I could still see the steam. Then, I continued my walk all the way down to the road for the public boat access then went back. My best guess is that I went about 2 miles.

When I got back the house still sounded pretty quiet, so, I made tea and found cereal, then grabbed my camera and book and went out to the deck. Jeff got up as I made my tea and shortly after that everyone else started to get up. Jeff and Stephanie fixed a big breakfast and after that the kids all found things to do until quiet hours were over.

Montcalm Lake observes what they call quiet hours. From 7:00 p.m. until 11:00 a.m. the boats can't make a wake. Power boats are allowed on the water, but they can't race along. It is a great time to use paddle boats and canoes. Bob took a paddle boat out and tried his hand at fishing from the paddle boat. I love the concept of quiet hours. I relish the peace and quiet. I wish we had a rule like that here. Not for boats but for motorcycles. Geez, some of those motorcycles are so loud.

Bob had a wonderful time fishing on this trip. He fished all afternoon Saturday and all day Sunday.

Right at 11:00, Jeff started getting the boat ready to take out. This time I joined the group out on the boat and had a great time watching everyone water ski, wakeboard and tube. After a while we went back to the house. Therese had arrived from the Soo and Jeff went back to pick her up.

We were out on the boat about 2 hours.

When we were all done boating, we had an early dinner because everyone had to get back home and get back to their normal schedules on Monday. Jeff and Stephanie were kind enough to allow Bob and I to stay over Sunday night and leave Monday morning.

After Stephanie left, Bob and I took down the condo and packed it up. We sat and relaxed a bit and at 7:00, we took the paddle boat out for a ride. We fixed a light snack and then watched a movie.

As always, I was the first to wake up and get a shower. I took a nice walk while Bob showered. As I was walking I passed a boy driving an Amish buggy. We waved to each other and we each continued on our way. After a few more minutes, I saw an older lady taking her trash out and as I approached her house she started chatting with me.

We both were irritated that we needed jackets in July.

I found out that she and her husband used to live by the lake, but in 1973 they moved to that spot because she wanted to have a garden. But, after her husband died, she quit gardening. (he used to work for Ford Motor Co) Her kids still live in the general area there near the lake, but her brothers and sisters all live near Detroit. She hates Detroit and was so glad when she and her husband moved up to that area.

When I got back to the house, Bob and I finished breakfast, packed up, double checked the house, took one last look at the lake and headed north toward the Soo.

We got a big stop in Mackinaw City for lunch and a lengthy walk.

Then, we drove to the Soo, and headed straight to the hospital to see Mom and Dad. Dad was in the hospital due to a broken hip and was in horrible, excruciating pain. The surgery was scheduled for Tuesday.

We stayed up there until the pain meds started to kick in and Dad felt a little better. He had dozed a few times and then around 6 or so he got some dinner. We left after we got him settled in with his dinner.

We went to Ontario to find the house we were going to stay in for a week. It was located west of the bridge, about 15 or 2o minutes away--right near the Soo, Ontario airport. We loved it there--right where the St. Mary's River and Lake Superior came together. We had a view of the bridge.

We settled in, unpacked then went outside to explore and get pictures.

Tuesday morning after clearing customs, we went right to the hospital and arrived just as they were moving Dad out for surgery. Actually, they were moving him to the waiting area. It was around 11:00 and his surgery wasn't until 12:50. We sat in the waiting area for families and read. Bob found out we could get the internet from there, so, he brought his computer in. I was able to send out some emails to keep everyone posted. Mom arrived around 1:00 or so and around 2:30 the surgeon came out and said Dad came through the surgery with flying colors.

Just before the surgeon came in, Bob and I had gone to get Mom some lunch since she hadn't eaten. After we found out Dad was done and would be in his room at 3, we headed out to Mom and Dad's for a while. Mom stayed at the hospital for a while.

Our routine for the week was pretty much the same--we got up and went out to the hospital to see Dad for a while, then we'd have dinner with Mom and visit with her a bit and see what she needed and so on.

Wednesday Wayne, Julie and Cameron arrived in the Soo. We had a nice time catching up with them--eventhough most of our visiting was in the hospital with Dad. We did go to the Lockview for lunch and afterwards I did some shopping in the touristy shops and Bob went to the locks.

We all got to see Dad walk with the physical therapist and that was good.

We set off for home before daylight on Friday, the 24th. We drove along Rt. 23, along the shores of Lake Huron and arrived in Cleveland to spend the night. We had another terrific dinner at Therese and Kevin's. Later, Therese and I took Lucy, their dog, for a wonderful walk to the park down the road. When we got back, Kevin had the bonfire going and once again, we had a fun visit around the fire.

When you cross the Mackinac bridge, you cross over Lake Michigan. Since we had stayed on the shores of Lake Superior while in Ontario and saw Lake Erie on the way up, that meant we saw 4 out of 5 Great Lakes on this trip.

We finally walked back in the door of our own house on Saturday evening, July 25th. It always feels good to get back into your own home.

VACATION TIME

2009-07-12T13:12:00.000-07:00

Well, we're packing our bags, we put the mail on hold, we have our cat/house sitter all set up. All that can only mean one thing....we're going on vacation!

This time we are heading out to visit family. We're going to Ohio, Michigan and Canada. We don't have family in Canada, but since we are going to be so close to Canada when we go visit my parents, we are going to stay at a lake house there. The house is owned by one of Bob's friends and his wife, and they invited us to stay at the house. Staying in a lake house for a week sounded pretty good to us.

Before staying at that lake house, we will be at Jeff and Stephanie's lake house. While we are there, we will see Doug and Candy and Therese and Kevin. We will also see Therese and Kevin at their house in Ohio. That is always our stopping point after driving about 8 hours.

Be sure to stay tuned for a trip report during and after our trip. And, as always, plenty of pictures!

ROCKY MOUNTAINS, COLORADO, APRIL 2009

2009-05-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11443252@N07/sets/72157616924397537/

For all my Colorado photos, click the above link.

COLORADO

2009-04-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

Colorado was beautiful! Will post pictures soon!

COLORADO TRIP

2009-04-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

Bob and I got up at 2:00 am EST and got ready to leave for our trip to Colorado. We left at 3:00 and arrived at BWI by 4:30 and greeted our fellow sleepy travelers.

On our way to the airport, Bob and I laughed about another early trip we took several years ago when we headed to England. It was a morning just like this morning, a little chillier, perhaps since it was October, but a very early start just the same. We waited for the shuttle in long term parking lot, boarded and rode with our fellow passengers toward the terminals. On the way to the terminals, the driver spotted 2 more passengers standing on the side, waiting for a shuttle. He was about to keep going and then, maybe feeling a little guilty, he decided to stop for the 2 additional passengers. Imagine the shock we all felt when suddenly the doors to a van burst open, and HUNDREDS of people got out of the van, along with HUNDREDS of suitcases. We all kept exchanging looks--and the poor driver--you could tell he wanted to kick himself. I turned to the man next to me and said, "And my husband thinks I take too much stuff."

When I told Mom this story, she said the scene with the van exploding and all those people coming out reminded her of the clowns coming out of the little tiny car.

Anyway, we didn't have anything like that happen today. But the airport seemed so JAMMED for that time of day. As I looked around at the crowd, I realized that most of the passengers looked like college kids--probably headed out for spring break. And there were a lot of families, probably also headed out for a spring break trip with their kids.

Our flight took off on time and landed early in Cincinnati. We had enough time for bathroom breaks in Cincinnati and then it was time to head to our gate. Again, we took off on time and landed on time.

During the flight to Denver, which was about 2 1/2 hours, they offered us a chance to buy a meal if we wanted. I chose the fruit and cheese plate. It came with crackers. It was very good. That was the first time I was on a flight where they offered the chance to buy a meal. Usually they just toss out the microscopic bags of peanuts or pretzels. That has been one of my biggest complaints about flying lately--they don't serve meals anymore. The average person needs regular meals. I don't do well on just 2 pretzels in an 8 hour (or longer) day.

I had heard that airlines were offering meals to purchase, but I hadn't seen it until today. I was glad to pay. I just wanted a meal. I felt better today because I wasn't starving to death when I arrived in Denver.

After getting the rental car we went for a drive to see the city since it was too early to check into the hotel. We did a little shopping, had lunch then checked into the hotel. We relaxed for a bit, freshened up then headed back out. We found a nearby mall, and decided to go stroll around the mall for a bit. We bought a few things, then I turned around and couldn't believe what I saw--a Godiva chocolate store. I had to go in there. I came out with dark chocolate covered cashews. Mmmm.....

After that we decided to come back here.

So, that was our first day of our trip. We are relaxing in the hotel room now with a movie.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

2009-02-26T16:18:00.001-08:00

Well, Bob and I are planning another trip. This time we are going to Colorado. Bob is going to Denver on business in April and I am going with him. Only, I'm going to spend most of my week in Durango--about a 7 hour drive south of Denver. I'm going to visit Maryanna, Pat and family. I'm SO excited. I have never been to Colorado before and I haven't seen Pat and Maryanna for such a long time.

A DAY IN DC

2009-02-22T02:35:00.000-08:00

What a great day we had yesterday!

Bob and I did one of our favorite things -- went into DC for the day.

We took the metro and arrived downtown just about 9:00 when the museums open. Today we chose to go to a new museum called the Newseum. It is a museum dedicated to guess what--the news. When you walk into the main lobby, there is a news helicopter hanging over the lobby. The building itself is very modern looking, lots of windows and very bright inside. Great views of the city out the windows. They have newspapers from the 1600's to today--the front pages covering all the big stories of the day. They have a room dedicated to the FBI--famous cases such as the arrest of Dillinger and the Lindberg baby kidnapping.

They have a room dedicated to journalists, such as Daniel Pearl, who lost their lives while reporting the news. In that section there is a white Chevy pickup riddled with bullet holes -- it protected the reporters who rode in it. There is a 9/11 room with a piece of one of the transmitting antennas from the towers of the World Trade Center and a piece of the fuselage from flight 93.

They have a piece of the Berlin wall and one of the watch towers the East Berlin guards used. Lots of footage of the wall coming down. There is an interactive news studio where kids of all ages can pretend they are reporters and their image show up on the TV monitors. Film clips of the biggest news events over the years.

The door from the room that was broken into during Watergate is there.

On the 6th level there is a wonderful outdoor observation deck with terrific views of the city. We could see people ice-skating, planes landing at Reagan National.

All in all, a great museum. Very helpful employees. The cafe was very good. Kind of pricey to get in. It's not part of the Smithsonian--so it isn't free. My one word of caution would be for folks with younger kids--while there were quite a few things for them to do and see -- some of the film clips could be disturbing. It was very interesting, but I did feel that I needed to do something cheerful after being reminded of one sad story after the other.

For anyone who is familiar with DC--the Newseum is located right behind the National Gallery of Art. It can be reached from several metro stops. We walked from the Smithsonian stop--which is a good long walk--which was what we wanted. The Smithsonian stop comes out right at the Mall.

We got to the Newseum just as it opened and were done by around 1:00. So, we walked over to the American History Museum--which used to be my favorite. They shut that one down for about 2 years for renovations/remodeling. It just re-opened in the fall of 2008. I was expecting something spectacular and have to say I was somewhat disappointed. It may just have been because we were there in the afternoon, when the museums are more crowded--but it seemed like there were long lines for all the exhibits when there never used to be before. We never did find my favorite exhibit---the MASH martini glasses, Fonzi's jacket, Dorothy's ruby slippers and so on. But we did have a nice time. We found the transportation exhibit--that shows transportation from horse and buggy to now. I have always liked that one and enjoyed walking around it a few times. Fortunately, we live close enough to be able to go back to find the stuff I wasn't able to find today.

Our Outer Banks Trip, September 2008

2008-09-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

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.

Mini movies from our Circle Trip

2008-08-31T17:38:00.000-07:00

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/

Our Circle Trip--interesting note

2008-08-30T14:09:00.001-07:00

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

2008-08-30T14:02:00.000-07:00

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.

Our Circle Trip--Ontario, Canada

2008-08-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

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.

Our Circle Trip--Sault Ste. Marie, MI

2008-08-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

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.

Our circle trip--Grand Rapids, MI

2008-08-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

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.

Our circle trip--Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio

2008-08-22T02:39:00.000-07:00

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.

Mount Vernon

2008-07-26T17:19:00.000-07:00

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.

Gearing up for Michigan!

2008-07-20T05:50:00.000-07:00

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.

Orlando photos

2008-07-02T08:41:00.001-07:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11443252@N07/sets/72157605940855447/

Orlando trip

2008-06-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

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.

September vacation home

2008-03-15T12:21:00.001-07:00

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.

Pictures from England

2008-03-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11443252@N07/sets/72157601451373191/

Here I am at the Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park, London.

Blarney Castle

2008-03-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

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.

Ireland Photos from Ireland trip June 2006

2008-03-15T11:55:00.001-07:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11443252@N07/sets/72157601451371609/

Philadelphia, PA

2008-03-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

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/