Traveling the USA in an RV

Our day in Atlanta Ga.

2014-11-21T13:06:00.004-08:00


Atlanta Georgia by the Aquarium

We headed into Atlanta the day before my Doctor’s appointment. Ryan was with us and we wanted to show him some of Atlanta. We started with a visit to the Atlanta Aquarium. I really didn’t think it would be special but all 3 of us were delighted with the free show that started right after we bought our tickets. They had 6 or 7 trained dolphins in the act. And what an act it was!. Those dolphins did the most amazing things with their trainers and they put on one of the best Sea World type shows I’ve seen.

After going thru the exhibits, I have to conclude that this whole building is a giant aquarium that lets the water animals observe the crazy people while the people are observing them. Tunnels were everywhere for people to be observed by fish and sharks. Have you ever looked over your head to see a large shark floating by? Or some other large ocean fish?

Ryan and his Grandmother

Grandma and Grandpa

swimming overhead


swimming over our heads

It was a unique experience. We spent several hours observing and being observed and saw the most magnificent show so all in all I think we had a good afternoon of entertainment while in town. But for my husband and myself just having time to spend with our grandson was wonderful.

The captions by the tanks explaining the fish were fantastic. Some of the sea creatures we saw were extraordinary and I learned a lot. There was a tank of piranha fish with a caption nearby telling about them. I had no idea there were so many varieties of sea horse.

The razor back seahorse looked like weeds floating in the water. The big bellied seahorse just looked like a pregnant seahorse.

And then there was the ugly weedy sea dragon.


The striped gel catfish had their own habitat also.

There were too many species for me to completely catalog all of them. Some displays were out for the public to actually feel and interact in other ways. Everyone who gathered around the gator display wondered if the white gators were real or stuffed when suddenly one decided to change location and some of the others moved. We had our answer.

There were also several varieties of sea nettles or as we know them “jellyfish”.

After spending some time checking out all the displays, I am sure that if you are anywhere near Atlanta Georgia whatever your age, you will truly enjoy this experience; I really wished my back would have let me do more walking and looking on this day.

The nicest part of this little excursion was the fact that the parking garage was in a complex that contained the Georgia Aquarium as well as Coca Cola World. Situated directly across from a large park we couldn’t help noticing the many tourists and locals enjoying the park. When all 3 of us were ready for lunch, we headed for the nearest Subway. We didn’t have far to walk (about a block). Other nice restaurants were in the same area.

Because of a blood test I had scheduled the next day I couldn’t drink soft drinks but wanted Ryan to experience Coca Cola World so he and Grandpa went there while I observed the people who were enjoying the beautiful day in Atlanta. With my back problems I was not able to tolerate more sight seeing or we would have tried to go see Stone Mountain. Instead, we headed for our motel to settle in and look for a place nearby to have dinner.

I have to thank a square dance friend, Angela, for giving me the idea to check out La Quinta motels on the web. I typed in the location where we going to be for the day and their web site popped up their closest motels and even gave the mileage from my destination to their motels. Not only that, they had the most remarkable breakfast for guests the next morning. I’ve noticed when we’ve traveled lately that the breakfast usually consists of some dry cereal, muffins, hot chocolate and coffee; and if you don’t get to the lobby by 7:00 a.m. the best is gone. The La Quinta had a spread of everything from waffles and hard boiled eggs to hot and cold cereals, several varieties of cold juices and many varieties of yogurt plus much more. It was a pleasant surprise for us.

There is so much more to see in Atlanta but we only had a few hours so made the most of our visit by touring the Aquarium and Coca Cola World. The men taste tested so much while at Coca Cola World that they didn’t feel like eating much for dinner that evening.

I really had to weed out the hundreds of pictures we took but hope you enjoy those I’ve put on this site. Thank you for viewing my web site. Now that I’ve had my back operations, I know it will be a year or so before I’m able to travel much so I won’t be posting much unless it is something close to home. But do come back once in awhile and check out the site. Who knows what will happen next?

Thanks again for viewing my web site. You might want to check out www.spartanspinners.com also.

BE SURE TO COME BACK AGAIN.

Cabela's Greenville, SC

2014-09-01T11:46:00.001-07:00

Cabela's Sporting Goods Store at 1025 Woodruff Road in Greenville, SC

Checking out more interesting sights in the S. C. Area.
This time we ventured into Greenville for some items Dick needed for his newest hobby (which has been paying off big time lately) of fishing. Dick’s finding out the S. C. oldsters know how to fish and they have been willing teachers for this northern guy. Even though Dick’s family fished A LOT and managed some pretty good catches in NY, Pa, Canada and Florida, our family was more into water sports so water ski ing was our big thing at the lakes and rivers. And on dry land, of course, we really extended ourselves into the modern western square dance world.


Fish swimming in large aquarium in store

Cabela’s store is more than a sporting goods ; it’s a virtual wild life museum. While we were still full time RVers, we ventured into a Cabela’s as we crossed the border from Missouri into Kansas at Kansas City in 2004. It was laid out more like a museum with their animal displays all over the store. You can check the pictures I took in my 2004 folder.

The above items are all real life size. If you enjoy museums and wildlife, you will enjoy these displays.

Here in Greenville, they’ve used some fantastic artistic abilities to distribute the animal displays toward the ceilings so they won’t take away from their very artistic display of goods for sale.

If you enter down the center aisle, at the end you’ll come to a mountain filled with museum quality animals of all kinds.

Around and on the mountain, look for several species of wild turkeys, bobwhite quail, sheep, fox, more deer, bob cats, mountain lions, beavers, coyote, pronghorn antelopes which we saw out west, wolf, beer, even squirrels and muskrats are featured.

turkey

goat

deer

quail

beaver

fox

deer


Animals are always prey

wild goat

beer hunting squirrel

Then as you stroll around the edges of the store be sure to look up because you will see many more animals of the wild. They are generally shown in what would be their element and very artistically done.

Continue on your walk around the edges of the store; don’t forget to check out the center once in awhile. I missed so much the first time I went to this Cabela's. You will encounter ducks flying in formation, or hanging after a hunter has his kill, more bears.

Tired of waiting for your mate who is shopping, go to the front of the store at the main entrance and you will find the neatest restrooms (I love their faucets) and a living room quality "waiting area".

Whenever you are looking for something just a little different to check out in this area, be sure to go to Cabela’s in Greenville, S.C.

Thank you for checking out my blogspot. Come back again. I can't travel far right now but I just might put on the special travels of my grandson and his girlfriend and my daughter if I get their permission. They traveled from N. Y. into the Black Hills and other fascinating spots on their journey to Idaho and Utah this past summer. And it looks like a journey to Alaska may be the next trip for the grandson. At any rate, they had a fantastic opportunity and took it.

Come back.

Summer in the Carolinas

2014-08-01T13:59:00.004-07:00

In July, Dick and I took a little ride over to Hatcher Gardens and were delighted to see what the Hatchers were able to accomplish with a dream and useless land years ago.

When Josephine and Harold Hatcher retired to Spartanburg in the late 1960s, little did anyone know what their determination and grit would produce for this quiet community. The Hatchers purchased a home with a small lot on the west side of town. Looking out their back door, they could see the wooded area behind their home.

It was covered with tall pines but had become the dumping grounds for local trash. That didn’t stop this couple from focusing on what could be. Over the years they bought 3 more acres behind their property that had been cotton fields but was now eroding and unusable. They spent their spare time working on the land. They filled gullies, changed the soil content, built paths and even built ponds. In that process they planted more trees, shrubs and flowers.

Their vision grew and attracted the attention of the Spartanburg Men’s Garden Club as well as the Spartanburg Garden Council and the community college.

Soon they had volunteers to help them.. They purchased even more land and the garden grew to a beautiful nature walk as well as a land where one can learn about plants, birds and other creatures of the forest.

As the garden continued to grow through the 1970s, members of the Spartanburg Men’s Garden Club, the Spartanburg Garden Club Council, Spartanburg Community College, and the Unitarian Universalist Church became intrigued with the Hatchers’ vision for their garden and began to volunteer their time and resources to support the garden’s development. As word spread, the garden started to attract attention . There was no formal opening of the Garden but visitation increased and it became a public haven where families could picnic or party or just go for a solitary walk in the woodlands. I can imagine weddings taking place with the bride and groom making their vows under the little covered area as you first enter the walk.

I learned about the garden when my neighbor told me that she takes her family of 4 young children there so they can run and enjoy the outdoors. She said they were even allowed to pick the wild blueberries during season.

In 1987, when Harold was in his 80s, he decided to give the garden more permanent protection by donating the property to the Spartanburg County Foundation. The Hatchers continued to work on the garden into the 1980s and beyond until their health stopped them. But the Garden continues to thrive and grow with the upkeep of the walks and trails and additions they are making.

Most private gardens that have gone public were established by wealthy people. The Hatchers were different because they were not wealthy; they just had a dream. Their resources were limited and when they decided to give the Garden to the community, they also gave their life savings to endow the future of the garden.

Strolling though the Garden of Hope and Health you can see that many families in this area also saw the Hatcher’s dream and wanted to help make some of it a reality. Bricks inbedded with tributes line the walkway.

As we strolled we noticed several family groups that were in the garden with mothers and fathers teaching their children about the many wonders to be found in the little oasis. Squirrels scurried up trees as you approached; birds flitted from tree to tree and the sounds of the forest could be heard as you walked the trails.

See for yourself what a beautiful haven this couple built. There is no cost to enter and you can stroll the paths; sit and relax on the benches scattered throughout, picnic or just let your kids run to let off steam. Hatcher’s Garden is located on Rt. 296 ( 820 John B. White Sr. Blvd) in Spartanburg, S. C.

Thanks for viewing my blogspot. Come again.

Peaches anyone? Try South Carolina for some of the best around 2014

2014-07-27T16:31:00.002-07:00

South Carolina is one of the largest producers of peaches in the U. S. Fact is, in 1984, South Carolina made peaches their state fruit. I’m told there are more than 18,000 acres of peach farms in S. C. Starting in May, and ending in September different varieties of peaches are produced by some of those farms. Other farms have taken to also producing strawberries on their acreage.

Since my son-in-law’s newest hobby is making wine, he wanted his wife to get peaches for peach wine so while the men were fishing on their last day visiting, my daughter and I ventured to Strawberry Hill which is located on Rt. 11 near Chesnee, S.C. It is becoming a local tourist attraction because of the large variety of produce offered for sale and for the best ice cream flavors around. But there are many people who would argue that their breakfast pancakes are the main reason for their popularity.

On the way there, we passed several roadside stands. We stopped at one just to compare prices but ended up buying there also. We did find out the prices were comparable there and at Strawberry Hill.

When we reached Strawberry Hill, we stopped first at their sales barn and selected the peaches that Betsy wanted to buy; I taste tested their line of juices and was about to buy the peach juice when I realized the line to purchase was so long, I’d be unable to stand that length of time with the back problem I have. I should have just given my purchases to my daughter who had gotten in line long before me but I knew that would not be fair to all the people who were waiting patiently. After Betsy made her purchases and stowed them in her trunk, we went across the road to Strawberry Hill Restaurant intending to have lunch.

. People were lined up waiting for tables to open up. Since our time was limited that day, we decided to forego lunch. Instead we headed to the ice cream counter. Yummie. We each got a dip of homemade peach ice cream and a dip of homemade strawberry ice cream. And what dips they were. We had a large bowl of ice cream when they finished dipping. I didn’t think I could eat all of it but I did. After eating the ice cream, we didn’t need lunch.

In a small way, Strawberry Hill reminded me of our visit to Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, Florida back in 2005. They boasted the biggest and best strawberry shortcake around and it lived up to our expectations.

The picture above of me at top and Dick at bottom photo were taken in 2005 at Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, Florida.

They had many photo opportunities while Strawberry Hill did not. But I don’t think any of Strawberry Hill’s customers minded the lack of photo props. If you are ever in that vicinity (near Chesnee, S. C. just over the border of N. C. ) during either strawberry or peach season be sure to stop by. You’ll love it.

Thanks for visiting my blogspot. Come back again. I hope to be inserting more sights in the South Carolina area if I can get to them before my operation is performed.

May God bless the U. S. A. and may God bless you and your families.

Summer 2014

2014-07-25T11:27:00.004-07:00

Where did the year go? I had a spine operation in September 2013 and have spent the last months trying to recuperate from that operation. Unfortunately for me, the operation was not successful so I am going to have to have a repeat operation; this time in Georgia.

Meanwhile, I am going to try to introduce you to some things in our area and vicinity. Lawrenceville, Georgia has a new Bass Pro complex at 5900 Sugarloaf Parkway (its around Exit 9 of Rt. 85) located in Discover Mills shopping center so we stopped to see what they had there on our way back home from my Doctor visit.

I have to get out and walk so this was a perfect opportunity for me. We saw the first Bass Pro shop back in 2003 in Houston, Texas on the first leg of our cross country trips in our motor home. This shop was not as spectacular although you can still take your children there for a lecture tour about animals. You might want to brush up yourself as I saw many that I had never seen before and we were “country folks” before retirement so bears, deer, fox etc. were no strangers to me. They have a large array of the white tailed deer family, as well as many other animals.

I didn’t remember so many varieties. Labels were on most of the animals though so you can bluff your way through if your children are young enough. I remember paying a high price to enter a fantastic wildlife museum near Tucson, Arizona. Of course, they had more exotic animals there like lions and tigers, elephants etc. but it always amazes me when I see the Bass Pro shops. Arrangements are being made to build another large complex like this one between Greenville and Spartanburg, S. C. in the next few years. That will bring the area tourist trade up a bit.

The large fish tanks were full of many of the fish from this region that Dick was able to identify for me such as Large mouth Bass and Striped Bass, like the ones we now have in our freezer thanks to him and his fishing buddies.

The man caught in the wooden bridge with a bear closing in was a new display for me; I haven’t seen this one before. It was amazing the story line you could follow as you traveled through the store checking out their animal displays. And of course, we always end up buying something when we go to Bass Pro.

They have a neat rock climbing wall (pictured above) and have used it to advantage also. I was enthralled with the climber caught between the “cougar” below him and the “goat” above him. As you go to the other side of the rock wall, you notice a large bear ready to pounce on whoever falls first I guess.

As you wander through the store you will see many animals set up along the walls and in the middle of displays of clothing, fishing tackle, guns etc.

I got my walking in just going down the aisles of fishing tackle, etc. They have the largest assortment with their ad mentioning 3,500 rods, 500 reels, and 30,000 lures on display. They have hunting gear in one section, marine and watersports items in another section, boots & footwear in yet another section. There is also a gifts & home decor area as well as men’s clothing and women’s clothing. And a relaxing area for someone to wait for their companions as they shop.

And they will ship your purchases anywhere for you. They also have a shooting arcade where you can sharpen your skills. Its a laser shooting arcade so children can use it also.

My husband had to point out the bobcat creeping up on the coyote in the beams overhead at one point.

Can you identify all the animals in the pictures? Have fun and if you get a chance to go into a Bass Pro shop, remember it is not just a “shop” but somewhat a museum of wild animals of the United States also.

Thanks for checking my web page. Come back again and I’ll show you another attraction from this neck of the woods.

2013 summer

2013-09-11T09:10:00.001-07:00

Betty stands in front of RV at their campsite

When June arrived, we started up the Motor home and headed to Pa. where we parked our motor home at Frances Slocum State Park near Wilkes-Barre, Pa. This park has about 700 acres that are open to hunters; they also have 9 miles of hiking trails. The lake itself is a warm-water fishery where fishermen can catch crappie, bluegill, walleye, smallmouth and largemouth bass.

There is also a beautiful swimming pool; several picnic areas and fields for playing ball as well as 3 pavilions available to rent. The picnic areas have tables, grills and charcoal disposal pits.

Dick

Betty

We stayed at one of their 85 campsites. Their sites can accommodate tents or trailers. Many of them have electric hook-ups. There are also 15 walk-in tent sites as well as a large group tenting area that has a 40 tent capacity. While in the area, we got to visit with my nephew, Mike and his wife, Jean as well as my cousin Joe and his wife, Lois. We also got to see another cousin, George and his wife, Sherry. We ended up crashing a party at their house. I felt terrible but George was overwhelmingly gracious and tried to get us to join the party.

Since I couldn’t travel very far with my back acting up horribly, we did manage to visit my cousin Nancy, her husband, Ben and their daughter, Karen who lived nearby. We hadn’t seen them since 2005 so we had a lot of catching up to do. Many of our relatives and friends from that area were on vacation so we missed them but we did manage to visit with a few of our neighborhood friends. We had lived in this area for over 10 years before we hit the road full time in 2003.

Welcome sign as you enter Pittston City

We couldn’t pass up the chance to look over our old stamping ground of Pittston, Pa. and were amazed at the many changes in the past 10 years. This little town had increased the number of homes and apartments by tenfold so we had to wonder where everyone worked because we didn’t see any increase in manufacturing in the area.

Sign leading to their river walk.

In 2003, when we made our first cross country trip, we saw beautiful murals on the bridges in Dothan, Alabama. Since then we’ve checked out murals in many states. We were pleasantly surprised when we sighted the following mural on one of the buildings in Pittston. Railroad, mills, coal mining and manufacturing summed up the history of this little town in one picture. I think the mural tells it all.

mural on wall of one of the buildings along the main drag

During the time we resided near Pittston, 2 young men lost their lives fighting a fire in the middle of town. I thought it appropriate to show the monument to them in the following picture.

Our time was up in the Pittston area. We were heading to our daughter’s house hoping to help her get ready for a graduation party for our granddaughter but wanted to beat the 4^th of July traffic; we made it there without mishap in time to join her family and my son’s family for a picnic. We had an enjoyable day with the families of both our daughter and our son.

Because of my back problems, all of the things we had wanted to do had to be abandoned. It was too painful for me to sit long so riding as driver or passenger in a car was out of the question. Instead, we visited in the area, helped my son-in-law a little and then spent 2 weeks at a lake in Pa. with family members showing up whenever they had time off from work.

Beanbag game at Hammond Lake campsite

Our campsite

The day that tyler came to fish. he was good luck charm. here's their catch.

We parked our Motor home at one of the primitive spots at Ives Run Campground. Ives Run is located on a beautiful lake that we used to frequent years ago. It’s a great lake for water skiing, swimming, kayaking, fishing and just enjoying the outdoors. This is an Army Corp project which was built after a flood devastated the area years ago.

Skiing is one of the biggest draws for our family for this lake but there is much to do here.

The Tioga-Hammond Project actually consists of 2 dams, one if on the Tioga River while the other is along Crooked Creek thus forming 2 lakes. These 2 lakes are joined by a gated connecting channel. Ives Run Campground is located on Hammond Lake. This campground has close to 200 camping sites; many of them have full hook-up while those at the far end of the lake are primitive with no hook-ups. The

sunsets and sun rises over the nearby mountain range is gorgeous.

We spent a few more days at our daughter’s house after returning from the lake and then set our sights for S. C.

A visit with an orthopedic surgeon and I had a date for a back operation that gave me second thoughts from the day we set it up to the day I had the operation, but my thoughts as I waited for the operation were “If this works, we can do some more traveling. We’ll be able to continue round dancing and square dancing, and I’ll be able to continue with the volunteer things I do from home.”

I’m webmaster for another site (for our square dance club) so check that out one of these days. It’s www.spartanspinners.com.

thanks for visiting my BlogSpot. come back again. I hope to get more traveling in after my back surgery.

2013 begins with Las Vegas

2013-03-20T12:21:00.001-07:00

Night View of Las Vegas, Nevada

2013 started rather nicely with us relaxing the start of the year and tending to our home.

Toward the end of January we headed to Las Vegas for a short visit. But this old body of mine didn’t take the airplane ride too well. The first leg of the journey went well. We flew on United Air which seemed to have much more elbow room and more leg room. From Charlotte, we flew into Houston where we boarded a United plane that packed people in like sardines. There was no elbow room and no room for your feet so by the time we reached Vegas my back and knees were screaming, “Lady, are you out of your mind?!!”

We stayed at Planet Hollywood.

Planet Hollywood also has a Mile Long Mall inside the building.

Looking down from one of the bridges that cross the strip.

We hadn’t been to Vegas in ages so the changes were remarkable. The hotels and Condos have more than doubled in size. Treasure Island alone must now take up one whole block and Caesar’s Palace has tripled in size. Guess where that money is coming from Folks? Fools like you and me that think the machines will pay off. I’d rather go home and play some games on my computer than continue to put my twenty dollar bills into their money hungry machines. Oh, they let you win once in awhile; that’s the pull of the casinos. The loud noise and smoke filled room must be a pull for people also, because if you were in the casinos in the evenings, your lungs filled with smoke el pronto.

Bellagio

bridge leading over to Caesar's Palace and other casinos.

The Cosmopolitan

Vegas still has some of the best free shows around though. We didn’t get up to Freemont Street because my back and knees were hurting but we did make it down to Treasure Island and Caesar’s Palace. I wanted to see if their shows had changed much. They have gotten much better, and have more of a story line.
My biggest pleasure as we walked was seeing the tremendous sculptures at most of the casinos and hotels, like the Monte Carlo

View from street of Monte Carlo

One of the statues at the Monte Carlo

Betty stands in front of the fountain at the Monte Carlo.

We managed to see two fairly nice shows while we were at Planet Hollywood. One of them was Vegas (a show that offered a variety of acts depicting the beginning of Vegas to 2012). We also saw V the ultimate Variety show that everyone was talking about and it had some mind boggling acts that blew our minds. The seating in the V Theatre was horrible; once again I found myself packed into a seat with little or no elbow room and no leg room. My knees were screaming with pain after that show. The theater that featured Vegas was much smaller but much nicer seating for the audience, and I just loved some of the acts they had, especially the clown on the trampoline act. Wow!!.

Planet Hollywood has an indoor mall; when we ventured into it, we thought we were outside. Neat.

Dick stands by the fountain in front of the one theatre in the Planet Hollywood Mall.

Betty stands by a theatre in the Planet Hollywood Mall.

I shot this picture to show you the height of the Mall ceiling.

This is a picture of the Hollywood Planet Mall. Remember, it's inside, not outside.

I liked this boat on top of the seafood restaurant.

Although we weren't supposed to shoot pictures inside while the show was going on, I got this one of the stage performers doing a song and dance routine.

Tip for Las Vegas: There is a bus that travels the strip which goes by every 15 minutes. And the following list shows some of the free shows that anyone can enjoy when they go to Las Vegas.

The blue light showing thru this photo is the name of the Cosmopolitan condos.

The water shoots higher than the Bellagio in the background.

Bellagio Hotel and Casino has a Water Show every 20 minutes . We didn’t have the time to go into the conservatory which is open 24/7.

Below are pictures taken at Caesar's Palace.

Night shot of Caesar's Palace.

One of the many entrances to Caesar's Palace

A shot of Caesar's Palace from the Strip.

One of the inside shots as we made our way from one end of the Palace to the other.

Betty stands by one of the walls along the corridors.

Notice the people in the background. This shows you the size of this statue.

Here Dick stands in front of one of the displays in the middle of the Palace.

Remember this is all indoors.

When you walk through New York New York Hotel, you get the feeling you are walking the streets of New York City since they use the same idea of making the indoors look like the outdoors.

The Excalibur still has Medieval acts daily from 10 a.m. every 45 minutes. Many entertainers get started here in Vegas at some of these free shows. Also, Circus-Circus has live acts daily starting around 11 a.m and going continuously.

The Treasure Island Sirens of Treasure Island is a show that starts around 7 p.m. and continues every 90 minutes but because of the very real fire during the show, it depends on the wind.

The Treasure Island Entrance by the TI Sirens scene.

People start to gather for the next show. This is the Ghost Ship that blows the pirate ship out of the water.

This is the part of the ship where all the dancing takes place.

The pirate ship starts to head toward the bridge where all the people have gathered.

The ghost ship makes a direct hit and the pirate ship starts to sink.

It's a cute skit that draws a large crowd. Most everyone heads into the casino after this to get some free slot money. We spent theirs and some of ours before we left.

There are other free shows at other hotels and casinos. I remember the Rio Mardi Gras Parade from another visit and it was done daily; I understand those Rio still has the parade. The Fremont Street Experience Sound and Light Show is daily after dark. That’s on the other end of town where Las Vegas started back in the 40s. Other shows worth mentioning but we didn’t have a chance to see this year are the Excalibur Medieval Acts that are daily about every 45 minutes. And Circus-Circus Live Circus acts that run daily starting at 11 a.m.

From the architecture of the Monte Carlo which takes you back to the time of the Greeks to the glassed in sky scrapers of the Bellagios, there are sights in Vegas that boggle your mind.

And of course, while we were at Caesar's Palace we had to take in their free show. Animated statues come out of the depth to give a spell-binding narrative. The brother and sister do a fight scene. These statues are much more believable that when we first saw this show back in 1998.

And of course, while we were at Caesar's Palace we had to take in their free show.

And while you wait for the show to begin, you can really have fun as you watch the fish swim around in a very extra large fishtank. I was also mesmerized by the details in the ceiling.

Throughout Caesar's Palace you could find ceilings such as this one.

Vegas now has the Eiffel Tower where you can ride an elevator to the top and get a bird’s eye view of the city. And they also have bridges across the strip so foot traffic doesn’t have to cross the busy street. Even though the bridges have escalators for people who can’t or don’t want to walk up all those stairs, most of them were broken while we were there. But the elevators did work.

We found the Homeless People curled up in the corners getting some sleep and of course, all the beggars were out in full force as were the people who kept giving our porno cards to everyone who walked by.

Would I go back to Vegas? If my husband wants to go, I’ll accompany him, but it really doesn’t have anything that calls to me saying, “You’ve got to come back.” It felt good to be back home.

Thanks so much for viewing my blogspot. I hope you enjoyed it. I also hope I was able to give you some tips for a vacation spot of your own whether its Vegas or elsewhere, have fun.

Come back again someday. I can't believe I finally finished all my blogging up to the year 2013. We do plan on more traveling this year but time will tell. At our age, we take things one day at a time, but plan for many in the future.

2012 S. C. and New York

2013-03-17T19:01:00.003-07:00

This display depicts the OLD BRIDGE

Not long after our return home from Ashville N. C. , we once more loaded up the RV and headed to join the square dance camping group for the “Festival of the Lights” on James Island. While we were there, we took in one of the many tourist sights of the Charleston area as well as the beautiful “Festival of Lights” which was held right at the campground on James Island.

Here is one of the several lighted entrances for the cars to go through.

Here's the following star during the day with me standing by it.

This is the previous picture during the night hours.

Here is the following picture during the day.

Here the bat, glove and ball are lighted.

During the Festival of Lights, James Island County Park comes alive with illumination at Charleston’s most beloved nighttime event! Beginning around the first part of November and generally continuing through December 31, the festival is a great place to gather family and friends to capture the magic of the holiday season. People pile their vans, trucks, cars, with as many live bodies as they can and cruise through this remarkable display of lights and digitized movements.

another of my favorities

Best of Displays in my book

Pirates and booty here.

This display comes from Musicland

We also got to tour the Charleston Tea Plantation. It is home to the American Classic tea. There were acres and acres of tea plants. We went on a trolley ride though the tea fields with a very informative guide who also took us to the new propagation sheds. I learned a lot about tea that I never even suspected and also we learned that this tea plantation is the only one in the U. S. A. Unfortunately, I did a dumb thing and accidentally erased all the pictures I took that day.

It seemed like a much too short visit before we turned our Motor home north toward home. All too quickly the time flew and we found ourselves loaded up and heading to Binghamton for our anticipated visits with family during the Christmas season.

Dick starts to make his walls.

Megan's finished house.

Megan and Ryan with work in progress.

Betsy with her finished house.

Ashley with her finished house.

First things first. Betsy and her family made some graham cracker houses again. This is their second annual graham cracker house building foray. They are looking a little better this year. Megan, Ryan’s girlfriend, Ashley, Betsy and Richard made the houses.

And as always, we had the traditional cookie making but it seemed like everyone in the family was either working or shopping so Ashley and I got in a few batches.

Ashley decorating cookies.

Some of our finished goodies. Most packed up and ready to eat. Others packed and ready for gifts and others still drying.

I have to tell you about the Oakdale Mall Santa display. It was awesome. I didn’t get all the info and pictures I needed because my daughter started worrying when her Dad didn’t catch up with us that day but I hope you enjoy the following.

St. Nicholas

St. Nicholas was named after a Bishop Nicholas who lived in what is now known as Turkey. There are many stories about how he often helped people in need, mostly children. He is a Saint who’s feast day falls on December 6^th. In some countries, on the night before his feast day, children put out their shoes or stockings hoping to receive a treat.

Kris Kringle

Kris Kringle....The name we often use for Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, originally evolved out of the word Christkindl or “Christ Child”. Many of our traditions date back to Germany such as the 24 day count up to Christmas disguised as windows and doors. Many of our more popular holiday songs originated from Germany. The most famous of these is Silent Night. And of course, no German Christmas would be complete without a tree.

Santa Clause

Santa Clause...the name also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas and simply Santa is a figure with a legendary, mythical, historical and folkloric origin, who in many cultures is said to bring gifts to the homes of the good children during the evening before Christmas day.

Below each of these larger than life Santa displays is a message explaining the meaning of his name as well as how and when he received that name, as well as other pertinent information about Christmas and the traditions of Christmas.

I think this is one of the best Christmas Mall displays I’ve ever seen.

Christmas Eve found most of us heading to Midnight Mass. (Travis was too sick to join us this year. A flu bug was circulating so one member of the family after the other was succumbing to it while we visited, it seems. Luckily, we didn’t get the bug.) Many presents were opened and many smiles were present on Christmas day as the kids and adults opened one present after the other. I’m just sorry we didn’t get over to see Travis’s apartment because I heard he had decorated it beautifully for the Christmas season.

another big tradition in their house is the burning of the Christmas wrap.

Since Tommy was planning a surprise party for Betsy we stayed in the area a little longer than we usually do during the snow season and managed to be there the day 13 inches of snow fell. But Northerners are so used to it; the roads were cleared by morning. And yes, it did come on the afternoon of the surprise party. But Betsy and Tommy’s friends didn’t let that keep them away. They managed to give that surprise party and really surprise Betsy with a Bunco Birthday Bash.

Betsy suddenly realizes its a birthday party.

Betsy with her cake.

One of the Bunco tables before Betsy's surprise.

Tommy's big surprise arrived that afternoon. SNOW. 13 inches.

Then it was time for us to head home to get back to the business of living. This year we brought in the New Year by retiring early to bed.

Since we plan to do some traveling in 2013, come back to my next blog to find out where we head. You might get some ideas of a place to visit (or not) yourself.

Thanks for viewing my blogspsot.

Don't forget. Be sure to check in every so often.

2012 August through November

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Dick on his pontoon on Lake Murray, S. C.

Toward the end of August, Dick and I loaded our RV and went camping at Lake Murray in S. C. (something he had been intending to do for ages). He actually had the idea he could teach me to fish. LOL. I did learn to drive his pontoon boat though. It is definitely a different feel from the boats we had for skiing over the years, which I drove all the time back when the kids were still at home.

Here our Motorhome sets on its campsite for the week.

Dick and the guy next door take off for an evening of fishing.

For Thanksgiving, my brother, Bob, came to visit from Florida with his fiancée. While they visited, we had a bunco party at my house, had fun together and also toured the BMW museum before they had to head home. I was amazed at the cars in the museum. I have a few pictures to share with you here.

Dick, Norma and Bob in front of the BMW museum.

Dick, Betty and Bob

Look closely and you will see that the door slides down into the lower panel.

This little peewee pulled a very tiny camper similar to the one my older brother and his wife pulled around our country back in the 1950s. But they pulled it with a much larger vehicle.

For our next foray away from home, Dick and I headed to Ashville, N. C. to the Grove Inn to see the display of the annual gingerbread competition. There were so many pictures of such beautiful, exotic entries. I picked a few for your pleasure.

Grand prize winner was Ann Bailey from Cary, N. C.

This is the back view of Ann's Grand Prize entry.

This is the 1st prize in the Youth category won by Lydia Gentry from Hendersonville, N. C.

This is the teen 2nd place entry

The Gingerbread Competition was fantastic; I had no idea things like these could be constructed totally of edible material; the only part that was not was the base.

I think this was Adult 2nd place. Linda Carney from Ashville, N. C.

This was one of my favorites. I was glad I didn't have to judge.

Here's another of my favorites.

Although we paid a fee of $10.00 to park outside, there was no fee to view the displayed Gingerbread creations. We got a map at the desk on the ground floor where we entered and started following the trail of the gingerbread displays. At each one we became more and more amazed. We also learned that even though the other creations would remain on display throughout the holidays, the grand prize winning entry and selected other winners will be removed from the display during the third week of December because the resort transports them to New York City. 2012 was its 13th straight appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

This one boggled my mind especially the buttons which I would never have guessed to be edible. I thought they were the real deal. Notice the knobs on the little dresser drawers also. And the Mason jar which is also an edible product. I don't know how they judge but these was another creation that was exceptional.

At the top of this picture (behind this neat creation) is the backside of the Adult 2nd place winner. Folks, you would have to see these creations to believe them. There are some incredible artists doing these things.

Wandering through the Grove Inn was a very interesting experience. Everything was ultra large from the fireplaces in the lobby to the decorations in the halls and foyers. There were over 70 trees lining the halls.

Betty and Dick stand in front of one of the trees.

this one is decorated with winter snow type items like ice skates, sleds, etc.

This one is decorated with fishing type things. Notice the fishing nets.

There wasn't a tree decorated alike that I could see, and each one seemed to have some kind of theme.

After taking in the beautiful sights at the Grove Inn, we headed to the Grove Arcade.

The Grove Arcade was the grand dream of E. W. Grove who made millions by developing popular remedies for malaria and the common cold. Even though it wasn’t finished because he died, the Grove Arcade was the largest building in downtown Ashville in the 1920s. For 13 years it was the center of commercial and civic life in Western North Carolina.

BUT during the war in 1942, the federal government took over the building as part of the effort to win the war. 74 shops and 127 offices were evicted with less than a month’s notice. Following the war, the Arcade continued under Federal ownership and eventually housed the National Climatic Data Center.

As Ashville started to revive in the 1970s public support grew for a plan to return the arcade to its original use. The community rallied and the Arcade was restored and reopened to the public in 2002. Dick and I meandered among the shops that were open that day, saw the gingerbread entries that were not top winners but still impressive and watched a glass blower making Christmas ornaments.

Here I study the poster that annouces what is happening inside the Grove Arcade that day.

I hope you enjoyed some of the sights we saw in this past blog. If you have a chance to view these artistic creations someday, you'll see firsthand why I was so astounded.

Thanks for viewing my blogspot.

Come back and view my next blogspot as we head to the coast of South Carolina for a special Christmas display.

2012 Lakes and Washington DC

2013-03-04T18:53:00.003-08:00

Dick at the Greenwood Lake in S. C.

We brought Ashley home to SC with us from Aruba but since she’d only be with us for a few days, we couldn’t get in too much fun with her. We managed to get her together with her S. C. friends, Marisa and Vince for one trip to Lake Greenwood and had a few games nights with the teens. One of my friends actually talked her grandson into playing a game of tennis with Ashley while she was here. She’s a trooper and seemed to enjoy just hanging out with her old grandparents. The following weekend, Ashley, Grandpa and I headed to Washington, DC where we did some sightseeing while her parents attended a wedding nearby. We enjoyed a lot of walking, some merriment and cooling off in the motel pool and even got in some sights of the area.

Statue commemorating the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima

Ashley and Dick in front of the Iwo Jima monumnent.

We arrived late in Arlington, Virginia on Friday night; got our bearings and started walking to the nearby Iwo Jima memorial. I was surprised that they didn’t have a building nearby with the whole story of Iwo Jimo housed as they do in Texas where we saw this beautiful memorial for the first time. In Harlingen, Texas, they have the original cast made of plaster and used for the mold of the one in Washington which is made of bronze. The artist molded the faces from facts he had about the men & pictures he had of the 3 men who died after the immortal picture of the raising of our flag was taken. He used the other 2 men for his models.

Read the words on the wall behind myself and Ashley. Uncommon valor was a common virture.

I couldn't help saying a prayer here for the souls of all those lost men. May God be with them.

What was more important to me was the story of the battle of Iwo Jima; this was an important island during the war. The U. S. did not know that the Japanese had used their time on the island to build tunnels underground where 23,000 Japanese soldiers were living. Three days of intense bombing by the U. S. before the marine landing did not kill any of the Japanese soldiers who remained underground during the bombing. As our marines landed on the island they didn’t stand a chance as the Japanese opened fire on them. One survivor described running through bullets that were landing on the beach as trying to run through rain without getting wet. At the end of the day, thousands of marines and navy men lay dead on the beach. It took several days and many lost lives before the U. S. took that island but later it was determined that having the island as a safe place for our crippled bombers to land for repair saved at least 27,000 lives.

Dick wanders over to the other monuments in the area.

We also walked over to the Arlington National Cemetery but it was nearing time for closing so we didn’t stay long but walking among the tombstones of our dead and just seeing the number of graves made a remarkable impression on me.

Ashley and me

That same night we saw something I did not know existed. After the war, the Netherlands made a remarkable gift of the carillon to our nation. This was their way of thanking us for our part in helping to bring the war to an end. In part of her speech she says, “So many voices in our troubled world are still unheard. Let that be an incentive for all of us when we hear the bells ringing.”

It was the most beautiful sound when all those bells rang out with the wonderful songs we here in the United States have come to know as our own. Songs to honor the Army, Navy, Marines and Air force rang out. It was a beautiful gift we all received from that land across the waters.

Carillon given to the U. S. by the Netherlands.

We headed to the Capital Mall the next day where we started out to look at all the monuments which always impress me so. Every time I walk down the Wall monument for Vietnam I want to cry for the loss of so much for these men and their families.

The Lincoln Memorial is always a big tourist draw.

Dick stands in front of my of the famous quotes that strikes a cord whenever I read them.

The Nurses memorial to all the woman who fought in those wars. Years ago, they basically could only be nurses.

The WWII monument makes me give thanks that the brother and sister I had serving in that war came home unscathed and the Korean monument holds memories for me because one of my brothers served over there.

Korean War Memorial

It is mind boggling when you read the statistics there that mention that 54,246 from the U. S. A. and over 60,000 from the United Nations died in that battle as well as the fact that 8177 went missing in action and 470,267 went missing from the United Nations. 7, 140 of our men were captured while 92,970 United Nations men were captured. From all accounts, these men were not treated very well when captured either. I guess the sign at one of the monuments (I think the WWII monument) says it all-- FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.

This was my favorite bronze statue which we passed on our way to the entrance of the Indian Museum.

Here is a tribute to the 3 cultures who had to work together to help forge this great nation.

We never did get to see them all the monuments before this old Grandma’s energy flagged around lunch time. We hitched a ride on a bicycle cab. He took us to the Indian Museum which is amazing in itself and then we visited the National Air and Space Museum. What amazed me and my hubby the most is that it was OUR HISTORY that we were watching unfold before our eyes in the National Air and Space museum.

We did a quick tour of a nearby art museum before heading back to our motel.

Washington, D.C. has the most remarkable learning experiences at your fingertips and it’s all free. Every museum is a learning experience in itself. While in the city, we only had time to view 2 of the museums and quickly scan through another before heading back to the hotel right about time to find a restaurant for supper.

It was interesting to discover that the first museum was donated by an English scientist, James Smithson in 1846. He felt that people should be educated and set up a trust with his $500,000 estate. Even though he had never traveled to the U. S.A., his estate funded the first institute established in the U. S. and so began the Smithsonian Institute which has led to a most impressive avenue of museums at the Capitol Mall in Washington, D. C. Today, the Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum and research complex, housing nearly 137 million artifacts.

Here Dick stands in front of the waterfall. Water means a lot to Indian culture as it does to most Christian cultures.

Looking down at the center arena where visitors first enter. Isn't that neat?

Sunday morning, we had to return Ashley to her parents. Tennis was starting soon and she had to get home to start practice so she could qualify for her school’s team. So it was with heavy heart that we returned her to her parents and while they headed north, we headed south.

Here we are in front of our motel before Ashley left with her parents.

I would recommend that if you are planning to go to Washington, D. C. and want to see the museums and monuments that you try to spend at least a week there. Even then, you will probably not get to see all.

And so ended our summer of fun in the sun with our families. My one regret about settling in the south is that our families live so far away from us but a long time ago, I learned that you can not always have everything you want in life.

Thanks again for viewing my blogspot. If you are looking for a wonderful place to spend some vacation time, I would definitely suggest a week or even two in Washington, D. C. There is so much to see there that you will never be bored.

Come back again to view my blogspot as Dick and I head to S. C. and enjoy touring parts of the Carolinas.

Aruba 2012

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It wasn’t long before we started getting ready for our trip to Aruba with Betsy, Tommy, Ashley and a few of their friends. We had been told that it is one of the 3 hurricane free islands in the Caribbean. It must be true. If it wasn’t a hurricane free island, there wouldn’t be a thing on the island. Its main business is tourism but they have an aloe farm and aloe business. They also have a brewery for their own beer and several other enterprises that we noticed when we took a bus trip to the other end of the island where the real “Arubans” lived.

This is a band we listened to when we took our bus trip.

It’s a well sought after vacation spot. Reasons might be because there is no exchange of money and the ease of getting around without a car. Taxis have a set rate and cannot charge any more than the rate listed to go from one place to another, so no need to wonder what the fair will be. The language in Aruba is a combination of Dutch, English and Spanish called Papiamento but almost everyone on the island speaks English. The children start their schooling on the island then go to the Netherlands to complete their education.

Here we all relax at Betsy and Tom's condo.

The weather is said to be a constant 80s and 90s on the island. It is really a beautiful island with almost the whole length on one side of the island being white sandy beaches. We didn’t need to rent a car; buses run every 20 minutes or so and it is very inexpensive to ride them. Also, the Divi Resort that we stayed at had so many other Divi resorts up and down the main drag that they offered free shuttle rides from one end of their properties to the other. This included the newly built casino. We took the shuttle to town to shop, to the Casino and one time we walked from the casino to La Cabana where Betsy and Tom were staying. Tom and Betsy made the 2 mile walk to our casino many days and nights but when we stayed late, we took the bus back.

At night, the huts that keep people out of the sun while they spend their time on the beach are transformed into outdoor restaurants with Tiki lights and music.

There are many tours you can take while on the island as well as scuba diving, etc. but we found we could just enjoy ourselves relaxing in the pool and hot tub. I did do one thing on my bucket list. I went parasailing as did Betsy, Ashley, Debbie and Nicole, friends who were also staying in Aruba. After a few minutes, I found it rather boring, to be truthful. I would prefer to learn to kite board but know I don’t have the strength to do so; looks like I’ll just have to enjoy watching others do it.

All five of us women went parasailing. Below are pictures of me and Betsy either in the air or coming back to a landing on the boat.

That's me. Here's my proof!

Here betsy is either going off or coming onto the boat. I think she is coming in.

If you like the sun, enjoy the ocean or pools and hot tubs, you are sure to enjoy a vacation in Aruba, but remember you are going out of the U. S. Getting into Aruba didn’t take very long and they had taxi drivers lined up waiting to take you to your hotel or condo. However, we never imagined the long lines and long wait to get through those lines when we were leaving the island. Going through first the airport security, then the Aruba customs and then the U. S. customs took close to 3 hours for us and over 3 hours for others, depending on the airline you were traveling.

Here I enjoy the ocean water. Look at that white sand and clear water.

Nicole and Ashley enjoy a ride on a jetski.

Dick and I enjoyed walking the beach at night also.

One of the passtimes on Aruba is feeding the funny looking iguanas that roam all over the place. Our resort even had a feeding station and ideas for what they would eat. Some of them would come up to those with a lot of patience and eat out of their hand.

The iguanas are able to change their color and blend in wherever they are so sometimes they are hard to find.

Here Dick tries some little pieces of lettuce.

I learned something else while there that might be of interest to those traveling to Aruba. You can take food in but you can’t take it back out if the containers are opened. A woman I met at our condo who has been doing the Aruba trip for 20 some years told me she will cook a full chicken and a ham and freeze them. She wraps them in newspapers and puts them in a soft sided cooler and stores them in her luggage. She also takes many other perishables with her in the same way. Of course, you have to be reasonable in what you pack in your luggage because this would be the luggage that you are not carrying with you, but stowed in the airplane.

Thanks for viewing our Aruba blogspot pictures. Come back again to view our next trip in 2012 which was to Washington, D. C.

Arcadia national Park 2012

2013-02-25T11:29:00.001-08:00

One of the lakes that you'll find in Arcadia National Park created during the ice age.

Here Dick looks out over the expanse of the park (only part of it).

Betty and Betsy with Ashley waving in the background. The beauty here is a feast for the eyes.

My advice is to go to Maine in August or September if you want to whale watch. The scenery as we traveled reminded us of our trips into Canada when our children were younger, which you will find quite beautiful if you’ve grown up in a city or lower states. Since we lived in New York state and upstate Pa. most of our lives we were already accustomed to seeing beautiful trees and landscapes but were still astounded with Acadia National Park and all the beauty there.

Ashley sits at Arcadia National Park. Background is the are of ocean where Bar Harbor sits.

Acadia National Park was well worth the trip. It is located on the rock-bound Maine island of Mount Desert. We found soaring granite cliffs as well as sand and cobblestone beaches. Glaciers carved out mountains, valleys and created deep lakes in their valleys. There were meadowlands as well as marshes and dense evergreen forests.

Here we see one of the original bridges that helped create the carriage roads. The trails are now used for bicycles and hikers.

At some elevations, you could make out Bar Harbor below only by the large number of boats moored along the coastline.

Here you can see Bar Harbor and the boats moored there from Arcadia National Park. Look close at the left hand corner of the picture. All those white blobs on the water are moored boats.

We stopped in Bar Harbor a few times while on the trip (generally to get a Lobster meal for my daughter and hubby. I prefer fish and I think Ashley preferred hamburgers.

Bar Harbor still has the older buildings along the harbor front but is being streamlined with new in other areas of the town.

Arcadia National Park is the only national park where the land was donated entirely by private citizens. It covers 49,000 acres with most of it being on Mount Desert Island. The highest elevation is Cadillac Mountain at 1530 feet.

Some of the popular activities for visitors are walks and talks, biking, fishing, carriage rides, boat cruises, hiking, kayaking, cross-country skiing and ice fishing. There are over 500 campsites throughout the park also. If you are not into camping, you can find accommodations at many hotels and motels, etc. around the park.

We also found Sand Beach to be nice although the day we hit there it was raining and dreary.

Betsy shows off with her umbrella.

Betsy and Ashley on Sand Beach.

Sand Beach is the ONLY sandy beach at Arcadia due to being protected from the waves. There are many, many beach fronts at the park but most of them are rocky because the ocean waves wash back all the sand.

Arcadia National Park has miles and miles of coastline lined with rocky beaches.

Another spot we found interesting was Thunder Hole where erosion has created an unusual spot. Waves churn around the bottom of Thunder Hole.At low tide you can sometimes see and hear them. Inrushing waves capture and compress air in the back of Thunder Hole, sometimes producing a thundering “boom”.At other times, depending on the tide and wave conditions, Thunder Hole may utter only sloshing and gurgling sounds. As you can tell from the pictures here the teens and kids were really enjoying the incoming waves.

These steps lead down the mountain to the area where you can view Thunder Hole and see the water gurgling. No one could stand here when the "boom" occurs however, unless you don't mind getting really wet.

Rocks that were bare and could be sunned on earlier were now being covered with the incoming tide.

Betsy and Ashley standing at the viewing station for Thunder Hole.

We arrived back in Binghamton late Sunday evening. Dick and I stayed a few more days with Tommy and Betsy so we could see some family before we headed home to the Carolinas.

Back in the Carolinas, we got back to the business of living. We were back in time to go to the South Carolina Federation Dance which was being sponsored by our club, the Spartan Spinners. You can check out that website at any time at www.spartanspinners.com.

We weren’t home very long before it was time to once again join Betsy’s family but this time no car and no RV since we were traveling across the ocean to the island of Aruba.

SO COME BACK AGAIN TO VIEW MY BLOGSPOT AS I TELL YOU ABOUT OUR TRIP TO ARUBA 2012.

THANKS AGAIN FOR VIEWING MY BLOGSPOT.

2012 Begins

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2012 came in with us square dancing at a New Year’s dance with the club from Taylors, S. C. Dancing, good food and friends===what more can you ask? Soon, we started rumba lessons and progressed into cha cha before our traveling started in the summer. In February, a new member was added to Richie’s family. Candy’s son, Bobby, from a previous marriage had his first child, Rowan. Our family tree expanded.

For our first journey of the summer, we headed to Pa. in June for the family reunion set up by my brother, Bob. From our starting family of 16, there are only 5 of us left. Four of us made it to this reunion.

After a few days, Dick and I headed to Maine for a 4 day sightseeing trip with Betsy and Ashley. We left New York as soon as Ashley finished her last test of the school season and arrived at our hotel in Freeport late Wednesday night. We stopped in Freeport first because we wanted to visit the large complex of L. L. Bean stores since we were told it was something special to see. If you are looking to buy sporting supplies, stop here. Word of warning; they are not cheap, but I’ve bought from L. L. Bean in the past and will say the things I bought were excellent quality and last. While in Freeport, we looked up some other places people told Betsy she must see but I won’t even mention them because they were a complete waste of time. But they do do things BIG in Maine. Notice the following pictures.

Betty, Dick, Betsy and Ashley in front of L. L. Bean building

Our next stop was Portland. Because I was hoping to see a “whale” on a “whale watching tour” while there, we headed to Portland next since Betsy a sign for a whale watching tour thre. Dick and I got a glimpse of a whale but Betsy and Ashley were on the wrong side of the boat so missed it. The whole trip wasn’t totally wasted though as the boat passed many interesting lighthouses before heading out of the harbor and the guide elaborated on each of those and even set the boat so we could do a lot of picture taking.

Maine is well known for its light houses with many along its coast. It’s impossible to see many of them by land so even though there was only one whale, there were a lot of nice lighthouses out of Portland Maine. The guide gave us a running commentary on the lighthouses as we passed them and also on the land which had been (as he put it) another Ellis Island for incoming refugees. He showed us where those who were sick when they reached the U. S. were kept. After the first hour or so, the rest of the 4-hour Odysey boat trip was extremely boring, uneventful and cold, but we knew when we went out that it was not always possible to see a whale. When we were full time travelers on the road in our RV, we visited some places that we marked as “duds”. This boat trip is marked as a “dud” for me, although my daughter enjoyed it tremendously. Perhaps people who are not used to rididng in boats would enjoy more than I did.

Colorful artwork adorned the boardwalk.

Part of the Berlin wall set up to commenorate freedom.

While waiting for our tour boat to arrive, we wandered the wharf and got a few glimpses into the interesting history of Maine also. Again, I find the history of our nation whether it’s north, south, east or west quite interesting.

I had been informed by a friend who used to live in Maine that if we wanted to see the whales off the coast, we should travel to Maine in late August and go off the coast of Bar Harbor, but we were traveling elsewhere in August. My friend also told me that it is interesting to watch the lobster men bringing in their traps and we were lucky enough to watch that when we were on our boat tour and again in Bar Harbor.

Here we stand by a large lobster as we buy lobsters.

We did have a really good meal that evening and got to do some souvenir shopping while we wandered the town. It was late when we got back to our hotel and not long after, everyone was pretty well settled down for the evening knowing we had another 3 hour ride the following day to get to Bar Harbor.

Come back again to view my next blogspot as we tour Bar Harbor, Maine and Arcadia National Park.

Thanks for viewing my blogspot.

2011 and life goes on back in S. C.

2013-02-04T16:16:00.001-08:00

dick carries his head on platter for Halloween party.

Back home, life went on. In October, Dick carried his head on a platter for our Halloween dance at the square dance club. He took the men’s prize for costumes while Gail and her pirate costume took first prize for the women’s costume.

Dick with his head on platter. Costume was his idea; pain in the neck for me to figure out how to make it but with his help, we managed.

At the square dance Gail takes first place with her pirate costume. Notice parrot on her shoulder.

Bob shows off his antique auto.

Here Dick and I go for a spin. This auto is pretty cool, but I'll stick to 1999 and newer.

My brother, Bob had recently moved to Florida. He invited us to join him and our cousin Terry for Thanksgiving dinner so Dick and I headed down to Florida. We enjoyed 2 Thanksgiving dinners (one at Bob’s home and one at Terry’s daughter’s home)—got in a lot of games of pinochle and also the Mexican train game and did a little touring with Terry as our guide.

One of the mansions along the lake. Too many to know which is which.

Here's another pretty cool looking mansion.

Here's me, Bob and Terri waiting our turn on the boat tour.

We all took the Winter Park’s world famous Scenic Boat Tour traveling through the beautiful lakes and canals of historic Winter Park in Florida. We were able to see much including Rollins College, Kraft Azalea Gardens & Isle of Sicily from the lakes as well as many tropical birds, plants and flowers surrounding magnificent mansions on the lakes.

Here Ashley puts some finishing touches on her house.

Betsy gets into making her house look the best.

Some of the finished products.

Next year we plan to do better.

In Binghamton this year for Christmas with the family once again, we were introduced to Tom & Betsy’s family’s newest tradition. We all sat down one evening to build a Christmas village out of graham crackers and candy, etc. My house looked like a car ran into it; a few of them were pretty good though. Now that we have an idea of what is involved, maybe our 2012 village will look a lot better.

As usual, Christmas Eve and Christmas day are very hectic at our daughter’s home but it’s lively. When we get too old to make the trip north for this beautiful Holyday, I’m going to miss them all but have to face the fact that Richard and I are getting older and the day will come.

I made the grandchildren line up on the steps the way they used to when they were just kids. Aren't they just the most handsome people you ever did see? Movie star material, but they'll be more grounded than that when they get out of college.

Ashley hamming it up with one of the newest fads with the high school crowd.

Candy and Jessica

Rich explains something to Tyler and Grandpa.

Some of my favorite people.

More of my favorite people.

With our son’s difficult work schedule, we were lucky to get to visit with him and his family for one day at Betsy’s house this year, but before we left for S. C., several of Dick’s siblings stopped by to visit with us. Unfortunately, it was the last time we would be able to visit with her sister, Penny as she had a fast growing cancer unbeknownst to any of us.

Come back to visit my BlogSpot again one day and learn what we did in 2012. It looks like Dick is getting his traveling in once again.

Thanks for viewing this blogspot.

2011 Summer In New York

2013-01-26T15:51:00.001-08:00

We arrived in New York State in July. Ketah, Kat, Abby and Maggie flew east from Utah and arrived before us. Ketah figured she wouldn’t get another chance for years to get east again with the girls so she wanted to take Abby and Katherine to as many interesting spots as she could. The first week of their vacation she and Betsy managed to take the kids several places. One of them was Hershey’s Chocolate Town and also Hershey’s Amusement park near Harrisburg, Pa. If you are ever in this area and your children (or you) like amusement parks, this is one place you do not want to miss. It’s right off of Rt. 81 near Harrisburg, Pa.

This picture was taken in 2004 when we toured Hershey.

A few from above Hershey Park on a dreary rainy day.

View of the routunda which is very, very impressive.

Back in the year 2004 when dick and I toured Hershey, a tour of Chocolate Town taught us much about the cacao bean and how it becomes the chocolate used in candy and baking products.

We also toured the town and visited the Hotel Hershey, Milton Hershey School buildings, Hershey stadium and Hershey Park, Milton Hershey’s homestead and the Derry Presbyterian Church constructed in 1732 which is now enclosed in glass.

We visited the Milton Hershey School Founders Hall with its beautiful Rotunda where 50 state flags are displayed showing the different states the children of one parent families who attend the school come from. We also learned this rotunda is the second largest rotunda in the world. The largest is at the Vatican in Rome. It was back in 2004 that we learned the story of Hershey’s start and the extraordinary things that he and his wife did for orphans and now for single parented children through the Trust he set up that is still benefiting children.

Ketah took Katherine and Abby to Niagara Falls also.

Niagara Falls is a North American natural wonder, filled with splendid discoveries and many attractions. They say over 750,000 gallons of water cascades over the falls every second. Here you can take a Cave of the Winds tour, learn about the Daredevils of the Niagara who braved walking across on a tightrope or go on a Maid of the Mist boat ride near the falls. This is a place to visit if you get the chance.

For the second week that Ketah was in town, she, Betsy & Tommy rented a cottage together on Cayuga Lake (not Cayuta lake where we used to go) in N. Y. and Betsy found out there was a spot where we could park our motor home right next door to the cottage so we all headed there with the families in tow. The boys joined us when they could with their current girlfriends. Even though the cottage was extra special, the lake was a large lake prone to high waves and unruly conditions. We enjoyed it but once again, we realized how spoiled we had become at the smaller Cayuta Lake the years they rented there.

Rich and Tyler made it up one day but I was very disappointed with the short visit. They had to return quickly; the traffic was exceedngly bad that Saturday due to more than 20 miles of garage sales set up along the roadsides for the locals. It took those hours traveling at less than 20 miles per hour on these back country roads due to the extra traffic generated from the hundreds of garage sales lined up along the roads.

Watersports are always part of being at a lake for this family so as usual, there was much playing on the lake.

Resting indoors became part of the package also. The cottage was large and had plenty of room for just talking or playing with Maggie and her toys on the floor.

Ashley, Abby and Betsy climb to the top. Would you believe my daughter chased me off this climbing tower when I was halfway up it?

Are you practicing being a lifeguard up there little lady?

There was the neatest park very close to the cottage so nightly trips there were for Maggie's benefit. Or were they? I think we all enjoyed that park.

Dick and I stayed in New York state for awhile after we got back from the lake but soon headed home to S. C. but not until we got to see a basketball game of Tyler's and a track meet of Ashley's

Here's hoping you enjoyed joining my family for a short time as we joined with them in 2011. Come back to my blogspot again as I hope to continue with 2011 and then get into 2012 when we hit the road for a few short trips that you might enjoy following with us.

Thanks again for viewing my blogspot. May God bless you with happiness.

Summer 2011 with trip to Natural Bridge Va.

2013-01-25T16:12:00.001-08:00

Grandpa with Ashley on his boat at Bowen Lake

Vince diving into lake

Marisa and Ashley on board

Ashley had made friends with Marisa and Vince the year before when she visited so one day they joined us at the lake. They kept her pretty busy ; they took her to their pool; took her golfing etc., and we had game nights at our house a few times. It seems like I rarely saw her, but when we did, we managed to do a few things together. When Ashley went home, she told her mother she wished she lived closer to them.

The initials G.W. supposedly left by George Washington back in the 1700s

This shot shows the size of the people versus the opening of the natural bridge.

Before long it was time to head north again for summer visits with our families. Even though Dick and I had passed the signs advertising Natural Bridge, Virginia for years we never stopped to view it. In 2001, we decided to stop on our way north. While there, we walked the path to the bridge and toured the mock up of the Monacan village as well as the butterfly museum, toy museum, wax museum, and wax museum factory.

It was interesting to find out that this bridge was once owned by Thomas Jefferson. It’s a natural stone arched bridge which was called the “Bridge of God” by the Monacan Indians who discovered it. It was surveyed by a young George Washington who was Jefferson’s friend. One rock that is high up on the mountain side has initials GW on it purported to be put there by George Washington when he surveyed the area. The bridge has a history dating back more than 300 years. King George III deeded it to Thomas Jefferson, who treasured it and visited it often. Jefferson eventually established a visitor’s lodge for the many travelers and artists who came to this spot from around the world.

Inside of one of the village huts. Someone had a fire going for warmth and it smelled of burned wood. I imagine that was the smell the Indians had all winter.

A lean-to that was evidently where they did most of their work.

Grandma and Ashley at entrance to the village.

Grandpa stands by one of the drying racks for the skins.

We walked the trail to the Monacan’s village mock-up which showed how the Indians lived back in the 1700 and 1800s. The Monacan’s first known encounter with Europeans was with Captain John Smith in 1608. White tail deer, wild turkey and elk provided ample food and clothing for them.

We went from the bridge and village to the butterfly museum.

Adjacent to the Natural Bridge is the butterfly museum where butterflies are shown in every stage of their lives and you have to be checked to make sure they are not on your clothes as you exit because they roam free throughout the rooms.

Grandpa with a butterfly on his finger. They landed everywhere if you stood still you would have one on you.

Here we have the cocoons in varying stages of development with some butterflies actually emerging.

This guy liked this area of the wall.

Back in the entrance and gift shop, Grandma couldn't help but clown a little with their big bear.

We then visited the Toy Museum where we were all enthralled with the large variety of toys displayed there. I have some of those dolls in my collection but many of these toys I never knew existed.

In the pictures, Dick is enthralled with the village set up of toys.

Dick checks out the toy village.

Ashley gets some good pictures for her album.

Movie stars from all eras were represented in the doll collections.

and of course the Beatles. Elvis had his shelf also as did many other singers and stars of the ages.

Next door is the Wax Museum where you will be taken through Prehistoric times, Biblical times and political times with wax figures, and perhaps just everyday life. Each setting of wax figures featured a story. For me, seeing these people (most generally real people from the past and present) brought to life in wax was amazing. My favorite part of this visit to Natural Bridge was the Wax Museum and my favorite setting there was the Last Supper.

Dick’s favorite of the tour was the Wax museum factory, and all we were able to learn there. I, too, found the whole process quite enlightening. Ashley never said but I think her favorite was the butterfly museum. I say that because I’ve seen some of the beautiful butterfly drawings she did after her visit there.

If you didn't know better, you would think this was a young boy instead of a wax figure swinging in front of the wax museum.

Cave scenes, historical scenes and biblical scenes meet your eyes. All done exellently in wax with the story for you to follow.

The last exhibit you see is the best. It's the Last Supper depicted in wax figures

It took 3 photos for me to get all the men involved into the picture.

We exited the wax museum and entered the Wax Factory. Here's the Santa Claus they had inside. You'll notice the museum pictures were all in the dark because they couldn't take the heat of the many lights needed to light them up. And it was in the high 90s outside.

For anyone wanting to do these tours, here are directions.

Directions to Natural Bridge, Virginia: Travel Rt. 81 south or north in Virginia and you can’t miss seeing signs for Natural Bridge, Va. I would recommend a stop to visit if you find yourself near there. Natural Bridge is a short ride off of Rt. 81 on Rt. 11. In that area, they have other tourist attractions also that might interest younger children.

come back to my blogspot again. We're heading to New York state next in 2011. And thanks for viewing my blogspot.

The Year 2011 begins

2013-01-24T09:18:00.001-08:00

This really looks pretty but its almost melted already

Love this shot of sun thru trees

This ruler placed on our brick wall shows the depth of snow as over 5 inches.

We woke up one day in January 2011 to 6 inches of snow. Of course, like most snows in S. C., it didn’t last long but was enjoyable for a day.

Because the surgeon who had replaced my right knee kept saying I had to wait a year for recovery from the knee replacement done in December 2009 as soon as my January 2010 appointment with him came, I told him I was not happy. He couldn’t understand it. I had good range of motion; but what he just couldn’t seem to grasp that there was too much pain associated with this replacement. I had had my left knee replaced in 2002 so I knew what to expect pain-wise. When I got my records months later, I found that he never made any notations that I had complained throughout the year during my follow-up visits. I had more knee pain after the replacement than I had before the operation. It’s not supposed to work that way. I finally went for a second opinion and ended up getting my knee replacement replaced in April 2011. The first surgeon had left a 3 inch piece of meniscus (cartilage) caught in the new knee. I kept telling my husband that it felt like I had a torn meniscus but I knew that was impossible because I had an artificial knee. Little did I know!!

Jessica decorated these and other eggs for Easter while she was here.

Rich, Candy, Tyler and Jessica surprised us with a visit at Easter. That was a welcome surprise but I felt terrible that I couldn’t do anything with them because I had just gotten out of the hospital. Jessica and I did decorate a few Easter eggs; she and Tyler tried their hand at pyrography and they did a few things with Grandpa but I wasn’t much fun. At least Richard, Tyler and Rich got to the lake one day to fish.

Jessica and Tyler with the plagues they did.

My next big surprise was a visit from Ryan and Travis. I was so glad to see them but still I couldn’t do much, but trudge around slowly with my walker. Grandpa got the beds ready and planned the meals, etc. While they were here, I was so glad that Ryan was willing to climb to the top of the over 100 foot tall pine that still needed to come down so it could be tied off for cutting. The boys helped their grandfather take down his last big tree. Over the past years, he removed more than 23 large tall white pines that lined our driveway when we bought the house. This last tree was the tallest of them all. Richard figured he had better take it down before it fell on our neighbor’s house. The boys didn’t work the whole visit, however; they did manage to get to a few lakes for fishing while they were here.

Ryan, Travis and Grandpa after a fishing trip.

Travis with his big striped bass.

Over the July 4^th weekend, Betsy and Tom came down for a visit bringing Ashley so she could stay with us for a short visit. Tom traveled to Lake Murray with Richard for striped bass fishing, and another time we took the boat to Lake Bowen for a day of just laying in the water and enjoying the sun, before they had to head home.

Come back and visit with us again as I continue to tell you about the summer of 2011 with my family. Thanks for viewing my blogspot.

2010 N. Y. visits & Princess on Ice

2012-11-19T13:29:00.000-08:00

Maggie and Ketah

Granny holds Maggie as Betsy makes sure she gets down okay

Ashley becomes Maggie's newest conquest

Maggie among the pumpkins

Maggie and Betsy in their yard

Ashley and Jessica play with Maggie

Maggie, Ashley and Ryan

Jessica

Rich

Rich and Tommy look on as Betsy cuts their cake.

Candy, Tyler and Jessica help sing Happy Birthday

Meanwhile, back in Utah, Ketah had her first biological child, Maggie. Betsy flew out to help Ketah for awhile after her mother had to return home; months later when Ketah was better health wise, Betsy and Tommy flew out for Maggie’s christening. When Ketah was scheduled to work in Washington, DC for a week or so in the fall, Dick and I headed to Binghamton to visit with her and see Maggie whom we hadn’t yet met. , Maggie stayed with Betsy while Ketah was in Washington working so we had a chance to enjoy getting to know her. We took advantage of Ketah’s visit to have a joint birthday celebration for Tom and Rich, Jr.

I love to watch the graceful movements of dance whether it’s on a ballroom dance floor or ice. When the Ice Capades (Princesses on Ice) came to town, Dick decided to treat me to a performance. Even though this performance was a Disney performance and catered to children, I noticed we were not the only senior citizens attending without grandchildren in tow. It was a really graceful performance and truly enjoyable for both Dick and myself. And, as usual, I was too busy watching the acts to bother with my camera so pictures are scarce.

In Greenville, S.C., there is a beautiful stadium called the Bi-Lo center. Tickets can be gotten there throughout the year for many spectacular events.

This is the sight that greeted us when we pulled up to their home in N. Y. state in 2010.

Cookie making time. This is a tradition.

Ashley in front of their tree.

Dad, Travis, Ashley, Mom and Ryan

Travis, Granny, Grandpa, Ashley and Ryan

Ryan gets a hug from his mother.

Travis and Ryan

Travis and Betsy

Tom and Betsy with the horse that Ashley painted when she was in S. C.

Wow, just what she wanted. Now, how do you put it together?

Tom and Betsy work on Ashley's desk.

Betsy with her Dad and the woodcarving.

woodcarving done by Dad for Tom and Betsy

Say what? I have to put this thing together?

Aw, it's done and ready to use.

Betsy decides to play the game.

She was faster than me. She didn't get knocked in the head with a steel beam like I did.

Ashley's game kept knocking me off.

Ashley is playing a game through their X-box.

Tommy

horse gift painted by Granny

woodcarving from Dad to Rich & Candy

That brings us to December and of course, our trip to N. Y. to be with our children and grandchildren for Christmas day. What a glorious way to celebrate Christ’s birth when you can do it with the people you love so much.

Thank you for viewing my blogspsot. My next blog will be about our year 2011………Join us as we once again enjoy life in S. C. I won’t be working for the census in 2011 so will it mean more travel or will we wait awhile yet? I guess you’ll have to view the blog to find out. Thanks again for viewing today.

2010 SHENANDOAH CAVERNS

2012-11-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

This is called Bacon.

Betty

Lighted display

Dick in front of display

Betty and Dick

Notice colored light display behind Betty & Dick

Tom, Betsy and Ashley

This is called "Lamb's Head"

When it was time for Ashley to return home, we met her parents in Virginia and did some sightseeing at Shenandoah Caverns. If you are looking for something interesting to see, this is it. To get there, take Exit 269 –(Shenandoah Caverns Exit) off of Rt. 81. You’ll be on Rt. VA-730. Follow the signs to the caverns. It’s right off of Rt. 81 near in New Market, Virginia. We stayed at a motel a few miles from the caverns . Ashley and Grandpa enjoyed the pool but it was getting just a wee bit too cool for me by the time we arrived and settled into the motel room so I watched them cavort in the pool from a safe vantage point away from the splashing water. Betsy and Tom arrived late that night and we all settled in because we planned a full day of sightseeing the next day before heading home.

On the tour of Shenandoah Caverns, we took an elevator down to the cavern level but I still had to watch my footing on some of the slopes which were a little slippery. At times, I wished I had my cane with me as I still was not that steady with the knee replacement. We had a good guide who made the caverns very interesting as he told of the different types of formations that formed on the ceilings and walls, such as Capital Dome, Diamond Cascade and Rainbow Lake, and the breakfast bacon limestone formation. The lighting displayed on the different formations made it visually appealing as well as educational. Even though the caverns were interesting, I think my favorite was “the trip back in time” at the “Main Street Yesteryear” amazing animated window displays.

Animated carousel display at "Main Street Yesteryear".

part of Circus display. These are all animated displays from store front windows.

Part of Cinderella display

Betsy, Ashley & Tom in front of Circus Display.

Betty in front of animated display.

Dick watches animated display.

Then next door is the “American Celebration”, known as the home of parade floats and Presidential Inaugural props. If you want to see something interesting, take the time to visit the Shenandoah Caverns and get the combined ticket to cover all 3 tours. This reminded me of our tour of Mardi Gras world in Louisiana where they make the props and parade floats; although they don’t make them here; they just store them.

Ashley

Ahh!

Ouch!

Dick & Betsy

Betty & Dick

Dick looks things over.

Ashley

That's me

Tom, Ashley & Betsy

Tom & Bets

Then, stop and visit the Barn which is just across the drive where you can see many antiques and other interesting items they have displayed there. You can also buy souvenirs here. Too soon, it was time for Betsy, Tommy and Ashley to head back to N. Y and for us to travel south.

Join me in my next blogspot as we settle back down in S. C. and then make some trips north to visit with family for the holidays. Thank you for viewing this blogspot.

2010 Camping in Pa. and S.C.

2012-11-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

Boys do some scuba diving.

Mommy and Ashley

Ashley on one ski.

Mommy and Ashley ski together.

Betsy

Ryan and Ashly K.

Tommy at the wheel.

Ryan

Ashley P. jumping the wake.

Travis playing ball

Ryan

Ryan jumping the wake.

Grandpa off for the day fishing.

Grandpa shows off fish.

Tom and Betsy relax.

Ryan finds a drink for Ashley K.

Loading the girls into the tent

Travis and Ashley ski together.

We also camped at Tioga/Hammond and enjoyed a week of relaxation and water sports there. Travis and Ryan joined us when they could with their girlfriends, so we had one more nice vacation to add to the many memories with the family.

Before we headed back to S. C., we managed to get down to one of Jessica’s volleyball games, and another day Rich and Candy had a barbeque at their home so we could all get together before we left.

Ashley in pool

Jessica in pool

Rich does the grill work.

Betsy and Tommy

Crystal and Russell

Bobby

Tyler

When we returned to S. C., Ashley came with us. While she was in S.C., we got together with our friends’ grandchildren, Vince and Marisa. We went to lakes a few times for swimming and boating, and had a few game nights at our house. The two of us went shopping together and I found out that Ashley is one heck of a good shopper; she managed to stay in budget and get many nice outfits for school.

Vince, Ashley and Marisa

Time for munching and fishing.

Dick heads for Marisa's chips bag by the looks of it.

Ashley relaxes on board.

Ashley and Grandma on floats yet another day at the lake.

While Ashley stayed with us, she got a little tennis practice in. We shopped for her school clothes and she modeled them for Grandpa and me.

We took Ashley on a camping trip to Greenwood Lake where we got to laze around in the warmest water. That weekend, friends of ours were at their cottage on Greenwood Lake so we visited there Saturday and Sunday. Ashley got to ride a jetski, rode a tube behind W. C.'s large pontoon boat and also skied behind it. Even though Grandpa has a pontton boat, it is small and has much less motor than W. C.'s boat.

W. C. and Ashley on his jetski.

Here Ashley is riding the tube with W. C.'s grandson.

Georgia takes Ashley for a ride on her jetski.

Ashley and Georgia

W. C. takes Richard for a ride ont he jetski.

Ashley gets ready to ski.

Ashley skis behind the pontoon. She said it seemed weird because there was no wake.

Ashley relaxes with me on the lawn at the cottage.

Both Grandpa and I enjoyed having our granddaughter around. While she was visiting us, she spray painted a large ceramic horse for her parents which was presented to them at Christmas.

Soon, it was time to get Ashley back to New York state. Tennis practice would be starting soon.

Check back and see where we decided to visit when we returned her to her parents.
Next blogspot will tell all. Hope you check back and thanks for checking this one out.

2010 We Got Snow.

2012-10-31T12:49:00.002-07:00

This is the front of our house. Dick took the picture before the snow began to melt much.

When the sun comes up here, the snow generally starts its melting cycle. Its not up north where the cold hold back the sun power.

We had a most beautiful snowfall in February 2010; unfortunately I was unable to get out and play in it because of my recent surgeries. T

The first quarter of 2010 was basically used by me for recuperation from the 2 surgeries I had toward the end of 2009. As soon as I was able, I went back to work for the census. It consumed my days but I loved the excitement of it. I hated to see it end but I’d worked the census in 2000 and knew it was just a temporary situation.

Dick with his bass striper.

Dick's pontoon boat

Meanwhile, Dick got a used pontoon boat and spent his time fixing it up and getting it ready to go fishing. He loves catching the striped bass that are prevalent in a few of the big lakes in South Carolina and they are very good tasting fish. But he didn’t confine himself to just fishing; he worked on the landscaping around the house. He built a beautiful walkway at the front of the house and did all the weeding, grass cutting, cooking and cleaning etc. while I was working.

Dick finished the walkway to front door

When summer came, I turned in my badge and we headed north. My grandchildren were growing up and “that meant growing away” so I wanted to try to spend as much time with them as possible. We planned to visit as many of my relatives as possible on our way north so detoured from our normal route heading into Fairless Hills, Pa. where we visited with my old teenage friend, Eleanor, whom I hadn’t seen in years. We had basically kept in touch through cards & letters but now have the magic of email.

Home of my niece. I think this gorgeous house might be up for sale now, but it may have already sold.

We parked our RV in the yard of my niece, Linda who was still living in Pa. at the time and her father spirited us all over the area so we could visit with her brothers whom I had not seen since my sister, Mary (their mother) died. Percy even accompanied us on a visit to my sister in Trenton, NJ. Then, we managed to stop on our way out of town to visit with Linda’s sister, Ruth. We had a wonderful visit with all of them and did a lot of catch up since it had been many years since I had seen most of them.

When we hit Binghamton, Travis’s graduation party was our first big “party” for the summer. It was hard to believe that both of Betsy’s boys would now be in college.

Travis, graduate 2010

We tried to visit as many of our relatives and friends as we could while we were in the area, but missed many of them. And of course while there, we had to take in some water sports with the grandchildren. Both boys were working now but we were able to catch a few nice days at Sidney, NY for a day on the lake where Tom’s sister, Eileen, her husband and son from England joined us. Little Tommy got his first ride in a tube.

Ryan and his girflfriend of the moment, Ashley K.

Our Ashley tries out the disk for the first time. She's a natural.

The 2 Ashleys collide.

Ashley with her Dad.

Tommy's like a pro on his first tube ride.

Tommy and his Dad.

Tom and his Dad.

Ryan

Dad and Ryan

Tom (Dad)

Ashley on kneeboard

Ryan on kneeboard

Grandpa gets ready to filet the fish.

I’ll insert more of our summer 2010 on my next blogspot. Come on back and check it out. Thanks for viewing this blogspot.

2009 Graduation and more to finish off this year's blog

2012-10-22T16:58:00.003-07:00

2009 was the year for us to see Betsy's first son graduate from high school. He was already enrolled in college for the coming fall season and working through the summer for the New York State police department as a park guard.

We were in the area in time to help celebrate Tyler's birthday. He was really excited because his birthday present this year was his very own horse.

The year of 2009 found many changes for us when we traveled north. The cottage at Cayuga Lake could no longer be rented. Ketah and Phil had a condo at Myrtle Beach so they didn’t go to NY this year. Betsy was saving her vacation time for a visit to Utah in September; both of Betsy and Tom’s boys were working through the summer months so no plans were made for a week at the lake; but we did plan for 2 long weekends so we managed to get in some fun in the sun while we were there and the boys joined us when they could.

Tioga Hammond Lake

Betsy wasn't pleased going back to a tent from the cottage, but she knew the kids liked the lake so she made do as all mothers do.

That's our motor home parked next to their tent.

This is what we call "the kitchen"; Tom makes sure it's a shade haven also.

Dick is surprised to catch a nice sized bass in this lake.

Tyler is really getting good on the skis.

Tyler

Ashley is getting good on one ski.

Ashley

Grandma is getting the hang of the kayak.

Ryan likes the wakeboard now as well as skis.

Ryan

Ryan and Ashley K. on tubes.

Rich and Tommy

Back home again, I decided to go ahead with 2 pending operations. I was having a lot of pain related to my neck and also my right knee was giving me more trouble than I anticipated. On November 24^th, I had the neck surgery at Mary Black Hospital in Spartanburg. On December 11^th, I had my right knee replaced at Mary Black Hospital in Spartanburg. I will never have surgery at this hospital again. Both surgeries caused extra problems and I blame the operating facilities there. My personal opinion was that the computer generated operating room table was not working correctly. How else could a surgeon operating on my neck one week mess up the vocal cords while a surgeon replacing my knee a few weeks later, leave a 4 inch piece of cartilage attached in the new knee?

Right after Christmas, which we spent in S. C. because of my operations, Betsy, Ashley, Travis and his girlfriend surprised us with a visit. Although I couldn’t do much, it was so nice to see them. Since I was still recuperating from surgeries, I wasn’t much fun but the kids seemed to find a way to create their own fun and managed to have a festive New Year celebration where we all stayed up to welcome in the Year 2010. I know they made the trip to help bolster my ego and it did just that.

When we came home from the Doctor's office, I found the kids waiting for me.

I couldn't get around too well but that walker and my office chair with wheels came in very handy.

Carrie and Ashley enjoying ice cream.

Betsy got me this beautiful blouse for Christmas and insisted I try it on. Doesn't my necklace of cloth go well with it?

Ashley and Betsy

Granpa

The kids take over the kitchen--much to Grandpa's pleasure.

My next blog will be about the year 2010. At this rate, I just might catch up to present time. Thank you so much for checking out my blogspot. I hope I did well if you were in one of my pictures and if you were not in pictures, I do hope you enjoyed the blog. May God send you His special peace. Come back again and check on our special memories from 2010. Believe it or not, we start to find places to visit again.

Thanks again for visiting. Come back.

2009 Back home in S. C.

2012-10-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

We woke up to this one January day 2009

We found out some of our neighbors don't know how to drive on snow but some do.

Of course, school was cancelled here. It takes a blizzard up north.

But isn't this beautiful!

This is above our brick wall out back.

Here we are in 2009—still not traveling much but enjoying the comforts of a home not on wheels. For the first part of the year, I procured a job with the census department and was glad to be earning a little money again while having a challenging time with a hand held computer that didn’t work half the time.

South Carolina doesn’t see much snow so this snowfall in February 2009 was noteworthy for me. Isn’t it just beautiful and the nicest part is that it melted quickly.

Pat's grandchildren and mine.

In the spring, Betsy, Tom and their children came to visit during the Easter break from school. They couldn’t stay as long this trip but we managed to get in a visit one day with our N. C. friends. The following day the teens went off to Carowinds Amusement park which is in S. C. and N. C. (in other words, right on the border of both states). And while the boys were here, they decided Grandpa needed help breaking up the concrete out back. It didn’t take them long to finish this chore for him. He had been breaking it up slowly day by day. By the end of their visit, it was done.

Ryan with Ashley K.

Ryan and Ashley K.

Travis, Carrie and friends

Travis and Alex

This was the year that both Ryan and Travis went to the prom with their girlfriends of the moment. Ryan had gone the year before with a different girl.

Ketah and Phil got back together in 2008; Ketah was the guardian at the time of Kat and Abby (2 of her sister’s children) and Phil accepted all 3 of them as his new family. Ketah got a transfer to Utah and they joined Phil there. During the summer of 2009, they rented a condo at Myrtle Beach. By now, Ketah also had guardianship of 2 more of her sister’s children so they had a houseful. Betsy had just taken a new position at work so she and her family couldn’t join them in Myrtle Beach. While they were there, Dick and I were able to get an unusual opening at the state park nearby so parked our motor home there and visited the condo every day. The children were precious. They were having a ball at the water park attached to the condo as well as enjoying the ocean daily since the condo was right on the beach. Our visit there ended too soon and we were on our way north.

Since my computer is acting up, I'll close this blogspot today and continue another day with our year 2009. Thank you for viewing this blog. Come back again.

2008 Delta Lake New York

2012-10-15T14:29:00.002-07:00

Ty, Travis and Granny on lake

Tyler

Travis on sailboard

Jessica, Ashley and Ryan waiting.............

Wait no longer!!

Jessica on kneeboard

Ashley on kneeboard

Jessica and Ashley

Ashley

Jessica

Ryan

Ryan looks like he is getting ready to bump Tyler.

Tyler sees him coming

Tyler and Ryan

Travis on kneeboard

Travis

Tommy

Tyler

Knowing the days of renting the cabin were over, we started to look for other lakes in New York state where we could camp and enjoy water sports so we decided to try Delta Lake near Rome, NY for a week. This time Jessica and Tyler joined us. This lake turned out to be much larger than we anticipated. Large lakes mean high waves which just aren’t as nice for skiing with children. And we hit rainy weather. The kids weren’t used to sleeping in tents and things got wet but soon dried out. Spirits were not dampened and the days were still filled with water sports although the water was just a little rougher than the small Cayuta Lake. Even though the state park where we stayed was nice, it just had too many trees and lack of sunshine where we camped. Also, it was a large lake so it meant high waves and unruly conditions on the lake so it wasn’t quite as enjoyable for the kids skiing, although they had some exciting tube rides.

That's me.

That's Dick

We were back in S. C. by September and soon October and Halloween rolled around. The Spartan Spinners (our square dance club ) always have a dress up Halloween dance so this year Richard and I decided to wear costumes. Aren’t we just gorgeous?

They got snow this Christmas!

Our next chance to see the families was during the days before and after Christmas. We drove north from S. C. and once again, we bunked in with Betsy, Tom and their family. RVs just don’t do well on snowy roads so our RV stays parked when we travel north during winter months. Rich and Candy came up on Christmas day after they celebrated with Candy’s family.

Ashley and Betsy

Travis, Ashley and Ryan

Ryan makes breakfast for everyone. Betsy's boys know how to cook just like their Mom and Dad.

Grandpa gives Betsy & Tom a relief carving of their house.

Travis and Betsy

Granny gets her hug.

Wow!! I got my Binghamton carousel shirt finally.

Ashley, Grandpa and Granny

Granny, Ryan and Grandpa

Grandpa gives Tyler a horse relief carving.

Candy and Rich receive their house relief carving.

Kids got a rock band. Eveyone can get in on the action.

They threw me out of their band.

Even Daddy got in on the action.

Ryan and Tom

Betsy’s kids got a “rock band” for Christmas while Richie’s kids got something similar so this is the year that music was the theme at both houses or so it seemed. I never did get in sync with their crazy rock music.

When we visited with Rich and his family, the kids played with their rock band awhile but soon headed toward the sound of the karoke machine that Betsy and Candy had commandeered from Jessica where we all had a great time either trying it out or laughing at those who did.

This year was the first time since we’ve been back East that we stayed north for the start of the New Year. We went to Arlene and Doug’s house for the night and traveled together with them to Shelley and Chad’s New Year’s Eve party. Shelley and Chad have this beautiful farm house that was remodeled; they had more than enough food and room for the more than 100 family and friends who turned out for the party. Shelley had things going on all night for the adults and children so that anyone who could stay awake long enough could bring in the New Year together. But now that we welcomed in the year 2009, it was time to once again head south.

We ended up playing a card game and eating too much.

This just shows a portion of the food lined up for the buffet. Shelley put on quite a nice party. Unfortunately I was having too good a time to remember to take pictures.

Did we get finally settle down enough to start traveling again in 2009? Stop back to check out my blog for 2009 and find out. Thank you for checking out this blogspot AND SHARING OUR MEMORIES; I hope it brings back some good memories of your own.

2008 Cayuta Lake trips

2012-10-14T16:27:00.001-07:00

Tom, Abby, Ashley

Grandpa heads out fishing for the day.

Betsy

Kat

Ashley, Kat, Abby

Ryan and Travis take over boat driving duties.

Phil with Lucky.

Grandpa with one of his fish

Betsy and Grandma relax on floating dock

Lucky gets help. Poor dog was out of shape and thought she could swim the lake following the kdis.

Ryan on sailboard

Grandpa takes kids fishing.

Kat's catch for the day.

Travis and Ashley

Ryan and Ashley

Ryan takes Abby on his back.

Ketah

Tom

Ketah and Kat

Ashley

Abby

What a motley crew we were.

Here Ryan teaches Ashley how to use the sailboard.

By golly, she's got the idea.

Ryan takes Abby for a ride on the board.

Betsy and Ashley

Kat

Abby

Ashley and Abby

Phil and Ryan

Ashley and Ryan

In the middle of July, we headed once again to Cayuta Lake for a week. Betsy and Tom had a cabin which they shared with Ketah and Phil who came in from Utah with Katherine and Abigail. Dick and I settled into the RV park next door. Jessica and Tyler didn’t join us at Cayuta this year because of all the extra family members at the cottage. Once again, we got into the grove of skiing, tubing, sailing and this year for the first time there were also kayaks to be used. I got hooked on this easy to use little boat.

Grandpa gets another nice sized walleye

Travis

Ryan

Ryan in boat

Ryan takes Lucky for a ride.

Grandma gets on the skis to ski with Travis

Travis and Granny

Granny

Ashley fishing off the dock

Travis

Ashley is learning how to ski on one ski here.

By Golly, she's got it.

Great stance too.

Ashley plays othello

Ryan gives skier salute.

Travis gives Travis salute.

Because Tom knew the cottage they had always rented at Cayuta Lake was sold and 2008 would be the last year it would be rented out, he rented it for another week during the summer. This time, we joined them at the cottage without the RV. Everyone had a great time; Travis and Ryan were taking over the boat driving chores for their parents and one day Travis talked Grandma into skiing with him. I enjoyed it tremendously but saw that my strength had really waned drastically. I made up my mind I was going to start working out to build up some muscle tone again.

Come back in a few days and I should have the rest of summer 2008 uploaded. Thank you for checking out my blogspot. I hope you enjoyed the pictures. We sure enjoyed those weeks of fun in the sun in New York state.