Week 1 - Ohio and Kentucky

Hopefully the next 16 weeks will be nothing like the first, because this one has been a nightmare.  When we left our house, all excited about the trip, we had no idea we would encounter the horrendous thunderstorms and tornado occurrences that we have.  It’s been a stressful week to say the least and we hope that when we get to Memphis, where we are staying for 17 days, things will get a little better (although radar tells us differently).



Saying good-bye to our house

We’ve spent hours sitting in restrooms at campgrounds since they are the only sturdy buildings available when tornado warning whistles go off.  At our present campground (we’re on our third) the owner invited us to his basement, which felt very safe.   There was another couple who lived with them and I came to find out from the wife that I grew up in the same neighborhood, went to the same church and high school and actually graduated with her sister.  Amazingly small world.

Fortunately we’ve only had a few small issues with the RV which we were able to fix on our own.  Driving has been interesting with the high winds, but we've taken our time and haven't gotten stressed.

We’ve been able to see a few of the things we had on our list, such as the International Bluegrass Museum and hiking throughout Land Between the Lakes (LBL).  The Bluegrass Festival in Owensboro was canceled which was a big disappointment.  LBL is a great area for those that like to hike, fish, or just relax near the water.  They have an elk/bison area where we got to see some bison fighting and a planetarium with some cool shows.  Yes, it’s been wet, but we brought all the appropriate clothing so we’re managing.  The storms have been at night, so at least we have had the days to visit various areas.  There has been down time spent going to the movies, reading and sewing.  Things can only get better.



Celebrating a dry night in Owensboro KY




Land Between the Lakes, KY




Fighting Bison



Las Vegas and more

Hello Friends and Family!

We just returned from 10 days in Las Vegas with our pockets a little emptier than when we started.  Obviously Vegas wasn't built by winners so we're just contributing our share so that the world can have a place to vacation.  March Madness in Vegas has been a staple of ours for many years, but this year was particularly crazy with college men.  Loads of excitement in all casinos, so Greg was in his glory.  We saw Don Rickles, who is now 85, and still does a really funny show.

This trip was very different for us because we only stayed on the Strip for 3 nights and then in a timeshare about 6 miles off the Strip for the remaining week.  We had never driven a car there before, but it was actually quite easy and we drove to the mountains which was a first, and now wonder what took us so long.  Red Rock Canyon and the Valley of Fire were both amazing areas, and not all that far out of town.  I finally dragged Greg to the Hoover Dam as I felt it was a must see.  After the long drive and sitting in lots of traffic to park, we learned that the Dam tour was sold out - what's with that????  Anyway, he got to see the outside, which is impressive.  Lake Mead's water level is down amazingly low as can be seen by one of the pictures below, so you have to wonder what that means to the future of the city.  We stopped at many of the small, local casinos and got to spend time with "the locals", which was fun.

Home for 3 1/2 weeks and then off on our 4 month RV trip.  Lots to do in the interim.  Best wishes to everyone, and yes......we are still enjoying retirement!



Red Rock Canyon




The "Beehive" at Red Rock



Mr. Cool



"The Elephant"



Fire Canyon




Petroglyphs




Those of us who are height challenged weren't happy about this




Hoover Dam




Lake Mead - check out the drop in water level



Mexico

Hola Amigos

It's been 2 months since we returned from Australia and life has been hectic and enjoyable.  The  holidays were great and we were able to escape for my birthday for a few days at year end and then the first week of January we left for a 3 week trip with Florida as a destination.  We were able to have some down time in Myrtle Beach, and although it wasn't beach weather, it wasn't snowy and cold.  We visited with family and friends along the way and fortunately it was sunny and warm in Florida so we were extremely happy.

We left for Puerta Vallarta Mexico the first week of February and will be returning this Friday.  The resort we are staying has grown tremendously since we were here 3 years ago.  They have added more buildings, and therefore more pools and restaurants.  The grounds are gorgeous and the foliage spectacular.  This is the first time we've stayed for 2 weeks and it is amazingly relaxing.  Plenty of time at the pool and beach and trips into town.  Below are some pictures of the the resort, us, the beach and a sunset.  Sunsets are much like Key West where you see the sun drop right into the ocean.

So all in all, we are thoroughly enjoying retirement, although it really feels like we are on a perpetual vacation.  The final piece of our RV trip was completed today by our purchasing Bonnaroo tickets which just went on sale.  Time is going by way too fast and we hope it soon slows down.

Adios



Could he be more relaxed?



Opera House Interior

During our tour of the Opera House, they didn't allow pictures inside the theatre, but it was spectacular so we bought the CD and have downloaded the picture below.  There are 5 theatres, but this is the one used for the symphonies. 

Home Sweet Home

We had an uneventful return trip to Las Vegas where Greg continued doing well and I'm still on a losing streak.  We had difficulty adjusting to the time change and were awake all night our entire time there.  We celebrated our return to the States with awesome martinis atop The Hotel at Mix.

Our niece Jena and her kids Brody and J'Lyn surprised us at the airport in Pittsburgh which was a tearful event.  When we got home, our niece Betsy had cooked a big meal for all of us.  What a great homecoming!

Everyone brought their PJs and spent the night.  Brody is obsessed with Wii and J'Lyn with drawing.  Home sweet home for a month and then we're off on our next trip.

Merry Christmas to all, which means we have to shop and decorate yet!

Sydney - End of Trip

We flew back to Sydney with Sonje and KK and then drove 2 hours north to her parents house where she would show KK off to everyone.  It was the first time in 6 years that all her siblings were together, and there were also plenty of other relatives.  And we thought the BBQ was for us!!!  We also got to catch up with Sonje's friend Michelle, who Greg met many years ago on  a trip they made to the States.  Sonje's parents have a great house on a huge salt water lake, so the setting was wonderful and we had fun with everyone.  Sonje took us for a tour of the city, which is where she grew up, and once again, beautiful beaches and a wonderful place.



Sonje's Family and then Michelle, Sonje and KK

 




Sunset from the deck


We left Sonje and KK  in Sydney and we spent the  last of our time seeing the high spots we wanted to re-visit and find new places that would complete our trip.  We spent hours wandering around and then took a ferry out to Manly Beach, which is most know for its surfers.  Beautiful beach and not overly crowded.

Here are a few more things of interest that we learned:
1)  Aussie's put red beets and fried eggs on many sandwiches (hamburgers, club sandwiches)
2)  They offer maple ice cream on pancakes and waffles - very yummy!
3)  On sidewalks they walk like they drive, on the opposite side
4)  The lifeguards at all the beaches are volunteers
5)  There are as many Asians living in Sydney as there are Australians
6)  And lastly, there aren't as many hot men as commercials and movies lead you to believe!

Sonje had told us about a revolving bar/restaurant on top of one of the buildings in the Circular Quay (pronounced Key) area. We went there for drinks one night and it was great.  We were on the 48th floor and it took approximately an hour to make a full rotation of the City.  The sites were beautiful and worth the visit. 

Our last night was spent at a Harborside Cafe, where it was a beautiful night and a wonderful ending to this trip.  We leave for Las Vegas where we will spend 4 nights at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, with the hope we will win enough to pay for this trip!

Celebration

Awww!

Perth/Freemantle/Margaret River

We arrived in Perth, which is on the westerern coast of Australia and met with Sonje who is one of Greg's former exchange students who he has kept in touch with for the past 20 years.  Sonje had visited us in the States 6 years ago and had just then married Kwasi, but he was not able to join her on her visit so this was our first opportunity to spend time with them.  They have a 4 month old son named KK and they live in a suburb of Perth called Freemantle.

Sonje & KK

Kwasi and KK

 

Sonje and KK took us to the beach for view of a sunset on our first night.  We got to watch all the kite surfers which was pretty fascinating.  The next day we took a river cruise from Freemantle to Perth, which was really nice.  Perth is a fairly large city with 2.5 million residents.  Just like all the other larger towns here, there is an esplanade and plenty of parks in the City.  Their train system is great and we enjoyed wandering around. 

Sonje has been a wonderful host and has spent lots of time showing us all the great sites in Perth and Freemantle.  She suggested we head to Margaret River, which is the wine country here so we went for 2 days and loved it.  We've been to Napa and Sonoma several times, but this area is more beautiful and the wines were fantastic.  We tasted many, maybe too many, but it was great.  We finally found one winery that actually ships to a distributor in California, who in turrn could ship to us, so we will have a nice case of Australian wine waiting for us upon return.  The wineries had  beautiful gardens as seen below.

Down in the Margaret River area there were more great beaches and we got to wade in the Indian Ocean.

 So here's what we have learned thus far:

1)  Aussie's don't know how to make martinis.
2)  They aren't friendly and don't want to give you directions when your're lost.
3)  The country is beautiful and they truly appreciate what they have.
4)  They love to party and also drink plenty of coffee.
5)  Their airlines are great
6)  No tipping is expected, but for that reason you get fairly poor service everywhere.


We're getting near the end of the trip and in some ways are sad to see it end, but I am getting homesick.  Texts are great, but they don't match phone calls and visits.  Our 4 month trip  next year will prove to be interesting.