March - Riviera Maya

After being home from Florida for 3 weeks, we headed to the Riviera Maya, Mexico for a 2 week stay.  We love our timeshare there and hadn't visited for 3 years.  If it's possible, it is more beautiful than before.  All the trees and shrubs have matured, which makes everything look beautiful.  We did nothing but lay at the pool, drink tropical drinks and eat nice meals.  Our deck had it's own little pool, which Greg loved to sit in to cool off.  The weather was 80+ every day, which was fabulous.  We made several trips into the town of Playa del Carmen, which is always a fun time.

Florida - February

February ended up being much the same as January.  We continued to visit the Disney parks, some state parks and Cocoa Beach.  We feel we know the parks well enough that our trip in June with our great niece and nephew will be a breeze.

Our big highlight in February was a "swim with the manatees" trip.  We weren't able to take pictures since we were in the water, but it was a great day.  We put on wet suits and a boat took us to 2 different sites where manatees were living.  There were too many people at the first site and the manatees were not coming out of their protected area.  At the second site, it was only our boat and we had a manatee encounter.  They are much like cats in that they slide around you and when they have had their fill, they go on their way.  You had to just float on top of the water and let the manatee come close to you and then you could pet it.  There are laws against chasing and harming them, so you must do what the manatee wants.  It was really a great encounter and we were happy we went.

We ended up having to get a hotel for our last night since Greg continued having dental problems and there weren't enough days to fit in all his visits.  He has more work to get done now that we are home.

Florida-January

Our drive to Florida was uneventful, although our stop in Charleston on New Years Eve was very nice.  We spent the afternoon touring the City by taking a carriage ride and lots of walking around.   It's a nice, clean little town, but not nearly as grand as we had anticipated.  We had drinks at several nice bars before we had a wonderful dinner, and then walked around the City watching everyone celebrate.  There were First Night events going on in several park areas so we stopped and listened to music and watched fireworks.

We arrived at our condo in Kissimmee the very next afternoon and got organized so that we could start hitting the Disney parks the very next day.  Visiting the parks has become a major part of our exercise program as we usually stay for 5-6 hours and walk over 6 miles.  We've now been to each of the parks 4 times and have ridden or seen everything there is, except the rides that go around in circles and make me sick!  We spent 2 days at Universal Studios and really liked the Harry Potter section.

We drove to Tampa for a RV show and were amazed at the number of RVs on display - easily over 800.  The most amazing thing was the number of people that were pushing their dogs around in dog strollers.  It was an amazing sight.

We spent a day at Cocoa Beach soaking up the sun and enjoying being at the beach.  We plan to do this again before the next month is over.  We found 2 state parks not too far away where we were able to do long nature walks.  The only wildlife were birds and a lone armadillo.

We have friends who either live here or are snowbirds also, so we've been able to get together for some fun.  We have actually spent more time with friends in one month than we ever do at home.  The weather has been awesome.  It's been warmer than usual and we are loving it - high 70's and low 80's.

Our only stroke of bad luck is that Greg woke up with a swollen face and found he had to have a root canal.  Now that it's been taken care of, the dentist has determined he needs to have one of his crowns replaced as well.  Poor Greg! 

August - December

As a friend pointed out to me, I haven't updated the blog since we returned home from our 11 week RV trip.  Time flies when you're having fun.  August was spent catching up on everything we missed over the summer and getting the yard back in order, which was a disaster for us.  All came together quickly.

We love bluegrass music and there are many festivals in late summer, so we were able to spend 3 weekends traveling in the RV and listening to bluegrass.  We had to give up our spot for next year in one of our favorite places near Columbus Ohio since we will be in Europe next year - bummer.

We spent a long weekend in the Ohio Amish country and went to the Swiss Cheese Festival.  No pictures since it rained a bunch, but we came back home with our car loaded down with every cheese possible, cider, vegetables, pumpkins and wine.  Really fun trip.

In October, we met up with friends in the Smoky Mountains and also drove to Asheville to see the Biltmore.  Really fun trip and great catching up with friends.

On our way we stopped to visit a child we've been sponsoring for the past 9 years and who lives in the Appalachia area of North Carolina.   Really great spot and fun to finally meet her and her family in person.

November was a busy month with a weekend at the Cleveland Food Show where we got to see chefs like Bobby Flay, Robert Irvine, Michael Symon, etc. prepare recipes.  Fun trip.  Greg went to the Ohio State/Penn State game in Columbus with a group of friends.  Sad outcome for our Buckeyes, but a fun trip for him. 

For Thanksgiving, we went to Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut.  Normally we would go to Las Vegas, but thought we would try something new this year.  Really nice resort, except for the cigarette smoke.  Loads of restaurants and shops.  Greg absolutely loved the poker room.  I guess it probably helps when you're getting some good cards and making some money--well that, and the fact they served free milkshakes!

December started out with a trip on the Polar Express with our niece and her family.  Fun time and really got us in the holiday spirit.

Waiting for the train - Greg, Brody and J'Lyn

Cheers with hot chocolate

Christmas carol time

Next we were off to New York City for 3 days.  We love just walking around the City, looking at decorations, windows and smelling chestnuts roasting.  We were able to go on weekdays this year which was so much nicer as the crowds weren't nearly as bad as the weekend.



Next week we're off to the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort to celebrate an early birthday present for me and then we're packing our bags and heading to Florida for two months.  We've truly turned into snowbirds - hard to believe.  We'll be spending New Years Eve in Charleston and we are really looking forward to that stop.

Two months in Orlando will include many trips to Disneyworld in preparation for our June trip with our great niece and nephew.  We also have several other friends who have retired and moved to Florida, so we will take some time and visit with them.  I'm sure the two months will go by quickly, but no worries, because when we return, we will have two weeks at home and then off to sunny Mexico for two weeks.

Just so everyone doesn't think our life is all fun and games, we're doing some good for our community as well.  We have both been appointed as Guardian Ad Litems for our juvenile court system.  We are a voice for the children who have been either neglected or abused.  We are assigned cases and work with the children to make sure they get their say in court.  Lots of sad stories and it's heartbreaking work, but we feel we are helping.  I'm also volunteering at the Forever Safe Farm, which is a non-predatory animal sanctuary for exotic animals.  I get to prepare food and feed the camels, zebra, pot bellied pigs, etc. and also am teaching the numerous goats how to walk on a leash so they are easier to take to the vet.  I love animals so am enjoying this immensely.  Greg is working with our County in helping them accomplish goals with their ever tight budget.

Hope everyone is well and enjoying life as we are.

Week 11 - Kansas and Missouri

We had a beautiful drive from Oklahoma City to Topeka Kansas.  Farmland as far as the eye could see and then miles of prairie grass blowing in the wind.  Arrived to 4 days of over 100 degree weather - this is crazy!  We drove to Independence Missouri our first day and visited the Truman Library which was pretty nice.  Not nearly as detailed as the Clinton Library, but lots of great info on the Truman years.

Greg high fiving Harry

Oval Office in Truman days

We then visited the Vaile Mansion, which was pretty cool.  The Vailes were a wealthy family that lived in the area and donated their mansion to the City.  Most rooms were decorated Victorian style and the murals on the ceilings were gorgeous.

Our next stop on the same day was in Kansas City Missouri - the Hallmark Visitor Center.  Hallmark has been a major employer here for a long time and they have a great visitor center showing the history of the card company, displays of their ornaments, and lots of other things.  You got to make a bow to take with you and they gave us one of those books where you record your voice - pretty cool.

I am SOOOOO happy to be visiting Hallmark!

On our next day, we drove to Wamego Kansas where we went to the Oz Museum.  They have the largest collection of Wizard of Oz memorabilia.  Really cool museum with great displays.  Small theatre where you could watch the movie.  Great stop.

The Wizard is in session

We stopped at the Oz winery and sampled their wines, hoping they would be something we would like because the labeling was awesome.  Turns out they spent all their money on packaging and none on making good wine.   So no wine purchases there - ugh.    Taco Toto's for lunch - love the theme in this town.  Our next stop was in Alma Kansas, which is famous for their cheese - more specifically curd cheese.  We never had it before, but it is great.  Lastly, another winery which is known for elderberry wine.  Not our normal kind of wine, but we actually liked it so bought a few bottles to bring home for Kansas night on the deck. 

Fourth of July weekend was packed full of events.  On Saturday we went to the little town of Holton for their July Jubilee.  Bluegrass and rock bands, a water ski show, and a hilarious group of "actors" doing western theme skits.  Typical food vendors and rides for the kids, and it was all in a great park setting overlooking a reservoir.  Later that day we went to Heartland Park which is a auto racing park.  We never watch Nascar, but we had a lot of fun here.  Between people watching and making bets between eachother on the races, it was great.  We were seated right on the turn and it was cool watching them make the bend on 2 wheels. 

These skits were a hoot

View of stage and reservoir

Car races

Sunday was spent in Kansas City, Missouri at their Riverfest.  Huge festival along the Missouri River with 2 stages with a variety of music, arts and crafts, food booths, etc.  Really nice.  Made a stop at a casino beforehand, but had no luck.

4th of July was in Topeka at their Spirit of Kansas Blues & Crafts Festival held on Lake Shawnee.   Beautiful lake and park setting with typical fair type things such as a car show, rides, food and crafts, but the blues were spectacular.  Had a nice stage and each group played for 1 1/2 hours.  Really awesome music.  After 6 hours we had enough so didn't stick around for country music, water ski show or fireworks.

We are really liking Kansas and could put this on a list of states to live, if it weren't for the tornadoes.  We met some really nice people at many of the festivals, and the terrain is really pretty.

Surprise call that we have water line problems at the house, and we feel a need to go home.  Disappointed and happy at the same time.  It's been a great 11 weeks and there are a few places we have yet to visit that we really wanted to see, but we'll catch them on the next trip.

Week 10 - Hot Springs and Oklahoma City

We finished out Hot Springs with a visit to a local winery, a long drive on a scenic byway through Ouachita National Park and attended Brickfest.   Arkansas wines are way too sweet for our taste, so we won't be shipping any of those home. Brickfest was a 3 day event with music and lots of fair type happenings.   Tractor pulls, motorcycle events, car shows, a baby contest, best dressed brick, etc.   All of it was great and we had fun interacting with the local folks who were a bit more friendly than we previously experienced.   Here are a few pictures of the events.

Winners of the baby girl competition

Winners of baby boys contest

These are dressed bricks

There was a Harley Davidson event going on in town the day before we were leaving.  There were hundreds and hundreds of motorcycles and stuff going on everywhere.









The weather never let up in Arkansas - between 94 and 100 each day.  I think we've seen every summer movie over the past 10 weeks just to get out of the heat for a bit.  Here's some things we learned on this trip thus far:
1)  We really don't need all the "stuff" we have at home to be happy;
2)  We can live happily in an 8' x 32' area and not drive each other nuts;
3)  We really live in a great country;
4)  It is really cool seeing armadillos in the wild;
5)  We still love Friday night martini nights; and
6)  We are still loving retirement!

We had an 8 hour drive to Oklahoma City and 4 of it was driving through 25 mph winds - not fun.  The temperatures were between 104 and 110 all 3 days we were there, with high 80's at night.  The winds were so bad the first and third night that the RV just kept rocking.  It was way too hot to cook so we ended up eating out every night, which gets really old for us, as we like to cook. 
Most of the activities we had planned were outdoors and we just couldn't do it.  We ended up spending a day at a local casino, which was a decent trip for both of us.  Much nicer than the ones in Tunica and we had better luck.  We also visited the zoo - yes, again, but first thing in the morning.  They had Galapagos turtles and since we are going to the Galapagos Islands in 2013, we just had to see them.

You can't go wrong seeing a baby elephant

Was never this close to a grizzly bear

There is a great area in the Oklahoma City called Bricktown, which consists of cool nightclubs, restaurants and stores.  There is a small river walk area, much like San Antonio, so we were able to have a drink along the river, but had to have dinner inside because it was too hot. 

There was a great ballpark, but unfortunately no games while we were there.  Mickey Mantle was born in Oklahoma so they had a plaza in the park named after him and there are several restaurants with his name as well.

Off to see Dorothy in Kansas.

Week 9 - Hot Springs, Arkansas

After surviving Bonnaroo, we knew we would need some down time and Hot Springs Arkansas "Spa City" is the place to be.  On our trip here, we did spend an afternoon at the casinos in Tunica, Mississippi, which were flooded when we stayed in Memphis, but now re-opened.  They are all small, and not glitzy like Las Vegas.  Unfortunately neither of us won anything.
Great shaded campground in Hot Springs, which is a good thing because the temperature was 100 for our first 3 days.  Our air conditioner is not getting a break.  We took a Ducky Tour, which turned out not to be much of a tour, and visited the American Gangster Museum, again, not much of a tour and then went on a tour of one of the bathhouses, which is what the area is all about.  It was a great tour and made us want to spend time at one of the bathhouses and indulge in the spa services.  This City was booming back in the late 1800's and early 1900's due to legalized gambling and the healing waters of the hot springs.  Many movie stars and gangsters lived here.  Currently gambling is illegal, so it is now a destination for the so-called healing waters.

We went to a magic show one night, in a very small theatre.  The magician was great and managed to pick us out of the audience to help with a magic trick.  When asked if I was Greg's wife, sister or girlfriend, he said "all of the above".    Got quite the laugh.
 

Bathhouse Row - 7 or 8 houses

We did a couples afternoon at a bathhouse, where we got to soak in a tub and then had a massage, a chocolate foot rub and a facial.   It was fabulous and I didn't want to leave.  It was Greg's first facial and he liked it too.  The water comes out of the ground at 143 degrees and they have to cool it down to 100 for bathing.   We spent another afternoon just in the baths, where there were 3 different pools, all of different temperatures.

There are spigots all over town where people come and fill water bottles to take home.

Needle shower while on the tour

There are 2 state parks nearby so we were able to do some hiking.  Really pretty lakes and lots of trees.  The one park recently had over 2,000 trees go down from a tornado, which closed a number of the hiking trails.

We spent a day in Little Rock, which was an hour away.  Visited the Big Dam Bridge, which is a pedestrian bridge built over a lock and dam.  Nice long walk and then a park at the end.  We also visited the Clinton Library, which wasn't high on our list, but turned out to be a great visit.  Architecturally, the building wasn't anything to get excited about, but the history inside was interesting and we really enjoyed it.  We also visited a great little area with open air markets and lots of great restaurants.  We had lunch at a place that served several hundred types of beer.  Once you drink over 200 different kinds, you get a plate with your name on it hung on the wall.   Drat - we don't have time to do that on this trip!

Replica of Clinton's Cabinet Room

Time Line in Library

Arkansas people are not nearly as friendly as everyone else we have encountered thus far.  In fact, this is the most unfriendly campground we've ever encountered, but it is mostly inhabited by Texans.  We're here for a few more days to attend a festival and then off to Oklahoma City.