December 2011

The end of the 2011 is upon us …….

We’ve already been off roading.  This was from a trip to Jullian (east of San Diego) 
Jullian is well known for their homemade cherry and apple pies. 
On this trip we all had lunch and of course …… pie!   YUM!

Outdoor Resorts is beautiful …… even at night!  It’s nice to be at “home”

December is the annual Tamale Festival in Indio. 
We love to sample all of the wonderful tamales!

Brandon and Karen have lost their Jack.  I have made a quilt
so they won’t ever forget him.

It’s been a year since we lost Stoli …. And I still miss him so much.
This is my Stoli quilt…. I know I’ll never forget him ….. ever.

Check out the sign ….. “Welcome Home”

We drove up to Sunriver this year for Christmas.  Marc, Maria, Brandon, Karen, Mike and I rented a house in and all met there for the holiday.  We had so much fun.  

We all went over to our lot (only about 5 miles away) and cut
down our Christmas Tree.  We made decorations and strung popcorn. 
It was a great tree…..sparse but great!

Christmas Eve, we drove up to Mt. Batchelor and all went tubing.  What fun! 
They even had a lift for the tubers ……  It was a great day!

Christmas Day was so much fun.  We loved spending time with the grandkids and
they really love spending time with each other too!
Notice the newest addition to our family ……Lucky (Brandon’s new pup)

The day after Christmas, the crew went ice skating…… that is
everyone except me.  I’m just not an ice skater!  I had fun taking pictures.

Here we are getting ready to enter into 2012 ……. Where is the time going?
We wish everyone a Happy and Blessed New Year.

November 2011

Our trip is winding down but not before a few great stops …..

In Paducah Kentucky, we went to the waterfront where there was a huge sea wall
that had been painted with the history of the town.
 It was a great tribute to Paducah.

Paducah is where the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers meet and at one time it was a
major shipping port.  We drove over the river and visited
Metropolis, Illinois, home of Superman.

The main reason we visited Paducah was to see the National Quilt Museum.  It was wonderful.  So many beautiful quilts, so much talent … makes me realize I have a long, long way to go.

Next stop, Nashville, Tennessee … home of country music.
We visited the Grand Ol’ Opry Hotel, the Grand Ol’ Opry Theater,
The Ryman Theater and we took a tour of the town.  

Part of our city wide tour was a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame.  It was a
remarkable museum highlighting the history of country music.

One thing I learned ….. I thought the Grand Ol’ Opry was a building ….It’s not, it is a radio show.  We went to a recording of their show.  It’s live every weekend.  The night we were there, they recorded the Grand Ol’ Opry at the Ryman Theater.  

Moving along, we next stopped in Louisville, Kentucky.  We took a great tour of the Louisville Slugger factory.  It was very interesting and a lot of fun!

Churchill Downs was fantastic.  We toured the racetrack and the back side of the racetrack where the horses and their caretakers stay.  The Breeders Cup was happening while we were there and so the stables were full of beautiful horses.  We also went to several races as well as taking time to visit the Churchill Downs Museum.  One interesting point we learned.  Secretariat was an unbelievable horse.  He would run faster and faster the more time he was out on the track.  When he died, they autopsied his body and discovered that although most horses have a heart weighing about 7 pounds …….. Secretariat's heart weighed 20 pounds. 
He was amazing.

Next we traveled to St. Louis Missouri to see the Gateway Arch.  It was gigantic. 
630 Feet high and 630 feet from base to base.  We rode to the top
and also toured the museum underground.  

Branson Missouri – I love that place.  It is located in the Ozark mountains  (they are really hills but to those in the east, they are mountains)  We saw four shows ….. a tribute to John Denver, A tribute to Neil Diamond, Yakov Smirnoff and the Oakridge Boys.  It was so much fun!!

I just had to get this picture.  It was a the most unusual
overpass over the freeway.  Mc Donalds!

Now we are heading south and the scenery is becoming more what we are
used to.  Indio California is getting closer.

Back at Outdoor Resorts, we had a great
Thanksgiving dinner with our friends!

We went to the Palm Springs Follies and had an outstanding time. 
The guest was John Davidson and he had us in stitches!

On our summer trip, I finished hand quilting a motorcycle quilt for my nephew.

I also hand quilted this quilt …… it’s one of my favorites.

We end this month safe and sound – back from a once in a lifetime trip across this great country.  We have so many memories …… we had a fabulous time!
We want to wish a Merry Christmas to all of our dear friends. We hope the holidays
will be a memorable time for all of you.

Second Half of October 2011

                         We’re still on the road! ………

In St. Augustine, we visited Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of youth. 
I tried the water …… but it’s not working  J

Next stop – Miami Florida where we spent time visiting with our friend Sandi Space.  We have known Sandi for 44 years.  Mike and Ray were in the Marine Corps together.  Sandi introduced us to her birds ….. beautiful and colorful. 
We had a great time with Sandi.

Moving south, we went to Key West Florida.  We stayed at a
wonderful RV park right on the water.  It was tropical paradise.

Sunrise right out our front window.  It was so beautiful.

Key West is over 100 miles from the Florida mainland …. out in the ocean
and is only 90 miles from Cuba.

On Key West, we toured Henry Truman’s secondary Whitehouse.  We learned
that President Truman was quite a character.

Mallory Square at sunset …….. so much fun!  There were street performers,
folks selling their wares.  The cruise ships were in. 
It was so much of a carnival atmosphere.

Sunset was magnificent!

After we left Key West, we drove north on the west side of Florida.
After a few days of driving, we stopped in
Dothan Alabama to visit with our friends Tom and Linda West.   

We spent two nights parked at their house.  Mike and Tom played golf
while Linda and I checked out the local quilt stores.  

Then we drove to Panama City Florida each of us in our own motorhomes. 
We had a great seafood dinner and watched the fishermen on the
dock haul in fish as the sun set in the Gulf of Mexico.

Tom and Linda headed back to Dothan and we continued to the National Naval Air Museum at Pensacola Florida. 

Pensacola is the home of the Blue Angels.  The air museum was outstanding.  

Moving on – we headed to New Orleans Louisiana.  What an interesting town.  The architecture is beautiful.  Many parts of the city are very old.  Many of the people live in areas that have no yard and their front doors open directly onto the very narrow streets.  We took a short ride on the Mississippi River.  We had beignets (French donuts) at the famous Café Dumond.  We took a great tour of the effects of hurricane Katrina and we took a horse drawn carriage tour of the French Quarter.

Heading north, we traveled through Mississippi and into Memphis Tennessee.  We toured Graceland……..the home of Elvis Presley.  The house is in the exact condition it was 35 years ago when Elvis lived there.  We saw his old cars ..... his old clothes …… his airplanes ……. A museum about his 1968 comeback (after years of making movies) ….. we toured the record company where Elvis recorded his first record…..

Elvis was a remarkable man - and what a voice!

After the tours, we went into the downtown of Memphis …… the famous
Beale Street.  There were some blues players on the street ….
 Many restaurants.  Quite the night spot.

Our trip continues …….. stay tuned.

First Half of October 2011

More with the Foxes Great Adventure ………..

Still in Washington D.C. – there is so much to see here.  The National Archives were awesome.  The original Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.  Precious documents – no pictures allowed.

This building had an amazing ceiling – so beautiful.

At the National Policemen’s Memorial, every police officer in the U.S. who has lost their life during the course of duty, had their names listed on the walls of the memorial.

Pat hopped on a plane and headed back toward Oregon. 
We had a great time seeing Washington D.C. with her.

Next stop – The Outer Banks of North Carolina.  On the Outer Banks, we went to the
site where Orville and Wilbur Wright flew in their first airplane – 120 feet!  There is
a memorial, a museum and a sculpture of their first plane.

The Outer Banks were beautiful – very commercial but beautiful.  We were unable to
drive to the very south end – there was a bridge that was still out due to the recent hurricane……. but we were able to see a good portion of the Outer Banks. 
The northern end had so many beautiful – HUGE homes. 
A very ritzy area.

Our next stop was in Charlotte North Carolina.  We toured the NASCAR Hall of Fame. 
An outstanding museum dedicated to NASCAR racing.

Also while in Charlotte, we toured the Charlotte Motor Speedway.  It was really interesting – Here’s Mike in the Winners Circle!

From Charlotte, we headed back to the coast and spent some time in
Charleston, South Carolina.  Charleston has so much history and so many beautiful
old – really old homes.  The architecture is so very unique.  The tour we took was
very good and for the first time, I felt like the South was very
much alive…..You can feel it.

While in Charleston, we drove out to Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms.  We also toured the aircraft carrier “Yorktown”  The Yorktown was
active in WWII and also in Vietnam.  On board, they have created a
great museum dedicated to the Medal of Honor recipients
as well as the Yorktown and her numerous tours.

From Charleston, we headed south to Savannah Georgia.  We drove out to
Hilton Head – lots of homes, hotels …….
A great summer place.

Savannah seems to have much of the same history as Charleston….. with
a few minor differences.  Quite a bit of American and British history.  Savannah has a
history of their cotton harvesting as well as several
notable writers from the past.

We ate at Paula Deen’s restaurant.  Paula has made her fortune feeding the
people of Savannah as well as her television cooking shows.

Yes – now I know for sure ….the south is very much alive and
proud of their part in the Civil War.  I liked the city of Charleston very much ….
I liked the people of Savannah very much!

From Savannah, we headed even further south into Florida. 
While in Daytona, we toured the Daytona Speedway – Great tour. 

We stayed in St. Augustine ……. The oldest settlement in America.

This is the oldest wooden schoolhouse in the U.S.

While in New York, we met a great couple also touring the eastern US… The Roses.
Coincidently, we saw them again in Washington D.C.  What do you know – again in
Savannah and guess who we ran into in St. Augustine? A nice couple from
Redding, California – we went out to dinner with them in St. Augustine.

Will keep you posted ………. More to come