Caravan Costa Rica Tour---Pura Vida!

Our Caravan tour of Costa Rica began with a flight to San Jose, where we were greeted and transferred to the Barcelo San Jose Palacio. Before dinner we had a meeting with our tour director, Karen a local Costa Rican young woman and the rest of the group. Early the next morning we headed to Poas Volcano with Toski, our bus driver at the wheel, it was cold and rainy as we hiked up to see the crater....no luck! Thick clouds covered the crater, so we hiked back to the bus. A local lunch with entertainment was followed by a coffee farm tour. Up early we packed up the next morning we were off again to Tortuguero with a stop for lunch and a butterfly farm where I met Cassandra, a little girl that became my butterfly guide. We stopped at a banana plantation and watched how they are processed for shipping, even walked out in the field to see the bunches covered in blue bags. Arriving at Cano Blanco we boarded our boat for the trip to Laguna Lodge in the jungle at Tortuguero, stopping to get a good look at a big Croc.

We found our room, but didn't get a hot shower the first night.....in Costa Rica the "C" stands for caliente-HOT not COLD! Gave us a big laugh after we figured it out! Tours of the canals the next day provided us a close up look at the creatures, flora and fauna. We walked the Caribbean beach and the streets of Tortuguero, buying a unique glass necklace. The next morning it was a boat ride back to our bus, then a tour of a pineapple plantation, in fact a Texas based company, Collins Street Bakery. We arrived in La Fortuna at the base of Arenal, but the summit of the volcano could not be seen because of the clouds. A long soak at Baldi, the local hot springs was very relaxing and a great way to spend the day. The next day after long drive we cruised the Rio Frio and even reached the border with Nicaragua where we posed for photos.

The Hanging Bridges were next on the agenda, so off we went on a long hike with breathtaking views......we were able to do all the bridges. Lake Arenal was beautiful and I wished we had more time to explore it, but we had to keep on schedule. After a long, long, long drive down a terrible road we reached the J W Marriott resort at Guanacaste......WOW! It was like living the lifestyle of the rich and famous........awesome! The next morning after a delicious breakfast I rented a kayak and went paddling in the ocean while Dale worked out in the gym, then we spent the remaining part of the day around the pool. Caravan had arranged an open bar for us, so we enjoyed a drink before dinner. On our way back to San Jose, we stopped at Monteverde for some ice cream, then lunch and shopping in Sarchi, finally we stopped in Grecia to meet Karen's mother and puppy, Lulu.

Arriving in San Jose we checked into the Aurola Hotel in the downtown area. Caravan had a special farewell dinner planned that night with entertainment.....a very nice end to a great tour. The next morning everyone was off to the airport....except us....we were ready begin the second part of our trip.

The tour was great, we saw lots, and had a great time, made some new friends.

Pura Vida!

New Fishing Rod!

A foggy drive down to the coast, a nippy 46 degrees as we unloaded the boat at sunrise. The bay was as slick as glass, the first rays of sun danced across the surface producing beautiful patterns on the water. I was eager to try out the new fishing rod Dale had bought me for Xmas. We managed to bag 5 nice red fish before heading home....a great day! On the way home we stopped at a seafood market and... bought some fresh oysters....living near the Gulf Coast has its benefits!!!

Happy Turkey Day!!!!

Cayman Again

After another total knee replacement and a gallbladder operation, it was time to return to Grand Cayman for some R&R.......and diving. We packed our bags, grabbed a flight and were soon unpacking in our condo at Compass Point on the East End. It was good to see everyone and they greeted us like old friends.
Diving with Ocean Frontiers started the next morning with the boat leaving the dock at 8 am for a two tank dive....gosh it was good to be swimming with the fishes again. Dale spent the morning reading after a long walk and exploring.
Kayaking down the coastline was fun and challenging, especially having to paddle against a pretty strong wind, but the trip back was easy. We did take a break at a nice beach that we had all to ourselves.

Little did we know it was Pirate Week on Cayman and the island had lots of celebrations going on. One afternoon we drove down the East End Observance Day celebration, looking at artifacts from the island, listening to some rather loud music and sampling a piece of pumpkin cake.
I signed up for the night dive on Tuesday night, and it was terriffic! We saw octopus, lobster, a turtle, and lots of little creatures. Shortly after we surfaced we had the opportunity to watch the East End firework display.....a fitting end to a good dive.
After studying a map, we were off.....bound to snorkel the wreck of the Geneva Kathleen. Dale found the wreck and we soon spotted two lion fish swimming over the wreckage. We also spotted lobster, a ray, a flamingo tongue and a flounder......a good snorkel excursion for us!
On Thursday night the resort had a dinner for all the divers around the pool....barbecued chicken and ribs were yummy with all the sides...and we enjoyed talking with the other couples.

The week seem to fly by with two dives every morning and soon it was Friday and my Stingray Dive. Dale and I drove over to the Kaibo Marina to catch the dive boat...Dale found a hammock in the shade and decided to chill until I returned. The dive was good, stingrays all over....all looking for a handout of squid.
Saturday morning we packed, enjoyed a nice lunch, drove into the airport, returned our rental car, and caught our flight home.....another good week in Cayman had come to an end!

Paddling for Reds

Booked another trip with "Hector the Hunk" to go fishing and paddling in Port Aranasas, met up with him and we headed to South Bay to put the kayaks in the water. It was a fantastic day on the water....a cool crisp morning with a light breeze blowing. Lots of boats dotted the bay, so did that mean the fish were biting? We paddled along looking for reds, Hector standing on his kayak to get a bird's eye view of the water. I was using a gold weedless spoon with my rod and reel, while Hector was using a fly rod.
I caught a nice red, just over the legal limit and put him on my stringer......my first redfish from a kayak! We caught lots of undersize fish, fun to catch, but we had to put them back to let them grow. Hector landed a red on his fly rod, but it was just short of the legal limit. Finally I hooked a really nice red, he put up a good fight, but soon I had him on my stringer.
I sure did want to catch another fish and limit out, but since we had drifted a long way, we had a long paddle back to our cars......against the wind! We loaded the kayaks and our gear.....a great day on the water and two nice fish!

Limited Out!

Out on the water at POC early this morning.......Burrrr........42 degrees, a bit nippy! Dale and I enjoyed a day of fishing at POC with pal, Leslie. We caught a really nice 27 1/2 and 8 other nice reds, sure will be tasty on the grill. Lots of laughs, limited out, ice chest full......it don't get any better!

Wild Weekend!

It has been a hectic weekend! On Friday night, we attended a surprise birthday party at Camp Colet for Kaye. Up early on Saturday, we flew to Brenham for lunch with Jim and Jean after the fly in at Elm Creek was canceled. On the way home from Brenham, we flew over the corn maze near Moulton, Tx. Saturday night, we went over to Yoakum for Carly and Jarrod's Halloween Party, boy we saw some wild costumes. Up early on Sunday, we flew to Port Aransas for lunch at Beach Station Street Grill, then I walked the beach and took photos, while Dale took a friend, Hector flying. Think I'm turning in early tonight....need some rest!!!!

Sista's Tour de Vino

Packed and on my way to Fredericksburg to meet gal pal, Pam for a Sista's Tour de Vino weekend. We had booked a B&B, Brigid's Cottage, a small home in town with a patio and hot tub in the back. First stop was a yummy lunch at the Peach Tree Tea Room, then we checked in and unpacked, did some shopping on Main Street before dinner. We had made reservations at the Cotton Gin Cabernet Grill, and the food was excellent. We dropped in at the Crossroads Saloon and Steakhouse to catch some music and watch the Texas Rangers playoff game, before heading back to our cottage and the hot tub.

Saturday morning, we enjoyed an early morning walk around Fredericksburg, and a yummy breakfast at the Rather Sweet Bakery.....everything was soooo good!!! Walked back to our B&B and prepared for our wine tour. We made stops at Perdenales Cellar, Woodrose Winery, Becker Vineyards, Torre de Pietra, and Grape Creek Vineyards......our favorite being the Woodrose Winery. They were so warm and welcoming, served samplers of different wines with a plate of cheese and crackers, and also gave us a little education in "Wines and Wine Making". After the last vineyard it was time to head to Alamo Springs Cafe, a really neat place out in the middle of nowhere. We sat outside on the porch and enjoyed some great hamburgers with a good cold beer. They had a really good band playing and we stayed a while to listen to the music, also to watch the bats take flight out of a local cave. The warm water of the hot tub sure did feel good after our hectic day on the Wine Tour.
Sunday morning, we were up and out walking, admiring the old homes and beautiful architecture. Breakfast was at another bakery that was packed, the food was good!
We headed back to our place, packed up, enjoyed a little more time on the front porch swing before heading out....Pam back to Fort Worth and me back to Victoria.
The Sista's Tour de Vino was a success!!!

Kayak Class 101

Today, Dale and I took a basic kayak course from Coastal Bend Kayaking in Aransas Pass, Texas. We met our guide and teacher, Hector and headed down to the water to unload. Hector briefed us on all the safety issues and equipment needed to kayak safely. He put his kayak in and demonstrated the proper strokes to use to maneuver the kayak.

Finally we were off, paddling quietly through the cuts in the grass and mangroves. Our guide pointed out the local birds and creatures as we glided along.
He had us practice our strokes and gave us pointers. Since we had brought our fishing gear, we decided to try some saltwater fishing in a kayak. We worked some cuts and shorelines....and also did some drift fishing. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining with a gentle breeze blowing in from the Gulf. We didn't catch any fish.......but we did have a great day out on the water!!

Two New Knees and Minus One Gallbladder

After having two total knee replacements, Dale suffered a painful gallbladder attack resulting in the removal of his gallbladder on October 6 in Houston. We jokingly referred to this surgery as the "Drive Thru" operation......in and out. Hopefully this is our last surgical procedure of the year and he will be as good as new very soon.

Happy Birthday...My Hero!

Celebrating Dale's birthday today was kinda difficult since he is still recovering from total knee replacement. I fixed him some of his favorites for lunch and for dessert.....a homemade dewberry pie. Later in the afternoon we drove out to the airport to check on the plane and to just get out of the house. As we left the hangar I drove over to the Public Gardens on the pretense of taking pictures. We walked around looking at the plants and ponds when I surprised him with his special gift. I had ordered a brick paver with his name and military service to be placed in the Military Honor Garden. He was so surprised to see his name among the other servicemen....a great way to honor his service to our country during the Vietnam War.

My Bionic Man

On August 10.. Dale underwent his second total knee replacement at St. Luke's Hospital in Houston. Things ran about the same as the last surgery, except for a few new glitches to make it interesting. He was released from the hospital on Friday and we went home for him to recover and start rehab in Victoria.
This time we were better prepared and knew what to expect....so things went smoother. He started rehab at Warm Springs and his "Physical Terrorist" has been working him hard three days a week.
Things are progressing well and hopefully my "Bionic Man" will be going full speed soon!

Floating the Guadalupe

Karen and I drove up to the New Braunfels area for a float trip on the Guadalupe River, a welcome relief from an extremely hot South Texas Day. After renting tubes, they drove us up river and dropped us off for our float. The river was COLD when we first got in, but soon felt great, a welcome relief from the sun.

The water was crystal clear and the current was slow, but we had all day. The first rapids really cooled us off, as we splashed our way down river. Taking a break we enjoyed a cold drink and snacks on the river bank. We finished our float and decided we would drive over to Gruene for a late lunch at Mozie's enjoying a couple of frozen margaritas. We made a few stops to shop in some of the stores before heading home.

A great day, with a great friend!

Back to the Brac with Lady GoDivers

After flying into Grand Cayman and staying overnight, I was off to Cayman Brac and my first dive trip with the Lady GoDivers. It was great to be going "Back to the Brac" and seeing how it was rebuilt after hurricane Paloma nearly destroyed it in 2008. Patty, my roommate greeted me at the Brac Beach Resort, after unpacking, and grabbing lunch we waited for the others to arrive. Bonnie and Beth showed up later in the afternoon, with Mary, Lil, and Janice arriving late at night. Our 6 days of diving began the next morning with the valet pickup of our dive gear. We were assigned to the boat Little Sister, with our group the boat had about 20 divers onboard. We began each morning with a hearty breakfast, before heading down to catch the boat for our morning 2 tank dives. Arriving back at the resort about Noon we rinsed off before a tasty lunch and some down time to relax and float around the pool. The final dive of the day was in the afternoon with plenty of time to enjoy before dinner at night. Patty had booked 3 boat dives a day, 3 meals a day and 3 drinks a day package....which left time for much else, except sleep.


The weather was great the whole week, with a few thunderstorms during the night. The water was warm and the visibility was pretty good....making for some good diving. Unfortunately we saw many lionfish on our dives....in fact the last dive of the trip I spotted a group of 3 hanging out.....beautiful, but deadly to the reef ecosystem. The dive on the wreck of the Tibbett's was great and Patty even had me swim into a small opening for a photo.

Omar our waiter and bartender took very good care of us...fixing us his special "Mudslide" and one night making me his deadly "Bob Marley" which he set on fire before drinking. The food at the Brac was awesome, service was top notch, and the rooms were great. Several of us enjoyed a spa treatment......what a way to get spoiled! When not diving we enjoyed bicycling, kayaking, and stargazing at night......plus I began each morning with my cup of coffee and a walk on the beach. Another highlight was the morning I had coffee with Mr. Tibbetts the owner of the resort, quite a character. I even survived the initiation ceremony and became an official card carrying member of the Lady GoDivers.

Patty surprised us with gifts most nights and I brought fake tattoos for the group, lots of silly fun! We had a great time, lots of laughs, and made some new friends. The final day we left as we arrived at different times, I was the last to leave the island. It was a long day of travel and arrived home just before midnight to see my husband, whom I missed very much while I was away.

Attack of the Sand Fleas----Honduras!

Dale, Laurie, Chris, and I left Houston headed to Roatan, Honduras just after Tropical Storm Alex has passed nearby. We landed in a light rain, with cloudy skies...but were greeted by the reps for CoCo View Dive Resort. We checked in to our over the water bungalow after a brief van ride and a short boat ride. Our room was nice with all the basics with a balcony overlooking the water, this is where we saw spotted eagle rays several mornings swimming by. After our required orientation and check out dive we were ready to board our dive boat CoCo I with dive master, Mark. The resort attracts a lot of hard core divers....with two walls and a wreck dive just offshore. The morning dives were a boat dive and then what they called a drop off dive...meaning they dropped you off on the one of the two walls and you made your own way back to the resort. The visibility wasn't the greatest, the water was warm with almost no current. I managed to get in 13 dives during out stay.

We enjoyed the new resort managers, fellow Texans Deb and Mitch...and met folks from all over. We also booked a flight in a seaplane and enjoyed meeting Bob and Clay, our pilot. The plane was an Air Cam, with an open cockpit, great for photography and sightseeing. Honduras was beautiful from the air!
The highlight of our trip was a Shark Dive we booked....the dive was great with lots of sharks, but the boat ride was HELL! Winds and rough seas made the boat trip miserable for all, with several people getting sick. The sharks, all pregnant female Caribbean reef sharks cruised among the divers, passing very close by. The highlight was a demonstration of a feeding frenzy with the dive master opened a bucket with some fish in it.....that was totally awesome! The dive ended and getting back on the rolling, pitching boat was another adventure.
Dale enjoyed lots of hammock time, reading and sleeping....while we were diving. The food was served buffet style and was about average....with only the Conch Stew being horrible! Dale loved their brewed ice tea which was available all day and of course we looked forward to "Happy Hour" every day!
The resort was nice, very safe....but a swimming pool for relaxing would have been nice. Dale and I did snorkel one day and the shallow reef was beautiful, with lots of huge sea fans.
The WORST thing about the whole trip were the nasty, tiny Sand Fleas that attacked us. We all received bites, but I won the prize for the most....despite many measures to prevent them. Boy do they itch!!! I arrived back in Texas looking like I had a disease!!
The flight home was easy, and we arrived back home safe and sound.....covered with lots of flea bites.

Flight to Port A

Our morning flight was bumpy and warm, but we landed in Port Aransas just after noon and caught the trolley into town for lunch. We headed to Beach Station Street Grill, one of our favorites in Port Aransas. Dale had fried shrimp and I had the grilled Mahi Mahi with fresh Pico, both were excellent. Since the island was packed with people for the holiday weekend we decided not to venture down to the beach....it was wall to wall with people and cars. We took off, climbed up high, the air was cool and the flight home was smooth.

Hey Man....It's Cayman!

The airport was quite and our plane took off on schedule....landing in Grand Cayman on time. We grabbed our bags and picked up our rent car before heading out to Compass Point on the East End. The staff greeted us warmly and told us they were waiting for us to arrive, showing us to our condo #102....WOW! The condo was.....great, fully furnished, a complete kitchen, Cable TV and even a jacuzzi tub. We unloaded the car, unpacked, stowed the groceries, and made ourselves at home. I ran over to the dive shop to register and check on my dive time for the next day. After a light supper, a hot shower, some time on the internet....we turned in.
Up early, I placed my dive gear outside the door for pickup...this is valet diving, they take care of all your stuff...you just show up, jump on the boat and go diving.
I was anxious to use my new 3 mil wetsuit that I finally purchased. With only 5 on the boat, we got in two dives very quickly...the water was warm and visibility was great. Dale was waiting when we docked and we quickly drove up the main road to the fried fish stand at the Blow Hole, the staff had told me the Mahi Mahi was really good. We enjoyed our lunch on a picnic table across the road from the Blow Hole while talking with other tourist on Cayman. Dale grilled for supper and then we watched the last rays of sunlight while sitting on the pier. Our first day on Grand Cayman came to relaxing end.
The week consisted of 12 great dives, 2 awesome night dives, lots of great weather and a first class dive operation. My deepest dive was 102 feet and the famous Cayman Wall was breathtaking. I saw sharks, rays, turtles, tarpon, lobster, crabs, barracuda and a beautiful reef system. The night dives were shallow and so easy, with hot chocolate, muffins and warm towels when we surfaced.
Dale and I were really impressed with everyone, so warm and friendly........made us feel right at home.
During the mornings while I was diving, Dale would walk and work out in the training pool. In the afternoon we went snorkeling, sightseeing, or made a run to the local grocery store. We enjoyed cooking almost all our meals at the condo and enjoying them on the patio overlooking the Caribbean.
Our final day, we enjoyed a late breakfast, finished packing and headed to the other end of the island for a final picnic lunch before checking in at the airport. It was a great end to a great week. Our flight home was on time and easy, no problems!

Atchetee Weekend

Friday morning we packed up and headed out to Magnolia for a "Atchetee Weekend" at Harlo and Rhonda's new home. We were the first to arrive, unpacked, and waited for Evon and Linda to arrive. Rhonda fixed a great supper, and we had lots of laughs sharing stories of these three brothers growing up in El Campo. Saturday morning after breakfast, the gals headed to town on a grocery shopping trip to pick up fajitas for dinner Saturday night. Harlo turned on the heater for the spa, we all piled in for a long soak....felt pretty darn good. We stayed in the jacuzzi so long, we all got a little to much sun...but had a great time. Dinner that night was a feast to say the least. Sunday Evon and Linda left after lunch for home, while we planned to stay another night. Sunday night we settled in the theater chairs in the media room and watched two movies....."Blind Side" and "Crazy Hearts"...one great and one not so great! Monday Dale and I packed up, said our good-byes and headed to Houston for his doctor visit.
It was a great weekend with the Atchetee brothers....so many laughs, so many stories, lots of good food......plus a beautiful new home to enjoy. Thanks Harlo and Rhonda!

Pollen Count

Grabbed my camera Sunday and went out to take a few more photos of the wildflowers out in the country. I think the flowers have peaked, and noticed some of them have begun to fade...it has been an amazing season this year. It was easy to see after a few macro shots why the pollen count is off the chart this year. Pollen, pollen everywhere!!

SandFest Sista's Weekend

Picked up my old high school friend, Karen and headed to Corpus Christi airport to pick up my friend, Pam that was flying in from Fort Worth for SandFest Sista's Weekend in Port Aransas. We stopped after crossing the JFK bridge for lunch at Snoopy's, a great meal sitting outside on the deck on a beautiful Spring day. We then drove over to Port Aransas, checked out our rental, made plans to rent a cart the next day and purchased 10 pounds of fresh Gulf shrimp....right off the boat. We drove down to the beach to watch the sand sculptors begin their works of art, plus take photos. Lanell and her friend, Brett drove down after they got off work to join our group. Dinner that evening was at Beach Station Street Bar and Grill.......more seafood!


Saturday was a beautiful,sunny, day and Karen fixed breakfast for all at our house. We then picked up "Miss Kitty" .....our pretty pink rental cart for the day. We drove down to SandFest, checked it all out, shopped at the vendors and enjoyed a big piece of cheesecake dipped in chocolate......OMG! We went back to our place for a light lunch on the porch before sitting out again to cruise around Port A in "Miss Kitty"....a real eye catcher. Stops were made at the jetties, the beach, the marina, and the birding center....a hunt for the local alligator proved futile. After a few great drinks, including the now famous "Thai Fresh" we prepared our Shrimp Fest.....boiled, fried, and grilled with some sides. Sitting around the table we enjoyed lots of laughs and some real funny stories.
Sunday morning I got up early and drove down to the beach for some photos while the rest of the group....slept in. Karen prepared "Amaretto French Toast" for breakfast, an original for sure! A final trip down to SandFest to check the sand sculptures out and pick our favorites. Lunch was boiled shrimp on the porch before packing up and heading home. Karen and I dropped Pam off at the airport for her flight and made our way back to Victoria after a great weekend.
We had lots of fun, lots of laughs and enjoyed lots of shrimp at our SandFest Sista's Weekend in Port Aransas. It was true "Estrogen Therapy"!!!!!

Springtime in Texas

"Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" ~Robin Williams

Grabbed my camera after lunch on Sunday and headed out to capture the local wildflowers in bloom. Heading down Hwy 87, I turned off on the Old Thomaston River Road and spotted some fields of flowers, lots of yellow and red blooms blanketed the countryside. Turning on FM 236 into Cuero I stopped several times to take some shots, even spotted a horse grazing in a field of bluebonnets.

Leaving Cuero I followed my map to the community of Cheapside, a old wooden church was surrounded by a huge field of red wildflowers and made a great photo opt. After returning to Cuero I decided to head to Yoakum and that it where I found an amazing field of bluebonnets on Alt. Hwy. 77. The whole pasture was covered with bluebonnets in full bloom, a breathtaking picture...blue skies and bluebonnets. On the way home on Hwy. 111 I found a big patch of yellow and red flowers and stopped again to take pictures.

I was anxious to get home and download my photos. It was a great trip hunting for wildflowers, even if the wind was howling and made macro photography impossible. After a terrible drought last summer I was pleasantly surprised to find lots of wildflowers along the roads and in the pastures.

New Knee

Well it is a little over a week now since Dale had total knee replacement on his right leg in Houston at Saint Luke's Hospital. The surgery went well, and all the staff at the hospital were wonderful. Dale loved having two pain pumps in the hospital, kept him happy!!!
It was an exhausting week and we were glad to get home.
Dale started physical therapy on Monday morning at Warm Springs in Victoria. They really work him out and he comes home tired. I guess getting the pain meds regulated has been our biggest obstacle, but hopefully we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
The first few days were really a killer......lack of sleep, nausea, loss of appetite, and pain management were taking their toll on us. I found keeping up with the cooking, grocery shopping, washing clothes, driving Dale to PT, making runs to the drugstore for more pain meds a full time job. After a day of dishes stacking up on the counter...we even opted for paper plates.
I think things will get better quickly...hope so!!!! The other knee is in 6 - 8 weeks.....Maybe?

2nd Anniversary Cruise

We left for Galveston, ready to board Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas for a week long cruise to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. Shortly after lunch, we were on board enjoying lunch in the Windjammer Cafe. After lunch, we found our cabin #9601 and unpacked after the luggage arrived. We joined Vinny and Carolyn from New York in the Royal Suite for a Sail Away Party. It was great to stand on the balcony with a glass of wine as we left Galveston as the sun set over the bay.

Dinner that night was at Portofino's, an wonderful Italian Restaurant, the food and service were fantastic. They even prepared a surprise anniversary cake and sang "Happy Anniversary" to us. Dale surprised me a beautiful long stem red rose. We enjoyed the Welcome Aboard show before turning in.

The next morning we had a Meet and Mingle after breakfast with the group from Cruise Critic. Dale headed to the Solarium Pools and I took part in the Cabin Crawl, fun and lots of laughs.
We enjoyed a wonderful show by the Texas Tenors and even had a chance to talk with them in Grand Cayman. They became famous after appearing on "America's Got Talent".

Our first port was Cozumel, my dive trip was canceled because of rough seas, so we headed into town for lunch and margaritas. The next day, we made port in Grand Cayman and had a Stingray Sand Bar excursion planned. The wind was still blowing, but we made the trip, swam with the stingrays and Dale even got a Stingray "Hickie". Our final port, Jamaica was canceled because of gale force winds...so we had another sea day to kill.

We ate way too much, worked out in the gym, soaked in the hot tubs, got in some dancing and saw some good shows. On "Fat Tuesday" we watched a group put on a Mardi Gras parade down the Promenade, throwing beads to the crowd. We did get invited to a special Crown and Anchor Society lunch and enjoyed the company of the Hotel Manager, an interesting guy. The weather was kinda of funky, not much sun, lots of wind and a little cool. We met lots of interesting people from all over the world.

Our last night we decided to make reservations at Portofino's again and enjoyed another wonderful meal.....a fitting way to end the cruise. Our arrival in Galveston was delayed by heavy fog and we docked much later than expected, but since we only had a short drive it didn't make much difference.

Mom's Mystery Trip

To celebrate Mom's upcoming 82nd birthday I planned a "Mystery Trip" for her. We left early Friday morning in a light drizzle and headed North. She enjoyed the ride, didn't ask to many questions, as I told her I had a really nice tent campsite booked for us for the weekend. We arrived in Fredricksburg just after noon, had a delicious lunch at The Peach Tree Restaurant. After lunch we drove out to our the Pear Tree Cottage at the Chuckwagon Inn B & B and checked in.
It was a very cute cottage, with a huge canopy King size bed, a small kitchenette, a big whirlpool tub and a cozy fireplace....which came in very handy!!

After unpacking we toured the Hangar Hotel and restaurant at the airport, drove into town to check out things out. Becky, the owner of the B & B recommended the Der Lindenbaum for some good German food before the Rockbox Theater. The schnitzel, red cabbage and potatoes were to die for, and we left stuffed. We had reservations for the 8 pm performance at the Rockbox Theater, a musical production. The show was great, good music and lots of laughs.

The next morning Becky and Sam fixed us some Cheese Grits, Buttermilk Biscuits with Cream Gravy and Sausage Patties...with hot coffee and juice. We enjoyed breakfast with the other folks staying at the B & B, and Sam amused us with his stories. We had a full day planned, off we went to the James Avery Showroom, shopping on Main St., the Wildseed Farm, with several stops at local wineries, and a stop in Luchenbauch, Tx. Our last stop of the day was a 10 mile trek off the main highway, down a country curvy road, over one lane bridges and up and down lots of hills to the Alamo Springs General Store and Cafe for the "BEST" hamburger in Texas.


Mom thought I had lost my mind and was sure we would wind up lost or in San Antonio....but finally we pulled into the Cafe which was packed. We had a great hamburger, fries, onion rings, great music and even made some new friends. The band even dedicated a song to the two ladies that drove all the way from Victoria to hear them play. A beautiful bright orange moon was rising as we drove back to our cottage. We cranked up the fireplace and watched the Miss America pageant on TV before crashing.

Sunday morning we enjoyed a breakfast of a yummy Fritata, fried grit cakes, toast, Fredricksburg peach jelly and a peach crisp with lots coffee and juice sprinkled with Sam's colorful stories. Soon it was time to head home....the "Mystery Trip" was over.

Ringing in the New Year in Curacao!

Our flight to Curacao was short and sweet, with our rental car waiting in the parking lot. After a brief stop at the only grocery store open we headed to Westpunt, and All West Apartments. We arrived, and were pleasantly surprised to find a wonderful apartment with a million dollar view of the Caribbean. We unpacked, made a trip to the dive shop, Ocean Encounters West to make sure everything was set with them. That evening we had some great pizza at Sol Food with Sunshine. Up early, we made a trip back into to town for a shopping trip to the Centrum market. Since we had a full kitchen, a great balcony with a nice patio table and chairs.....almost every meal was outside. Sure was nice sipping a hot cup of coffee in the morning, enjoying my toasted "Pan Dushi", a Dutch sweet bread with raisins with a glass of juice on the balcony watching the Caribbean and the local fishermen. Monday, Dale took me to the dive shop for two boat dives, again the current and visibility was kinda tricky, but some good diving. We did spot a lionfish while diving, so we know these destructive creatures have made their way South.

After two days of boat diving and a shore dive, we headed into Willemstad to explore. We checked out the floating market, the Queen Emma floating bridge, the Nena Sanchez Gallery, enjoyed lunch at a sidewalk cafe, and got in some shopping. A cruise ship was in port, so the town was buzzing with tourist.
We packed a picnic lunch another day and headed to Playa Lagun, for a day of relaxing at the beach and some snorkeling. We found a shady spot, rented two recliners and had a great day.
Andreas, the manager of the apartments, dropped by one afternoon with a bottle of bubbly to celebrate the New Year. We grilled steaks that night and set our alarm to watch the local fireworks display off the balcony. We popped the cork on the bottle and toasted the New Year on Curacao..."Happy New Year"!
Our last evening on Curacao we went back to Sol Food for a beautiful sunset and some more great pizza.....turned out everyone staying at All West was there. Sunshine surprised me with ice cream and a brownie, plus she got everyone to sing "Happy Birthday"!
We packed that night and prepared to head home after two great weeks in the Caribbean. The airport in Aruba was crazy, long lines, with tightened security, but we arrived home safe and sound.

Christmas in Aruba!

We arrived in Aruba on December 19 after a direct flight on Continental. We waited for over an hour for our luggage, but it finally all arrived. We loaded up our Kia rental car and headed to Sunset Beach Studios. That night we decided to eat at Smokey Joe's and then turn in early after a long day of travel. The next morning we made a grocery run to Ling and Sons for supplies and settled into our apartment. Monday morning I was up early since I had two boat dives booked with JADS. We had some current and visibility wasn't the best, but we did an awesome plane wreck dive, I even had a chance to make my way into the cockpit. The next day we dove the wreck of the Jane Sea with the stern sitting at about 80 feet, it was encrusted with sponges and corals. Since we had brought our own meat, Dale enjoyed grilling almost every night on the patio. Good old home cooking!!! On Christmas Eve we had dinner reservations at Madame Janette's, a wonderful Dutch restaurant on the island, our meal was fantastic and we left stuffed.
We made trips to Baby Beach, Mango Halto, Alta Vista, JADS dive shop, and found a new spot called, Dos Playas. Aruba is growing and new construction could be seen, hope our little island doesn't change to much. After Christmas we went to Ling and Sons for some "Oliebollens" a Dutch treat that translates to "Oily Balls"...they bring good luck!
Our friends, Steve and Mary showed up and we enjoyed dinner with them on Christmas on our patio. It was good to see them, it has been to long! We also met some wonderful people from Holland and Canada during our stay.
Soon it was time to pack and head to Curacao, our stay in Aruba was over. We were up early on the morning of December 26 for our 9 am flight on DAE to Curacao...the next part of our adventure.