Happy Holidays 2011

An Italian dinner at Johnny Carrino's started the evening, then it was off to Mom's for the gifts. I surprised them all with a Chinese gift exchange to start things off.

Several gifts were stolen...Dale took Johnny's remote control car, Lanell took Johnny's Starbucks gift certificate, Chelsea wasted no time in stealing Grandma's cute knit hat, and Hollie took Grandma's movie gift certificate. Grandma got the last gift which was an insulated glass and a Sonic gift certificate. Next it was time to open gifts one by one, so all could see the action.
Brinkley, Brian and Hollie's puppy was all dressed up in her Christmas outfit complete with bling...she got held and loved a bunch. What a cutie!!
We all grabbed our cameras and the kids and Brinkley had to endure photo time.....they survivied!
Ross helped Dale get his remote control car up and running and even set up a small driving course. Next Lexi put together her cotton candy machine with the help of Ross and Nick....she whipped up some yummy peppermint cotton candy. Everyone got a taste! All were on a sugar high by the time they left!!!
The party ended, a good time was had by all!!!

Crusing on Mariner of the Seas

Bags packed, we drove to Galveston to board our ship, Mariner of the Seas for a week long cruise. Imagine our surprise as we were unloading our bags to see our friends, Bill and Joanie boarding the same ship...small world! We settled in our cabin 6655, unpacked, and enjoyed dinner in the dining room. Our first day at sea was spent in the gym and the solarium, since it was kinda windy and cool on deck. Tuesday, Cozumel was our first port, but high winds and rough seas cancelled my diving with Cristina...dang! Dinner that night at Portofino's with Bill and Joanie was delicious, especially after the yummy desserts.

Wednesday, Grand Cayman was our second port, but again high winds and rough seas spoiled all our plans...dang! Wednesday night we attended the ice show, pretty good. Thursday, Falmouth, Jamaica was our final port and we awoke to rain, but it did clear up and we went ashore to look around. We did a brief tour and saw an old church, but the area is poverty stricken and our tour had a police escort, very sad. Friday and Saturday we had sunshine, clear skies and smooth cruising....so we hit the gym and then the hot tubs to relax. Saturday night Dale and I enjoyed dining at Portofino's again. We enjoyed the cruise even though the weather didn't cooperate, we met new friends and had many interesting conversations on board. We especially enjoyed having cocktails at the "Diamond Cocktail Party" every night before dinner. Getting off the ship was a breeze and we arrived home shortly after lunch.

St Charles Bay Fishing Trip

Up before sun rise, and off to Rockport to meet up with our guide, Brett for our air boat red fishing trip. The sun peaked from behind the horizon, and a beautiful day on the water was off to a great start. We left the dock about 7:30 am and headed out across St. Charles Bay......shore birds were busy feeding along the coastline and a flock of ducks circled over head.

Lines baited with fresh cut mullet, we waited for the reds to bite....soon the action began and reds began to fill the ice chest. We moved on to another site and quickly had our limit.

Heading back to the dock, we ran next to the shoreline
and across areas of grass...and made one 360 degree
spin around just for fun. Back at the dock at
11:00 am, boat loaded, fish cleaned and on ice...
we decided to have lunch at Pop's Bar and Grill.

Berndt Kinfolks!

Packed our bags, loaded the car and headed out to Magnolia, Texas to the Berndt Family Reunion at Rhonda and Harlo's home. Our first stop was in Carmine for lunch at J.W.'s Steakhouse for some delicious, tender steaks. After a brief stop in Navasota, we arrived at Magnolia and unpacked the car. Later Evon and Linda arrived and we all enjoyed a stew dinner together, then us girls grabbed a bottle of wine and headed out to the hot tub to soak the day away. Up early the next morning, we waited for the Berndt family kinfolks to arrive. Soon the driveway was full of cars, the sound of chatter and laughter filled the air as everyone was busy catching up. Dinner was catered and all the family enjoyed sharing a meal together, with bunches of yummy desserts.

The afternoon was consumed with picture taking, touring Rhonda and Harlo's new home, and watching the little guys run around. All to soon the reunion came to an end and it was time to clean up, put things away and call it a day. Linda and Evon decided to go back home, but we stayed over and got a chance to relax and unwind. Sunday morning, I got up early and prepared Monkey Bread for the group, while Rhonda fixed eggs and bacon for all. Packed up we said our goodbyes and made the drive back home!

Ghostly Girl's Weekend

A "Girl's Trip" for Mom to Fredericksburg, Texas proved ghostly at the Bell Street Manor at 601 Bell Street. Mom, Lanell, and I arrived in town, had a yummy lunch at the Peach Tree Tearoom before heading to the Manor. Mom was surprised to find Shelly, Carly, Laney, and Haley waiting on the front porch, with Ginger to arrive later when she got off work. The 3 story house was built in 1907 and had served as a hospital and doctor's office.
Dinner that night was at the Alamo Springs Cafe with some of the best hamburgers in Texas according to Texas Monthly...onion rings, cold beer, and 2 fried stuffed avocados....really good stuff. The ten mile drive down the winding Old San Antonio Road had them all wondering if I was lost or just plain crazy! We turned in for the night with a big day of shopping planned.

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Get your own

Saturday was spent on Main Street shopping most of the day with a later stop at the wineries for some sampling. Dinner that night was at The Cabernet Grill and what a gastronomical treat it proved to be. From appetizer, to entree, to dessert, it was outstanding. Then it was back to Bell street for our last night, before heading home.

Creepy
This is where the real fun began! During our stay we all heard the old wood floors creaking, kinda eerie at night. A small CD player that had a habit of turning itself on, always playing a Eagles tune proved to be very strange. Footsteps upstairs when no one was up there could not be explained....but the final straw was the window pane crashing to the floor during the middle of the night almost proved to be to much for some of the "Girls"....could it have really been the ghost called Anne? Some were sure since it had been a hospital that folks had died there.....lots of laughs over our "Ghostly" weekend.
Up Sunday morning, we packed and enjoyed breakfast and coffee and then it was time to head home.

Kill'em and Grill'em!

Home again after a long week diving in Grand Cayman with my internet female dive buddy from Oklahoma. The seas were rough Sunday morning and the boat was rocking and rolling, making my dive buddy sick. The next day the seas were a little calmer and the dives went smoothly. We had booked a night dive and it turned out great! Hot chocolate and muffins greeted us when we surfaced. On Wednesday after the two morning dives, I relaxed around the pool, talked to other divers, and that night enjoyed the Diver's Night Party up by the training pool....yummy ribs and chicken!

Thursday we had four dives booked, two morning dives and two lion fish dives in the afternoon. On our two dives we had inexperienced hunters and only bagged 5 of 17 lion fish spotted...not very good. Our boat did manage to kill 45 of the nasty little creatures. After the hunt they grilled them up for all to taste...hence the new saying "Kill'em and Grill'em"! Friday we left the dock in rain, but the diving was good, especially the last dive of the week.....we stayed down for about 70 minutes. Lunch that day was at Over the Edge...yummy Mahi Mahi Escovitch. During the week most of us saw sharks, tarpon, turtles, rays, lobster, crabs, a spotted Eagle Ray and lots of fish. Saturday morning it was time to pack and catch our flight home. 15 dives in the logbook this trip!

50th El Campo High School Reunion

Well.........We survived Dale's 50th El Campo High School class reunion! Friday night we met up with his old high school pals at the Firehouse Bar and Grill for dinner and drinks....plus lots of old memories. Dale loved seeing so many of his friends and catching up on old times.

Saturday was the main event and we headed back to El Campo shortly after lunch. Soon the room was filled with old classmates and old friends, and all were busy talking and catching up. Dale served as Master of Ceremonies and kept the ball rolling with his charm and wit! The only glitch of the night was when he forgot to introduce to his wife.....ME! Boy did his friends give him a hard time, but he did manage to get himself out of the "Dog House"! Later a delicious meal was served and time for more photos and visiting. The night came to an end....a big success!!!!

Treasure Hunt in Warrenton/Round Top

Karen and I left Victoria headed for Warrenton/RoundTop for a day of perusing the booths for treasure. Our first stop was the Arts and Crafts Fair in Round Top, we arrived as the booths were opening for the day. We shopped and shopped but found nothing that really caught our eye...or fit us! So off we went to lunch at JW's Steakhouse in Carmine.....a delicious steak with all the trimmings.

Cooled off and full of ice tea it was back to our
"Treasure Hunt" so we drove back to Warrenton, with a stop or two along the road. OMG....now it was smoking hot and the booths were unbearable. We did a little more shopping, before giving up the ship and headed for the car, grabbed a big cherry shaved ice, and the turned the AC on full blast to cool off. The dry, hot weather sure didn't make for a good shopping trip, but we did have fun and lots of laughs!

Grounded by Fog!

It was late September, and time for "The Under the Wire" fly-in in Louise, Texas at the Flying V Ranch. Dale wanted to get off the ground early in hopes of getting a good parking spot for the plane. With our picnic lunch, chairs, and lots of ice tea we took off before 8 am headed to the fly-in.

Although it was clear in Victoria we found ground fog around Edna, Texas and set the plane down at the Edna airport to wait for the fog to burn off. Fog gone, we landed at the fly-in and secured the plane and set out our stuff for the day. It was good to see old friends, lots of planes and probably about 20 Stearman airplanes at the fly-in....quite a sight! We had our picnic lunch in the shade under the wing....it was pretty darn hot! We decided to head home later in the afternoon and it was a short, but very bumpy ride because of the thermals. Safely we landed and pushed the plane into the hangar!

Hunting for Reds!

We were out on the water early this morning as the first rays of the sun danced across the water, creating beautiful patterns on the surface. No wind, no waves, and the water was smooth as glass. We got a couple of reds, and things were looking pretty good. Drift fishing requires wind and unfortunately it was dead calm. We decided to go across the bay into the lakes to look for more red fish....it was a great day out on the water!

We were fishing the shoreline when Dale hooked a "Big Kahuna" and the fight was on....finally getting the big boy in the boat, only to find it was to BIG!

We moved into a couple of the other lakes, but had no luck....and boy was it HOT!
After a picnic lunch out on the water, we crossed the bay to try one last spot, no luck!
Even though we didn't limit out we had a good time and headed home to wash the boat and clean our catch.

Bumpy Flight!

After months of not flying because of intense heat, we took off this morning for lunch in Port Aransas. We flew down along the beach, enjoying the miles and miles of pristine beach. Landing at Mustang Beach Airport we grabbed the trolley into town for lunch at Moby Dick's Restaurant. Dale had the fried shrimp and I enjoyed the grilled Mahi Mahi along with some side dishes.
Our friend Jerry picked us up on the trolley for a ride down to the beach, I needed a sand and salt water fix.....that is what Dale calls it!! The water was warm and the beach was crowded, but I enjoyed walking and taking photos for about an hour. The flight home was bumpy and we climbed to get out of the thermals. Landing in Victoria around 4 pm, we put the plane in the hangar and headed home to the AC.

Escape to the Rockies

Tired of the intense Texas heat, we headed to Colorado and the Rocky Mountains for a B&B vacation in a cooler climate. Loaded up, new GPS in place, Acadia gassed up.....we left early in the morning for a long day of driving. Our first night we stayed in Dumas, Texas before crossing the next day into Northen New Mexico and then on to Southern Colorado. Our first B & B was the rustic Indiana Jones B&B in Antonito, Colorado where we had a 6 hour train ride on the Culbres & Toltec Railroad planned. It was a long day on the train, with some beautiful scenery. Canon City and the Royal Gorge were next on our itinerary, staying at the Jewels of the Canon B&B in Canon City. Our room in the restored home was spacious and lovely, breakfast was delish! The Royal Gorge was breathtaking and we enjoyed a trip to the bottom on the incline railway and a trip across the gorge on the aerial tram. A stop at he prison museum was informative and I even discovered I had a tie to the prison. Packed up again we drove up to Cripple Creek, and then on to Leadville and our B&B at Twin Lakes. Ores and Mines B&B was very unique and the couple running the place were a wealth of information on the local history of Leadville. They even upgraded our room to the largest room at the B&B. Dinner at Quincy's was great, they only serve one entree....Filet Mignon, but they prepare it great. We couldn't miss the highest airport in the USA, so we visited Leadville airport and talked to a pilot that had flown in for some fishing in his homebuilt. The runways surrounded by mountains were a daunting sight. The next night we inhaled at yummy pizza from High Mountain Pies.
Independence Pass or Bust was on the agenda the next day....a breathtaking drive over the pass to Aspen....a really yuppie place and home to the" Rich and Famous". We stopped and enjoyed a picnic for lunch at a roadside park.
Crested Butte was our next stop and the Purple Mountain Lodge B&B was cute, but our room was very, very small. A drive up to Lake Irwin and Keblar Pass proved to be an endurance test....boy was that a long day. The wildflowers in bloom around the lake were beautiful and I got some great photos.

Our final stop was in Pagosa Springs and our stay at Elkwood Manor B&B the Pièce de résistance of our trip, a beautiful home with the most amazing views of the San Juan Mountains. Our room was spacious, the hot tub inviting, and the breakfast was gourmet. Darlene even had monogrammed wash cloths with our names, a very classy touch. A day of soaking at the Pagosa Springs and Spa was cut short when a thunderstorm rolled in, but we did get to relax for part of the day in the adult only area.
Our escape in the Rockie mountains came to an end and it was time to head home...the cool temperatures, breathtaking vistas, pristine lakes, romantic picnics, and B&B's made it all a very memorable trip.

Grandma's on Facebook!

Mom jumped into the high tech world of computers on Monday as we hooked up her brand new, shiny laptop and had internet service installed at her home. She was determined to see what was going on in cyberspace and keep up with her 2 kids, 9 grand kids, and 10 great grand kids. It was a whole new world, as she pressed the "On" button for the first time. I had already set up Facebook as her homepage, so we concentrated on maneuvering around the site. She hadn't typed in about 60 years, so the going was slow as she turned to the hunt and peck method of typing.....but she managed to send out a few short post. The second lesson concentrated on Hotmail, which I had bookmarked to make it easy for her to find. We sent out "Friend Request" on Facebook and I added the family to her contacts on Hotmail.....some replied in shock that Grandma was online! Our final lesson this week tackled opening attachments and videos....which opened a whole new world to Mom.

Shop Til You Drop!

Have you ever heard the saying "Shop til you Drop"? Yesterday we did! My daughter, Lanell called and wanted me to go to Houston with her on a shopping trip. She needed to find a couple of dresses for her upcoming "Dances With The Stars Victoria" debut.
We didn't get away until almost Noon, so we canceled our lunch stop and proceeded on our mission. First two stops were at Baubles and Beads, a high end resale shop, but no luck really. Next stop Memorial Mall.....Macy's and Dillard's, plus a couple smaller stores. I gathered dresses and keep bringing them to her in the dressing room....what a zoo! We found some candidates and narrowed down the selections, some very funny, some to darn expensive and some were plain ugly!!!
After making her final selections and narrowing the field down, we headed to Charming Charlie's for some bling. Half starved by 7 pm we stopped at
PF Chang's for dinner, only to be informed it was 1 1/2 hour wait...No Way! Down Hwy 59 we went and found a Salt Grass with a table available....steaks and drinks were ordered for the ravenous shoppers. Home then, pulling into my driveway about 10:30 pm....what a day!
Lanell should look like a million dollars when she hits the stage with her partner to do the Salsa and Bolero in a couple of weeks.....I hope!

Ladies Gone Wild in Roatan

After checking in at Bush International Airport for my flight, I met up with the Lady Go Divers gang for our flight to Roatan, Honduras. A short flight, and we were soon checking into our rooms at Anthony's Key Resort.....Barbara and I had cabin #12 over the water on the Key. Unpacking, then our first meal together at the resort before turning in for the night. I was up early the next morning and took the water taxi over to the mainland for breakfast with the group....then it was time to check in at the dive shop, do a check out dive and get ready for our first boat dive. Our boat, Haydee and crew, JoJo, Boat Captain and Hector, Dive Master were waiting for us at the dock. The check out dive consisted of demonstrating a few skills, then it was off to see the marine life and reefs of Roatan. Patty had booked 3 dives a day......so we had a dive at 8:30 am, then back to the dock; a dive at 10:30 am, then back to the dock and lunch; then a dive at 2:30 pm, then back to the dock with time to relax at the pool before dinner. Since the sand fleas were so bad we spent a lot of time showering off and applying layers of bug spray in hopes of avoiding the nasty creatures.....no such luck!

The resort had lots of entertainment planned for the week and we always took advantage of Happy Hour......2 for 1 Monkey La Las! One day we did two boat dives, then we had a picnic lunch at Maya Key with time to swim in the pool and relax.......with one more dive on the way back to the resort. On Island Fiesta Night we were entertained with music, a fire dancer, great food, and a local dance troupe. A yummy picnic for lunch was awaiting us on the Key after one of our morning dives....then it was time to hold down a hammock rocking in the breeze on the porch.
Beth and Bonnie traded cabins and I joined them for a sleepover.....the cabin was not air conditioned....HOT! We did have lots of laughs at our little slumber party!!!!
As per the tradition established last year we enjoyed a late night skinny dip in the Caribbean.....OMG was that funny.....especially the synchronized swimming. It was all pretty innocent....a dark night, a secluded beach, and a bunch of mature women!!!
The diving was good....we saw lots of turtles, a spotted eagle ray, crabs, lobsters, and some big Groupers. Hector even managed to find us a beautiful sea horse and a "Happy Face" sponge. I did manage to get in 16 dives, despite one day I didn't feel the best....to many Monkey La Las, I think! My favorite photo of the week was one of a Peacock Flouder. I inched up to him laying on the bottom and settled my camera on the bottom close to him for a close up shot. Peacock flounders are master of diguise. The peacock flounder changes its color and the pattern on its skin to exactly match the sea floor...as you can see in the photo! I love those two eyes checking me out!

We had another first on this trip......we all did the night dive on Thursday, only thing was no one got in the water. JoJo took us out on the water to a dive site, we tied up and enjoyed the sunset and later sat under the stars while listening to music....it was great! A real estrogen therapy session.....poor JoJo and Hector!!!
The resort had a dolphin show several times a week and we sat on our porch to watch the dolphins perform. I also booked a dolphin dive...but the male dolphins were in "love" and would not join us.....so a Dolphin Dive with No Dolphins!
The week was over to quickly with our group departing in two different flights. Patty, Barbara, and Ann were on my flight and we said our final goodbyes in Houston. A great week, with a great group of ladies....looking forward to next year with Lady Go Divers!!!!

A Whopper of a Fish!

Fishing this morning, cloudy skies with a threat of rain....but off we went across the water. Dale casted toward the bank and the water swirled...he had a big red on his line.....29 inches! The fish almost managed to take off all his line before he finally gave up the battle and was landed. We took a few photos before putting the big boy back in the water to swim free......a really nice fish. I did manage to land a 20 inch trout that was pretty nice. The afternoon turned hot and very windy and we caught a few more fish before heading in.

Eels on Wheels

Arrived in Bonaire at the Divi Flamingo Beach Resort with the Eels on Wheels group...it was a hectic first day, checking in, grabbing lunch, attending a dive briefing and doing a check out dive before lunch. Tired but full after lunch we did our first boat dive of the trip. The next morning up early it was time to get down to some serious diving. Three disabled divers were put on each boat, and it was an amazing and heart warming sight to pull away from the dock with the wheelchairs left behind. The diving was usually easy, with great visibility and little current.

Although one day we did manage to get in a pretty swift current on the swim back to the boat.....but all went well! The divers with use of their arms were able to propel themselves under water with ease, most having lots of upper body strength. The divers that had little or no use of their arms and legs were towed along under water. I can't even imagine the freedom they must have felt being underwater with neutral buoyancy.
Our dive masters, Enrique and Orlando were both great and spotted out lots of creatures. I told Orlando since I was alone, he was my husband on the boat and needed to watch out for me....so did several other gals!
We did two morning dives, came in for lunch and a break before doing one afternoon dive. I logged 17 dives during the week in my dive logbook. We saw eels, seahorses, turtles, starfish, octopus, barracuda, a frog fish, lots of lionfish and the highlight for me was a massive bait ball of small fish. It looked like a huge tornado underwater.......swirling around in all directions.

We spent our down time at the pool just relaxing with a trip into town the last day for some retail therapy. A cold, smooth Mud Slide sure was a great way to end a day of diving!!!!
Even though I was only a small part of this group, I felt truly blessed to be with them. It sure made me see the world through the eyes of someone with disabilities......so many challenges. Their courage to tackle the underwater world is amazing and heart warming.
I met lots of great folks and made new friends that love diving as much as I do. I gained a greater appreciation for the obstacles faced by the disabled and the courage they have to conquer them every day.
I guess one of our disabled divers, Joe summed it up best.......
The trip was AWESOME!!!!!!

Bon Bini Bonaire

The packing has begun, leaving on Saturday to dive in Bonaire with a group called "Eels on Wheels". The Eels on Wheels Adaptive Scuba Program is a registered not-for-profit organization that provides people the opportunity to dive at their own ability level by certifying divers through the Handicapped Scuba Association (HSA). Eels on Wheels provides life-changing experiences for people with disabilities. I have volunteered to help in whatever capacity I can and am looking forward to an amazing week at the Divi Flamingo Beach Resort.

Limited Out!

We got a late start this morning because of a thunderstorms and rain.....but we managed to limit out on (6)Reds. The weather was great down at the bay, but it did got HOT later in the day. This was only our third trip out in our new boat...sure did run good in the shallows and even out in the open bay.
We stopped on the way home at a Dairy Queen to celebrate our successful trip with a ice cream cone.

Cayman-Kittewake-Hunting Lion Fish

A short flight, bumpy landing and we were back in Cayman...picking up our rental car, stopping for groceries, then a drive out to the East End to find our downstairs condo #103 ready and waiting. The weather was terrific, the water was warm, and the winds were light.....kinda perfect! The diving began on Sunday morning on Eastern Skies with some of my old friends at the dive op making me feel at home. On Tuesday I did the 2 tank morning dives, then grabbed a quick lunch and made the Kittewake dive in the afternoon..thanks to my chauffeur, Dale. Sure will be interesting to see how the marine life develops around the ship in the future....a really nice dive!
Dale spent the mornings taking a long walk and catching up on his reading....in the afternoon we hung out at the new pool and hot tub or grabbed a nap. Wednesday evening we enjoyed "Diver's Night", a delicious dinner of ribs and chicken, with rice and beans, potato salad, sweet cornbread and pineapple upside down cake while watching videos that Ellay made.

Thursday I had 2 morning dives and signed up for the "Lion Fish Hunt" a 2 tank dive in the afternoon. I was a spotter, Dennis was the bag man, and Steve was the hunter...two other guys on our team just swam off with huge cameras to take photos of the reef. The whole boat got 37, while our team had 12 in the bag. Steve cleaned them, and TJ grilled them when we got back to Compass Point, my first Lion Fish meal. After my last two dives Friday morning, Dale and I decided to have lunch at Over the Edge, then drove to Rum Point and found a shady spot on the beach to relax.
Saturday we packed our stuff, finished off most of our food and drove to the airport for the trip home. This trip ran like clockwork, the diving was good, we met new friends and had a wonderful relaxing week on the island.

Sand Fest Sista's II

Packed up...Karen and I headed out to Port Aransas for SandFest Sista's Weekend II stopping in Rockport to grab a bite to eat and some groceries. Pam's flight was delayed so she arrived later than expected. On the way back from picking her up we stopped at Doc's Seafood and Steak for some seafood and drinks....it was sooo good! Unpacked and up early we headed to watch the sculptors begin their work and checkout the vendors. The wind was blowing like crazy the whole weekend. We made a run to buy fresh shrimp right off the boat in the marina and enjoyed them grilled for supper. After dinner, we walked down to the beach to enjoy a full moon over the Gulf and some bubble blowing.

Saturday we rented "Miss Kitty" to tool around town and the Sand Fest....Karen did the driving this year. Our biggest adventure was getting Miss Kitty out after getting blocked in.....we did it!

We also made a stop at the University of Texas Marine Science Center.....a educational highlight! A brief stop at "Shorty's".....was very educational too! Karen fried shrimp for dinner with a big salad that was delish and we enjoyed eating on the porch.
Sunday morning it was time to head back home...we dropped off Pam at the airport and our great weekend "Girl's" trip came to an end.

Our New Baby Cat!

Today we picked up our new boat, a Tran Sport Baby Cat.....WOW! It is 16 ft 2 inches long and has a Suzuki 90 hp motor. We added a platform on the front with a railing...for keeping an eye out for those schools of red fish. It is blue and gray, with two big ice chest.
Love, love, love it!!!!

No Sun.....No Fun in Tampa!

Dale and I flew out of Austin on Monday, arriving after a very turbulent flight in the rain....our bags got wet and some of the clothes were pretty damp. We picked up our rental car and checked into our room in Brandon.Up early, the rain
had stopped, off we went to Sun'n Fun
wondering how wet and nasty it was going to be. Weather had prevented most of the planes from arriving, so we checked the vendors, talked to some old friends and looked at the planes on hand. The next day the skies cleared and we got to the gate even earlier. We walked around, looked at planes before enjoying our picnic lunch under the trees. I took off to find a spot in the shade for the airshow while Dale went to see the vendors again. The sky got dark, the wind began to blow, and they announced the show had been delayed because of a line of thunderstorms approaching. We waited for a while, then headed out to have dinner and go back to the hotel. The storms hit and it rained most of the night.... we awoke to find severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings in our area and decided to stay at the hotel. A good call, because the airshow was hit by a bad storm and at least one tornado. Many planes were damaged or destroyed during the storm....so sad! Friday we flew back home to Texas....our trip had come to an end....Sun'n Fun was kinda a bust this year!

Texas Trash and Treasures

Gal pal, Karen and I headed up to Warrenton/Round Top for the Preview Week of the show...since it was the only time we could make it. I met Karen in town and off we went arriving early when it was still cool. Karen was on the hunt for a cast iron Dutch oven and I was just looking, nothing special! We found some really cute shirts at Bodacious Buckles in Round Top, and had lots of fun with the gals working the booth. In Carmine we made a few stops, didn't find the Dutch oven, but did find an outstanding steak house.....J W's Steakhouse
We enjoyed a delicious ribeye, onion rings, salad, and stewed okra......some ice tea and an ice cold beer. Back to Warrenton, we split up to cover more ground.....and we did find a Dutch oven and I picked up some garden art.
On the way home I managed to get some photos of bluebonnets, a real thick patch in the cemetery in La Grange made a great shot....even if Karen made fun of me laying in the cemetery.

Foggy Cruise!

Well, we are all packed, and ready to leave in the morning, but fog is playing havoc with the cruise ships in Galveston. This was going to be our first cruise after achieving Diamond Status with Royal Caribbean! Our ship finally made it in and after standing in a long line for a couple of hours we boarded about 6:30 pm, unpacked, had dinner, and turned in for the night.....only to find that we were in Galveston still being held captive by the fog when we got up the next morning....SURPRISE!
We enjoyed our first sea day, with a trip to the gym, a soak in the spa and relaxing with a good book. The Captain put it in full speed ahead and we made Roatan just a hour later than planned. We had a great tour of the island with Roland at Victor Bodden Tours. It was just me, Dale and Roland for the day. I even had a chance to check out Anthony's Key Resort, a really nice dive operation I will visit in July with the gals from Kansas.
Our next port was Belize, we decided to stay on the ship for the day...it was just us and the old folks, so we had a quite day, with plenty of time to relax. Dinner that night was at Portifinos Restaurant, a wonderful meal, great service and we left stuffed!!!

The next morning we docked in Cozumel....Dale and I were off the ship early, grabbed a taxi to meet Cristina for a day on the water, with a couple of dives. Cristina was waiting and we boarded the Nena and left the marina headed to Palancar Gardens. Diving was great, the water was a little chilly-79 degrees, but visibility was fantastic. As usual Cristina served lunch on the boat, with lots of fresh fruit and the best guacamole. Dale napped and read his magazines while I was diving.
Our last day at sea, we slept late, enjoyed breakfast and a light lunch and relaxed around the pool. Dinner again was at Portifinos, another yummy meal. That night we enjoyed Phil playing the piano and singing in the bar.
Up early the next morning, only to find the fog was holding us captive at sea and we didn't dock until almost Noon. We disembarked, Dale picked up the car, picked me and the luggage up and we headed home.
We had a great time, met lots of nice people on the ship and made it home safe and sound. I even managed to sit still and read a book, cover to cover......."Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" by Ree Drummond.

Happy Birthday Mom

We celebrated Mother's 83rd birthday with a "Girl's" lunch at Sky Restaurant. Shelly and two of her daughters, Carly and Haley came...plus my daughter, Lanell. We had lots of laughs with our lunch......Happy Birthday Mom!

HAPPY 3rd ANNIVERSARY!

After 36 months or 1,095 days or 26,280 hours or

1,577,846 minutes…

We are celebrating our 3^rd Wedding Anniversary!

Hard to believe three years ago on this date I married my best friend in Port Douglas, Australia......gosh how time flies when you are having fun!

Clear Skies...Time to Fly!

We took advantage of the cool, crisp, clear morning and took off in Miss Ice Tea Too.....heading down the Texas coastline to Port Aransas for seafood feast.

We taxied up to the FBO just as the trolley came by, quickly we grabbed our stuff and walked up to road to catch it. Luckily the driver has become a friend and waited for us.
A great way to catch a ride into town for 25 cents. We decided to try a new restaurant....Avery's Kitchen. The special of the day....all you can eat fried grouper and popcorn shrimp, with french fries and slaw......a very good choice, we left stuffed. The flight home down the beach was smooth as glass thanks to my trusty pilot!

Me and My Shadow

After weeks of lousy, cold, rainy weather we finally had a break and took off in Miss Ice Tea Too for lunch in Port A. The sun was shining, the morning was cool as flew along the Texas coastline following the beach at about 50 feet. Oyster boats could be seen circling in the bays as oyster season is in full swing, while dolphins surfaced in the slick Gulf waters.

Landing at Mustang beach airport, we grabbed the trolley into town for some fresh seafood at our favorite spot. Our seafood taste buds satisfied, we were back on the trolley and in the plane for the flight home....a good trip!

The Monkey House...Home Sweet Home!

Our tour finished, the next part of our adventure began....we waited, and waited, and waited for our rent car in downtown San Jose. Finally it arrived, with the GPS we had rented, only one problem the GPS only spoke French! A couple hours later we were finally on the toll road over to the Pacific coastline of Costa Rica, to our Monkey House at Shelter from the Storm! We arrived after dark and slowly inched our way up the mountain road in our Bego 4x4, Dale driving and me reading the directions......funny now, but not then!
The Monkey House was great, the decor was so cute, everything was "Monkey".....the large porch surrounded by the jungle was our favorite spot for relaxing. I even found a pair of fuzzy monkey house shoes in the closet. Donna and Daryl welcomed us with a nice gift basket of Costa Rican goodies and made us feel very welcome. The kitchen was equipped very well, a real plus for us since we planned on cooking most of our meals. The Rancho and pool area were just down the pathway, a great place to watch the monkeys pass by up in the trees while floating in the pool. Most mornings we had Toucans up in the trees and Dale even found a sloth up in the tree, just off our porch.

We enjoyed shopping in the local markets, buying fresh fish at the local fish market, and purchasing fantastic fruits and veggies from the road side stands. We enjoyed at pizza one day after some exploring some of the beaches, a yummy Mahi Mahi poorboy after a day in Dominical, celebrated New Year's Eve at a very small French restaurant named Exotica and even had a "Jesus Burger" at the Refuge. We found a really nice restaurant the day we drove up in the mountains to San Isidro with a million dollar view and great food.
On Christmas Day, Daryl dressed in a full Santa outfit started up his motorcycle with a sidecar and loaded up presents and Boomer, his dog.....as a reindeer to deliver gifts to the local children. They roared up the driveway with Boomer barking loudly....for a moment I thought I heard the song "Santa Class Is Coming To Town"! It was quite a site and news spread quickly that Santa was riding around Dominical.
Donna had arranged several excursions for us, the first was a trip to Caño Biological Reserve, an island about 18 miles off the coast. Up early we left at 5:30 am and didn't get back home until about 7:00 pm....but it was a great tour. We saw 4 humpback whales, two kinds of dolphins, a big croc, boa constrictor, four species of monkeys and lots of birds.....and a Jesus Christ Lizard that walked on water. We snorkeled, spotting a reef shark swimming along and enjoyed a picnic lunch on the beach. It was a long day, but one of the best excursions we have ever done. The guide, Caesar, was the BEST!
The next excursion was called "Waves and Caves" a kayaking trip along the coastline...kayaking through caves along the shoreline. It was a pretty good workout and somehow I managed to flip my kayak while trying to get that perfect photo....Dale thought that was pretty funny!! Getting back in the kayak in deep water was no easy trick....but I did!
On my birthday, January 1 we went to Hacienda Baru for our zipline tour "Flight of the Toucan". They put us with five gals from New York, they were lots of fun. We did a lot of hiking, up and down the mountain going from station to station. One of the guides pointed out wildlife along the trail, spotting a two toed sloth up in the trees. The zipline course consisted of eight stations, with us going backwards on the last one. Our guides were great and it was a fun day, even if we were exhausted when finished!

Our final tour was a horseback ride up to Nauyaca Waterfalls up in the mountains called Don Lulos Nauyaca Waterfalls. We arrived to find about 34 horses saddled up and waiting. Dale got a horse named "Paula" and I got one named "Catatoui", both being very short, small, skinny horses....but very sure footed, like a goat....thank goodness. We rode for about an hour before stopping at a Tico house for a nice breakfast, then another hour before we arrived at the falls. The water was cold, but the falls were breathtaking. We saddled back up after a couple hours in the water and headed back to the Tico house for a delicious lunch, then a brief siesta in a hammock before hitting the trail again. The ride back was almost all up the mountain and the horses slowly plodded along, crossing a river before finally reaching the end of the trip.
It was a great trip, but boy was I saddle sore the next day, haven't ridden a horse in a long, long time!
We spent the rest of our time exploring beaches, watching surfers, checking out downtown Dominical, on a thrilling drive to San Isidro and a brief tour along the Pan American highway by a big river. We also went to the Marino Ballena National Park and enjoyed a long walk on the beach, walking out to what is called the Whales Tail. Reading, laying by the pool and checking our email were our pastimes at the Monkey House.
With the jungle just off our porch, we woke each morning to the sounds of the jungle, and sometimes the screech of the howler monkeys.....a real alarm clock! The weather was great, with rain falling mostly at night!
Finally it was time to head back home, we said our goodbyes to our new friends, Donna and Daryl with plans to take a leisurely drive back to San Jose....with Donna's great directions! We arrived in San Jose, turned in our Bego and checked into a hotel by the airport for a good nights rest before our flight home the next day.

Leaving Costa Rica, we felt we had really experienced the country....we had seen the breathtaking beauty of the land, been thrilled with the unusual creatures and felt the warmth and pride of the people (Ticos) of this lush tropical country.