Froggy Morning!

Fishing Was Work Today!

Six reds today....and one trout for Mom....sorry Karen, Mom ranks higher than you on the trout list! Bay fishing was work today....higher tides had fish scattered! But we kept at it and got our six, including a really
nice 25 1/2 incher! Nothing better than sight casting in the flats!

1,000 hours for Miss Ice Tea Too!

Miss Ice Tea Too logged 1,000 hours on our flight to Port Aransas for lunch....and she still flies great! In November she will be 14 years old....Happy Birthday Miss Ice Tea Too! 

We had a great flight, a delicious fried shrimp lunch at Finns and a walk on the beach before heading home!

Catching Day!

It was a catching day at POC with 6 nice reds in the ice chest! It started off kinda slow with no keepers in our favorite spot! Then someone who shall remain nameless forgot our breakfast peanut butter and honey sandwich.....so OJ and a cookie were substituted......Oooops! Then Dale proceeded to have two nice reds break his line....bad words followed! Then I managed the bird's nest from hell....which I couldn't get out! Dale had to cut the line and re-rig my pole! We finally caught a couple keepers and knocked off for lunch about Noon when we had four on ice! Lunch was great, but the traditional after lunch peppermints were missing.....the boat was searched only to discover the mints in a different spot! Finally we landed the final two reds and headed in at 2.....now to clean fish....then home to clean the boat! Great day catching six!

Junkin Fun in Warrenton!

Junkin Fun in Warrenton/Round Top! A hint of Fall air made our morning shopping trip enjoyable.....The hunt is always fun when you are junkin! So many booths and so little time.....and energy! Lunch was in Carmine at JW's Steakhouse.....a delish chicken fried steak, mashed taters, and green beans....with a couple gallons of ice tea. Then it was back to Round Top in search of a few treasures! The afternoon grew warmer, the crowds grew larger, and we headed home!Junkin Fun in Warrenton/Round Top! A hint of Fall air made our morning shopping trip enjoyable.....The hunt is always fun when you are junkin! So many booths and so little time.....and energy! Lunch was in Carmine at JW's Steakhouse.....a delish chicken fried steak, mashed taters, and green beans....with a couple gallons of ice tea. Then it was back to Round Top in search of a few treasures!

The afternoon grew warmer, the crowds grew
larger, and we headed home!

Colorado Springs and the USAFA

Dale and I decided to combine a visit with Ross at the USAFA in Colorado Springs and a Rocky Mountain vacation.  Flying into Denver, we picked up our rental car and drove to our rental outside Colorado Springs.  The next morning we were up early to attend the Parent's Day Parade and meet up with Ross.  Usually it is warm and sunny.....but this morning was cold and brutal!  The fly-overs, gliders, and jump team were all cancelled because the ceiling was to low! The parade was impressive, with over 4,000 cadets marching onto the field!  Ross was not marching and joined us in the stands for a while.

After the parade we walked around the Academy for a while and then joined Ross and his squadron for lunch they prepared for all the families visiting.  Later Ross took us around the Academy, pointing out points of interest, memorials to fallen cadets, airplanes, and told us stories of his first weeks there.  We must have walked miles and miles....up and down......round and round! Finally we got in his truck and toured other places including the airport he flies out of.  We were dragging, it had been a long day, with lots of walking and we finally said our goodbyes!

Ross was busy most of the next day and we didn't meet up with him until dinner in Colorado Springs at a pizza place he picked out.  We spent most of Saturday touring Garden of the Gods!  It was a beautiful day and I took lots of photos! Sunday morning we decided to hike at Red Rock Canyon before meeting up with Ross and his sponsor, Mr. Thornton for a late lunch.  Mr. Thornton proved to be a great guy!  The hike was nice, the weather cool, and the scenery beautiful!
Monday was Pike's Peak or Bust.....and Ross decided he didn't want to go as he had already done that...so we said our goodbyes and headed to Pikes Peak....only to find out the road was not open all the way to the top because of high winds.  We waited and finally it did open, but boy it was still plenty windy and cold up on top. The drive was spectacular and we did see some snow up at the top.

The next day we were off to Buena Vista, Colorado and our stay at Mountain River B&B which was on the Arkansas River. Our B&B was very nice and the host....Erin and Mark were great folks.  The breakfast they served every morning was wonderful.  We spent our time in Buena Vista exploring......St Elmo an interesting old ghost town,  Princeton Hot Springs, Cottonwood Pass and Taylor Reservoir, Monarch Pass, Leadville, and Independence Pass. Our last night we had dinner at a steak house in Leadville called Quincy's ......very good food! Our final day we drove back into Denver to catch our flight to Austin.....another great Colorado trip in the books!

500th Dive on the Brac with Lady Go Divers!

It was time to head to Grand Cayman for my yearly trip with the Lady Go Divers.  I had to leave a day early and spend the night on Grand Cayman before flying to the Brac.  Cecilia, my roommate came in early so we had a couple days to relax, settle in, and chill out. Beth and Bonnie showed up the next day and the rest of the group arrived on Saturday.

Cecilia, Bonnie, Beth, and I rented a car on Saturday and toured the island with the most interesting stop at the home of Mr. Foots, a well know Brac resident.  He is in the process of building an Atlantis scene underwater on the island.
 
Diving started on Sunday morning bright and early.  We had Tom and Caz for the week as our divemasters...they were great and the valet dving was a nice touch!  We usually had three dives a day, then pool time before drinks and dinner.
During the week we went to Little Cayman and got to dive Bloody Bay Wall..it was nice, but the ride over and back was pretty rough.  We also had a chance to dive the Tibbett's wreck during the week and it was interesting to see the changes since I was there last.
It was during our week of diving that I made my 500th dive!  The crew drew a special board noting my accomplishment and the Lady Go Divers squirted me with little toys furnished by Patty.  It was a fun day!

As usual Cecilia and I had a great time....lots of laughs! 
The great trip came to an end with Cayman Airlines cancelling our flights out of the Brac....causing most of us to miss our flights back to the USA.  We spend most of the day in the Brac airport before flying out about 6:30 pm.  A group of six of us got hotel rooms in Grand Cayman, went out for a really nice dinner at Luca, and flew home the next day. 
It was a great week sharing lots of laughs!