Graduation!

This photo says it all.......the pride we all felt as Ross accomplished his goal! Graduation for the United States Air Force Academy!

Commissioning ceremony.....Congrats
2nd Lieutenant Ross Michael Mantey

Pararde day and awesome ceremony.

Graduation Day!

Graduation Time at the USAFA!

Tomorrow we all head to Colorado Springs to watch my oldest grandson, Ross Michael Mantey graduate from the United States Force Academy on May23 and be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the USAF.  The past four years have flown by and it is hard to believe graduation day has arrived.
Ross will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Military and Strategic Studies.  After a 60 day leave, he will report to Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas to begin pilot training.

                  Good Luck Ross, we love you!

Dietzel Time In Cayman

May means it is time to head to Grand Cayman and some great diving. It was good to see my old friends and we settled into their condo.  Eagle Ray's was the choice for dinner the first night.  I was anxious to try out the new strobe I just purchased for my Olympus camera.  The new boats at Ocean Frontiers were really nice, plenty of room, two good ladders, and plenty of storage space for everyone.

As usual Dennis was in charge of the menu and the kitchen.  A week of good home cooking, and tasty mojitos served by the pool.
Diving was going good until on Thursday when I flooded my new strobe.  Boy was I mad!  Somehow the battery cap was not put in correctly, and saltwater filled the battery compartment in seconds.  I scratched the dive, headed back to the boat, and surveyed the damage. Discovered salt water and lithium batteries don't mix! Learned a hard lesson.....check and re-check the seal of the battery cap.  Plus, always wear your glasses when working on dive cameras. Luckily the battery compartment is separate from the actual strobe light.....so I ordered new batteries and got a new battery cap. Think I am back in business.
The week flew by and soon it was time to head home.  Lunch at the Cayman Yacht Club with Dennis and Tamara before heading back home.

Celebrating 10 years on the Serenade of the Seas!

Flying to Florida, we boarded the Serenade of the Seas for a 11 day Southern Caribbean cruise with ports in Antigua, Barbados, St. Lucia, Curacao, and Aruba.  We were joining our friends Ken and Georgianne from New Jersey.  Two sea days gave us a chance to unpack, settle in and enjoy a wonderful meal at Chops on the first night.  The solarium pool became our favorite place to hang out and relax.
Antigua our first port gave us a chance to enjoy an excursion that included boat riding, snorkeling and a grilled lobster lunch on a little island.
On Barbados we spent a lovely day with Calabaza Cruises on a really nice catamaran.  With only 8 guest on board the crew spoiled us with food and drink.  Two snorkel stops and a chance to feed a turtle out of my hand made for a perfect day.
Waking up to cloudy skies and light rain we decided not to get off in St Lucia......we had a day pass at a beach resort....but the weather was not great for beach time.
Walking off the ship in Curacao we crossed the swinging bridge, strolled among the shops and art galleries, and had lunch at a sidewalk cafe by the harbor.  It was a great place for photography and enjoying some tasty mojitos. Cheaper than those on board!
In Aruba we had booked a trip with Seabob to our favorite beach, Mango Halto! It did not disappoint!

Riding Seabob is a real thrill and flying over a beautiful reef adds to the fun.  After we finished we went to Moomba Beach Club and joined our friends for a day at the beach.  A perfect way to spend the day in Aruba.
Heading home we had two sea days to relax before docking in Fort Lauderdale and flying home.
The cruise was a great way to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.  We met some very interesting people from all over the world and got to see our friends.

Happy 90th Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday to you !
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear Mom!
Happy Birthday to you!
 

 We celebrated Mom's birthday with
a family dinner at Johnny Carino's.  We enjoyed dinner and then some yummy cupcakes, before Mom opened her gifts!

Eels on Wheels Bonaire 2018

 








The Eels gang loaded up and headed to Bonaire for a week of diving.  It was great to see old friends, and meet new members.

Orientation and we were off for some great diving on the Sea Queen.  Luis and Rudd were on board our boat for the week.  Jill and I shared a room down by the dive shop...our favorite spot.  Diving was good, although viz was not as good as usual for Bonaire. Three dives a day.....two in the morning, and one in the afternoon to keep us busy. 

We did have an opportunity to dive the tree and thicket that we purchased in memory of Patsy Kott from the Bonaire Coral Restoration  Foundation.  We also watched as Tammie Shelton tagged a tree in memory of her husband, Tracy!  Later a thicket was tagged for Tracy by Eels.


The rest of the time we hung out at the pool, walked into town, or just relaxed! Of course, we made the usual trek to Gio's for some gelato!

Christmas South of the Border

Off to Huatulco on Christmas Eve for a week of relaxing, good food, and some beach time.  We checked into our condo at Sueno Real, and were very impressed.  The condos were well equipped, clean, and had 24 hour security....plus the location was very convenient to everything.  Grabbing a taxi we headed to Super Che to grab some groceries, the rest of the day we relaxed at the pool and unpacked.  The view overlooking the Santa Cruz port was fantastic, and sunsets were amazing.

Spending time at our favorite beach, La Entrega with all the locals was very enjoyable.  The water was warm and I did some snorkeling.  I had been craving a good Mexican Shrimp cocktail and had several during our stay.  Of course a Margarita on the Rocks was the drink of choice.
During our week we visited La Bocana, La Crucecita, and the beach at Santa Cruz.  We found a great pizza place on the square called La Crema, and enjoyed pizza there on two nights.  After our meals we would walk around the square or sit and just people watch.