Celebrating Seven Great Years!

Flying into Fort Lauderdale, we planned to spend the night before boarding our 10 night Southern Caribbean Cruise on Royal Caribbeans Legend of the Seas.  We checked into our hotel and had dinner at an Outback Restaurant.  Up the next morning, we had breakfast, and took a taxi to board our ship.  Check in was quick and easy....soon we were on board having lunch in the Windjammer Cafe.  Our bags arrived before dinner and we unpacked.  Requesting a large table at dinner we were put with a travel group of 7 women and 1 man...all from Texas....so we spent the rest of the cruise teaching our waiter, Jerbi to speak Texan! He was one of the best waiters we have ever had on a cruise.  The first two days at sea we had some rough weather with the boat rocking and rolling.  We spent time in the Solarium relaxing and reading....with cocktails every evening in the Diamond Lounge. Discovered a new yummy drink....Lemon Drop Martini!

Our ports were.....
St Thomas....... we spent a great day at one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean at Megan's Bay.  We just grabbed a taxi and had some sun, sand, and salt water.....along with some yummy Painkillers.
St. Kitts.....were we booked a tour and took a boat over to Nevis for a tour of the island.  We saw several old sugar mills that have been transformed into cute boutique hotels.
Dominica......an is an island with lots of Geo-thermal activity.....we snorkeled Champagne Reef...swimming in the bubbles.  Later we soaked in a natural hot tub on the beach!
Antigua was a bust! Our tour with the ship was cancelled and all the other tours we wanted were booked up....so we stayed on the ship and chilled!!!
St. Maarten which is both French and Dutch...were we spent the day at Orient Beach.....which has a topless part and a totally nude part...we kept our clothes on!!! It was a beautiful day, with some great pizza for lunch.
We celebrated our anniversary on Valentine's Day in the main dining room on formal night with cake and a serenade by the waiters.  The last night of our cruise we enjoyed dinner for two in Chops Grille to celebrate our anniversary.  The final two sea days were great for resting and relaxing as we cruised back to Florida.
Up early the next morning we got off the ship, headed to the airport, boarded our flight to Austin and arrived to 40* and a light mist.....burr!

Escape to Port A for Sunshine, Salt Air, and Sand!

Karen and I were in need of some sun, sand, and salt water....so we headed to Port Aransas for the day to renew our souls.  Karen picked up a pint of fresh oysters in Rockport on the way down. We stopped for lunch at Paradise Key, a new place I had heard about between Rockport and Aransas Pass.  Lunch was not a disappointment....the food was wonderful, service top notch, and the setting was beautiful.  Only problem....we ate to much!
On to the ferry....... and finally we hit the beach....finding a spot to spread a blanket and pull out our chairs.  The weather was picture perfect.....79 degrees, a light wind, clear skies and tons of sunshine!  Pretty good for a mid January day in Texas!  I walked the beach while Karen took a brief nap....we even put our toes in the water which was cool.  Another walk on the beach soaking in the sun....perfect!
Soon it was time to head back home......but the day had been the perfect prescription for our winter blues!  It renewed our souls!

Christmas-New Year-Birthday in Costa Rica!!!

We arrived in San Jose on Dec. 21 and spent the night before picking up our rental car and heading across the country to Dominical. We arrived to find our Large Beach Cottage at Coconut Grove ready and waiting for us. We unpacked, and settled in for our two week stay. We booked a fishing trip with Isidro, but had no luck, had to buy Dorado from the fish market, La Macha. Our days were filled with long beach walks, pool time at the Rancho, and holding down the hammocks with a good book.

Richard and Diane invited us to a big Christmas Party on Christmas Eve, I prepared a dip to take. It was fun, we met some old friends and made some new friends.

Dale and I volunteered to help Daryl put on a Christmas party for the children of Playa Uvita. With our elf hats on we handed out gifts, dished out ice cream, and helped put toys together for the kids. It was very refreshing to see the smiling faces of all the local children. The true meaning of Christmas!!!


Many days we headed to Playa Hermosa.....our favorite beach for some sun, sand, and warm water. The beaches were packed with local families, but we always found a spot. We played in the surf, enjoyed cold coconut water and plantain chips, and some really unique snow cones from a beach vendor. During our last week we borrowed two boogie boards from Coconut Grove and decided to give it a try! Dale got the hang of it quickly, he was soon riding the waves all the way to shore. It took me several days before I was able to do it.

Off to Tinamaste we had booked a ATV tour with Karl....we went up into the mountains riding for about four hours. We stopped at waterfalls, crossed rivers, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. It was a great day and Karl is always fun to talk with. After the ride we enjoyed a delicious lunch at a Soda....great food!
 
New Year's Eve we joined Richard and Diane for drinks at their house.....then we drove down the highway to Lewis Park to watch Daryl's fireworks display.....unfortunately I crashed and burned after tripping over a wire in the dark. It could have been bad.....but I came out with only a few scratches. Next time I will take a flashlight! New Years Day we went to the beach, enjoyed a pizza at La Fogata in Uvita and then celebrated my birthday with dinner at Por Que No? It was a wonderful dinner, I had some of the best ceviche I think I have ever tasted.
Hiking Hacienda Baru in search of wildlife, my trusty guide, Dale found a sloth high up in the trees. We also saw a group of monkeys crossing our path in the trees. It was a warm steamy day, but we completed the trails.
After our last beach day we drove up the mountain into the jungle to have lunch at Jolly Roger....quite a trip! We had some great hamburgers and an order of wings with a cold beer. That night I prepared dinner and we began packing for our trip back to San Jose. The next morning we left about 10 am....stopping to have lunch at Vista del Mar on the way back to San Jose and the hotel. We turned in our rental car, checked into the hotel and had dinner. Flying out the next day we arrived back in Texas that night. It was a great trip.....the weather was fantastic....and we had a great time.

Turkey Day!

Turkey Day was spent at Cottage on Spotted Fawn in Fredericksburg, Texas! It was a really cute cabin with everything we needed for our stay! Our Thanksgiving Feast included a Glazed ham, Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Cranberry Salad, Green Bean Casserole, and a Pumpkin Cheesecake. We visited old friends, made Trade Days, ate at Alamo Springs Cafe, and visited a winery to listen to the Almost Patsy Cline Band. A relaxing trip!

Checked Off...Floundering!

Marked another one off my Bucket List last night........a guided flounder trip at POC! Running across the bay just after sunset to a distant shore line was beautiful...the only boat in sight for miles! We waited for it to get totally dark and began cruising the shoreline with bright lights illuminating the bottom for our prey. Dale let me gig the first one we spotted after a few lessons on the proper way to gig from our guide, Dustin. We ended up getting our limit and headed back in to the dock with 10 nice flounder! It was a awesome trip...thanks Dale for a great gift!

Edna Fly In!

Green Short Challenge Completed!!!!!

Dale and I flew down to Grand Cayman to meet friends, Dennis and Tamara.....and try to finish the Green Short Challenge and get those darn Green Shorts!
Day 1....Two dives this morning.....spent most of the time testing out the knee, but did get a couple of pictures. The water is warm.....about 84-86 degrees depending on your depth. I got one more of my 55 Green Short Challenge dives today......four more to go! Dinner tonight over at friend's condo!
Day 2.....Two more dives knocked off this morning......leaving me only two to get the Green Shorts! The second dive I swear should have been called Lobster Pot......lobster in every nook and cranny! I'm cooking Italian tonight for our friends! Great weather, great diving! Barracudas were very curious on the second dive!

Day 3.....One down....one to go! Only need a site called Scuba Bowl to complete the Challenge! Long boat ride this morning to get one of the farthest sites....but got er done! Long rough boat ride back to condo! A couple of nurse sharks, lobster, crab, etc.......lots of surge on second dive. Hot dog cookout for lunch over at Dennis and Tamara's condo....pool time later!
Day 4....Weather didn't permit getting the last site I needed....rough ride out to dive sites and rougher ride back home. Hoping I can knock it out tomorrow! Tomorrow two morning dives and then the X dive after lunch!! X Dive an undisclosed location with your crew to navigate point-to-point along the Cayman Trench for a one-of-a-kind experience. This dive gives maximum time on the edge of the wall, giving the greatest chances for seeing the big stuff, including "Mr.X"
Day 5....Two dives this morning...not near as rough as yesterday......Eagle Ray, Sting Ray, Eels, Turtle, etc....Off shortly for the X Dive and maybe, maybe, get those darn Green Shorts!
I did it! All 55 sites....plus finished on the X Dive.....AWESOME dive.....sharks surrounded us almost as soon as we descended into the depths of the ocean. What a great dive to complete my Green Short Challenge!!!! Cake and Champagne plus the presentation of the Green Shorts and the medal. Will be wearing that to dinner tonight!!! Yipeeee!!!
Day 6....Nothing to exciting today......a nurse shark that swam away before a photo and a turtle that kicked it into high gear when he saw divers. Dinner tonight and then the packing begins.....or should I say the throwing it into the suitcase.....hoping the dive gear is nearly dry!
A great trip, with another goal accomplished!