| Our Current Location and Updates |
| (Note: our pages are in reverse chronological order with the most current news first) |
January - June, 2018
Unfortunately this marked the last holiday season with Ed's Mom. Her osteoporosis had her in intense pain due to spinal compressions and fractures,
all of which caused her to enter into the final stages of her life. She passed away in February and we miss her like crazy. She was a wonderful and
adventurous lady, and always gracious to this Yankee girl. We spent the spring months working through closing out and selling her house and all the
other responsibilities that come at this time. R.I.P. Mom, we love you.
all of which caused her to enter into the final stages of her life. She passed away in February and we miss her like crazy. She was a wonderful and
adventurous lady, and always gracious to this Yankee girl. We spent the spring months working through closing out and selling her house and all the
other responsibilities that come at this time. R.I.P. Mom, we love you.
| Thanksgiving Dinner 2017 |
After a long spring of dealing with things we needed a break in a big way, hence a short but sweet 2 week trip out to Colorado, one of our very
favorite states. We flew for the first time on Frontier, whose pricing and non-stop flights out of Jacksonville were great. Once we hit Denver and
rented a car, (which was hard BTW due to hail damaged car demands) we drove up to Fort Collins where we would stay and decompress for a few
days. It's a fun college town with lots of cool shops, galleries, and pubs. And of course the CSU test gardens which is always a draw for me.
favorite states. We flew for the first time on Frontier, whose pricing and non-stop flights out of Jacksonville were great. Once we hit Denver and
rented a car, (which was hard BTW due to hail damaged car demands) we drove up to Fort Collins where we would stay and decompress for a few
days. It's a fun college town with lots of cool shops, galleries, and pubs. And of course the CSU test gardens which is always a draw for me.
July, 2018
| Cultivated flowers @ CSU's test garden, Pubs, and plenty of wildflowers in bloom. |
The real draw of the trip was the Cache de Poudre Canyon, we couldn't wait to get back to it and enjoy some riverside time, hiking, picnicking and
chilling along the banks of this lovely rock-strewn river. The Canyon runs west from LaPorte through the Cameron Pass area and the elevation in
the canyon is between 7000' - 8000', super pleasant temps for the summer months.
Our first stop was in Walden, which is west of the canyon in the high prairies. As we headed that way the scenery opened up and the vastness of it
was pretty stunning. It's in the North Park area which is famous for beef. On the outskirts of town we passed a "Moose" warning sign, went
around a couple of bends in the road and there he was in the middle of the road, awesome! When we arrived at the house we rented for a few
days a Wildlife Services truck was blocking the road right at our doorstep. A BEAR was in the cottonwood tree out front, what?!
chilling along the banks of this lovely rock-strewn river. The Canyon runs west from LaPorte through the Cameron Pass area and the elevation in
the canyon is between 7000' - 8000', super pleasant temps for the summer months.
Our first stop was in Walden, which is west of the canyon in the high prairies. As we headed that way the scenery opened up and the vastness of it
was pretty stunning. It's in the North Park area which is famous for beef. On the outskirts of town we passed a "Moose" warning sign, went
around a couple of bends in the road and there he was in the middle of the road, awesome! When we arrived at the house we rented for a few
days a Wildlife Services truck was blocking the road right at our doorstep. A BEAR was in the cottonwood tree out front, what?!
| Our basic area of travel, the canyon is the middle section. We had time to visit with some of the locals while waiting for the bear to mosey on, and with a few beanbag rounds for encouragement it didn't take long. Later that evening a white pelican flew over, so with all these great "signs" we knew we were in the right spot for now. |
The house we rented was built around the early 1900's and had been completely renovated. It was truly gorgeous and had every amenity. We really
enjoyed our evenings on the front porch glider with the beautiful garden in the side yard. I also persuaded Ed to grill up all our meats so when we
got to our "rustic" cabin we would be ready to "heat & eat".
From this location we travelled south on 125 into the Granby/Grand Lake area. Pretty trip, gorgeous lake scenes and, of course, fun shops and
eateries.
enjoyed our evenings on the front porch glider with the beautiful garden in the side yard. I also persuaded Ed to grill up all our meats so when we
got to our "rustic" cabin we would be ready to "heat & eat".
From this location we travelled south on 125 into the Granby/Grand Lake area. Pretty trip, gorgeous lake scenes and, of course, fun shops and
eateries.
| Around and about Grand Lake |
Here we are back in the Poudre around the town of Rustic, CO. The river's flow is controlled upstream by a dam and they maintain enough water for
downriver rafting and tubing. Our cabin was right on the river and the views from the back or side porch were wonderful. The cabin had a
mini-fridge and microwave plus a 2-burner hot plate so producing meals was a snap, however we had to utilize a bathhouse for our plumbing needs.
downriver rafting and tubing. Our cabin was right on the river and the views from the back or side porch were wonderful. The cabin had a
mini-fridge and microwave plus a 2-burner hot plate so producing meals was a snap, however we had to utilize a bathhouse for our plumbing needs.
Since the trip was a kind of a last minute thing, and this is a popular vacation spot, we had to book 3 days here and 4 days there, hodge-podge,
but we got lucky and liked all our choices quite a bit. Our last stay was at the Trading Post Resort in one of their "modern" cabins (indoor
plumbing, wink, wink). Tons of hummingbirds in the Canyon. A lot of the places take the feeders in at night to not attract bears.
but we got lucky and liked all our choices quite a bit. Our last stay was at the Trading Post Resort in one of their "modern" cabins (indoor
plumbing, wink, wink). Tons of hummingbirds in the Canyon. A lot of the places take the feeders in at night to not attract bears.
| Heading up and over Cameron pass, 10,249', the aspens next to the river, and a moose just by the Chambers Lake campground, 9,157' in elevation. We had a great hike on the Big South Trail and a follow-up picnic later that morning. Super trip, very relaxing too. |
September, 2018
With summer drawing to a close, thus European tourism (hopefully) slowing down and thinning out, it was time to embark on our -BIG- adventure
over to Croatia and Italy. Here are 2 separate links, one for each trip. Hope you enjoy them, we certainly did!!
over to Croatia and Italy. Here are 2 separate links, one for each trip. Hope you enjoy them, we certainly did!!
| Left is Plitvice Lakes, Croatia. Center is Lake Bled, Slovenia and right is Dubrovnik, Croatia. Check out the other sites via the link above. |
| Left is Florence, Italy. Center is the Colosseum, Rome and right is us tasting the Saraceni Blumond (Blue Prosecco). Check out the other sites via the link above. |
December, 2018
Jacksonville has a very impressive holiday boat parade with fireworks set between 2 of our bridges in the downtown area. We went down to have
dinner and watch the festivities with Nancy/John formerly of "Silver Seas" and new friends Paula/Scott on "Scherzo". What a fun evening.
In November our neighbors organized a Thanksgiving potluck at the pool enclosure, and even though it was chilly & breezing pretty good we all
managed to eat our fill (including taking home some leftovers) and have a great time visiting with everyone.
Ed managed to find some nice kayaking runs along the St. John's River and Black Creek area.
October found us busy doing maintenance chores around the house such as painting the dock and deck, having the Florida Room re-roofed, painting
the garage service door and other fun stuff. We did, however, have the opportunity to get a short trip in to see the kids, grand kids and great-grans.
Always a pleasure seeing everyone, and WOW, the grand kids are getting all grown up at 14 & 16!
dinner and watch the festivities with Nancy/John formerly of "Silver Seas" and new friends Paula/Scott on "Scherzo". What a fun evening.
In November our neighbors organized a Thanksgiving potluck at the pool enclosure, and even though it was chilly & breezing pretty good we all
managed to eat our fill (including taking home some leftovers) and have a great time visiting with everyone.
Ed managed to find some nice kayaking runs along the St. John's River and Black Creek area.
October found us busy doing maintenance chores around the house such as painting the dock and deck, having the Florida Room re-roofed, painting
the garage service door and other fun stuff. We did, however, have the opportunity to get a short trip in to see the kids, grand kids and great-grans.
Always a pleasure seeing everyone, and WOW, the grand kids are getting all grown up at 14 & 16!
| Shots from the Jacksonville Boat Parade, middle one was a winner in it's category, and the "waterfall" off the bridges - just stunning. |
Mid-December found us trekking down to Puerto Rico for a long overdue reunion with Dreamtime, our Morgan 33 Out Island. With all our family
issues this year plus the impact that hurricanes Irma and Maria had on the area we decided to forego our cruising season over the winter of '17. We
were very lucky we escaped with very little damage to our boat, very thankful indeed.
So we are working on getting everything shipshape again, testing out the systems and plan to head over to Culebra and the USVI shortly. Meanwhile
we are in Marina Puerto Del Rey, Fajardo area meeting new cruising friends and stocking up on provisions.
issues this year plus the impact that hurricanes Irma and Maria had on the area we decided to forego our cruising season over the winter of '17. We
were very lucky we escaped with very little damage to our boat, very thankful indeed.
So we are working on getting everything shipshape again, testing out the systems and plan to head over to Culebra and the USVI shortly. Meanwhile
we are in Marina Puerto Del Rey, Fajardo area meeting new cruising friends and stocking up on provisions.
