Best laid plans..................

Love and laughter all around as one of us celebrated a birthday......Gifts were abundant, the friends are wonderful and life is good. As to our plans which looked so promising just a few short days ago.....alas, they have changed. We are still heading west...................

but not in the home on wheels...........
nor in the new car finding a place in our garage..............
nor by the roads in the sky...............
Instead, we will meander along the byways in our reliable old 2000 Ford Explorer with 170,000 well used miles on it. This is not ours as it is getting a physical so I found this pic of one just like it, all shiny and new. It still looks good and runs pretty well but just keeps losing parts and functions bit by bit.....I know how it feels. We will take it to Colorado for one of the kids to use....just like we did with a '92 Explorer after 10 years.

We'll try and leave this weekend and go by some interesting places and take our time. And hope to check in and share some of the details.

Plans........

Just thought I'd throw in proof that we have a great family and have had some fun times. This one is from Paul's last flight , over 8 years ago. We all hopped on board and flew from Denver to Puerto Vallarta , spent a few sun and beach days and then came back to cold snowy Denver on Dec 31st. It was a memorable time . It's been a busy week; saying good by to Andy and Mason who filled our pool and house with happy laughter; and Paul having to say a final goodby to a friend and colleague in Ct.

And now we are gearing up for a busy month of May.....which could possibly include
getting the 'moving roadblock' all prettied up for her next trip.....and
might just include a visit with our favorite teens again
and by going to the left coast, we'll meet up with this good looking pair.

We won't make the final plans for several days but we're getting out the maps and making the lists.

Which one of these.......

Is NOT like the others ??? Does that bring back a little Sesame Street memories?My screen bugs of late have had some company...........this is the errant gecko who has taken up residence on the wrong side of the screen. He seems to enjoy the neighborhood but aside from eliminating a bug or two (no proof of that however), I find him of no value and his darting about the plants is a bit startling at times. He landed on my foot one morning when I was dousing the plants with the hose.

Jan and Curt (Paul's favorite sister and brother in law) arrived from Ky by way of Kiawah Island, SC. We can't compete with that kind of beauty but did manage to find some of the natural Florida over in Homasassa Springs where the manatees live and the native flora and fauna are in abundance. The weather was perfect for a stroll among the flamingos and the alligators and Jan's favorite turtles.
I'm enjoying the new camera altho I haven't taken snaps of anything National Geographic worthy. This is the bird of paradise leaf after a rain.
My lone hibiscus is adding a bright spot on the lanai with its constant blooming.
Andy and Mason practically wore out the pool during their stay. It's so fun to see them develop their swimming skills in such a short time. And mostly on their own, with little coaching. They put on snorkles and took to them immediately. I remember my first time well and had to fight off the panic of breathing underwater.....I can't imagine trying scuba........

No, Mason is not driving the golf cart....just a time lapse shot along side the cart path with the underglow lights visible.

14 holes in 1:35 mins

Jon and boys are at Springbreak Casa for the week so haven't had time to update the 'world famous blog ' in quite awhile. So enjoy this video that Jon made yesterday with a fun iPhone app when he and his dad enjoyed a warm round of golf. Towards the end, they play the 4th hole behind the house and the boys ran over to join them. Turn the sound on.............

Yes we have no pictures...

.....today despite the fact that I now have THREE cameras. I have a well used Sony that has served me well. Then I have the very excellent iPhone which takes exceedingly good shots and I can quickly email, text them or save to iPhoto. And now I own the Canon SX130IS. It has an amazing zoom allowing me to capture images far, far away. It has way too many pixels for me to appreciate. It has a 3 inch screen to view the immediate shot. And Sam's had it for a great price. I got all the details I was looking for and now have to learn how it works.
As I compose this (on the iPad for the first time ever) I am struggling to keep warm in Connecticut. I came up yesterday with hopes of finding Spring........but it is taking it's time. . There are still patches of snow around and daffodils barely out of the ground. Waiting for the boys at the bus stop, I found patches of pussy willows and brought some home to join the vase of tulips I bought. And I saw two robins.
Paul is basking in the sun and fun back home and waiting for favorite company .

Stay tuned for views from my lens.......

It was a dark and stormy night...........

and it continues as we speak. Central Florida is living up to it's reputation of being the lightning capital of the world and a hot spot for tornados. We had a brief respite last evening and then it all fired up again.This is a bad picture out the front door.....the tree was bending way over but with the delay on the iPhone, I only got it partially bent. The winds were very impressive and since we don't have a basement, I sought refuge in the laundry which seems to be the most protected inner room. But unlike the neighbors, I did not take the beer and peanuts with me......will need to add that to the emergency list.
This is the view of the front approaching yesterday....the view today is more widespread but not as dangerous , so far. As I write this at 9:45 am, it is totally dark outside. We've had 3.5 inches of rain in the past 18 hours.

Paul is enjoying the sun in Miami again....he's doing the flight instructor thing in the simulators for the 2nd time this month. Aside from the long drive, he seems to like the change of pace from golf and more golf.

I saw this app, CamWow, for the iPhone on Robbie's blog (www.robbiespawprints.blogspot.com) and I had to try it and have been having fun with it. It makes a picture of my desk look like a sketch. It would be pretty to use flowers , trees etc.
It is a free app but for $1.99 you can get the writing eliminated.

Think I'll go stock the laundry room/tornado shelter with diet beer and pretzels.

Update: it is now an hour later and we have had 6+ inches and it is still raining torrentially.

GRAND kids

Yes, they are grand. And the fact that they want to spend their vacation days with us is a real treat.

Some of us enjoyed a day of shopping in Orlando. We did ourselves proud with a new pink Juicy purse (her) and black silk wedgie shoes for me. And lunch at Brio.....I enjoyed a salad, which is a far cry from the risotto that I usually order.......actually, the whole time I was there, I really really wanted the risotto.......
Meanwhile, Alex was burning up the course with his grandfather. Everyone around here really enjoys watching the young ones ...... even if we can't follow the ball that far with our old eyes.

Meanwhile, back on the feminine side of life, Lizzie and I had our nails spruced up.
On Friday, we hopped over to Epcot and Disney. It is the annual Flower Show and there was color around every corner.


It was a long day but the weather was perfect, as was the company. They fly home tomorrow and we will miss their energy and joie de vivre.

The fog comes on little cat feet................(Carl Sandburg)

It was a foggy, foggy morning on the course. We tee'd off at 7:47 and could only see 50 yards ahead. (These pictures were taken after the first couple of holes so not as foggy, just pretty.) Now considering that the greens are farther than that, and MOST times I can hit the ball farther than that......this presented a bit of a problem. It seemed kind of easy to just hit the ball straight ahead but our perception was all skewed and balls flew most anywhere they wanted. Some never to be found again. In order not to get hit by the group behind us, we had to flash our cart lights at them to indicate we were leaving......or just a shout out into the abyss. It was interesting.
It gradually started burning off and by the 5th hole, the sun was shining through. I can't say that I'd like to play like that very often but it certainly added a new dimension to already abundant challenges.

And, as we headed off to breakfast, we passed through this beautiful area filled with the moss covered oaks and the stunning azaleas. Everything is beginning to bloom and it is magnificent.

The JHS Class of 61.......

is looking pretty darn good. Judy Schultz Anderson and her husband Gary, have recently become Villagers and we gathered at the Palmer Country Club for a delightful evening of food and wine. They live in Fargo and are alums of UND and NDSU so we had a lot of catching up to do. It was a perfect evening for dining outside. The weather has reached the time of year when it is absolutely glorious,....warm, not hot, no humidity, beautiful evenings and perfect for dancing on the square and enjoying every minute of the day.

And, the tulips have arrived in the grocery store. I love them when they droop gracefully. However, I seemed to have gotten two groups of differing age and temperment. Or maybe it's just time for some fresh ones.

Good company......great family.

Our newest gadget is remarkable in it's simplicity. And it feels good besides. Jeff and Jennifer arrived last week and brought with them a small box containing the new Apple TV. She is very adept at making sense out of all those electronics and quickly made it work. Somehow, we can now buy first rate movies, (still in the theaters), choose from Netflix instantly, enjoy a slide show of our pictures and listen to our iTunes music. We can also access radio stations, youTube, podcasts and I'm sure there are many other things we need to learn about. And it's all done via our computer to the TV. Pretty cool.....We also bought new speakers for improved surround sound. Technology changes so rapidly but with a little help from our bright kids, we manage to almost keep in step.

We so enjoyed having them here........Jenn telecommutes for work so while she was busy, Jeff got in some good golf time. I'm back on the "I will either improve or quit" mode and so took a lesson with more planned for my future.

The weather wasn't great, nice temperatures but chilled by the strong breezes. They managed to squeeze in a day at Universal and recommended the Harry Potter rides and castle.

It was a good week.........

The good , the bad and the really ugly...

In my mind, I am a slim, younger person. In my mirror, I am neither of those. But this is supposed to be about the GOOD.......not the BAD or the UGLY. For whatever reason and mindset, I gave up eating healthy awhile back. I ate what and whenever I wanted, in denial that my body would eventually mimic the fattening foods I devoured. But , it soon did and I just quit looking in mirrors or at photos. And then one day about a month ago, I decided to do something smart for a change and put my head on the right way. Today, I had my annual physical and the Dr said I looked very healthy and she was very pleased with my labs. In just that short time, I dropped 33 points on my total Cholesterol levels. I have lost weight (still have many more to shed) and feel soooo much better. I'm doing Weight Watchers because that works for me and obviously agrees with my health as well. And, surprisingly, I am not deprived nor missing out on anything. The body is amazing and I am thrilled that it is giving me another chance to treat it kindly.

There is nothing I would consider BAD around here except for that gecko that found its way into the lanai and gazes fondly thru the open doors into the house. With family arriving in two days, I hope he finds a way out.

The REALLY UGLY...................was my golf game yesterday. We played 9 holes on one of the more difficult Palmer courses.
All I can say is that it was a beautiful day filled with basking alligators, sand hill cranes and a diving osprey. And thankfully, lots of wine to forget my score.

The R & R is over........

I thought I 'd disappear for a longer time but I missed you all......not that you ever comment or anything, but I know you're there. Lurking is fine with me, I do it all the time on the other blogs I read.

We took advantage of some free time (yes, the retired do have a busy life also) and we saddled up the RV and headed NW. We ended up at St George Island State Park. It is where Florida bends toward the panhandle about 80 miles south of Tallahassee.
It is just beginning to warm up and still very quiet among the dunes. They call it the "Forgotten Florida" or the "Real Florida". We liked it alot.
There were few people on the beaches which have the lovely powdery sand, cute sandpipers and all the shells you could pick up.
We ate out one night at the Blue Parrot, a seafood spot on the beach. I recommend the grilled fresh grouper. And the wine.
Trying to capture a picture of this tiny crab as it scurried about was a challenge. To gauge the size, that white piece at the bottom of the picture is part of a sand dollar.

As we lumbered home on Thurs, we realized the space shuttle was about to launch. So we grabbed the iPad (remind me sometime to tell you how much I like that thing), and found NASA TV with a LIVE liftoff.......it was amazing to be able to do that!!! If there hadn't been a heavy cloud cover, I'm sure we would have seen the trail in the sky also. The marvels of technology.!I need to post this on my forehead and remind myself of this everyday........
..............so let's all hurry up and get going..................!!

It's time for a ..........

.....vacation, sabbatical, time-out, coffee break, recess, nap time, spring break...............Get the idea that I'm going away for awhile?? Life is good, our days are busy and if we take that world cruise or go sky diving, we'll be sure and take you along. Be good, have fun and grow old later.............just like we plan to do.

Is it or is it not...........

a blog ?? My apologies to all my loyal followers who thought they had signed on to a blog filled with titillating stories and scenic views, posted regularly and predictably. Alas, I have led you astray and my true nature of procrastination and laziness has invaded even this part of my life. I will try to either stay with it.....or concentrate on finding the missing golf game......it seems I can't do both these days.

So, to catch you up on the exciting days of the elderly, we had great company 2 weeks ago. Mike and Jenna, sans all 4 kids and the assorted birds and dogs, flew in from Colorado and we headed to the beach.

We noted this church floating along the inner coastal waterway and upon investigation, found that it is a floating wedding chapel ! How fun is that. (click on to enlarge).
Weather was sunny and not overly warm but perfect for shelling on Sanibel's famous beaches.


While we were enjoying the pelicans and good times, Andy and Mason were dealing with snow, snow and more snow and a power outage. And because the morning toasted bagel is a requirement, dad came to the rescue with the kerosene bagel toaster.

Currently, we are back on Sanibel Island, enjoying perfect weather for biking, shelling and dining outside. We brought the RV down for a couple days and are staying at a place filled with snow birds that have been coming down for 20 years. They are a friendly and busy group and have welcomed us. One of the nice employes referred to the Periwinkle RV Park as Periwrinkle Park......................

Today I'd rather ......

....blog than go for my morning walk. Well, actually, I'm just trying to avoid the walk. It is 41 degrees, cloudy, windy and I'm trying to deal with shin splints. So, you all get to share the trivia of my life once again.

This is the man with the raspy voice that we all like to cozy up with by the fire......or rock away the hours with his music of years past.
This is the Rod Stewart we actually saw last night. The Great Pretender series brings look alikes, sound alikes and wannabees to The Savanna Center. I enjoyed his
plausible attempt at impersonation altho the raspy voice was mostly missing in the 90 minute aerobic renditions of favorite music. The back up band was good and in general, the old people really got into it, complete with the oversized soccer ball bouncing about the crowd..... Never having seen the REAL thing, I'm assuming the various gyrations, dancing with the crowd and whirling the microphone stand, are RS trademarks. I enjoyed it, Paul not so much.

I found a great time waster yesterday......like I need any more. Someone recommended an app for the iPad and I had to try it. It is really fun.

You write with your finger (or spend money on a stylus) in colors and various line width. Comments by others said they take notes with it in meetings.......I think it would be fun for kids to practice writing. I enjoy doodling on it. Have no idea if there is any real practical application but it is fun..........and did I mention the procrastination feature??

It's been a good year...............

.....so far anyhow and shows no signs of going anywhere but up.

It's time for new beginnings and promises to one's self to do better, get organized, freshen up one's life and generally recharge for the upcoming year. If only I was so disciplined to think I could actually accomplish what my inner voice suggests. At the very least, I could try and update the blog more timely......

Christmas was good to our families and it was delightful to be with most of our grandkids near the holiday.

IPads seemed to be the gift of the season and we were no exception. Jon got one
and our family generously gifted one to us. It is a delightful little machine. It sits
in it's nice little case and is very fast and just feels good......just like the iPhone. I'm still undecided if I prefer reading books on it or my Kindle. I'd like to recommend my current read but I am slogging thru a tome of some 900 pages highly touted by the New York Times Book Review. I think I'd be happier if I went with my own instincts and just read trash. I'm learning more about India than I ever wanted to know.

While in Colorado we were having fun making coffee in the Cuisinart Single Brew coffee maker. The variety of brews and instant gratification are appealing. Soooo, we picked one up when we got home.

I
I only drink decaf and so far, I haven't found one I like as well as a brewed choice. And it's expensive to try them all out since you can't buy the little K cups individually. I like the Cafe Mocha and would like to try some teas. I like the hot water feature for soups and tea bags. But, it is annoyingly expensive and extravagant despite its appealing convenience. Fortunately, Costco has a long return policy so we'll give it a fair trial. Anyone else have one ??

And it looks like the beginning of a good year for Jeff and Jennifer who have announced their engagement. The big date will be September 3, 2011 in Portland, Oregon. We are delighted to welcome Jennifer to our family.

PS: If anyone finds my golf game, would you please return it ASAP !!