The Sunshine state

It's always a beautiful day in The Villages. This winter has just been delightful. Unlike the frost and freezing and bundling up of last year, we are wearing the summer clothes and dining al fresco.
I took this picture with my phone while playing golf the other day...shortly after my Birdie ! The fairways are in their winter brown coats due to type of grass and less rain.

It's been a busy post-holiday season and the blog becomes a procrastination. Nothing much of the day to day is very blog-worthy. EXCEPT for the company that happened upon us.......Thanks to Mark (Class of '61) and Annette for taking time out of their journey from Indiana to their place in Naples. Annette is newly retired and thrilled with the prospect of no schedule and wide open days awaiting her . We know how she feels. Mark on the other hand, is very experienced in the Retirement game and has loafing down to an art form !!


Putting the pictures on the blog today became a bit complex for some reason .....and they may not be where I want them. I set up the tripod one foggy morning for a view from the lanai......
Golf carts and people just appeared thru the quiet and mist......Here's the pic of the traveling retirees that was supposed to be above.......we drove over to the quaint little town of Mt. Dora for lunch and had a favorite thirst quencher, an Arnold Palmer....half iced tea and half lemonade....sometimes a bit of the spirits is added as well.....but not today.
There is a new orchid nursery in town and I managed to bring home two of the beauties. This oncidium is very large but covered with small flowers and probably a bit blurry as I didn't use the tripod. I'll try and follow the care instructions in order to keep it comfortable and happy and blooming.
Today we wandered over to the huge Florida RV Supershow in Tampa. The newest and biggest and most expensive were there. It's always fun to see what they can wow us within these behemoths. Even fairly average motorhomes now come equipped with king sized Sleep Number beds, dishwashers, granite, tile floors, stackable washer dryers, 1 and a half baths, dishwashers and 3 TV's plus another outside, all in 40 ft. We weren't shopping but it gave us a push to start planning another trip.

PS: For some reason, words are missing in some of the sentences above....I think it's connected to the difficulty in posting pictures.....so if something doesn't make sense, just fill in a word or two......maybe it will read better than the original thought anyhow.

Welcome 2012...

I hope you treat us as kindly as your sibling, 2011, did. I've been reading other's relevant blogs on the subject. Many are professing new resolutions, new intentions, new beginnings....a fresh start, a throw-away-the-old, a new you, a thinner you, a more creative you,...... oy, it makes me tired just reading it all. All that effort, that energy expended to begin the New Year on a new path to .... what ? We all know that the first week of February will find the spirit waning, the intentions slipping and the scale slowing down.....and then the guilt creeps in and the self flagellation begins and I just can't deal with it all. So, I don't.............

The timing couldn't have been better.....Jeff and Jennifer gifted us with Snuggies....

This was the temperature early this morning in the land of the sun......so Snuggie came out of the box and it actually is very cozy. Too bad we can't wear them on the golf course as we have a Couple's match this afternoon and it is to be 54 degrees, light breeze but sunny. It was quite an abrupt shock to our system as the temps have been delightful. We had dinner outside on New Year's Eve and didn't even need a sweater......and one of us actually made it to the ball drop.....the other one opted to sleep off a bit of wine.

New Years Day is always a big deal at this house.............One of us begins the day a year older. It was not a year ending in a zero but getting awfully close......and I will totter along the same path in a few months. But remembering the title of this blog.....we look forward with optimism and enthusiasm.

Christmas 2011

Christmas in Colorado...........like so many of you, I could post pictures and memories from the past and they would all have the same wonderful sound.....the color of the season, the big morning smiles, the new pj's and the love of family..... and they grow up and become beautiful young , happy and accomplished.....but they are still excited 4 year olds on Christmas morning.


Ozzie is never far from Nicholas's side........

Santa was most generous .....BUT, somehow, he missed the mark and we didn't find these 'must-haves' under our tree......

Minor crisis .....

........ around the homestead ....... Considering that we live in the land of sun, ice is one of the basic food groups and to have it just up and go away when you put your glass against the dispenser is cause for concern for one's health. After all, one of us has successfully warded off malaria for years with daily use of tonic and assorted medicinals, gently stirred with ice.

The Scott's generously offered us use of their ice maker and would happily leave the door open to fill the glass at all hours. We considered parking the RV in the driveway and utilizing it's ice maker but in the end, it dawned on us that there was a time BEFORE automation .

Works just fine............................

Meanwhile, the weather is glorious. Near 80, no humidity, no wind, no rain.....hibiscus, bougainvillea, azaleas, day lilys, snapdragons, petunias, roses and of course, bushes of poinsettias. It is a riot of color as we wander out and about in the golf cart.

Sooooo, with that scene in mind, we will pack up the woolies and head west tomorrow

where the radar shows Mother Nature painting a white Christmas. Denver will get between 6-12 inches today and tomorrow will be bright and sunny and white and COLD for our arrival. We can't wait !!!

Where are the Elves when you need them.........

It's still NOT beginning to look a lot like Christmas around this house. The respiratory bug required intervention and hopefully, it will be waning soon. Didn't I just go thru this in the fall ?? Fortunately, our neighbors have brought out the red and green and the lights and the sparkly trims....and they've gifted us with yummy cookies.

With a new iPhone in the house, it has prompted the resident techy to upgrade various components on the various devices. We now have the new Lion OS on the Mac. And we finally upgraded my phone and the iPad to the newest operating system so now we are on THE CLOUD. And everything kind of flows between all of these devices quite magically.....my favorite is the iPhoto link which takes my iPhone pictures and shoots them over to the computer without any effort on my part. Before I had to jump thru a few time- consuming hoops to get pictures ready for the blog. Now, they just appear, organized by date. I know there are a lot more important aspects of the upgrades but I only care about the ones I understand.

I love these cute cookies..... Jennifer was the talented baker and sent me the picture but not the cookie....probably
forcing us to travel there in order to try them out. (Jen, put a few in the freezer!)

And now I have to concentrate on kicking this bug because I need to be at my best........ it's only 3 days until TEBOW TIME !!!

Souvenirs

Well, Paul got a new phone as a reminder of his week in Spain and I got the cold/sore throat bug. Doesn't seem quite equitable.

The phone is fun to interact with. Siri will send emails and texts and send reminders of things you need to do. She seems to understand most anything you can say to her....(quite unlike the voice system on our car). I can see some useful applications for her remarkable abilities but alas, I'm not eligible for an upgrade until April (Birthday gift ??).

Meanwhile, I'm inhaling the Cold-Eze, the water, the Cepacol sore throat lozenges and having some angst about getting everything done. Literally, one minute I was fine, out shopping, spending money, and enjoying my tuna fish sandwich and then ....... I was sneezing, chilling and the throat was raw. I was so diligent about using my hand sanitizer every minute of the trip.....I should have worn a mask.

Sitting here with my hot tea, a pile of Christmas cards, Kleenix and a list a mile long ....I'm wishing I could either get back to a couple of books on the Kindle or begin a new knitting project that I have in mind. I'm the world's best procrastinator but despite feeling like I have cement in my head and flames in my throat, I can't escape the season. Plus, we have a Couple's golf match tomorrow (a neighborhood thing) and the odds of us coming out on top are slim to none.

And next week, we're leaving on a jet plane one more time.........

Home with most of what we left with......

Loose women didn't seem to be a problem in Barcelona but the pickpockets were true to their reputation. Despite our precautions, they found a vulnerable area and took immediate advantage and P's iPhone has a new home. He noticed it quickly and
we were able to make fast contact with Jon via texting on the iPAD (somehow it can be done without using expensive data) and he was able to disable the phone remotely (did we raise a HACKER?) He also changed some passwords and such very quickly. He thinks they don't want the phone data, just the phone and it is quickly swiped, a new SIM card put in and on the market ASAP. We do have password locks on our phones to slow access somewhat...... We feel very supported by our smart sons and could have gone to anyone of them and they would have accomplished the same thing but we had been discussing with Jon the texting on the iPad so that was our first call for help. We did access the ATT website to try and disable the phone but that was a useless and inexplicably difficult website to deal with and we never did succeed. Maybe a phone call to ATT would have worked but being in another country complicates that access point.

P will now have to replace the phone with the NEW iPhone 4S and will get to have SIRI at his beck and call.... as an aside......I was reading a blog written by a Morman woman and she refers to her husband's iPhone as her "Sister-wife".....!!

Despite the pocket 'snatch and grab' episode, the trip was great. It happened on Thurs evening at the height of the downtown Christmas shopping crowds near the big department store. Think of being in front of Macy's windows in NYC this time of year and this was the throng of crowds we were in...all pushing and squeezing togetherness.

Barcelona is clean, friendly, easy to get around and I didn't see one guy in a BASEBALL cap until we landed in Newark....!
The flight across the pond was over 9 hours. There was one First Class seat available and I know that P was seriously weighing the comfort of that vs. leaving his wife in steerage....he chose the right path. Because the plane was only half full, we got an entire row.....that's 3 seats for each of us with an aisle in the middle......and with lots of blankets and pillows, it made for a nice long nap after a really good lasagna meal. Later, I watched " A Fish Called Wanda"....probably one of the best and funniest movies ever....

And , once we arrived in Newark, we found that Jon was there on his way to Miami......kind of serendipitous that he should be there to see us off and vice versa..... We got to thank him in person for his hacking abilities......

Our flying- standby- luck took a hit a bit later when the full plane left without us but the 8 o'clock flight had a couple of middle row seats and we got home about midnight. (You can always count on the Disney express to have its share of rambunctious children and crying babies).

It is good to be home to the familiar bed, the morning newspaper in English and the K cup coffee maker. It's the little things...............

All good things have a final day...........

We headed out earlier today for a chance to get an English speaking tour of the Palau de la Musica Catalanya. Completed in 1908 it is a stunning concert hall. Designed by a teacher of Gaudi's it continues the modernistic theme of nature. They did notallow cameras and these two pictures are off the web and just don't begin to capture the magnificence. There are stained glass windows on all sides and this stunning ceiling dominates the interior. It is 3 levels and holds over 2,000 patrons. The columns along the sides are all mosaics and designed to represent trees. The ceiling is covered in large ceramic red and white roses.
During the tour, they turn on the huge pipe organ and it is played via computers.....it was a thrill and privilege to listen to. Outside, the mosaic columns continue. There is no way to capture
this gorgeous place by camera.......Attending a concert would be on my list for our next visit.

After reluctantly leaving the beauty of that we walked to the nearby Gothic Quarter again and wandered through the Museum of the History of Barcelona. This area of the city was built on top of a Roman city and recent excavation has uncovered the well preserved walls and buildings. They have built see thru walkways over the ruins throughout the museum. No flash was allowed and I did not edit these like I should have.......
The above is the wine making area with large vats and chambers for processing the wine.

The mosaics and columns were quite amazing......it's just so hard to think that these are from over 2000 years ago and so well preserved.
Above the Roman ruins is this Gothic Chapel built in the 1400's and in the same square as the picture where Columbus returned. And yes Jeff, there were even more people waiting for him today.
We stopped for coffee and chocolate croissants ( so fresh and flaky and sinful) and then walked La Rambla again. Today there were "statues" present......
They stood stone still until a coin was placed in the box and then they would move to the delight of all the children. Don Quixote and his horse would rear up suddenly and the little kids would scream and run. Not sure how long they manage to stay in those positions before they need a bathroom break or a change of position. It was much more crowded on the streets today and many more children of all ages.

We find the Metro so efficient, spotless and easy to use so Paul took this brief video for you to share in the experience. There is an electronic sign giving the time to the next train and we have never waited more than 2 minutes.
We came back to the apt early afternoon to begin the packing and prepare to head home. It has been a great experience and we would come back here in a minute. We have not seen even half of what we expected to accomplish but also have not gone at a break neck pace.....we are old after all !!

We love to just walk the streets and narrow passages and take in the atmosphere. We have felt totally safe, we drink the water, eat the food and just wish we were better tourists and spoke some of the language. As much as I enjoy shopping, the carry-on bags do not allow for any extras. I did pick up a pair of earrings, a scarf and a coffee mug. I DID NOT buy gifts for any of you.!! We hope to make it all the way to Florida tomorrow if we make the right connections.

Day 5 Barri Gotic

I think that today's wanderings were my favorite. But before I show you where we explored, I have unfinished business..........

I forgot to include this picture from Parc Guell. This is the entrance once you get past the gate houses. The stairs go up to the columns in the market place and the serpentine benches are on top. Behind the greenery in the middle is the tiled lizard, where the crowd is gathered.
This is my cute guide and personal body guard and keeper of the coins.
All over Barcelona, we have seen these red and white bicycles. Apparently, you pick one up, ride it around and return it somewhere else. They are locked in and I'm not sure how you pay for them. But they are very popular and no one wears a helmet. There are bike paths everywhere....a special lane has been added to the major roads and on the walks where we were very careful not to stray .....rollarblades are also very popular on these pathways.
Today we explored Barri Gotic (the Gothic Quarter) located in the heart of the city. It is a labrinthe of narrow passage ways and medieval buildings (700-1500 AD) and gothic architecture. It was initially the site of a Roman walled city in the 3rd and 4th century. The Portal de l'Angels remain of the original wall. These are right next
to the entrance to the Cathedral of Barcelona in the heart of the Quarter. Built between 1350 and 1448 it is undergoing restoration so more cranes and scaffolding.
This is reputedly the darkest cathedral in Europe and I had to significantly edit the pictures. I tried with flash, without flash and using various adjustments and finally got the best result with the editing tool in iPhoto. It still isn't great quality but I didn't change
the color, just the brightness. The orangey glow was when I used a flash. Located around the perimeter are a couple dozen chapels dedicated to various saints. There are stained glass windows but mostly small
and they don't add much light.

I do like cathedrals altho when I toured Europe with my mother many years ago, they all started looking alike.
Leaving the church, we ambled along rough cobblestones and narrow streets.

There were some lovely shops and little restaurants that called to me. One was all ceramics, apparently a specialty in Spain. The Lladro shop guarantees their work for a year.....against breaking in your luggage ????
The Gothic Quarter was built over a Roman forum and these Corinthian columns were part of the Temple of Augustus built in the 1st century. They are below street level and hard to photograph as they are in a small , tall room. and yes , that is the color of the walls. There were a couple groups of students listening to their instructor but unfortunately, not in English..
Here is the square where Columbus was welcomed back in 1493.
This plaque was midway up a wall and has the date of 1636 inscribed.
Carrer del Bisbe is called one of the prettiest streets in the Quarter. The connecting bridge looks Gothic but was added in 1928.! We reluctantly left this area altho there was much more to see. We really needed some rejuvenation in these old tired bodies and headed out to a Starbucks on La Rambla.

This is not my picture, I copied it from a web site. La Rambla is a long and busy pedestrian boulevard. It is always busy and crowded and lined with vendors of all sorts. I especially liked the flower stalls. During weekends and holidays, it apparently is a colorful place with street musicians, mimes and towering pyramids made up of performers......and home to the professional pick pockets.
Located off La Rambla is La Boqueria, a market just so colorful and amazing and filled with every imaginable food.
It was busy but not mobbed as it seems to be. There are stands of cheese, mushrooms, fish (of indescribable shapes and sizes...not all so appealing) , many meat stands filled with unrecognizable animal parts and some very recognizable....like the small head WITH eyes and cow faces.....I would have taken a picture because it really was a blog worthy moment but I couldn't bear to look after the first glance. This was the egg stand. These are ostrich, emu and assorted large and small eggs. Who knew that eggs didn't need to be refrigerated ? We saw them on the shelves at the supermarket also.
I loved the fruit stands best of all.....the color was brilliant and each was prettier than the next. We did stop at a bread stand for a baguette but otherwise, didn't buy the pastries, nor any fruit and especially no cow faces.................. It was a good day, just like the previous ones in this beautiful city.

PS: All of these photos were taken with either a very expensive camera or an iPhone.....and no, I can't tell the difference either.