Monday, October 1, 2012

DOWNEAST

Just home from a road trip to Maine. We met Don and Alina just outside of Boston and joined our friends, Co and Arthur for some Model T fun!  Co and Arthur were our neighbors in the Keys for many years. They have several old cars and this trip we took one Model T and our car north to a T Rally in Skowhegan, Maine. 44 cars participated, about 100 people and some dogs, including our Dakota and one of Co’s 4 dogs, Daisy! For 4 days we toured in the T,  down winding country roads, stopping along the way at various attractions. Some meals were on our own but often we gathered in a little town where the church ladies prepared a meal for us or met at a Grange and were wined and dined with down-home Maine cooking.  The banquet and awards dinner the last night was prepared by members of the Elks Club – they were outside barbecuing our dinner when we arrived! We met many wonderful people and saw the beautiful countryside – with the added benefit of sharing the days with 4 of our favorite people in the world!  We love Maine and we love Maine people!

Lake Chautaugua

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Meeting up with Co at their home in Northborough, Massachusetts

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Dinner the first night in Maine at a lovely restaurant overlooking the Kenebec River

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Heading out!

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Follow the leader! No GPS in a Model T (but Alina and I both used our Ipads map app!))

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Line them up!  There is always lots of interest from people when we stop!  One town advertised we were coming there and the town’s people came out to greet us in great numbers!!  The T owners love to talk about their cars and to take kids for rides!

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We parked the cars one morning and went on a train ride – an old, historical train. Our engineer/conductor was part of the T group!

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Don and Arthur

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We rode in the open car since we had the dogs AND it was a beautiful day!

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Blurry – sorry – but a great picture of Don and Alina

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Hard to get a good picture of this with the shadows but this is the snow shovel for the railroad tracks!  They need that in Maine!!

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We stopped at an antique store. They had an amazing collection of old toys.  I thought this a rather scary looking doll!

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After the train ride the church ladies prepared our lunch including this blueberry buckle!  Maine is famous for their blueberries. (this picture is for Bob and Stephanie!)

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Historic opera house, Cumston Hall.  They do summer stock here every year.  Unfortunately the season was over but we did get a tour. Beautifully restored building

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Double the beauty!

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It’s a windmill under restoration – not a lighthouse! 

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Crossing an undulating wire bridge!!

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Co and Daisy kicking up their heels on the wire bridge!

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Alina and I crossed in style!

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The ladies!

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After the wire bridge we stopped at an Indian museum

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The last event was a hymn sing at this beautiful chapel.  Don, Alina, Co and Arthur headed back to Mass.  Jack, Dakota and I headed north to Acadia National Park for a week of hiking and climbing!  More to come on that adventure! 

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Wednesday, July 4, 2012

CALIFORNIA!

Jack and I just home from California.  Mina is HOME!!!  We took her ashes back to the place she loved the most in the world, Santa Monica.  She was buried there with Jack’s Dad.  It was a beautiful SoCal day – lots of sunshine and ocean breezes. We all spoke of our love for and memories of her.  A special day!

 

We also had time to enjoy a bit of the area and spend lots of time with family and friends.

 

Jack and I went to the SeaBee Museum in Point Hueneme, their home base.   How interesting to learn of their mission!

 

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We watched the sailboats come and go at Ventura Harbor.

 

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And took our niece and nephew to Channel Islands National Park visitor’s center.  A trip out to those islands is on the list for the next trip West!

 

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Kristen’s dogs, Romeo and Vinnie.  There is a new puppy, too, that I missed getting a picture of, Lacey, a 2 1/2 pound rescue!

 

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We celebrated Jack’s birthday….

 

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with Vegan cupcakes!  You can tell he is excited!!

 

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Kristen’s daughter, Lena, brought her dog, Tito!

 

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We sat in the sun, walked on the beach and played in the surf.

 

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Cousins!!

 

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And, we celebrated Mina’s life at a luncheon in Ventura with friends and family.  It was such a lovely time.  We are blessed with a great family! That’s Jack with his brother and sister.

 

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Rest in peace, dear, sweet Mina.  I will always miss you! 

Monday, June 25, 2012

SRING HAS SPRUNG…..WHOOPS, IT’S SUMMER!!

Whew, where has the time gone?  I am way behind on my blogging.  After a mild winter spring arrived in March with unseasonably warm weather.  Everything budded and bloomed early and then, guess what? – you got it!  April was cold and everything froze!  My tulips, however, survived to bloom and bring neighbors to the door asking how we keep the deer away (it’s a secret!) and telling us how much they were enjoying those 600 blooms.  Jack is quite the tulip guy.  He is planning on adding another 600 bulbs this fall.

 

 

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These red ones looked like roses!

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Go Tribe!  Have a great season!

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On a hike with Dakota looking for wildflowers! 

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My father came to visit for a few weeks.  He has two sisters, neither of whom travel anymore.  So, we went traveling instead -  MAKING MEMORIES with my aunt Dolly in Madison, WI and my Aunt Gene in Denver, CO.  Of course Daddy got himself invited up into the cockpit on the first leg of the journey!

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Me with Aunt Dolly, Daddy and my cousin Judy

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My cousin’s daughter, Sarah, with her yummy cupcakes

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Daddy with Aunt Dolly’s GREAT-grandson Clay! 

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That’s another great-grandson!  What a joyful visit with all the family visiting – babies to 92 years old!! 

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Back in Cleveland between visits we had a picnic in the park!

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Complete with a hungry visitor!

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Dakota napping with Grampa!

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Now we are in Colorado with my Aunt Gene, Daddy’s younger sister

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That’s my cousin Barb. She and her hubby took us all out to dinner!

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Priceless memories with family. 

 

 

For Memorial Day my friend Mary from flight attendant days came for a visit. We took her for a bike ride on the towpath, took the ferry and spent the day on Put-in-Bay, one of the Lake Erie Islands and splurged on a special lunch at our favorite winery! 

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That’s Enzo, King of the pillows!  He is 4 pound Yorkie and he and Dakota get along famously!  As long as Dakota remembers who is boss!!

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Peace Memorial at Put-in-Bay

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Mary and I decided to take up golf because driving the golf cart was just so much fun!!

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Lunch at Gervasi Vineyards

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Come back again soon, Mary!  Love you!

 

Next we are off to Texas for our godson Ross’s graduation from Air Force BMT. What an impressive ceremony. We are very proud of him!  The added benefit to this trip is that we got to stay in the beautiful San Antonio home of our good friends, Michael and Carolyn Foley!  What fun we had and what great hospitality.  Thank you, dear friends!

 

22 years ago I was shoving Ross up the ladder of an F-4 to sit in the cockpit with his Capt. Jack

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On this day we watched him graduate from BMT!

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Airman’s run. That’s Ross, the bald one bringing up the rear!!

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Jack, Dawn, Holly and Carolyn

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Coin ceremony

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The first time Dawn and Holly got to see Ross in 8 weeks.  Sweet reunion!

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In the bleachers for the pass in review

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Town liberty!!  Doing the Riverwalk!

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Guacamole at the table!

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The Alamo!

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Dinner at Mi Tierra!

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I was there!!

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What a fun time we had – filled with ceremony and friends and laughter and love! 

We are off this week for a few days in California and then home to enjoy summer in Ohio!