Catching Up

It's been a couple of weeks and I did want to share Thanksgiving travels and current events.

The week of Thanksgiving I flew to Florida for a visit with family and friends. My good friend Karen flew in and we had a condo on Treasure Island. Had a few problems with the condo check-in, the two of us ended up in a Studio Apartment, 500 sq ft. plus furniture!!! Very small. The bed was a Murphy Bed that pulled down from the wall, so when it was pulled down it was a struggle to get to the bathroom!!!

The beach was lovely though. Almost everyday we walked 4 miles along the beach, just enjoying the sounds and smells. Almost always saw dolphins swimming along too. First day out there was some kind of beach celebration going on and we saw sand sculptures which were really quite amazing. We also found ourselves kayaking the inter coastal waters one half day. That was fun.

Got to visit with my brother Jim, and both nephews, James and Dale and their families. Saw my good friend Rik, but didn't get to see Nancy as she was ill with the flu, asthma and bronchitis all at the same time. Not much fun for her.

We spent a day at DisneyWorld where Karen's two nephews were marching in the Mainstreet Parade with their high school band from Wisconsin. Didn't see much of them but had a fun day at the park in spite of the rain.

Thanksgiving Day was dinner with James and Natalie at their home. That was fun and easy. We just ordered a Publix dinner, James brought it home with him and wala....we had a Thanksgiving feast before our eyes.

Was sorry to leave on Friday. The weather was so beautiful and warm and I just love walking on the beach...too bad there isn't a way to make a living, walking on the beach.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving was our family celebration at our house. So Josh, Becca, Alex, Eli, Katy and John were all present. It was a crazy day as the two little ones keep everyone on their toes. But that is also so much fun.

Christmas is upon us and I have my shopping done. Peter got, already I know, a refurbished laptop computer that I managed to purchase from eBay. I just hate the prices of new computers and since Lisa my niece-in-law, is in the business of recycling computers I decided to give it a try. Didn't work out to get one from her, but I found another vendor on eBay that looked good so I made my purchase and Peter now has a new computer!!

So just two more days of work and then I'm off for 12 days. It's very rare that I'm home with that much time off...but I'm looking forward to it.

So, everyone have a great Christmas and Happy New Year. I'll try to post again during my 12 days off and share photos from Christmas day.

Take care!!

The Quest Continues!!

Pat, Lynn and I, who have been hiking the Buckeye Trail since February 2006 reached a major milestone on our last outing...we turned east toward Cleveland. After hiking from Cincinnati along the western border of the state to as far North as the trail goes we are now headed east. Our mileage is just a little short of 500 miles. The photo shows me at the intersection where we made the turn.

It is really hard to believe we have hiked that far. It has been such a good time. From the times it has been just the 3 of us, to times when large groups of hikers have joined us, this has been quite an adventure. I'm hoping for the new year that we all stay healthy, we can get our calendars aligned and make some serious progress in 2010.

For those not familiar with the Buckeye Trail, it is a 1400 mile hiking loop throughout the state of Ohio. It is a wonderful way to see the state and learn little facts about state history that one would never learn any other way. Come out and join us sometime!