A Perfect Sunset in Southern Florida

We drove down to Port Charlotte to visit with our friends, Doug and April Allmond.  If you are looking for good friends and great hosts look no further ...we have not seen them since May but it was like we have been together all year.  For those of you who do not remember our friends, we met them when we all camp hosted at Blue Mesa in the Colorado Rockies three years ago and have been friends ever since.  Doug and April's winter home is in Port Charlotte and they invited us down to share a few days.  We only spent a couple days but we enjoyed the company of ourr good friends and filled our days talking and walking on the piers and beaches and boating down the Peace River to a beautiful bird rookery.  The nights were taken up with catching up and of course solving the worlds problems over a few libations.

Doug and April on a beautiful beach near Port Charlotte

That is the Gulf of Mexico behind Doug and April, the water was a beautiful light green, there was a light breeze, it was a little overcast; but best of all we were with friends.   Doug asked, "I wonder what the rich people doing today".   Our answer, "They can not be enjoying life as much as we are today". 

Perfect weather for a day on the Peace River

Our hair was blowing in the wind as Doug powered up the boat.  The water was like glass, the weather was a balmy 79 degrees and the sun peaked out of the clouds just long enough to keep us warm and provided us with a wonderful day on Doug and April's boat. Doug is a master sailor (among other things) and taught us how to read the navigational signs and correctly move around river and open water. 

A Friend joined us on our cruise up the river!  Made our day!!!

We had 5 dolphins playing with us for about 10 minutes.  They would swim along side the boat, swim under the boat and jump up on the other side, surf in our wake and come up along side to say hi --another first for us! 

Roseate Spoonbill, Brown Pelican and Black Vultures at the Rookery! 

The roseate spoonbill (the pink bird in the middle of the picture above) was the first time Doug and April has seen one at the rookery (you can click on the picture to enlarge and really see the birds).   Of course the duckbill showed up just to make our visit extra special.   It was amazing how all the birds got along so well.  The rookery was 23 miles up the Peace River and the views all along the river and canals were just breath taking. 

Doug can really Grill! 

The first night Doug grilled chicken patties for us and it was seared steaks the second night.  Of course, April did all the side dishes so we ate like royalty! 

April and Pat relaxing while Doug does the hard work of cooking!  Is that wine in your glasses? 

Beautiful sunset on the Peace River!

Our visit with Doug and April was way too short and we hope to make it down to their backyard again before returning to Colorado.  It seems no matter where we go or when we visit with our friends and family, one thing always happens -- we are re energized.    We believe the sunset above is very symbolist of a our life.  We know that not everyday will end with a perfect sunset but we will seek that "perfect sunset" and cherish the memories of days spent with you, our friends and family.  Thanks Doug and April for the memories, we had another perfect sunset in your backyard!!!

We are in Florida's Backyards!

OOPS!  If you think you have seen some of these pictures before - you have!  I posted our arrival in Florida already but somehow when I was typing a new post---I somehow deleted the first Florida post.   So I am adding the earlier post's pictures to this post. I think I warned all of you that this blog would not be perfect and I have kept my word.

We arrived in the Sunshine state and set up at Kennedy Space Center.  This place is really nice, we are on the Banana River, just across from the launch pads at Kennedy.  We will have front row seats for any rocket launching (if we are lucky enough to see a launch).  After we arrived and set up the motor home we drove to Titusville to visit Pat's brother, Chas, his daughter Kelsey and grandson Aiden.  They are down here working on the two houses that Chas bought in Titusville.  His wife Sharon arrived a few days later and we have been over to see them a couple of times since we arrived.  The following day we drove over to Orlando to visit with George's brother Dick and his wife Karen.  Their friends, Steve and Minnie are also down here.  They are all escaping the Ohio weather and will be here until sometime in March.  The weather has cooperated and we have been really enjoying the "Sunshine" state.

Our site at Kennedy Space Center

Pat relaxing and reading -- She is also catching some "rays"

Minnie, Karen and Pat posing at their condo in Orlando

Kelsey and Aiden relaxing at Chas' house in Titusville

After riding around on the scooter and visiting several cities on the "Space Coast"  we drove back over to Titusville to visit with Chas and Sharon (she was visiting with her mom in Ocala).  Unfortunately, Sharon, Kelsey, and Aiden are driving back up to Ohio today so we had to say goodbye---Sharon is flying back down here on Feb 7th so we will get to spend more time with Chas and Sharon.

Sharon on the back porch of their house.

We finally played a round of golf with Dick and Steve.  The good news was the great weather, the bad news was the good weather, it  brings a lot of old old people down here to play golf.  It took us 4 1/2 hours to play 18 holes.  Apparently, nobody likes to let anyone play through!!! We started at 1:45 and it was dark when we finished on 18 - a very exhausting day!!  Dick told us to relax - no matter where we play it is going to be a long day.  Think we will try Patrick AFB, at least they have Marshalls to move play along.

Dick and George waiting on the tee box - could have taken this pic on all 18 holes

Pat teeing off - notice the windbreaker (?) it was getting late in the day and the temps were going down into the 60's.

Sorry about the repost but wanted to let everyone know that we are doing well and settling into a little routine.  We will be driving down to Port Charlotte for a couple of days to visit our friends Doug and April on Wednesday.  Also, Bob and Donna, our traveling friends, will be joining us by the end of the week.  So our days will start to fill up with activities very soon, which means we will be posting again soon.  We hope you are enjoying our blog and we hope you are enjoying your backyards.  Take extra good care of yourselves and remember that you are never far from our thoughts.

We share the hurt of our Charleston family!

With heavy hearts we visited with Pat's cousins and aunt in Charleston.  Aunt Lib is of course on every one's mind and we miss her greatly.   The interaction and reminiscing with the family helped lift all of our spirits.  Despite the circumstances surrounding our visit to Charleston, we truly enjoyed visiting with Pat's aunt and cousins.  They are all remarkable and resilient and despite the circumstances, our visits were happy occasions and the opportunity for camaraderie was not missed. 

David and his new wife, Lisa!  Congratulations!

David was Aunt Lib's youngest and lived beside his Dad and Mom for the last several years.  He loved and cherished his parents, thank God he has a wonderful wife to help him through this saddest period of his life.

The two oldest children, Mildred and Dorothy sorting through pictures of a lifetime.  The memories they shared with their mom will last a lifetime, thank God for pictures and their memories!

Gene can always make you laugh

Gene experienced life threatening heart problems last year and is recovering with the help of his wonderful wife and best friend, Mildred.  His wit, and down to earth common sense approach to life will help the entire family cope with the days ahead.

Aunt Marie and Pat share a hug!

Aunt Marie is struggling to understand the loss of her brother and sister in law within a three month period.  She has the support of her family not only for her loss but also from her debilitating stroke.

After the funeral, the family gathered together for a meal in Summerville, SC

The family relaxing after a very sad day in our lives

Sharon and Patrick (Gene and Mildred's daughter and son)

Sharon made a two song CD that was played at Lib's funeral -  a beautiful voice and very moving songs!

George and Evin - What is so funny?  It can't be good!

James and Christopher - Lib's son and grandson - It would appear that James could not let his hair down!!!!

Gene - those four plates were full of food at one time!

As the family gathered for a last meal together after the funeral, it was time to relax and enjoy the company of those who shared the saddness of losing a mother, grandmother, greatgrandmother, aunt, sister and friend.  Closure for those close to Aunt Lib was important for all and we believe that Aunt Lib would definitely approve.

If there is a lesson to be learned with the passing of a wonderful lady; it is that we do not know what the future holds for any of us.  Aunt Lib was the picture of health yet with no warning, God decided he needed her to walk with him.  We all have friends and family that we love, yet sometimes we do not take the time to let them know how we feel.  We think there is always time to share our feelings but this week we have again learned a very important lesson --- always take the time to let your friends and family know how you feel.

  

To all of our friends and family

We care for you and you are never far from our thoughts!  We hope you have a healthy and wonderful year!!!!!

AUNT LIB --- We love You!

Our family lost a treasure today.  Pat's Aunt Lib passed away after suffering a massive stroke yesterday.  She was a beloved aunt, mother, wife and a wonderful person who will be missed by everyone who has ever had the pleasure of meeting her.  It was truly our great fortune to know and to love her. 

  To Mildred, Dorothy, James, and David and to their families and friends --- we share your loss!   

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA

We made the trip from Nashville to Columbia to visit Pat's Aunts Ruby and Betty.  As always we were treated like royalty and had so much fun it is hard to leave.  We arrived late Saturday and by the time we got settled in and ate our dinner it was too late to visit.  We thought the Bronco vs Patriots game would be worthwhile to watch (it obviously was not as the Broncos were taken to the woodshed) so we stayed close to the motor home Saturday night.  Sunday morning we drove over to Aunt Ruby's house only to find her gone to WalMart (working not shopping).  We did catch Wayne and Traci at home and visited with them for awhile before driving to Aunt Betty for a visit.  Before driving down to the Charleston area we stopped at Aunt Betty's for breakfast and more catching up!  She is always a favorite stop on our travels through the backyards of South Carolina.  Here are some pictures of our family in Columbia,South Carolina.

Pat, Ruby, Melanie, Evin, and Arthur Wells -- are they having too much fun?

Nick, Marissa, and little Rease - Is Mom and Dad proud or what?

George always goes for the baby!

Aunt Betty and George looking at the pictures of our backyard travels

Aunt Betty really did not want her picture taken but we told her she has to be on the blog!

Thanks for smiling Aunt Betty!

Our thanks to all our Columbia, South Carolina family for putting up with us for a few days/

On the Road Again!

We are on the road again.  We have left Colorado and are heading south for a couple of months.  Before leaving the Air Force Academy we had a last visit from Kris, Amy and the super "Ks"!  The night before we put the jacks up on the motor home they joined us for homemade pizza, a round of playing with the boys and a last hug before departing January 7th, a few days later than we had intended but it was well worth the extra days because Kasey and Karsten provided us with a few more memories for our trip south.  It seems that whatever one of the boys do now the other needs to copy it.  Karsten had to change his shirt so of course Kasey had to change his also.  They both headed to the bedroom after dinner and everybody ended up on the bed.  We all share a few laughs before they headed home and we headed to bed exhausted!

Grandma, the boys and Amy enjoying the bedroom romp!

 

Amy what is Karsten doing?

 

Look everyone I have Grandma's shirt on and it almost fits!

After our last visit with the kids, we got up early, had our last cup of coffee with our friends, Bob and Donna and said our goodbyes.  We decided to visit Oklahoma City and our friend, Nancy Lee but discovered she had to leave for Indiana the same day as we were arriving in OK City.  Missed her this time but hope to catch up on our return trip to Colorado in late March.

Colorado City in the rear view mirror!

After missing Nancy we decided to visit Bill and Linda (Pat's sister) in Nashville.  The weather traveling was great and we arrived a day earlier than expected.  Tami and Toni came over the night we arrived, Adam drove over the following morning and Kendra, Rory and Archer drove up from Alabama for a few days visit.  What a great time to see everyone.  Bill has made great progress from his accident last year and we are so thankful for his great attitude and progress. Kendra, Rory and Archer have made the transition from the grand boys just a little easier.  They are very special and fun to be around (never a dull moment when the little ones are awake).  We also enjoyed the BCS championship game (or as George calls it "just another SEC game") with Tami and Tony who came by for supper and the game. 

The little Princess - Rory!

Pat found someone to hold - thanks Archer!

Rory adopted George as a playmate - they were both happy!

Pat and Linda reviewing the Blog book and calendar that we got for Christmas from Kris and Amy -- what a great gift!

Rory and Archer with Mom - Kendra you look pretty good also!

Even though we had to leave our family and friends back in Colorado, our first stop on our way to Florida has been great.  Bob and Donna will join us in Florida later this month but we wanted to visit with Pat's family before we arrived in Florida.  Our next stop will be in South Carolina before heading directly south to what we hope will be warm weather, a few rounds of golf, joining up with Bob and Donna again, seeing George's brother in Orlando (more golf?) and Pat's brother in Titusville and visiting with our friends, Doug and April.  It sounds like we will be busy but we have a few months to work out all the details.  The trip back to Colorado has not been planned yet but we hope to take our time and visit with friends along the way back.

To all our friends and family we hope you are enjoying the new year and are planning to live life to the fullest in 2012!  Take extra good care and come back to read about our visits to America's backyards.

KASEY'S BIRTHDAY AND CHRISTMAS!!!

It has been awhile since we posted and we have been reminded by a few of you that we are slackers.  We hope to do better in 2012.  We have enjoyed our time back in Colorado, spending time with Kris, Amy and David plus those two special little guys - Kasey and Karsten!  It seems time has flown by and we are now getting ready for the New Year and firing up the motor home to head to warmer weather.   We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed this holiday with friends and family.  In Colorado we always hope for snow in December and we were not disappointed with about 9 inches of snow falling just before Christmas.

The motor home parked at the USAF Air Force Academy - a perfect Colorado postcard!

It never seems to get old watching the grandchildren and during December we managed to spend a lot of time with the "boys" with Kris and Amy attending the various Christmas parties, their hunting trips and the Bronco's home games.  

We also were fortunate to watch our grand dogs a few times as David adjust to a new life.   His wife decided that she could not be faithful and left David to live life as a single woman with no ties to a stable family life.  We know David will have a better life without her and time will heal his broken heart.  He has many things to build his new life on:  a good job, returning to college, many old and several new friends from his work, plus he has a caring family to lean on as he moves on with his life.  Time will help but he and our entire family has been hurt by his "wife's" betrayal.  We have moved on and have salvaged the holiday season; we are so fortunate to have a wonderful and loving family that has joined together to celebrate life, Kasey's birthday and the Christmas season.  Speaking of Kasey's birthday lets move on to better subjects.  On December 23rd,  Kasey William Cannode turned the Big Two Years Old!!!!!  Not the terrible twos but the "Watch me Grow Now" twos".  Amy and Kris make sure that Kasey's big day is special and not rolled into the Christmas celebration -  they are so right, he is special and deserves his special day!

I am two years old and the party starts now!

Karsten thinks the bag looks better on him than with presents in it!

Kasey's cake looked great! 

Christmas did come a couple of days later and we enjoyed it more than any other Christmas in recent memory.  We started the day with a few gifts for Kasey and Karsten in the morning, had blueberry pancakes for breakfast and started to get ready for the Christmas dinner and more presents.  We gathered together around 3:00 after allowing David to sleep for a few hours after his overnight workshift on Christmas Eve.  Although Christmas is a gift giving holiday, it is extra special when you have two grandchildren to enjoy throughout the holiday seasons!

Grandpa's nickname for Karsten is "Little Hoss" and now he has a 10 gallon hat just like Hoss on Bonanza! 

Uncle David and Kasey enjoying some time together

Amy, Grandma and Kasey seem to be enjoying unwrapping the presents, but remember someone has to clean up the Christmas paper!

How did Kasey know how to make snowballs and throw them at Grandpa!

 Grandma showing the boys how to make snowballs!  Now we know who is responsible for snowballs!

Sledding down the road --- Watch out for the "Super K's"!  O by the way, Nice hats boys!!!

What would Christmas be without a couple of Bronco helmets to help cheer on our favorite team!

What a blessing that our family was able to celebrate Kasey's birthday and the birth of our savior together.  Family means everything to Pat and I, we are so proud of David, Kris, Amy and our two wonderful grandchildren, Kasey and Karsten!  God has been good to us.   This is the time of year we should all count our blessings, be reminded of what is important in life, and to come together as family and friends.  We sincerely hope you enjoyed the Christmas season and look forward to the New Year with all of it's hope and promises!  We will be on the road with our friends, Bob and Donna again in 2012.  We hope to be able to see as many of you as we can but if not trust us that we will be thinking of you as we visit the backyards of America.  May God Bless You in 2012!!!!