2/24 - 3/4

I haven't been able to access the internet very much so, therefore, I haven't caught up with my blog. Only one of us can access the internet in our condo and Wayne gets it for work. I'm at the library today so I'm able to use it here.

We haven't done too much exciting. We went to a "state" dinner at church on Friday and met some other folks from MN.

We were looking today at a park with "manufactured homes" for 55+. It was really nice. It seems they have a waiting list for next year to rent but there are a couple for sale. We are really tempted to buy one. We've been looking around for a place to rent next year. We really like the area.

We eat out almost once every day so we've found a lot of really neat places. We've hardly every eaten at the same place twice.

2/17 - 2/23

Jamie is here. We've been really busy. Pictures to come.

2/18 We went to the Everglades and took a tram ride seeing tons of alligators and a variety of birds and mangrove trees. Great day.

2/19 Tin City.. Fun shopping area.
2/20 Sanibel Island
2/21 Marco Island
2/22 Naples Zoo. Lunch at Cheesecake Factory and then to the Pier and downtown.

2/12 - 2/15

We are still getting settled into our condo. Over the weekend we did a few things. We went to church-East Naples UMC- and to a concert at the church. Not much happening.

2/5 - 2/11

Well, after spending two nights in Phoenix with Barb & Denise and having a wonderful lunch with Linda in Old Town, we headed to Houston. We should have done this part of the trip in three days rather than two. It was exhausting. We had a nice dinner and enjoyed a fire at Michelle and Rick's lovely home. Then a hard day to Pensacola.

We spent the night at Bob's house and met Leslie and some other musicians who were staying there as well. We learned that Bob and Leslie plan to marry in July. We're very happy for them and really liked Leslie.

Then on to Naples...a trip we planned to make in one day but we were just too tired and stopped for the night about four hours away. Arrived at our condo in Naples on 2/9. It is every bit as nice as what we pictured on the internet and it seems like a quiet area.

We're learning our way around, buying groceries and doing a little sight-seeing. It's just nice to be planted for a while. Wayne's back and leg have been really bothering him, especially at night, so he went to the doctor this morning. It seems it might be that degenerative disc disease acting up again, probably from all the driving we've been doing. We'll try to stay put for a while and get him feeling better. In the meantime through all this travel, he has had more orders than he has ever had before. That's also been keeping him pretty busy.

2/3 - 2/4

Drove from San Diego to Phoenix. We're staying with Barb for a couple of nights so Wayne can get some work done. I plan to have lunch with Linda today and get some laundry done.

2/2

Experienced my first earthquake yesterday. We were still in bed at 6:10 AM when we felt the bed tremble. We didn't know what it was at first but then we heard on the news that there was an earthquake centered about 25 miles away in Mexico.

I went shopping and had a manicure during the day. Bought new black slacks and a tank top with a darling jacket - very light weight and airy. I love it.

In the evening we drove to "Old Town" and had dinner at a Mexican restaurant.

2/1/10

Thursday evening we went to see Jersey Boys. Great Show!!! Mark has a friend in the cast so after the show we met him and he gave us a tour of backstage. We had a wonderful dinner in a French restaurant prior to the show. It was soooo good. From the restaurant we were able to watch the pirate show at Treasure Island across the street. I wasn't tired at the end of the show so I decided to play at the blackjack table -- won $100. The next morning I spent $3 in the penny slots and won $336!! At the end of the week I went home with an additional $400. Best week I've ever had in Vegas.

Friday evening we saw O by Cirque de Soleil. I wasn't all that impressed really although it was good and everybody else seemed to enjoy it more that I did. Saturday we returned to the beach house and Sunday we drove to San Diego.

When we arrived at the hotel I asked for a Jacuzzi and got it for no additional cost. It is the best Jacuzzi I've ever had.

1/28

During the last couple of days I have been gambling a little. I haven't loss much and I still have a large chunk of my budget left to continue. So I count that as all good for Las Vegas. We had lunch yesterday at the Mesa Grill, Bobby Flay's restaurant at Caesars' Palace (for those who are also devotees of the Food Channel). Pat and I shared the best burger ever. We are ignoring our diet plans while in Vegas.

Robert and I went to see the magic show of Penn and Teller last night. Wayne wasn't feeling well and Pat had other plans so we went without them. It was a good show. Robert participated in the show a bit when he had a book of jokes and they were able to quote what joke he had selected. We were amazed.

Tonight we plan to see "The Jersey Boys" and tomorrow we have tickets for "O" by Cirque du Soleil. Looking forward to those.

1/26

Friday night we went to the Gosnell's school and watched Bradley perform in "Comedy Sportz", a spontaneous comedy competition. It was really funny and Bradley did a great job. After that, we went to their house to celebrate Bradley's 18th birthday. A great evening.

I've been ill for the last couple of days, but I got a shot at the doctor on Monday that seemed to clear up the nausea. I guess I picked up some sort of stomach virus but it's better now.

Tuesday, we drove to Las Vegas. Wayne had dinner with his co-workers while I tried my luck at the slot machines. Won a little.

Finally, able to eat again. The bug I had made me drop a few pounds.

1/21

We went to the John Paul Getty Museum. Quite a place.

1/20

Just hung out at the house today, watching the storm brew. We had planned to go to the Getty Museum but changed our mind due to the storm and road conditions. Slept away much of the day. Kind of nice.

1/17-1/18

Picture #1-Mark holding Sophia with Cayley.

#2 - Bradley and Kellie

#3 Audrey and Zack

#4 - Kellie's parents, Mike & , with Raja's mother, Beverly. In the background you can see Wayne with Emily.

Well, the weather didn't hold for our party on Sunday but we all had a good time even though it rained through most of it. Poor Robert grilled burgers and brats out in the rain. What a trooper!

The storm came even stronger on Monday so we went off to Celeste's and watched a movie, played a game, and had dinner with Audrey, Cayley and Raja. Prior to that I tried out a new recipe for potato/leek soup for lunch. It wasn't bad. We're trying to remain on our vegan diet and have been pretty successful.

During these rainy days we are thinking of going to the Getty Museum and some other places but mostly we just hang out.

1/17/09

Yesterday we went on a whale watch cruise around the Channel Islands with Celeste, Audrey and Cayley. What delightful and polite girls they are! We enjoyed their company and also saw a few whales spraying and showing their tails. We went out for dinner with them as well. The first picture shows a whale spraying if your vision is good enough to see it. That's the best I got of the whales.

We are planning a party today at the beach house with Mark and Celeste and their families as well as Raja's mother. Hope the weather holds. The rain is supposed to start tonight and is expected to last for the week. The National Weather Service is predicting surf as high as 25 feet by Wednesday. It should be exciting.

1/15 - 1/16

On Thursday, our new SUV was broken into. It was sitting in the driveway at the beach house in broad daylight. We're pretty certain it happened within a 90 minute period of time in the morning. We had been out walking and had walked right past it when we returned and it was ok then. Some time later Robert returned and noticed our broken window (rear window driver side). The police said he thought they were coming for the GPS's since we had 2 brackets on our dashboard. Luckily, we had no valuables in the car at that time. Clearly, they removed everything from our glove compartments but came away with nothing. The insurance covered the cost of repair and it was done on Friday.


We went to Mark & Kelli's house on Thursday evening and met Zachary and Sophia. Beautiful children! Zack is clearly able to read quite a few words although he is only 20 months old. He is a completely entertaining child. Sophia is a very happy, contented 5 month old with a big smile.

Friday evening we went our for seafood at Brophy's and then returned to play bridge. We were able to put on shorts and sandals today. It was finally warm enough.

1/12/10

Arrived at Raja and Celeste's beach house in Oxnard, CA about 2:30. Robert and Pat have been here for a week already.

After the fear I have had at home of slipping on the ice, I took a tumble in the desert. No tragedy, just broke my watch.

The beach house is lovely and the weather is fairly cool. Today we will just relax, unpack and go out to eat.

1/11/10

We arrived in Mequite, NV after a fairly harrowing day through the mountains. I tried once to drive but I was so panicked, Wayne took over again quickly.

He nicely stopped in NV so I could gamble a bit. Won a little, lost a little, but broke even in the end.

1/10/10

Another great day to be traveling with good road conditions. We intended to spend the night in Denver but again decided to continue through the mountains. It was glorious! We decided not to even continue our audio-book so we could just enjoy the scenery. Unfortunately, it was nearly impossible to find healthy meals. We spent the night in Glenwood Springs, CO, Hampton Inn.

We did finally get above freezing temps but it varied considerably throughout the day.

1/9/10

We left home at 7:11 AM (hoping that time is a good omen). The temp is -17 degrees. We've decided to celebrate the first time we hit temps above freezing.

Our first stop was in Iowa a couple of hours later. Along the way we saw a lot of cars and trucks in ditches; evidence of a prior storm but we had great road conditions today. Predictions of good weather ahead. We stopped again for lunch; eating tuna sandwiches I brought from home in the car at a gas pump. The food in the guas station looked awful.

We intended to spend the night in Omaha but got there about 2:00 so decided to keep going to Grand Island, NE, Howard Johnsons.

Thankfully, our neighbor called us and left a message that we had left our garage door open at home. I couldn't believe it! Of course, we gave him our code and he took care of it.