June 13th - New York City -
A new day, a new adventure! We spent today in New York City. We did
everything one an do in a 7 hour period of time. We didn't quite realize
how close we were to New York until we hit Mapquest. Finding out that
Englishtown, New Jersey, where are next race will be, is only 42 miles
from the Big Apple, we decided that we couldn't pass up the opportunity
to tour the city. We drove our motorcycle, which by the way now has over
1200 miles on it, to Liberty State Park. Liberty State Park is just this side
of the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels so we knew it would be the best place
to park and not have to deal with a lot of traffic. We took the ferry out to
Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. I had been there before, but it
never ceases to amaze me just how big and impressive she is. We took
the audio tour of both of them and learned quite a bit of history. After
finishing up the tours we headed into Manhattan via a train and then a
water taxi. It's beautiful to see the New York skyline from the ocean. It is
very different however and a bit sad not seeing the enormous World
Trade Center standing tall above the other buildings. Once we made it
into Manhattan we walked around the city, did a little window shopping
and had New York Pizza for dinner. The pizza had a bit more flavor than
the Chicago restaurant we went to, but the thing about New York pizza
places is that the pizzas are all precooked and the restaurants are very
tiny narrow stores more like a glorified deli. We figure it must be this way
since everyone in New York City is always in a hurry so no one wants to
wait for pizza to be cooked. The pizza place we went to was directly
across from Ground Zero. All of the buildings around Ground Zero have
been restored to what they looked like before the tragedy, but wow!
What an enormous hole there is in the middle them all. Seeing what
happened on TV doesn't do it any justice. You can't believe it till you see
it for yourself. They have now rebuilt the subway systems that run below
it which was a huge project. Not living there you never realize just how
much the subways were affected. There are still construction crews
digging out parts of rubble from below. We walked all around Ground
Zero, saw all the plans for the memorial and walked by the temporary
memorial. We took the subway that runs directly below where the World
Trade Center stood to get back to our train and home. New York is pretty
with all it's buildings and beautiful bridges. The Statue of Liberty is a
must see, and the smell of the ocean air while on the ferry is wonderful,
however we have to say that we liked Chicago quite a bit more. New York
is a bit dirty and very cramped as you walk down the streets. We didn't
make it too far into Manhattan, so next year we will have to play tourist a
little more. Chicago is very open for being such a big city, really clean
and the history there is endless. Maybe if we take the Double Decker
Bus here in New York next year we will change our minds, but as for now
we have to say Chicago is our favorite big city with San Francisco
second.
New Jersey is a different story. I don't think we would rate this state too
high on the list of future places to live. Maybe it's just the area we were
in. The area that we camped for the race was pretty with lots of trees and
it smelled like the forest at night, but the however leave a little to be
desired along with the climate, considering it was almost 100 degrees on
Sunday with high humidity. We don't mind humidity, as long as there is a
body of water near us to jump in. Insofar as the people, it's like watching
A new day, a new adventure! We spent today in New York City. We did
everything one an do in a 7 hour period of time. We didn't quite realize
how close we were to New York until we hit Mapquest. Finding out that
Englishtown, New Jersey, where are next race will be, is only 42 miles
from the Big Apple, we decided that we couldn't pass up the opportunity
to tour the city. We drove our motorcycle, which by the way now has over
1200 miles on it, to Liberty State Park. Liberty State Park is just this side
of the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels so we knew it would be the best place
to park and not have to deal with a lot of traffic. We took the ferry out to
Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. I had been there before, but it
never ceases to amaze me just how big and impressive she is. We took
the audio tour of both of them and learned quite a bit of history. After
finishing up the tours we headed into Manhattan via a train and then a
water taxi. It's beautiful to see the New York skyline from the ocean. It is
very different however and a bit sad not seeing the enormous World
Trade Center standing tall above the other buildings. Once we made it
into Manhattan we walked around the city, did a little window shopping
and had New York Pizza for dinner. The pizza had a bit more flavor than
the Chicago restaurant we went to, but the thing about New York pizza
places is that the pizzas are all precooked and the restaurants are very
tiny narrow stores more like a glorified deli. We figure it must be this way
since everyone in New York City is always in a hurry so no one wants to
wait for pizza to be cooked. The pizza place we went to was directly
across from Ground Zero. All of the buildings around Ground Zero have
been restored to what they looked like before the tragedy, but wow!
What an enormous hole there is in the middle them all. Seeing what
happened on TV doesn't do it any justice. You can't believe it till you see
it for yourself. They have now rebuilt the subway systems that run below
it which was a huge project. Not living there you never realize just how
much the subways were affected. There are still construction crews
digging out parts of rubble from below. We walked all around Ground
Zero, saw all the plans for the memorial and walked by the temporary
memorial. We took the subway that runs directly below where the World
Trade Center stood to get back to our train and home. New York is pretty
with all it's buildings and beautiful bridges. The Statue of Liberty is a
must see, and the smell of the ocean air while on the ferry is wonderful,
however we have to say that we liked Chicago quite a bit more. New York
is a bit dirty and very cramped as you walk down the streets. We didn't
make it too far into Manhattan, so next year we will have to play tourist a
little more. Chicago is very open for being such a big city, really clean
and the history there is endless. Maybe if we take the Double Decker
Bus here in New York next year we will change our minds, but as for now
we have to say Chicago is our favorite big city with San Francisco
second.
New Jersey is a different story. I don't think we would rate this state too
high on the list of future places to live. Maybe it's just the area we were
in. The area that we camped for the race was pretty with lots of trees and
it smelled like the forest at night, but the however leave a little to be
desired along with the climate, considering it was almost 100 degrees on
Sunday with high humidity. We don't mind humidity, as long as there is a
body of water near us to jump in. Insofar as the people, it's like watching
May 22nd -
We have officially been on the road for an entire year!!! Can you
believe it?? One year ago today we said goodbye to our California family
and friends and embarked on what has been the best year of our lives
yet! When we decided to take this leap we knew we would enjoy traveling
and seeing the country and we knew God had great things in store for us,
but each day we are still amazed at just how much fun it is and just how
much there is to do and see out here. Our nationwide group of family and
friends has grown so much and God has given us so many wonderful
people to travel and camp with and meet along the way, that we are
thankful everyday for each new adventure and we are greatly look forward
to those memories we are yet to make! We keep asking ourselves "Why
didn't we do this sooner????"
June 1st -
Home is where your heart is! Or should I say - Home is where you park it!
That is so true. We are now at home in Jellystone National Park with Yogi
Bear, Boo Boo, Cindy Bear and Ranger Smith. Jellystone Park is actually
an RV Park in Indiana but we have been spending most of our time just 30
minutes north of here in the beautiful city of Chicago, Illinois. Yesterday we
drove out to Lincoln Park Zoo. It is the largest free zoo in America. It's
amazing how many animals they had. It took us half the day just to walk
around the park. After that we decided to drive into the city and explore.
We weren't quite sure what to do and where to go so we decided to park
the bike at Navy Pier and let someone else do the driving. It was a great
decision. We took a fun double decker bus all around the city. We had
front row seats on the top of the bus for most of the ride so the views were
fabulous, even from the middle you could see everything, especially since
most of the city is up in the sky! The tour was very informative as well.
There is so much history here in Chicago. We rode around in the bus
until it took us back to our original stop which was over two hours later. We
wanted to ride it again, but we were getting hungry and didn't want to have
to drive home too late. We went back to Navy Pier and had dinner at
Bubba Gump Shrimp. It of course is from the movie Forrest Gump which
was playing the whole time we had dinner. We have decided that we will
go back tomorrow and ride the double decker bus again. The best part is
that they let you jump off and get back on the bus at any point all
throughout the day. This way we can explore on foot the places that we
want to see a little closer.
June 2nd -
Today we toured the dunes of Indiana. We took a picnic lunch and made a
day of it. We drove around all the pretty houses on the lake, and walked
along the beach with waves and all. It is so strange to think it is a lake, and
not the ocean. It sure looks like the ocean. They have miles and miles of
marinas with thousands of boats, shipping ports for the local steel yards
and coal mines, huge nuclear power plants that use the lake water for
energy, and miles and miles of sand dunes. Where does the sand come
from??? We are still looking into that. The only thing that Lake Michigan is
missing is the salt water ocean air smell - since of course it is fresh water.
We climbed to the top of Mt. Baldy which is the largest dune here in
Indiana. It was enormous and took a bit of leg strength to climb since each
step you took your feet would sink about a foot into the soft sand. We had
to stop a few times since we were laughing at ourselves so hard. Once we
made it to the top, running down the other side was a kick! You had to run
faster and faster just to keep up with your legs and not fall. Again this was
hard to do since we were sinking into the sand and laughing at what dorks
we must look like.
June 3rd -
We had another fun-filled day in Chicago today. We woke up extra early
and got into town around 8:30 or so. Our motorcycle has been the best
thing! We already have over 1000 miles on it and have owned it less than
2 months. If we still only had our scooter we never could have journeyed
into town or done half the things we have been able to do.
We again took the bus ride around town and got off at quite a few stops.
We went to the top of the Sears Tower. Wow were the views amazing. You
could see four different states. Lake Michigan is so big. It looks like an
ocean from land, and it still looks like an ocean from the top of a 103 story
building. They say that Lake Michigan is more dangerous to sail on than
the ocean since the currents are so rough and come from so many
different directions. For lunch? Well we had to try Chicago Style Pizza in
Chicago right???? Of course we did. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as
Antonio's. After lunch we went down to the "Magnificent Mile" where the
stores are huge and, as the name states, go on for over a mile. The
buildings are enormous and you feel so tiny as you walk the streets
between the skyscrapers. It was such a fun day. Again we could have
stayed so much longer, but our parking meter was about to expire and the
bus stops running around 6:00 or so, so we had to say goodbye to
Chicago and head back to Jellystone Park. We hit the jacuzzi for awhile
when we got home and then watched the movie "The Fugitive" to see if we
recognized any of the buildings or scenery since it was filmed in Chicago.
It was fun to see where we had been on the big screen. Tomorrow we
plan on relaxing by the pool all day since it is supposed to be nice and
hot, and then Monday we will head to the track. We realized today that
while living in California we never had, or would have, thought of Chicago
as a place to visit or vacation. We always thought of New York or
Washington D.C., which we will visit later this year, but never Chicago.
Who knew it would be such a great city to explore. We are so glad that we
have these opportunities to see places that we never would have had we
not embarked on this new life! :-)
We have officially been on the road for an entire year!!! Can you
believe it?? One year ago today we said goodbye to our California family
and friends and embarked on what has been the best year of our lives
yet! When we decided to take this leap we knew we would enjoy traveling
and seeing the country and we knew God had great things in store for us,
but each day we are still amazed at just how much fun it is and just how
much there is to do and see out here. Our nationwide group of family and
friends has grown so much and God has given us so many wonderful
people to travel and camp with and meet along the way, that we are
thankful everyday for each new adventure and we are greatly look forward
to those memories we are yet to make! We keep asking ourselves "Why
didn't we do this sooner????"
June 1st -
Home is where your heart is! Or should I say - Home is where you park it!
That is so true. We are now at home in Jellystone National Park with Yogi
Bear, Boo Boo, Cindy Bear and Ranger Smith. Jellystone Park is actually
an RV Park in Indiana but we have been spending most of our time just 30
minutes north of here in the beautiful city of Chicago, Illinois. Yesterday we
drove out to Lincoln Park Zoo. It is the largest free zoo in America. It's
amazing how many animals they had. It took us half the day just to walk
around the park. After that we decided to drive into the city and explore.
We weren't quite sure what to do and where to go so we decided to park
the bike at Navy Pier and let someone else do the driving. It was a great
decision. We took a fun double decker bus all around the city. We had
front row seats on the top of the bus for most of the ride so the views were
fabulous, even from the middle you could see everything, especially since
most of the city is up in the sky! The tour was very informative as well.
There is so much history here in Chicago. We rode around in the bus
until it took us back to our original stop which was over two hours later. We
wanted to ride it again, but we were getting hungry and didn't want to have
to drive home too late. We went back to Navy Pier and had dinner at
Bubba Gump Shrimp. It of course is from the movie Forrest Gump which
was playing the whole time we had dinner. We have decided that we will
go back tomorrow and ride the double decker bus again. The best part is
that they let you jump off and get back on the bus at any point all
throughout the day. This way we can explore on foot the places that we
want to see a little closer.
June 2nd -
Today we toured the dunes of Indiana. We took a picnic lunch and made a
day of it. We drove around all the pretty houses on the lake, and walked
along the beach with waves and all. It is so strange to think it is a lake, and
not the ocean. It sure looks like the ocean. They have miles and miles of
marinas with thousands of boats, shipping ports for the local steel yards
and coal mines, huge nuclear power plants that use the lake water for
energy, and miles and miles of sand dunes. Where does the sand come
from??? We are still looking into that. The only thing that Lake Michigan is
missing is the salt water ocean air smell - since of course it is fresh water.
We climbed to the top of Mt. Baldy which is the largest dune here in
Indiana. It was enormous and took a bit of leg strength to climb since each
step you took your feet would sink about a foot into the soft sand. We had
to stop a few times since we were laughing at ourselves so hard. Once we
made it to the top, running down the other side was a kick! You had to run
faster and faster just to keep up with your legs and not fall. Again this was
hard to do since we were sinking into the sand and laughing at what dorks
we must look like.
June 3rd -
We had another fun-filled day in Chicago today. We woke up extra early
and got into town around 8:30 or so. Our motorcycle has been the best
thing! We already have over 1000 miles on it and have owned it less than
2 months. If we still only had our scooter we never could have journeyed
into town or done half the things we have been able to do.
We again took the bus ride around town and got off at quite a few stops.
We went to the top of the Sears Tower. Wow were the views amazing. You
could see four different states. Lake Michigan is so big. It looks like an
ocean from land, and it still looks like an ocean from the top of a 103 story
building. They say that Lake Michigan is more dangerous to sail on than
the ocean since the currents are so rough and come from so many
different directions. For lunch? Well we had to try Chicago Style Pizza in
Chicago right???? Of course we did. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as
Antonio's. After lunch we went down to the "Magnificent Mile" where the
stores are huge and, as the name states, go on for over a mile. The
buildings are enormous and you feel so tiny as you walk the streets
between the skyscrapers. It was such a fun day. Again we could have
stayed so much longer, but our parking meter was about to expire and the
bus stops running around 6:00 or so, so we had to say goodbye to
Chicago and head back to Jellystone Park. We hit the jacuzzi for awhile
when we got home and then watched the movie "The Fugitive" to see if we
recognized any of the buildings or scenery since it was filmed in Chicago.
It was fun to see where we had been on the big screen. Tomorrow we
plan on relaxing by the pool all day since it is supposed to be nice and
hot, and then Monday we will head to the track. We realized today that
while living in California we never had, or would have, thought of Chicago
as a place to visit or vacation. We always thought of New York or
Washington D.C., which we will visit later this year, but never Chicago.
Who knew it would be such a great city to explore. We are so glad that we
have these opportunities to see places that we never would have had we
not embarked on this new life! :-)
April 23rd -
Bristol, TN - Home of the infamous Nascar Sharpie 500 race. It seats over
150,000 people and sells out every year. The track is gorgeous and the
hills around us are unbelievable. Never in our entire lives have either of us
seen such beautiful countryside. It makes California look like a desert.
Driving down the highways here is so enjoyable. You can't believe how
many different shades of green there are in the trees and bushes by the
sides of the road. The hills are covered with every color of flower
imaginable, and the lakes and streams are picture perfect. This is definitely
a place that we could live someday. The summers here get a bit hot and
you are fairly far from the ocean so we might just use it as a winter home
and head back to Florida and the beach once summer comes.
We toured the Bristol Caverns this afternoon. It is amazing to think of how
many caverns there may be under the earth that no one has discovered
yet. The formations are so interesting to look at and the temperature
difference from outside to below the earth is crazy. Even when it is 105
degrees outside here in August the caverns never get above 60 degrees.
The caverns we went to today were discovered by a man that was digging a
ditch in his backyard to store meat to try and keep it cooler. After he had
dug about 9 feet down he feel into a hole that was about a half of a mile
deeper and nice and cool - the perfect temperature to keep meat fresh for
weeks. How handy was that??? Luckily he wasn't hurt and decided to rent
out the space to his neighbors so they too could keep their meat, and other
perishable foods cold. An early entrepreneur, always good to have one of
those around.
April 26th - Happy Anniversary to us!!!!
Today was a very fun day full of lots of adventures. The other day while
looking through the "What to do in Tennessee" book we stumbled across a
place called Parrot Mountain! We of course quickly went to their website to
see just what it was, and found an amazing place full of birds and gardens
and beauty. Since we now have our fun little motorcycle we quickly decided
to pack a lunch and head down to Gatlinburg which according to one of our
co-workers is only 40 miles away. A perfect drive on a beautiful afternoon.
We stopped to have a picnic lunch at Davy Crockett Park where we toured
the place he was born and walked along the riverbanks there. We were a
bit misinformed however on the exact mileage of our next destination, so
139 miles and about 3 hours later we arrived in picturesque Gatlinburg.
Good thing we had lunch early! On our way into town we got a bit lost since
the drawn out map we had didn't show all of the roads or exactly the
direction that they went. As we past the police station we got pulled over
since our motorcycle doesn't have tags yet. Of course we could prove to
the policemen that we were legal so they let us go. As they were leaving we
asked them where Parrot Mountain was, and instead of giving us directions
they gave us a personal escort to the location. One was in front of us and
one was behind. They were very nice and quite helpful. Parrot Mountain is
exactly what we would love to have someday. A home for wayward parrots
that people couldn't handle anymore or for parrots that have outlived their
owners, and the next generation wasn't ready to take on three fun lovin'
parrots. We spent a couple hours feeding and petting and playing with the
different parrots. It was so fun to see other people appreciate our beautiful
feathered friends as much as we do. They even had a parrot nursery with
day old babies that looked more like naked chickens up to 3 month old
African Greys that we each got to hold. On our way home we stopped at a
cute little café and had dinner in Virginia to celebrate 9 blissful years of holy
matrimony (well, most of it has been blissful!) :-)
May 1st -
Even though the weather report called for rain all day Sunday and Monday
it turned out to be a beautiful day and they were able to finish the entire
race. Our trailer was placed in such a great location that we could see the
big screen TV at the end of the track. It was fun to be able to watch
everyone go down the track and to see all of the instant re-plays in slow
motion. Usually we just to get to hear it on the radio or loud speakers, so
this was a treat. Our Budweiser team didn't do too bad. We only lost by
4/1000th of a second. It was a great race, but heartbreaking to loose by
such a narrow margin. We did have one of the Top Fuel drivers literally
blow up while making a qualifying run on Friday night. Cory Mac's car came
off of the ground and as it began to flip over it burst into flames and blew to
bits as the frame skidded down the rest of the track. Watching it live was
terrifying to say the least. We really thought he may have been killed. I'm
sure everyone has seen it on the news by now, but it seemed like an
eternity between watching the crash and waiting for the Safety Safari to let
us all know that he was in fact okay. Praise God! Cory didn't even have a
scratch on him. They heli-vaced him out to the emergency room just to be
sure, but he was back at the track later that night in one piece. It took
almost an hour to clean the car off of the track since it blew apart so badly
they literally had to sweep parts of it up. Unfortunately our poor Frank
wasn't so luckily with his spill. Saturday morning while stepping out of our
trailer he caught the edge of the lower step, lost his balance and fell. The
prognosis? A broken fifth metatarsal - translation? He broke his baby toe.
Ouch!!! The poor guy had to drive himself to the doctor since we were all at
work and it was the middle of the busy time when he had to leave. This
morning we took him to an orthopedic doctor to make sure that everything
would be okay in the healing process and that he didn't need a full cast.
Luckily it all looks good as far as broken bones go, and he should be back
to normal in 4-6 weeks. The doctor said he could walk on it a bit, drive if he
felt okay with control and even continue to ride the motorcycle. He is a bit
slow going for the time being as he limps along. It's fun to go shopping
however since most of the big stores have motorized scooter shopping
carts. He has always wanted to drive around Wal-Mart in one, and now he
gets his wish. They gave him crutches and a cane. The cane is a bit hard to
master, but on his crutches he is faster than he was with two good feet.
Bristol, TN - Home of the infamous Nascar Sharpie 500 race. It seats over
150,000 people and sells out every year. The track is gorgeous and the
hills around us are unbelievable. Never in our entire lives have either of us
seen such beautiful countryside. It makes California look like a desert.
Driving down the highways here is so enjoyable. You can't believe how
many different shades of green there are in the trees and bushes by the
sides of the road. The hills are covered with every color of flower
imaginable, and the lakes and streams are picture perfect. This is definitely
a place that we could live someday. The summers here get a bit hot and
you are fairly far from the ocean so we might just use it as a winter home
and head back to Florida and the beach once summer comes.
We toured the Bristol Caverns this afternoon. It is amazing to think of how
many caverns there may be under the earth that no one has discovered
yet. The formations are so interesting to look at and the temperature
difference from outside to below the earth is crazy. Even when it is 105
degrees outside here in August the caverns never get above 60 degrees.
The caverns we went to today were discovered by a man that was digging a
ditch in his backyard to store meat to try and keep it cooler. After he had
dug about 9 feet down he feel into a hole that was about a half of a mile
deeper and nice and cool - the perfect temperature to keep meat fresh for
weeks. How handy was that??? Luckily he wasn't hurt and decided to rent
out the space to his neighbors so they too could keep their meat, and other
perishable foods cold. An early entrepreneur, always good to have one of
those around.
April 26th - Happy Anniversary to us!!!!
Today was a very fun day full of lots of adventures. The other day while
looking through the "What to do in Tennessee" book we stumbled across a
place called Parrot Mountain! We of course quickly went to their website to
see just what it was, and found an amazing place full of birds and gardens
and beauty. Since we now have our fun little motorcycle we quickly decided
to pack a lunch and head down to Gatlinburg which according to one of our
co-workers is only 40 miles away. A perfect drive on a beautiful afternoon.
We stopped to have a picnic lunch at Davy Crockett Park where we toured
the place he was born and walked along the riverbanks there. We were a
bit misinformed however on the exact mileage of our next destination, so
139 miles and about 3 hours later we arrived in picturesque Gatlinburg.
Good thing we had lunch early! On our way into town we got a bit lost since
the drawn out map we had didn't show all of the roads or exactly the
direction that they went. As we past the police station we got pulled over
since our motorcycle doesn't have tags yet. Of course we could prove to
the policemen that we were legal so they let us go. As they were leaving we
asked them where Parrot Mountain was, and instead of giving us directions
they gave us a personal escort to the location. One was in front of us and
one was behind. They were very nice and quite helpful. Parrot Mountain is
exactly what we would love to have someday. A home for wayward parrots
that people couldn't handle anymore or for parrots that have outlived their
owners, and the next generation wasn't ready to take on three fun lovin'
parrots. We spent a couple hours feeding and petting and playing with the
different parrots. It was so fun to see other people appreciate our beautiful
feathered friends as much as we do. They even had a parrot nursery with
day old babies that looked more like naked chickens up to 3 month old
African Greys that we each got to hold. On our way home we stopped at a
cute little café and had dinner in Virginia to celebrate 9 blissful years of holy
matrimony (well, most of it has been blissful!) :-)
May 1st -
Even though the weather report called for rain all day Sunday and Monday
it turned out to be a beautiful day and they were able to finish the entire
race. Our trailer was placed in such a great location that we could see the
big screen TV at the end of the track. It was fun to be able to watch
everyone go down the track and to see all of the instant re-plays in slow
motion. Usually we just to get to hear it on the radio or loud speakers, so
this was a treat. Our Budweiser team didn't do too bad. We only lost by
4/1000th of a second. It was a great race, but heartbreaking to loose by
such a narrow margin. We did have one of the Top Fuel drivers literally
blow up while making a qualifying run on Friday night. Cory Mac's car came
off of the ground and as it began to flip over it burst into flames and blew to
bits as the frame skidded down the rest of the track. Watching it live was
terrifying to say the least. We really thought he may have been killed. I'm
sure everyone has seen it on the news by now, but it seemed like an
eternity between watching the crash and waiting for the Safety Safari to let
us all know that he was in fact okay. Praise God! Cory didn't even have a
scratch on him. They heli-vaced him out to the emergency room just to be
sure, but he was back at the track later that night in one piece. It took
almost an hour to clean the car off of the track since it blew apart so badly
they literally had to sweep parts of it up. Unfortunately our poor Frank
wasn't so luckily with his spill. Saturday morning while stepping out of our
trailer he caught the edge of the lower step, lost his balance and fell. The
prognosis? A broken fifth metatarsal - translation? He broke his baby toe.
Ouch!!! The poor guy had to drive himself to the doctor since we were all at
work and it was the middle of the busy time when he had to leave. This
morning we took him to an orthopedic doctor to make sure that everything
would be okay in the healing process and that he didn't need a full cast.
Luckily it all looks good as far as broken bones go, and he should be back
to normal in 4-6 weeks. The doctor said he could walk on it a bit, drive if he
felt okay with control and even continue to ride the motorcycle. He is a bit
slow going for the time being as he limps along. It's fun to go shopping
however since most of the big stores have motorized scooter shopping
carts. He has always wanted to drive around Wal-Mart in one, and now he
gets his wish. They gave him crutches and a cane. The cane is a bit hard to
master, but on his crutches he is faster than he was with two good feet.
January 3rd -
Today is our last day in the Santa Ynez Valley. We will head out this
evening and make our way to Scottsdale, AZ. The time sure has flown
since we have been here and we have had a great time catching up with
friends and family. I must say, even though this time has been wonderful,
we are both a bit antsy to get back out on the road and see new things.
We will be able to take our time in getting to Arizona and play tourist along
the way. It's crazy to think that it is already 2006. Where did the time go?
Speaking of time, we will not be back in this part of the country until the
end of October. We will pick up our Kenny Bernstein trailer in early
February and be on our way to the other side of the country. We are
especially looking forward to the race in Florida and visiting our other
home which is minutes from the beach there in Florida and right on a small
lake. We can't wait to visit.
January 8th -
Quartzsite, AZ, a fun little out of the way town with a beautiful open area to
camp for free. We have been here since the afternoon of the fourth. It is
BLM land, Bureau of Land Management, so anyone can stay here whether
in a camper or motorhome for up to 14 days for no other charge than
being a good tax payer. We have had such a relaxing time. We have spent
the days outside reading or playing with the birds, taking walks and visiting
with neighbors. People out here are very friendly. A lot of them come each
winter and stay as long as they are allowed, which many times is a lot
longer than 14 days. Apparently in the next couple weeks the town will
have a huge rock and gem show and outdoor market. We did go into town
yesterday for a bit, to shop and explore. It was quite an experience. We
were driving along and saw a used book store. We decided to check it out
since we love to read. It was a great store with tons and tons of old books
and modern books. I found one for half price that I almost bought for full
price a week ago. As I went to find Frank to check out, I walked outside the
main building and I noticed a man with quite an interesting outfit on. He
was wearing only one sock! No it wasn't on either of his feet and it was the
only article of clothing that he had on his entire body! It was made out of
silk (I think, since I didn't want to look for too long!) I'll let you figure out
what appendage it covered. (Yikes!) We were a little shocked but figured
"to each their own" I found Frank and as we were being rung up we noticed
all sorts of signs that were publicizing "naturists" I realized that the man in
all of the naturist pictures was the man outside... ... ... He was the owner of
the bookstore! At least we are never without an adventure here on the
road. :-) Good friends of ours, Rick and LaVerne, came out this morning to
visit. They are currently staying in Havasu City just 60 miles or so away.
That is the best part of traveling. No matter where you are there is a friend
nearby. We headed back into town to share the wonders of Quartzsite with
them and grabbed a bite to eat. Frank wanted to go to a restaurant that
was an old converted bus, but by the time we were all hungry we were on
the other side of town. Oh well, maybe on our next visit!
January 9th -
The Flying J is home for the night. The Internet is here and so are the
good RV spaces to stay at for free while traveling through town. We met up
with Frank's Aunt and Uncle for dinner. Tomorrow we will drive the rest of
the way to Scottsdale, AZ to work the Barrett-Jackson Car Auction. It is
supposed to be a crazy and busy event. We will have the same type of
kiosk that we had at the Rodeo. We will be working with our friends Len
and Ellie that we have worked with in the store all year long. We are
greatly looking forward to getting back with friends on the road. We've
missed them over the last two months.
Today is our last day in the Santa Ynez Valley. We will head out this
evening and make our way to Scottsdale, AZ. The time sure has flown
since we have been here and we have had a great time catching up with
friends and family. I must say, even though this time has been wonderful,
we are both a bit antsy to get back out on the road and see new things.
We will be able to take our time in getting to Arizona and play tourist along
the way. It's crazy to think that it is already 2006. Where did the time go?
Speaking of time, we will not be back in this part of the country until the
end of October. We will pick up our Kenny Bernstein trailer in early
February and be on our way to the other side of the country. We are
especially looking forward to the race in Florida and visiting our other
home which is minutes from the beach there in Florida and right on a small
lake. We can't wait to visit.
January 8th -
Quartzsite, AZ, a fun little out of the way town with a beautiful open area to
camp for free. We have been here since the afternoon of the fourth. It is
BLM land, Bureau of Land Management, so anyone can stay here whether
in a camper or motorhome for up to 14 days for no other charge than
being a good tax payer. We have had such a relaxing time. We have spent
the days outside reading or playing with the birds, taking walks and visiting
with neighbors. People out here are very friendly. A lot of them come each
winter and stay as long as they are allowed, which many times is a lot
longer than 14 days. Apparently in the next couple weeks the town will
have a huge rock and gem show and outdoor market. We did go into town
yesterday for a bit, to shop and explore. It was quite an experience. We
were driving along and saw a used book store. We decided to check it out
since we love to read. It was a great store with tons and tons of old books
and modern books. I found one for half price that I almost bought for full
price a week ago. As I went to find Frank to check out, I walked outside the
main building and I noticed a man with quite an interesting outfit on. He
was wearing only one sock! No it wasn't on either of his feet and it was the
only article of clothing that he had on his entire body! It was made out of
silk (I think, since I didn't want to look for too long!) I'll let you figure out
what appendage it covered. (Yikes!) We were a little shocked but figured
"to each their own" I found Frank and as we were being rung up we noticed
all sorts of signs that were publicizing "naturists" I realized that the man in
all of the naturist pictures was the man outside... ... ... He was the owner of
the bookstore! At least we are never without an adventure here on the
road. :-) Good friends of ours, Rick and LaVerne, came out this morning to
visit. They are currently staying in Havasu City just 60 miles or so away.
That is the best part of traveling. No matter where you are there is a friend
nearby. We headed back into town to share the wonders of Quartzsite with
them and grabbed a bite to eat. Frank wanted to go to a restaurant that
was an old converted bus, but by the time we were all hungry we were on
the other side of town. Oh well, maybe on our next visit!
January 9th -
The Flying J is home for the night. The Internet is here and so are the
good RV spaces to stay at for free while traveling through town. We met up
with Frank's Aunt and Uncle for dinner. Tomorrow we will drive the rest of
the way to Scottsdale, AZ to work the Barrett-Jackson Car Auction. It is
supposed to be a crazy and busy event. We will have the same type of
kiosk that we had at the Rodeo. We will be working with our friends Len
and Ellie that we have worked with in the store all year long. We are
greatly looking forward to getting back with friends on the road. We've
missed them over the last two months.
The Wiswall family - our New Year's hosts Ringing in the New Year with Tim and Sharon
Hey! Someday we could turn our Rick and LaVerne at one of Quartzsite's
bus into a pizza place! fine dinning establishments
bus into a pizza place! fine dinning establishments
Happy Birthday to Verna, Steve, Dave and Betty The huge tent that held the auction
January 23rd -
It was a great thing to have those few days off to relax in Quartzsite since
the last week and a half have been anything but relaxing. Time sure does
fly when your working 15 hour days. We kicked the week off with a birthday
party on Friday night for all of the January birthdays in our group. We then
started work on Sunday the 14th and have worked every day until last
night. The auction was absolutely insane. You would not believe the
amount of money that the cars went for. The only auction Frank and I had
ever been to before was the Santa Ynez Valley Elks Rodeo Auction where
all the town people make blankets and pies or cookies and auction them off
to raise money for charity. We saw some amazing cars, buses and bikes
sell anywhere from $9,000 to over $4 million. Saturday was the big day.
There wasn't even standing room left when the big fancy cars were up for
bid. We were happy to see the crowds though since almost every one of
them bought a bag or two of souvenirs from us. I found a beautiful 1985
Ferrari that my dad would love to park in his garage and take for Sunday
drives. It went for the bargain price of $56,000. Frank was going to wait and
put his bid in on a 1950 Futureliner bus built by GM but the bidding got a
little out of our price range when it finally sold for 4.1 million dollars.
WOW!!! I wonder if that gives us a bit more equity in our bus?? Ours is
considerably newer, and the Futureliner was really just a glorified traveling
stage, although it was a beauty. The drivers seat is perfectly centered in
the middle of the cockpit and the entry door is just to the left of the GM
logo. Pictures do not do these cars justice. These machines were
impeccable to look at and pristinely cleaned inside and out. We had a great
time experiencing it all. Those auctioneers talk so fast it almost makes you
dizzy. That must take so much practice. Tongue twisters are nothing for
these guys. I must say the best part of the day is when the auctioneers
were quiet!
It was a great thing to have those few days off to relax in Quartzsite since
the last week and a half have been anything but relaxing. Time sure does
fly when your working 15 hour days. We kicked the week off with a birthday
party on Friday night for all of the January birthdays in our group. We then
started work on Sunday the 14th and have worked every day until last
night. The auction was absolutely insane. You would not believe the
amount of money that the cars went for. The only auction Frank and I had
ever been to before was the Santa Ynez Valley Elks Rodeo Auction where
all the town people make blankets and pies or cookies and auction them off
to raise money for charity. We saw some amazing cars, buses and bikes
sell anywhere from $9,000 to over $4 million. Saturday was the big day.
There wasn't even standing room left when the big fancy cars were up for
bid. We were happy to see the crowds though since almost every one of
them bought a bag or two of souvenirs from us. I found a beautiful 1985
Ferrari that my dad would love to park in his garage and take for Sunday
drives. It went for the bargain price of $56,000. Frank was going to wait and
put his bid in on a 1950 Futureliner bus built by GM but the bidding got a
little out of our price range when it finally sold for 4.1 million dollars.
WOW!!! I wonder if that gives us a bit more equity in our bus?? Ours is
considerably newer, and the Futureliner was really just a glorified traveling
stage, although it was a beauty. The drivers seat is perfectly centered in
the middle of the cockpit and the entry door is just to the left of the GM
logo. Pictures do not do these cars justice. These machines were
impeccable to look at and pristinely cleaned inside and out. We had a great
time experiencing it all. Those auctioneers talk so fast it almost makes you
dizzy. That must take so much practice. Tongue twisters are nothing for
these guys. I must say the best part of the day is when the auctioneers
were quiet!
Our kiosk was 200 ft. from the auction floor Suzy's next car!
You too could own this beautiful bus and travel around with us for only 4.1 million dollars
February 14th - Happy Valentine's Day!
Sorry for the time gap, but we have been sleeping for the past week to
recover from Barrett-Jackson. That's the good thing about this job, you get
more than two days off a week.
A group of us went to dinner last night to celebrate an early Valentine's
Day. There were eight of us at La Paloma - a local favorite Mexican
Restaurant here in Pomona. Tomorrow we are going to see The Pink
Panther. That was one of my favorite movies when I was little so we will see
how Steve Martin compares. It should be pretty funny.
February 15th -
Well contrary to all of the critics that we read, the four of us - Frank, myself,
Kurt and Phyllis thought The Pink Panther was quite a fun movie. Frank
and I realized that we hadn't been to see a movie since Christmas day with
all of his family and I must say I don't think we have missed many. We have
officially worked our first event in our new trailer. We had a lot of fun. The
driver of our team, Brandon Bernstein, comes into the trailer once or twice
a day to do autographs so that really helps it stay busy. He's a very nice
guy just a little older than we are so it's nice been getting to know him. It's
hilarious how starstruck these fans are. It's great for him and his popularity
and us and our profits, but it's funny to see how people react when he is
around. The ladies all love Brandon and the guys all think that he is their
best friend. He takes it all in stride and acts as though he knows them all.
We hooked up our trailer today to the motorhome for the first time and boy
is it a long beast all together. Frank is quite comfortable driving it already
which is amazing since we are 71 feet all together which, by the way, is
longer than a semi truck and trailer!!! Yikes! We are headed to Phoenix for
the next race, but we have a few days off in between so we will travel again
with Kurt and Phyllis and explore a few places on our way.
Sorry for the time gap, but we have been sleeping for the past week to
recover from Barrett-Jackson. That's the good thing about this job, you get
more than two days off a week.
A group of us went to dinner last night to celebrate an early Valentine's
Day. There were eight of us at La Paloma - a local favorite Mexican
Restaurant here in Pomona. Tomorrow we are going to see The Pink
Panther. That was one of my favorite movies when I was little so we will see
how Steve Martin compares. It should be pretty funny.
February 15th -
Well contrary to all of the critics that we read, the four of us - Frank, myself,
Kurt and Phyllis thought The Pink Panther was quite a fun movie. Frank
and I realized that we hadn't been to see a movie since Christmas day with
all of his family and I must say I don't think we have missed many. We have
officially worked our first event in our new trailer. We had a lot of fun. The
driver of our team, Brandon Bernstein, comes into the trailer once or twice
a day to do autographs so that really helps it stay busy. He's a very nice
guy just a little older than we are so it's nice been getting to know him. It's
hilarious how starstruck these fans are. It's great for him and his popularity
and us and our profits, but it's funny to see how people react when he is
around. The ladies all love Brandon and the guys all think that he is their
best friend. He takes it all in stride and acts as though he knows them all.
We hooked up our trailer today to the motorhome for the first time and boy
is it a long beast all together. Frank is quite comfortable driving it already
which is amazing since we are 71 feet all together which, by the way, is
longer than a semi truck and trailer!!! Yikes! We are headed to Phoenix for
the next race, but we have a few days off in between so we will travel again
with Kurt and Phyllis and explore a few places on our way.
A fun Super Bowl party in Pomona with all of our co-workers before the race began
Suzy and Bradley setting up the trailer Open and ready for business on driver's row
February 27th -
We are finished with the Phoenix race. Unfortunately our team ran into a
few engine problems with oil pressure so we didn't make it too far in the
final elimination rounds. It's fun to be part of a team since it gives you
someone to cheer for, but you feel so bad for them all when something like
this goes wrong. Brandon still comes into our trailer for autographs after
the losing round which has got to be hard for him.
On a happier note we are now off to Florida!!!!! We are sooooo very
excited. We have been looking forward to these upcoming three weeks
since we started this job last year. We will leave today as soon as Frank is
done tearing everything down from the weekend and then drive like mad
and hopefully arrive sometime late Thursday. We will drop our trailer at the
track and then head to Titusville where we have a little piece of property in
a big piece of heaven. It's called The Great Outdoors. It is an RV Resort
where each lot is privately owned. We rent ours out most of the year, but
these two weeks we will get to enjoy it ourselves. It has all sorts of
amenities including an 18 hole golf course, two pools with Jacuzzis, a very
nice gym (I miss the gym) tennis courts, shuffle board courts, an event
room where they have all sorts of get togethers and movie nights on the
big screen. It even has it's own church, a restaurant on the golf course and
it's very own bank along with a 3000 acre nature preserve with all sorts of
trails that you can walk through or ride your bikes or golf cart. We haven't
been there in over a year and are having great withdrawals. Cocoa Beach
is about 10 minutes away. It's a beautiful beach with warm, clear water and
white sand. Did I mention it's kinda like my idea of heaven?
We are finished with the Phoenix race. Unfortunately our team ran into a
few engine problems with oil pressure so we didn't make it too far in the
final elimination rounds. It's fun to be part of a team since it gives you
someone to cheer for, but you feel so bad for them all when something like
this goes wrong. Brandon still comes into our trailer for autographs after
the losing round which has got to be hard for him.
On a happier note we are now off to Florida!!!!! We are sooooo very
excited. We have been looking forward to these upcoming three weeks
since we started this job last year. We will leave today as soon as Frank is
done tearing everything down from the weekend and then drive like mad
and hopefully arrive sometime late Thursday. We will drop our trailer at the
track and then head to Titusville where we have a little piece of property in
a big piece of heaven. It's called The Great Outdoors. It is an RV Resort
where each lot is privately owned. We rent ours out most of the year, but
these two weeks we will get to enjoy it ourselves. It has all sorts of
amenities including an 18 hole golf course, two pools with Jacuzzis, a very
nice gym (I miss the gym) tennis courts, shuffle board courts, an event
room where they have all sorts of get togethers and movie nights on the
big screen. It even has it's own church, a restaurant on the golf course and
it's very own bank along with a 3000 acre nature preserve with all sorts of
trails that you can walk through or ride your bikes or golf cart. We haven't
been there in over a year and are having great withdrawals. Cocoa Beach
is about 10 minutes away. It's a beautiful beach with warm, clear water and
white sand. Did I mention it's kinda like my idea of heaven?
Here we are, hard at work! Our Bus and trailer as seen on the U.S. Highways!
We visited Yank's Air museum on our way to Arizona with Kurt and Phyllis
March 3rd - Happy Birthday to Cody!!!!
Goodbye California! Hello Florida! We are officially now residents of the
great state of Florida. We went to the DMV today and received our new
Driver's Licenses to make it official. Florida is so organized at the DMV we
were amazed at their efficiency. California should take a lesson. We were
in and out with both of our Driver Licenses in hand in less than an hour.
Yes, they print your license right there while you wait, so no waiting for
snail mail to receive it. It's quicker than 1 hour photo! :-)
We finished all of our errands today and now have 10 days to hang out by
the pools, play a little tennis and shuffle board and relax. We already feel
at home. We wouldn't trade or current job and the travelling schedule for
anything right now, but when the time comes and when we are done
traveling this is where we plan on spending a lot of time.
Tom and Coni, good friends of ours that live here through the winter and
work a few events with MainGate during the year, have loaned us their golf
cart for the week which is a big help. We have been walking around
exploring quite a bit, but the entire park is over 10 miles total so to get
from point a to point b is a bit time consuming on foot, although the
exercise is nice. It's also nice to have the golf cart to drive to the Jacuzzi in
the evenings. The best part is that the evenings stay so nice that once you
are out of the Jacuzzi you stay warm the entire drive home. No more
freezing California nights.
March 11th -
Our vacation time is slowly coming to an end. This is the first time since we
began our adventures last May that we have found it hard to leave one
location, yet at the same time we are looking forward to getting back to
traveling. The Great Outdoors has been so much fun. We have done so
much in the last week or so. We have taken our bikes on every trail
possible. We drove down to Merritt Island with Tom, Coni, Rick and
LaVerne. It's a beautiful nature preserve with a really nice beach not too
far. You can bird watch for days and can spot tons of alligators waiting for
the birds to land near them. The alligators of course remain in the fresh
water of the lakes on the nature preserve and stay far away from the
ocean so it's very safe. Frank and I drove out to Cocoa Beach one day in
Coni's fun little convertible Miata and went shopping at Ron John Surf
Shop and Cocoa Beach Surf Shop. They are absolutely huge. They are
each about the size of Nordstrom. One night the six of us took a dinner
cruise that had all sorts of bands playing from The Big Bopper to The
Blues Brothers. We drove to church in the golf cart Sunday morning. The
church here has an entire area of parking just for all the golf carts. We
had a block party Thursday night and met a bunch of our neighbors. Most
of them gave us a tour of the suites that they have built on their lots. We
are getting a lot of ideas for ours when it comes time to build.
The other morning we all had breakfast at Tom and Coni's and made
"Omelets In A Bag" There were great! You start out with two blended eggs,
then pour them into a freezer safe zip lock bag. After that you add all of
your favorite omelet fixings to the bag, squeeze all of the air out of it, seal
it up and put all the bags into a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes.
Once finished you have the best omelets ever made.
We will head out this afternoon at some point and drive back to Gainesville
for the race there. Everyone says that this is the busiest race of the year
so it should be a lot of fun and go by fairly quick.
March 21 -
Goodbye Florida. Boo-hoo-hoo! We are off again for a little over a week.
Our next stop will be Galviston Island which is on the coast of Texas.
Except for a short trip to St. Petersburg about 3 years ago we haven't
spent much time in the oceans of the Gulf of Mexico. There will be 6 other
couples with us. They all go to Galviston Island each year between these
two races so they know all the good hangouts. We will stay there a little
less than a week and then head up to Houston for the next race. To get
there we will have to drive on Highway 10 through Louisiana where Katrina
hit. On our way to Florida we took an alternate highway around it so we
didn't have to see the bulk of the wreckage, but this time we have decided
we will drive through it.
We will let you know how that goes.
March 23 -
Wow!! Is New Orleans a mess. It has been many many months and it
doesn't look like anything is being fixed or repaired. There are entire
apartment complexes that are piles of ruble. There are hospitals still
closed and missing half of the buildings. We passed by a couple harbors
and the boats were scattered all over the shores and the trees. Most of
the people are living in trailers parked where their houses used to be, and
there are sign all over telling people to stay safe because Hurricane
Season is only a few weeks away. The Highways in Louisiana are horrible.
They are made out of concrete slabs that are set about 1/2 of an inch
apart with about 1/4 of an inch drop between each slab, therefore when
driving down the road you feel like you are being bounced to death.
Everything in the motorhome thuds and your brain hurts after awhile. You
think we are exaggerating? Look at the picture to the right and you can
see for yourself the gaps in the road. They are big enough to grow grass!
We hit a slow part of traffic where we were only driving about 5 mph and
that was wonderful. We wished that the traffic lasted the entire state, but
no such luck after about 15 miles we were back up to speed, but we kept it
slow to lessen our headache. However, when you slow down too much the
truckers yell at you over the C.B. to get off the darn road (yes that was the
polite version) While we were in traffic I actually took a picture of the road,
and the gap in the concrete slabs where the grass was growing. It also
gives an idea just how bumpy the highway was with the uneven sections of
concrete. Thank God we don't have to drive through that state again until
next year!
March 25 -
The shore of Galveston Island, Texas is our current home. The ocean
here in the Gulf of Mexico is nice and warm. There are six other couples
with us, so we have been having potluck dinners each night and staying
up late with lots of stories and a few pina-coladas. It feels a little like
summer camp, except there are no rules and the boys and girls get to
share cabins at this camp! :-) The past two mornings Candie has woken
up all of us ladies with coffee in hand at 6am to enjoy a long walk on the
beach and enjoy the sunrise. We have collected at least a zillion seashells
for Dave and Elaine's fish pond they will build back home in Pennsylvania
during their time off. We have found every type of shell imaginable. There
aren't shells like this on the Pacific shores. A few of them still had little
crabs or snails living in them, so we would put them back on the shore
where we found them. Each morning right after high tide you could see
tons of jellyfish sunning themselves on the shoreline. It was amazing to
see, but I wouldn't be too quick to swim in the water with that many jelly fish
close by. Ouch! Saturday we took a Ferry ride to another part of Texas
and drove the Jeep down the beaches there. It's been such a relaxing
week. Times like these make us realize just how good God is and how
fortunate we are to be able to live this lifestyle.
Frank and I were flying his kite a bit last week, however the wind was
rather strong and my kite flying skills aren't what they used to be. Needless
to say I crashed the kite and it broke into about a dozen pieces. Quite
coincidentally there is a fun kite shop right down the road from our beach
front campsite so we bought a new one that is virtually unbreakable. It's a
trick kite so there are no plastic parts. We are having fun flying it on the
beach, and I am happy to say that my kite flying skills are improving
everyday!
Goodbye California! Hello Florida! We are officially now residents of the
great state of Florida. We went to the DMV today and received our new
Driver's Licenses to make it official. Florida is so organized at the DMV we
were amazed at their efficiency. California should take a lesson. We were
in and out with both of our Driver Licenses in hand in less than an hour.
Yes, they print your license right there while you wait, so no waiting for
snail mail to receive it. It's quicker than 1 hour photo! :-)
We finished all of our errands today and now have 10 days to hang out by
the pools, play a little tennis and shuffle board and relax. We already feel
at home. We wouldn't trade or current job and the travelling schedule for
anything right now, but when the time comes and when we are done
traveling this is where we plan on spending a lot of time.
Tom and Coni, good friends of ours that live here through the winter and
work a few events with MainGate during the year, have loaned us their golf
cart for the week which is a big help. We have been walking around
exploring quite a bit, but the entire park is over 10 miles total so to get
from point a to point b is a bit time consuming on foot, although the
exercise is nice. It's also nice to have the golf cart to drive to the Jacuzzi in
the evenings. The best part is that the evenings stay so nice that once you
are out of the Jacuzzi you stay warm the entire drive home. No more
freezing California nights.
March 11th -
Our vacation time is slowly coming to an end. This is the first time since we
began our adventures last May that we have found it hard to leave one
location, yet at the same time we are looking forward to getting back to
traveling. The Great Outdoors has been so much fun. We have done so
much in the last week or so. We have taken our bikes on every trail
possible. We drove down to Merritt Island with Tom, Coni, Rick and
LaVerne. It's a beautiful nature preserve with a really nice beach not too
far. You can bird watch for days and can spot tons of alligators waiting for
the birds to land near them. The alligators of course remain in the fresh
water of the lakes on the nature preserve and stay far away from the
ocean so it's very safe. Frank and I drove out to Cocoa Beach one day in
Coni's fun little convertible Miata and went shopping at Ron John Surf
Shop and Cocoa Beach Surf Shop. They are absolutely huge. They are
each about the size of Nordstrom. One night the six of us took a dinner
cruise that had all sorts of bands playing from The Big Bopper to The
Blues Brothers. We drove to church in the golf cart Sunday morning. The
church here has an entire area of parking just for all the golf carts. We
had a block party Thursday night and met a bunch of our neighbors. Most
of them gave us a tour of the suites that they have built on their lots. We
are getting a lot of ideas for ours when it comes time to build.
The other morning we all had breakfast at Tom and Coni's and made
"Omelets In A Bag" There were great! You start out with two blended eggs,
then pour them into a freezer safe zip lock bag. After that you add all of
your favorite omelet fixings to the bag, squeeze all of the air out of it, seal
it up and put all the bags into a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes.
Once finished you have the best omelets ever made.
We will head out this afternoon at some point and drive back to Gainesville
for the race there. Everyone says that this is the busiest race of the year
so it should be a lot of fun and go by fairly quick.
March 21 -
Goodbye Florida. Boo-hoo-hoo! We are off again for a little over a week.
Our next stop will be Galviston Island which is on the coast of Texas.
Except for a short trip to St. Petersburg about 3 years ago we haven't
spent much time in the oceans of the Gulf of Mexico. There will be 6 other
couples with us. They all go to Galviston Island each year between these
two races so they know all the good hangouts. We will stay there a little
less than a week and then head up to Houston for the next race. To get
there we will have to drive on Highway 10 through Louisiana where Katrina
hit. On our way to Florida we took an alternate highway around it so we
didn't have to see the bulk of the wreckage, but this time we have decided
we will drive through it.
We will let you know how that goes.
March 23 -
Wow!! Is New Orleans a mess. It has been many many months and it
doesn't look like anything is being fixed or repaired. There are entire
apartment complexes that are piles of ruble. There are hospitals still
closed and missing half of the buildings. We passed by a couple harbors
and the boats were scattered all over the shores and the trees. Most of
the people are living in trailers parked where their houses used to be, and
there are sign all over telling people to stay safe because Hurricane
Season is only a few weeks away. The Highways in Louisiana are horrible.
They are made out of concrete slabs that are set about 1/2 of an inch
apart with about 1/4 of an inch drop between each slab, therefore when
driving down the road you feel like you are being bounced to death.
Everything in the motorhome thuds and your brain hurts after awhile. You
think we are exaggerating? Look at the picture to the right and you can
see for yourself the gaps in the road. They are big enough to grow grass!
We hit a slow part of traffic where we were only driving about 5 mph and
that was wonderful. We wished that the traffic lasted the entire state, but
no such luck after about 15 miles we were back up to speed, but we kept it
slow to lessen our headache. However, when you slow down too much the
truckers yell at you over the C.B. to get off the darn road (yes that was the
polite version) While we were in traffic I actually took a picture of the road,
and the gap in the concrete slabs where the grass was growing. It also
gives an idea just how bumpy the highway was with the uneven sections of
concrete. Thank God we don't have to drive through that state again until
next year!
March 25 -
The shore of Galveston Island, Texas is our current home. The ocean
here in the Gulf of Mexico is nice and warm. There are six other couples
with us, so we have been having potluck dinners each night and staying
up late with lots of stories and a few pina-coladas. It feels a little like
summer camp, except there are no rules and the boys and girls get to
share cabins at this camp! :-) The past two mornings Candie has woken
up all of us ladies with coffee in hand at 6am to enjoy a long walk on the
beach and enjoy the sunrise. We have collected at least a zillion seashells
for Dave and Elaine's fish pond they will build back home in Pennsylvania
during their time off. We have found every type of shell imaginable. There
aren't shells like this on the Pacific shores. A few of them still had little
crabs or snails living in them, so we would put them back on the shore
where we found them. Each morning right after high tide you could see
tons of jellyfish sunning themselves on the shoreline. It was amazing to
see, but I wouldn't be too quick to swim in the water with that many jelly fish
close by. Ouch! Saturday we took a Ferry ride to another part of Texas
and drove the Jeep down the beaches there. It's been such a relaxing
week. Times like these make us realize just how good God is and how
fortunate we are to be able to live this lifestyle.
Frank and I were flying his kite a bit last week, however the wind was
rather strong and my kite flying skills aren't what they used to be. Needless
to say I crashed the kite and it broke into about a dozen pieces. Quite
coincidentally there is a fun kite shop right down the road from our beach
front campsite so we bought a new one that is virtually unbreakable. It's a
trick kite so there are no plastic parts. We are having fun flying it on the
beach, and I am happy to say that my kite flying skills are improving
everyday!
Hoooray!!! We're here!! We make our way to our very own site with a view of the lake!
What's that off in the distance you ask? An alligator family!! Can you see the babies
behind their seven foot long mother?
behind their seven foot long mother?
The boys playing in the beach. Step 1 of omelet in a bag!
Seeing who could dunk Tom first. Write name on bag and fill with eggs
Seeing who could dunk Tom first. Write name on bag and fill with eggs
Step 2 - Add your favorite omelet extras to bag! Step 3 - Boil in pot for 5 minutes
Yes, that is grass growing on the highway!!! A lost boat in the trees - 2 miles from the harbor
"Let's go fly a kite!" Look at all the Jelly Fish! There's so many!
Good friends, a cup of coffee and a beautiful sunrise! What more could you ask for at 6am?
Only God could create such a beautiful picture! We found all sorts of sea life on our walks
We won!!!! We won!!! We won a race!!
April 2nd -
Houston Texas has been an outstanding event for our Budweiser Racing
Team. The last three races weren't quite as good for us since Brandon lost
in the first round each race due to some sort of malfunction on the car or
tire issues, but we have redeemed ourselves and things are looking up. It's
so much fun to be part the team in the first place, but to actually be there
when they win is awesome. We are currently sixth in points which is much
better than 12th which is where we stood last week. Hopefully next
weekend we will do well again and get bumped up further in points.
However to get to the next race we have a bit of a drive to get there. We
will leave this evening and drive as far as we can stay awake and then do
the rest of the 1500 miles over Monday and Tuesday.
P.S. We have now officially been full-time RVers for almost an entire year!!
Boy does time fly when your having a blast!! May 22nd will be our
anniversary for being on the road for an entire year!
April 10th -
We survived the drive to Las Vegas, and the race. We had such a fun
weekend. Good friends of ours from Los Angeles drove over for the
weekend, and Frank's parents joined us here at Hotel Prevost. We all went
to dinner last night at Applebee's along with Kurt and Phillis and had a
blast. Unfortunately I left my camera at home, which I must say is very
unusual. Therefore there are no fun pictures to share with you. Today we
are relaxing at the track and tomorrow we will head to Chris and Karolyn's
house for about a week. They are getting married on Friday and Frank is
the Best Man so we will have a very full week including a bachelor party
tomorrow night for the boys and a little dinner out with the ladies.
Wednesday and Thursday will be busy set-up days since the wedding will
be outside and then Friday the festivities begin, well actually Thursday
night at the rehearsal dinner.
April 2nd -
Houston Texas has been an outstanding event for our Budweiser Racing
Team. The last three races weren't quite as good for us since Brandon lost
in the first round each race due to some sort of malfunction on the car or
tire issues, but we have redeemed ourselves and things are looking up. It's
so much fun to be part the team in the first place, but to actually be there
when they win is awesome. We are currently sixth in points which is much
better than 12th which is where we stood last week. Hopefully next
weekend we will do well again and get bumped up further in points.
However to get to the next race we have a bit of a drive to get there. We
will leave this evening and drive as far as we can stay awake and then do
the rest of the 1500 miles over Monday and Tuesday.
P.S. We have now officially been full-time RVers for almost an entire year!!
Boy does time fly when your having a blast!! May 22nd will be our
anniversary for being on the road for an entire year!
April 10th -
We survived the drive to Las Vegas, and the race. We had such a fun
weekend. Good friends of ours from Los Angeles drove over for the
weekend, and Frank's parents joined us here at Hotel Prevost. We all went
to dinner last night at Applebee's along with Kurt and Phillis and had a
blast. Unfortunately I left my camera at home, which I must say is very
unusual. Therefore there are no fun pictures to share with you. Today we
are relaxing at the track and tomorrow we will head to Chris and Karolyn's
house for about a week. They are getting married on Friday and Frank is
the Best Man so we will have a very full week including a bachelor party
tomorrow night for the boys and a little dinner out with the ladies.
Wednesday and Thursday will be busy set-up days since the wedding will
be outside and then Friday the festivities begin, well actually Thursday
night at the rehearsal dinner.
The happy couple pose for a photo op Frank toasts the newlyweds
What Vegas wedding would be complete without Elvis to sing and Tom Jones to dance??
April 16th - Happy Easter!!!!
We had a very fun week full of wedding planning and surprises. The
festivities of the wedding began on Tuesday with the boys going racing at a
local indoor Go-Kart race track and dinner and cocktails at Margaritaville.
They all had a great time and ended the evening coming back to the house
for a bit of poker that lasted well into the night! We ladies went to a great
local Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Factory and enjoyed ourselves
immensely with fajitas and all the trimmings. Wednesday we spent the day
by the pool with Chris and Karolyn's two dogs and all three birds. Bradley
and Dudley got along quite well. In fact Bradley took a little ride with Dudley
around the house. The boys had boat races while I sat by the pool and
read. What a perfect place to relax at your own private pool nicely heated
with a jacuzzi to enjoy once the sun went down. The bride had to work that
day, but again the girls met her after work, this time for pedicures and
coffee. Thursday was set up day for the Hawaiian weekend and by the time
we were done with Mike and Elena's backyard you truly felt as though you
were there on Kauai with all the palm trees and flowers and views of the
islands.
The wedding was perfect. There was Elvis who sang some of his greatest
wedding hits and Tom Jones was there to help with the ceremony. Every so
often throughout the ceremony Tom would be reminded of a song and
break out with it and have the whole audience dancing. Neither of us can
think of a more fun and festive ceremony that we have ever attended. Chris
and Karolyn are such a fun couple the ceremony fit them perfectly. They
were so happy. The reception included a feast of bar-b-que ribs along with
Kahlua Pork and every salad imaginable. The DJ's were also dressed as
Elvis and kept us all entertained with Hula Hoop contests which I am proud
to say that I lasted quite awhile considering I haven't picked up a Hoola
Hoop in about 12 years and was crowned the winner. I beat out an 11 year
old. WOW! We had a Limbo, which I sucked at, contest as well and a bit of
dancing too. It was a perfect Hawaiian day. Saturday and Sunday consisted
of lounging by the pool and eating all of the leftovers from the reception. It
was a great idea to have the wedding on Friday, that way everyone had two
days to relax before heading back to work on Monday. Well, Frank and I of
course have 8 more days off, but we try not to rub that in. :-)
We had a very fun week full of wedding planning and surprises. The
festivities of the wedding began on Tuesday with the boys going racing at a
local indoor Go-Kart race track and dinner and cocktails at Margaritaville.
They all had a great time and ended the evening coming back to the house
for a bit of poker that lasted well into the night! We ladies went to a great
local Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Factory and enjoyed ourselves
immensely with fajitas and all the trimmings. Wednesday we spent the day
by the pool with Chris and Karolyn's two dogs and all three birds. Bradley
and Dudley got along quite well. In fact Bradley took a little ride with Dudley
around the house. The boys had boat races while I sat by the pool and
read. What a perfect place to relax at your own private pool nicely heated
with a jacuzzi to enjoy once the sun went down. The bride had to work that
day, but again the girls met her after work, this time for pedicures and
coffee. Thursday was set up day for the Hawaiian weekend and by the time
we were done with Mike and Elena's backyard you truly felt as though you
were there on Kauai with all the palm trees and flowers and views of the
islands.
The wedding was perfect. There was Elvis who sang some of his greatest
wedding hits and Tom Jones was there to help with the ceremony. Every so
often throughout the ceremony Tom would be reminded of a song and
break out with it and have the whole audience dancing. Neither of us can
think of a more fun and festive ceremony that we have ever attended. Chris
and Karolyn are such a fun couple the ceremony fit them perfectly. They
were so happy. The reception included a feast of bar-b-que ribs along with
Kahlua Pork and every salad imaginable. The DJ's were also dressed as
Elvis and kept us all entertained with Hula Hoop contests which I am proud
to say that I lasted quite awhile considering I haven't picked up a Hoola
Hoop in about 12 years and was crowned the winner. I beat out an 11 year
old. WOW! We had a Limbo, which I sucked at, contest as well and a bit of
dancing too. It was a perfect Hawaiian day. Saturday and Sunday consisted
of lounging by the pool and eating all of the leftovers from the reception. It
was a great idea to have the wedding on Friday, that way everyone had two
days to relax before heading back to work on Monday. Well, Frank and I of
course have 8 more days off, but we try not to rub that in. :-)
Where are we - Vegas? Or Hawaii? Aren't they cute in their matching outfits??
Gentlemen - Start your engines! Frank finds that the waterfall is a bit cool
Bradley and Dudley take a nap Chris gives us our first Scuba lesson
April 18th -
Fun News!!!!! We recently purchased a couple new toys. First and
foremost we now have the Verizon Broadband Wireless system for our
computers so we now have e-mail and Internet capabilities everywhere we
go!!!! Well, at least everywhere that Verizon has service which seems to
work well so far. We are in the middle of no man's land right now and it
works quite well. Second, we upgraded our little scooter that has a high
speed of about 30 mph which is not freeway friendly - to a fun little
Kawasaki Ninja that has a high speed of well over the legal speeds of your
average highways here in the U.S. We are no longer hindered to side
roads, and now we can discover all sorts of fun places once the
motorhome is settled, or we are at a track. We left our little scooter at Chris
and Karolyn's since hauling the extra weight is pointless and they were
wonderful enough to lend us a little garage space - Thanks guys!!
We have left Las Vegas and are now in Arizona. In fact we spent the night
last night in Winslow, Arizona! Any songs come to mind?? Here's a hint -
"Standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona such a fine sight to see. There's
a girl my lord in a flat bed Ford slowing down to take a look at me." Well
apparently the Eagles sang in better than I can. No we didn't look for the
infamous corner since it was dark once we arrived, but this morning we did
go to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Parks. It is amazing
what water, pressure, ash and sand have done to these trees over the
years. It's also amazing to see how the colors of the hills change from the
morning to the afternoon. These are the stops along the way that make us
love our lives more and more each day. We pulled the motorcycle out of
the trailer and set off to explore the parks. It was a bit cold, but you
couldn't get a better view than the open road of the bike.
April 19th -
Near mishap alert!!!! We had a bit of a close call yesterday on the road.
As we were leaving the Petrified Forest and loading the motorcycle back
into the trailer, Frank noticed a rather large crack on one of the arms of
our trailer tongue. It was such a bad crack that there was only about a half
of an inch left holding it together at the bottom of the arm. Realizing just
how lucky we were that it didn't come apart on the road and cause the
trailer to detach from us and take out the traffic behind us, we were a little
worried about what to do next. The last thing we wanted to do was get back
on the road and risk exactly that happening, so we borrowed a phone book
and called a welder near our current location. The guy was great and only
15 miles away. We drove slowly back to Holbrook, AZ and he had us in
and out in less than an hour. $35.00 and a Budweiser Racing T-shirt later
we were back on the road stronger than we were when we started. Thank
you God for keeping us safe!!!
Fun News!!!!! We recently purchased a couple new toys. First and
foremost we now have the Verizon Broadband Wireless system for our
computers so we now have e-mail and Internet capabilities everywhere we
go!!!! Well, at least everywhere that Verizon has service which seems to
work well so far. We are in the middle of no man's land right now and it
works quite well. Second, we upgraded our little scooter that has a high
speed of about 30 mph which is not freeway friendly - to a fun little
Kawasaki Ninja that has a high speed of well over the legal speeds of your
average highways here in the U.S. We are no longer hindered to side
roads, and now we can discover all sorts of fun places once the
motorhome is settled, or we are at a track. We left our little scooter at Chris
and Karolyn's since hauling the extra weight is pointless and they were
wonderful enough to lend us a little garage space - Thanks guys!!
We have left Las Vegas and are now in Arizona. In fact we spent the night
last night in Winslow, Arizona! Any songs come to mind?? Here's a hint -
"Standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona such a fine sight to see. There's
a girl my lord in a flat bed Ford slowing down to take a look at me." Well
apparently the Eagles sang in better than I can. No we didn't look for the
infamous corner since it was dark once we arrived, but this morning we did
go to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Parks. It is amazing
what water, pressure, ash and sand have done to these trees over the
years. It's also amazing to see how the colors of the hills change from the
morning to the afternoon. These are the stops along the way that make us
love our lives more and more each day. We pulled the motorcycle out of
the trailer and set off to explore the parks. It was a bit cold, but you
couldn't get a better view than the open road of the bike.
April 19th -
Near mishap alert!!!! We had a bit of a close call yesterday on the road.
As we were leaving the Petrified Forest and loading the motorcycle back
into the trailer, Frank noticed a rather large crack on one of the arms of
our trailer tongue. It was such a bad crack that there was only about a half
of an inch left holding it together at the bottom of the arm. Realizing just
how lucky we were that it didn't come apart on the road and cause the
trailer to detach from us and take out the traffic behind us, we were a little
worried about what to do next. The last thing we wanted to do was get back
on the road and risk exactly that happening, so we borrowed a phone book
and called a welder near our current location. The guy was great and only
15 miles away. We drove slowly back to Holbrook, AZ and he had us in
and out in less than an hour. $35.00 and a Budweiser Racing T-shirt later
we were back on the road stronger than we were when we started. Thank
you God for keeping us safe!!!
Our new bike and a beautiful view Petrified wood lay everywhere around us
Look closely and you can see all the beautiful colors of quartz that have grown in the wood.
Yes, these are both pieces of wood from years and years of water, ash, sand and pressure
Yes, these are both pieces of wood from years and years of water, ash, sand and pressure
The before and after of our near disaster. With this repair job it should never crack again.
April 20th - 11 years ago - just
yesterday - a man drove a Ryder
truck to the front doors of the
Murrah Federal Building in
downtown Oklahoma City, lit a fuse
and walked away. Five minutes later
at 9:02am the bomb that was inside
of the Ryder Truck went off
removing the entire face of each
story of the building killing 168
people, 19 of which were children.
To see the Oklahoma City National
yesterday - a man drove a Ryder
truck to the front doors of the
Murrah Federal Building in
downtown Oklahoma City, lit a fuse
and walked away. Five minutes later
at 9:02am the bomb that was inside
of the Ryder Truck went off
removing the entire face of each
story of the building killing 168
people, 19 of which were children.
To see the Oklahoma City National
The east gate reflects 9:01 the moment of innocence before the tragedy struck, and the
west gate reflects 9:03. The moment that changed the town, and the country forever
west gate reflects 9:03. The moment that changed the town, and the country forever
Memorial up close and personal is emotional to say the least. Walking
through The Gates of Time and seeing each of the Empty Chairs is
something every American should experience. There is an "Empty Chair"
for each life lost that day, 19 of them smaller than the others to represent
the 19 babies taken from their families that fateful spring morning. A
reflecting pool calmly flows through the middle of the park marking the area
where the street entrance to the Murrah Building was those 11 years ago,
and where the truck was parked. On the north side of the Reflecting Pool
stands a 90 year old American Elm called "The Survivor's Tree" to show
that all who survived are strong enough to live through something like this.
Just south of the east gate which reflects 9:01, the time of innocence
before the bomb went off, stands The Survivors Wall. This is the only piece
of the building that remains standing today, and on it is etched the name of
each survivor that worked in the Murrah Federal Building the day of the
Oklahoma City Bombing. The west gate reflects the time of 9:03 which
marks the time that changed that innocent moment into pure destruction.
Our travels usually take us to fun and festive places, but today the mood
was a bit somber. We spent quite a bit of time walking through the
memorial taking in each area of the park. The feeling you get by just being
there is indescribable. You feel a sense of loss for the families of those
who were taken, and yet in seeing all of the trees and grass and flowers
you realize the feeling of healing is there as well. Since just yesterday was
the anniversary of the bombing and there was a service to remember
those lost, all of the chairs had fresh flowers on them and the entire fence
was filled with letters and pictures of the people that the chairs represent.
It was an amazing experience and we are so glad that we stopped to see it.
through The Gates of Time and seeing each of the Empty Chairs is
something every American should experience. There is an "Empty Chair"
for each life lost that day, 19 of them smaller than the others to represent
the 19 babies taken from their families that fateful spring morning. A
reflecting pool calmly flows through the middle of the park marking the area
where the street entrance to the Murrah Building was those 11 years ago,
and where the truck was parked. On the north side of the Reflecting Pool
stands a 90 year old American Elm called "The Survivor's Tree" to show
that all who survived are strong enough to live through something like this.
Just south of the east gate which reflects 9:01, the time of innocence
before the bomb went off, stands The Survivors Wall. This is the only piece
of the building that remains standing today, and on it is etched the name of
each survivor that worked in the Murrah Federal Building the day of the
Oklahoma City Bombing. The west gate reflects the time of 9:03 which
marks the time that changed that innocent moment into pure destruction.
Our travels usually take us to fun and festive places, but today the mood
was a bit somber. We spent quite a bit of time walking through the
memorial taking in each area of the park. The feeling you get by just being
there is indescribable. You feel a sense of loss for the families of those
who were taken, and yet in seeing all of the trees and grass and flowers
you realize the feeling of healing is there as well. Since just yesterday was
the anniversary of the bombing and there was a service to remember
those lost, all of the chairs had fresh flowers on them and the entire fence
was filled with letters and pictures of the people that the chairs represent.
It was an amazing experience and we are so glad that we stopped to see it.
The Survivors Tree stands watch over the Empty Chairs across the Reflecting Pool
The lasting words left on the neighboring These words in steel mark the east
building by one of the rescue crews on the entrance to the Oklahoma City
morning of the bombing - April 19, 1995 National Memorial today
building by one of the rescue crews on the entrance to the Oklahoma City
morning of the bombing - April 19, 1995 National Memorial today
Frank makes a wish as he rubs the "lucky stalagmite"
Hmmmmm! How many directions can one Finally we reach the quaint little towns
road go? No wonder we got lost! of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge
road go? No wonder we got lost! of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge
| Parrot Mountain nestled in the hills with birds perched at every corner and in every tree Frank thought he was in Heaven! |
We spent most of our day feeding all the birds. Don't tell Abbey and Cody.
The birds who weren't on outside perches 3 day old African Greys - aren't they
had their own bird cottage in the trees darling??
had their own bird cottage in the trees darling??
Frank gets a free shuttle to the third floor of the
hospital. Nothing keeps Frank down. He still
rides the motorcycle through the pits to and
from work. Note the fancy boot on his right foot.
hospital. Nothing keeps Frank down. He still
rides the motorcycle through the pits to and
from work. Note the fancy boot on his right foot.
May 8th -
Atlanta, Georgia. The deep south! What's it like? Everyone asks us that.
Let's just say that it never ceases to amaze us just how different each
region of this country is and the way people live, dress and act.
Southerners have a very distinct way of life. They don't put too much
money in their homes or their teeth. To stay politically correct we will just
leave it at that. The race was very very slow and it almost rained out on
Sunday. We were very glad to get it in otherwise they would have carried it
over to today. The races ended around 10pm which is really late for a
Sunday, usually we are out of work by 6:00 or so on Sunday evening. Our
team didn't do too badly considering that we blew out a tire in one round
and bent the frame in another. The round that the tire blew out on ended
up getting us #1 qualifying for the weekend. Luckily the tire didn't blow until
the car was coming to the finish line and Brandon was already pulling the
parachutes. He said if it had happened any earlier he would have been in a
world of hurt. Thank you God for keeping him safe. We have over a week
off now so we will head to a fun campground at a nearby lake.
May 12th -
Lake Hartwell, South Carolina. Okay, so not all of the south is totally scary.
South Carolina is beautiful and the lake we are at is amazing. We are here
with two other couples from work and we are having a wonderful relaxing
time. Frank and I rented a little boat one day and explored the lake since
we were both having such great withdrawals from the open water. It's so
pretty to see woods and green grass all around the lake. What a difference
from the lakes back in California. There are over 95 miles of shoreline here
so needless to say we were only able to see a section of it. We explored a
big island in the middle of the lake and just floated in a cove for awhile, had
lunch and read. While we were having lunch, a family of geese floated up
to us. We of course shared our lunch with them and gave them all the
crackers we had on board. They were darling. It was odd though because
there were two sets of babies differing in age, but only one momma goose
and three boy geese. Hmmmmm! Figure that one out.
The six of us bar-b-qued each night and had campfires where we roasted
marshmallows. Usually they don't let you have open fires in the RV Parks
so this was a treat. It rained a little on a couple days but other than that we
had great weather. Peggy and I ran about 2 miles each morning on the
nature trails that weaved all around the lake and through the forest where
we would gather more fire wood for that evening. We have made a pact to
keep up with a running schedule at least four days a week. Wish us luck!
We figure the buddy system will keep each of us motivated.
May 13th -
Today's activity???? Tennis - it was quite comical I must say since none of
us have played more than 3 times in our entire lives, but we had a great
time and burned more calories laughing at ourselves and each other than
we did by playing. Needless to say, professional tennis isn't in the future fro
any of us. Frank of course sat at the sidelines, but his foot is doing a little
better each day and he no longer uses the crutches.
Atlanta, Georgia. The deep south! What's it like? Everyone asks us that.
Let's just say that it never ceases to amaze us just how different each
region of this country is and the way people live, dress and act.
Southerners have a very distinct way of life. They don't put too much
money in their homes or their teeth. To stay politically correct we will just
leave it at that. The race was very very slow and it almost rained out on
Sunday. We were very glad to get it in otherwise they would have carried it
over to today. The races ended around 10pm which is really late for a
Sunday, usually we are out of work by 6:00 or so on Sunday evening. Our
team didn't do too badly considering that we blew out a tire in one round
and bent the frame in another. The round that the tire blew out on ended
up getting us #1 qualifying for the weekend. Luckily the tire didn't blow until
the car was coming to the finish line and Brandon was already pulling the
parachutes. He said if it had happened any earlier he would have been in a
world of hurt. Thank you God for keeping him safe. We have over a week
off now so we will head to a fun campground at a nearby lake.
May 12th -
Lake Hartwell, South Carolina. Okay, so not all of the south is totally scary.
South Carolina is beautiful and the lake we are at is amazing. We are here
with two other couples from work and we are having a wonderful relaxing
time. Frank and I rented a little boat one day and explored the lake since
we were both having such great withdrawals from the open water. It's so
pretty to see woods and green grass all around the lake. What a difference
from the lakes back in California. There are over 95 miles of shoreline here
so needless to say we were only able to see a section of it. We explored a
big island in the middle of the lake and just floated in a cove for awhile, had
lunch and read. While we were having lunch, a family of geese floated up
to us. We of course shared our lunch with them and gave them all the
crackers we had on board. They were darling. It was odd though because
there were two sets of babies differing in age, but only one momma goose
and three boy geese. Hmmmmm! Figure that one out.
The six of us bar-b-qued each night and had campfires where we roasted
marshmallows. Usually they don't let you have open fires in the RV Parks
so this was a treat. It rained a little on a couple days but other than that we
had great weather. Peggy and I ran about 2 miles each morning on the
nature trails that weaved all around the lake and through the forest where
we would gather more fire wood for that evening. We have made a pact to
keep up with a running schedule at least four days a week. Wish us luck!
We figure the buddy system will keep each of us motivated.
May 13th -
Today's activity???? Tennis - it was quite comical I must say since none of
us have played more than 3 times in our entire lives, but we had a great
time and burned more calories laughing at ourselves and each other than
we did by playing. Needless to say, professional tennis isn't in the future fro
any of us. Frank of course sat at the sidelines, but his foot is doing a little
better each day and he no longer uses the crutches.
Our home nestled in the beautiful woods! Smores anyone??? Yummm!
Suzy and Peggy vs. Kurt and Phyllis. Notice the perfect form in our swings (ha ha ha)
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| The open scenery, pretty mountains and beautiful sunsets of Quartzsite camping - for free! |
All aboard!! For our search of wildlife around the park - We saw turtles and armadillos and ... ...
 |  |  |  |  |  |
The front porch of Davy Crockett's childhood home and backyard where we had a picnic
January 1st - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
We hope the New Year finds you all in good health. We had a great day. The guys went fishing in the afternoon
and the girls did a few home improvement projects. Surprised? Well we are all quite handy when necessary.
Later that evening friends of ours had a big New Years Poker Tournament and dinner party. Frank ended up
being the big winner of the night at the Texas Hold-em table. Another group of us played five card draw at the
free table. I'm not sure which table had more fun. We watched Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve for old time
sake and rang in the New Year with a bit of champagne.
Earlier this week we got together with some life long friends of mine. All three Brown girls and hubbies were in
town for the holidays so we went to lunch. Kari and I have been friends since kindergarten and Kate and Kristi
feel like my very own sisters since the four of us grew up together. It's great to get together with old friends. Even
though months or years have past it still feels like no time at all has gone by once you get back together.
We hope the New Year finds you all in good health. We had a great day. The guys went fishing in the afternoon
and the girls did a few home improvement projects. Surprised? Well we are all quite handy when necessary.
Later that evening friends of ours had a big New Years Poker Tournament and dinner party. Frank ended up
being the big winner of the night at the Texas Hold-em table. Another group of us played five card draw at the
free table. I'm not sure which table had more fun. We watched Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve for old time
sake and rang in the New Year with a bit of champagne.
Earlier this week we got together with some life long friends of mine. All three Brown girls and hubbies were in
town for the holidays so we went to lunch. Kari and I have been friends since kindergarten and Kate and Kristi
feel like my very own sisters since the four of us grew up together. It's great to get together with old friends. Even
though months or years have past it still feels like no time at all has gone by once you get back together.
Parrottrek Journal 2006
May 14th - Happy Mother's Day -
Friends of ours, Vicki and Ron Smith, own a racetrack here in West Virginia
so that is our current home for the weekend. It feels so odd to be at a race
and not have to work, but we aren't complaining. Last night we watched the
junior dragster competition. It's so fun to see the little kids have so much
fun. They also had a special event which was a Jet Dragster go down the
track. It was very impressive and she (yes the driver was a girl) was almost
as fast as the Top Fuel Dragsters. This track however is only an 1/8 mile so
the cars don't quite get up to the speed that they would on the usual 1/4
mile track that we are used to. The race did eventually get rained out which
was too bad since the Jet Dragster was supposed to go two more rounds
down the track. We were parked perpendicular to the center of the track so
we had a bird's eye view of all the racing. Vicki and Ron gave us such VIP
treatment. Thanks guys! We had a great time!
Just up the road from us is the town of Point Pleasant. A few years back
they had a huge accident where a commuter bridge collapsed during rush
hour traffickilling many and injuring more. The accident was the inspiration
of the movie "Mothman Prophecies" which starred Richard Gere. Frank and
I were going to take a motorcycle ride and explore the town a bit today but it
hasn't stopped raining yet so we may be out of luck. When dinner time
rolled around John broke out the bar-b-que, since the rain had stopped,
and cooked us all dinner. It was great. There's nothing like a Texan that
knows how to Bar-b-que with the best of them! No worries! Peggy and I are
still jogging almost every morning to offset our over eating this weekend!
Friends of ours, Vicki and Ron Smith, own a racetrack here in West Virginia
so that is our current home for the weekend. It feels so odd to be at a race
and not have to work, but we aren't complaining. Last night we watched the
junior dragster competition. It's so fun to see the little kids have so much
fun. They also had a special event which was a Jet Dragster go down the
track. It was very impressive and she (yes the driver was a girl) was almost
as fast as the Top Fuel Dragsters. This track however is only an 1/8 mile so
the cars don't quite get up to the speed that they would on the usual 1/4
mile track that we are used to. The race did eventually get rained out which
was too bad since the Jet Dragster was supposed to go two more rounds
down the track. We were parked perpendicular to the center of the track so
we had a bird's eye view of all the racing. Vicki and Ron gave us such VIP
treatment. Thanks guys! We had a great time!
Just up the road from us is the town of Point Pleasant. A few years back
they had a huge accident where a commuter bridge collapsed during rush
hour traffickilling many and injuring more. The accident was the inspiration
of the movie "Mothman Prophecies" which starred Richard Gere. Frank and
I were going to take a motorcycle ride and explore the town a bit today but it
hasn't stopped raining yet so we may be out of luck. When dinner time
rolled around John broke out the bar-b-que, since the rain had stopped,
and cooked us all dinner. It was great. There's nothing like a Texan that
knows how to Bar-b-que with the best of them! No worries! Peggy and I are
still jogging almost every morning to offset our over eating this weekend!
| Who could ask for better, dryer seats? |
May 21st - WE WON WE WON WE WON AGAIN!!! -
What started out as a really slow and rain soaked event, turned out to be
another victory for the Budweiser Team! The races rained out on Thursday
and rained out again on Friday night at 10:30pm after waiting for hours to
would not go away no matter how many times they ran the jet dryers down
the quarter mile track. Saturday was a beautiful day without a drop of rain
and the forecast only called for rain early Sunday in the pre-dawn hours.
Just as we thought all was going well, we woke up to thick gray clouds and
steady rainfall. No Worries!!! The sun finally came out and all of the clouds
went away around noon so the final eliminations began about 1:00. Since
that time it's been a great day!! We love it when the temperature is
anywhere under 90 degrees, but 70 degrees was almost too good to be
true!! Brandon, Kenny and the rest of the team had another great day full
of winning rounds. In a couple rounds the races were only a few hundredths
of a second apart and nerve racking to watch, but nonetheless we were
victorious in each of them, which led us all to the Winner's Circle. Almost
every one of the guys on the team had their family attend this weekend's
race since it so close to home for all of them, which made the festivities in
the Winner's Circle even more joyous. Frank and I were right there with
them, and even had a photo op with Brandon and Kenny and the winning
Budweiser machine. It's quite an impressive car going down the track with
four foot flames shooting out the rear, but standing next to it holding a
Wally (the winning trophy) in one hand and the frame of the car in the other
is equally impressive, and a rare opportunity if you aren't the driver!
What started out as a really slow and rain soaked event, turned out to be
another victory for the Budweiser Team! The races rained out on Thursday
and rained out again on Friday night at 10:30pm after waiting for hours to
would not go away no matter how many times they ran the jet dryers down
the quarter mile track. Saturday was a beautiful day without a drop of rain
and the forecast only called for rain early Sunday in the pre-dawn hours.
Just as we thought all was going well, we woke up to thick gray clouds and
steady rainfall. No Worries!!! The sun finally came out and all of the clouds
went away around noon so the final eliminations began about 1:00. Since
that time it's been a great day!! We love it when the temperature is
anywhere under 90 degrees, but 70 degrees was almost too good to be
true!! Brandon, Kenny and the rest of the team had another great day full
of winning rounds. In a couple rounds the races were only a few hundredths
of a second apart and nerve racking to watch, but nonetheless we were
victorious in each of them, which led us all to the Winner's Circle. Almost
every one of the guys on the team had their family attend this weekend's
race since it so close to home for all of them, which made the festivities in
the Winner's Circle even more joyous. Frank and I were right there with
them, and even had a photo op with Brandon and Kenny and the winning
Budweiser machine. It's quite an impressive car going down the track with
four foot flames shooting out the rear, but standing next to it holding a
Wally (the winning trophy) in one hand and the frame of the car in the other
is equally impressive, and a rare opportunity if you aren't the driver!
| Dinner Time! As usual John BBQ's for us all. Yum! Notice how focused he is on the burgers. Philly and Vicki, and the boys sat at another. Ron, Kurt, a very cold Frank, Len and Chef John. |
The team puts on the final winning touches A 7000 horse power engine! GRRRRR!
Frank holds that Wally so proudly don't ya think? Brandon and Kenny with Tracey, Sheryl
Watch out Melanie! We're catching up! and Crew Chief Tim Richards
Watch out Melanie! We're catching up! and Crew Chief Tim Richards
A lioness naps while people watching at the zoo.
A momma swan and her day old babies. Navy Pier and the fun Ferris wheel
Two eggs still haven't hatched.
Two eggs still haven't hatched.
<- Here comes
our fun double
decker bus.
>
Atop the second
level of the
double decker
beautiful city
behind us. We
are right next to
Millennium Park
with the library
behind us.
our fun double
decker bus.
>
Atop the second
level of the
double decker
beautiful city
behind us. We
are right next to
Millennium Park
with the library
behind us.
| The views from the top of Sears Tower. The left shows The Hancock building and surrounding skyscrapers that complete the Chicago skyline. The right shows the Shed Aquarium on the point, surrounded by Lake Michigan. |
Mount Baldy! The picture doesn't quite give Hoooray!!! We made it to the top!
it's height justice, but your legs feel it.
it's height justice, but your legs feel it.
| Jellystone Park - complete with Yogi Bear, who of course Abbey tried to pick a fight with but stopped just long enough to pose for a photo. They even have their very own geyser - Old Faceful. He is a bit smaller than Old surprise when a child looks into the hole! Yes it did live up to it's name and gave you a faceful of water. |
<- A view
Liberty
from the
ferry that
out to
explore
Liberty
from the
ferry that
out to
explore
| immigrants would come every year to Ellis Island, where hundreds of thousand of escape their country in hopes of finding a better life here in America. |
| The 9-11 Memorial that is on a brick wall across from Ground Zero next door to the New with the words "May we never forget" above the Fire Engine with hoses that lead to the burning buildings. Lower right shows the flight paths of the planes used in the attacks. Lower right is the subway that is below Ground Zero. You can see the enormous hole the buildings left behind. Especially when you realize that we went down two flights of stairs and an escalator to get to the subway, and the hole is still below us. |
We are in Madison, Illinios. It is a bit warm here usually, in fact last year it was over 100 degrees everyday so lets hope that the weather is a little nicer. It
should be a really fun and busy race since it is literally in the backyard of the home offices of Anheuser-Busch aka Budweiser. St Louis, MO is only a few miles
away so we will get to meet all the big-wigs of Anheuser-Busch. We won this race last year which was great for moral and keeping the sponsors very happy,
so hopefully we will do well again this year. Say a little prayer!! All our motorhomes are parked in the NASCAR track which is one of the longest ones around. It
makes for wonderful jogging with the steep bank of the curves. Last year I ran around it 4 times thinking that I was doing a couple miles since most of the
NASCAR tracks are around a half mile. Come to find out that it is in fact 1 1/2 miles. I wondered why my average mile time sucked that day!
should be a really fun and busy race since it is literally in the backyard of the home offices of Anheuser-Busch aka Budweiser. St Louis, MO is only a few miles
away so we will get to meet all the big-wigs of Anheuser-Busch. We won this race last year which was great for moral and keeping the sponsors very happy,
so hopefully we will do well again this year. Say a little prayer!! All our motorhomes are parked in the NASCAR track which is one of the longest ones around. It
makes for wonderful jogging with the steep bank of the curves. Last year I ran around it 4 times thinking that I was doing a couple miles since most of the
NASCAR tracks are around a half mile. Come to find out that it is in fact 1 1/2 miles. I wondered why my average mile time sucked that day!
June 25th -
What a weekend!!! We ended up in the finals, but lost that round to the Army team. It was a great weekend however in regards to moving up in the points. We
did have a little incident with the trailer however. Luckily it wasn't our fault. While it was being transported to it's location in the pits one of our fellow employees
be lengthy. The good news is that MainGate will take it from here to Indianapolis to have the repairs done and then drive it out to Denver for us. We are trailer
free for our three weeks off. Frank will be spoiled by the time we get to Denver. He always says that without the trailer the bus drives like a sports car. We are
going to leave tomorrow and head to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery for a tour and then off to Lake of The Ozarks to meet up with friends. Three weeks off!!!
What will we do with ourselves?? I'm sure we will find lots of things to do, or not do such as lay by the lake and relax!!!
What a weekend!!! We ended up in the finals, but lost that round to the Army team. It was a great weekend however in regards to moving up in the points. We
did have a little incident with the trailer however. Luckily it wasn't our fault. While it was being transported to it's location in the pits one of our fellow employees
be lengthy. The good news is that MainGate will take it from here to Indianapolis to have the repairs done and then drive it out to Denver for us. We are trailer
free for our three weeks off. Frank will be spoiled by the time we get to Denver. He always says that without the trailer the bus drives like a sports car. We are
going to leave tomorrow and head to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery for a tour and then off to Lake of The Ozarks to meet up with friends. Three weeks off!!!
What will we do with ourselves?? I'm sure we will find lots of things to do, or not do such as lay by the lake and relax!!!
same. The World Trade Center had towered
it all looks the same height.
it all looks the same height.
A view of the massive hole still elft
behind from the explosion, and part of
the damage still remains to the subway
behind from the explosion, and part of
the damage still remains to the subway
| The Jet Dragster gets ready to ride! |
The Sopranos being here in New Jersey with all the strong New York accents. However five or six people asked me if I was from California, so apparently to
them we talk funny too. Who knows!
them we talk funny too. Who knows!