Going Home, going home

I love to travel. I travel for many reasons. We don't hesitate to jump in the car and drive to KC for a day to see our daughter and her family. We take day trips such as the Grand Gun Store/Quilt Shop tour. We take two vacations a year. Sometimes we go to see new things and sometimes we go just to rest and relax. I used to think that we didn't drive all this way just to sit around. We can sit around at home. Now that I am older I don't feel the need to be moving 24/7 when we go on a vacation.

There are two places that hold a special place in my heart. They are destinations where I can just breathe a sigh and let all the worries of life disappear for a few days. Many years ago we discovered River Spruce Cottages in Estes Park Colorado. We even have "our" cabin named Hopi. This little retreat sits on the edge of Wind River under rustling pine trees. We loved Jean and Katherine who used to own River Spruce and are getting to know the ladies who bought it a few years ago. Two years ago Ken and I spent a wonderful two weeks there just doing what we felt like doing when we woke up each morning. I think it was the best vacation we have ever taken together. We will return for four days at the end of our Grand National Park Tour this summer. We can't stay in Hopi but I think it won't matter. At least we will be by our river.

The second place I have grown to love is Sugar Beach in Orange Beach, Alabama. We are just concluding our 4th visit here. Our home away from home has become Sugar Beach #227. It is cozy, near the beach and has a wonderful view-even if it is around the condo next door. We are creatures of habit. When we find a place we like, we return. Maybe someday we will find a fancier condo but for now, this is the place we've come to enjoy. This is the rest, relax and rejuvenate trip. We do very little while we are here. We sleep late, we read, we sit on the beach and we eat out. And, it's ok.

That said, I know I have to go home. All good things must come to an end. I have a job, I have commitments, I have a beautiful home. But, I don't want to leave here. It was hard to walk off the beach today knowing it would be at least a year before I sit here again, God willing. So, tomorrow we will get in our car at 6:00 a.m. and point ourselves north. Last year we drove into a blizzard. This year they are predicting tornadic storms along our route. We are going to try to go around them by going back the way we came instead of through Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. It kind of looks like that will keep us south and west of the storms. Once we are on the road, really once we go to bed tonight, I will be in my "ready to go home, get this show on the road" mode. Now however, I have to go pack.

Smile, laugh, hang loose or go home!

Laura

Sea Gulls, Shrimp and Dolphins

Why is it that when you are waiting for vacation to arrive it takes forever but the actual vacation speeds by? I don't want to go home!

We spent today on the beach and I am thoroughly cooked. Yes I slathered on the sunscreen but still burned pretty good. Tomorrow I will wear a t-shirt instead of my swim top.

Last year we discovered Latrigues Bait Shop across the street from our condo. They have a huge table of fresh seafood. You pick out what you want and they will steam it for you. We got a pound of shrimp and took it down to the beach to eat. It was wonderful! Of course tonight, there was a story on the 10 o'clock news about the safety of gulf seafood. The experts say it is safe but the locals won't eat it--at least the ones they interviewed. I haven't gotten sick yet.

A lone seagull stopped by while we were eating . He sat about 3 feet away from us begging for shrimp. He just sat there, waiting. If another gull got too close he scolded them and moved a little closer. That bird stayed for at least an hour. I gave in and gave him a shrimp that was a little brown (oil?). He gulped it down and stayed for more. After awhile he took off but would come back to check on me every few minutes.

Tonight we took our annual dolphin nature cruise on Captain Bill's boat. Captain Bill wasn't our captain tonight. They called in the second string-Capt. Bart and Tracy. The water was choppy and I think Capt. Bart isn't as experienced as Capt. Bill as we didn't see many dolphins. Usually they come right up to the boat and show off for us. They were very skittish tonight. We did see a juvenile pod of about 3 young dolphins who were playing and fishing nearby. Also saw an egret's nest, nesting blue herrons and several pelicans. The sunset was gorgeous and although we didn't see many dolphins, it was nice to be on the water.

Dinner was at Lulu Buffet's restaurant-Lulu's at Homeport Marina. They make great bushwhackers. The WSU game was on the big screen so we got to see the last 4 minutes of the game. They won-go Shox!

Oh, we didn't get up in time to go see the Blue Angels. For some reason, the alarm clock rang at 12:40 a.m. I remember thinking " that was a short night" but promptly fell back asleep. Then I dreamt I was in the hospital and didn't know why. I kept waking up and thought that I was at home with the cat cuddled up next to my feet like she does. It was because my quilt and pillow had ended up at the foot of the bed. Then, I'd go back to sleep and dream about the hospital some more. When I woke up this morning I was really sore and achy so that's probably why I was dreaming about the hospital so much. Hope tonight is better.

Two more days and then the long drive home.
Love to all.

Get Jets!

Every time I go to Pensacola (well make that both times) I think of "An Officer and a Gentlemen" when Debra Winger says to Richard Gere "Get Jets" as she tries to tell him goodbye. Today we decided to get up at the crack of dawn to drive to the Pensacola Naval Air Station to watch the Blue Angels practice. We knew when we left Orange Beach that it was very sketchy as to whether they would fly or not. There was a low cloud base and a little fog but the past few days it has burned off by 8:00 or 9:00. We got to NAB in plenty of time, got a good seat and waited. Just before flight time our section's security guard started to explain what we were going to see. He also mentioned that they might have to start a little late because all the trainers had to get off the ground first. Ok, that means the Blues are flying right? Nope. About a minute later this other guy came over with his megaphone and announced that the Blue Angels would not be performing due to the low cloud cover. There was a collective groan from the crowd of 500. Slowly, the news sunk in and we all got up to leave. How disappointing.

We had already planned to drive over to Destin FL as I have heard so much about it from others. We made a wrong turn and ended up crossing a toll bridge over to this peninsula that runs parallel to the coast line. On the way, we waved at Ann, Zoe's sister, who lives in Gulf Breeze. Ann, did you hear us? Most of the peninsula is the Gulf State National Park (I think). The sand was even whiter there than here and the water was a beautiful deep blue. I enjoyed the drive very much. Our drive took us through Ft. Walton which was unimpressive and then to Destin. The best way to describe Destin is that it is Branson without the music shows. I'll stay in Orange Beach, thank you.

We decided that we would eat lunch somewhere and then turn around to go "home". I noticed a shopping area that looked like Zona Rosa in KC. And there, on the horizon, was the Hard Rock cafe. Anyone who has traveled with me might remember that if there's a Hard Rock, I have to go. It isn't that I care for the food that much. It's that I collect Hard Rock t-shirts. If What Not To Wear ever wants my wardrobe, they cannot have my Hard Rock shirts! I must have left my "Bad Service Accepted Here" sign at home today because we had a great waiter who went out of his way to take care of us. Today we walked out with only a t-shirt, a ball cap, a 40th anniversary shot glass and two 40th anniversary pint glasses (I used to collect HR pints before they were discontinued). A light shopping trip for me.

We took the long way back to Orange Beach, stopping at the Burris Farm Market on the way to buy a cantaloupe and a pecan pie.

Tonight we took a stroll on the beach to see the sunset and of course a cloud bank rolled in just as the sun set. But, it was enjoyable anyway. Words cannot describe how much I love this place. There is just something peaceful about the rolling waves, the warm water, the wildlife and the soft white sand.

Tomorrow we will possibly get up in time to go see the Blues, weather permitting. Then, beach in the afternoon. Need to call the dolphin people to get our cruise set up.

For those of you in Kansas, you might have heard the news story on KSNW about the prairie fire in Stanton Co. This was very near my friend Sandra's farm. Her children's school was in the path of the fire and her husband went out to help fight it. Fortunately, her children got home ok and Matt came home sooty but fine. It was a traumatic afternoon I am sure.

Sorry you all aren't here. I am already mourning that I only have 3 days left.

Monday, Monday

Greetings from Sugar Beach 227!

Today was a lazy day. Ate breakfast, napped, ate lunch and sat on the beach for 4 hours. I overcooked a little today. You sure discover where you missed with the sunscreen about an hour too late. But. it was a beautiful day. The wind was a little stronger today but not too bad.

The pelicans fascinate me. They are the most graceful bird. You really wouldn't think so because of their size. It has been fun to watch them fly in formation and glide on wind currents. From a distance they almost look like a squadron of small airplanes. I haven't noticed any ill effects from the oil spill but every day we've been out I've noticed workers walking the beach with oily looking nets. Every once and awhile they stop and scoop something up. I assume they are scooping up remnants of the spill.

For dinner we visited Tacky Jack's. Tacky Jack's is a popular bayside restaurant. We sat out on the porch which was a little too chilly for Ken but we had a nice view. I think though, that I must have "Bad Service Here Please" tattooed on my forehead as our waitress tonight was very slow and inattentive. Oh well, the Bushwhackers were good and industrial strength.

Tomorrow we are going to drag ourselves out of bed about 6:00 and head over to Pensacola to watch the Blue Angels. We then plan to drive over to Destin FL to check it out. I think it will be good to give my sunburned skin and bruised tailbone a rest for a day.

To Be Continued...

My Day at the Beach...and getting there.

Beach Greetings Baby!

We arrived at Sugar Sands #227, Orange Beach AL at 6:00 p.m. Sat. evening. 11:06 hours after leaving Dallas. According to my iphone timer which I apparently hadn't reset since last year, we cut our time by a whopping 24 minutes from last year.

This year we drove from Wichita to Lewisville, TX on Friday evening. Wichita to the northern edge of Oklahoma City was uneventful. In OKC we hit a traffic snarl that was one lane all the way from Memorial Blvd to just north of Norman. I think it took us an hour to get across the city. I have never, in about 45 years, been through OKC when there hasn't been construction on I-35! Dinner was at El Chico's--a fond memory from the past that really didn't hold up. The food was ok but nothing to write about (so why am I writing about it?) From Norman to the TX border we drove in and out of traffic jams--ridiculous! Between road construction, the casinos and minor wrecks it took about 5 hours to get across the lovely state of Oklahoma.

Yesterday we drove across Texas and northern Louisiana, through Mississippi and into Mobile. Not one snarl up all day! The roads and rest stops in Louisiana are very scenic and nice. I was impressed. I was not impressed with the people we saw at the McDonald's we stopped at however. Ken and I have decided that we should start a "People of McDonald's" website. Let's just say that when you weigh 250 pounds and are about 5 foot 3 you should not wear skin tight lime green terry cloth short shorts and tube top out in public. Your sister shouldn't wear her ultra tight polyester mini dress with her silver 4 inch wedge sandals either. It just does not look good together. I don't think you were working girls since you were with your mother but you certainly gave a good impression. I know the skanky men who were talking smack to you liked your outfits but really? Really?

Dinner was at our favorite hangout called the Hangout. It is a mega restaurant "where the highway ends and the beach begins." Only had to wait 35 minutes for a table and got to listen to a pretty good garage band on stage while we were waiting. There was a minor glitch with our server once we were seated. After complaining to the manager we were waited upon by a very nice young man named Cole. I felt bad because the manager chewed him out for not waiting on us sooner but it wasn't really his fault. The girl who was supposed to wait on us wouldn't wait on us even though we were at her assigned table. She said it wasn't her table and didn't do anything to find another server for us. Cole got a great tip from us--Irina would have received nothing. Ate some Frickles for Meghan while we were there.

Today has been beautiful. We ate breakfast at "the best place for breakfast in Orange Beach." There must not be that many places to eat if that was the best. Bought groceries and came "home". Hit the beach about one and stayed out until after five. The weather was perfect! Just enough wind to stay cool and just the right temperature. The beach is not crowded at all. Hope it stays that way although it isn't good for the economy here. It might just be because it is Sunday. I didn't get too sunburned. The worst is a strip on my left foot where I apparently missed with the sunscreen. I was curious to see if there is any sign of the oil spill left and didn't see any. The sand is as nice as ever and the water is clear blue.

The COOLEST thing just happened! The Blue Angels just buzzed our beach on their way back to Pensacola!! It looked like they were right at eye level . Loved it! Tuesday or Wednesday we plan to go over to Pensacola Naval Air Station to watch them practice.

Well, it's time to make spaghetti and meatballs. Tonight is our eat in night.

Love and sea shells to all.