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.

27 Days and Counting

It has been several months since I've posted last. We have made a few runs up and down the road to Kansas City but really haven't traveled in awhile. Our next jaunt is our annual jaunt to Orange Beach/Gulf Shores, Alabama. I can't wait!

A friend asked me recently how we discovered Gulf Shores. I owe it to my friend and ex-sister-in-law, Theresa. She used to go there (and may still) and one summer took my daughter, Meghan, with her. Meghan came home gushing about the beaches and the restaurants and the fun that she had while in Gulf Shores. That planted the seed.

In 2005 or '06 we took our first Spring Break beach trip to Rockport, TX. We liked our little studio condo and we liked the little bay that was just outside our door. The complex was full of Snow Birds, those "old" folks who spend their winters in warmer climates away from places like Minnesota, Wisconsin and even Kansas. Rockport was a nice little town but it was a long drive to a real beach on Mustang Island. I was not impressed with the beaches there. They just seemed a little dirty to me. We had a nice trip and an enjoyable time but it just wasn't what I was looking for.

The next year we decided to stay in Port Aransas on Mustang Island. Of course, I was trying to save money and picked a condo that cost less than others. It was a nice condo but, it was in the middle of town, not on the beach. That meant loading coolers, chairs, bags and other miscellaneous items into the car every time we wanted to go to the beach. I think we went twice. We decided on that trip to find another beach.

We didn't go anywhere in 2007. I was job hunting, Erin was getting ready to graduate from high school and it just wasn't a good year to go. In the fall of 2007 I guess I caught spring fever a little early because I started looking at condos in Alabama. Ken and I had always wanted to go there and it just seemed like a good year to go. I found what looked to be a nice little place with a nice little rental fee so, in November, I made our reservations with Lynn Brau at http://www.myvacationcondos.com/ and we were set.

In March of '08 we set forth on a two-day, 18 hour drive to find our dream beach. And, we have returned every year since. This will be our third year with Lynn and our fourth year to go to Alabama. And I can't wait!

To read about our 2010 trip, check out the Prairie Wanderer archives. I will be blogging again once I am in beach attire with the sound of the Gulf in my ears and white sand is in my shoes.

A Brand New World

I have wandered into a brand new world. It is a land of hormones, attitude and noise, constant noise. The land is called Middle School. Many years ago I helped to design the plan for this thing called middle school. In our minds it was a utopia for adolescents. A safe world not exactly elementary school and definitely not a mini high school. The children would be charming and the staff would be caring and classes would be designed around the needs of the students. Ahh, the eighties.

People ask me how I like middle school. That's a hard one to answer. I am very grateful to have a job. I am blessed that it came about. I am learning something new almost every day. But how do I like it? Like any new job, I am a little lost, a little confused, a little excited and very tired. I do have resources and people to go to so at least I do not have to figure out every thing on my own. I really like having a scripted curriculum that I can enhance with my own ideas. I love my ESOL buddies on my hallway. I like most middle school humor and there are several kids that I have bonded with and really enjoy seeing every day. Oh, and I adore getting out of school at 3:10 and being able to leave a lot of responsibility behind for the day.

One thing that has shocked me is the freedom kids think they have to say anything to an adult. If I could ban the phrases "whadidIdo?", "Oh my God" (said in a tone that implies you are the stupidest thing in the world), and "shut up" (not to me but to classmates) I would do so. I get soooo tired of hearing them. I have been threatened with "telling my mom", or"telling my dad". I reply that I am going to tell my mom (or dad) too. That usually gets a shocked look followed by a laugh and we just go on. Those things seem minor but there is definitely an air of disrespect that was not there several years ago.

Another adjustment for me is the isolation that I feel. I come to school, go to my room, see my colleagues at passing period, see my team first thing in the morning, eat by myself in my room, teach and go home. I am just not used to that. But, it is a lesson that I need to learn and it certainly keeps me out of trouble.I'll keep you updated as the year goes on. After all, it is only September.

Irish Adieu

For those of you who have been waiting for me to finish my reflections on Ireland, wait no longer. I have decided that I am not going to write one. I just don't think I could find the words to adequately describe the experience.

I am very thankful that we got to go despite the events of this past spring. It was an incredible experience. The country is beautiful and the people are friendly. We had a wonderful time.

Keep checking back to the Prairie Wanderer. Or better yet, become a follower. My next journey is going to be the adventures of making my Little House in the Big Woods quilt.

Slainte!

Irish Reflections

Greetings All,

I am sorry that it has taken so long to add my reflections on our trip to Ireland. I think I just had to put it aside for awhile and let my thoughts mull a bit. Plus, I have been mentally and physically tired since our return and just haven't felt much like writing. But, I will try to sum it all up tonight.

Random Thoughts:

When I was in Ireland I dreamt about home. Now that I am home, I have been dreaming about Ireland. Last night I dreamt that I got a job and moved there. Somehow, I magically learned Gaelic so that I could teach there.

I miss Bulmers/Magners Cider. No one seems to carry it here in Wichita. Woodchuck just doesn't cut it. Apparently Bulmers and Magners are the same product. However, outside of the Republic of Ireland it is called Magners.

Riding on the bus doesn't seem as bad now that I'm not doing it every day. I might consider taking a bus tour again some day.

Air travel isn't as fun as it used to be. As Ken said, the flying part is great but the process you have to go through to get on the plane takes a lot of the fun out of flying.

I wish we would've sprung for the 15 day trip and stayed through the next week of the tour. However, last Monday I was ready to go home!

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Monday morning we joined our tour friends for breakfast one last time. Ken and I were the only people leaving the tour early. Apparently the Irish Interlude and the Irish Adventure tour go the same places the first week of the tour. At the time I booked our tour, I just didn't think I could afford a longer tour so I booked the 10 day tour instead of the 15 day tour. Anyway, before breakfast we found our guide and driver and gave them their tip and told them goodbye. Adrian and Ken both kissed me on the cheek when they said goodbye. I know it is customary but I was impressed.

Around 9:00 our taxi driver picked us up for our trip to the airport. He was a character and talked the whole way to the airport. He made a point of pointing out the bar where Bill Clinton drank while he was in Dublin. He said that Clinton didn't even drink Irish beer, he drank American. He seemed quite put out about that.

Once at the airport we checked in and went through security. Irish security is nothing like American security. For one, you don't have to take off your shoes! But let me tell you a story to illustrate the difference.

I packed all of my souveniers and gifts in my hand luggage and made sure I didn't have any liquids other than the Jameson I was bringing home. At security I told the agent that the only liquid I had in my bag were two little bottles of Jameson. I offered to take it out and she said "oh no love, don't worry about it." When she scanned my bag however she asked if I was sure I didn't have any other liquids. I told her I was pretty sure. She then asked "do you mind if I take a look in your bag love, I'm seeing something and I don't know what it is." She ASKED if she could look in my bag! When she looked she found a small round candle that I bought at Knock Shrine. She said "oh, it's just your holy candle. No problem then. I'm sorry to bother you." She APOLOGIZED! Now, in Chicago, we had to go back through security after going through customs. Ken forgot that he had a coke bottle in his bag. The agent in Chicago weighed about 300 lbs and was sprawled in a chair watching the screen in front of her. When Ken's bag went through she heaved herself up, yanked it out of the scanner, ripped open the zipper and pulled out the coke. She YELLED "Whose bag is this!"Ken told her it was his. Although he was standing in front of her she yelled "you can't take this with you. You can't take this through security!" Like he was stupid or something! I'll take Irish security any day.

Our flights were uneventful although the plane in Chicago had to go back to the gate because of a hydraulic leak. They fixed it quickly and we were only a half hour late. One bag got to Wichita but the bag with all the dirty laundry came on the next plane. I made them deliver it the next day instead of waiting for it to arrive. I think I was hoping that they would do my laundry.

It was a nice trip but as Dorothy says, "There's no place like home!" I do want to share my thoughts about Ireland but tonight, my brain is too tired. I'll get back to it sometime this week.