Road trip with my sister!

My baby sister, Patti, was moving to Florida for a job change. My family had always lived close to each other, except for the time that my brother Bob spent in the Army. He lived for about 3 years  in Maryland, and Kansas. He was back in Virginia as soon as the army let him go!

When Patti told us that she was making the move, I was sad and uncertain.. she is my baby sister, 13 years younger than me, and alone in a new city, a long way from me!

My brother decided that we needed to go to Alabama to see our last surviving uncle, who was not in the best of health. At this time I had never flown and was not too excited about the prospect. Patti and I put our heads together and the next thing you know we are on a Road Trip!!

She was moving to Florida, so why not go on the week that she was to move. Bob would fly down and meet us in Alabama.  We would visit with Uncle Sonny and Aunt Vera for a few days, Bob would fly home,  Patti and I would head east to Tallahassee, I would pick up a rental car and head north, and Patti would head south to Tampa.

We met at my son’s home in Sandston VA, put my bag in her already packed to the top car, and headed south. We were traveling down interstate 95, I pointed to a sign going west and said this is where Michael and I get off 95 to go west..she said, “what’s west”.  I said southwest Virginia, and Tennessee..she pulled into the off  ramp and said,” I ‘ve never been to Tennessee,  let’s have an adventure, and so we did!

We rode out through beautiful southwest Virginia and into Sevierville, TN.. where we stayed for the night.

A visit with Sonny always meant some gooood  seafood!

Miss Vera keeping current!

 

The next morning we got up and started out with the intention of meandering south to Alabama.  We got in a little trouble when we got to  Alabama, as our maps had road numbers, and the state had road names, so we sort of wandered  around until  we found  ourselves and got back on the road to Mobile..

Uncle Sonny had lived in Alabama for a long time, Aunt Vera was born there.  Miss Vera is one of the most beautiful women that I have ever known, she is not only physically beautiful , she is kind, generous and loving. Together they raised two wonderful children, who are grown with grandchildren of their own! 

A visit with them was such a treat that it stays in your heart for always, memories of good times, good food, and family.

You never know what will happen when you visit, there is sure to be family fun night, and celebrations of all kinds of events, dinners hosted by the “kids”, perhaps a picnic in the park, or even a day trip to New Orleans. 

We had a wonderful visit with the family that ended far too soon.

Patti and I started our trek across Florida stopped for the night in Tallahassee and in the morning started on our own journey, she to a new home and new job and me back to Virginia.  I had never taken a trip on my own, and it was a long days ride!

Sonny has passed away, but leaves a lot of crazy, funny memories for all of us to cherish, and Miss Vera still stays busy, with  her family, her church interests ,and keeping the rest of the family  up to date on Facebook!

  The "Kids", and their kids, and their kids...LOL

 

 

And who are these folks?..  Just some wandering cousins down for a visit from Richmond VA!

Gene and Sandra Moore

 

Hot Springs Bath house

January 2012 we set out on a trip from Virginia to points west. Our first stop was Hillsville Virginia to visit with Kim and Billie Kaye Robinette for a couple of days.
Kim, Michael and I attended the same high school in Williamsburg, VA  a few years ago!
We always enjoy our time in Hillsville, relaxing and spending time with good friends.

http://www.hillsville.com/


We left Hillsville heading for Hot Springs Village, AK  where we would stay with friends of Michael's from his army days. I had not yet met them, and I was in for a treat. Rollie and Mary White are warm and generous people who made sure we had a good time while there.
While Michael and Rollie went out to do guy stuff, Mary and I had some girl fun. We shopped, then we lunched, then we shopped, then we had a pedicure. We went to see the Baths..and she offered to take me for a treatment..but I declined . I think I am the only human that does not enjoy a massage.. We had a great pancake breakfast at a diner in town, and went to watch them at their ballroom dancing class.
On the last day that we were there we took a tour of Hot Springs Village.  It actually is a whole town, with medical facilities, and stores and a nice gym all contained in the community.  It is really a beautiful place to live, mountains(foothills I guess)and lakes, golf courses, and a wide variety of houses, some very traditional and some very modern.



http://www.nps.gov/hosp/index.htm

A walk in Hot Springs.
The Ohio Club was a house of prostitution during the early 1900's. The hot springs were used to "cure" the diseases that you might find there..

 

This gentleman was sweeping his storefront and gave a brief history of the town and The Ohio Club.. He was very kind to take the time to give us an interesting take on life in the early 1900's.

 

http://www.city-data.com/articles/Gangster-Museum-of-America-Hot-Springs.html

http://www.hotsprings.org/pages/history/

The steam coming up outside the baths..stinky LOL

The park service officer will give you a paper cup to take to the fountain at the end of the walkway to have a taste of the springs. It did not taste as bad as it smelled.  There is a nice walkway by the fountain that leads back to the center of town, a lot of steamy places to see.

 

 

 steamy places








Inside the Baths. Very Beautiful reception areas, the actual baths are utilitarian.

 

The stained glass is beautiful, as are the tile floors. Top to bottom luxury!

Spring Break at the beach.



 

Brenna and Declan on the front deck..



My brother Bob and his wife Darlene are fortunate to have a lovely home in Nags Head, NC. Brenna and Declan love it there and we have spent 2 spring breaks at the beach. The weather is kind of "iffy" of course, in April.  The first trip was tee shirt weather, but windy and cool.This year, it was WINDY and colder than a witch's heart...But we have a good time, no matter.

Our first stop is always Duck Donuts...Yum.. Hot and fresh, made while you wait!


 http://duckdonuts.com/
 

 

The kids and I gathered for a Grammy photo to remember the trip, then in the car and a ride down the island to the ferry to Okracoke! When we got to Okracoke we took a trip over the dunes at the ferry dock and looked for shells..it was so windy, but we found some good ones. Karin used to walk this beach at their age looking for treasures.

 

 

  

Brenna was the queen of the world, or at least Okracoke Island, while Declan was stalking the sand dollar, and olive shells..

After a while we went "down island" to visit the light house, and take a tour of the village


 

 

http://www.ocracokeweb.com/

Back on the ferry and a stop at the Hatteras lighthouse..after a stop at Lee Robinson's Store in Hatteras village.. A must see, if you go to Hatteras.

 

http://www.nps.gov/caha/index.htm

 

http://www.carolinalights.com/north-carolina-lighthouses/cape-hatteras-lighthouse

That night we displayed all of our treasures to be admired by all and while Mom and Declan snuggled on Karin's favorite yellow sofa, Brenna separated jelly beans to find grammy's favorite coffee flavored treat!

 

 

http://www.ncshellclub.com/Collect.htm

 

 

We found a lot of things to do there, one was the Aquarium, where we ran into their friends from school. What a surprise!  We also met them another day to try the mini golf. It was fun to share the day with their friends.

 

 http://www.ncaquariums.com/roanoke-island

 



They love the beach so we spent a lot of time there as it is just over the dune.

 

 

Brenna and Declan in 2011

 

 

 

Brenna and Declan waiting for the Easter Egg Hunt, 2013!

 

 

Daddy made for the last weekend, and the kids were so glad to see him. He took them to the beach and took a swim, though it was a bit too cold for the rest of us!

 

 

 

 

http://www.nagsheadguide.com/recreation/featured_recreation/mutinybay

 

 

http://www.lonecedarcafe.com/

 

http://henrysobx.com/

 

 

 

Traveling back in time

Last weekend my granddaughters, Madison and Olivia came to spend the weekend with me. We picked up my grandson, Joseph on Saturday morning and went to cheer for their cousins, Brenna and Declan in their soccer game. After the game I drove the kids to see the house where I lived as a child. I was not sure it was still there, it has long since been abandoned as a home, and once was a hunt club.
Now it sits, surrounded by fields, then forest. The lane is still long and winding and there is not another house in sight, though there is a large development down the road.The small boxwood that my brothers Bob and Dennis tied me to (they being the cowboys and I the Indian) is now about 15 feet high.
The garage that was my dad's shop is leaning to the left a LOT..
There were many memories there for me, good and bad...but more good than bad.
Bob and Dennis and I spent many summers riding bikes on that long sandy road, playing in the woods by the stream on hot summer days, and running through the corn fields .
Many Sunday afternoons were spent in the company of Aunts, Uncles and cousins, eating wonderful food and playing tag, and softball and Red rover.

Winters we gathered around the wood stove that provided heat and a place to cook, after days playing in the wide open spaces..

 

the room at the left upstairs was my bedroom.

 

The kitchen door, my baby sissy, Patti was born in the room next to the kitchen on the right.

 

I used to cut this lawn with a push mower, without a motor..

.

..

 

the area to the left was our garden, Dad was a great gardener, and did so most of his life. Along the roadside he had all dahlias..so beautiful and a great dust break for the veggies.  A lot of work for all of us, but we had plenty to eat. In second tree was a porch swing that I sat in and shelled peas and butterbeans.

 

Madison saw in the woods by the garden area a graveyard so we went to explore..  I did not know it was there, though I walked by it hundreds of times long ago..

The rest of the cruise over was spent on the ship. Once on the Mediterranean it was a bit less windy, and not soo cool, so more outside activities opened up. We played mini golf, sat in the hot tub, and some of us (Brenna and Declan) climbed the rock wall.  I had to walk away for that one!
We went to the ice show, which was pretty amazing in such small space. Dinner at Johnny Rockets an American delight!
We elected to remain onboard at the last port of call. The tickets to the city were very expensive, so we used that day to pack up all of the bags and get ready for our arrival in Barcelona. We were all ready to leave the ship and begin another adventure!




Our arrival in Barcelona, one a bit fuzzy, but you can see the activity at the port.

It was cold and rainy, fortunately the wait for the cab driver was only about 30-40 minutes. It is difficult for those who come to pick you up at this port, as security sometimes will not let them in.
We were glad to see him!

 

The cruise is over, no one got seasick, no one got a virus, so off we go to France!

I think it worth mentioning that 2 of the riders get car sick and it is a 3 hour ride...interesting I assure you!

Malaga Spain

When we dock in Malaga we are almost a mile from the edge of town. It is a pleasant walk along the quay now. Our first few visits were not so pleasant, walking along the construction site on very uneven ground was not so good. This trip we decided to take the bus as to not wear the kids out before even getting into town.  We left the bus stop and walked up to the business district to visit some shops that we like there and go to the Marche. I knew that Karin and the kids would love walking around the marche..so many wonderful fresh fruits and veggies. They were very impressed and we once again bought strawberries...but alas they were not as good as the ones in Cadiz.

 

Walking around in Malaga is fairly simple and safe. Traffic is limited on the large squares and there is plenty of shopping from souvenir shops to high end department stores. There is a fan shop there that we go to each time. The fans and hair ornaments are works of art and worthy of a visit. There are also many places to get tourist souvenirs and local food!

If you get too tired..there are many ways to get around!

 

Beautiful buildings everywhere you look. The downtown is being restored with high end department stores  downstairs and beautiful apartments above.

The Picasso home museum is one of the best bargains we have found in Europe. One Euro for the house and you get a free ticket to another museum across the street!

The Fortress on the hill, well worth the walk..and beautiful. You will need at least an hour there, just to ooh and aww!!

 

And then there's always Cheers!

More later.

Cadiz May 25 2012

Cadiz has always been one of my favorite ports. It is very user friendly, and we have enjoyed good times here.  On one of our first stops we took a taxi out to Jerez de la Frontera with friends that we met on the ship. We visited the Equestrian Center and watched the beautiful horses train, then on to the The House of Sandeman, a real treat, even if you don't drink!
http://www.sandeman.eu/

http://youtu.be/s9CDini9SDM

on this trip we took a walking tour. You can walk from one side of Cadiz to the other in a short time. We choose to go down through the residential streets toward the bay. We came upon a shop that sold fresh fruit and veggies. Brenna and Declan chose fresh peas in the pod for a snack and we chose beautiful strawberries. These proved to be the marker by which we judged all future berries..and we never found any so delicious.
We continued around to the bay side walk way, a wide walk way that follows the bay out to the sea.


 

 

Wandering the streets of Cadiz

 

 

When we got to the Port we followed the walk to a place that the kids could go down to the water.

 

and then they saw it....The playground!   One of several actually!

 

 

 

after a visit to the Fort we followed the street around

 

Cadiz is small, but packed with things to see and do. We have been many times and still have much to see. It is a great place to go with family.

Tomorrow on to Malaga! 

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadiz