Wanted to update our 6 weeks back in Tucson. We have been delighted to spend time with family and friends over the past weeks....playing cards and games,meeting friends for lunch and of course our family meals, volunteering and just waking up each morning to see what the day has in store. Tom has been busy helping Kelly and Pete coach the 3-5 year old soccer team. They practice 2 times per week and then have their games on Saturday. It is so fun to go to the games...it is just fun to watch the interactions. We know 4 of the team members as they are part of the "Tucson Graue Family".
Tom, Maryann and Pete and Linda (Bryan's parents) took a quick trip to Sedona, Flagstaff and Greer for a week the 24 th October. We walked around Tlaquepaque in Sedona and had a wonderful lunch at the brewery in the shopping area and then headed north through Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff. As we drove toward Flagstaff, the temperature got cooler and we had some rain. We did take a nice drive and saw some beautiful areas of Aspen. We stayed in Flagstaff for two nights. We were able to walk about downtown and of course had some good food in local resturants. We then drove to Pinetop and had a nice dinner in town before we headed to Greer which is on the "road to nowhere". We had a lovely cabin at Greer. We woke up the next morning to a couple of inches of snow. It was gone by noon and we were able to take a nice walk around the small town and along the stream. OF course, Linda and Maryann were very cold so dressed in layers. We ate at all of all of the resturants in Greer....that would be 3 of them! We then headed home on Friday by way of some very steep winding roads and went through Marinci which has a huge Copper Mine. We played cards and games and just had a relaxing great time together.
Tom and I have been spending some great impromptu time with Molly, Samantha and Kirsten...it is great. Maryann has started our memory picture book about our our retirement adventures. Kelly has a computer program so Maryann goes down and works on for several hours...once a week or so...she hopes to have done just before we "hit the road" again in June 2012!!!
Maryann's mom will be having hip replacement surgery on 19 December so we will leave nice warm Tucson and head to Pennsylvania to be there in time for the surgery and then will stay until the end of January 2012...oh my, it is nearly 2012! We hope that Maryann's sister, Joan and her Tom will be traveling back with us the beginning of Feburary. They will come to Tucson and spend a couple months with us..to get away from the winter in Linesville, Pennsylvania.
We will have Thanksgiving at Bryan and Kelly's with 30+ friends and family. We will be giving thanks for our many blessings to include each of you.
We want to wish each of you a very blessed day with those you love.
God Bless, Tom and Maryann
Monday, November 21, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
18 October 2011...We are back in Tucson!
Another great day just being together!!
We arrived home safely on September 27 at 1030 PM.. what a beautiful sunset we saw as we headed to Tucson...one of many we saw on our fantastic 4 month adventure. As we drove down Interstate 10..we talked about the many blessings we had on our travels seeing the most amazing country andre-connecting with our amazing family and friends....but also how lucky we were to be looking forward to seeing our Tucson Family! AND We realize how blessed we are to have each of you in our life. Thank you all again for opening your home and hearts to us as we were able to spend prescious moments with you and make wonder-filled memories.
We arrived in Spring, Texas on Friday and checked out the shops etc in Old Town, Spring, TX. We found a place called Rudy's BBQ and had a great dinner before we checked into our hotel. We woke the next morning so excited to be going to Fred and Belinda's to spend the weekend with them and we were not disappointed. We showed up on their door step at their beautiful home and were greeted by Fred, Belinda and Chelsea (their dog) it was like we just saw them the week before...not 36 years ago! Fred cooked us a delicious brunch and we spent the afternoon getting caught up and then Michael ( their son) joined us and helped his dad with BBQ of the best Salmon....we talked into the night. We awoke Sunday and attended Mass and then went to The Cheesecake Factory for breakfast...Tom and I had never been to the Cheesecake Factory....of course we also had to have cheesecake!!! After spending the afternoon just being together, Fred and Belinda took us to the Aquarium Resturant in Houston for dinner. Amazing to eat dinner in the middle of massive fish tanks and scenery! We left on Monday early morning...with plans to have them come to Tucson for a visit soon.
We deceided to drive to Altus, Oklahoma to see our friend Bob Carnes before we headed for Tucson. As we drove thru Texas, we were so sad to see the trees and the farmlands and ranch fields dry and brown with miles and miles of dead trees and fields. They are still having a draught. We did see a sign for a Rudy's BBQ and deceided to stop to eat ....once again we had a great meal of BBQ. We deceided we would look for Rudy's again!!!
We arrived at Altus and checked into another very nice billet on Altus Air Force Base. It had been 40 years since we had seen Bob Carnes, our friend, from our days at Francis E. Warren AFB in Cheyenne Wyoming...but when he walked in, seemed like only weeks. He took us to a great Mexican Resturant in Altus and showed us around the town. Altus is STILL a very small town. Tom got up early and went and met Bob at work and had coffee....while Maryann slept in abit. What fun we had catching up...and have plans for Bob to come to Arizona for a visit. I think we have helped the economy of Tucson, as we have plans for several friends to come to Tucson now that they have a room at our home.
We left Altus and were soon back in Arizona...and we did find another Rudy's and stopped to have lunch....the service and food were just like our first visit in Spring, Texas! We highly recommend if you see one on your travels.
What fun it was to surprise Molly, Samantha and Kirsten..and give lots of hugs....nothing like hearing all their stories and holding them in our arms!!! Yes, they all did change in the 4 months...we don't realize they are changing day to day as we see them at least once or twice each week when we are home... Molly has gotten taller and more grown...Samantha did not grow but her speach is more like a 5 year old....and so percise! Kirsten was talking in short sentences when we left...now she talks in paragraphs and is taller. It was also good to see Kelly and Bryan and Carrie and Buddi....Buddi looked great...hard to believe that he had been sick. And Pete and Linda , had a great dinner the Sunday we arrived home and we were able to catch up with them and Phil and Loly too.
As Tom was unloading the car on Wednesday, Gerry stopped by...as he and Teresa were taking care of our yard while we were gone....he was just in time to help Tom unload and take down the carrier down from the car...what a great friend. Since then we have seen Hilda and girls and Carol.
It took us a couple days to get unpacked and do laundry....we now know we can travel with half the "stuff " we took on this trip! We then started right in and did our fall home cleaning which we finished last week. We kept Buddi and Gizmo (Ali and Paul's dog) for a long weekend while Carrie, Paul and Ali and Rocco ( 2 months old and what a cutie) went to Las Vegas to a friend's wedding. We are also back into volunteering at church and helping out neighbors...so are back to normal. OH and Maryann has commented several times , "wow , it is so nice to be retired and not have a schedule". Tom is happy to have her home too. We are both back to daily exercise...and Tom already back on his diet and lost 7 pounds!!!
We have traveled over 17,000 miles and spent time with about 170 friends and family during this adventure. Each day we began our day with the Lord's Prayer and prayer of St. Francis of Assisi and to Blessed Martyr Basyl ( Canada's Second Martyr who's shrine we visited in Winnipeg, Manatoba and heard his history and were given a part of his relic to carry with us) and our Gardian Angel to please protect us and those who rode with us and all who passed us by with careful hands and watchful eyes....and WE WERE BLESSED on the road and made to feel like we were at home as we visited with each of you...SO WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF OUR TRIP?......each day we spent together and with family and friends across Canada and the many states we traveled! And now we are blessed to be home with our Tucson Family.
We are looking forward to family time and the holidays in Tucson. We then will take some trips with Maryann's sister and Tom who are to come for a visit for a few months in January.
We ask you all to keep us all in your prayers as we remember Maryann's Sister Carol who was taken from us so suddenly.. during the 1st Anniversary of her death. We all miss her terribly but have so many "laugh out loud" memories of our "Carol" who we long to hear laugh..... just one more time. She is with us daily and we know we will be with her in heaven when it is our time.
We will continue to update our blog...with pictures too....notice the pictures that we could not add when writing from our IPAD...Maryann even figured out how to do on her own...but was very close to calling George to get his guidance...so thank you George for just being a call away ...just in case...it gave her courage to try!!!
See below....how the girls welcomed Granddad back....just another day of play with Molly, Samantha and Kirsten!
It was so nice to get hugs as we traveled....they were given for no other reason than we care for each other..what a good feeling. Will leave you with a hug from our heart to yours..simply because you each mean so much to us. We will keep you in our prayers and just let us know when you want to come to visit...
God Bless your days.
Tom and Maryann
Thursday, September 22, 2011
On the road again in Texas---22 September 2011
It has been about 18 days since last sat to say hello and update all with our travels.
This afternoon we arrived in Tyler, Texas.
We left Fayetteville Arkansas at 0700 this AM and arrived here about 3 PM.
We bid a tearful farewell to Peggy and Larry on the morning of 9 September. Our time with the Reinharts are always just perfect. This time we not only had remnants of the Hurricane but a week later...had flooding due to Hurricane Lee!! Their yard had a river running through it! We had spent the evening before the rain with Dan and kids as Amy was at the beach with her Aunt and the two youngest boys. Their home is a neat farmhouse that Dan has added onto with wood used from Larry's grandparents home...what a beautiful job he has done using the old wood. We found out the next AM that their basement had flooded. Tom even got involved in helping rescue two benches at Keith and Lisa's. The benches were near the creek on a wooden area that was flooded so Tom was able to go over and help Lisa move them to a safe place. Guess can say he helped out in the flood of 2011 in Lancaster!!! Larry, Peggy and Tom and I were able to spend the Labor day weekend just doing fun stuffs as Larry was off work. Tom could not believe had to mow the yard 2 times in 5 days!!! We had nearly 15 inches of rain in 2 days...more than Tucson gets in one year!!! We were also able to visit with their Aunt Doris and Uncle Jim which is becoming a tradition when we go to Lancaster...what special people they are too. Tom was a hit with the kids as he was happy to show them how to play Angry Birds and other games on the IPAD...another great reason to have an IPAD!!!! Once again we were blessed to spend these days with our Reinhart family....did I forget to mention the wonderful food that Peggy fixed for us....hmmmm...lots of fresh fruits and veggies and everything else wonderful...and Larry also had BITBURG Beer for Tom...what a friend!!! Peggy's grandson asked if we slept in the carrier on top of our car....how cute!
We had rain in Lancaster but by the time we got to Virginia, the sun was out. We stopped at Williamsburg and walked about and had lunch at the Cheese Shop(great little place to eat)and then headed to Langley AFB and walked around where we used to live and relived great memories
from 1975-76. We then headed to Virginia Beach where we spent 3 nights. We stayed at the Navy Lodge at Dam-Neck on Virginia Beach. The ocean was just across the Sand Dunes. We took the time daily to stroll on the beach and sit awhile...the water was warmer than in Plymouth!!! It is a private beach for the military so not a lot of people so very nice. We also walked the boardwalk at VA Beach...very crowded. We also checked out the Military Resort at Ft Henry. It was very nice but we felt the cottages and lodging at Dam-Neck (20 miles away) was a little nicer due to the location. We spent nearly a day at Yorktown Battlefield and walking around the town of Yorktown. The Va Beach area has so much to offer all ages so hope to someday go back with family and friends. One night we walked up to the beach to check out the full moon over the beach...amazing sight. One thing that never changes is the nice staff we always meet at the military billeting...they are just so willing to always help us.
We left Va Beach on a Monday morning ...late as we had slept in...no need to hurry!!
We drove thru Virginia and West Virginia and arrived in Ohio and drove on to Columbus where we stayed at a defense logistics base...also very nice...right downtown Columbus. We then met our friend Connie who lives in Lancaster, Ohio for a long breakfast to catch up. We were stationed together in Japan in 1971-75..what fun to catch up! Connie and Bob were "family" when we were in Japan and have continued to be. Bob died 3 years ago...but we were still able to talk about the good times we all had. We hope that Connie will come to Tucson and spend some time with us soon. Next stop....Dayton, Ohio!!
George and Pat came down and spent the evening and of course we had dinner...So good to give them a hug to celebrate George's news that his cancer is in remission! George took us the long route to dinner...even tho he had GPS...but it was OK as we are all retired so can take the LONG Way...huh George! We stayed in Billeting at Wright Patterson AFB so Maryann was able to just walk across the street to visit with Amy Kinnon. Maryann and Amy worked together in Tucson for several years. As always...lots to talk about! Tom took the opportunity to finally get a hair cut!!! We then went and surprised Greg Eberhart at his office ( he is a pediatrician near Dayton.) Greg worked with Maryann at Davis-Monthan. We had his office staff tell him that a patient had a complaint and insisted on talking to HIM....he was very surprised to see us! He had a very nice practice and staff. We arranged to meet for dinner and then went back to his home to spend some time with Angie as she had a meeting so could not join us for dinner. How blessed we are to know and have such wonderful friends!
Tom took the time to go to the Air Force Museum and will need to go back as was much bigger than he thought.
We then packed up and headed southwest to Cape Giradeau, Missouri on the Mississippi River.
Tom's roommate, Danny Conrad, now lives there. The last time they saw each other was in 1968. They had been roommates before Tom left for Vietnam ...Danny, Tom and Tony who we saw in Harrisburg were friends at Barksdale AFB "back in the day". We had dinner with him..his wife was not able to join us as had other commitments. It was like they had never been apart. It was so moving to see them give each other big hugs...just like when he met with Tony in Harrisburg. After all these years...still buddies!! Danny is now an RN. Definitely a REUNION with the 3 of them in the near future!!!
Well where should we go from there...we were heading for Arkansas...and thought that we had been thru Memphis but never really stopped there...so we found a Navy Lodge in Memphis and stayed for two nights. We spent a day in downtown Memphis walking around Mud Island ( a miniature replica of the Mississippi River on the island) and riding the trolley. We went to Beale Street and had THE BEST BBQ at BB King's Restaurant and listened to JAZZ. We also went
to the Peabody Hotel and watched the famous "Duck Walk". WHO KNEW that for decades these ducks have been trained to walk from the roof to the elevator on the top floor and then take the elevator down and walk to the fountain on the first floor and hundreds of people come to watch them daily.....NOW WE KNOW! We can now take that off our bucket list!!!! hmm..even tho not sure it was going to be on our bucket list.
Now it was time to head to Fayetteville Arkansas. We stayed in Fort Smith Arkansas at a reserve base...they gave us a 2 bedroom house!! We went up to Fayetteville and spent time with Uncle Herb and Aunt Marilyn on Saturday and then drove back to Fort Smith for the night. Sunday we visited with Uncle Herb and Aunt Marilyn and their daughter from Florida before we met with Aunt Lois and Stephen for dinner. We then went back to Aunt Lois and her kids came over and then the rain came and then the tornado warnings...Maryann was looking for a place to hide as the warnings were within less than a mile from Aunt Lois home...we all visited and the weather warning moved on. We stayed in Fayetteville that night at a hotel before moving into Uncle Herb and Aunt Marilyn home. Of course we were invited over the next night to Scott's for an Ardemagni BBQ with the family. Of course we went and had such a great time..lots of laughing and great food!!
Monday we moved in with Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Herb and were delighted to be able to help with house and yard chores for the next few days. We visited two of Tom's Aunts and saw Mike and family and Debbie and family. Once again Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Herb made us feel like we were right at home! We are so lucky to be able to "arrive on the doorstep" and greeted with open arms and hugs...and a place to stay.
This morning, we got up early and headed for Van, Texas. We just spent another wonderful evening with friends. Tom , Maryann and Darlene were stationed together 40 years ago...tonight we were able to meet Ronnie, Darlene's husband for the first time. Once again it was like we knew each other for years and had not been apart. They took us to a nice dinner and showed us around Tyler, Texas and we shared pictures of our families...What blessings we have to be able to meet up with our friends from the past!!
Tomorrow we will be heading to Spring, Texas to see Fred and Belinda who we met in Austin, Texas 37 years ago and have not seen since we left Texas 36 years ago. The anticipation is growing as we are so excited about spending the weekend with them.
We of course are talking with Kelly and girls and Carrie frequently. Buddi is still healthy!
Kelly called and asked her Dad to assist with the Samantha's 5 yr old soccer team that she volunteered to coach...Kelly is studying how to be a soccer coach..and Tom will have to study too, as he does not know anything about Scoccer. I think Pete, Bryan's Dad is going to help too. HMMMM...Maryann will be helping with watching the Molly and Kirsten...no need to study up on that!!! Also Carrie has asked if we can keep Buddi for a few days in October when we get home. So we were so thrilled to know that we will have "stuffs" to keep us busy on our return to Tucson!! What a relief!
Tom and I continue to enjoy our days together...in fact we feel that our relationship has grown since our adventure began 4 months ago..did not think that was possible but it has!!
God has blessed us not only with wonderful family and friends but with safe travels and blessings of all of those who have opened their homes and hearts to us during our adventure.
Maryann was reading and found this quote that would like to share with all:
"It does not take much strength to do things, but requires great strength to decide on what to do". We hope we can always have the strength to be able to know what is the best to do for our family and friends and those we meet ... and to always be here for them as you all have always been here for us at home and in our travels..no matter how long it has been since we have talked or been together...we are blessed to have you all in our family.
We appreciate you keeping us in your prayers and we continue our travels to Tucson.
God Bless
Love and hugs
Tom and Maryann
This afternoon we arrived in Tyler, Texas.
We left Fayetteville Arkansas at 0700 this AM and arrived here about 3 PM.
We bid a tearful farewell to Peggy and Larry on the morning of 9 September. Our time with the Reinharts are always just perfect. This time we not only had remnants of the Hurricane but a week later...had flooding due to Hurricane Lee!! Their yard had a river running through it! We had spent the evening before the rain with Dan and kids as Amy was at the beach with her Aunt and the two youngest boys. Their home is a neat farmhouse that Dan has added onto with wood used from Larry's grandparents home...what a beautiful job he has done using the old wood. We found out the next AM that their basement had flooded. Tom even got involved in helping rescue two benches at Keith and Lisa's. The benches were near the creek on a wooden area that was flooded so Tom was able to go over and help Lisa move them to a safe place. Guess can say he helped out in the flood of 2011 in Lancaster!!! Larry, Peggy and Tom and I were able to spend the Labor day weekend just doing fun stuffs as Larry was off work. Tom could not believe had to mow the yard 2 times in 5 days!!! We had nearly 15 inches of rain in 2 days...more than Tucson gets in one year!!! We were also able to visit with their Aunt Doris and Uncle Jim which is becoming a tradition when we go to Lancaster...what special people they are too. Tom was a hit with the kids as he was happy to show them how to play Angry Birds and other games on the IPAD...another great reason to have an IPAD!!!! Once again we were blessed to spend these days with our Reinhart family....did I forget to mention the wonderful food that Peggy fixed for us....hmmmm...lots of fresh fruits and veggies and everything else wonderful...and Larry also had BITBURG Beer for Tom...what a friend!!! Peggy's grandson asked if we slept in the carrier on top of our car....how cute!
We had rain in Lancaster but by the time we got to Virginia, the sun was out. We stopped at Williamsburg and walked about and had lunch at the Cheese Shop(great little place to eat)and then headed to Langley AFB and walked around where we used to live and relived great memories
from 1975-76. We then headed to Virginia Beach where we spent 3 nights. We stayed at the Navy Lodge at Dam-Neck on Virginia Beach. The ocean was just across the Sand Dunes. We took the time daily to stroll on the beach and sit awhile...the water was warmer than in Plymouth!!! It is a private beach for the military so not a lot of people so very nice. We also walked the boardwalk at VA Beach...very crowded. We also checked out the Military Resort at Ft Henry. It was very nice but we felt the cottages and lodging at Dam-Neck (20 miles away) was a little nicer due to the location. We spent nearly a day at Yorktown Battlefield and walking around the town of Yorktown. The Va Beach area has so much to offer all ages so hope to someday go back with family and friends. One night we walked up to the beach to check out the full moon over the beach...amazing sight. One thing that never changes is the nice staff we always meet at the military billeting...they are just so willing to always help us.
We left Va Beach on a Monday morning ...late as we had slept in...no need to hurry!!
We drove thru Virginia and West Virginia and arrived in Ohio and drove on to Columbus where we stayed at a defense logistics base...also very nice...right downtown Columbus. We then met our friend Connie who lives in Lancaster, Ohio for a long breakfast to catch up. We were stationed together in Japan in 1971-75..what fun to catch up! Connie and Bob were "family" when we were in Japan and have continued to be. Bob died 3 years ago...but we were still able to talk about the good times we all had. We hope that Connie will come to Tucson and spend some time with us soon. Next stop....Dayton, Ohio!!
George and Pat came down and spent the evening and of course we had dinner...So good to give them a hug to celebrate George's news that his cancer is in remission! George took us the long route to dinner...even tho he had GPS...but it was OK as we are all retired so can take the LONG Way...huh George! We stayed in Billeting at Wright Patterson AFB so Maryann was able to just walk across the street to visit with Amy Kinnon. Maryann and Amy worked together in Tucson for several years. As always...lots to talk about! Tom took the opportunity to finally get a hair cut!!! We then went and surprised Greg Eberhart at his office ( he is a pediatrician near Dayton.) Greg worked with Maryann at Davis-Monthan. We had his office staff tell him that a patient had a complaint and insisted on talking to HIM....he was very surprised to see us! He had a very nice practice and staff. We arranged to meet for dinner and then went back to his home to spend some time with Angie as she had a meeting so could not join us for dinner. How blessed we are to know and have such wonderful friends!
Tom took the time to go to the Air Force Museum and will need to go back as was much bigger than he thought.
We then packed up and headed southwest to Cape Giradeau, Missouri on the Mississippi River.
Tom's roommate, Danny Conrad, now lives there. The last time they saw each other was in 1968. They had been roommates before Tom left for Vietnam ...Danny, Tom and Tony who we saw in Harrisburg were friends at Barksdale AFB "back in the day". We had dinner with him..his wife was not able to join us as had other commitments. It was like they had never been apart. It was so moving to see them give each other big hugs...just like when he met with Tony in Harrisburg. After all these years...still buddies!! Danny is now an RN. Definitely a REUNION with the 3 of them in the near future!!!
Well where should we go from there...we were heading for Arkansas...and thought that we had been thru Memphis but never really stopped there...so we found a Navy Lodge in Memphis and stayed for two nights. We spent a day in downtown Memphis walking around Mud Island ( a miniature replica of the Mississippi River on the island) and riding the trolley. We went to Beale Street and had THE BEST BBQ at BB King's Restaurant and listened to JAZZ. We also went
to the Peabody Hotel and watched the famous "Duck Walk". WHO KNEW that for decades these ducks have been trained to walk from the roof to the elevator on the top floor and then take the elevator down and walk to the fountain on the first floor and hundreds of people come to watch them daily.....NOW WE KNOW! We can now take that off our bucket list!!!! hmm..even tho not sure it was going to be on our bucket list.
Now it was time to head to Fayetteville Arkansas. We stayed in Fort Smith Arkansas at a reserve base...they gave us a 2 bedroom house!! We went up to Fayetteville and spent time with Uncle Herb and Aunt Marilyn on Saturday and then drove back to Fort Smith for the night. Sunday we visited with Uncle Herb and Aunt Marilyn and their daughter from Florida before we met with Aunt Lois and Stephen for dinner. We then went back to Aunt Lois and her kids came over and then the rain came and then the tornado warnings...Maryann was looking for a place to hide as the warnings were within less than a mile from Aunt Lois home...we all visited and the weather warning moved on. We stayed in Fayetteville that night at a hotel before moving into Uncle Herb and Aunt Marilyn home. Of course we were invited over the next night to Scott's for an Ardemagni BBQ with the family. Of course we went and had such a great time..lots of laughing and great food!!
Monday we moved in with Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Herb and were delighted to be able to help with house and yard chores for the next few days. We visited two of Tom's Aunts and saw Mike and family and Debbie and family. Once again Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Herb made us feel like we were right at home! We are so lucky to be able to "arrive on the doorstep" and greeted with open arms and hugs...and a place to stay.
This morning, we got up early and headed for Van, Texas. We just spent another wonderful evening with friends. Tom , Maryann and Darlene were stationed together 40 years ago...tonight we were able to meet Ronnie, Darlene's husband for the first time. Once again it was like we knew each other for years and had not been apart. They took us to a nice dinner and showed us around Tyler, Texas and we shared pictures of our families...What blessings we have to be able to meet up with our friends from the past!!
Tomorrow we will be heading to Spring, Texas to see Fred and Belinda who we met in Austin, Texas 37 years ago and have not seen since we left Texas 36 years ago. The anticipation is growing as we are so excited about spending the weekend with them.
We of course are talking with Kelly and girls and Carrie frequently. Buddi is still healthy!
Kelly called and asked her Dad to assist with the Samantha's 5 yr old soccer team that she volunteered to coach...Kelly is studying how to be a soccer coach..and Tom will have to study too, as he does not know anything about Scoccer. I think Pete, Bryan's Dad is going to help too. HMMMM...Maryann will be helping with watching the Molly and Kirsten...no need to study up on that!!! Also Carrie has asked if we can keep Buddi for a few days in October when we get home. So we were so thrilled to know that we will have "stuffs" to keep us busy on our return to Tucson!! What a relief!
Tom and I continue to enjoy our days together...in fact we feel that our relationship has grown since our adventure began 4 months ago..did not think that was possible but it has!!
God has blessed us not only with wonderful family and friends but with safe travels and blessings of all of those who have opened their homes and hearts to us during our adventure.
Maryann was reading and found this quote that would like to share with all:
"It does not take much strength to do things, but requires great strength to decide on what to do". We hope we can always have the strength to be able to know what is the best to do for our family and friends and those we meet ... and to always be here for them as you all have always been here for us at home and in our travels..no matter how long it has been since we have talked or been together...we are blessed to have you all in our family.
We appreciate you keeping us in your prayers and we continue our travels to Tucson.
God Bless
Love and hugs
Tom and Maryann
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Lancaster PA....4 Sept 2011
Good Morning
We are now in Lancaster, PA.!
We bid a farewell to Pete and Linda on the early morning of 3 August to head to Pennsylvania.
We took the scenic route through Rhode Island, Conn. and New York. We did make one final stop to have a seafood lunch prior to leaving the Northeast Coast!!! Pete and Linda were such great host that it was bittersweet leaving them...even knowing we would see them when we get back to Tucson in October. We thank them for sharing their family history and allowing us to spend time getting to know their family from the area...what gracious people!!
We arrived at Maryann's home to spend time with Mom and family on 3 August in the evening...as we hit traffic on Interstate 80...not sure why we were at a near standstill for over an hour...as could not see any reason for the delay. Tom said that "just Pennsylvania"! We hit rain just as we arrived at the PA border and it follow us to Maryann's Mom's in Karthaus, PA..central PA. Of course they were having the hottest week of the summer...Mom does not have air conditioning...hmmm. Very hot sleeping on the second floor...the window fan did move the air around a little... Maryann's sister Joan and her Tom brought them a large fan up from the camp which made the nights bearable...during the day we had 4 fans going in the room we were in....even thought it would be better in the 108 degree days were having in Tucson...as 0 humidity vs 100 % humidity!!! We were able to help Mom with stuffs that needed done around the house. My brother in law Kenny and Tom decided that the sidewalk needed to be leveled.. Maryann even was part of the team to help..and we were able to get most of it done. Of course it started to pour so we were able to get wet before we decided to finish another day.
Tom and Kenny were able to spend lots of time together..they are like brothers...lots of time spend at Kenny's Camp sitting and talking and of course..drinking beer and eating peanuts!! Tom got to see lot of deer too..
It was difficult going home and knowing that Maryann's sister Carol would not be there to make us laugh. ( for those who do not know, Carol died suddenly from cancer last October..after only being sick for 5 weeks..she was 64). It was a comfort to sit on the bench Carol had always wanted vs a tombstone. It is right down from her and Kenny's home and looks over the mountains. Maryann keeps Carol in her heart but it was a comfort to be able to go up and just sit and talk and just be there knowing this meant so much to Carol. We were able to see cousins and attend birthday parties, make Pigs in the blanket with Julie (Carol's daughter) and play dice and do all the things we miss out on living far away. Maryann took Mom shopping and out to lunch and we were able to convince Mom and her sister to go to town and have lunch and just dropped in on her Aunt's daughter and she went to lunch with us...a 2 hour day trip turned into 7 hours!!! Mom's brother lives in Cleveland, Ohio so was able to convince Mom to go see him. We left on a Sunday afternoon and went to Joan's and her Tom's and spent the night and went on to Cleveland ( 1.5 hours from Joan and Tom's) the next day. Had a wonderful visit and so good to see Uncle Eddie and his family as had been 20 years since Maryann had seen him.
When we returned to Linesville, PA where Tom and Joan live, it was a beautiful day so Joan and Tom got out there ATV's and let us not only ride but drive!!!! Maryann had never been on a ATV...let alone let her little sister drive...but after a short time....Joan was riding with Maryann!!! We have pictures...Joan said could take off her bucket list....never really on her bucket list...but it was so much fun....so many laughs. We also went to the Amish place to shop and to the canal to feed fish...amazing how many fish...Mom has not done before so was good to share with her...she could not be convinced to get on the ATC with her daughters!!! (could not blame her). Tom and Joan are also such great hosts...lots of great food and dice games. Kenny, Tom and Maryann also spend a day with them at their camp ..yes the sisters did some more ATV riding... Maryann was able to see two good friends she grew up with and spent nearly an entire day with Janet ...going to dinner and movie...had not done that in YEARS!!!
It was so fun to see the cousins and their kids...the little ones were thrilled to use the IPAD to play Angry Birds... The night before we left, there was no parking at Mom's house as everyone came to say good bye. What fun!
On 27 August we said our teary good byes to Joan and Tom and Mom and Kenny and headed toward Hurricane Eilene..hmmm. We arrived in Harrisburg, PA about 11 AM and spent several hours over lunch with a friend Tom had found on Facebook that lived in Harrisburg. Tony and Tom were stationed at Barksdale AFB together. They had not seen each other since 1968!!! It was like they had never been apart. It was fun for Maryann to listen to all the stories etc. We look forward to seeing them again...either in Tucson or in Harrisburg...Tom and Tony are trying to find others who were with them and try to set up a reunion. THE AF is a small world.
After our time with Tony, we went to Maryann's Aunt Ethel's and we had a get together with Aunt Ethel and kids and Aunt Fran. It was Linda's birthday so we got to share another family event. When you go to my Aunt Ethels...you always come out weighing much more...she alway has lots of food and can get it all together in minutes!!! Linda had spent 6 weeks with us in Hawaii years ago...and we had not seen her since..she was 40 and when she was in Hawaii...she was 14!!! hmmm . What good memories.
Talked with Peggy and Larry on our way down and they were concerned as the hurricane was to hit Lancaster...we decided we had never spent a hurricane with them so would come on down!! We arrived here about 8 PM. Had rain and winds during the night but no loss of power etc. Sunday the morning had reports of severe rain and winds but we were able to go out in the afternoon to a nice sunny day. There were several area with trees down and no power but we were not affected. Since arriving in Lancaster we have been able to share the joys of seeing Peggy and Larry's kid, grandkids and family that we see as our own...even got to meet their bible study group at a pot luck and went back to church with them today and attended bible study with the same folks...such friendly people...felt just like we were at home! Today the sermon was on friendship...how appropriate...we were meant to be there!! Yesterday we did the Lancaster tourist stuff. Dan is the engineer at the Strasberg railroad so he was so good to get us tickets so could ride his train after a wonderfully breakfast at "Sugarplums and Tea" in Lancaster...highly recommend if you come to the area. Tom is Larry's yard boy while we are here and making sure the yard is mowed. Maryann, Tom and Peggy made cookies from Larry's Mom's recipe too as a surprise for Larry as he has had to work!!! Once again, we feel so at home here with Peggy and Larry! How blessed are we!!!
We were also able to visit Maryann's Aunt who lives in Lancaster too.
We are so blessed to not only have family but friends that are family too..it is the best of times to share moments with them.
Update on Buddi...Carrie says he is back to being Buddi...he will have more labs done this week to see if needs to continue on his meds. He sent us a video last week and YES, he does look like he is OUR Buddi again! Carrie has started her last class and then will have her BS degree.
We SKYPED with the girls last weekend...what a treat.
As we got on the interstate last weekend heading this way, we received a phone call and email from Pat and George with wonderful news. George's cancer is in remission. Thank you all who have been praying with us! We have planned to meet up with them in Ohio as they will be near I 70 as we make our way south. What tears of Joy we had to hear this news about our "GEORGE" and Pat!
Our travels will take us South on Friday when we leave. We will spend a couple nights at Virginia Beach and then head to Ohio and down to St Louis and then on the Arkansas before we head to Texas to visit friends and home...should arrive on 2-3 October.
All keep asking us what is the best part of these travels...everyday is a blessing and to be able to spend time with family and friends in their everyday lives seems like that is where we need to be...helping when we can or just visiting etc.
How blessed we are...and how fortunate we are to have all our family and friend at home checking on our home and knowing they will be their when this adventure ends.
We are keeping you all in our daily prayers. We ask you to keep us in your prayers as we head home.
Love and hugs
Tom and Maryann
We are now in Lancaster, PA.!
We bid a farewell to Pete and Linda on the early morning of 3 August to head to Pennsylvania.
We took the scenic route through Rhode Island, Conn. and New York. We did make one final stop to have a seafood lunch prior to leaving the Northeast Coast!!! Pete and Linda were such great host that it was bittersweet leaving them...even knowing we would see them when we get back to Tucson in October. We thank them for sharing their family history and allowing us to spend time getting to know their family from the area...what gracious people!!
We arrived at Maryann's home to spend time with Mom and family on 3 August in the evening...as we hit traffic on Interstate 80...not sure why we were at a near standstill for over an hour...as could not see any reason for the delay. Tom said that "just Pennsylvania"! We hit rain just as we arrived at the PA border and it follow us to Maryann's Mom's in Karthaus, PA..central PA. Of course they were having the hottest week of the summer...Mom does not have air conditioning...hmmm. Very hot sleeping on the second floor...the window fan did move the air around a little... Maryann's sister Joan and her Tom brought them a large fan up from the camp which made the nights bearable...during the day we had 4 fans going in the room we were in....even thought it would be better in the 108 degree days were having in Tucson...as 0 humidity vs 100 % humidity!!! We were able to help Mom with stuffs that needed done around the house. My brother in law Kenny and Tom decided that the sidewalk needed to be leveled.. Maryann even was part of the team to help..and we were able to get most of it done. Of course it started to pour so we were able to get wet before we decided to finish another day.
Tom and Kenny were able to spend lots of time together..they are like brothers...lots of time spend at Kenny's Camp sitting and talking and of course..drinking beer and eating peanuts!! Tom got to see lot of deer too..
It was difficult going home and knowing that Maryann's sister Carol would not be there to make us laugh. ( for those who do not know, Carol died suddenly from cancer last October..after only being sick for 5 weeks..she was 64). It was a comfort to sit on the bench Carol had always wanted vs a tombstone. It is right down from her and Kenny's home and looks over the mountains. Maryann keeps Carol in her heart but it was a comfort to be able to go up and just sit and talk and just be there knowing this meant so much to Carol. We were able to see cousins and attend birthday parties, make Pigs in the blanket with Julie (Carol's daughter) and play dice and do all the things we miss out on living far away. Maryann took Mom shopping and out to lunch and we were able to convince Mom and her sister to go to town and have lunch and just dropped in on her Aunt's daughter and she went to lunch with us...a 2 hour day trip turned into 7 hours!!! Mom's brother lives in Cleveland, Ohio so was able to convince Mom to go see him. We left on a Sunday afternoon and went to Joan's and her Tom's and spent the night and went on to Cleveland ( 1.5 hours from Joan and Tom's) the next day. Had a wonderful visit and so good to see Uncle Eddie and his family as had been 20 years since Maryann had seen him.
When we returned to Linesville, PA where Tom and Joan live, it was a beautiful day so Joan and Tom got out there ATV's and let us not only ride but drive!!!! Maryann had never been on a ATV...let alone let her little sister drive...but after a short time....Joan was riding with Maryann!!! We have pictures...Joan said could take off her bucket list....never really on her bucket list...but it was so much fun....so many laughs. We also went to the Amish place to shop and to the canal to feed fish...amazing how many fish...Mom has not done before so was good to share with her...she could not be convinced to get on the ATC with her daughters!!! (could not blame her). Tom and Joan are also such great hosts...lots of great food and dice games. Kenny, Tom and Maryann also spend a day with them at their camp ..yes the sisters did some more ATV riding... Maryann was able to see two good friends she grew up with and spent nearly an entire day with Janet ...going to dinner and movie...had not done that in YEARS!!!
It was so fun to see the cousins and their kids...the little ones were thrilled to use the IPAD to play Angry Birds... The night before we left, there was no parking at Mom's house as everyone came to say good bye. What fun!
On 27 August we said our teary good byes to Joan and Tom and Mom and Kenny and headed toward Hurricane Eilene..hmmm. We arrived in Harrisburg, PA about 11 AM and spent several hours over lunch with a friend Tom had found on Facebook that lived in Harrisburg. Tony and Tom were stationed at Barksdale AFB together. They had not seen each other since 1968!!! It was like they had never been apart. It was fun for Maryann to listen to all the stories etc. We look forward to seeing them again...either in Tucson or in Harrisburg...Tom and Tony are trying to find others who were with them and try to set up a reunion. THE AF is a small world.
After our time with Tony, we went to Maryann's Aunt Ethel's and we had a get together with Aunt Ethel and kids and Aunt Fran. It was Linda's birthday so we got to share another family event. When you go to my Aunt Ethels...you always come out weighing much more...she alway has lots of food and can get it all together in minutes!!! Linda had spent 6 weeks with us in Hawaii years ago...and we had not seen her since..she was 40 and when she was in Hawaii...she was 14!!! hmmm . What good memories.
Talked with Peggy and Larry on our way down and they were concerned as the hurricane was to hit Lancaster...we decided we had never spent a hurricane with them so would come on down!! We arrived here about 8 PM. Had rain and winds during the night but no loss of power etc. Sunday the morning had reports of severe rain and winds but we were able to go out in the afternoon to a nice sunny day. There were several area with trees down and no power but we were not affected. Since arriving in Lancaster we have been able to share the joys of seeing Peggy and Larry's kid, grandkids and family that we see as our own...even got to meet their bible study group at a pot luck and went back to church with them today and attended bible study with the same folks...such friendly people...felt just like we were at home! Today the sermon was on friendship...how appropriate...we were meant to be there!! Yesterday we did the Lancaster tourist stuff. Dan is the engineer at the Strasberg railroad so he was so good to get us tickets so could ride his train after a wonderfully breakfast at "Sugarplums and Tea" in Lancaster...highly recommend if you come to the area. Tom is Larry's yard boy while we are here and making sure the yard is mowed. Maryann, Tom and Peggy made cookies from Larry's Mom's recipe too as a surprise for Larry as he has had to work!!! Once again, we feel so at home here with Peggy and Larry! How blessed are we!!!
We were also able to visit Maryann's Aunt who lives in Lancaster too.
We are so blessed to not only have family but friends that are family too..it is the best of times to share moments with them.
Update on Buddi...Carrie says he is back to being Buddi...he will have more labs done this week to see if needs to continue on his meds. He sent us a video last week and YES, he does look like he is OUR Buddi again! Carrie has started her last class and then will have her BS degree.
We SKYPED with the girls last weekend...what a treat.
As we got on the interstate last weekend heading this way, we received a phone call and email from Pat and George with wonderful news. George's cancer is in remission. Thank you all who have been praying with us! We have planned to meet up with them in Ohio as they will be near I 70 as we make our way south. What tears of Joy we had to hear this news about our "GEORGE" and Pat!
Our travels will take us South on Friday when we leave. We will spend a couple nights at Virginia Beach and then head to Ohio and down to St Louis and then on the Arkansas before we head to Texas to visit friends and home...should arrive on 2-3 October.
All keep asking us what is the best part of these travels...everyday is a blessing and to be able to spend time with family and friends in their everyday lives seems like that is where we need to be...helping when we can or just visiting etc.
How blessed we are...and how fortunate we are to have all our family and friend at home checking on our home and knowing they will be their when this adventure ends.
We are keeping you all in our daily prayers. We ask you to keep us in your prayers as we head home.
Love and hugs
Tom and Maryann
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Plymouth, Mass 2 August 2011
We are back in the land of cheaper gas....It is much better to pay $3.69/gallon vs nearly $5. 30-$5.60 Canadian Dollar per gallon!!
We left Prince Edward Island by the southern route and traveled along the beach towns. Taking the 8 mile bridge back was unique and it was a sunny day so very pretty. We traveled through south New Brunswick and stopped several times and explored the small towns and then went to the Fundy River Valley where we discovered the Chocolate River and actually walked on the ocean floor. We must of walked for 2 miles through mounds of seaweed, tunnels and caves that one can not see when the tide is in. When the tide comes in it is acutally 7 feet deep in the area that we walked. We ...or Tom decided to take another route back to the car so we got to climb over some rock piles...not always an easy task... We were not sure if were headed in the right direction but then we saw the flags going into the forest and breathed a sigh of relief as did not really want to walk all the way back..were not sure if we would make it before the tide started coming in.
Note to ourselves...always take water..we expected it to take about 30 minutes vs 2 hours!!!
We then drove through the national forest and saw some beautiful scenery. Stopped in St John, New Brunswick and walked about the wharf and had a nice dinner...fish and chips again!!
We then headed for Maine. It started to pour rain as we crossed over the Canadian Border for our last time this trip. We were going to camp but it was raining so hard and Tom was not tired so we drove on...amazingly he deceided he was tried in Feeport,Maine...home of L.L. BEAN!!! So we spent the night there and awoke to a beautiful morning...and headed to LL Bean store and had a lobster roll and then headed south to Plymouth.
What memories we have from traveling across Canada...it was an experience that we would not have missed.
We arrived on Pete and Linda's doorstep and what a warm welcome we had...as always. They are renting a place here. Plymouth is a neat little town. Tom and I have taken a walk a couple mornings and our route takes us along the shore and "THE PLYMOUTH ROCK" and thru the town. It has been special to see where they grew up. We have also gotten to meet Pete and Linda's relatives and they have been so kind and generous to make us feel like we are home!!! Pete and Linda know the best restaurants and of course we have had to go to all our favorites...LINDSEYS in Buzzard Bay...about 30 minutes from here. Pete and Linda told us about Lindseys several years ago when we first visited this area. We have been to Lindseys at least 10 times in the years we have visited this area...and the food always brings us back. Their family was going to a clam bake on Saturday and they were able to get us tickets..which was not an easy task as they are always sold out..there were about 600+ people there. It was "Carver Days"..a town just up the road. We had never been to a real clam bake and how fascinating to see them prepare the fire and place all the food...clams, fish, hot dogs, sausage, sweet and white potatoes, onions, corn, stuffing, bread all on the hot coals and then cover with sea weed and put tarps on and then it cooks for about 1.5 hours and then ready to eat. They had about 25 people serving so all was very efficient. Maryann had not ever eaten steamed clams...she ate 5 and said they were good. Everyone else ate about 50...it was all you could eat. Then they served ice cream and watermelon. There were several rows of long tables and they would just come and dump buckets of clams at about every 4th person ...time after time to be eaten It was a nice breezy day sitting under the pine trees..everyone was so friendly..felt just like we were at home!!!
It was our 40th wedding anniversary..so was nice to celebrate doing an event we had never done. Of course we could barely move as so full...but about 7PM that night decided we were hungary for dessert so drove down to Lindseys..again... for Strawberry Short Cake. I am not sure how many times since we arrived here, we vowed could not eat another bite until the next day...but somehow managed to do so!!! We even drove up to Boston one day to spend the day with Pete's brother and wife. Tom, Pete and Mike went and did a guided tour of Wrigley Field...what fun they had. Linda and Maryann spent the day with Beth and then we all went to a restaurant on the water and had another great fish dinner ..with POPOVERS...ymmmmm.
We also shared a family get together with Pete's cousin and Linda's family and even had guests from Copenhagen..an international dinner!!! Yesterday we went to the beach...the water was chilly...but after lots of encouragement and having Maryann get wet first...Tom made the plunge!! I think the lifegaurd said the water was 60 degrees....We also had the best Pizza yesterday at a neat Cafe in the town where Pete grew up. And have stopped along the ocean to have clam chowder. As Pete says..."""SO MUCH FOOd...s00 LITTLE TIME"..and we must tell you about the stops for ice cream....hmmmm. The small cone is like a 3-4 dip cone back home!!! Somehow we forget that every time we stop!! Discussed that my sister Joan and her Tom would be in heaven here as they love ice cream.
We finally figured out SKYPE so we all were able to enjoy seeing Kelly and Bryan and the girls the other night. They were so excited to show us Molly's birthday stuff, Samantha's school art and Kirsten her dolls. It was so good to see them all...nice to know that they continue to want to share so much with their grandparents!! Molly and Samantha are enjoying being back in school.
The weather has been just perfect here. We attended a concert in the park at the water the other night....it was a bit nippy as Linda and Maryann had sweaters etc...Maryann had a blanket but decided to give to Linda's Aunt Jean who said she was cold. She is going to be 90 next year and is just amazing..acts more like 60!!! Amazingly Maryann was able to tolerate the "cold"!!! hmmm
We have talked with Carrie and Buddi..also Carrie has sent pictures and has a video of Buddi playing ball on FACEBOOK...what a miracle. He is back to being hungary all the time and activity improved 100% from 4 weeks ago. Still looks thin. He will have more labs done this week to see if medications need to be changed or can stop the prednisone. Carrie is delighted to have her Buddi back!!!
We were able to attend a neat old church on Sunday with Pete and Linda right here in Plymouth. We certainly know that God has been with us every minute of the day as have had so many blessings. We continue to keep you all in our prayers and thank you for your thoughts and prayers for this journey.
We are so blessed to have had 40 years together...through difficult and great times..one thing we know is that we were meant to be together and to be able to share our lives with our family and our friends, no matter near or far..memories are always with us...and we so appreciate being able to make even more memories as we look toward many more years.
We were so thankful to hear that our friend George had his last chemo treatment..please keep him in your prayers as he has his PET Scan in August....he and Pat have been so positive and have continued to travel in between Chemo treatments...heard from them today and are in Flagstaff, AZ with 48 degree temperatures....and had rain yesterday...if we remember correctly..they brought the rain the last time they came to AZ too.
We have also had a roudy night playing SKIPO with Pete and Linda...Tom and Pete won 2 out of 3 as they had so many skipo wild cards...how could they help but not win( this is Maryann's point of view!!) but Linda and Maryann hope to win a round before we leave...
Tomorrow, 3 Aug, we plan to head to Maryann's Mom's in Pennsylvania. It will be difficult to leave the comfort of being with Pete and Linda as we have certainly shared a week of great moments and will always have many fond memories of the days we have been with them...we cannot thank them enough for these wonderfilled days!!!!!
Sending special hugs to you all..you are never far from our thoughts as we motor down the road to another adventure.
Love
Tom and Maryann
We left Prince Edward Island by the southern route and traveled along the beach towns. Taking the 8 mile bridge back was unique and it was a sunny day so very pretty. We traveled through south New Brunswick and stopped several times and explored the small towns and then went to the Fundy River Valley where we discovered the Chocolate River and actually walked on the ocean floor. We must of walked for 2 miles through mounds of seaweed, tunnels and caves that one can not see when the tide is in. When the tide comes in it is acutally 7 feet deep in the area that we walked. We ...or Tom decided to take another route back to the car so we got to climb over some rock piles...not always an easy task... We were not sure if were headed in the right direction but then we saw the flags going into the forest and breathed a sigh of relief as did not really want to walk all the way back..were not sure if we would make it before the tide started coming in.
Note to ourselves...always take water..we expected it to take about 30 minutes vs 2 hours!!!
We then drove through the national forest and saw some beautiful scenery. Stopped in St John, New Brunswick and walked about the wharf and had a nice dinner...fish and chips again!!
We then headed for Maine. It started to pour rain as we crossed over the Canadian Border for our last time this trip. We were going to camp but it was raining so hard and Tom was not tired so we drove on...amazingly he deceided he was tried in Feeport,Maine...home of L.L. BEAN!!! So we spent the night there and awoke to a beautiful morning...and headed to LL Bean store and had a lobster roll and then headed south to Plymouth.
What memories we have from traveling across Canada...it was an experience that we would not have missed.
We arrived on Pete and Linda's doorstep and what a warm welcome we had...as always. They are renting a place here. Plymouth is a neat little town. Tom and I have taken a walk a couple mornings and our route takes us along the shore and "THE PLYMOUTH ROCK" and thru the town. It has been special to see where they grew up. We have also gotten to meet Pete and Linda's relatives and they have been so kind and generous to make us feel like we are home!!! Pete and Linda know the best restaurants and of course we have had to go to all our favorites...LINDSEYS in Buzzard Bay...about 30 minutes from here. Pete and Linda told us about Lindseys several years ago when we first visited this area. We have been to Lindseys at least 10 times in the years we have visited this area...and the food always brings us back. Their family was going to a clam bake on Saturday and they were able to get us tickets..which was not an easy task as they are always sold out..there were about 600+ people there. It was "Carver Days"..a town just up the road. We had never been to a real clam bake and how fascinating to see them prepare the fire and place all the food...clams, fish, hot dogs, sausage, sweet and white potatoes, onions, corn, stuffing, bread all on the hot coals and then cover with sea weed and put tarps on and then it cooks for about 1.5 hours and then ready to eat. They had about 25 people serving so all was very efficient. Maryann had not ever eaten steamed clams...she ate 5 and said they were good. Everyone else ate about 50...it was all you could eat. Then they served ice cream and watermelon. There were several rows of long tables and they would just come and dump buckets of clams at about every 4th person ...time after time to be eaten It was a nice breezy day sitting under the pine trees..everyone was so friendly..felt just like we were at home!!!
It was our 40th wedding anniversary..so was nice to celebrate doing an event we had never done. Of course we could barely move as so full...but about 7PM that night decided we were hungary for dessert so drove down to Lindseys..again... for Strawberry Short Cake. I am not sure how many times since we arrived here, we vowed could not eat another bite until the next day...but somehow managed to do so!!! We even drove up to Boston one day to spend the day with Pete's brother and wife. Tom, Pete and Mike went and did a guided tour of Wrigley Field...what fun they had. Linda and Maryann spent the day with Beth and then we all went to a restaurant on the water and had another great fish dinner ..with POPOVERS...ymmmmm.
We also shared a family get together with Pete's cousin and Linda's family and even had guests from Copenhagen..an international dinner!!! Yesterday we went to the beach...the water was chilly...but after lots of encouragement and having Maryann get wet first...Tom made the plunge!! I think the lifegaurd said the water was 60 degrees....We also had the best Pizza yesterday at a neat Cafe in the town where Pete grew up. And have stopped along the ocean to have clam chowder. As Pete says..."""SO MUCH FOOd...s00 LITTLE TIME"..and we must tell you about the stops for ice cream....hmmmm. The small cone is like a 3-4 dip cone back home!!! Somehow we forget that every time we stop!! Discussed that my sister Joan and her Tom would be in heaven here as they love ice cream.
We finally figured out SKYPE so we all were able to enjoy seeing Kelly and Bryan and the girls the other night. They were so excited to show us Molly's birthday stuff, Samantha's school art and Kirsten her dolls. It was so good to see them all...nice to know that they continue to want to share so much with their grandparents!! Molly and Samantha are enjoying being back in school.
The weather has been just perfect here. We attended a concert in the park at the water the other night....it was a bit nippy as Linda and Maryann had sweaters etc...Maryann had a blanket but decided to give to Linda's Aunt Jean who said she was cold. She is going to be 90 next year and is just amazing..acts more like 60!!! Amazingly Maryann was able to tolerate the "cold"!!! hmmm
We have talked with Carrie and Buddi..also Carrie has sent pictures and has a video of Buddi playing ball on FACEBOOK...what a miracle. He is back to being hungary all the time and activity improved 100% from 4 weeks ago. Still looks thin. He will have more labs done this week to see if medications need to be changed or can stop the prednisone. Carrie is delighted to have her Buddi back!!!
We were able to attend a neat old church on Sunday with Pete and Linda right here in Plymouth. We certainly know that God has been with us every minute of the day as have had so many blessings. We continue to keep you all in our prayers and thank you for your thoughts and prayers for this journey.
We are so blessed to have had 40 years together...through difficult and great times..one thing we know is that we were meant to be together and to be able to share our lives with our family and our friends, no matter near or far..memories are always with us...and we so appreciate being able to make even more memories as we look toward many more years.
We were so thankful to hear that our friend George had his last chemo treatment..please keep him in your prayers as he has his PET Scan in August....he and Pat have been so positive and have continued to travel in between Chemo treatments...heard from them today and are in Flagstaff, AZ with 48 degree temperatures....and had rain yesterday...if we remember correctly..they brought the rain the last time they came to AZ too.
We have also had a roudy night playing SKIPO with Pete and Linda...Tom and Pete won 2 out of 3 as they had so many skipo wild cards...how could they help but not win( this is Maryann's point of view!!) but Linda and Maryann hope to win a round before we leave...
Tomorrow, 3 Aug, we plan to head to Maryann's Mom's in Pennsylvania. It will be difficult to leave the comfort of being with Pete and Linda as we have certainly shared a week of great moments and will always have many fond memories of the days we have been with them...we cannot thank them enough for these wonderfilled days!!!!!
Sending special hugs to you all..you are never far from our thoughts as we motor down the road to another adventure.
Love
Tom and Maryann
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Prince Edward Island..24 July 2011
Hi
We are in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
We came to Nova Scotia and spent the night in Amherst and drove thru north Northern NS and stopped at Tatamagouche at a farmers market and the sun was out...what fun..and then off to New Glasgow and explored this small town. It started raining so drove to Cape Breton Island to North Sydney just in time to catch the 7 hour ferry to Newfoundland. It was a comfortable Trip but we were both freezing...temp must have been 50 degrees. Maryann had her poncho liner so we shared...she also had her winter jacket..so fared better than Tom! We were not allowed to go down to the car to get stuffs...
It was a night crossing so had gotten there at 9PM for the 11 PM boarding...we arrived in
Port aux Basque...on the South East coast at 0730. NF was in a different time zone by it self...30 min ahead of Atlantic Standard time...it took us a day to realize!!!
We went to Gros Morme National Park and drove through the park and stopped frequently..we came across an old wooden church that we checked out. We found a neat spot and watched the sunset as we had a picnic of fish and chips...yes, we have been eating late..as sunset at 9 PM.
We stayed in a Nice KOA camp ground...about midnight....it poured for a few hours but was only sprinkling when we woke. Sleeping in the car is comfortable...except there are so many
mosquito...Maryann has OFF and walks to and from shower ready to spray...and sprays around the
car etc.....hmmmm.
We drove over several mountains to get to Gander on the 18th July. We secured billeting at Canadian Forces Air Force for two nights...the staff there were great..don't seem to have many Americans come through...our SUITE... Minimal furniture...was 2 rooms with bath and shower...They gave us sheets to make our bed and towels...no housekeeping service...that was OK as all was clean and $25/night with free laundry. Maryann was cold and the thermostat did not seem to work...so Tom went to inquire....the heat was off for the summer...temp at Gander was 50!!
Maryann slept in her winter long johns and thick socks!!!! And of course just had the poncho liner as no blankets....We spent the next 2 days exploring the north coast and Twillingate. WE took a boat to the Laborador Sea and saw Ice Bergs AND the moving of a house from one island to another on a wooden floor that was floated with barrels ...interesting.
By the way...Maryann had on several layers and her gloves she bought came in handy..it was cold and windy on the boat. We also visited a Indian interpretive center that gave us info on the history of the area. The staff at Gander called St Johns for Maryann ..our phones are not working here...and arranged for a suite....hmmmm there at the Canadian Navy base. What family
we have in the military. They go above and beyond for us. Well, our suite in St Johns was
like a 5 star...for $25!!
St Johns is a neat little town with colorful homes of bright colors. We drove down the Irish coast of Newfoundland and took a 2 hr boat trip in the Atlantic and saw 2 whales and a thousand Puffins...neat birds. We had to go and see as used to read a book to Molly about Puffins...We selected OBRIEN'S boat tours...what friendly folks. Each time we have gone on a boat..there was a singer and then a young man playing an accordion to entertain us on the way.
We also went to a light house and stood at the point most easterly in North America. Maryann was able to see 3 whales in a bay we were going by...saw the water spray...we can't seem to see Moose but saw whales way out in the bay'!!!!!!! Also went to Signal Hill..the first fort that was built for defense in NF. We are doing some history, religious and just stuff. We visited a town where all were relocated during WW2...it was a moving story. Lots of lakes and funny looking trees...not tall trees. The flowers just growing wild along the highway and just beautiful. We did see ONE moose cross the highway in front of us...the camera was not ready to document the crossing...of course. WE have seen DANGER MOOSE signs since we started from western Canada....The scenery is just so green and beautiful, we are not able to capture on our pictures. It was time to take the ferry from Argentia,NF...besides the rains had returned to NF....
We arrived at the ferry 2 hrs early as needed for our 7PM departure and had bologna and cheese sandwiches in the car...reminded us of travels when we were young...they tasted great.
It was a 14 hr ferry trip...we had prepared for a cold trip....but it was fairly warm. We found a nice area of the ship were there were seats for 40 but only about 8 of us in the area.
Being on a ferry is better than flying as can get up and walk....big ship.
We arrived in Cape Breton Island, NS and headed back across by a different route.
And stopped and walked in a few towns and arrived at Caribu just in time for the next ferry to Prince Edward Island. There are so many interesting small villages we have walked..just pass on the larger towns. We went through a town called FIVE HOUSES....yep, it had 5 houses!!!!
The sun was shining when we got to Woods Island PEI. We drove to Georgetown and paid for a camp ground and went to have fish...having lots of fish as sooo fresh. As we finished , there was a downpour...with winds. We were going to wait it out...but it continued..it was interesting setting up the car to sleep without getting out of the car....hmmmm..but we did!
We got all settled then realized we were going to bed at 7:30! It poured most of the night.
But had stopped when we woke...but grounds were soaked. Just another adventure!
We headed out for the day in thick fog but as we reached our destination...the sun was out.
We walked about Cavendish where "Anne of Green Gables" author lived. PEI is fairly flat with lots of dairy farms and potato fields...and red dirt. A beauty of it's own.
We traveled to Charlottetown and have been here for two days..again neat villages to explore.
We went to see a play last night and tonight to see a fun light show shown with folklore music and history of city. We plan to head for New Brunswick tomorrow sometime..over a 8 mile bridge called Confederation Bridge and then head southeast to ST JOHNS NB. So many towns in each providence have same names as in the next providence.
Plays havoc with the GPS.
We have been out of phone contact....miss talking to Kelly and Carrie...and Molly, Samantha and Kirsten. EMail tells us Buddi was feeling good enough to go to Kelly's for Molly's birthday.
Can you believe she is 7 now!!!! Molly and Samantha had good first week of school.
We will head for Maine after finish in NB.
We are making lots of good memories and it is still so good to spend our days together after all these days of JUST US!!!
We are looking forward to spending time with Pete and Linda in Plymouth in the next week. It will be good to spend time with family again...after all that is what life is about.
Gas prices are rising here...our lexus is good on gas but costing $90+ when needs a full tank!
Tom has been fantastic with his driving ...the GPS has helped too! Maryann has also been doing some Map reading...hmmmmm. When she asked Tom if she was as "efficient and entertaining as our friend Larry"who is the Garmen when we travel together...he said "ahhhh..you are much better than normal". Was that a YES?.....don't think so...then he quickly added...."But I love you!!!! Hmmmmm mm
Sending our love and thoughts to each of you.
We appreciate all your thoughts and prayers as we continue our adventure.
Love and Hugs
Tom and Maryann
We are in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
We came to Nova Scotia and spent the night in Amherst and drove thru north Northern NS and stopped at Tatamagouche at a farmers market and the sun was out...what fun..and then off to New Glasgow and explored this small town. It started raining so drove to Cape Breton Island to North Sydney just in time to catch the 7 hour ferry to Newfoundland. It was a comfortable Trip but we were both freezing...temp must have been 50 degrees. Maryann had her poncho liner so we shared...she also had her winter jacket..so fared better than Tom! We were not allowed to go down to the car to get stuffs...
It was a night crossing so had gotten there at 9PM for the 11 PM boarding...we arrived in
Port aux Basque...on the South East coast at 0730. NF was in a different time zone by it self...30 min ahead of Atlantic Standard time...it took us a day to realize!!!
We went to Gros Morme National Park and drove through the park and stopped frequently..we came across an old wooden church that we checked out. We found a neat spot and watched the sunset as we had a picnic of fish and chips...yes, we have been eating late..as sunset at 9 PM.
We stayed in a Nice KOA camp ground...about midnight....it poured for a few hours but was only sprinkling when we woke. Sleeping in the car is comfortable...except there are so many
mosquito...Maryann has OFF and walks to and from shower ready to spray...and sprays around the
car etc.....hmmmm.
We drove over several mountains to get to Gander on the 18th July. We secured billeting at Canadian Forces Air Force for two nights...the staff there were great..don't seem to have many Americans come through...our SUITE... Minimal furniture...was 2 rooms with bath and shower...They gave us sheets to make our bed and towels...no housekeeping service...that was OK as all was clean and $25/night with free laundry. Maryann was cold and the thermostat did not seem to work...so Tom went to inquire....the heat was off for the summer...temp at Gander was 50!!
Maryann slept in her winter long johns and thick socks!!!! And of course just had the poncho liner as no blankets....We spent the next 2 days exploring the north coast and Twillingate. WE took a boat to the Laborador Sea and saw Ice Bergs AND the moving of a house from one island to another on a wooden floor that was floated with barrels ...interesting.
By the way...Maryann had on several layers and her gloves she bought came in handy..it was cold and windy on the boat. We also visited a Indian interpretive center that gave us info on the history of the area. The staff at Gander called St Johns for Maryann ..our phones are not working here...and arranged for a suite....hmmmm there at the Canadian Navy base. What family
we have in the military. They go above and beyond for us. Well, our suite in St Johns was
like a 5 star...for $25!!
St Johns is a neat little town with colorful homes of bright colors. We drove down the Irish coast of Newfoundland and took a 2 hr boat trip in the Atlantic and saw 2 whales and a thousand Puffins...neat birds. We had to go and see as used to read a book to Molly about Puffins...We selected OBRIEN'S boat tours...what friendly folks. Each time we have gone on a boat..there was a singer and then a young man playing an accordion to entertain us on the way.
We also went to a light house and stood at the point most easterly in North America. Maryann was able to see 3 whales in a bay we were going by...saw the water spray...we can't seem to see Moose but saw whales way out in the bay'!!!!!!! Also went to Signal Hill..the first fort that was built for defense in NF. We are doing some history, religious and just stuff. We visited a town where all were relocated during WW2...it was a moving story. Lots of lakes and funny looking trees...not tall trees. The flowers just growing wild along the highway and just beautiful. We did see ONE moose cross the highway in front of us...the camera was not ready to document the crossing...of course. WE have seen DANGER MOOSE signs since we started from western Canada....The scenery is just so green and beautiful, we are not able to capture on our pictures. It was time to take the ferry from Argentia,NF...besides the rains had returned to NF....
We arrived at the ferry 2 hrs early as needed for our 7PM departure and had bologna and cheese sandwiches in the car...reminded us of travels when we were young...they tasted great.
It was a 14 hr ferry trip...we had prepared for a cold trip....but it was fairly warm. We found a nice area of the ship were there were seats for 40 but only about 8 of us in the area.
Being on a ferry is better than flying as can get up and walk....big ship.
We arrived in Cape Breton Island, NS and headed back across by a different route.
And stopped and walked in a few towns and arrived at Caribu just in time for the next ferry to Prince Edward Island. There are so many interesting small villages we have walked..just pass on the larger towns. We went through a town called FIVE HOUSES....yep, it had 5 houses!!!!
The sun was shining when we got to Woods Island PEI. We drove to Georgetown and paid for a camp ground and went to have fish...having lots of fish as sooo fresh. As we finished , there was a downpour...with winds. We were going to wait it out...but it continued..it was interesting setting up the car to sleep without getting out of the car....hmmmm..but we did!
We got all settled then realized we were going to bed at 7:30! It poured most of the night.
But had stopped when we woke...but grounds were soaked. Just another adventure!
We headed out for the day in thick fog but as we reached our destination...the sun was out.
We walked about Cavendish where "Anne of Green Gables" author lived. PEI is fairly flat with lots of dairy farms and potato fields...and red dirt. A beauty of it's own.
We traveled to Charlottetown and have been here for two days..again neat villages to explore.
We went to see a play last night and tonight to see a fun light show shown with folklore music and history of city. We plan to head for New Brunswick tomorrow sometime..over a 8 mile bridge called Confederation Bridge and then head southeast to ST JOHNS NB. So many towns in each providence have same names as in the next providence.
Plays havoc with the GPS.
We have been out of phone contact....miss talking to Kelly and Carrie...and Molly, Samantha and Kirsten. EMail tells us Buddi was feeling good enough to go to Kelly's for Molly's birthday.
Can you believe she is 7 now!!!! Molly and Samantha had good first week of school.
We will head for Maine after finish in NB.
We are making lots of good memories and it is still so good to spend our days together after all these days of JUST US!!!
We are looking forward to spending time with Pete and Linda in Plymouth in the next week. It will be good to spend time with family again...after all that is what life is about.
Gas prices are rising here...our lexus is good on gas but costing $90+ when needs a full tank!
Tom has been fantastic with his driving ...the GPS has helped too! Maryann has also been doing some Map reading...hmmmmm. When she asked Tom if she was as "efficient and entertaining as our friend Larry"who is the Garmen when we travel together...he said "ahhhh..you are much better than normal". Was that a YES?.....don't think so...then he quickly added...."But I love you!!!! Hmmmmm mm
Sending our love and thoughts to each of you.
We appreciate all your thoughts and prayers as we continue our adventure.
Love and Hugs
Tom and Maryann
Friday, July 15, 2011
15 July 2011. AMHERST NOVA SCOTIA
Good Evening to each of you who are following our travels,
We are in Amherst, Nova Scotia this evening...at a hotel tonight. Gee cannot believe that has been over a week since last posted.
We left Winnipeg and went to Minnesota to gas the car as gas is per liter here and is $1.26-$1.30 Canadian...and besides we had never been to Minnesota!!!!!!..it was only a few miles across the border. It was fields and more fields and cattle from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay. Tom and I played the ABC game and it took us 45 miles to complete the game as very few signs etc...hmmmm. We did some walking around the Thunder Bay area and then headed for Niagra Falls.
The drive around Thunder Bay to Seute St Marie was a nice change with lots of water and cute little towns...we did stop and walk and saw some deer. We then came out of Canada...which took us 1 and 1/2 hours to get across a two mile bridge into Michigan..this was to be a short cut thru Michigan to get to Niagra Falls, Canada...hmmmm. Then we had bought an apple in Canada and when we came across the border...they asked if we had fruit...we said we had one apple so then we had to go to another border patrol person and show her THE ONE APPLE...which she pointed out to us was grown in Washington state...hmmmm. We then headed to Niagra Falls thru Michigan and then back into Ontario to get to Niagra Falls....as wanted to be there by Sunday as we had called my sister, Joan and her Tom and asked them if they could meet us in Niagra Falls...and they could. We noted that there was an AF Inn in Niagra Falls, New York ( which was about 20 minutes from the Canadian border) so called and made reservations and arrived at 1130 at night!!!! LONG DAY.. Joan and Tom arrived in the morning and we deceided that the long drive was so worth it as so good to spend time with them. We walked all throughout the park on the New York side and decided we might take the boat trip under the falls....but then Maryann and Joan had second thoughts as they saw how the boat swayed near the falls and there were about 75 people on the boat and no life jackets. We told the guys they could still go. We went to the Canada side of Niagra Falls that evening and saw the falls at night with color lights shown on them and then they also had fireworks. How beautiful. We went to Canada the next day and went to the flower clock...was a disappointment...as Maryann had remembered it with so many more colorful flowers from when she was younger. We had a wonderful couple hours at the Butterfly Conservatory..how neat was that..Tom had several butterflies land on him...Maryann did everything she could think of to get them to land on her...finally one landed in her hair..Joan has a picture! We traveled to some neat little towns like Lewiston and Lockport (saw boats go through the locks on the Erie Canal) lots of walking. AND of course played cards and dice with Joan and Tom....and Laughed ALOT!!! The AF INN was a really nice place to be able to stay. We all left on Wednesday early morning (13th July)..we always have great fun with Joan and Tom so was sad to see them go. They live about 3 hours from Niagra Falls..but will see them again when we go to PA. We headed back to Canada thru Watertown New York..as years ago we had traveled from Toronto to Quebec etc.so did not feel we needed to travel that route again. Well it took lots of time to get thru Quebec and the traffic was terrible and the road signs were very confusing. After we got thru Quebec we were not tired so decided to drive a bit longer...well when we WERE tired, all the campgrounds were closed for the night and there were not hotels on the road..so we fin all pulled into a rest area with the trucks about 1130 east of Quebec in the middle of nowhere..Tom deceided to sleep in the front seat and Maryann made her a place in the back to sleep..it was like sleeping in a cocoon for Maryann as she had the luggage etc around her..but we both managed to sleep for 8 hours!!! Thank goodness for the nice bathrooms at the roadside rest and very hot water!!!! Yesterday we traveled the river valley scenic drive in New Brunswick.Yesterday we stopped and walked a few times and then stopped in Grand Falls New Brunswick and took a pontoon boat into a gorge. It was a beautiful day and just perfect to be on the water. We then drove to Miramichi through the Miramichi river route in New Brunswick. The country side has lots of lakes and rivers and just so peaceful. We stayed at a campground last evening ...nice hot showers..we took a shower before bed and again this AM. We had forgotten that there was another time change until we checked our cell phones so quickly found a campground before they closed!!! We woke late this AM and walked around Miramichi waterfront and found a nice hotel restaurant for breakfast. We then walked around the town before we headed down the Acadian Coast. The road followed the Atlantic Ocean and went thru more beautiful country. Someone asked Us today what was our favorite place so far..we could not think of just one as each day brings more beauty and memorial places. We stopped today and took a mile walk at an ECO Centra at La Dune de Bouctouche which is a boardwalk built on a stretch of white sand dunes. It was a bit windy today but still a refreshing walk. We were on our way to Prince Edward Island..just about to go over the bridge when we stopped at an information stop and it was 62 degrees and windy and rainey...so we checked on what the temps were to be like for the next couple days and found that rain and cold..so we decided to come to Nova Scotia and head for Newfoundland and then visit Prince Edward Island on the way back.
What blessed safe days we have had. Tom is a wonder at driving. It is nice just to be together...even after all these days. We are looking at a beautiful blue and deep pink sky out our hotel window.
We wake each morning and decide what and where we will go.
We also want to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for Carrie and Buddi...it is nearly a miracle but when Carrie called on yesterday she said that Buddi's Blood count is in the high 30's now and he has started to want to eat on his own again...He is still weak but is starting to wag his tail and do some low pitched barking and follow Carrie around. Carrie never gave up on him...even when all seemed so serious...What a good Mom she is to Buddi. Not sure wht the future brings for Buddi but for now we are just so excited he is getting back to routine.. His doctor had started decreasing his medications and he is transitioning back to dog food vs people food...now that could take some time!!! Maryann had told Carrie to give him a piece of Chocolate when he was soo sick but she only relented when all looked grimm and gave him a small piece of white chocolate....that may have made his red blood cell count increase...hmmm NOT!!!
Tom is amazing to be able to drive for so long. Maryann keeps offering to drive and guess what...Maryann actually drove for 3 hours continuous after we left Winnipeg....Tom actually took a short nap too and was amazed that we were still on the road when he woke up..as Maryann will usually just pull over when he falls asleep!!! Maryann had never driven so long on a trip so was amazed how neat it was to have cruise control...and even mastered how to use it!!!
We have found that Canada has the absolute best tourist information centers...unbelievable staff and knowledge and exactly the right handout information. They are so clean and have WIFI and the cleanest rest rooms. Their roadside rest areas are also very clean and well kept.
There is a tourist center in nearly every town or area of interest..and before you enter and leave each providence. Free maps etc too!
Yes, we do miss our girls!
So, tomorrow starts another adventure. We have visited some beautifull churches and a shrine to the Lady of Fatima was unique. We take the time to thank God for all our blessings and ask for blessings for all those we love and have special needs.
We do not live by the calendar or the clock for this trip....it feels good.
Do miss talking with you all and keep you in our thoughts.
We think we will be in Nova Scotia for a couple days and head to Newfoundland for another few days before we head back to Prince Edward Island for at least 4 days before we head back through New Brunswick by way of the Fundy Southern Coast and down into Maine...to Plymouth to visit with Pete and Linda for a few days. Our trip has been made so special by being able to spend time with friends and family on the way.
We love and think of you all.
Keep us in your thoughts and prayers for safe travels...we have now put close to 7-8 thousand miles on the Lexus on this trip!!!
Love and hugs to each of you.
God Bless
Tom and Maryann
We are in Amherst, Nova Scotia this evening...at a hotel tonight. Gee cannot believe that has been over a week since last posted.
We left Winnipeg and went to Minnesota to gas the car as gas is per liter here and is $1.26-$1.30 Canadian...and besides we had never been to Minnesota!!!!!!..it was only a few miles across the border. It was fields and more fields and cattle from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay. Tom and I played the ABC game and it took us 45 miles to complete the game as very few signs etc...hmmmm. We did some walking around the Thunder Bay area and then headed for Niagra Falls.
The drive around Thunder Bay to Seute St Marie was a nice change with lots of water and cute little towns...we did stop and walk and saw some deer. We then came out of Canada...which took us 1 and 1/2 hours to get across a two mile bridge into Michigan..this was to be a short cut thru Michigan to get to Niagra Falls, Canada...hmmmm. Then we had bought an apple in Canada and when we came across the border...they asked if we had fruit...we said we had one apple so then we had to go to another border patrol person and show her THE ONE APPLE...which she pointed out to us was grown in Washington state...hmmmm. We then headed to Niagra Falls thru Michigan and then back into Ontario to get to Niagra Falls....as wanted to be there by Sunday as we had called my sister, Joan and her Tom and asked them if they could meet us in Niagra Falls...and they could. We noted that there was an AF Inn in Niagra Falls, New York ( which was about 20 minutes from the Canadian border) so called and made reservations and arrived at 1130 at night!!!! LONG DAY.. Joan and Tom arrived in the morning and we deceided that the long drive was so worth it as so good to spend time with them. We walked all throughout the park on the New York side and decided we might take the boat trip under the falls....but then Maryann and Joan had second thoughts as they saw how the boat swayed near the falls and there were about 75 people on the boat and no life jackets. We told the guys they could still go. We went to the Canada side of Niagra Falls that evening and saw the falls at night with color lights shown on them and then they also had fireworks. How beautiful. We went to Canada the next day and went to the flower clock...was a disappointment...as Maryann had remembered it with so many more colorful flowers from when she was younger. We had a wonderful couple hours at the Butterfly Conservatory..how neat was that..Tom had several butterflies land on him...Maryann did everything she could think of to get them to land on her...finally one landed in her hair..Joan has a picture! We traveled to some neat little towns like Lewiston and Lockport (saw boats go through the locks on the Erie Canal) lots of walking. AND of course played cards and dice with Joan and Tom....and Laughed ALOT!!! The AF INN was a really nice place to be able to stay. We all left on Wednesday early morning (13th July)..we always have great fun with Joan and Tom so was sad to see them go. They live about 3 hours from Niagra Falls..but will see them again when we go to PA. We headed back to Canada thru Watertown New York..as years ago we had traveled from Toronto to Quebec etc.so did not feel we needed to travel that route again. Well it took lots of time to get thru Quebec and the traffic was terrible and the road signs were very confusing. After we got thru Quebec we were not tired so decided to drive a bit longer...well when we WERE tired, all the campgrounds were closed for the night and there were not hotels on the road..so we fin all pulled into a rest area with the trucks about 1130 east of Quebec in the middle of nowhere..Tom deceided to sleep in the front seat and Maryann made her a place in the back to sleep..it was like sleeping in a cocoon for Maryann as she had the luggage etc around her..but we both managed to sleep for 8 hours!!! Thank goodness for the nice bathrooms at the roadside rest and very hot water!!!! Yesterday we traveled the river valley scenic drive in New Brunswick.Yesterday we stopped and walked a few times and then stopped in Grand Falls New Brunswick and took a pontoon boat into a gorge. It was a beautiful day and just perfect to be on the water. We then drove to Miramichi through the Miramichi river route in New Brunswick. The country side has lots of lakes and rivers and just so peaceful. We stayed at a campground last evening ...nice hot showers..we took a shower before bed and again this AM. We had forgotten that there was another time change until we checked our cell phones so quickly found a campground before they closed!!! We woke late this AM and walked around Miramichi waterfront and found a nice hotel restaurant for breakfast. We then walked around the town before we headed down the Acadian Coast. The road followed the Atlantic Ocean and went thru more beautiful country. Someone asked Us today what was our favorite place so far..we could not think of just one as each day brings more beauty and memorial places. We stopped today and took a mile walk at an ECO Centra at La Dune de Bouctouche which is a boardwalk built on a stretch of white sand dunes. It was a bit windy today but still a refreshing walk. We were on our way to Prince Edward Island..just about to go over the bridge when we stopped at an information stop and it was 62 degrees and windy and rainey...so we checked on what the temps were to be like for the next couple days and found that rain and cold..so we decided to come to Nova Scotia and head for Newfoundland and then visit Prince Edward Island on the way back.
What blessed safe days we have had. Tom is a wonder at driving. It is nice just to be together...even after all these days. We are looking at a beautiful blue and deep pink sky out our hotel window.
We wake each morning and decide what and where we will go.
We also want to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for Carrie and Buddi...it is nearly a miracle but when Carrie called on yesterday she said that Buddi's Blood count is in the high 30's now and he has started to want to eat on his own again...He is still weak but is starting to wag his tail and do some low pitched barking and follow Carrie around. Carrie never gave up on him...even when all seemed so serious...What a good Mom she is to Buddi. Not sure wht the future brings for Buddi but for now we are just so excited he is getting back to routine.. His doctor had started decreasing his medications and he is transitioning back to dog food vs people food...now that could take some time!!! Maryann had told Carrie to give him a piece of Chocolate when he was soo sick but she only relented when all looked grimm and gave him a small piece of white chocolate....that may have made his red blood cell count increase...hmmm NOT!!!
Tom is amazing to be able to drive for so long. Maryann keeps offering to drive and guess what...Maryann actually drove for 3 hours continuous after we left Winnipeg....Tom actually took a short nap too and was amazed that we were still on the road when he woke up..as Maryann will usually just pull over when he falls asleep!!! Maryann had never driven so long on a trip so was amazed how neat it was to have cruise control...and even mastered how to use it!!!
We have found that Canada has the absolute best tourist information centers...unbelievable staff and knowledge and exactly the right handout information. They are so clean and have WIFI and the cleanest rest rooms. Their roadside rest areas are also very clean and well kept.
There is a tourist center in nearly every town or area of interest..and before you enter and leave each providence. Free maps etc too!
Yes, we do miss our girls!
So, tomorrow starts another adventure. We have visited some beautifull churches and a shrine to the Lady of Fatima was unique. We take the time to thank God for all our blessings and ask for blessings for all those we love and have special needs.
We do not live by the calendar or the clock for this trip....it feels good.
Do miss talking with you all and keep you in our thoughts.
We think we will be in Nova Scotia for a couple days and head to Newfoundland for another few days before we head back to Prince Edward Island for at least 4 days before we head back through New Brunswick by way of the Fundy Southern Coast and down into Maine...to Plymouth to visit with Pete and Linda for a few days. Our trip has been made so special by being able to spend time with friends and family on the way.
We love and think of you all.
Keep us in your thoughts and prayers for safe travels...we have now put close to 7-8 thousand miles on the Lexus on this trip!!!
Love and hugs to each of you.
God Bless
Tom and Maryann
Thursday, July 7, 2011
7July 2011-Winnipeg
Hello from Winnipeg, Manitoba,Canada
We arrived here on Tuesday night and decided to stay for a few days.
We left Regina and headed to Saskatoon. Walked in a nice pArk and then went to the Berry Barn for dinner. They grow Saskatoon berries and they are very tasty. The restaurant also had the nicest flowers and flower baskets. Food was wonderful..even had peroigi and cabbage rolls..which were just so good...and the berry tarts etc ....hmmmmm good.
We headed to Prince Albert and felt we Would drive to Prince Albert National Park as still light and not tired...does not get dark until nearly 11PM here.
As we stopped and were driving we noted that since we left SaskAtoon....the number of flying bugs had increased by MANY?..and tripled in size...looked like small humming birds!!!!!!REALLY
When we got to park to check into camp.....just asking information....the bugs flew into the car....so we asked the girl about hotels and the great number of bugs....she said that even during the day.....lots ob bugs....So we decided to head back to Prince Albert(90min away)..to camp....but the bug population had increased there too...so time to find a hotel.just walking into McDonalds to check hotels on IPAD...was like scarey with bugs. We did see several deer and a fox on our travels.....hmmmm. We did get to see the Northern Lights!!!!
At midnight..we arrived at the hotel....the person at the desk was less than pleasant....did not even acknowledge Maryann...until she said "hello"---and when she asked to see the room....hmmmm...but he showed to her...it was a nice room. BUT then he would not give Maryann the rate on line...so Maryann stood at the desk and booked the room on line...Tom was in the car waiting...hmmmmm. 45 min later we were getting into bed. The next morning Maryann...of course...asked the manager if the night guy had had a bad day...then with her tack...though he may have been and may need some help with customer service....the manager thanked Maryann for noticing that the night guy may need assistance.....hmmmm
We headed to Winnipeg thru flat lands...all farm and cattle land...flat!!!! We visited a above ground salt mine that we came upon. AS we looked for a place to stay..we noted an Canadian AF base in Winnipeg and decided to drive the extra time and stay here. We got here about 11 PM..and decided to stay 3 nights ...so we did. yesterday we went to the car wash named the BUG BATH and Tom spent time getting all the bugs off the car. It was time for an oil change as we have traveled 5000 miles and a tire rotation....so off we went to the Lexus dealer and are ready for another few miles! Also Maryann had a minor accident so found a Lens Crafter to fix. We then went to the Forks and walked about the river front and had dinner. The water levels are over the river banks here.
We slept in yesterday and today. Today we visited a couple parks and churches and walked about.
Tomorrow we head to Thunder Bay, Ontario.
The quarters here are very nice and we were able to do laundry...and Tom ironed!!!
We have been in frequent contact with Carrie as Buddi had a good 4 days with her and then Tuesday back to the hospital. Yesterday he spent the day in his vets actual office with him so he could keep an eye on him. All looked very grim yesterday as he was not eating or drinking..today..he is eating and going home with Carrie. Please remember Carrie in your thoughts as she has some tough decisions to make.
Weather was a bit warm today..but otherwise perfect.
We are going to try to SKYPE with Kelly tonight..
We have heard from many that unable to make comments on the blog....so if anyone..George???...
Knows how...let us know so we can share.
Our email is t.graue@cox.net
Thank you for your prayers for us as we have safe travels.
God Bless and hugs
Tom and Maryann
We arrived here on Tuesday night and decided to stay for a few days.
We left Regina and headed to Saskatoon. Walked in a nice pArk and then went to the Berry Barn for dinner. They grow Saskatoon berries and they are very tasty. The restaurant also had the nicest flowers and flower baskets. Food was wonderful..even had peroigi and cabbage rolls..which were just so good...and the berry tarts etc ....hmmmmm good.
We headed to Prince Albert and felt we Would drive to Prince Albert National Park as still light and not tired...does not get dark until nearly 11PM here.
As we stopped and were driving we noted that since we left SaskAtoon....the number of flying bugs had increased by MANY?..and tripled in size...looked like small humming birds!!!!!!REALLY
When we got to park to check into camp.....just asking information....the bugs flew into the car....so we asked the girl about hotels and the great number of bugs....she said that even during the day.....lots ob bugs....So we decided to head back to Prince Albert(90min away)..to camp....but the bug population had increased there too...so time to find a hotel.just walking into McDonalds to check hotels on IPAD...was like scarey with bugs. We did see several deer and a fox on our travels.....hmmmm. We did get to see the Northern Lights!!!!
At midnight..we arrived at the hotel....the person at the desk was less than pleasant....did not even acknowledge Maryann...until she said "hello"---and when she asked to see the room....hmmmm...but he showed to her...it was a nice room. BUT then he would not give Maryann the rate on line...so Maryann stood at the desk and booked the room on line...Tom was in the car waiting...hmmmmm. 45 min later we were getting into bed. The next morning Maryann...of course...asked the manager if the night guy had had a bad day...then with her tack...though he may have been and may need some help with customer service....the manager thanked Maryann for noticing that the night guy may need assistance.....hmmmm
We headed to Winnipeg thru flat lands...all farm and cattle land...flat!!!! We visited a above ground salt mine that we came upon. AS we looked for a place to stay..we noted an Canadian AF base in Winnipeg and decided to drive the extra time and stay here. We got here about 11 PM..and decided to stay 3 nights ...so we did. yesterday we went to the car wash named the BUG BATH and Tom spent time getting all the bugs off the car. It was time for an oil change as we have traveled 5000 miles and a tire rotation....so off we went to the Lexus dealer and are ready for another few miles! Also Maryann had a minor accident so found a Lens Crafter to fix. We then went to the Forks and walked about the river front and had dinner. The water levels are over the river banks here.
We slept in yesterday and today. Today we visited a couple parks and churches and walked about.
Tomorrow we head to Thunder Bay, Ontario.
The quarters here are very nice and we were able to do laundry...and Tom ironed!!!
We have been in frequent contact with Carrie as Buddi had a good 4 days with her and then Tuesday back to the hospital. Yesterday he spent the day in his vets actual office with him so he could keep an eye on him. All looked very grim yesterday as he was not eating or drinking..today..he is eating and going home with Carrie. Please remember Carrie in your thoughts as she has some tough decisions to make.
Weather was a bit warm today..but otherwise perfect.
We are going to try to SKYPE with Kelly tonight..
We have heard from many that unable to make comments on the blog....so if anyone..George???...
Knows how...let us know so we can share.
Our email is t.graue@cox.net
Thank you for your prayers for us as we have safe travels.
God Bless and hugs
Tom and Maryann
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Happy 4th of Juyl
Hello all,
Happy 4th of July and thank you all who have served our country in anyway!
Tonight we are in Regina, Canada.
We left Spokane and the wonderful days with Noreen and Hugh and Trina and family. The last week we were there , we were able to relax...some more...walk some beautiful parks in Spokane and of course play cards and Aggravation..the game board Hugh made years ago was certainly put to use...I will also tell you that Noreen and Maryann won the last games...again!! Maryann even won when playing WIZARD!!! Tom cooked breakfast for dinner for The Carters and Trina's family one evening. How fun to spend time together.
Tom packed the car on Thursday ...including the cargo carrier we purchased and we left early Friday Morning ..the 1st of July. It was a tearful farewell as Noreen and Hugh and Trina's family are just like leaving family. Will miss the great food that Noreen prepared for us too..and the GOOD MORNING SONG that Hugh sang us each morning!!!
But HIT THE ROAD WE DID... We traveled thru Idaho to HWY 95 to HWY 3 and over the Canadian Rocky Mountains...we thought we were back in the ALPS. We traveled thru Crowsnest Pass and on to Lethridge Alberta, Canada. We stopped several times to take a walk or just to stop..WE ARE RETIRE YOU KNOW.... We stayed 2 nights in Henderson Park Campground...Did we mention that we had brought our sleeping bags and planned to do some camping...not cooking...just sleeping in campgrounds. We had a great 2 nights and Lethridge is a neat town and many neat parks that we walked. Found a nice church for mass too. Maryann discovered that she should take the grand girls pictures in the shower room as a woman she was talking to...took out her pictures to show ...so memo to self...take the camera to the washroom!!! Of course this AM found the battery had died on the camera...it is now plugged in. It was refreshing waking and walking to the washroom...Maryann did not even need to wear her long johns during the night! Weather has been perfect. The first night we were tired so did not put the mattress under the sleeping bags..but last night it was great having the soft mattress. Darkness does not come until about 10 PM..so strange to go to bed and still be daylight. We did take a drive to Montana border town on Saturday as we did not have phone service and wanted to check on Carrie and Buddi..even filled up with gas on the US side to save some $$$. We traveled route 3 though some neat towns and lots of fields and cattle ranches...very flat compared to what we saw yesterday. One could see for miles ahead as the road was so straight and no hills. Found that the fields full of yellow crops were actually canola plants to make canola oil. We also came upon an above ground salt mine in the middle of this flat country. We did take a walk to day and saw the tallest TEEPEE..from the worlds fair...out in the middle of nowhere. Tonight we are in Regina Saskatchewan Canada. We are in a hotel tonight...thus able to have computer access. Tomorrow will check out Regina and then head north to the lake region of Saskatoon.
As of Yesterday , Buddi had had another admission to the hospital and another blood transfusion last week . His HCT was back down to 14 and he had fluid in his abdomen,he came home on Thursday eve with Carrie now ..he is still very weak but Carrie said that her Vet still has hope. Please keep them in your thoughts and say some prayers for them both. Carrie did say that Buddi raised his head when Maryann talked to him over the phone and told him that Carrie should give him a piece of chocolate!!! Carrie will have been off work for the long weekend so able to spend lots of time with our Buddi.
Maryann did get some reading ...finally ....done after miles of farm land and fields of cattle, she needed another distraction. She still loves her KINDLE. Certainly saw a lot of the the plains today. She even asked Tom a couple of times if he wanted her to drive...he declined...for now.
We did get a chance to speak with some of you this week...how nice to hear your voices. Even though we are some distance from you all...we keep you all in our thoughts and prayers.
We plan to do some more sleeping camping in our car in the lake region this week. Tom even bought a pump that he can plug into the car to blow up the mattress...was not sure Maryann had enough air to blow it up!!! haha
Good Night to all our dear friends.
God Bless your days
Love and hugs
Tom and Maryann
Happy 4th of July and thank you all who have served our country in anyway!
Tonight we are in Regina, Canada.
We left Spokane and the wonderful days with Noreen and Hugh and Trina and family. The last week we were there , we were able to relax...some more...walk some beautiful parks in Spokane and of course play cards and Aggravation..the game board Hugh made years ago was certainly put to use...I will also tell you that Noreen and Maryann won the last games...again!! Maryann even won when playing WIZARD!!! Tom cooked breakfast for dinner for The Carters and Trina's family one evening. How fun to spend time together.
Tom packed the car on Thursday ...including the cargo carrier we purchased and we left early Friday Morning ..the 1st of July. It was a tearful farewell as Noreen and Hugh and Trina's family are just like leaving family. Will miss the great food that Noreen prepared for us too..and the GOOD MORNING SONG that Hugh sang us each morning!!!
But HIT THE ROAD WE DID... We traveled thru Idaho to HWY 95 to HWY 3 and over the Canadian Rocky Mountains...we thought we were back in the ALPS. We traveled thru Crowsnest Pass and on to Lethridge Alberta, Canada. We stopped several times to take a walk or just to stop..WE ARE RETIRE YOU KNOW.... We stayed 2 nights in Henderson Park Campground...Did we mention that we had brought our sleeping bags and planned to do some camping...not cooking...just sleeping in campgrounds. We had a great 2 nights and Lethridge is a neat town and many neat parks that we walked. Found a nice church for mass too. Maryann discovered that she should take the grand girls pictures in the shower room as a woman she was talking to...took out her pictures to show ...so memo to self...take the camera to the washroom!!! Of course this AM found the battery had died on the camera...it is now plugged in. It was refreshing waking and walking to the washroom...Maryann did not even need to wear her long johns during the night! Weather has been perfect. The first night we were tired so did not put the mattress under the sleeping bags..but last night it was great having the soft mattress. Darkness does not come until about 10 PM..so strange to go to bed and still be daylight. We did take a drive to Montana border town on Saturday as we did not have phone service and wanted to check on Carrie and Buddi..even filled up with gas on the US side to save some $$$. We traveled route 3 though some neat towns and lots of fields and cattle ranches...very flat compared to what we saw yesterday. One could see for miles ahead as the road was so straight and no hills. Found that the fields full of yellow crops were actually canola plants to make canola oil. We also came upon an above ground salt mine in the middle of this flat country. We did take a walk to day and saw the tallest TEEPEE..from the worlds fair...out in the middle of nowhere. Tonight we are in Regina Saskatchewan Canada. We are in a hotel tonight...thus able to have computer access. Tomorrow will check out Regina and then head north to the lake region of Saskatoon.
As of Yesterday , Buddi had had another admission to the hospital and another blood transfusion last week . His HCT was back down to 14 and he had fluid in his abdomen,he came home on Thursday eve with Carrie now ..he is still very weak but Carrie said that her Vet still has hope. Please keep them in your thoughts and say some prayers for them both. Carrie did say that Buddi raised his head when Maryann talked to him over the phone and told him that Carrie should give him a piece of chocolate!!! Carrie will have been off work for the long weekend so able to spend lots of time with our Buddi.
Maryann did get some reading ...finally ....done after miles of farm land and fields of cattle, she needed another distraction. She still loves her KINDLE. Certainly saw a lot of the the plains today. She even asked Tom a couple of times if he wanted her to drive...he declined...for now.
We did get a chance to speak with some of you this week...how nice to hear your voices. Even though we are some distance from you all...we keep you all in our thoughts and prayers.
We plan to do some more sleeping camping in our car in the lake region this week. Tom even bought a pump that he can plug into the car to blow up the mattress...was not sure Maryann had enough air to blow it up!!! haha
Good Night to all our dear friends.
God Bless your days
Love and hugs
Tom and Maryann
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
21 June 2011...first day of summer for the northwest!
Happy Summer to you all....Spokane and the Northwest has not had a spring let alone a summer yet.
We just arrived back in Spokane this afternoon from a wonder filled trip with our Noreen and Hugh. We left Whidbley Island after spending Saturday touring about and going to Anacortas and walked about this neat little town and had the best fish and chips in the bowling alley of all places...voted best in Anacortas for several years...and it was delicious. We were able to find a nice chapel to attend mass and then went back to our room and played a dice came and aggravation ...Noreen and I are now the current champs of aggravation...the game not the ability to aggravate! We woke early and took the ferry to Sydney BC , Canada. WE LOVE TAKING THE FERRY...Maryann took a nap on the Ferry before waking and beating Tom and Hugh at UNO while Noreen made us a snack to eat. We found a nice inn right on the Waterfront in Sydney (arrived at 1030 AM. We had a ocean view with a balcony so enjoyed the sunset and sunrise. We walked about the town and once again had fish and chips but it was good but not like the bowling alley fish and chips..but the clam chowder was the best! We walked a good 5 miles and then stopped at the bakery and bought Nannimo Bars...a specialty of the area. Weather was warm but cloudy but no matter the weather...we are ready to continue to enjoy our days. We had another night of games...and many laughs. We slept in on Monday and then had a breakfast in our room with the view and the had another walk around the pier that we had missed the day before. We headed for the Ferry to Tsawwassen, BC and had another great crossing. This Ferry carried 500 cars plus passengers. We arrived in Tsawwassen at 1 PM and headed for a town called HOPE....(there is always hope...I thought of my friend Kathleen as we entered the town). We found a delightful diner for lunch...Maryann had punched in an address to the GPS from a restaurant she just picked off the TRAVEL ADVISOR...not even looking at the name and it was great! We drove the Cascade Mountains with some breathtaking views on our way to OSOYOOS, BC Canada. We found a place facing the lake and once again were able to enjoy the great sunset. Tom said he found a Dairy Queen two blocks as we just wanted a snack...well about almost a mile from the hotel we finally were in front of the Dairy Queen!!! hmmmmm
Of course Hugh commented a few times how it was only a 2 block walk. This AM we continued over the Cascade mountains and felt like we were in Switzerland...amazing waterfalls and snow on the mountains. We stopped at 1030 and had ice cream at this neat place Noreen and Hugh have gone to. Hugh has his Orange Shake...compared to the Orange Shake he had at DQ...it was definitely "the best he had had on the trip". We had such great days. It is a wonderfull feeling to spend time with friends that are family.
Now we are home ( It is great to call home where we are with friends!...thank you Noreen and Hugh for making us so comfortable!!
Since Saturday , we have been in frequent communication with Carrie. She took Buddi to Emergency on Saturday and found that his hematocrit was 13. He was not responding to Carrie. They gave him a Unit of Blood and the level went to 22-24 but fell again. They did further testing and ultrasound to see if bleeding..all were all negative. They did a bone marrow test last night and the results are not back yet. May have Aplastic Anemia. Carrie was able to take him home today and send pictures and he looks like he has life in his eyes today. The Hematocrit decreased today to 18 but they are watching and hope to have answers in a few days. They told Carrie there is medication they can give him and then will see how he does on the medication. It has been a very emotional time for us all but especially Carrie. We are at a wait and see now but just seeing him look better gives us hope. Difficult as we would like to be there for hugs for Carrie and Buddi. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. We thank Carrie's friends and Kelly for being able to spend time with Carrie. Buddi is so important to all of us..
We hope that all the fathers had a great day!!! Keep hugging your kids and family and friends.
I am still trying to figure out how to send pictures...as not able to do from the camera!
We are keeping you all in our thoughts and prayers as we travel.
Love and hugs
Tom and Maryann
We just arrived back in Spokane this afternoon from a wonder filled trip with our Noreen and Hugh. We left Whidbley Island after spending Saturday touring about and going to Anacortas and walked about this neat little town and had the best fish and chips in the bowling alley of all places...voted best in Anacortas for several years...and it was delicious. We were able to find a nice chapel to attend mass and then went back to our room and played a dice came and aggravation ...Noreen and I are now the current champs of aggravation...the game not the ability to aggravate! We woke early and took the ferry to Sydney BC , Canada. WE LOVE TAKING THE FERRY...Maryann took a nap on the Ferry before waking and beating Tom and Hugh at UNO while Noreen made us a snack to eat. We found a nice inn right on the Waterfront in Sydney (arrived at 1030 AM. We had a ocean view with a balcony so enjoyed the sunset and sunrise. We walked about the town and once again had fish and chips but it was good but not like the bowling alley fish and chips..but the clam chowder was the best! We walked a good 5 miles and then stopped at the bakery and bought Nannimo Bars...a specialty of the area. Weather was warm but cloudy but no matter the weather...we are ready to continue to enjoy our days. We had another night of games...and many laughs. We slept in on Monday and then had a breakfast in our room with the view and the had another walk around the pier that we had missed the day before. We headed for the Ferry to Tsawwassen, BC and had another great crossing. This Ferry carried 500 cars plus passengers. We arrived in Tsawwassen at 1 PM and headed for a town called HOPE....(there is always hope...I thought of my friend Kathleen as we entered the town). We found a delightful diner for lunch...Maryann had punched in an address to the GPS from a restaurant she just picked off the TRAVEL ADVISOR...not even looking at the name and it was great! We drove the Cascade Mountains with some breathtaking views on our way to OSOYOOS, BC Canada. We found a place facing the lake and once again were able to enjoy the great sunset. Tom said he found a Dairy Queen two blocks as we just wanted a snack...well about almost a mile from the hotel we finally were in front of the Dairy Queen!!! hmmmmm
Of course Hugh commented a few times how it was only a 2 block walk. This AM we continued over the Cascade mountains and felt like we were in Switzerland...amazing waterfalls and snow on the mountains. We stopped at 1030 and had ice cream at this neat place Noreen and Hugh have gone to. Hugh has his Orange Shake...compared to the Orange Shake he had at DQ...it was definitely "the best he had had on the trip". We had such great days. It is a wonderfull feeling to spend time with friends that are family.
Now we are home ( It is great to call home where we are with friends!...thank you Noreen and Hugh for making us so comfortable!!
Since Saturday , we have been in frequent communication with Carrie. She took Buddi to Emergency on Saturday and found that his hematocrit was 13. He was not responding to Carrie. They gave him a Unit of Blood and the level went to 22-24 but fell again. They did further testing and ultrasound to see if bleeding..all were all negative. They did a bone marrow test last night and the results are not back yet. May have Aplastic Anemia. Carrie was able to take him home today and send pictures and he looks like he has life in his eyes today. The Hematocrit decreased today to 18 but they are watching and hope to have answers in a few days. They told Carrie there is medication they can give him and then will see how he does on the medication. It has been a very emotional time for us all but especially Carrie. We are at a wait and see now but just seeing him look better gives us hope. Difficult as we would like to be there for hugs for Carrie and Buddi. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. We thank Carrie's friends and Kelly for being able to spend time with Carrie. Buddi is so important to all of us..
We hope that all the fathers had a great day!!! Keep hugging your kids and family and friends.
I am still trying to figure out how to send pictures...as not able to do from the camera!
We are keeping you all in our thoughts and prayers as we travel.
Love and hugs
Tom and Maryann
Friday, June 17, 2011
17 June 2011
Wow, the days are flying by...
We spent a day in the Redwood Forest and the girls were excited with the walks and large trees.We drove our car through the tree and the girls were so thrilled to be able to be in the car. We had a nice walk in the forest and Kirsten sang loudly the entire time...no chance of seeing animals. Tom and Maryann took all three girls and headed for Spokane on Wednesday and Kelly and Bryan had a couple days to themselves. We arrived at Noreen and Hugh's about 9PM on Wednesday night. It was a long day for the girls as left Grants Pass at 0830 AM...we forgot how long it takes to stop and let the girls have a break, eat and potty breaks...each potty break took over 25 minutes before all were settled again. They were sooo good and no complaints from them! When we got to Noreen's and Hugh's it only took them 5 minutes to treat them like family. Carrie arrived Thursday eve and Kelly and Bryan on Thursday afternoon. The girls were delighted to see Auntie Carrie on Friday morning. We all went fishing on Friday with the girls. Molly caught 2 leaves. Samantha did not catch anything but did a great job holding her pole and looking very intent. Kirsten played on the playground with Auntie Carrie. Saturday we went to the park in downtown Spokane and all rode the merry go round and had a nice walk. Spokane was having an outbreak of "black fly bites"..of course one does not feel when the fly bites but it sucks blood so leaves bloody spots at the hair line....All the girls had bites so had to put benadryl spray on the bites after they were washed....Molly did not want to go outside after her encounter and was quite dramatic...Kirsten and Samantha did not seem to think was a big deal. Sunday we were in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for the morning and spent Sunday Afternoon with Trina and Bill and family for a birthday BBQ for Trina's 40 + birthday. It was so nice to all be together...the girls jumped on the trampoline and Bill spent time dancing with the girls....yes we have video. We said our teary farewells to Bryan and Kelly and girls on Monday late morning as they left for Yellowstone park. They arrived back in Tucson on this past Thursday. Carrie was back to Tucson on Tuesday. We thank God for keeping us safe as we traveled. Tom and Maryann and Noreen and Hugh have spent the evenings playing all kinds of games. What fun and laughter and of course the guys so enjoy their winning...but Noreen and Maryann are winning too...but not appreciated as much by the guys.
Hugh got to be the passenger for once as Tom is the driver on this trip. We came over the Cascade mountains today and took some walks in the snow on the mountain tops and stopped in the town of Winthrop Washington and walked. AND walked over the Deception Pass Bridge. It was another perfect day. We will spend the day in Anacortes on the 18th and then take the ferry to Sidney on 19th. Will spend the night in Sidney BC , Canada and then got to Tawassen Canada by ferry and then take the southern route through Canada back to Spokane. We are staying at Whidbey Island Naval Lodge tonight. We went to the Apple Store to check on putting pictures on the blog from the Apple and found could not do. So I am still trying to figure out how to send some pictures ...
We appreciate all your prayers for safe travels....and are keeping you all in our thought and prayers.
God BLess and hugs
Tom and Maryann
We spent a day in the Redwood Forest and the girls were excited with the walks and large trees.We drove our car through the tree and the girls were so thrilled to be able to be in the car. We had a nice walk in the forest and Kirsten sang loudly the entire time...no chance of seeing animals. Tom and Maryann took all three girls and headed for Spokane on Wednesday and Kelly and Bryan had a couple days to themselves. We arrived at Noreen and Hugh's about 9PM on Wednesday night. It was a long day for the girls as left Grants Pass at 0830 AM...we forgot how long it takes to stop and let the girls have a break, eat and potty breaks...each potty break took over 25 minutes before all were settled again. They were sooo good and no complaints from them! When we got to Noreen's and Hugh's it only took them 5 minutes to treat them like family. Carrie arrived Thursday eve and Kelly and Bryan on Thursday afternoon. The girls were delighted to see Auntie Carrie on Friday morning. We all went fishing on Friday with the girls. Molly caught 2 leaves. Samantha did not catch anything but did a great job holding her pole and looking very intent. Kirsten played on the playground with Auntie Carrie. Saturday we went to the park in downtown Spokane and all rode the merry go round and had a nice walk. Spokane was having an outbreak of "black fly bites"..of course one does not feel when the fly bites but it sucks blood so leaves bloody spots at the hair line....All the girls had bites so had to put benadryl spray on the bites after they were washed....Molly did not want to go outside after her encounter and was quite dramatic...Kirsten and Samantha did not seem to think was a big deal. Sunday we were in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for the morning and spent Sunday Afternoon with Trina and Bill and family for a birthday BBQ for Trina's 40 + birthday. It was so nice to all be together...the girls jumped on the trampoline and Bill spent time dancing with the girls....yes we have video. We said our teary farewells to Bryan and Kelly and girls on Monday late morning as they left for Yellowstone park. They arrived back in Tucson on this past Thursday. Carrie was back to Tucson on Tuesday. We thank God for keeping us safe as we traveled. Tom and Maryann and Noreen and Hugh have spent the evenings playing all kinds of games. What fun and laughter and of course the guys so enjoy their winning...but Noreen and Maryann are winning too...but not appreciated as much by the guys.
Hugh got to be the passenger for once as Tom is the driver on this trip. We came over the Cascade mountains today and took some walks in the snow on the mountain tops and stopped in the town of Winthrop Washington and walked. AND walked over the Deception Pass Bridge. It was another perfect day. We will spend the day in Anacortes on the 18th and then take the ferry to Sidney on 19th. Will spend the night in Sidney BC , Canada and then got to Tawassen Canada by ferry and then take the southern route through Canada back to Spokane. We are staying at Whidbey Island Naval Lodge tonight. We went to the Apple Store to check on putting pictures on the blog from the Apple and found could not do. So I am still trying to figure out how to send some pictures ...
We appreciate all your prayers for safe travels....and are keeping you all in our thought and prayers.
God BLess and hugs
Tom and Maryann
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Where in the world are the Graue Family
Hi
We left Tucson at 0830 on 3 June....Kelly and Bryan and girls left at 0730.
We caught up to them in Oxnard,Ca...it was a long but safe day. On Sat., we stopped at the beach and the girls enjoyed walking in the sand..it was cool and windy. We Arrived in Monterey and and the weather cleared enough for us to walk on the pier and found the neatest park for the girls to play.Kirsten went on the biggest slides etc with Molly and Samantha. Maryann found out that she does not have as much fat on her tailbone to go down certain slides!!!
We went to the Monterey Aquarium on Sunday.It WOWED the girls.
Monday we started North to San Francisco an stayed at Moffit Field (we have been staying at Navy Lodges..really nice billets).Bryan was not feeling well, so the rest of us went to San Francisco and rode the trolly to Giladeri Square...it was cold(Maryann had on long johns and 2 coats) The street car trolly was out of service for the week...main reason,Kelly wanted to take the girls...but we recovered with the chocolate!...well nana did anyway.
KIRSTEN TALKED to Nana the 35 miles to and from the hotel...non stop!
Monday we drove to the REDWOODS and today took a hike...no need to worry about animals etc as Kirsten Talked LOUDLY the entire hike... Molly and Samantha did great.
What a pleasure to travel with them...they are natural travelers...of course Kirsten is riding with her Mom and Dad...and of course talking.
We stopped at the Paul Bunyan and Blue park on 101 today and remembered being there with Kelly and Carrie on our way to Hawaii in 1984!
We have been blessed with safe travels and the joy of making Family memories....we talked about missing Our Carrie...but decided with all the chatter etc...she did the right thing by flying to meet us in Spokane.
How does Maryann feel about retirement...it was time,but Maryann misses her daily encounters with her Davis Monthan Family...and will continue to miss each of you!
We are still trying to figure BLOGGING out...so let us know if you have suggestions. Will hope to add pictures soon.
God Bless and special hugs
Tom and Maryann
We left Tucson at 0830 on 3 June....Kelly and Bryan and girls left at 0730.
We caught up to them in Oxnard,Ca...it was a long but safe day. On Sat., we stopped at the beach and the girls enjoyed walking in the sand..it was cool and windy. We Arrived in Monterey and and the weather cleared enough for us to walk on the pier and found the neatest park for the girls to play.Kirsten went on the biggest slides etc with Molly and Samantha. Maryann found out that she does not have as much fat on her tailbone to go down certain slides!!!
We went to the Monterey Aquarium on Sunday.It WOWED the girls.
Monday we started North to San Francisco an stayed at Moffit Field (we have been staying at Navy Lodges..really nice billets).Bryan was not feeling well, so the rest of us went to San Francisco and rode the trolly to Giladeri Square...it was cold(Maryann had on long johns and 2 coats) The street car trolly was out of service for the week...main reason,Kelly wanted to take the girls...but we recovered with the chocolate!...well nana did anyway.
KIRSTEN TALKED to Nana the 35 miles to and from the hotel...non stop!
Monday we drove to the REDWOODS and today took a hike...no need to worry about animals etc as Kirsten Talked LOUDLY the entire hike... Molly and Samantha did great.
What a pleasure to travel with them...they are natural travelers...of course Kirsten is riding with her Mom and Dad...and of course talking.
We stopped at the Paul Bunyan and Blue park on 101 today and remembered being there with Kelly and Carrie on our way to Hawaii in 1984!
We have been blessed with safe travels and the joy of making Family memories....we talked about missing Our Carrie...but decided with all the chatter etc...she did the right thing by flying to meet us in Spokane.
How does Maryann feel about retirement...it was time,but Maryann misses her daily encounters with her Davis Monthan Family...and will continue to miss each of you!
We are still trying to figure BLOGGING out...so let us know if you have suggestions. Will hope to add pictures soon.
God Bless and special hugs
Tom and Maryann
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Less than 24 hours until we HIT THE ROAD
Hi
I just got off the phone with my Blog Expert , George..so let us see how this goes. I had a few technical questions that he expertly instructed me how to find my way through.
All is ready except the packing , which we are getting ready to do. Maryann will go into work and turn paperwork at 0730 and then we will be off. Kelly and Bryan and girls hope to be on the road at 7AM and us by 8AM. Will meet up with them on the road to Oxnard , California which is our first stop so can spend time on the beach in Monterey on Saturday. Carrie will fly to Spokane on 9 June and then fly home on the14 of June to spend time with Noreen and Hugh and Trina and family and us. Kelly and Bryan will head home on the 14 or 15 June.
Keep us in your prayers to have safe travels.
WE are ready for this new adventure.
Hugs
Tom and Maryann
I just got off the phone with my Blog Expert , George..so let us see how this goes. I had a few technical questions that he expertly instructed me how to find my way through.
All is ready except the packing , which we are getting ready to do. Maryann will go into work and turn paperwork at 0730 and then we will be off. Kelly and Bryan and girls hope to be on the road at 7AM and us by 8AM. Will meet up with them on the road to Oxnard , California which is our first stop so can spend time on the beach in Monterey on Saturday. Carrie will fly to Spokane on 9 June and then fly home on the14 of June to spend time with Noreen and Hugh and Trina and family and us. Kelly and Bryan will head home on the 14 or 15 June.
Keep us in your prayers to have safe travels.
WE are ready for this new adventure.
Hugs
Tom and Maryann
Saturday, May 21, 2011
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