Balloon Festival, Albuquerque, NM October 4-11, 2012

Hi,
What a great week we had in Albuquerque!   Tom and I left on the 4th of October and stopped at La Posta Resturant just outside of Las Cruces, NM for a great lunch.  Our friend, Pat, had told us about this place so we took the long way to Albuquerque to stop here and have lunch.  We were not disappointed.   We then went on to Albuquerque to stay with Rob and Mary Floyd for the night.  Mary is in the AF and her and Maryann worked together at Davis-Monthan.  We had such a nice evening with them.  They have a beautiful home about 30 minutes from town, that Rob has done so much work on. Their home has 100 windows..so a great view too.   The next morning, we went to the airport and picked up Bill and Charlotte, Tom's sister and brother-in-law.  We checked into our hotel and went to the Sandia Peak Tramway.  Tom, Charlotte and Bill took the ride to the top of this engineering marvel, visitors come mainly for the spectacular view - 11,000 square miles of the Land of Enchantment. Passengers ascend 4,000 feet in about 15 minutes, gliding along the western face of the rugged Sandia Mountains. Maryann did not take the ride as she does not like heights.

 

        Sunset at Sandia Peak in Albuquerque, NM

 

 

       Charlotte and Bill in Old Town Albuquerque
 We spent the next morning in Old Town Albuquerque where they found some treasures to take home. Then we went to the La Pinta Resturant for a great lunch on the patio. Kelly, Molly, Samantha and Kirsten arrived about 5 PM.  Bryan had plane delays so Kelly drove up with the girls and Bryan came with his parents.  Her first long road trip with her girls went well! We had pizza in the hotel lobby and the girls got to spend some time with Charlotte and Bill.  Kirsten ususally does not "like big boys"  but Bill got a hug from her!!!  Bryan, Pete and Linda arrived later in the evening. 

                                              Saturday Morning at Baloon Festival Park--4 AM

We all got up and met in the lobby at about 3:30 AM and headed for the Balloon Festival Park.   NO traffic!  We were only about 10 miles from the park but were told to leave early...so we did.   We had chairs, winter coats, blankets, hats, gloves, (Maryann of course had on her long johns) and snacks and drinks.  The Mass Ascension was to be around 7-8 AM.  We were able to find an open picnic table on the front row so settled in to wait.  It was 41 degrees and the wind was definitely blowing.  Only a few balloons were on the field.  About 7 AM, they announced that the Mass Ascension would not happen due to the winds.   SO...we packed up and headed back to the cars.  It took us over an hour to get back to our hotel due to traffic.   We had breakfast and some took short naps.  Kelly, Bryan, The girls, Pete and Maryann went down to the pool area so the girls could swim. Kelly and I watched as Pete, Bryan and girls had so many laughs in the pool.  Tom, Bill and Charlotte watched the Arkansas football game on TV.  We all met about 2 PM and went to have lunch and then back to the Balloon Festival Park for the evening glow.  The girls had such fun playing, rolling and dancing in the wonderful green grass, playing games with Grandpa Pete (rolling over each other, toss the filled water bottles etc...) and just entertaining us all.  ( the weather had warmed to the high 69's) There were other activities happening so got to check out what else was happening and just watching the girls was the best entertainment. As the sun went down so did the temperatures so out came the blankets, coats etc...especiall for Linda and Maryann.  The evening Balloon Glow was "awesome".   Imagine nearly 300 Hot Air Balloons of all colors and shapes  right in front of you glowing in the sunset.  On Sunday, we slept in and headed for the park at 4:30 AM.  Of course, we again took our chairs, winter coats, blankets etc....We were thrilled to hear that the winds were below 13 miles per hour so the Mass Ascension would happen and it did!   The Albuquerque International Balloon Festival is one of  the only balloon  events where you are actually able to walk among the balloons and talk to the pilots. Imagine 54 football fields, all put together. That's the size of Balloon Fiesta Park's 78-acre launch field with sometimes over 500 balloons rising.   We would be standing right next to a balloon as it ascended.  There were several balloonists from other countries.  Many shapes to name a few...clock, lion head, Darth Vader, astronaut, pigs, ice cream cone, stage coach, cow(with utters) Elvis, angel, peguin, elephant, ladybug, zebra head etc.  What an amazing sight as they rise into the blue skies and you are just a few feet from them.  It was a great family outting and the girls were great even though they did not have much sleep.  Kelly and Bryan Family and Pete and Linda left us at the field about 11 AM as they were heading home in the afternoon.  We walked them toward their car and got our hugs and good byes with the gift of once again having  made some great family memories.   Tom, Maryann, Charlotte and Bill stayed and watched the Chainsaw Carving Event and then walked about as they also had a car show on the field. When the sun came up the temperatures went from 40 to high 60"s.  Then we headed to Kirkland AFB as we had billeting there for the next two nights and found ourselves having lunch at P. F. Changs. We even shared one of heir great desserts!  We had been  eating very good and tried a different taste every day!
Tuesday, we got up early again and took the "Roadrunner Train" to Santa Fe, NM for the day.  Charlotte had never been on a train so it was fun we could all do together.  We walked about Sante Fe all day.  Our first stop was for breakfast and then we headed to the Loretto Chapel which is a former Roman Catholic church that is unusual for it's helix shaped spiral staircase.  We had a look in lots of the shops...lots of beautiful art and crafts are made by the artist is Santa Fe.  We walked many blocks looking for this unique candy maker....Tom was the map reader and took us through the woods etc.
When we finally arrived, found that the candy was $3 a piece....little too rich for our pockets..and they did not give samples.... but it was a memorial walk!  We got back to Albuquerque about 5:30.   We found a Firehouse Subs Reaturant and had a nice dinner there before we headed back to the base.

 

          Tom reading the map to find the candy store..we are following him through the wooded path..
                                                         complaining of course!!

We slept in on Tuesday and then headed South to Ruidoso, NM to spend the day and night with friends of Charlotte and Bill's.  On our way we found the Rio Grande Diner in Belen, NM..it was just a small old retro  looking diner with only 7 tables done in 1950's style off  I-25.  AND the breakfast was great!  On our way we came across the Valley of Fires off  US 54.  It is many square miles of buckled and twisted lava from between 1500 and 5000 years ago. We took time to stop and walk around.  Then we headed off again to John and Karen's where we were treated to a nice lunch at the club house and then went to their home.  Their home sits on a hill on one side of the valley ( what a view! ) in the Kokopelli Estates in Alto, just north of Ruidoso.  They showed us around Ruidoso and then treated us to a fantastic dinner in their home.  We sat around the fire pit eating homemade Baked Alaska  for dessert.  What a fun evening just sitting and talking........seemed so close to the stars.  They certainly made us feel at home.  Tom was envious of their  community golf courses!!!  We headed back to Albuquerque  the next day after being served a delicious breakfast.   We took a longer way back as thought would be more scenic....NOT---- but now we know! We checked back into billeting at Kirkland AFB and decided that we had not had italian food and Bill and Charlotte had told us about a family style resturant that they had been to..so we checked on TRIPADVISOR and found there was one in Albuquerque.  So off we went to Buca Di Beppo and the food was great.
( what a great resource TRIPADVISOR is for us when we are traveling ).
We really did treat our palates to different but great foods on this trip...once again!   Did I mention we also ate at Rudy's BBQ, one of our favorite places for BBQ.  I guess that our trips are about family, friends and FOOD!
We were so glad that we got to spend this time with our family but especially blessed to be able to spend time with Bill and Charlotte again this year.   We did miss our Carrie as she was not able to travel with us this time.   We keep saying"we are blessed" and we are!
Tom took Bill and Charlotte to the airport the next morning so they could head home to Cocoa, Florida.  Then we checked out of billeting and headed home to Tucson.  We arrived home about 3:30 PM. 
Now, it is time to start work on our yard..Tom is going to work on the landscaping, put new low level lights in and redo the water/drip system.   Tom is also  going to put a fire pit in the back patio area as after being able to use a few times, have decided that would be nice to have!  We are now looking forward to going to soccer games, grand-girls functions, helping out at our church, already have volunteer stuff scheduled for the holidays and just spending time with our Tucson Family.
I will post a few pictures from our wonder-filled family trip. Below see The cow balloon, Molly singing and dancing for us, Balloon Glow, Molly, Samantha and Kirsten ready to go to the Balloon Glow, Lion, Clock,  girls playing in the great green grass...all tied together by their jacket sleeves....hmm, Kelly and Bryan and family heading for home on Sunday and another pictures of just some of the balloons in the air....neat huh?

 

 

Sending you all our love, thoughts and prayers and once again, thank God and all the saints and angels we pray to for safe travels and our wonderful blessings of friends and family.
Quote for today----
Togetherness turns good ideas into good times ~Wes Fessler   YES IT DOES!!!!
Love and hugs,
Tom and Maryann

WE ARE HOME! 29 September 2012

 

 

 

 



We are home!  We arrived home late on 6 September...and I am just updating our travels as we have been busy since we drove into Tucson.  So let me update you on our month. On 3 September we left Cheyenne and headed west to Denver, Colorado.   We arrived at Buckley Air Force Base about noon and checked into the Air Force Inn and went directly to the base camp ground to have an afternoon with Pat and George Cannode and their family. Pat and George full time "RV"er's.   We were greeted with hugs from Kasey and Karsten ( their beautiful grand boys).  Of course we had hugs from Pat and George and Kris and Amy ( THE boy's parents) and  David...as always made to feel such a part of their family.  We had a fun afternoon catching up, having a great BBQ and just enjoying watching the kids under the great Denver sky.  Of course there was a lot of laughter and talking  about memories and making new ones.  

No one is looking at Maryann's camera!

 

We spent the next two days with Pat and George just doing what we do best...talking and laughing and making new memories.  We took a trip to Colorado Springs and went to the Air Force Academy and Valley of the God's.  We also went to the area where they had such devastation from the forest fires in June and July.  It was very sobering  to see. We were amazed at  the fires path. One home would be burnt to the ground and not yards from it, a home stood with beautiful flowers in the yard and trees that had not been touched by the fire.  What an amazing job the fireman did to help save as many homes as possible.  There were home made signs all over thanking the fireman and emergency crews.  The night before we left, we ordered pizza and sat around the fire pit at the AF Inn.  AND Maryann decided that a fire pit should be part of our back yard in Tucson.  Tom will need to be convinced!!  George asked if it could be done before they come to Tucson in December...so Maryann is trying to make that happen!  While we were in Denver, George had a follow up PET Scan before he had his chemotherapy.  Our prayers were answered and the scan did not show anymore cancer.  He will continue to have the chemotherapy every 3 months but this was great news!  Please continue to keep him and Pat in your prayers.  God is good....all the time!! Tom looked for a Denver Bronco tee shirt but could not fine the one he wanted in his size...the Bronco's are a favorite team of his.  So Pat and George found one after we left and sent it to us and it arrived just a couple days after we arrived home.   How great was that???  It is always bitter sweet to give our farewell hugs to such wonderful friends, but we are looking forward to hopefully seeing George and Pat in Tucson in December as they get out of the cold for the winter. 

 

                Ever since we met, it seems that Tom and Pat walk together and Maryann and George walk together..hmmm

There is a story about the toothpick that makes Tom and Pat think that Maryann and George may be related!!!





The Firepit!

 

We left Denver on the 6th of September with the plan to spend the night  south of Albuquerque, New Mexico.   We stopped in Albuquerque to see our friends Rob and Mary for dinner.  It was so nice to see them as had been a few years since we last saw them in Alaska.  Mary is a nurse practictioner in the AF and worked with Maryann at Davis-Monthan for a few years and they became friends.  They wanted us to stay with them but Tom wanted to get "down the road". We left them with promises to see them in October when we will be there for the Balloon Festival.  



Mary and Maryann



We headed south toward home and Maryann was reading and looked up and we were just passing the sign to Truth or Conquences, New Mexico.  Knowing that there are not alot of places to stay from there to Tucson, she asked if we were going to stay in Demning? Tom said that he was not tired after having the nice few hours with Mary and Rob so "WE" were going on to Tucson and home that night.   We did stop a couple times and Maryann was able to nearly finish her book before we saw the lights of Tucson . 

Once again, as we drove down Houghton Road to our home, we realized how blessed we are to always look forward to our trips to see our wonderful friends and family and then when we are coming home, looking forward to being with our Tucson friends and family.  Also thank God and all the Saints  and our Guardian Angels that we  pray to that we have had safe travels.  WE ARE BLESSED !  We arrived home at midnight and were in bed 15 minutes later!  The next morning we were awakened at about 8 AM by the door bell.  How neat to have Kelly and Kirsten at the door with Dunkin Donuts and great smiles and hugs. They were in town and had come by the house and when found we were home, went and got the donuts before they rang our door bell.   And they even helped us unpack the car.   What a great way to wake up on our first day home!

                           

Kirsten helping unpack our car!

We planned to be home early as we were so glad to help one of our friend's plan his wife's 50th birhday party at one of our local parks on Saturday and then on Sunday, we went to Phil and Loly's to meet their son, Patrick who had been born while we were gone and also to see a priest friend of Phil's that we have come to know.  He lives in New York City but his parents were visiting on their first trip to the United  States from Nigeria and he brought them to Tucson.  What a nice day we had with them all and Kelly and Bryan and girls and Carrie.  Patrick is just beautiful!





Loly, Phil and Patrick ..Patrick's first time at the Graue Family Sunday dinner!



On Monday, we got back to going to the Gym and started in on our yearly house cleaning, helping at the church etc....back to reality...and that is good too. Carrie also had to go to Texas for work that week so we were so pleased to have Buddi stay with us.   Buddi is doing good and such a good boy and it is so nice to have him stay with us...(Buddi did not come with a list of things he wanted to do!) We also had Kirsten stay overnight and she had choices of what she wanted to do. She was glad to have Buddi here too. We went to the zoo, played lots of games, went to Chuckie Cheeses, made butter popcorn and just had a nice two days.  OF course, she talked non stop about everything.  We also went shoe shopping and she got a new pair of tennis shoes..."Dora Logo" of course and a new pair of  fashion boots.  Samantha then stayed and she also wanted to go to the zoo, bowling, Chuckie Cheeses and roller skating. We also played lots of games and made butter popcorn!  Making butter popcorn with Granddad is a must when they stay over.  When we went roller skating, Maryann had not been on skates since highschool and Tom never!   Well, we rented the skates and put them on and after having the skates on about 10 minutes and trying them out on the carpet and beginner area, we decided that NOT a good idea as we held on to the wall to get back to a bench to take them off. We felt that we would both leave with broken bones!  At least we tried...Kelly gave us points for just putting the skates on....!  Samantha on the other hand was just doing a great job!  Molly was next and she wanted to go to  play miniature golf, roller skating, a movie and eat at Chili's  (we were thankful that she did not want to go to Chuckie Cheeses!!!).  We also played lots of games and of course had butter popcorn.   We taught Molly and Samantha how to play the card game "Garbage".  It was such a treat to be able to spend "one on one" time with them and hear about their summer and school. Kirsten just started dance class and Molly is in Brownie's and Lego Club and working on a science fair project.  Samantha is playing Soccer and a Girl Scout Daisy.  Kelly is the Brownie and Daisy leader AND the scoccer coach  We certainly are so lucky to have them so close.  They are such good girls and just a joy to be with. Again, WE are blessed.





 

Kirsten, Samantha, Molly





                                                                              Kirsten and Buddi

Last Sunday we had all here to celebrate Carrie's birthday with her favorite foods.  Her birthday was on 1 September. She has been busy with work and working on her Masters Program.

It was so good to see most of our Tucson family. Our calendar is filling for October to see friends that we have not seen since we left in May.  How fun.

On the 3rd of October, we will be leaving for a week to Albuquerque with Kelly's family, Pete and Linda.  Tom's sister and brother in law will also be flying in from Florida for a week.  It is the Albuquerque Balloon Festival.

Tom and I will leave on Wednesday and stay with Mary and Rob and then pick them up on Thursday.  The rest of the family will come from Friday to Monday.  Tom and I will go to Ruidoso, NM for a couple days with Charlotte and Bill then will head back to Tucson after we take them to the airport on Thursday. We have never been to the Balloon Festival there and hear that it is amazing...so will let ou know in the next blog!

 

We want to thank you all for sharing your time with us during our travels and here at home. We hope each of  you know how you have touched our hearts and how much we appreciate YOU everyday.  Since we are not good with quotes...we have borrowed these to send to you to express our thoughts.

"Life is partly what we make it and partly what it is made by  friends and family." ~ Unknown

"It is not what we give, but what we share, for the gift without the giver is bare" ~James Russell Lowell

AND our favorite words....WE ARE BLESSED!

 



 

Love and hugs,

God Bless

Tom and Maryann

 

 



 





Cheyenne, Wyoming, September 2, 2012

Hi,
WOW, I am doing a blog again this week.  Tom and I left Waterloo on Thursday morning and arrived in  Omaha, Nebraska about 2 PM.  Iowa is mostly flat farmland and we  had beautiful sunny skies as we drive across I 80. It was sad to see all the brown corn fields from lack of water. So many tractor trailor trucks on the road.  IT is good to see that one profession apparently has job security. We checked into billeting at the O'Malley Inn at Auffit Air Force Base and got settled in and then called Mark who came and picked us and took us to their lovely home.  Mark and Linda were stationed in Tucson.  Mark was at the Security Forces with Tom and Linda worked with Maryann at the clinic.  Matthew and Kayla are their children....well young adults now.  It seems the last we saw them was about 20 years ago.  We were able to sit and catch up on the past years and memories from Davis-Monthan AFB.  Even got to see Matthew. Kayla was at work.
Sitting in their living room chatting was like had never been apart.  We then went out for a nice dinner and then Mark drove us around and showed us around Auffit Air Force Base. Mark works as a civilian now that he has retired from the Air Force.  You can tell that they are great parents and that they really enjoy life and have such good work ethics.  Linda had also served in the Air Force before Maryann was lucky enough to work with her in the clinic.  How great it is to be able to cross this great country and see our friends and family again.  We arrived in York, Nebraska just in time to meet Merle and Erma Hillen for lunch. We were stationed in Cheyenne, Wyoming with them in 1970.  They were our friends when we were just dating. We had not seen them for ...hmmm maybe 30 years.   Once again it was like we had just been together last week...just had more news to catch up on.  We had a 3+ hour and as we drove away, we just thank God again for having such lifelong friends.  As we drive toward Cheyenne, Wyoming, we see many more brown fields due to no rain...but have a beautiful blue sky that turns into a wonderful sunset.  We talk about how fun it will be in Cheyenne again as that is where we met in 1970 and then we returned there as a family from 1980 to 1984.  We arrive at F. E. Warren AFB and check into billeting.  When Tom comes out with our assigned billet, it is building 44 and Maryann remarks that that sounds so familiar. AND it turns out that building 44 is the building that Maryann lived  in as her first assignment as a LT. in the Air 
Force.  We arrived at building 44 and how fun that the room we were assigned is right across the hall from where Maryann lived when she was here active duty.  We are staying in the room Maryann's friend, Darlene use to live in. What wonderful memories we have of our "young days" here.  We called our friend, Judy who we met when we were here in 1980-1984 on our way here.  Judy and her John had visited us in Tucson about 20 years ago and we had not seen them since.  What friends can you call at the last minute and they arrange to spend the entire next day with you...Judy and John!  We met them at their home and went to breakfast and then back to their home to catch up on our lives and their daughter, Penny and family.  Judy is quite the  frame maker, artist, upholsterer, seamstress, and builds cedar chest, stools, and anything else one would want built or sewn!  John of course helps her  and finds her treasures to redo.  What a team they are.  We had such fun seeing all their wonders...and Judy  even let us choose a treasure to take home!   We spent the afternoon  sharing great stories and lots of laughter with Judy and John...what a relaxing time.  Then we went to the American Kennel Association Dog Show.  This was a first for us and it was really fun.  Another event to cross off our Bucket List.  Judy is a PLETHORA of knowledge about dog shows so what a treat for us at our first dog show! John took us to a fun sports bar for dinner and he recommended their margaritas and Tom had two as they were great!!    Then we went back to their home and it was nearly 10 PM when we were saying our fond farewells to John and Judy.  We could not have planned a better day!  As we read over this writing, once again we are so appreciative of such great people in our lives and do KNOW HOW BLESSED we are to have had all those we call friends come into our life.  We do not think that it was just by chance that we came to know them but that God put  us in the right place to have them in our lives.   
Today we walked over to the chapel for mass and then walked around the area where we shared such memories.  We feel so at home on the base since we met here and then came back here and spent 4 years when the girls were in elementry school.    F. E. Warren is the oldest continuously active military installation within the Air Force.  It was established in 1867 by the calvary.  It is now the home of the 90th Missile Wing which is one of three strategic missile bases in the United States.  It has the old red brick building with portches that were built between  1885 and 1933.  It also has a beautiful parade field and there are antelope roaming in small herds all over the base.   Of  all the bases we have lived on or visited, this is and always be the most special...it is like coming home to our roots.  As we walked today, it was good to feel the Cheyenne winds on our face.  The Cheyenne winds are like none other and there is wind every day!!  
Tomorrow we will go to Denver and stay at Buckley Air Force Base.  Our friends George and Pat are camped there with their RV.  We are looking forward to spending a few days with them and seeing David and Chris and family.   We will then head home to give our girls a big hug and to see our Tucson Family of friends.
We did SKYPE with Molly, Samantha and Kirsten tonight and cannot wait to give real hugs vs. syber hugs.

We thank you all for your prayers for our safe travels.  
Quote that we found that reminds us of our friends ----"Everytime you cross our mind, we think how lucky we have been, to have you as our special friends."
God Bless you all and we are keeping you all in our daily prayers.
Love ,

IOWA 29 August 2012

Hi from Waterloo, Iowa.
I know it has been over a month since last blogged.  Let me see if I can catch up tonight.
We were at my Mom's for 5 weeks in Karthaus, PA.  My Mom is 89 years old and lives on her own with help from family.  When we got home it was HOT and Mom does not have AC so the first thing we did was put the window fans in the windows up stairs and then put the window air conditioner
(that Roseann, Joan's daughter had given us last year) in the window in the living room.  What a difference!  Mom gets cold so she was doing just great in the "hot house".   We were able to take Mom to her doctor appointments and help her around the house.  She was told by her doctors that she is doing just great for being 89.  We took her riding to visit the graves of our family members and to visit a historical museum she had wanted to see since it opened in her hometown of Clarence, Pa. about 15 miles from Karthaus and of course for ice cream.  We were able to see Maryann's cousins and share time playing  "DICE " with Ronnie and Judy and going out for an afternoon of boating at the Bald Eagle State Park Dam with Becky and Rob and their boys.  We spent a couple days in State College with Maryann's sister Joan and her Tom while they were house sitting for Roseann and Jeff and family while they were at the beach.  We also were able to spend time with Roseann and family before they left.  Joan, Tom and Tom and Maryann traveled to Raystown Lake area for the day and of course spent the evenings playing card and Dice games.  The 148th Frenchville Church Picnic was held while we were home.  Cousin Becky and Maryann volunteered to work in the funnel cake booth in honor of Carol (Maryann's sister who died) and had such a fun time...Maryann and Tom even went back up on Sunday and worked!!  Tom was an expert at making the funnel cakes!   We also saw family and friends at the picnic.  Maryann's Aunt Ethel and her girls from Harrisburg came for the picnic too.  We ran into Joan's son Adam and his family there too.  We bought $6.00 worth of 50/50 chances while we were talking to friends at the booth.  WELL, Monday morning Maryann got a call that she won $785.00!   That was a nice surprise.  Maryann was able to spend more time with her friend, Janet while we were home too.  Janet took us and Mom out to eat at a very good italian resturant too.  Janet and Maryann also ran into a highschool friend and stood in CVS for about an hour catching up.  They also met their friend Rosemary for lunch one day too.  They are planning a mini class reunion for the next time we are in town.  We went up to the Clearfield Fair with Janet for a few hours to walk around and eat lunch too.  We played DICE or Garbage card game with Mom everynight.  Mom won everynight but 2!!!!  It was so good to spend time with Kenny.  We even got him to take a couple days off.  He has been caring for his Mom everyday for 8 hours since December 2011 as she has been sick and he and his brothers care for her 24/7.   Julie , Kenny and us went to Horseshoe Curve for the day and had a nice dinner.  Julie and Mom and us went to Brookville  shopping and to lunch in Dubois one Saturday.  We had a great day.  Tom and Kenny spent each evening together.  Kenny would stop and pick up Tom after being at his Mom's and they would go out to camp and have a few beers etc.  Tom also helped Kenny mow the yards etc.  One evening Stephen took the kayaks out to the camp pond and Kenny and Tom tried them out.  Tom tipped his and nearly got all wet!  They saw lots of deer, elk and bear on their evenings out. We also got to spend time with Stephen and his family at his daughter, Mae's 12th birthday party.  Tom felt good as he won the game of horseshoes and frisbee.  BUT he lost the badmitten game.  We enjoyed having a bonfire with them in the evening.  Of course Tom and Stephen spent the evening joking around with each other!  We had the family over on 3 August for a birthday supper for Maryann.  Maryann's Aunt Liz and her son Paul and daughter Vicki were able to come.  Also Joan's son Adam and Reese and Alexia, Denny(Julie's husband) and Joan and Tom were also able to come.   Julie and Denny came down to the house and made us breakfast one morning too.   Julie and Maryann went up to Carol's Bench at her gravesite one evening to put new flowers up and Tom and Kenny saw us there so stopped.  We stayed up there nearly 2 hours, just talking and remembering.  Kenny said "who would have thought that we would feel so good and comfortable sitting and talking at the cemetery...guess Carol gave us that comfort too".  She did!  It is still difficult when we get close to home as I remember that she is not physically there and will not hear her laugh but that is OK as  I have her always in my heart.  Julie and I also went and picked blueberries one evening.  It is always so good to spend time with Julie.  We played cards with Julie, Denny and Grace (Stephen's daughter).  We also got to see Chelsea and her boyfriend and Tyler too.  We brought Zoe (their dog) down to Mom's to spend a couple hours a few days while Kenny was keeping her while Julie and family were at the beach.  Some sad news, Zoe got sick while we were home and went into kidney failure on 26th of August.  Denny and Julie were with her at the ER when she died. Our prayers are with them during this sad time. 
Tom and I also went to Joan's camp one day and were able to spend time with Sara and her family and Adam and kids while they worked putting a porch on the camp.   Maryann's Aunt Liz was in the hospital and then was set up to get Meals on Wheels so Maryann was able to be their the first day to make sure all went smoothly.   We are so blessed to be able to be home and help out where we could.
We left home on 21 August and went to Linesville to spend time with Tom and Joan. While there we were able to see north west PA. We went to Lake Erie and spent the day walking around the area.  We also went to Kinzua Bridge which was the 8th wonder of the world before it was hit by a tornado in 2003 causing a large portion ot the bridge to collapse.   We also went to Volant, PA.to walk around. It has some neat little shops and found some great fudge.  Tom and Joan made us some great food. We played card and dice games. Their neighbor's dog , Shelby came over to visit everyday and provided entertainment as we sat outside. It is always nice to spend time with Joan and her Tom.
We left Linesville on 27th August and headed for Chicago.  We stayed at the Great Lakes Naval Lodge about an hour from Chicago.  We took the train down to Chicago and walked about the Navy Pier and took a water taxi to Michigan Avenue and walked around and had a nice late lunch at "The Purple Pig".  We also stopped by the American Girl store and picked up a couple books for the girls. We were able to master how to read the bus routes and take the bus too.  Tom's hips have been hurting him so that was a good thing.  Tom did go into TWO sporting goods stores on Michigan Avenue.   We stopped to get ice cream before we returned to the Navy Lodge!
Today we slept in and then left for Waterloo, Iowa.   It was sad to see all the brown corn fields.
We have had just perfect weather for our travels.  We arrived in Waterloo about 2:30 PM.  We just got back from having dinner with our friends.  We were stationed with Larry and Sheri in Japan in 1971-73.   Once again we were welcomed with open arms after all these years.  We visited with them at their beautiful home and then had a nice dinner together.  We also got to see "Sissy" she was just 2 when we met them.  They also have a son, Tom who was a work.  It was again so great to remember our times together.   We are blessed!
Tomorrow we will head to Omaha to have dinner with Mark and Linda. They were stationed with us in Tucson.
We SKYPED with the girls last weekend.   Sure will be good to give them hugs.
Carrie had returned from her 3 weeks TDY in Florida and Buddi is happy. He spent the time with Kelly..we hear that he was Kirsten's shadow.
We will have lunch with friends in Columbus, Nebraska on Friday and then head to Cheyenne, Wyoming for a couple days before we head for Denver.  Will be spending a couple days with Pat and George before we head for Tucson.  We should be home the 8th or 9th of September.
We are blessed to have safe travels and such wonderful family and friends.
We have been keeping you all in our daily prayers.  Thanks you for keeping us in your prayers
Love and hugs,
Tom and Maryann

"A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles."--Tim Cahill

8 August Karthaus, Pa

Hi,
Just a short note to let you all know we are still at my mom's in Pennsylvania.  We will be here until the 21 August  and then head West making stops to see family and friends as we make our way home to Tucson.
Will send more details of our days here when we are in town again.
God Bless,
Sending our hugs,
Tom and Maryann

Lancaster 19 July 2012

Good Morning, Tom and I came up to Philipsburg so could check email and finally update our blog. We left Lancaster on 13 July after spending great days with Peggy and Larry and family. While in Lancaster, we visited Maryann's Aunt Annie and also traveled to Harrisburg and spent time with Aunt Ethel and Aunt Fran. We had wanted to take them out but Aunt Ethel always has wonderful food for us so we had lunch and visited for the afternoon. It is always fun to catch up with them all. While in Lancaster we got to visit with Larry's Dad who is in assisted living and always enjoy our time with him. He makes us smile. We also visited with Larry's Aunt and Uncle who had visited us in Tucson several years ago. They now live in a lovely assisted living. It was so special to visit with them for a few hours and of course then we stopped for ice cream on our way home. We also went to Northeast, Maryland. It is a neat town and we walked about and then had lunch at Woody's which is a great seafood resturant. No one was hungry when we left however, we still HAD to stop and have ice cream on the way home. Peggy and Larry's friend, Kay and Paul live there so finally got to meet them. They warmly welcomed us into their home...and we spent a couple hours visiting. During our stay, Peggy's Aunt Doris and Uncle Jim had us over for dessert...well what a table she sets! As always, we had a wonderful evening visiting and eating. Uncle Jim makes his own tea and it is great. They have the neatest clock so Tom and I will plan to check on getting one when we get back to Tucson as a store in Tucson sells them. It is a Rhythm Clock. What special days we had spending with Parker, Elizabeth and Brandon (Keith and Lisa's kids at Peggy's as she cared for them during the day. It was such a delight to play games and just spend time with them. Of course, they enjoyed using our IPAD's too. We played Candyland and Garbage. We also went to Keith's for dinner and Amy and Dan and kids were there so got to spend time with them. There is a creek that runs on Keith's property so was fun to go down and see the kids swim in the creek...and Lisa too. Amy and Dan and Keith and Lisa have such great kids. Amy and Dan have 6 children! We also shared time on July 4th with Dan's Parents and kids at the Lititz fireworks. We then met Amy (who had to work) after for coffer at McDonalds...the only place open..and spent time hearing about her days as Hospice Nurse. We also were treated daily to Peggy's wonderful breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Had great fresh vegetables and fruits. We were able to reconnect with their Sunday School Class as we joined them for breakfast one morning. They are always so quick to welcome us and make us feel like we are part of their group. WE ARE BLESSED! We went to the Corn Wagon a couple time to get fresh corn just in from the field. Also Tom, Peggy and Maryann spent a day doing some shopping at some Amish stores. We found some items that just had to buy to take back to Tucson. Larry was working but we spent the evenings and weekends together. We even played dice! On 4th of July, Larry went into work for a few hours so Peggy deceided to take care of her cleaning chores as she cleans at Filmore Container for her son Keith. Tom and I helped Peggy clean while Larry finished up what he needed to do in the Warehouse. What a treat to be able to help out...even though, we had to really force Peggy to let us help. Keith and Lisa are owners at Filmore Container and really have a nice famiy business. Peggy and Larry and even Brendon (9 yr old) are on the payroll!! Of course Parker and Elizabeth help out too. How proud we are to be able to be part of Peggy and Larry's and Keith and Lisa and Amy and Dan's family. Tom even got to mow Larry's yard!! When we first got to Lancaster, Maryann was having upper right back pain that radiated from the front to back so went to the ER and was DX with Shingles! She had had the Shingles Vaccine 2 years ago. Thank heaven as helped not have worse symptoms. She had several side effects from the medication so spent a few days not feeling like herself. Once Maryann stopped the medication, had more energy and started gaining back the pounds she lost and she started feeling better. Still has the annoying discomfort but much better. At least she felt like she was home at Peggy's so could rest when needed. SO MARYANN DOES RECOMMEND that if you are 50 and have not had the Shingles vaccine....Go and request it from your provider! We have been at Maryann's Mom's now for nearly a week. Mom is doing good. We are doing some stuff around the house for her and even thought Mom says that she does not have an appetite...she surely eats! Tom has been spending time with Kenny in the evenings as he is still the 7-5 caregiver 24/7 for his Mom. Maryann's sister Joan and her Tom and his brother, Bill came in from Linesville, Pa last evening and we had dinner. Tom will go with them all to the 100 Mile Garage Sale tomorrow. Maryann deceided she did not want to go! This weekend is the Frenchville Picnic..the church picnic.. so will go. Have not been since Maryann was a teenager. Maryann is going to try to help out in one of the booths with her cousin, Becky. Maryann has spent time going up to her sister Carol's Bench since we have been home. Weather had been sooo hot. First thing we did when we got home is put the window fans in the bedroom windows upstairs and turn on all the fans downstairs!!! We also put a window a/c unit in the living room!!!! We have SKYPED with the grand girls and made sure we SKYPED with Molly on her 8th birthday on the 17th July. Kirsten still asking Nana when she is coming home and where she is! They started school on Monday. Kirsten started Preschool and Kelly said that when she gets to school, she has to go to the BR and wash her hands and then goes to play with her friends....does not mind that her MAMA is leaving her! BUT she is glad to see Kelly when she comes to pick her up. Samantha is in 1st grade and Molly in 3rd grade this year. Spoke with Carrie last week too and she still has her A average in her classes for her Masters!!! We have been getting many pictures of Patrick Joseph...Phil and Loly's baby that was born on 9 July. What a cutie. He has been keeping his Mom and Dad awake! We will be so excited to see him and give him lots of hugs when we get home. Quote for the day "No matter where you go, there you are"-Unknown We are blessed to have safe travels and wonderful welcomes from friends and family whether "on the road" or when we are home. We love you all and are keeping you all in our daily prayers. Keep us in your prayers! God Bless and hugs, Tom and Maryann

1 July 2012, Lancaster, PA

Good Morning, Let me start with where I think I left off in Mashpee. As I was typing..we finished up the painting with TEAMWORK as our grand girls would say. The team was Linda, Maryann, Pete and Tom. One day we walked up to their community pool and spent time in the water. Maryann was so excited to find that it was a heated pool..so she did not need her pool jacket! When we were in Florida with Bill and Charlotte, we would watch the birds and squirrels each day in their back yard. Pete and Linda's neighbor also feeds the birds so we were entertained by squirrels, chipmunks, cardinals, blue jays etc. as we looked out their patio door. We took day trips to various small towns around the Cape and near Plymouth and Boston checking out consignment shops for items Pete and Linda need to furnish their home in Mashpee. We even stopped in one small town and had lunch at a bakery/cafe of a friend of a friend of Pete's from Tucson. Fun being far from home and meeting the owner. It was just fun being together and checking out the stores for treaures. Pete and Linda took us to thier beautiful Catholic Church for mass. Also walked about Mashpee Commons and found a few items that needed to be purchased! We met Linda's cousins Kenny, Ellen, Mailyn and Mark and their grandson, David for dinner at Eastwinds resturant on the water at Buzzard's Bay. It was never difficult to eat fresh seafood! Then we all went back to Marilyn and Mark's campsite ( they come to Mass. each summer and camp from Ft. Myer, Florida) on the Cape Cod Canal and walked a bit and then sat around the camp fire visiting into the evening. Their cat, CC and dog, Dixie, also joined us. Of course we had to walk down to the little store in the campground and get ice cream!! We met Kenny and Ellen , Linda's cousins,one day and traveled to Otis Air Force Station and looked around and stopped by the BX and they found a few items that again needed to be purchased! We all went to Bobby Burn's Cafe in Mashpee Commons and had a nice lunch. Talking about food...one day we went to Brockton, Mass. where Pete grew up and went to Christo's Greek Resturant and had a great Greek lunch. Pete and Linda used to go to this resturant when they were teens. YEP, it has been in business for a LONG time and they said the decor has stayed the same and the food was certainly very good. We also tried the Grapenuts and Rasin pudding which is a tradition in that area. It was really good. Linda had strawberry shortcake BUT this time she shared with Pete!!! On the way home, Pete stopped at the Italian Kitchen, where he used to go as a boy and bought meatballs for our next dinner. WOW, the best meatballs we have had! Do you see the theme again from our time on Cape Cod ...food. As Pete said last year...SO MUCH FOOD...SO LITTLE TIME!!! Of course we played games and dice. Tom and Pete won more SKIPPO games than Maryann and Linda. Maryann and Linda thought the new table and chairs may have been rigged and also came up with other excuses of why they lost! But had lots of fun and laughs. Tom and I cooked for Pete and Linda a couple nights. They are so generous to share thier home with us and let us visit as they are just getting settled that we wanted to help give them a break. Linda and Maryann went out with Marilyn to a neat old home that is a gift shop and resturant for lunch and Marily took us through some neat back road areas. We had been to the resturant last year and it was so nice to go back to this neat local place. Tom, Pete and Mark spent the morning fishing in the Cape Cod canal. They did not catch fish but like Tom always said " it is called fishing and not catching". It was just fun to be on the canal and see a tall ship and other ships pass by. We all sat at their camp site for a few hours visiting together before we headed back to Mashpee. Oh, did I forget to mention that we had ice cream again? We celebrated Pete and Linda's 43 wedding anniversary with them. Our friends, Larry and Peggy also celebrate their anniversary on the same day and it was their 43rd too. How blessed we are to have these friends we call family in our lives. How blessed they are to have such a committment to each other and what role models for us and all! We gave farewell hugs to Pete and Linda on Friday the 29 June. How fast the week went...next year we have already planned for 2 weeks in Mashpee!! They are truly family to have taken time from settling into their new summer home to share these memories with us. We are blessed. We arrived in Lancaster,PA. at Peggy and Larry's about 5:30 P.M.Friday evening to be greeted by a wonderful hug from Peggy. Larry was still at work. Larry arrived home and we had a nice dinner. We remembered Larry's mom who passed away last year as Peggy had taken out the last of his Mom's vegetable soup from the freezer that she had made before moving to assisted living and we shared for dinner. It was the best and we know she was watching. It is go good to have her as part of our fond memories when we visit Lancaster. Yesterday we visited Larry's Dad, who still lives at the assisted living home. It is always so good to see him as he always welcomes us with a smile and it is so good to give him a hug. He has such a fun sense of humor...at times at Larry's expense...but that is also fun! We did some grocery shopping and stopped for corn (just brought in from the fields) for dinner on our way home. Oh yes, I must not forget to mention we stopped for Ice Cream on the way home too!!!! We stopped and visited with Keith, Lisa, Parker, Elisabeth and Brendan too ( Peggy and Larry's son and family). We were welcomed with hugs and smiles once again and look forward to spending more time with them. It was fun hearing about Keith and Lisa's plan to purchase a historical building to renovate here in Lancaster. We look forward to following thier progress, they both have such good ideas and seem to follow through! Tom and I attended a different Catholic Church then we usually go to when here. It was really nice too. I was thinking ss I sat in Church today of all our blessings and how God has give us so many family and friends who are responsible for the special life that we have for just knowing each of you and what treasures each one of you bring to our life. My quote for today is a Danish Proverb-- "The road to a friend's house is never long". We thank each of you and have found the proverb to be so true...that no journey is too long to see a friend or family, whether it be for minutes, hours or days...as we are always welcomed with such joy. God Bless and keep us in your prayers as we travel. We are keeping each of you and your families in our daily prayer. Love and Hugs, Tom and Maryann

28 JUNE MASHPEE

HI ALL.. I had problems with my blog so my last blog was posted incomplete...I will compete and send on part 2 as soon as I can. I had completed but somehow lost half of it...so will re do in the days to come. Just wanted to let you know why ended so abruptly!! Maryann

27 June 2012 MASHPEE, CAPE COD

Good Morning from Mashpee on Cape Cod, Massachuttes We arrived here last Thursday night about 1030 at night...traffic coming through Conn. was terrible. We went 12 miles in one hour..and not sure why, the traffic signs just said "traffic delays". There were no accidents or road construction. We traveled through Virginia to Maryland where we drove the back roads to Snow Hill, Maryland where we surprised Laurel Anderson (Laurel is a retired AF nurse and our friend we were stationed with in Cheyenne, Wyoming in early 1980 and had not seen since 1984) in her front yard in this rural community. She thought we were lost and was going to give us direction. Boy, was she surprised when we told her we were looking for her. She had not recognized us but as soon as we told her who we were, it was like old times. Then we headed to Annapolis, Maryland area through the back country roads. Saw some great farm land and back woods. Stopped and bought some seasonal fruit and nuts at the roadside markets. We arrived in Annapolis late afternoon. We stayed at the Annapolis Navy Lodge and had time to relax before we headed over to Jim and Cindy Roudebush's for a lovely evening. We were were stationed with Jim and Cindy in Cheyenne too. Had not seen them since 1982. Once again we were welcomed with hugs into their lovely home. They made us a wonderful dinner and introduced us to some different taste of oils and vinegars from Cloe's in Annapolis. We had dark chocolate aged balsamic vinegarette on strawberries and ice cream...very good. Of course we had to stop and buy some on our way out of town. It was so great catching up with Jim and Cindy and hearing about them and their 3 sons and their families and of course their new grandaughter and of course lets not forget the beautiful cats! We had lots to laugh at as we remembered some of the antics that Jim and Tom pulled all those years ago. Tom and Jim had worked together in Cheyenne as Tom had flown with the flight medicine section on rescue missions. Maryann and Cindy had worked together in the GYN clinic at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base and sounds like they are both the same caring nurses that brought them together so many years ago. We also had spent time "partying" together especially during the famed "Cheyenne Frontier Days". Jim had been the Surgeon General of the Air Force before he retired and he surprised Tom by giving him one of his coveted Surgeon General Coin's that Tom will treasure forever!!! Once again, we were welcomed with hugs and made to feel right at home. The next morning we met Sharon Lettner for breakfast. We were stationed with Jim and Sharon in Germany. Sharon works at Ft. Meade, MD and Jim at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, MD. Jim had meetings so he was not able to join us. Jim and Sharon had visited us in the early 1980's in Wyoming but had not seen them since. They are both retired Air Force. Sharon has not changed one bit and was so good to give her a hug after all these years. Jim and Sharon have 2 children 15 year olds!! So was so good to hear all about them and their lives over the years. Sounds like they are neat kids and why not with parents like Jim and Sharon. We of course talked about old times and fun times and laughed..some laughs were at Jim's expense...but would have done that even if he were with us. Jim and Sharon both work for the government now. Sharon told us to make sure to tell all our friends in Germany that they also know, Hello for them too. We hope to see them ALL on future trips and not wait so many years or they are all always welcome in Tucson. It is always bitter sweet saying farewell to such good friends but we know that the next time we meet, it will be like moments that we have seen each other not years! How Blessed are we to have you all in our lives! Now we head north. We were going to stop in Philadelphia to see our friend Ellen but were not able to reach her so we headed to Mashpee, Cape Cod. It was to take us 7 hours but 10 hours later we arrived at Pete and Linda's. Traffic, Traffic, Traffic!!! We were greeted at the door by Pete and were shown our room and washed and brushed and went right to bed!!! Pete and Linda bought a lovely townhome here in Mashpee on Cape Cod. The area is surrounded by trees and very nice. Out the back patio is trees and birds and squirrels. Pete and Linda just arrived 3 weeks ago so are still getting settled in. On Friday, of course we went to our favorite resturant...Lindsey's in Buzzard Bay about 20 minutes from here and once again were not disappointed! We had wonderful Strawberry Shortcake...of course, we do have a story about Linda not sharing her's with Pete...she did say before we ordered that she WAS NOT GOING TO SHARE!!! We have been to Providencetown and all the little towns on the way. Providencetown is the town at the tip of the Cape. We also wanted to help with some projects with their new home so were able to help paint on Monday when it rained. We were able to paint the living room wall and the wall that leads to the kitchen and part of the kitchen wall. We all had our jobs so were able to get the job done

19 June 2012

Hello all, I just got a new ZAGG case and keyboard for my Apple so it is so much easier to use the computer as we drive down the roads on our adventures. Since last we posted we have been in Cocoa, Florida with Tom's sister Charlotte and Bill. We arrived on Saturday 9 June in the evening and of course were welcomed with hugs. We just relaxed on Sunday and hung out. They have a lovely screened in porch and Bill feeds the birds and squirrels so there is always entertainment beyond the screen. We unpacked and settled into their lovely home. All week long Charlotte and Bill fixed us great food starting with wonderful spaghetti on Sunday. We were introduced to Eddy's all natural juice bars and now will need to find to continue our addiction. Tuesday we all drove down to Vero Beach. We had a nice breakfast at Disney Resort. Tom had planned to meet with Dr. Sheldon Kushner who he was stationed with at Vinh Long City in the MeKong Delta(South of Saigon) in 1968-69. Dr. Kushner had contacted Tom a few months ago after 43 years. Tom brought his slides and pictures and his memories and he and Dr. Kushner spent the day going over their year of memories together. Dr. Kushner's soon to be wife, Lynn ensured that they had lunch etc. There is an author at the local university that is writing a book about life experiences and she had met with Dr. Kushner and interviewed him and asked if he could ask Tom if he would be willing to tell his story about working and taking care of the Vietnamese people. So he and Tom also met with her on their day together. Tom said the day brought back so many memories of all his friends and co-workers and patients that he spent time with during that year at the Vinh Long City Hospital. It was a special duty assignment with the Army Advisory Unit living and working with the locals in an out of the way area. They had to defend their own position when needed. As a young Airmen, Tom acutally did surgeries ...major and minor! NO, his technical school did not teach him how to do this. Per Dr. Kushner, the doctors taught the airmen how to do everything from amputations to trauma chest surgery. He told one story of needing to remove a bullet from a woman's brain and Tom was reading the text book telling him how to do! The woman lived and did not have disabilites when she left their care. WOW. Dr. Kushner and Lynn were planning their wedding for 23 June. Chalotte, Bill and Maryann had taken their car so did some shopping etc. and left Tom to spend the day in Vero Beach. He had a wonderful day and arrived home at 8:30 P.M.! Oh, Maryann, Bill and Charlotte did manage to stop on their way home for the best ice cream twist cones!!! They did mean to take Tom back one day but time ran out....so will have to plan for another trip to Florida. Charlotte and Bill took us to some great seafood places...had catfish, shrimp etc. Even ate at BOSTON'S where they fly the fish in fresh daily from Boston...hmmm. The shrimp were the best..they were right up there with Lindsey's near Cape Cod. We went on an Air Boat ride down the St. Johns river. Now that was fun! Even thought we took off our BUCKET LIST...would do that again. We saw three large alligators and lots of birds AND...cows and horses in the water way. After the Airboat trip, we had a snack at the little resturant there and had frog legs, catfish and YES...GATOR. Maryann even tried the Gator. She said with surprise "It taste like chicken"! That is off the Bucket list too. We also went to the best italian resturant... It is so fun to visit with friends and family who take you to their favorite places...just like when we were in Niceville with Sandy and Joe. We were able to visit with Bill's mom who is 93 and in an assisted living near their home. Of course the Lexus was washed...Tom even let Bill help him!!! We did have a mystery in Charlotte and Bill's garage...the windows in the Lexus including the sunroof would be down in the morning. You can only put down if start the car and have the key. Tom thought Maryann was doing and Maryann thought Tom was doing ..but when discussed and both did not, of course we checked with Bill and Charlotte and they did not..so we spent the next evening checking the garage every chance we got to just see. Bill seemed to be the prime suspect for a time as he had cause we will not discuss! But now not really sure if can say it was him! We spent time in their neighbor, Dee and Mark's pool..while they were not home! The pools in Florida have to be gated or completely fenced in with a screened in area. So very nice as no bugs etc. It was more humid than we are used to, but Bill and Charlotte knew the right times to go out and do things etc. so did not notice. We went to a fun car show in Daytona and then came back Highway One by the space center. We also went to Kissimmee as they have a memorial to the soldiers of Corregidor Island where Tom's dad was a prisioner of war for 3 1/2 years. They were working on the park so we were not able to go in...another reason to head to Florida again. It was just so comfortable spending the days with Charlotte and Bill. We had not been able to go and spend time with them in several years. Also, Maryann's back was still hurting her so Charlotte's shared her heating pad with her...really Maryann just used it the entire week. Thank you Charlotte. If you could gage our visit with a laugh meter...it would have been off the chart as we did laugh ALOT...yes at times ....of course at Tom and Bill's expense! We woke on the morning of the 18th of June and bid a farewell to our gracious family...hope to see them in October in Albuqurque at the Balloon Festival. We must tell you that gas prices have gone down. We are now paying $3.17. We also SKYPED with Kelly' Family and so neat to see them. The girls are so fun to share their stories. Buddi was spending the weekend as Auntie Carrie was in Phoenix for the weekend. Kirsten was so happy that Buddi chose to sleep with her!! We stopped in St. Augustine, Florida on our way to South Carolina and walked about for awhile and discovered we would like to go back there sometime to explore. As we got nearer to Charleston, we say a sign for a monument to the Tuskegee Airmen so we stopped and remembered. We were headed to Charleston Air Force Base to see Jeanet Carey, an active duty nurse that Maryann worked with at DM. How fun to see her after about 4 years. With good friends, time just fades away when you give that "hello hug". We ate at a nice Thai resturant in Charleston and caught up. Another forever friend. Today, we left our room at the Charleston Air Force Base Inn and headed to Virginia Beach where we will stay at Dam Neck Naval Station. We stayed there last year and really enjoyed. We noticed we were on this really rural back road for a LONG time as we drove north. BUT that is the route our GPS had sent us on..we had seen some blue signs so thought was the scenic route. When we finally looked at the sign, it read "EVACUATION ROUTE". So even though we were enjoying the corn fields and back woods etc...were figuring would be midnight before we got to Va. Beach if we stayed on this road so we finally figured that had doubled back somehow. But it was OK as we are retired!! I am still trying to figure out how to add pictures...not doing so well. Sandy gave me a couple of books to read on the road. I am nearly finished with one of them.. "Iris, Trophy of Grace" which is a miraculous story of Iris Urrey Blue, (who is actually a friend of Sandy's) the "incorrigible" who encountered the irresistible force of God's transforming power. What an inspiring story and perfect to read as we travel. I look forward to sharing these books with you all. Tom and I are blessed everyday to have safe travels and be able to spend these days just spending time together as we travel to our next destination. I saw this quote and thought perfect for today.. "A Journey is best measured in friends and family, rather than miles" -Tim Cahill Sending hugs and thoughts to each of you. Keep us in your prayers. Tom and Maryann

On the Road Again Summer 2012

11 June 2012 Hello Tom and I went to San Diego with Carrie, Bryan,Kelly,Molly, Samantha,Kirsten, Pete and Linda and Danielle the last week of May for a week. We stayed at the Navy Lodge and Cottages on the beach at Coronado Island for a week. What fun we had watching the kids play in the sand and water. We went to the Zoo and Balboa Park. We played games...Pit is Molly's favorite game...gets roudy of course. Danielle was the only one who had the experience of getting stung by a sting ray at the beach! We even were able to see Pat and George Cannode and their son David when we arrived in San Diego. How nice to see David as had not seen him for years. What fun family days. Maryann could not see an animal at the zoo so asked Tom to lift her up and when he did, heard a crack in her back. When arrived back in Tucson, Maryann's chiropractor was kind enough to see her and helped the pain...but before left Tucson was seen at Urgent care as the pain increased. Tom washed the Lexus and we repacked, visited with Hilda, Carol, and Teresa and Gerry and were ready to leave for our adventures East on Sunday afternoon. We spent our first night at El Paso, Texas at the base billeting. Maryann using Icy-hots on her back. We traveled to San Antonio, Texas the next day, checked into Lackland AFB Gateway Inn and Frank Palmisano joined us for dinner at Rudy's BBQ. Frank was stationed with us at DM. It was so good to see him and catch up. The next day we had breakfast with Tom and Vicki Bader who we were stationed with in Germany and had not seen since 1980, but again it was just like we had not been apart! We traveled to Keesler AFB in Lousianna and spent the night before we arrived in Montgomery, Alabama to visit with Doug and Luke Watkins and their dog Manny. Sybilla and Taryn were in Holland. We are so blessed to have such friends that we can just pop in on and made to feel so welcome. By the way, we had the best spring water right out of the mountain spring in Prattville, Alabama. We bid farewell to them and headed to Crestview, Florida and had a delightful lunch with Ann O'Conner and her friend Jim. We had never met Jim but seemed like we had known him forever too. We then surprised John O'Conner at his garage in Crestview and met his wife, Teresa and his son Mikey (who we had not seen since he was 4 years old). We were stationed with Ann and John in Germany and had not seen them since 1979! Words cannot explain the feelings when we get to give our friends a hug and the years just disapear from the last time we were together. We then drove less than an hour and arrived at Sandy and Joe Causby's home in Niceville, Florida. We were stationed with Sandy in Cheyenne, Wyoming at F.E. Warren in the 1980's. Sandy and Joe had visited us in Tucson several years ago. We spent 2 wonderful nights with them and their two dogs Hope and Lizzi-Grace at their beautiful home. They showed us around the area of Destin, Fort Walton Beach. The area has beautiful white sand beaches. Also took us to some great local resturants...The Front Porch, The Back Porch, Maquires etc. We even got to join in on a walk with Hope and Lizzi-Grace! We left them and headed to Cocoa, Florida to spend time with Tom's sister, Charlotte and her husband, Bill. We arrived in Cocoa about 7:30 PM and once again received a warm welcome. We have been here for 2 days now and have been treated to great food and good family time. Maryann went back to Urgent Care today and had an X-Ray and no fractures but lots of tightness so given a course of prednisone and robaxin. So hopefully is on the way to less back pain. We left Sandy and Joe just in time as they had some really bad rain and flooding in the panhandle of Florida. We have had hot and humid weather. Tomorrow Tom is going to meet with a doctor he was stationed with in Viet Nam who had contacted him a few months ago and lives about an hour from here. He is looking forward to catching up with him. We are keeping in contact with Kelly and family and Carrie as we travel, of course. We send you all our thoughts and think of all of you that are keeping watch over our home etc. as we take this journey again this year. What blessings we have had on the road and having the best of moments spent with family and friends. Until our next blog. God Bless each of you and we will keep you in our prayers as we travel. Sending special hugs. Love Tom and Maryann