Hello all,
We are now blessed to be in St. Augustus Abbey, Scotland for a few days. The Abbey is on the shores of Lock Ness. We may have seen Nessie but cannot be sure as Nessie swims very rapidly and mostly underwater. St. Benedict's Abbey used to be a fort that was constructed on the Lock Ness between 1729 and 1742 during the uprising of 1745. In 1867 the Estate was leased to the Benedictine Order of Monks and they converted it from a fort to this Gothic Abbey. In future years a church was built and also Gothic cloisters and a lawn. It was used as a school until 1993 and the monks taught in the school. It is now home vacation cottages and apartments. The walls were falling down so had to rebuild some of the walls. We are renting a two bedroom apartment in one of the newer areas connected to the Abbey. We have access to a pool, outdoor chess board, activity room with a huge pool table and reading area. The pool is located where the old Abbey Chapel used to be in the Abbey. Our apartment looks out upon a nice green lawn and just a short walk from Lock Ness. We took a walk this morning. Before we returned from our walk along the lock, we had rain, sleet and snow within a 10 minute time span. We had a relaxing time in the pool and sauna area this morning and then returned to our apartment and made a nice breakfast before we drove along Lockness to Inverness . We stopped at the ruins of an old castle on the bank for Lock Ness and then spent some time in Inverness before we took the scenic "track" road back to Fort Augustus. On the way back we saw about 20 or 30+ Red Deer fairly close to the road.
Had a very nice dinner at the Boathouse here on the Abbey property while we looked at the beautiful mountains and waters of LockNess.
Now to tell you about our trip here from Lakenheath. We stopped and walked about a town called HOPE and then traveled over the mountains to Lancaster. We stopped in Lancaster on our way north as Pat had traced her relatives back to that area. The Lancaster Golf and Country Club which used to be Ashton Hall where Pat's relatives were traced back to. We were just in luck as met a gentleman who was just finishing his golf game so took us into the private club and we were able to walk about the inside of Ashton Hall. ( please see George's blog) for more information. We were looking for a place to eat in Lancaster and found a man named Richard who was walking down the street and he walked with us several blocks and took us to this neat restaurant called the Merchant that was build in an old wine cellar. We then headed toward Edinburgh Castle and spent the night on the way. Walked around Edinburg and had a nice breakfast in one of their pubs that was recommended to us
by Norin, a person we just stopped on the street AGAIN and asked about a place. He walked with us several blocks to take us to the correct area. It seems that everyone that we meet and ask questions is just so glad to walk with us even if out of their way to show us where to go. He also told us about THE ELEPHANT HOUSE where J. K. Rollins would sit in the second floor and write her Harry Potter books. SO of course we visited the Elephant House Cafe. We left Edinburgh and went to St. Andrews Golf Course...where golf began in the 1800's. Then we headed to Oban where we had reservations at a B&B. SO...we drove from the East Coast of Ireland to the West Coast in about 3+ hours. When we arrived at Grove House, we were greeted by Billie who was a gem. Bille showed us our room and brought wine and warm towels to refresh ourselves. Then told us where we could get a good local meal. The Grove House was immaculate and the rooms were all decorated with beautiful linens, fresh flowers and lovely sitting rooms. Our room had some pink color so even our hairdryer was pink!! We also had some homemade candies with water in our room. What a cozy room. Billie wrote down the information that we would need to catch the ferry in the morning and other information that would help us discover the Island of Mull. The next morning , Karen, the owner made us a delicious fresh breakfast and there was a cereal and fruit and smoothie bar that was amazing. Karen even had fried Tomatoes just like Nannie Kit would make us when we visited with her in London when we were stationed in Germany and would go to London to see Nannie Kit! Karen was also just so welcoming and full of knowledge about the area. We had a nice ferry ride to Mull and took the scenic routes about the island...(the roads were like bicycle paths). Saw beautiful countryside and many more sheep and the Highland long haired cows. We did not make it to the ferry to got to Iona Island, we had missed the ferry and would not be able to make it back in time to catch our ferry back to Oban so we took another scenic route back to the ferry and returned to Oban on an earlier ferry. Billie recommended another local place for dinner and it was such great local food. We were having our dinner and Karen and her husband came in and so we chatted for abit.
Imagine being at a restaurant in Oban and meeting someone we knew!! Another wonderful breakfast was made for us by Karen the next morning and we also found out that Billie sang so with lots of encouragement , Billie sang for us and the other guest at our breakfast table. Brought tears to our eyes as her voice was just so beautiful. Encouraged her to go on "England's got Talent"!! We hope to see Billie and Karen in Tucson when they come to visit America. We felt so at home that we could have stayed at Grove House for several more days.
We left to travel to Fort Williams which was about an hour up the road on our way to Fort Augustus. We had stopped at Glenco as were going to take the scenic route north. We were on the road from Glenco amazed at all the beautiful mountains and water falls when we were going to pull into a roadside parking to take pictures when all at once we were sitting on the side of the road wondering what happened. The van had decided that we were sighseeing so he was going to go around us in a "no passing" zone and hit us which sent us to the oncoming traffic lane and he went and ended up on the guard rail. Tom desperately worked to keep control of the car as he lost the breaks as the car just shut off. We certainly had St. Christopher and our guardian angels with us. The drivers door and back door were smashed in and Tom's window shattered and there was glass all over the car. It also looked like the frame may have been bent. We were just blessed that there were no cars coming around the corner when we went into the oncoming lane. The police were amazing and helped us by calling the tow truck and ambulance to check us out. They also helped Tom call our insurance. The other driver was not injured either thank goodness. The police sited the other driver for reckless driving. The tow truck driver and the staff at the office helped us get a taxi to take us to our hotel. The taxi driver also said he would drive us to Inverness the next day to pick up another car. Maim who was the taxi driver was so nice and he is also a tour guide and shared with us that he was the driver for "the crew of the Harry Potter" when they filmed in the area. He was the personal driver for the producers. We told him about Molly liking Harry Potter so the next day he brought us a film schedule and signed it so we can give it to Molly. We were so blessed to not have been injured except for muscle aches. We thank you all for all the travel prayers as know that helped keep us safe , the Lord looking out for us and also Tom's awesome driving to try to keep control to keep us safe. We picked up another car in Inverness on Thursday and drove back here to the Abbey.
Today, we drove back down to Glenco and finished taking the drive we were taking when we were hit.
Today we had another nice dinner at a local pub that was recommended to us...and once again we were not disappointed.
Tomorrow we will leave the Abbey early in the morning and go south again to Cairnryan to catch the Ferry to Belfast, Northern Ireland. We will spend the night near the port tomorrow night as will be leaving to go to Belfast at 1130.
We are keeping you all at home in our daily prayer and thank you for keeping us in prayer as we know that prayer keeps us safe. Still have to have George show me how to do the pictures on my blog as Alaister helped him.
We were able to FACETIME with the grand girls today....always makes our day.
We continue to laugh a lot as we continue our adventures. We do realize that our pictures cannot do the scenery we are seeing justice but we will continue to keep trying to get the best photos we can.
We are also still continuing our adventure of figuring out how to use the various showers and washer/dryers in the places we stay.
We are so glad that we decided to stay here at the Abbey for a few days...certainly a piece of history looking about the halls, grounds and the grave yard along with each having Lock Ness just across the yard.
LORD, CONTINUE TO KEEP US SAFE ALL THE WAY THERE AND BACK HOME AGAIN. AMEN ~Unknown author~
Sending our love and hugs,
God Bless,
Tom and Maryann
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Saturday, April 9, 2016
8 April 2016. Lakenheath
Hi from RAF Lakenheath.
We left our comfortable home at Kate's Cottage yesterday and arrived here at Lakenheath about 3 hours later. If you or anyone you know are going to be traveling to Cotswalds, Nicola who owns Kate's Cottage and is renovating several old building next door is very accomadating and would give them a 10+ rating... The new ones in the old buildings will also have American Washer and Dryers! We seemed to have some issues with the English washer and dryers and they are very small. The area is just couple blocks off the town square in Stow-on-the-Wold. And From our dining area and living area, we could look out and see a nice country field. We feel like we have a friend in Stow now. Already miss the stone fences and small rural area with all the beautiful little cottages...sheep and lambs all over the green countryside. BUT now we are seeing a different kind of beauty here in Lakenheath.
Before we left, we visited Twekesbury Abbey which was built from 1102 to 1121 to house the Benedictine monks. It was a huge Abbey and the grounds and the inside were amazing. We are traveling with Flat Kirsten so are having fun with her and taking pictures to send back to our "regular" Kitsten!!!
We are now seeing a different kind of beauty here in Lakenheath and this part of East Anglia which is East of England which borders the North Sea to the north and east. In fact yesterday we spent the day driving to Cromer and walking about the town and down around the beach. When we left Lakenheath the sky was cloudy and looked like rain but when we arrived at Cromer Beach, the sky was blue and the sun was out. We had a lovely walk around this neat little town with old style buildings. Cromer is know as the "gem of the Norfolk Coast". Even though the sun was out it was only about 50 degrees so we were amazed to see how many little ones were playing in the ocean waves. We even visited the Henry Blogg Lifeboats Museum down on the wharf. It was quite interesting. As we walked the pier, we saw several people fishing for crabs. We found a nice little restaurant for lunch that was on the second story overlooking the North Sea and had a lovely lunch..of course had to have crabcakes from the local area. Tom then drove us to Great Yarmouth which is another beach town but we were not impressed. Enjoyed Cromer much more. Great Yarmouth was very commercialized and we are now beyond the age of enjoying a carnival atmosphere. Although the beach seemed very nice.
This area of East Anglia is mostly flatlands. We see lands separated by green hedges and trees planted that seem to section off properties vs. the flat stone fences . We are seeing lots of fields planted with what looks like yellow flowers but it is "oilseed rape". I researched this and it seems that they can get more for this crop than vegetables etc. As the oilseed is being used in mayonnaise, margarine, salads and has low saturated fat and high in omega-3 and some even claim it is better than sunflower oil so brings a better price. (Rapeseed is one particular type of canola) We also saw a lot of this planted when we traveled throughout Canada several years ago.
We are just enjoying our days with Pat and George. Still lots of laughing. It seems odd to be staying in two different rooms since we shared the cottage for 2 weeks!! Today it is raining out . We went in town and had a nice breakfast this morning. Our plans for tomorrow are to head north to Hope and Lancaster , England before we head to Scotland. Pat and George do geniology and some of Pat's family came from Lancaster, England.
Maryann was seen again at the base for her stomach and started on a new medication. She is able to eat more in the last couple of days. We continue to follow our plan for what we are going to do on our adventure...maybe we should have added another month!!!! Tom is still doing great driving ...only had two episodes the entire trip when we noticed that we were not on the correct side of the road and wondered why a car was coming directly towards us. Of course on most of the roads , we have been traveling...they are one track roads so if another car is coming...must find a pull out or back up to proceed. George is still doing great monitoring the Garmen. Pat and I are still monitoring all from the back and give input as we feel needed.
We want to let you all know that we love and miss you and keep you all in our daily prayers.
Our friend's daughter Imogen is having a better day but still needs prayers as she proceeds with her chemo treatments.
"AS WITH ANY JOURNEY, WHO YOU TRAVEL WITH CAN BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR DESTINATION". ~~Unknown
And Tom and I have always found this such a truth!!! Thank you Pat and George for taking this adventure with us.
George has been able to post pictures with the help of Alaistair so can check his blog at gpcannode.blogspot.com
Love and hugs.
Tom and Maryann
We left our comfortable home at Kate's Cottage yesterday and arrived here at Lakenheath about 3 hours later. If you or anyone you know are going to be traveling to Cotswalds, Nicola who owns Kate's Cottage and is renovating several old building next door is very accomadating and would give them a 10+ rating... The new ones in the old buildings will also have American Washer and Dryers! We seemed to have some issues with the English washer and dryers and they are very small. The area is just couple blocks off the town square in Stow-on-the-Wold. And From our dining area and living area, we could look out and see a nice country field. We feel like we have a friend in Stow now. Already miss the stone fences and small rural area with all the beautiful little cottages...sheep and lambs all over the green countryside. BUT now we are seeing a different kind of beauty here in Lakenheath.
Before we left, we visited Twekesbury Abbey which was built from 1102 to 1121 to house the Benedictine monks. It was a huge Abbey and the grounds and the inside were amazing. We are traveling with Flat Kirsten so are having fun with her and taking pictures to send back to our "regular" Kitsten!!!
We are now seeing a different kind of beauty here in Lakenheath and this part of East Anglia which is East of England which borders the North Sea to the north and east. In fact yesterday we spent the day driving to Cromer and walking about the town and down around the beach. When we left Lakenheath the sky was cloudy and looked like rain but when we arrived at Cromer Beach, the sky was blue and the sun was out. We had a lovely walk around this neat little town with old style buildings. Cromer is know as the "gem of the Norfolk Coast". Even though the sun was out it was only about 50 degrees so we were amazed to see how many little ones were playing in the ocean waves. We even visited the Henry Blogg Lifeboats Museum down on the wharf. It was quite interesting. As we walked the pier, we saw several people fishing for crabs. We found a nice little restaurant for lunch that was on the second story overlooking the North Sea and had a lovely lunch..of course had to have crabcakes from the local area. Tom then drove us to Great Yarmouth which is another beach town but we were not impressed. Enjoyed Cromer much more. Great Yarmouth was very commercialized and we are now beyond the age of enjoying a carnival atmosphere. Although the beach seemed very nice.
This area of East Anglia is mostly flatlands. We see lands separated by green hedges and trees planted that seem to section off properties vs. the flat stone fences . We are seeing lots of fields planted with what looks like yellow flowers but it is "oilseed rape". I researched this and it seems that they can get more for this crop than vegetables etc. As the oilseed is being used in mayonnaise, margarine, salads and has low saturated fat and high in omega-3 and some even claim it is better than sunflower oil so brings a better price. (Rapeseed is one particular type of canola) We also saw a lot of this planted when we traveled throughout Canada several years ago.
We are just enjoying our days with Pat and George. Still lots of laughing. It seems odd to be staying in two different rooms since we shared the cottage for 2 weeks!! Today it is raining out . We went in town and had a nice breakfast this morning. Our plans for tomorrow are to head north to Hope and Lancaster , England before we head to Scotland. Pat and George do geniology and some of Pat's family came from Lancaster, England.
Maryann was seen again at the base for her stomach and started on a new medication. She is able to eat more in the last couple of days. We continue to follow our plan for what we are going to do on our adventure...maybe we should have added another month!!!! Tom is still doing great driving ...only had two episodes the entire trip when we noticed that we were not on the correct side of the road and wondered why a car was coming directly towards us. Of course on most of the roads , we have been traveling...they are one track roads so if another car is coming...must find a pull out or back up to proceed. George is still doing great monitoring the Garmen. Pat and I are still monitoring all from the back and give input as we feel needed.
We want to let you all know that we love and miss you and keep you all in our daily prayers.
Our friend's daughter Imogen is having a better day but still needs prayers as she proceeds with her chemo treatments.
"AS WITH ANY JOURNEY, WHO YOU TRAVEL WITH CAN BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR DESTINATION". ~~Unknown
And Tom and I have always found this such a truth!!! Thank you Pat and George for taking this adventure with us.
George has been able to post pictures with the help of Alaistair so can check his blog at gpcannode.blogspot.com
Love and hugs.
Tom and Maryann
Monday, April 4, 2016
4 April 2016 Cotswolds, England
I have been behind in my blogs.. But George had kept up with his...since my last writing, we have been to Snow Hills Manor. A house like no other, Snowhill Manor is neither a museum , nor a home. Charles Wade bought it in 1919 and restored it to keep all of his wonderous collections from all over England and the world. These were things that he bought for simply his joy...and to share with the community. We also visited Averybury which is the largest stone circle in the world. It is somewhat like Stonehenge and Neolithic Houses. These houses show us how people lived 4500 years ago in Adobe type homes with thatched roofs. Stonehenge is a masterpiece of engineering and building using only simple tools. The stone Circle could have been a burial ground from its earliest beginnings as early as 3000 BC. We also visited Warwick Castle which is a medieval castle built about 1068. ...even took a tour of the dungeon which was frightful! We took a day to travel to Lakenheath Royal Air Force Base to secure billeting for when when we leave the Cotswolds. We will stay there a couple of days before we head north to Scotland.
Maryann was seen by the doctor there for her stomach burning and they changed her medication. She is able to eat a little more.
We have been driving around some beautiful country side. Lots of farmland, sheep and lambs, quail and neat little villages with lovely flowers and some with thatched roofs.
We stopped at Waddesdon manor which was built by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild between 1874 and 1885 to display his outstanding collection of arms and to entertain the fashionable world. Baron Rothschild never slept at the. Manor....just used for parties. It was quite impressive. Spent time walking about the estate...we had a lovely sunny day. On our way home we stopped at "the Hollow Bottom Inn" for dinner which was recommended by Nicola, the owner of "Kate's Cottage" where we are staying. What a gem in the middle of the country...had a great dinner. Since it was a nice sunny day...we also went to Stratford Upon Avon and took a boat ride on the river. The town is popular as it is the birthplace of William Shakespeare and there is a Royal Shakespeare Theate there so we
booked tickets for Saturday and went back to see Hamlet. We had great seats and really enjoyed the performance...of course it was a play using current times instead of in the time of Shakespeare. We also visited Anne Hathaway( Shakespeare's wife's) home and walked about the garden. Once again we had a lovely sunny day to be out and about.
Yesterday we went to the Roman Villas that is near our village. It was one of the larger Romano-British villas in the country from the 4th century. We walked about the grounds. Again, we had a nice day with more sun than clouds.
Today , we went to Bibury. It has some very picturesque cottages. We went late in the morning and was lucky to have the sun to come out while we were on our way. We even saw a Black Swan.
And on the way saw some black cows with a wide white area in the middle. Also called "Oreo Cookie" cows. They are a hardy breed of cows from Scotland. They are one of the oldest breeds of cows in the world. Last evening we ate at The Plough in Ford....a village not far from here but in the country ....saw some more lovely "narrow" roads and country sides.
Tom is doing a great job in driving these "single track roads"...which means one car has to pull over so the other can pass by. George is manning the Garmen. Pat and I are giving advice "sometimes" from the backseat.
Today we went to Bibury and then came back to Stow and walked about and visited one of the churches here. We stopped at a bakery and bought some pastries.....bought echairs in memory of our travels to Paris several years ago when we lived in Germany and ate them in memory of our friend Jim Lettner!!
We had sad news that Maryann's Aunt Annie passed away..we will miss visiting with her on our trips to Lancaster. Maryann has a lot of fond memories of spending time with her Aunt growing up.
It is raining on and off today so was a good day for us to stay and enjoy our cottage.
We will be leaving here on Thursday for Lakenheath for a few days before we start north to Scotland.
Our cottage is very comfortable and we have made it our home for the past days. Nicola who owns the cottage is very welcoming and we enjoy talking with her.
We were able to "FACETIME" WITH EMME AND CARRIE AND KELLY, MOLLY AND SAMANTHA AND KIRSTEN" and my sister Joan on the weekend as they are 8 hours behind us.
We were going to go into London by train but decided would stay here in the country towns as we have all been to London before.
Also, check out Pat and George's Backyard...gpcannode.blogspot.com. Will give you more information about our wonderfilled adventure.
We are laughing a lot everyday.
Keep us in your daily prayers for safe travels.
We miss you all and keep you all in our daily prayers.
Please keep Imogen and her family in your prayers. Imogen a 3 year old who is a fighter who is in the hospital getting chemo therapy for her cancer treatment.
This was on the wall of one of the places we had dinner.....
REMEMBER, EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT IN THE END. IF IT'S NOT ALRIGHT, IT'S NOT THE END.
Love and hugs,
Maryann was seen by the doctor there for her stomach burning and they changed her medication. She is able to eat a little more.
We have been driving around some beautiful country side. Lots of farmland, sheep and lambs, quail and neat little villages with lovely flowers and some with thatched roofs.
We stopped at Waddesdon manor which was built by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild between 1874 and 1885 to display his outstanding collection of arms and to entertain the fashionable world. Baron Rothschild never slept at the. Manor....just used for parties. It was quite impressive. Spent time walking about the estate...we had a lovely sunny day. On our way home we stopped at "the Hollow Bottom Inn" for dinner which was recommended by Nicola, the owner of "Kate's Cottage" where we are staying. What a gem in the middle of the country...had a great dinner. Since it was a nice sunny day...we also went to Stratford Upon Avon and took a boat ride on the river. The town is popular as it is the birthplace of William Shakespeare and there is a Royal Shakespeare Theate there so we
booked tickets for Saturday and went back to see Hamlet. We had great seats and really enjoyed the performance...of course it was a play using current times instead of in the time of Shakespeare. We also visited Anne Hathaway( Shakespeare's wife's) home and walked about the garden. Once again we had a lovely sunny day to be out and about.
Yesterday we went to the Roman Villas that is near our village. It was one of the larger Romano-British villas in the country from the 4th century. We walked about the grounds. Again, we had a nice day with more sun than clouds.
Today , we went to Bibury. It has some very picturesque cottages. We went late in the morning and was lucky to have the sun to come out while we were on our way. We even saw a Black Swan.
And on the way saw some black cows with a wide white area in the middle. Also called "Oreo Cookie" cows. They are a hardy breed of cows from Scotland. They are one of the oldest breeds of cows in the world. Last evening we ate at The Plough in Ford....a village not far from here but in the country ....saw some more lovely "narrow" roads and country sides.
Tom is doing a great job in driving these "single track roads"...which means one car has to pull over so the other can pass by. George is manning the Garmen. Pat and I are giving advice "sometimes" from the backseat.
Today we went to Bibury and then came back to Stow and walked about and visited one of the churches here. We stopped at a bakery and bought some pastries.....bought echairs in memory of our travels to Paris several years ago when we lived in Germany and ate them in memory of our friend Jim Lettner!!
We had sad news that Maryann's Aunt Annie passed away..we will miss visiting with her on our trips to Lancaster. Maryann has a lot of fond memories of spending time with her Aunt growing up.
It is raining on and off today so was a good day for us to stay and enjoy our cottage.
We will be leaving here on Thursday for Lakenheath for a few days before we start north to Scotland.
Our cottage is very comfortable and we have made it our home for the past days. Nicola who owns the cottage is very welcoming and we enjoy talking with her.
We were able to "FACETIME" WITH EMME AND CARRIE AND KELLY, MOLLY AND SAMANTHA AND KIRSTEN" and my sister Joan on the weekend as they are 8 hours behind us.
We were going to go into London by train but decided would stay here in the country towns as we have all been to London before.
Also, check out Pat and George's Backyard...gpcannode.blogspot.com. Will give you more information about our wonderfilled adventure.
We are laughing a lot everyday.
Keep us in your daily prayers for safe travels.
We miss you all and keep you all in our daily prayers.
Please keep Imogen and her family in your prayers. Imogen a 3 year old who is a fighter who is in the hospital getting chemo therapy for her cancer treatment.
This was on the wall of one of the places we had dinner.....
REMEMBER, EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT IN THE END. IF IT'S NOT ALRIGHT, IT'S NOT THE END.
Love and hugs,
Saturday, March 26, 2016
26 March 2016. Stow-On-The-Wold
Hi,
On March 22, we said good bye to Joan and Tom in Linesville(difficult to leave them as they always make us feel so at home with them) and headed to Andrews Air Force Base to begin our adventure with George and Pat to Europe. We had great billeting at Andrews Air Force Base. On the 23rd March, we took George's car to the long term parking at the military terminal where we parked it for the 3 months we will be traveling. We took a cab to Washington-Dulles Airport.
We left Washington Dulles on Wednesday evening and arrived at Heathrow in London Thursday morning about 7 AM. British Air is a great airline to travel on. It took us about an hour to go through and have our pass ports checked and then on to pick up our car. Pat and George and Tom and I settled into our car and all the luggage fit in the trunk for our trip to Stow-on-the-Wold in the Cotswolds about 2 hours or so from London.
It was decided that Tom would drive while here in Great Britian and Ireland as he makes driving on the "wrong side" (by American Standards) look easy!
We arrived at "Kate's Cottage" here in Stow to find the lovely little cottage that we had rented to call home for the next two weeks. We got settled and walked just down the street to the square and had a look about. Had a lovely lunch at a little cafe and did some grocery shopping. We decided that would have an early evening as all did not sleep on the plane.
Friday, we took a ride to Burton on the Water and Burford. It was a perfect sunny day to walk around Burton on the Water. There were lots of families having picnics at the park and milling around. We then spent time at St. Michael's Anglican Church in Burton that was built in 1721 and had fish and chips before we headed back to our cottage. Saturday, we slept in again and then went to Bristol as George was having some issues with his I PAD. Today it was pouring rain all day.
We drove down to BATH......since it it holiday here too....many people and cars... We spent about 30+ minutes trying to get in and out of a car park so decided we would come back to BATH during the week.......
I have put a first load of wash in the WASHER/DRYER here in the cottage....will see how that goes.
We are to have rainy weather the next week but we brought our raincoats and are with our dear friends so what could be better.
I still need to figure out how to add pictures.....
A JOURNEY IS BEST MEASURED IN FRIENDS , RATHER THAN MILES~~Tim Cahill
We are keeping you all in our daily thoughts and prayers as we travel. Please keep up in prayer and good thoughts for safe travels for us and those who pass us by.
Love and Hugs,
God Bless
Tom and Maryann
On March 22, we said good bye to Joan and Tom in Linesville(difficult to leave them as they always make us feel so at home with them) and headed to Andrews Air Force Base to begin our adventure with George and Pat to Europe. We had great billeting at Andrews Air Force Base. On the 23rd March, we took George's car to the long term parking at the military terminal where we parked it for the 3 months we will be traveling. We took a cab to Washington-Dulles Airport.
We left Washington Dulles on Wednesday evening and arrived at Heathrow in London Thursday morning about 7 AM. British Air is a great airline to travel on. It took us about an hour to go through and have our pass ports checked and then on to pick up our car. Pat and George and Tom and I settled into our car and all the luggage fit in the trunk for our trip to Stow-on-the-Wold in the Cotswolds about 2 hours or so from London.
It was decided that Tom would drive while here in Great Britian and Ireland as he makes driving on the "wrong side" (by American Standards) look easy!
We arrived at "Kate's Cottage" here in Stow to find the lovely little cottage that we had rented to call home for the next two weeks. We got settled and walked just down the street to the square and had a look about. Had a lovely lunch at a little cafe and did some grocery shopping. We decided that would have an early evening as all did not sleep on the plane.
Friday, we took a ride to Burton on the Water and Burford. It was a perfect sunny day to walk around Burton on the Water. There were lots of families having picnics at the park and milling around. We then spent time at St. Michael's Anglican Church in Burton that was built in 1721 and had fish and chips before we headed back to our cottage. Saturday, we slept in again and then went to Bristol as George was having some issues with his I PAD. Today it was pouring rain all day.
We drove down to BATH......since it it holiday here too....many people and cars... We spent about 30+ minutes trying to get in and out of a car park so decided we would come back to BATH during the week.......
I have put a first load of wash in the WASHER/DRYER here in the cottage....will see how that goes.
We are to have rainy weather the next week but we brought our raincoats and are with our dear friends so what could be better.
I still need to figure out how to add pictures.....
A JOURNEY IS BEST MEASURED IN FRIENDS , RATHER THAN MILES~~Tim Cahill
We are keeping you all in our daily thoughts and prayers as we travel. Please keep up in prayer and good thoughts for safe travels for us and those who pass us by.
Love and Hugs,
God Bless
Tom and Maryann
Thursday, March 17, 2016
17 March 2016. Happy St. Patrick's Day
We arrived safely in Linesville to spend time with Joan and Tom before we leave for Europe. As always we were treated with Hugs and Loves. Tom and Joan are in the process of moving to their new home near Bellefonte, PA. We have been able to help them a little with packing for the move.
We drove up to Bellefonte to see the NEW HOME and leave our Lexus there while we are in Europe. Their new home is just beautiful in a nice little neighborhood just outside of Bellefonte.
Tom is feeling much better and with the use of the antibiotics, prednisone and inhalers lungs are clear again. Maryann's stomach still not back to normal but seems a little better every day. Still has nausea and body aches but that also is somewhat better. Just needs to get strength back now. All the test and scans etc. have been normal so just have to be patient....and hopefully "tincture of time" will help.
Of course the days are cooler here...so winter coats for Maryann.
Pat and George, our dear friends who will join us on our adventure in Europe will be here on Sunday. They arrived in Ohio to spend time with family and will be here in Linesville on Sunday. We will leave here and go to Andrews Air Force Base on the 22 March to spend the night before we fly to Heathrow in London , England on the evening of. 23 March. First stop will be 2 weeks in the Cotswalds countryside west of London.
Of course we miss all our Tucson Family....especially our grand girls. We talk to them frequently and thanks to FaceTime and Skype will be able to see their beautiful faces and expressions!
We will keep you all in our thoughts and daily prayers as we look forward to our new adventure.
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers too for safe travels.
"WE TRAVEL NOT TO ESCAPE LIFE, BUT FOR LIFE NOT TO ESCAPE US..."
Hugs and Loves,
God Bless,
Tom and Maryann.
We drove up to Bellefonte to see the NEW HOME and leave our Lexus there while we are in Europe. Their new home is just beautiful in a nice little neighborhood just outside of Bellefonte.
Tom is feeling much better and with the use of the antibiotics, prednisone and inhalers lungs are clear again. Maryann's stomach still not back to normal but seems a little better every day. Still has nausea and body aches but that also is somewhat better. Just needs to get strength back now. All the test and scans etc. have been normal so just have to be patient....and hopefully "tincture of time" will help.
Of course the days are cooler here...so winter coats for Maryann.
Pat and George, our dear friends who will join us on our adventure in Europe will be here on Sunday. They arrived in Ohio to spend time with family and will be here in Linesville on Sunday. We will leave here and go to Andrews Air Force Base on the 22 March to spend the night before we fly to Heathrow in London , England on the evening of. 23 March. First stop will be 2 weeks in the Cotswalds countryside west of London.
Of course we miss all our Tucson Family....especially our grand girls. We talk to them frequently and thanks to FaceTime and Skype will be able to see their beautiful faces and expressions!
We will keep you all in our thoughts and daily prayers as we look forward to our new adventure.
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers too for safe travels.
"WE TRAVEL NOT TO ESCAPE LIFE, BUT FOR LIFE NOT TO ESCAPE US..."
Hugs and Loves,
God Bless,
Tom and Maryann.
Thursday, March 10, 2016
7 March 2016 On the road again
Here we are "on the road again". We left home on 7 March heading to Pennsylvania to meet up with George and Pat Cannode for our travel adventures to Europe. Always difficult saying good bye to our Tucson Family. Yesterday we arrived in Springdale Arkansas to go out and about with Tom's Aunt Marilyn and Aunt Lois who we love so much and always have so much fun with them. It was even nice to see cousin Steven. When we got back to the hotel, Tom fell asleep on the chair and then started coughing and had some shortness of breath and had a fever. So we headed to the ER and were seen right away. The symptoms had just started so quickly..they tested him for flu and sure enough he had Influzenza A. So was given Theraflu and we were home by 1230 AM.
I was thinking we would stay another day in Springdale but Tom felt good enough to move on.
We arrived here at Scott Air Force Base for the night.(10 March). Tomorrow Dayton, Ohio and Maryann is going to try to get seen for some stomach symptoms. THEN on to Pennsylvania to Joan and Tom's (Maryann's sister"s) to wait for Pat and George to meet up with us so we can head for Washington Dulles Airport to head to Europe for our 3 month dream vacation. Pat and George had come to Tucson in December for a week and we had such a week planning this trip that we have talked about...actually it was to be a few weeks in Normandy, France and ended up being a 3 month visit!
We are also so excited to go to State College with Tom and Joan to see their new home before we leave.
Please keep us in you prayers as we make new memories.
Sending love and hugs to each of you.
God Bless.
I was thinking we would stay another day in Springdale but Tom felt good enough to move on.
We arrived here at Scott Air Force Base for the night.(10 March). Tomorrow Dayton, Ohio and Maryann is going to try to get seen for some stomach symptoms. THEN on to Pennsylvania to Joan and Tom's (Maryann's sister"s) to wait for Pat and George to meet up with us so we can head for Washington Dulles Airport to head to Europe for our 3 month dream vacation. Pat and George had come to Tucson in December for a week and we had such a week planning this trip that we have talked about...actually it was to be a few weeks in Normandy, France and ended up being a 3 month visit!
We are also so excited to go to State College with Tom and Joan to see their new home before we leave.
Please keep us in you prayers as we make new memories.
Sending love and hugs to each of you.
God Bless.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Cocoa, Florida to Tucson August 2015
We arrived home safely on 25 August 2015 after an amazing summer visiting family and friends!
We spent the last few days watching trees being taken down with Bill and Charlotte. Now one can see the sky more clearly while sitting on the screened in porch watching the birds and squirrels. What fun to watch such big trees being taken down especially when Charlotte's wonderful cookies were eaten for snack as we watched. The team of guys who were working also were thankful for the snacks. Tom and Charlotte also spent time together in the Kitchen cooking for Bill and I! Of course we had to go back to a couple of our favorite restaurants before we left too!! Always difficult to leave this home away from home too.
We packed up and headed back "on the road" on August 21st. We traveled north on the back roads that we had not taken before to Panacea, Florida to spent a couple days with Mary and Andre. Maryann and Mary went to Nursing School together in Washington D.C. (1966-1969) Not only did they feed us with the best homemade foods but also took us to Wahulla Springs State Park. We took a river boat ride on the spring waters where we saw alligators, turtles, beautiful birds and manatees in this deepest and largest freshwater spring in the world. Also went to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge where we explored the coastline and lighthouse before having a late afternoon picnic lunch. What a treat for us to meet Mary and Andre's daughter and her husband and their daughter Awana. Awana certainly gives great hugs!! Their home is right on the river so were able to watch a spectacular sunset together . Definitely a beautiful area of Florida that we enjoyed. Once again Mary and Andre welcomed us into their life and made us feel right at home!! We even watched an old time movie together...just like home!
After a hearty breakfast, we headed up the road about 4 hours to Niceville, Florida area. It is always so good to see Ann and Jim. This time we even got to see Ann's daughter Kathy. We had not seen Kathy since she was about 7 years old. Kathy and Mikey used to play with Kelly and Carrie who were the same ages when we were in Germany. Also got to meet their friends and had a great dinner "walking down memory lane"!! We decided to go to Destin, Florida for a night and check out the Destin MWR Army Villas for a future family trip. Very nice accommodations on the Choctawhatchee Bay, just minutes from downtown Destin. This area of Florida is called 'the Emerald Coast"....beautiful white sands and deep blue and green waters. From there, we headed just up the road to Niceville, Florida to spend time with Joe and Sandy and Hope and Lizzie Grace their adorable Shih Tzu family members. Once again Hope and Lizzie Grace were at the door to greet us with tales wagging! Sandy and Joe took us to a new German Restaurant in Niceville. The food and service at Helga's was so good, we thought we were back in Germany!! If you are in the area...it is a must! Tom was also glad to be able to get back in the kitchen and do some cooking for all of us! We were also able to take them back to Destin to show them the MWR cabins. We also checked out the Maxwell AFB MWR area near the Mid-Bay Bridge on the Eglin side before you cross over the bridge. Also took a detour to the Emergency Room in Niceville as Tom's leg began to get more swollen and red again. More IV antibiotics and instructions to follow up when we arrived home the next week. We think that Joe and Sandy were meant to live in Niceville as each time we visit, we feel that NICENESS ...but may want to check with the Chamber of Commerce and change their address to Absolutely Wonderful-ville!!
Now it was time to travel to Spring, Tx. to spend time with Fred and Belinda, our friends that we met when we lived in Austin, Tx. Maryann and Belinda met while attending orientation at Breckinridge Hospital where they worked together...and as it was meant to be our families became family!! We just spent the time being together .. Fred and Tom cleaned the pool and mowed the yard while Belinda and I went out and about. We had not had a pedicure together...so we did!! One more item to put on and take off the "bucket list"!! Lots of talking, getting "take-out" and even watched a movie together in our short visit. Just being able to do the "everyday" stuffs with our friends makes our visits so special...and eating of course. Of course Fred and Tom discussed sports!! We also discussed our plans for future travels together in the near future!! They treated us to a wonderful brunch at a "must return to" restaurant before we headed West! We stopped in San Antonio to eat at Magnolia's before we headed home to Tucson. We were really surprised and happy to see how green the mountains and vegetation was in West Texas and New Mexico and even along I-10 into Tucson.
We have been home for two weeks now and are getting settled back into our Tucson life. Of course, we have seen our grand girls...and do they give some GRAND Hugs and Kisses. This past weekend we had Samantha, Kirsten and Emme for sleep over.
Molly had a function for Girl-Scouts so could not join us so was so good to see her on Sunday. We had all over for dinner on Sunday to catch-up with all our Tucson Family and their summer activities.
Update on Tom's leg injury from 2 July. He was seen by his primary care doctor on
1 September and then by Infectious Disease on 4 September. His leg is finally on the way to healing. He is to continue on the two antibiotics for a couple more weeks and then will return to the Infectious Disease doctor for follow up. We look forward to seeing you all again and make more memories maybe traveling together!!
Just let us know when you want to come and spend time with us here in Tucson...we have the light on!!
God Bless and loving hugs,
Tom and Maryann
~Don 't think of the things you didn't get after praying. Think of the countless blessings God gave you without asking~ AND...we count each of you as our special blessings and thank you for having us in your life.
ALSO
~No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until they come home to rest their head on their old familiar pillow~
We spent the last few days watching trees being taken down with Bill and Charlotte. Now one can see the sky more clearly while sitting on the screened in porch watching the birds and squirrels. What fun to watch such big trees being taken down especially when Charlotte's wonderful cookies were eaten for snack as we watched. The team of guys who were working also were thankful for the snacks. Tom and Charlotte also spent time together in the Kitchen cooking for Bill and I! Of course we had to go back to a couple of our favorite restaurants before we left too!! Always difficult to leave this home away from home too.
We packed up and headed back "on the road" on August 21st. We traveled north on the back roads that we had not taken before to Panacea, Florida to spent a couple days with Mary and Andre. Maryann and Mary went to Nursing School together in Washington D.C. (1966-1969) Not only did they feed us with the best homemade foods but also took us to Wahulla Springs State Park. We took a river boat ride on the spring waters where we saw alligators, turtles, beautiful birds and manatees in this deepest and largest freshwater spring in the world. Also went to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge where we explored the coastline and lighthouse before having a late afternoon picnic lunch. What a treat for us to meet Mary and Andre's daughter and her husband and their daughter Awana. Awana certainly gives great hugs!! Their home is right on the river so were able to watch a spectacular sunset together . Definitely a beautiful area of Florida that we enjoyed. Once again Mary and Andre welcomed us into their life and made us feel right at home!! We even watched an old time movie together...just like home!
After a hearty breakfast, we headed up the road about 4 hours to Niceville, Florida area. It is always so good to see Ann and Jim. This time we even got to see Ann's daughter Kathy. We had not seen Kathy since she was about 7 years old. Kathy and Mikey used to play with Kelly and Carrie who were the same ages when we were in Germany. Also got to meet their friends and had a great dinner "walking down memory lane"!! We decided to go to Destin, Florida for a night and check out the Destin MWR Army Villas for a future family trip. Very nice accommodations on the Choctawhatchee Bay, just minutes from downtown Destin. This area of Florida is called 'the Emerald Coast"....beautiful white sands and deep blue and green waters. From there, we headed just up the road to Niceville, Florida to spend time with Joe and Sandy and Hope and Lizzie Grace their adorable Shih Tzu family members. Once again Hope and Lizzie Grace were at the door to greet us with tales wagging! Sandy and Joe took us to a new German Restaurant in Niceville. The food and service at Helga's was so good, we thought we were back in Germany!! If you are in the area...it is a must! Tom was also glad to be able to get back in the kitchen and do some cooking for all of us! We were also able to take them back to Destin to show them the MWR cabins. We also checked out the Maxwell AFB MWR area near the Mid-Bay Bridge on the Eglin side before you cross over the bridge. Also took a detour to the Emergency Room in Niceville as Tom's leg began to get more swollen and red again. More IV antibiotics and instructions to follow up when we arrived home the next week. We think that Joe and Sandy were meant to live in Niceville as each time we visit, we feel that NICENESS ...but may want to check with the Chamber of Commerce and change their address to Absolutely Wonderful-ville!!
Now it was time to travel to Spring, Tx. to spend time with Fred and Belinda, our friends that we met when we lived in Austin, Tx. Maryann and Belinda met while attending orientation at Breckinridge Hospital where they worked together...and as it was meant to be our families became family!! We just spent the time being together .. Fred and Tom cleaned the pool and mowed the yard while Belinda and I went out and about. We had not had a pedicure together...so we did!! One more item to put on and take off the "bucket list"!! Lots of talking, getting "take-out" and even watched a movie together in our short visit. Just being able to do the "everyday" stuffs with our friends makes our visits so special...and eating of course. Of course Fred and Tom discussed sports!! We also discussed our plans for future travels together in the near future!! They treated us to a wonderful brunch at a "must return to" restaurant before we headed West! We stopped in San Antonio to eat at Magnolia's before we headed home to Tucson. We were really surprised and happy to see how green the mountains and vegetation was in West Texas and New Mexico and even along I-10 into Tucson.
We have been home for two weeks now and are getting settled back into our Tucson life. Of course, we have seen our grand girls...and do they give some GRAND Hugs and Kisses. This past weekend we had Samantha, Kirsten and Emme for sleep over.
Molly had a function for Girl-Scouts so could not join us so was so good to see her on Sunday. We had all over for dinner on Sunday to catch-up with all our Tucson Family and their summer activities.
Update on Tom's leg injury from 2 July. He was seen by his primary care doctor on
1 September and then by Infectious Disease on 4 September. His leg is finally on the way to healing. He is to continue on the two antibiotics for a couple more weeks and then will return to the Infectious Disease doctor for follow up. We look forward to seeing you all again and make more memories maybe traveling together!!
Just let us know when you want to come and spend time with us here in Tucson...we have the light on!!
God Bless and loving hugs,
Tom and Maryann
~Don 't think of the things you didn't get after praying. Think of the countless blessings God gave you without asking~ AND...we count each of you as our special blessings and thank you for having us in your life.
ALSO
~No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until they come home to rest their head on their old familiar pillow~
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