GRAUE TRAVEL ADVENTURES ....APRIL 15,2018

4 April 2018
We spent the last couple days getting organized, packing and preparing for our Road-trip 2018.  Busy days the last couple weeks as the time for our 2018 Adventure stared to come closer. AND here we are!  It seems each year the days in the months go quicker than the year before.    We feel so blessed to share days with our Tucson Family...and even though only gone for a few months, we miss them. Last evening we had a nice visit from Carrie and Emme with lots of kisses and hugs.   After being so generous to watch our home , we did the final turning over of the mail key to Hilda who does an amazing job of taking care of our mail and just all around care taker of STUFFS while we are gone.   Tom detailed cleaned the 4-runner and our Lexus (our travel car) and putting the luggage carrier on top of the Lexus for the trip.
Yesterday, we finished packing about 10:30 PM...we thought would take less time!  Our intention was to be up and on the road at 0700..we pulled away from our Tucson home at 0738!!    Feels like we are both more tired even after a good night’s sleep.  BUT, we are taking our time and enjoying just beginning our adventure.  Had some wind on Interstate 10 as we headed East  on Interstate 10 this morning. We stopped in Las Cruces and had a nice lunch and then drove North through  the .Sacramento Mountains, Sierra Blanca and the Lincoln National Forest. Along the way we are seeing some beautiful chapels.  We have been this way before but this time lots of green on the mountains and hills...they must have some nice rains.  I have been doing some sleeping and reading etc. in between Tom and I chatting about this and that and playing the Alphabet Game!
Seeing lots of cows, the stock yards were full of cattle..the most remember seeing. and Oklahoma certainly flat...this trip noticed how much red dirt, doing lots of work on roads and bridges all across the state.   Stayed at Clovis NM at Cannon AFB.    Tonight will be staying at Tinker AFB.     Cattle pens..good beef this year.    Slept in and did not get on the road unti 0830.   Hundreds of windmills that generate power along most o the farmland and country areas.  IT always amazes me that Tom does not get tired of driving...and I am thankful as do not like to drive , especially on the interstate...so many tractor trailer trucks going both North and South.
Thursday.  Today was a nice relaxing day coming into Oklahoma heading here to Oklahoma City.   What a flat  state.   Just fields and fields  with lots of cattle and this time of year, many calf’s.  Lots of road and new bridges being repaired  on Interstate 40.   What a flat state, lots of fields planted and lots of green in a state we usually see mostly brown fields when we come through.  Arrived in Oklahoma City late this afternoon and went directly to Swadley's. Swadley’s is our favorite BBQ place here in this city.   If ever near Oklahoma City...a must, they have several in the city.  We are staying at Tinker AFB tonight. Tom’s sister and brother in law will be flying to the airport here in the late morning .  We will pick them up and of course visit Swadley’s again before we head to Springdale Arkansas to spend time with Aunt Marilyn.  We have been coming to Springdale for several years together to just spend time with Tom’s mom’s sisters. Sadly Aunt Lois passed last August so we will  be remembering her on our visit too. Just listening to the news and they are calling for snow here and in Arkansas tomorrow.
Friday ..We arrived in Springdale Arkansas...and it is very cold and windy.  Charlotte and I went and found some winter scarfs .   We stopped by to see Aunt Marilyn and let her know we would be taking her out and about for the next two days.   It is always nice to spend time with her.   We are staying at the Doubletree here...and taking advantage of their great chocolate chip cookies a couple times per day. Woke up to snow on the ground and temperatures in the teens today!   Saturday we picked up Aunt Marilyn and went to lunch at our favorite catfish place.  Mike and Alicia, her son and daughter in law joined us.  After lunch we drove took her around to places she wanted to go before we took her back to her assisted living residence so she could rest. Later in the afternoon we picked her up and all went to her favorite spaghetti place for dinner and then spent time driving around to places she had not been in awhile then spent time at her apartment with her.  Sunday , we all went to another of her favorite restaurants. Debbie, her daughter and Steven, a nephew met us there for a nice lunch.  Always so good to catch up on family.  In the afternoon we took another drive with Aunt Marilyn , visited the cemeteries and then went back to her place and helped her with some stuffs and just talked.  Gave lots of hugs and promises to see her again next year.  It is such a blessing to be able to come each year and have this special time together.
Monday ..9 April...we are heading to Little Rock and then on to Memphis for a couple days.  Beautiful day as we travel through the Ozark Mountains...much warmer today. We stopped in Little Rock and went to a favorite Mexican Restaurant and had the favorite cheese dip...and are not on Kelly’s favorite list as we did not have storage to take her some of this cheese dip which is her favorite too...
10 April...Yesterday, we arrived in Memphis and spent today in downtown Memphis going to see the Ducks take their ride down the elevator to spend the day in the lobby fountain at the Peabody Hotel.  We then went to Beale Street to walk about and had BBQ lunch.  When in Memphis, remember to watch where you walk on the sidewalks...there are several uneven sidewalks as Maryann found out as she tripped ..hit her head on some metal bars that were on a window and now has a 2 inch wound in her hairline and abrasion on her shoulder.   ALL is well.
We cleaned out the wound, put Hydrogen Peroxide and Neosporin on the area.   When we got back to our room, she washed her hair and cleaned the wound again.   We are staying at the Naval Support Activity, Mid South Naval Base near Memphis.
Tomorrow we will continue to New Orleans.  On our way to New Orleans, we stopped in McComb, MS to have lunch and had lunch at the Dinner Bell Restaurant.   It is in an old southern style home.  Concept is large round table that sit about 14 people and has a lazy Susan type top with about 14 different types of comfort food in bowls that you can help yourself too.  We shared the table with other guest and had the best freshly cooked vegetable,  fried chicken, desert etc.  What a find!  It was family owned for 40 years , the owner was  very friendly and even gave us tips on were to eat in New Orleans.
Friday 13 April... We just left New Orleans after spending 2 nights at Jackson Barracks Billeting. Jackson Barracks is on the National Register of Historic Place and was established in 1834.  It is now the headquarters of the Louisiana National Guard.  It has quite the history through out the 18th and 19th centuries.   Perfect place to stay as it is only 6 miles from downtown New Orleans. Billeting is open to active duty and retired military.  Beautiful historic base structures.
We of course went to Bourbon Street and had Beignets at the Cafe Beignets and walked about Bourbon Street for a short time in the evening. Had a great seafood lunch at Deanie’s and then went to the Parkway Bakery and Tavern for one of the best Shrimp Po Boys in New Orleans.   

We arrived in Destin, Florida in the early afternoon on Friday.  Destin is known for being  Florida's Emerald Coast, because of the beautiful white beaches and emerald green waters. We had a nice lunch at the Back Porch in Destin as we enjoyed sitting on the porch with the white beaches and beautiful waters just below us.  We are staying at the Destin Army Recreation Area on the bay in Destin.  They have hotel rooms and condo’s a RV park etc. here for military.  We are staying in one of the condos.   We took time to take a walk around the area and out onto the pier in the evening.  Saturday, we walked about Destin area by the sand dunes and harbor.  Also stopped by one of our favorite places here for lunch called “The Donut Hole”...wonderful food and the best bakery.  We picked up a coconut cream pie, brownies and pineapple upside down snacks to take to Sandy and Joe’s for dinner at their home.   It was so nice to see Sandy and Joe and Hope and Lizzie Grace (their darling Shih Tzu dogs). Good to catch up and also discuss our trip in a couple weeks to our Rhine River Cruise with them and 5 other couples.    Today , Sunday, we met Sandy and Joe for lunch and then spent time at a shopping area with them before we gave hugs and looking forward to seeing them in a couple weeks in Amsterdam.  

We are so enjoying sharing these travel days with Bill and Charlotte...as we make our way to their home in Cocoa and to spend time with Bryan, Kelly and OUR GRAND GIRLS!!

I will get this posted today.   Will send pictures later as have to figure out again this year how to get on the blog!!!!

~~WHEREVER YOU GO BECOMES A PART OF YOU SOMEHOW~~

Sending our prayers and love you and we are keeping you in our daily prayers.

Tom and Maryann

30 July 2017 Washington, D.C.

The days here have gone so quickly....cannot believe that it is already nearly time to head south.
It has been so nice spending time here with Joan and Tom in Bellefonte Pa. It is always fun to spend time to see Joan's family and all the grand-kids.   We also have been spending lots of time on their new porch as the days have been nearly perfect. We were able to visit Maryann's Aunt Liz and her son Chris on a trip to Karthaus too.  AND also stopped and talked with one of Maryann's Dad's good friends.  Carrie and Emme  joined us for a week over the 4th of July.  Emme enjoyed seeing and playing with her  Pennsylvania cousins.  Also was able to go to the creek and feed the ducks and fish with her cousin Madison.  She had fun walking around the Arbitorium at Pennsylvania State University.   Of course we enjoyed the 4th of July celebration at Rosanne and Jeff's (Joan's daughter) with family during the  all day fun, great food and watching the Penn State Fireworks show.  After we said farewell to Carrie and Emme, Joan and Tom and us took a couple days off to travel.  We went to The UTZ  Potato Chip Factory in Hanover, Pa.and  Martin Potatoe Chip factory in Thomasville, Pa.  Then on to Turkey Hill Ice Cream Brand Experience where we were able to make our own flavor of Ice Cream.  Then stopped in Lancaster for the night.  We had a great dinner at the Fireside Inn and then our dear friends , Peggy and Larry Reinhart joined us on our hotel patio catching up.  The next morning Tom and Joan and us went to Pottsville, Pa. to the Yuengling Brewery.  It is the oldest brewery in the United States.   We took a fun tour through the brewery and of course there were samples at the end of the tour. We were going to stop at the "Ringing Rocks" park but the road was closed.  On the way back to Bellefonte, we stopped at the Russell Stover Candy Outlet!  During our days with Joan and Tom, we took rides into areas we had not been or had not been in years, played cards  and went out to eat with Joan and Tom and Sonja and Ray( Rosanne's in-laws), attended birthday celebrations for Jeff and Sonja, visited a few times with Janet and Dick in Karthaus, saw Linda and Wayne (friend from high school) , Aunts and cousins that live in the local area. OF COURSE, Joan and her Tom cooked us great food and baked foods.   Also had fresh vegetables from their garden and also from the Amish farms.  We also attended a fun local festival.   Tom's sister , Charlotte and her husband , Bill arrived in Bellefonte to spend a few days with us before we all headed back to Florida together. When we went to Harrisburg to pick them up, we stopped and visited with Aunt Ethel and Aunt Fran who live in the area.  It is always good to give them a hug.  Also got to see Maryann's cousin Diane this time too.  We took them to Shanksville Flight 93 National Memorial.  Tom and I have been to the Memorial for the 911 Flight 93 three times now and each time as we step on the grounds we feel such profound sadness.  What heros the passengers and flight crews were and we should never forget. 
We left Bellefonte on the 19th of June .  We made a quick stop in Harrisburg at Aunt Fran's as forgot to get our yearly picture together!! We also stopped and had lunch at a neat little restaurant in Middletown, PA (Brownstone Cafe)where Tom had left his sunglasses when we ate there when picked up Charlotte and Bill when they arrived in PA. Their food was great.    The Cafe had been an old bank built in the 1800's.  We stopped in Lancaster for a couple days so Bill and Charlotte could see some Amish history and way of life. The best part of staying in Lancaster was the time we spent with Peggy and Larry and family.  Peggy prepared us great lunches and dinners. 
We all went to a Amish run restaurant too...the food was plentiful and fresh vegetables and homemade rolls were so 
good.  The Meatloaf seemed to be the favorite!!  Tom spent a day as tour director taking Bill and Beth to a traditional Amish Farm and some of the sights around the area.  He also stopped by Fillmore Containers that is owned by Keith and Lisa Reinhart (Peggy and Larry's son and his wife) and Larry gave them a nice tour. Maryann was able to spend an entire day with my dear Peggy ( Peggy and Maryann met in Nursing School in 
Washington D. C. In 1966 and they have been our  family ever since).  One evening we went to check out Keith and Lisa's Lampeter Cafe that should be open in September 2017. It is a building that was built around 1760 and Lisa and Keith have been working on the restoration for nearly 4-5 years. Keith gave us a personal tour and we got to see Brandon and Elizabeth, two of their children.   What an amazing renovation....wished we lived closer as certainly would be frequent guests!    
We left Lancaster on the 26th of July and arrived at Annapolis, Maryland.  On Thursday, we had lunch with Jim and Cindy Roudebush at a great little crab restaurant by the water.  No matter the time between our visits with Jim and Cindy, it is just like a pause in our conversations.   We are so blessed to have them in our "family".  
We drove just a few miles down the road to Fort Meyer and will be here for the next three days.  We went to Arlington National Cemetery yesterday and spent the afternoon.   Always such an honor to go to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to pay respect.  
Tom, Charlotte and Bill went into D.C and went to the Museums of Natural History and American History Museum.
Today they went to the Air and Space Museum and National Museum of the American Indian.  
Tomorrow we will leave and start our trip to Florida..which should take us a few days. It has been so nice traveling with Charlotte and Bill.
Will be in Florida a few weeks with them and spend time with Kelly and Bryan and girls. Are getting anxious to see   Molly, Samantha and Kirsten to spend time with them before they start school at their new schools in Florida.
We will head back to Tucson after spending a few weeks with them and Charlotte and Bill.
We are so blessed to have been able to spend time with our family and family friends in the past several weeks.
Sending thoughts and prayers to you all.


~ "Once a year, go someplace you have never been before" ~.     Anonymous

God Bless,
Tom and Maryann

18 June 2017.

18 June 2017
We are now on our last day of travels as we are just leaving Ohio and next stop will be State College, Pennsylvania where we will be so happy to see Maryann's sister's family. We arrived in Gallup, New Mexico on the 8th of June. After we had a great Mexican meal at Jerry's with such friendly staff, we walked through the El Rancho Hotel where the stars of the 50's and 60's always stayed ...John Wayne, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Micki Rooney, etc.
On our way to  Durango on the 9th we stopped at Mesa Verde National Park for the afternoon.  It is also a national Heritage site. Has some amazing cliff dwellings. And is the largest archeological preserve in the United States.  The cliff dwellings are thought to be the largest in North America.  We stopped several times to take pictures of the scenery but the pictures could not do justice of the beauty.   We did some walking and stopped for a leisurely lunch overlooking the area.  We saw a large black dog in a car parked near us at the visitor center and the windows were closed and he was really panting...so we notified the park ranger who was going right over to the car to check on him.  Later saw the car pass us by with the dog so must have been OK.    We then went on to Durango where we walked about the town and had a nice dinner.  OF course it must have been the day to find dogs left in cars ....as we got out of our car in town, there were dogs baking constantly that once again were in a car with all windows closed and the way they were barking felt that they were in distress...so we found a police officer very close to us and reported again.   He left immediately to check the dogs. Tom and I walked on as knew he would take care of the dogs.    Amazing how anyone can let their dogs in cars...especially when hot weather.   I guess it was our mission for the day to save the dogs!!   Could not believe that others were just walking by.....
The next morning we left for Gunnison, Colorado.   We traveled all the back roads and went through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in late afternoon.   Beautiful area and just short walks or right next to the road were amazing areas to look into the canyon.  Took us a couple of hours.   We also met a retired AF couple that we stopped and chatted with for about an hour.   
We were remarking how we only saw 2 snakes, an odd red furry small bug and a rabbit in the park....when just as we were leaving there two beautiful black cows right on the road as we were leaving the park that were nice enough to pose for a picture.   It is open range outside the park!    It was nearly sunset as we drove toward Gunnison.  We were given such a gift by seeing lots of Elk, Deer, Antelope around nearly every bend in the road.  There were several herds of them....and a couple deer even stopped and posed for us too that were close to the road.   As we drove into Gunnison saw the beautiful Curecnti National Recreation Area.  The water was so blue.  ..of course next to the Blue Mesa Reservation.    It is so nice to just take our time and not be in a rush.
We were in Gunnison for two nights so the next morning decided to walk about the town and then go to Crested Butte...such a neat little town.  Spent time walking around and also took the town bus...which is free...up to the ski and recreation area where we sat for  an hour or so and had a nice lunch and did some people watching.   On our way out we drove about 10 miles on dirt road to see part of the area that is to be the largest birch tree area in the United States.   Met the friendliest people at the tourist office in Crested Butte.  Of course when we came out of the mountains, Tom took the car to the self use car wash as the car and carrier were covered with bugs...looked like had fur on the car.
Oh, I forgot to mention Highway 50 that we drove from Silverton, Colorado to Montrose, Colorado..   Mostly hairpin curves and amazing waterfalls.   And mostly no guard rails ...frequently around the curves.   Silverton was a fun town to walk through too.  As we were walking around Silverton, there was a couple taking pictures of each other so we stopped to ask if they wanted us to take a picture of them together. So we did!  Then we stood on the street and talked with them and found out they were from Slovakia here on vacation.  We had been to Slovakia last year on our travels. By the time we left them felt like we had just met some friends and they gave us hugs!! We have learned from our travels , to take the time to talk to the people we sit next to in restaurants and people on the streets.  The encounters we have with "strangers" have enriched our days and hopefully let them know that they are not just someone walking in the street but are welcome to our beautiful USA. When you see a couple taking a picture of a person trying to take a "selfie" of themselves, take the time to ask them if they want you to take a picture of them or the group...sometimes you get a cautious look before they hand over their camera  and are so thankful to have a picture of the two of them or the group together and are so appreciative.  Really makes for "feel good" moments!!!
Our next stop was Colorado Springs, Colorado.   We checked into our rooms at Peterson AFB and then headed up to Denver to our friends, Pat and George Cannode..and  were so glad we were able to go and watch their two grandson's practice for their baseball team and see their son, Chris and his wife Amy.  Then we spent two days just hanging out together.  We started talking about our plans for our next adventure in 2018 which is to go to Germany and take the Long Boat Cruise from Amsterdam, Holland to  Basel, Switzerland.  Then decided to check on some cruise lines etc.  4-5 hours later, we had reservations for May of next year.  Then we contacted our family friends who had expressed an interest in traveling with us...so now there are 7 couples heading to Amsterdam next year. As always when we are all together...so many laughs.   
Tom and I said our farewells to the Cannode's and headed toward Ohio.   We hit some bad weather going through Kansas.  We decided to stay in  Manhattan, Kansas For the night.
The next day on to Scott Air Force Base for the night.    God has blessed us with safe travels.    Last night we spent the night at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.  We had a nice lunch with Angie and Greg Eberhart , a pediatrician that we worked with in Tucson at Davis-Monthan.  It is always so nice to see them and catch up.    Then this morning we spent time with Connie Dunnington.   We were stationed with Connie and Bob in Japan in 1971.  It always so nice to see our Air Force Family and it always seems like no time has passed since the last time we saw each other if it was last year or 44 years!!
Tomorrow morning we will get up and go to my sister, Joan and Tom's in State College, Pa.  It is only about a four hour drive and then we will be at home with them for several weeks.  Carrie and Emme will come and spend a week with us too. Rosanne, my god-daughter and her husband always have the best 4th of July party that we have come to look forward to in the past years..
Until our next blog...we will keep you all in our prayers 
God Bless,
Tom and Maryann

"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things"--Henry Miller

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Sent from my iPad

June 8, 2017. On the Road Again

8 June 2017...on the road again
We spent two weeks traveling with Kelly and her girls to Houston, Texas.  We took Kelly's van but Tom did most of the driving.  The girls school was out at 1130 and we were headed to White Sands, New Mexico by 12 Noon.   Had fun on the dunes at White Sands.   Such nice white fine sand.  The girls got a saucer sled and had fun sliding the hills of white sand.  Saw some pretty plants and flowers too.   After playing on the Sand we drove to Fort Stockton, Texas for the night before we drove on to San Antonio.  The humidity was something the girls had not experienced!!  We went to the Alamo and on the River Cruse.  Kelly , Tom and the girls also went to see "Pirates of the Caribbean" as first weekend that was in the theaters. We also spent time at the pool.  The next day we went to Waco to "Magnolia".  Samantha wanted to go as she watches the show "FIxer Upper" .  And Magnolia was opened by Chip and Joanna, stars of the show.
Neat store and grain silos and we also spent time sitting in their nice open area with about 10 food trucks to get lunch.   They had a great variety of foods so everyone could get what they wanted.  While we were eating,  we had a "bird poop" incident.  Just missed Molly but she did get a little on her clothes ...so had some drama!  At least made another memory!!   Spent the rest of the day at the hotel pool playing games in the pool with Granddad.  The next morning we drove to Houston and were welcomed with hugs by Fred and Belinda Martinez.  ( we had met them when we lived in Austin).   Tom, Kelly, Molly, Kirsten and Samantha spent the next day at Houston Space Center...even had a fun experience in a flight simulator. I had a very nice relaxing day at home with Belinda...catching up.    We had one day of just hanging out and the girls had another day to spend in the pool.  We left on Friday after Fred made us all "the best pancakes" and went back to the Space Center where Kelly, Molly and Samantha went and had "Lunch with an Astronaut." (Bryan Duffy).   They said he was very personable and really enjoyed the experience.   Molly was even picked to demonstrate some of the equipment that the astronauts use in outer space.   Molly has said she wants to be an Astronaut since she was about 4 years old..so such a treat with her.   SHE still wants to be an Astronaut!!   Tom, Kirsten and I hung out and went to lunch while they were at the space Center.  We then headed to San Antonio where we were going to spend the night.  Had some really bad rains on our way there.   Mark and Judy came to our hotel to spend a few hours with us.   We had met Mark in Japan in 1972 as he was an Air Force Medic...
Even though it had been 45 years it was yesterday.   We had not met his wife Judy but felt we knew her too.  Talked about so many memories...one of the best parts of our travel is when we can re-connect with our friends.  We plan to see them again...not 45 years from now!!      We left the next morning and spent the night in El Paso before we arrived back in Tucson on June 4th.  What fun it is traveling with the girls and Kelly...so many conversations , play car games and just be together.
Emme, Molly, Samantha and Kirsten came over on Monday and spent the night.   We spent most of the time playing cards, dice and Monopoly.    It was difficult saying good bye to OUR Molly, Samantha and Kirsten on Tuesday afternoon as last time we will be seeing them for awhile as we headed out on our summer adventure on 8th.   They are moving to Florida in July.   Bryan has accepted a position with Grumman-NASA in Melbourne.  Yes..Nana had lots of tears.   We will see them again in August on our way back to Tucson.  We watched Emme yesterday evening as Carrie had a meeting...so gave her lots of hugs before she left last evening.   We will see Emme and Carrie in Pennsylvania in a couple weeks as they will fly in to see family for a week.
Yesterday we were busy getting the house ready for us to be gone, running errands and packing etc.   We decided to get up at 0700 and get "on the road" by 0800. However slept in until 0800.  Tom packed the car etc. and left the house at 1030!   Another great advantage of being retired....can take our time.   We decided to take the road through the White Mountains and has been a beautiful drive. Saw some interesting plants and turned out to be Thistles ..which I had not seen in years...of course we stopped for pictures! Tonight we are in Gallup, New Mexico. Found the best hole in the wall Mexican Restaurant ...best soapies ever.   It was nice to just BE in the car today driving through some beautiful scenery after the last hectic days and just taking our time, talking and just being together.
We love our travels but is also difficult to leave our Tucson Family.  What blessing we have with all our extended family.  
By the way it only took me 9 months to finish our book of memories from our Europe Trip last year.    I finished it the night before we left with Kelly and girls.   111 pages and over 700 pictures!   Was so fun having it to review when we arrived home from our 2 weeks with the girls.

Quote of the day....
~Someday, everything will make perfect sense. So for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears, and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason.~
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17 September....home in Tucson

We left Cocoa on 21 August to head back to Tucson.   Wonderful days spent with Tom's sister and husband and new kittens.  Of course had to make time for our favorite restaurants and added more! Made homemade Apple Dumplings too.  The kittens decided that we were OK so would even come and lay next to us.  We kind of ATE our way through the last two weeks! We did not venture to Tampa this year as one of the kittens was not feeling good and had to go to the vet.  He is fine now just did not want to leave him.  We did go to Celebration, Florida and had some great food  at the Columbia Restaurant  that was named one of America's Most Historic Restaurants by USA Today.   Spent some time walking about the picturesque lake town of Celebration. Also went to the Veterans Memorial in Cocoa....very nice as it honors not only all the military, but firemen, policeman and all first responders.  Was so good to just spend time together.  We are so blessed to have been able to spend several weeks with Maryann's sister Joan and Tom in State College, Pa.  and then with Tom's sister Charlotte and Bill in Florida.   They just always open their homes to us and just ask when we are coming but not how long we are staying!!!!
   Then it was time to "get on the road" again heading to Tucson.  We spent the first night in Biloxi, MS.  Spent some time walking on the beach and of course having more seafood.
Then on to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and saw some of the destruction of the flooding.  Also picked up some type of bolt in our tire so spent about 4 hours waiting for the tow truck and sitting waiting for the car in the Firestone Dealer where we purchased a new tire!!   Our guardian Angel took care that God blessed us as we were in the city and not out on the road so only had to be towed about 6 miles!!  Saw some amazing sunsets as we headed West.   We then stopped in Houston to spend time with Fred and Belinda.  Went out to eat at a great Mexican Restaurant....they had a female singer that night who had the most beautiful voice.   Once again Fred and Belinda made us feel so welcome and like we were at home!!    Then on to Northlake, Texas to spend a few days with Diane and Jerry Stapleton.  They have a beautiful new home and we had the "West Wing"!!   It was so good to see Jennifer and Rheanna and family too.  We had not seen the girls since they were just in grade school in Cheyenne in 1982.   We spent the time catching up and playing card and board games and of course Jerry and Diane kept our stomachs full!!!! What a fun way to end our trip with  our Martinez and Stapleton Family!!!
We stayed at Ft. Bliss in El Paso on our way back to Tucson.   Arrived to our Tucson Home about
2 PM.   Love it when we gain hours when we travel due to time change.  We thank God  and our Gaurdian Angels for our safe travels ...and thank our friends and family for their prayers while we were "on the road".
4 March to 30 August equals 178 days on our road trip 2016.  Or should we  say road, airplane, car ferry, bus, taxi, subway, river boat, tram trip!!  SO MANY BLESSINGS. We feel like we were given a  treasure of gifts of not only experiencing so many countries, meeting and sharing conversations with so many  people that we encountered , our family, and our friends that we call family.   Thank you ALL who welcomed us into your homes and made us feel like we were "at home" and those we were just able to spend time with over dinner or lunch and also our Tucson Family who welcomed us home and helped take care of "stuffs" while we were gone.  Hilda , you have our vote for number 1 mail person as you collected our mail and made sure you took care of all.    (AND Susan who stayed at our Tucson home a few times for looking after our home while you were here).  AND thank you to Kelly and Carrie for supporting our lifestyle of traveling ...and  our grand girls who always are willing to "FACETIME" with us and welcome us home with the best hugs and kisses!!!  We must ESPECIALLY  thank Pat and Geroge who agreed to go on this journey with us....without the two of you it would have been "a trip" but instead it was a dream of a life time to spend this time with you and for the constant laughter that we share when we are together. We had belly-laughing events that were to be labeled.  "What happens in Europe, stays in Europe".   May have to share some of those events EVENTUALLY!!!!!
AND the four of us will never forget all those that suffered and lost lives during World War 2 ...the emotions and sadness we felt as we visited Auschwitz, the Jewish Ghetto and Jewish Cemetery, Luxembourg American and German Cemeteries and the Battle Fields of Normandy(Normandy was the  main reason we traveled these many miles) was at times overwhelming.  AND we need to honor   all those who were so brave despite putting their lives and those of their families in danger trying to help their fellow citizens.

"ONE'S DESTINATION IS NEVER A PLACE, BUT A NEW WAY OF SEEING THINGS".
~ Henry Miller~

Until our next adventure.   God Bless each and everyone of you!

Love and hugs,
Tom and Maryann

14 August 2016 On the road in Florida

OH, just realized we have not posted since our return to the US.
We arrived at Maryann's sister and her Tom's  new home in Zion, PA on 16 June.  Was so fun to spend time with them in their new home.   The day we arrived they were having a community yard sale so was fun spending the next couple days sitting and catching up.  Rosanne and Maddie and Camyrn were also helping with the garage sale.    Of course we planned some day trips.  Went to Shanksville Memorial where Flight 93 crashed on 9-11.  We were there last year but the visitor center was not open so we went back this year.   Very emotional day walking through the memorial.   They still have  a 93 foot chimes tower they are building and it should be done next year.  The wind seems to blow across the site all the time so should be amazing to go for a visit when the tower is complete.   We also took a day trip to Asher Candy Factory in Lewistown, Pa.  One of the owners gave us a very thorough tour with samples of course!!   Yes we did buy "hurt candy" when we were there.   "Hurt Candy" is what they call the candy that does not meet the criteria for selling....but it taste the same , just may not be shaped just right and is much cheaper!!     We also bought some "hurt pretzels" for $1 per box that were able to share with all the kids and still have some left over!!   Did you know you can put pretzels in a zip lock bag in the freezer and they will stay fresh for when you want to have them???   We also went to Indian Caverns which is a limestone horizontal cave that is the second largest cave in Pennsylvania and is about 500,000 years old.   The caverns will close after this season after being open since 1929.   Of course we attended our favorite 4th of July Party at Rosanne and Jeff's home and got to see all.  What a full day of fun and spending with all their neighbors and family.   We are there from 12 noon until nearly midnight and there is always so much great food..  Their driveway is the perfect place to watch the Penn State Fire Works.  What a great family day!  Joan and Tom's new home is so very nice and we always feel so at home with the them.  Once again we played some fun card and dice games with Joan and Tom and Jeff's parents, Sonja and Ray.   Also enjoyed having Sarah's kids Ethan and Emma who spent  a day with us and we had a fun afternoon playing Monoply with them and all went to the park.
We also went to the Bellefonte Car Show as Jeff had his motorcycle in the show and won 3rd place!!  Had wonderful BBQ there too at a local food stand.   Also had more of the same BBQ when we went to the Boalsburg Art's Festival!     Joan's granddaughter Alexis was in the 11-12 softball playoffs so we were so glad we got to go to two of her games.   Her team made it to States and their team came in 4th in state competition.   We drove a couple hours down the interstate to see one of their games too.   Reese , Alexis brother stayed with Joan and Tom for a couple days so we were able to play more games and go back to the park to feed the fish and ducks.   Such fun to be able to spend time with the kids on our trips.   We also went to camp for a day.   Joan and Tom and Jeff's parents, Sonja and Ray and us went to Tyrone , PA and went to see a dinner theater.   We saw Bikini's and it was really cute and also the dinner was fantastic.    We visited with Maryann's aunt and family in Karthaus and went to the annual Frenchville Picnic.  It was nice seeing her Rolley cousins too.  It was also fun to spend a couple Sunday's with Maryann's friend Janet and Dick in Katthaus.   Maryann was able to meet her school friends, Janet, Rosemary, Linda and Susan and Patty for lunch one day too. They have all been friends since grade school!!   Just  so nice  being with Joan and Tom.    The four of us also took time to go to Saratoga Spring, New York to see Mihaley and Laurie.  They are our friends that live in Tucson but spend summers in Saratoga Springs.  We all went to the horse race track and took a behind the scenes tour of the stables , horses etc.   Joan, Laurie and I went to the park and rode the merry-go-round that had just been refurbished.  Joan and I did have some difficulty getting on and off the horses but helped each other!!   They have a beautiful cabin in the woods and Mihaley has a beautiful garden so had fresh vegetables....fun just to sit out on the porch and enjoy our time together!
We left Joan and Tom on 28 June and headed for Lancaster, Pa.   We stopped by and said hello to Aunt Fran and cousin Cindy and her family were visiting so fun to see them too.   Then stopped to catch up with Aunt Ethel before we headed to Peggy and Larry's in Lancaster.    Again, always so nice to spend time with our Reinhart Family!   We were able to just spend time together and also visited with Auntie Doris who was in the hospital, Keith and Lisa had all over for a great dinner so got to see Amy and Dan and kids and of course the pets!!  Keith had put in a zip line for the kids, so since we are just big kids....we had fun on the zip line too.    Sunday we went to church and Sunday school with Peggy and Larry.   We have gotten to know their Sunday School class so after church all went out to lunch!!   Did I mention the sermon was about lasting friendships?  Peggy and I were celebrating  our 50th Anniversary of being friends this year in August!!  Hmmm how appropriate was the timing of this sermon.  Peggy and Larry took  Tom and I out for a great dinner to  celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary as we there for our anniversary.   AND we are always so glad to be in Lancaster to go to 'the corn wagon" to get corn on the cob that just came in from the fields and once again , we are never disappointed with the taste of the fresh corn.
We gave our hugs and said or good-byes to Peggy and Larry on 1 August and headed South.   We spent one night just South of Richmond at a military supply depot in a nice little cottage and our neighbors across the parking lot were about 30  Elk.  There were even some baby elk.   Then we left to head to Montgomery, Alabama to spend a night with Sybilla, Dough and Taryn Watkins and Manni the dog.   It was so nice to see my God Daughter Taryn as she was leaving for New York City the next week to begin college!   WERE so busy talking , forget to get pictures of Doug, Sybilla and Taryn and Manni !!!!!  Then we went to Niceville Florida to spend time with Joe, Sandy and their dogs Hope and Lizzie Grace.  Once again had great days catching up and sharing England  stories etc.  Also was nice to meet Sandy's Mom.  Had some great food and also went out to eat at "our favorite German" restaurant. We were sorry we did not get to see our friend Ann on our way down to Niceville.   On the  7th of August , we headed on to Cocoa, Florida to Charlotte and Bill's.  We stopped on our way down to get some shrimp at Carribean Jack's in Daytona Beach.   Once again we were not disappointed.  This week has gone so fast as we are here with Charlotte and Bill and their 3 cats!  Since our visit last year , they rescued a mama cat and her two little ones so we have new entertainment. This week we were able to meet with Mary Floyd who we were stationed with in Tucson.  Mary is Chief Nurse at Patrick AFB now. ..was nice to see her again.  Rob, her husband was on his way to PA so we did not get to see him.   We also went over to Orlando to meet with Nancy who were stationed in Japan with in 1972.  Chuck was not feeling well so did not get to visit with him this time.  We are so blessed to be able to spend time with our "forever friends"!  We have more favorite restaurants here than we do at home.   Charlotte and Bill even had a new BBQ place for us to try this year and now have added one more to our list...we may have to extend our time here to get to all our favorite restaurants!  Have also been to two of our favorite shrimp places this week.   Like  Pete Walsh says "so much food, so little time"!! Tom usually gets to mow yards when we are in Pennsylvania but did not this year so finally got to help Bill mow the last two days.  Another something off the list for this trip's list!!
This week we are going to go to Tampa and Sarasota on the gulf coast to do some exploring for a couple days with Charlotte and Bill and of course have already found a couple of "must go to restaurants" to try.
Tom and Charlotte are making Live and Onions with Biscuits and Gravey for Sunday dinner today....also a must do when we are here.
Have been watching the Olympics and so exciting to see the USA doing so good.
We have been so blessed with our travels this year but it is time to head home ...we will leave here about the 22 August and stop near Dallas, Texas to spend time with Diane and Jerry Stapleton and see their family.  We were stationed with them in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1980's.  We are so blesssed.
SInce our last post, Molly turned 12 in July and started school and is in 7th grade.  Samantha started school the 17 July too and is in 5th grade and Kirsten is in 2nd grade!!  AND Emme started 3 year old preschool at Country Day School.   Time to go home and hugs our grand girls and our Tucson Family.
George and Pat are back in Denver with their grands and their kids too.   What an adventure we have had this year.   Was thinking the other day if could go back and change anything about our adventures these 6 months and could not come up with anything.   Have had the best of days.

~Explore, Dream, Discover~.   Mark Twain

Sending loves and hugs and our next post will be from our Tucson Home!
Keep us in your prayers for safe travels.
God Bless
Tom and Maryann

Please keep our friend's  Jim and Cindy Roudebush and their family in your prayers as their sweet, strong  Imogen who fought such a brave battle with cancer with her family in the past 12 months is now a dancing angel with our Lord.

7 June -16 June 2016....our trip of a lifetime

We have been back in the USA for two weeks now.    I will refer you to George and Pat's blog for their wonderful words on our days in Normandy.   We also spent time thinking and talking about each day of our adventure together and discussed our days together  which George was able to put into words on the way home on the plane....I watched movies on flight back!!     SO it is a MUST READ.  Go to  Gpcannode.blogspot.com

 Now let me tell you about our trip after we left Normandy until we arrived back to the USA.
We left our rental home in Solier's France and drove a few hours up the road to just outside of Calais, France which is the port where we were taking the ferry back to Dover, England.   We stayed in Grand Fort Phillippe at L'univers that was right across from the beach front.   Great view of the sun-set and sun-rise!  We arrived early so drove up to Dunkerque to explore.    Returned to Grand Fort and finally were able to fine a place that served French Crepes....
We were up and at the Ferry early to turn in our car at the port.  We were picking up another car in Dover, England so had to carry our luggage on the ferry with us.   While unloading the car, a pigeon flew into the back of the car and took a snack with pretzels and chips and flew back out before the guys could get it back.   After all the luggage was safely inside , George went back out and was able to retrieve the bag back from the Pigeon!!  Had a good hour and half trip across the English Channel. It was beautiful coming into port on a clear day and seeing the White Cliffs of Dover.

We picked up another car in Dover and drove to the tops of the White Cliffs of Dover and had a nice view of the Dover Castle. George and Tom shared the driving on the continent but when we returned to England Tom was the driver as had more experience ...hmmmm...driving in Great Britian.  It was a beautiful day so we walked around the  paths above the White Cliffs.   We stopped in Farnham, England for the night and spent the night at a place that had Peacocks roaming the grounds and found another little cafe to have dinner.  The next day we arrived in Bristol, England to spend some time with our friends Louise and Alastair.  What gracious host they always are..we took a walk about Bristol  with them and Alastair and Louise gave us the history of the city tour.  Alastair is from Bristol so he knows all the history of the city and shared with us. Another beautiful weather day to be able to stroll around and see all the different architecture and the Christmas Steps (the street was originally called Queene Street and then became know as Knyfesmyth Street after the tradesmen there). We then stopped by a fun  pub down by the water and sat on the patio and had a nice meal together and just enjoyed the company.  Louise has such a green thumb and what an amazing garden in the front and back of her flat. Alastair tried to help me figure out some issues with my IPAD as not able to send emails.     It seemed the time went by so quickly before morning came and we were hugging them good bye again! Look forward to seeing them back in Tucson in January.  

We spent the next few nights at Lakenheath Air Force Base as wanted to go to London and check    some of the areas near Lakenheath.    We took the train down to London from a station about an hour from Lakenheath.   Of course we were dressed for rain and were glad that we did!!   We took the train into London and then hopped on one of the Hop on Hop Off Double Decker busses.  AND of course it was raining.  They were handing out raincoats on the bus....hmmm..    We found some seats on the top deck that was under cover and started our trip through the streets of London with our ear pieces telling us about what we were seeing. We had all been to London before so it was fun to go back together.   Tom and I talked about all the good times we spent with Nanny Kitt, Noreen's Mom who lived in London and a vacation we had with Peggy and Larry and kids in London.  We would visit Nanny when we were stationed in Germany and got to know all the family and those memories we spent with Nanny Kitt will never be forgotten.    After about 3 hours, we had stopped at a bakery to have some croissants and other items and decided that we would head back to the base since it was still raining.  As we walked out of the cafe, the rain had subsided and we could see sun in the clouds...so we got back on the bus and did the tour again! Also took a boat ride on the  River Thames.  This time we had live commentary about what we were seeing and the history.  We walked to Buckingham Palace where they were having another 90th birthday party picnic lunch ( by invitation only) for the queen and were able to hear the Marching Bands.  The park and  lots of roads were blocked off so we decided we would come back another time to walk about the gardens.  After having some great Fish and Chips in a pub next to Victoria Station, we headed back to Lakenheath on the train.   Another great day together. 
The next day we traveled several miles North of Lakenheath to the village of Lavenham.
Lavenham is a village noted for  its 15th century church and half-timbered medieval cottages.  The town prospered from the wool trade making blue broadcloth for exportation until a cheaper and lighter broadcloth was produced.  The trade grew so fast that the homes were built in hast with green timber.  As the wood dried, the timbers warped causing the houses to bend at unexpected angles.   By the time the timbers started twisting, Lavenham's families had lost its wealth and with no money to rebuild their homes, the homes were left as they were.   In the past years, property owners from London have bought homes and are refurbishing them.  The rhyme "There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile etc."  is believed to have been written after this town.   The poem published in the 1840's.    Also Jane Taylor who lived on Shilling Street in Lavenham wrote the poem "Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star".   We had a lovely day walking around this little village and had a nice lunch in a restaurant in a "crooked house"...and of course had an ice cream!
We decided to go back to a little place for breakfast that we had visited on our first trip to Lakenheath in April....another great Breakfast Burrito!  The owner  had remembered us from when we were there in April and told us that we made her day with all the laughter and chatter from our table  and she was happy that we were all still together and still seemed so happy to be together.  We assured her that we all still like each other too after being together for nearly 3 months and she said that she could tell!!! 
We found a couple great places to have dinner around Lakenheath before we checked out and headed to London on the 13th of June.  We stayed at a little B&B near Heathrow Air Port...in fact it was directly in the flight path of incoming planes...but after about an hour, we were not even hearing the planes.    We took the "Tube" into London  before we left and spent the evening walking around Buckingham Palace and the gardens in the early evening and were able to see some of the lights  around London at night.  On the way home, Pat and Maryann laughed so hard as Tom and George sat next to each other across from  us  and were very entertaining!!   I have video!!  The day before we were to fly home, we went to Heathrow and got our boarding passes and checked out the terminal.
The last couple nights instead of planning our adventures for the next day, we sat and talked about our wonderful adventures together..unbelievable to have had such days together.  
 We traveled 13 countries, stayed in 33 cities, spent the nights in 30 different hotels, B&B, cottages , rental homes, one room family units, one Abbey, military billeting, micro hotel, apartments, during our time together.  Traveled by train, ferry, boats,underground railway (Tube), bus, trams, cars, double decker buses, airplanes, antique car, smart car, and taxi... I think that is all and of course walked many miles.  Pat and George traveled approximately 1415 miles to meet us in Linesville , PA. We traveled 2769 miles from Tucson to Linesville.  Then round trip to Dulles Air Port and  back to PA, we traveled together 556 miles.

We traveled 7342 air miles round trip  to England, 224 miles by ferry,  had four rental cars that we drove the roads of Great Britian, Ireland and all the countries on the continent which added up to approximately 13,000  car miles together.  .


We arrived at Dulles the afternoon of June 15th and stayed the night at Andrews Air Force Base where we had left Pat and George's car at the passenger terminal  and then drove to Zion, Pennsylvania on 16 June to spend some time with Tom and Joan.   We said a tearful good bye to Pat and George as they headed on to Ohio where they had left their RV and their family.
We  keep trying to find words that could sum up the time the four of us spent together on this adventure ........  we feel so blessed to have been able to live these days together.   Our adventure was filled with many blessings and memories but don't think that even today  we realize  all the memories that we shared each day  and we were so glad to be together!  We  had several "belly laughs"  and  so many conversations about life and about "stuffs".  I think we only had the radio on in the car once for a short time! We are so blessed to call George and Pat not only friends but family...and cannot wait until our next days together.  
We know that this is now 15 days after our return and a late post but hope you enjoy our adventures.  We were so blessed during our trip and thank you all for our travel prayers.  

We will continue to do our blog as we travel here in our America.   Our plans are to be home in Arizona by the first week of September after visiting family and friends as we "are on the road" back to our Tucson Family.

We thank you for continuing to keep us in your prayers during our travels home..

Hugs and Love,

 Tom and Maryann

"a journey is measured in friends, rather than miles"

SEE BELOW.....

YOU MUST GO TO GPCANNODE.BLOGSPOT.COM  to see our list of BEST etc. 
George and Pat have  detailed some of the "BESTS" etc. so wanted to add some "just stuffs" that we were so glad to experience!!!  

All the people we met, on the street ,in the pubs and eating establishments, staff in the places we stayed, on the public transportation , stores , bakeries, markets, towns where we visited to look up our ancestors, just to name a few were so willing to chat with us and help us out even if it meant stopping what they were doing to help us....and how many people came up to us (as we must have looked lost) and asked if they could help us!  Staying in the little villages or just seeing a little village that looked interesting and taking the time to stop  to walk around or staying for a night  was also such a high light of our trip.  Learned how to use several different ways to turn on the showers without getting freezing cold or very hot water ( we started to do tutorials the night before so would not get frozen or scalded when we took a morning shower) when we arrived at different places we stayed), different ways to flush toilets and after all the days, still did not totally master the use of the combo washer/dryer.   Loved the towel warmers in most of the bathrooms and found that since we were having issues with the washer/dryer...the towel warmer was really great to dry our "mostly dry" clothes  from the the washer/dryer.  Hung clothes outside on the line or on the radiators at night.  George and Tom became professionals as they were able to get all our luggage etc. in the trunk  of our car. Pat and I did have to have a small suitcase between us in the back a couple of times...but usually was the snack bag.  We all had our daily "car jobs"...Pat kept notes, and managed the trash bag and the snack bag,  Maryann would ask about "the need for gas for the car at least daily",  George was the Map reader when Tom was driving and Tom the Map reader when George driving. We did have Garmen but need to double check her directions at times.  Pat would also set up our continental breakfast in their room on the days we would have our first meal of the day at the hotel before we ventured out for the day. Pat made sure we had enough butter and Jam  and apple juice etc.  We would pick up the rolls and croissants the evening before or George would go to the bakery down the street to get fresh early in the morning!!   Learned how to use the washer and dryers in a self service laundry form a very nice young lady in Berlin. The bakery staff in the villages  we stayed for more than a day, knew George by name!!   Saw lots of fields that were planted but never saw anyone working in the fields.   Learned that George could dance...Maryann has video!!   Painful when George and Maryann sang..even though they did practice frequently. (No video!)The best phrase was from Tom...."We're outta here" which he said with attitude.... when we were in two large cities and he was driving in Ireland --and the streets were very narrow and the traffic was heavy.  Tom seemed to have difficulty slowing down for us to get a pictures. Hmmmm. Such beautiful flowers such as Poppys and Daffodils etc. growing wild alone the streets and in the fields.
Best and only play we saw was Hamlet at the  Shakespeare Theater in Stratford-on-Avon, England.  Boat trips at the Loch at Stratford-on-Avon , Danube River , River Thames.

Learned different ways to order water in restaurants depending on the country...Still, Tap, Bubbly, Mineral, Natural, Sparkling and what kind of container,...caraf, bottle, decanter.  Also learned that in several countries had to pay for water and it cost more than beer or soda!!  Coffee Culture..no free refills on coffee and of course  served in smaller cups and is meant to sip.    Had the best after dinner drink in Bitburg, Germany in a gasthaus that was owned by two Crostian brothers.  It is called Slivovitz which is a fruit brandy made from damson plums. Plum Brandy is made in Central and Eastern Europe. It is served warm and very smooth brandy.  Losses:  George had his pocket knife taken at customs in Dover, England and  left his hat on the plane on the way over to England.  When we returned to Lakenheath to come home, went to lost and found and they had a hat that looked like his hat so we went to the basement in Heathrow Airport to  Lost and Found  and we all cheered that he had found his hat and were walking out of the Lost and Found and he discovered was not his hat!   SO returned the hat to Lost and Found.  Always an adventure when we are together!!!  SO many more "nit-not" memories that we will be talking and laughing about for years.