Myrtle Beach

This week, we went to Myrtle Beach for a short vacation. Yes, we just took a trip to Salinas, but we had to book this vacation or lose it. Don't ask me to explain.

We took the long way to Myrtle Beach, choosing to go through the Great Smokey Mountains. Much to our disappointment, Spring hasn't yet arrived in the Smokeys. Most of the trees were still bare and the flowering trees weren't yet in bloom, save for just a few I didn't recognize.

Larry wanted me to see downtown Greenville and I'm glad he did. There is a creek flowing through it complete with waterfalls. The city has built a beautiful public park around the falls. Sioux Falls has water falls in town too but they don't beat this!

Here is a very interesting curved bridge with all the supports on only one side.
Unfortunately, for those of you interested in architecture, we didn't get photos of the whole thing including the two support beams with cables. Actually, you can see one of the two beams just to the right of center below the bridge in the upper photo. The photo belows shows the Reedy River Falls and the city park.

I'd love to keep showing you photos of Greenville but this trip is still about Myrtle Beach.

If you love the beach then you would probably love Myrtle Beach because it's great as far as beaches go. We discovered that we're not really beach people. The rest of the city was primarily resorts, miniature golf, and restaurants. Oh yeah - and lots of the gaudy souvenir shops you also see in Florida. It wasn't our favorite place but we're glad we went once.

A commercial area called "Broadway at the Beach" was recommended to us. It turns out to be rather like an Outlet mall surrounding a man-made lake. The best part about it was the catfish. For 25 cents you could dispense fish food from a gumball machine and feed the fish. They knew it too because they hung out beneath each and every machine with their mouths wide open, hoping you'd throw food in! The ducks liked it too and it was a frenzy of fins and feathers when food was thrown into the water. It was a riot... really! Take this photo below and multiply it by 50 and you'll have an idea what it was like. They were swimming on top of each other and the ducks (not shown) were on top of them!

Finally, the last thing we did was go to a show called the "Carolina Opry" which was really a variety show. There was lots of singing interspersed with comedy and occasionally these amazing tap dancers. I wish I could make the photo bigger for you but it came from the internet and this is the best I could do.

Bocce Court

It's hard to remember when the mountains of "rock dust" were delivered but Larry and I have been steadily chipping away at if since. We started out with 3 mountain ranges. In this photos we're down to only two mountain ranges.


Shovel by shovelful, wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow we moved the mountains from side to side.

Finally, on Saturday afternoon we had it distributed well enough to rent the machine that compacts it. Looking good!

This afternoon we played a little test game and it's pretty good. there are a few high and low spots but nothing some raking and smoothing won't eventually smooth out. Now... back to landscaping!

Progress Report

Laura and Ben have less than two months before Baby Snell is born! The time (as least for Larry and me) is going by so fast. Here is a recent photo of Laura. In just a couple months you won't be seeing photos of Laura or Ben much any more... because Baby Snell will be in the eye of the lens.
Oh wait! That's not right. Something is wrong with this photo, don't you think?

There. That's better!

Trip to Salinas

This post is being back-dated because I'm behind in posting. We went to Salinas for a quick visit. We planned this kind of on the spur of the moment but with good reasons. We thought it better for both of us to go to Salinas to see both my parents rather than just me going to AZ for the family reunion and only see my Dad. We did it now because we could both fly for free (one free pass and on companion ticket) whereas later on only one of us could fly for free.

We had a great time in our short stay. We went to Gizdich Ranch for pie, went to Fisherman's Wharf and went to Mom and Dad's church. They let me help a little with landscaping on Monday. I would have liked to have done much more but there was only so much we could do. Here are some photos to document the trip.

Isn't she cute?

Jaelyn came to visit today, along with her parents and Grandparents. Isn't she just a cutie? She only 2 and a half months old. So, do you want to know who the parents and Grandparents are?

It's the Montanks! Parents: Seth and Stacy, Grandparents: Carl and Karen. We had a nice visit with them too.

Old Friends, New Neighbors

This story has been months in the making but seemed to happen fast anyway. Several months ago, Judy, who is a friend from our youth, emailed to ask my opinion about the best place to live. She thought that we might have an opinion since we've done so much traveling. You can probably imagine my response. I tried to be fair to the whole US but I really just had to brag about Chattanooga. After that email I didn't hear from her for months and months.

Then, a couple weeks ago she emailed to say her sister, Jan, was coming here with her husband and their Mom to check out the area. They arrived last Sunday and came over for dinner. It was sure fun to reconnect and meet John for the first time.

They have spent the week here, checking out our neck of the woods. As planned, we met again for dinner last night. As it turns out they hate this area... NOT! After taking a good look around, they have decided to move here! They have rented a place already! They're going back to Grand Junction to wrap up business, pack and move! They expect to be back within two months.

Judy will be coming for a visit soon too and she's already convinced she is moving here too. What fun!

This is kind of funny to me because it was Judy and her sister Jill who were instrumental in Larry and me moving to Santa Rosa 30 years ago. Now, we're instrumental in them moving here.

Now... who else wants to come!!

Here we are at Olive Garden. Ben was working and couldn't join us. (Ironically, he was somewhere in this building because he works at Olive Garden when not busy with real estate.)

Amber & Daniel's wedding

Amber (Laura's good friend from Las Vegas who now lives in TN) and Daniel got married on Saturday. Laura was the Matron of Honor and we were honored to be invited guests. Amber & Daniel are a great couple and we're very happy for them. We're all glad that we live less than 2 hours from each other.

For those of you who have been waiting to see updated photos of Laura, here you go...

Front view...

and...

a side view!

Snowflakes

There was an email from Dad this morning asking if we had snow and I told him "not a single flake". It was after that it started to snow this morning. Now look!

I put my newly purchased cast iron skillet outside to catch snowflakes and sure enough, I found one! Isn't that cool! (Pardon the pun.) My neighbors probably think I'm nuts, catching snowflakes in a pan and taking pictures of them. I just had this desire to see for myself the intricacies of an actual snowflake. It's God's creative hand awesome?

While I had my camera in hand I caught sight of a Nuthatch on the birdfeeder.

Yes, they mostly feed head down. Silly birds.

Road to the Horse Event

Over the week-end I had the pleasure of attending the Road to the Horse event. It was fascinating to watch four expert trainers start with 3 year old colts who had very little handling (I guess you could call them wild) and within two days compete in riding, freestyle and an obstacle course competition. It made me believe that I could train a colt too (a childhood dream of mine). Not in two days of course but it would be fun to try!

I found some great photos of the day online!! (Mine were fuzzy since it was indoors.) Here's the winner, Chris Cox, standing on his horse. Amazing, yes? Remember, this was an untrained and unworked horse the day before.

Here are the other contestants - all pros.

Mike Kevil

Tommy Garland

Ken McNabb

Peanut's Progress Report

It's been some time since Ben & Laura announced that a baby was on the way. It's about time I posted a progress report don't you think? There are only 3 1/2 months to go! Okay, Okay - so you can't tell that much. Is this better?

A productive week-end

The weather was cooperative and we were in the mood to dig. Rather than start on the Bocce Court we decided safety was more important and it was time to build some steps to the rental house. Up to now, it's been a slope from the driveway to the concrete pad at the doorway. In wet weather or in the dark it is especially risky. With our pregnant daughter still living in the rental I was especially concerned with the safety thing.

So... here's a before photo (the best I could come up with). As you will see this is before the siding was done.

And, an after photo (not that this is a finished project yet).

Here, Larry is removing the forms for the concrete pour. Handrails will be added soon.

It's Winter so the grass is brown (just opposite of all ya'll in CA). Oops, you're also getting just a glimpse of the rock border around one of the planting beds that I'm working on. More of that later - when it's looking more finish (maybe months later!). There is much landscaping to be done.

Here are a few photos of the work in progress.

While I'm at it, I don't think I ever posted photos of the fun birds at the feeder. Enjoy.

The Cardinal is my favorite. We get quite a few.

Here are a Downy Woodpecker and a Nuthatch.

A woody himself - a Red-Headed Woodpecker.

When I get some good photos of the Tufted Titmouse and Chickadees I'll show those to you too.

It's Snowing!!

It's now 7:30 and it's been snowing for about a half hour or maybe an hour. It's supposed to turn into rain by morning and not stick much but isn't it cool? Pardon the pun.

My Northern friends may not get to excited but this is a treat for many of us here in the South.

If it changes much I'll post another photo for you.

Yes, I'm still here.

Before I say anything else, let me say I'm sorry if you haven't heard from me lately. I owe nearly everybody I know an email. I've been working a lot of overtime and when I get home the last thing I want to do is sit in front of my computer. I sit at my own computer long enough to read emails but I just haven't the desire to sit long enough to write back. I'm told the overtime should stop this week but I worked 11.18 hours yesterday. Maybe that means I'll have some short days later this week!


So, what do I do with my spare time if I'm not emailing you? My number one activity is to work in the yard when the weather permits. I'm making progress but I'm not ready to share photos yet. Be patient. It might be Spring before you see yard photos.


Speaking of photos. My camera and computer are friends again. See?

I've been wanting to share photos of the birds at the feeder. It's not a high quality photo to say the least but it give you an idea. This is a male and female Cardinal. Other birds that come to visit are Nuthatches, Black-Capped Chickadees, Woodpeckers (Downey and Redheaded), Finches, Sparrows, Tufted Titmice and Blue Jays. It's so much fun! The other day I saw a Towhee in the yard. (Larry bought a bird book for me which I've needed to identify all these birds.) This variety of birds is just one more reason why we love Chattanooga. Before too long, they'll start their singing. If I could capture that sound for you I would.

Be watching for an email from me. We're expecting some very cold weather which will make working in the yard not so pleasant. When I got home today it was in the mid-40's... just right for digging, right? Tomorrow we're supposed to have highs in the 30's. There will be no digging tomorrow so maybe I'll get a few emails done.

Let me explain

Look!! A new look to the blog.

If you check this blog then you know it's been dormant for a while. This is because my camera quit talking to my computer and I haven't been able to download any photos. What's a blog without photos?! A page full of words is not nearly as interesting without photos to use up a 1000 words or so. With this new look to the blog I hope to add slideshows and perhaps some other goodies so don't give up on me yet!

We've had company (12 at Thanksgiving and up to 12 recently when Ben's family visited at New Years).
Laura and Ben's pregnancy is going along nicely. No maternity clothes yet but her regular pants have been replaced with stretchy waist bands.
The yard is in progress, with a very long way to go.

One of these days I'll get my camera fixed and show you what I mean!

In the meantime, I thought I'd share this article from yesterday's newspaper. Yeah! Chattanooga!!

City makes retirement top 10 list
Friday, January 04, 2008

Chattanooga is one of the Southeast's top 10 sites for retirees seeking a healthy, productive lifestyle, according to a new magazine poll.
"It seems to be a very active, vibrant place on the move," said Dan Owens, publisher of Retirement Lifestyles magazine.
Chattanooga was the only Tennessee city to make the list based on a poll of writers and others with whom the magazine consults, Mr. Owens said.
Brunswick, Ga., was the only Georgia city in the top 10.
The magazine considered criteria such as quality health care, climate, safety, ecosystems and recreation.
J.Ed. Marston, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce's vice president of marketing, said the city's efforts to woo more retirees is gaining traction.
The city has launched a Web site, ChooseChattanooga.com, aimed at seniors and retirees and has created a relocation video, he said.
In addition, the city has co-marketed itself along with a similar statewide initiative, Mr. Marston said.
Mr. Owens cited the redevelopment of downtown Chattanooga.
"It was considered to be a walkable community in the downtown area," he said. "There are a lot of things going on during the summer that draw people from the outside. It's considered to be a place with plenty of recreational opportunities."
Mr. Owens said Tennessee is one of the top states in the South benefiting from more retirees' decisions to avoid living in Florida.
He said retirees economically can stimulate a city.
"It's difficult to get an auto plant or plastics plant," Mr. Owens said, adding that retirees age 55 to 65 often bring large portfolios with them and invest in a city.
Mr. Marston said more efforts are coming to woo additional retirees, including prompting tourists to look at the city as a relocation destination.
In the past year, the city has sent out more than 10,000 relocation kits, compared to about 700 in the prior year, he said.

June 9, 2008

See that shirt Laura is wearing? My Mom wore that shirt... and then I wore that shirt... and it's what Laura was wearing one early morning recently when she & Ben came over to announce that they're expecting their first baby!! Today they had their first sonogram and everything appears to be as it should be. We'll be grandparents in June of next year!

4 day Week-end!

It's been a while since the last post. We've been busy building a sidewalk from the driveway to the front steps. Hopefully you don't want to see it because I still haven't taken a photo of the finished product. That's mostly because it's not 100% finished yet. Patience!

Autumn is here for sure! I just came in from raking leaves and I had to wear a light jacket because it was chilly! Hurray!!! No mosquitoes!

I love raking leaves. Well, I love working in the hard in general. I'm looking forward to a winter of digging and prepping for more gardening in the Spring. Some fruit trees should be delivered here within a week or so plus I have some Blueberries and Blackberries waiting to be planted. They're not going to get into the ground any time soon if we keep running off on the week-ends.

Last Wednesday, after work, we drove to Gatlinburg for a few days of rest and relaxation. We had accommodations at a Resort there and oh are we spoiled! This was a two bedroom apartment that was apx 1000 square feet or more. It had a gas fireplace in the living room and an mostly adequate equipped kitchen (no salt and pepper; humph!). Carl and Karen arrived just minutes after we did and stayed with us until Saturday morning.

While there we "hiked" (in quotes, because it was more like a stroll than a hike) in the Great Smokey Mountains and strolled down the very busy touristy main drag doing some window shopping, making sure to check out each candy store but never buying any candy (only ice cream). On Saturday, Larry and I went to Dollywood and played. I rode two of the most thrilling roller coasters I think I've ever been on. One was a very large wooden coaster. The other was a dare devil coaster with tracks that went 100% up and 100% down in parts. Whoohooo!!!

While fall colors here at home are getting a very slow start, they were much further along in the "mountains". (The word mountain here is nearly a joke if you're from the West, but we'll go with it.) I'll post a photo or two here but if you want to see more, check out my online photo album. Photos are already posted. http://travelingturtles.myphotoalbum.com/

Recent Newspaper article

http://www.timesfreepress.com/absolutenm/templates/local.aspx?articleid=22470&zoneid=77

On Monday there was an article in the paper featuring one of the riders at the therapeutic center where I volunteer once a week. There is a slide show (link) near the top of the article showing Destiny getting ready for a Special Olympics Equestrian event this Saturday. I thought you might enjoy it.

Olympic National Park

Another week-end of adventure!!

Larry had a freebie airline ticket that was going to expire soon. We decided to use it (and my companion pass) to visit a National Park that we missed the first time around.

On our way to the airport in Nashville we stopped at Bell Buckle, TN. A very tiny town with a quaint "strip mall" of about 8 shops. It didn't take long to browse! But, it's oh so cute.

We arrived in Seattle Friday evening; then early Saturday morning (which was easy since we're still on Eastern time in our heads) we started driving. We drove about 4 hours to get to the Olympic National Park visitors center, going South around the Sound at Tacoma and then North to Port Angeles.

That's where we learned it was another 2 1/2 hour drive to the rain forest; after all, that's what we came for. They have oceans and mountains in the park too but we've seen those.

So drive we did. As you can imagine it is a pretty drive. This river/lake has hints of glacial stone in it, like a diluted Lake Louise (in Canada).

The rain forest was not at all what we expected. There are a good percentage of Maples - Big Leaf and Vine Maples, to be specific. And, it's fall in this neck of the woods. The result was a rain forest with a good bit of light and not the thick, dark, lush forest we expected. There was plenty of moss and some good size trees but no Jurassic Park type stuff. This is not a tropical rain forest!

Did I mention it was raining? Get this - the West side of the mountain (where the rain forest is located) gets 12 feet of rain each year!! It's probably a rare day when it isn't raining there.

Here's a big leaf from the Big Leaf maple. I didn't put it there - honest! Someone else must have placed it there. For emphasis, Larry is holding a

Big Leaf Maple leaf in his hand, comparing it to his own big hand. The trip back to our hotel from there was only about 2 1/2 hours. We're so glad we didn't have to go back the way we came. Not only that but we rewarded ourselves with Round Table pizza! That's the only negative thing I can say about Tennessee. There are zero Round Table pizzas.

Before hopping back on the plane for the trip home we browsed around Pike Plaza. We visited the very first ever Starbucks (been there before but this is the first photo), bought some yummy Piroshky for lunch, walked around a bit and called it a day.