Finally Relaxing, Really at "Home!"

We are feeling like we are truly home and Mary in the office here was nice enough to put us in the same unit - #616 -for 3 weeks (2 weeks of our floats and one bonus week 53) and then our 2 fixed weeks will be in the same unit, as usual - #609. Fixed weeks check in on Saturdays and floating weeks on Sundays, so we'll have a day overlap, which we like since it makes it easier to move. This schedule makes it more relaxing too!

We have already connected with our friends, so that makes it even more like home!

It's unusually cold here so far -- the Flordia orange growers will be hurt -- but is supposed to warm up the for weeend. There is, however, a great indoor pool here so Joan is on her way!

Dec 25th Beautiful Travel day!

Temps are in the 70’s, driving across Florida on I-4, to go one of our favorite timeshares, Townhouses at St Augustine Beach and Tennis Club. We bought another floating week last November on eBay (for $1, no closing costs) and have already traded it and another week for Hawaii next December. But since we love staying here too, that is always an option for the future. This January, we’ll be here 5 weeks.

Had a little scare on the way over, starting up the van, it died every time we tried to move out of the parking lot. But, we kept it running for a while, and it was okay. Christmas Day, not a good time to have car problems.

Met our friends Nancy and Stu at wyndham Ocean Walk in Dayton Beach and together we pooled our food and fixed a great Christmas dinner!

Dec 24th Walking on the Beach on Christmas Eve

Ron fixed the printer problems, so we were “back in business.” Got things printed and mailed, made some online photo shows, then needed to begin packing for leaving on Saturday, but had time to walk on the beach. Not crowded! Peaceful! The birds did not even move when we walked by. Everything the beach could be!

Ron has said about this beach: You know, Hawaii beaches are not as big as this one!

Oops! Does that mean he prefers Florida!!??

Dec 21st A Printer “Snag”

Printing up Christmas cards and the printer suddenly decided not to print in Print Shop® on Joan’s laptop, reformatted into MS WORD, still did not print, or in any programs. Moved the file to Ron’s laptop, it printed once, then quit. Ron did a program FIX and tried printing again. It prints, but very slowly….

....more “wasted” time in Paradise?

December 20th Are We Funny, Odd, or Pitiful?

Here we are, in an oceanfront unit on the Gulf, and our main concern is finding an Office Depot (or such) to get more cardstock to print up more Christmas cards. Well, and walking on the beach and swimming laps in the pool later on when it warms up.

What a waste of a beachfront week, you might say. (We might say that, too!) But, two things make us this way. First of all, we are just “living” as any of you do, doing what is necessary and needing to get done those everyday things that we all need to do (yes, even doing the laundry regularly takes time away from the Beach!) As we said in the beginning, we are just living, but somewhere warm!

And also, secondly, it’s like a recovery time: we were so busy in Seattle, that it takes a few days to unwind and relax. Surely, it’s not what our son suggested: we are getting too tired! He said, “Traveling does take a toll on the body.” Surely not that!

Today we ran other errands besides the cardstock, which took up much of the day’s time. We came back for a late lunch and found the sun shining in, too. Beautiful view to the Gulf! We sat and luxuriated in the sun!

We're Here! In Florida!

We realxed as soon as we landed!

Now we have checked into Jamaican on the Gulf timeshare condo in Treasure Island, on the Gulf Coast. We have a surprisingly large 1 BD, all units are ocean front. We are just relaxing today.

December 18th We’re here…in FLORIDA! At last!

And as we landed, we started to relax. Amazing!

What does that mean? Does it mean that this is “HOME”?

We landed in Daytona Beach Wednesday afternoon and our friend, Buzz, who had kept our car, picked us up and we stayed with him a couple of days. We are in Treasure Island, FL this week on the Gulf side, just north of St Pete Beach at the Jamaican on the Gulf property, an RCI exchange. Very nice...small, homey, we have a 1 BD which is surprisingly large, all units ocean front.

We took a walk on the beach, which had a very interesting cloud cover.

December 12 RAIN RAIN RAIN RAIN… = Seattle!

RAIN RAIN RAIN RAIN… in the dark, driving in the Seattle traffic = NO FUN! It was bad enough to have the unusual snowstorm for Thanksgiving week, but then, we were already safely up in Oak Harbor with Joan’s dad, so we didn’t get stuck in the snowy roads as so people did, but for many days later, we had the normal 40’s degrees and rainy days which last pretty well from September through June, and Joan especially was pretty miserable.

It would be okay if we didn’t have to go out all the time in it.

We are anxious to get back to F L O R I D A!

5 Concerts in 4 Days? Yes!

Ron always wanted to be able go to lots of concerts and thought that when he retired he’d have more time to go. But… is there a limit to how many concerts? Apparently, no!

Being in Seattle during the Christmas season means the kids (of both generations) are playing concerts non-stop! Winnie plays in the Nutcracker pit orchestra and in past year’s has gotten us tickets, but this year, we were swamped with other family member concert participations. Our son, Andy, is in the Northwest Symphony and the Seattle Civic Band, and this year, Natalie joined him in those two groups as well as playing in the Junior Symphony, her school band, a special Christmas church band, and an additional invitation to play the trumpet part for Interlake High School Chamber Orchestra in Bellevue.

The Concerts We Went To

Thanksgiving weekend:
Friday noon, Junior Symphony (of the Seattle Youth Symphony), Seattle Center House (Natalie)
Saturday morning, Junior Symphony Rehearsal in North Seattle (Natalie)
Sunday afternoon, Federal Way Symphony (Clayton)
Monday noon, 8th grade band at Seattle Center House (Clayton and Natalie)
Monday evening, Bronn Journey concert, at Issaquah Theatre (a wonderful and funny harpist http://www.bronnjourney.com/)

The next weekend (they played more places, but these are only the ones we attended):
Friday night Christmas, special musical service at Eastridge Church in Issaquah (Andy, Clayton and Natalie)
Saturday night, Seattle Civic Band at the Greenwood Salvation Army church (Andy and Natalie)
Monday night, 8th grade band concert (Clayton and Natalie, including Jazz Band)
Tuesday night, Interlake High School in Bellevue (Natalie)
Trivia question: How many times did Natalie play the whinny for “Sleigh Ride” this year? WOW! Too many to count????

Clayton and Natalie wanted to go busking in downtown Seattle as many days as possible before Christmas (“busking” is playing music on the streets) like they did last year, but it rained all weekend. So they’ll need to wait until next weekend!

Other activities in Seattle for us to do!

Meanwhile, we also had the new (used) mini-van repaired, but also had to be towed by AAA one night, we cleaned condos, had another birthday dinner (Natalie), had a celebratory dinner for Clayton being hired by the Federal Way Symphony, completed two projects at Andy’s house (repaired a pocket door and stove hood), taught Faith – we had various projects, including a great interest in chicken bones! -- shopped and wrapped for Christmas, made the Christmas cards, had church activities (our church friends figured out that we get NO rest at all in Seattle), visited in Oak Harbor again, visited with Joan’s mother each day that we could, but the worse was….




…DRIVING IN THE RAIN!

DEC 3 TUG Summary Update

We planned on timesharing 2 years...but now? We don’t know. We are pretty well booked up through March, 2012 and still have places we want to go. Although, as I have said before, we keep going back to the same places we have been, we liked them so well.We do know we will eventually need a permanent retirement home, yes, but where???

We thought 2 years would be enough to decide, but we are still undecided. We like TOO many places!

Of course, family plans, issues, and concerns make things more complicated. With Joan's stepmother passing of last week and the "phone call" meant that we quickly changed our plans.. got on the best Delta flight we could and also found the best place to leave our vehicle for the extended period.....and that still leaves her mother at 91, her father at 93 and Ron's mother at 89. Couple that with grandchildren activities we would like to be a part of....no, we really do not go just wherever we want to! We do have the freedom to choose, of course....and have chosen to be with family and Ron's military reunions.

We have finally said that we must begin to seriously decide: so the question is, where does it feel most like “home?”

November 30th Return to Oak Harbor for Betty’s Graveside Service

We returned to Oak Harbor Monday in order to be with Joan’s dad and attend the graveside service Tuesday morning. It was very very cold, but a very nice small service. The saddest part was when at the end of the service, Joan’s father said, “Goodbye, Betty.”

We stayed Tuesday for lunch and dinner with Joan’s dad; what great food they have at the retirement center (Regency of Whidbey).

November 24th and 25th = Two Birthdays

Since Wednesday was Joan’s birthday and Thursday was Clayton’s, we had celebrations adjoining the other activities. Wednesday lunchtime with Joan’s father and brother and sister-in-law (Dave and Linda) made for a nice close family time.

Thursday breakfast, then, with Joan’s father and Andy’s family was Clayton’s gift-giving time, and Clayton’s cake was shared after Thanksgiving dinner with the extended family. The Regency kitchen staff was wonderful in providing lots of food and even special orders for the kids. They let us have a special table for each meal so it was easy to get together and celebrate.

We are now giving books to the grandchildren with a cash gift inside. It is always a surprise for them to see the bills when they flip through the book. This time, we were able to get new $2 bills!

Nov 24th A Beautiful Memorial Service for Betty

The Memorial Service turned out to be beautiful and well-attended. Although it was still cold and icy, the roads were somewhat better for travel, and Joan’s brother and wife were able to come up from Seattle and also Andy and Winnie and family and Keenan came and to stay Wednesday night to participate in the planned extended family Thanksgiving dinner. They were able to stay in a large Regency apartment, which was available for nightly rentals, so it was very handy.

Andy and Winnie had been asked to supply special music, and at first, just Andy and Nathalie were going to play trumpets, but then with Keenan available too (on trombone), they made a brass quartet (2 trumpets, tuba, and trombone.) They played one of Betty’s favorite hymns, “How Great Thou Art.”

Lots of good family time, everyone had a chance to greet Joan’s dad; it was a wonderful time together.

November 22nd Monday Suddenly an Unexpected and Unusual Snowstorm

It started to snow Monday morning and by noon the whole western Washington area was shut down or should have been because we are talking about TONS of accidents! !! Joan's brother, Dave, was coming up to see my dad; it took an hour for him to drive 8 miles on north I-405, then he got the 10:00 am ferry, started on the road north on Whidbey Island to Oak Harbor, and about 11 am we heard the road was closed between Coupeville and Oak Harbor, too many accidents and a bus crosswise. I called Dave right away; he said it was horrible there too, and he was turning around. It snowed all day Monday and the roads only got worse in Seattle. Deception Pass Bridge, the way to come to Oak Harbor from the north was closed. It took a gal 5 hours to get there from Anacortes, 20 miles away; she just had to wait in the car for the bridge to open, no way to turn around. The Navy Base closed their gates for a while, essential personnel only. Hmmmmm, were we essential? Finally opened one so we could go back to our room.

Midwesterners, Seattle weather norms for all falls, winters and springs, my whole life, were 40-45 degrees, cloudy and rainy, with a few degree variations up or down as winter progressed. Maybe one day of snow, one inch, which shut the city down because of the hills. The last couple of years, Seattle has been DUMPED on with snow. Two years ago, the kids had 10 snow days to make up. I did not even know what a snow day was until I moved to the Midwest. The TV news said, with the climate changes Seattle is experiencing, as the second hilliest city in the USA, Seattle has to decide whether to not try to keep business as usual or purchase more snow equipment.

Monday night an Arctic freeze came down from Canada, thus making the roads even worse Tuesday morning! The funeral director canceled the Wed graveside service: too cold, and they even wondered if anyone would be able to come to the Memorial service.

Nov 20-21 Weekend in Oak Harbor

We visited with Joan’s dad Saturday and took him to church Sunday, first time he had been in 6 months, since he had been staying fulltime at Betty’s side. He is a very positive person, so was in good spirits.

Nov 19th New Car and North to Oak Harbor

Well, new to us! A 2002 Town and Country mini-van. We need to be able to take 3 grandchildren and a tuba! We picked up the new van Friday morning in Lake City, then back to SEA-TAC to return the rental car, then to the Renton storage unit to pick up essentials, then to Andy’s house in Issaquah for the new license, then to Oak Harbor, a 2- hour drive, to see Joan’s dad. Back and forth, around and about!

Joan’s brother was already there: he'd changed all his reservations, too, to be there! Had a good dinner together, they went on home, and we visited with Joan’s dad in his apartment, then went on to the Navy Base to check in. We have a 2 - room suite, small fridge and microwave, very comfortable.

Why did we choose a Town and Country mini-van?

When the transmission went out of the Oasis last month on I-5 north of Seattle, Joan immediately got on the Web on her phone to look for a rental car to carry us through the rest of the visit. She found Advantage rental cars was the cheapest, but they did close at 10:30 p.m. (smaller companies are not 24-hour). We got to their airport office at 10:15 p.m. We had reserved the smallest economy car. They gave us a 2010 Town and Country Mini-van. We couldn’t believe that was our car at first. But it was. Joan loved it! And said, “I want a car like this.” So we got on the Internet and found a used Town and Country. Ron wanted an Expedition….but…..(well, it was a lot more expensive!)

So if we had not been upgraded, there would have been more questions/decisions to make as to WHICH kind of vehicle to get.

Nov 18th DAB-SEA

Left Panama City Beach about midnight last night and drove to Daytona, visited with our friend, Buzz, had lunch and he drove us to the airport. We like going in and out of Daytona’s airport: nice and small! Meanwhile, we changed our Seattle rental car reservation (from Hotwire, they were very nice!), found out the memorial service was to be on the 24th, so changed Keenan’s Delta ticket to Tuesday rather than Wednesday, found a Hotwire hotel for Thursday night in Renton, since the condos were full, and called the Naval Base in Whidbey Island to reserve rooms for the weekend. Called the used car agency in north Seattle to arrange picking up our car.

Nov 17th The Phone Call We Have [Not] Waited For

We have mentioned before that we are essentially keeping within the United States so that we can easily and quickly get to an airport to fly to any place of family need. Two weeks ago, Joan’s father from Oak Harbor, WA, reported that her stepmother, Betty, was going downhill fast, not eating nor drinking, and her sister-in-law visited and said that the end seemed imminent. We were in Branson and began searching for the best airport to fly out of, not particularly an easy thing from Branson, although they have new regional air service there (but not with Delta.) We decided that Memphis might be the closest airport to fly from and to leave our van there for 4 weeks and still be on the way south. Bloomington IL has free parking but a 7-hour drive north, and Joan didn’t want to go north. Jackson, MS, was to be our stopover, a possibility, . and others….. Then, Betty started eating again, sporadically, but we hoped she would last through the holidays and her daughter began planning a family Thanksgiving get-together at the retirement home. We found an airline award ticket for Keenan to join us.

We kept on our schedule, enjoying the Branson days at Big Cedar, checking in for news as Betty seemed to rally. We continued our trip to Panama City Beach as reported above, but today, midweek in Panama City Beach, we got the call. Betty had passed away.

Joan immediately got on the Web to see about changing airline tickets and we decided to drive all night to get into Daytona Beach to leave our car with our friend, Buzz, as planned and fly out on Thursday evening.

Our Friend Got Our Car’s New Title and Registration!

When we had to buy another car in Seattle when ours broke down on the interstate I-5 in October, we wondered how to get it registered in Ohio since we would not be returning there for a while. This last month, our friend Quinn helped us to get the license plates (in Ohio with powers of attorneys to him), and he mailed them to Issaquah. So we'll have to pick up that car next Tuesday. We arrive in Seattle after midnight Tuesday morning the 23rd from Daytona.

Monday November 15th

A storm is brewing so Joan needs to swim before it gets too bad.

We had a visit from Member Services today; the “new” Wyndham “plan” (oh no, not a sales pitch!) seems to be to send someone to the unit of owners for just a “quick visit”, but then when they are with you, they want you to get an appointment with a “specialist” who will be able to analyze your account better. This happened at Mountain Vista in Branson too. There, the young man said our account was all messed up and we needed to see a Specialist to unravel it. Here, the man found three things we needed to become informed about from the Specialist: the new RCI situation, the Wyndham Access Program and a Lifetime Analysis of our account that must be done. He made the appointment for Tuesday, but I called to cancel it. Our past experience is that No Matter What, there will be some reason that we would “need” to buy more points and then we’ll be in a tense and argumentative situation for more than an hour. So we are no longer going to do that. But….how tricky and low key they are now, at first! Apparently, the new buzz word to avoid is Specialist! Or, yes, someone else heard, “Advisor”!
We leave the balcony windows open in the living room (there are nice screens) to hear the wave action. It is SO LOUD today, with the passing storm and winds. As we sit here with the laptops on the dining table, we can see the waves clearly! We are on the second floor, and although most people seem to want to be up high, the pool and beach are so close to the resort, that it is like we are poolside, when we sit on the balcony.

November 13th Florida!

We arrived at the Wyndham Vacation Resorts Panama City Beach about 6 p.m., already dark, and parked on the second level of the parking garage. We were so thankful we had read the TUG reviews so knew that getting to the unit was a MAZE of up and down and around and around. Turns out this condo complex was built about 4 years ago by Ruth’s Steakhouse’s owner who was planning to expand the business into resorts, who then went into bankruptcy, so Wyndham bought ½ the resort about 3 years ago (the Emerald Beach and Spa is still next door with full-time owners) and refurbished it with new furniture, appliances, etc. (We’ve never had such a large and new refrigerator!) The complicated traffic pattern is difficult for short term stays but had been planned for full time ownership. The beds are so comfortable!

It made it especially difficult for us to unload our van, since we have so much stuff. The resort’s choice is for you to use bellmen, but we don’t want to do that since it takes us a long time….and many cartloads. Fortunately, we were able to find a cart and bring one load over to the unit, even though occasionally we have to return to the van to get some forgotten item. That means, however that most stuff is still in the vehicle, but Joan is still able to cook our meals.

Nov 12th-13th The Drive to Panama City Beach

We split the 14-hour drive in two by staying in Jackson, hoping to see Ron’s nephew too, but were unable to connect with him. We came on to Florida, stopping in Pensacola to eat lunch at the Fish House, a wonderful seafood restaurant right on the water. We enjoyed pecan-crusted shrimp.

Nov 5th to 13th Big Cedar Wilderness Club

Rated as the top timeshare resort in Branson, we felt fortunate to be able to go. How beautiful it is! The grounds are gorgeous, and the units are decorated so beautifully.

We thought we would not have a lake view as we were on the 1st floor, but we did. It was so

peaceful to sit on the patio.

The leaf colors were still good. And we saw beautiful sunsets from our room, too.

We particularly were interested in this timeshare since it had such a nice indoor pool, but when Joan swam in it, it was so cloudy, she could not even see the bottom even through her goggles. When she mentioned it to the front desk, they denied it. So that was too bad. (PS: The Mountain Vista pool was great!)

We had great times with our friends, visited the Veterans’ Museum (it was the official Veterans’ Week too in Branson!), walked in Dogwood Canyon, ate lunch at the Uptown Café (live music!), dinner at the Devil’s Pool Restaurant at Big Cedar, and saw three shows: the Platters, the Oakridge Boys and SIX. In order of favorites, the shows we saw during this 3-week visit are
1. SIX
2. Platters

3. Lennon Sisters and Tony Orlando

Our friends are from Washington DC and were so surprised that the shows in Branson mention God and Christmas, being very concerned at home about "political correctness."

October 30th- November 6th Military Reunion

We moved over to Wyndham Mountain Vista for a second week in Branson to participate in Ron’s Army Reunion. Saturday, we had the 6-hour break between units, the check out at 10 a.m. of the Carriage House and checking into Mountain Vista at 4 p.m., so what to do….? We looked in a few stores we hadn’t had time to see before, and then went over to Big Cedar. We had two units reserved at Big Cedar, a 2 BD (RCI exchange) and a Studio (RCI Extra Vacation) beginning Friday the 5th. Friends were coming Saturday for the second unit. I wanted to see if our accommodations were in the same building. Turns out they were not, but Susan said she makes the assignments on Thursday and would try her best to see that we are in the same building, if not on the same floor. (She did, we were right next door!)
The weather was wonderful, so we had lunch at the Big Cedar Lodge’s Truman House Coffee & Cafe on the patio overlooking the lake. It was delightful!

Sunday went to the Gospel Worship Service Sunday at the Hamner-Barber Theatre where we always go when we are in town. Dave Hamner gave a great sermon which correlated with veterans, since Veterans’ Day is Thursday.

The US Army’s German 3rd Battalion of the 71st Air Defense Reunion meets in Branson every two years and we joined them last in 2004. Reunion activities started Tuesday night with registration at the Lodge of the Ozarks and then the Mickey Gilley Show.

Normally we only see one or two shows a week at the most, but this time there was a whole package deal for the reunion. Wednesday, we went to the Dixie Stampede Christmas show and the Hamner-Barber show. Just before intermission, Dave Hamner did a wonderful veterans tribute with an Iwo Jima statue magical appearance which simply awed every veteran in the audience. Intermission came and everyone just sat there, stunned, for some time before moving! Read about it here: http://www.hamnerbarber.com/2010/08/20/hamner-barber-washington-dc/
Thursday we saw the Lennon Sisters and Tony Orlando at the Welk Resort. They sounded just the same as on TV all those years ago; Tony Orlando sang his “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” and told about his trip to Iraq to see the troops. The traveling VietNam Wall was at the Welk Resort, too. We saw the Miracle of Christmas show that night. Friday was the banquet.

But, with the banquet at 5 p.m., we would be unable to check into Big Cedar Wilderness Club prior to it. So we loaded the van that morning with a majority of our items and after the banquet, went over to Big Cedar, checked in, and unloaded. Then, we checked out of Mountain Vista Saturday morning, taking the rest of the stuff, but it was not so difficult with the overlapping day.

October 24th…Finally to Branson!

We are at the Carriage House at Surrey Vacation Resort, a 3 BD timeshare condo, visiting with Ron’s brother, mother, and 2 others for our first week in Branson this year. Of course, lots of visiting and shopping –shopping on their part, not Joan’s. Fun just to look around and relax. Here's a photo of the unit with Joan's special homey touches.

October 17th-24th, One Week, 3 Visits, 5 Moves

Rochester, Minnesota
Stayed two nights at the Comfort Suites with Choicehotels points which would be expiring December 31st and then one more night at the Comfort Inn. Visiting Ron’s 98-year old Aunt Velva. She is very alert and walks quite well with a walker. They shared family information for the genealogy listings. Had a real good time.

Brighton, IA
Went from there to southeast corner of Iowa to stay 2 nights with a great friend of Joan’s, Judy Duke and her husband, who purchased a 100-acre horse farm upon retiring 7 years ago from teaching chemistry in Yellow Springs Schools.

Springfield, IL
Then two nights to visit our son, Keenan, staying one night at Days Inn and one night at his house. We were very busy visiting with the children and running errands and doing projects.

Oops! - Blood Test Is Higher

Oct 11th, we returned to Telemark and planned to enjoy another week until the 17th, and another blood test for Ron on that Wednesday! The lab results of the pancreatic enzymes that day showed that they were higher, so the doctor was very concerned and we even wondered if we would need to stay another week in Cable to continue to see those doctors and the G-I doctor on staff. They scheduled another blood test for Friday to see if there would be a different number. Meanwhile we asked Marge at Telemark if another week would be available to stay (owners’ last minute weeks, if available at $199/week.) There was.

We saw the doctor Friday with another blood test and got the results that afternoon and the enzymes were much lower! So they felt good about saying we could continue our trip. But…..see a doctor and get another blood test!

We left Wisconsin for points south on Sunday October 17th.

October 8th, Seattle Car Breaks Down on I-5

We were coming back from Oak Harbor, visiting Joan’s father and stepmother, who is very ill. Sure enough, the transmission which we knew was on its last legs, but were hoping for a slower decline than this, lost its high gear, but Ron was able to drive to SEA-TAC in second gear to rent a car and then stumble back to the condo parking lot, with only 1 gear left, the low gear. The repair estimation back in April had been $5,000 and that was more than the Blue Book of an excellent conditioned car! So….we were just hoping to last a year…but, no.
We got on the Internet and located a 2002 Town and Country for a good price in Lake City and looked at it and paid for it on Saturday. However, the problem of licensing in Ohio was harder than we thought since it had been easy from the dealer in Florida 3 years ago. So we left Monday morning, knowing we had selected a satisfactory car, but not knowing exactly when and how to get it licensed. We will not be returning until November 22nd so have time to research that.

October 5th At the MSP Airport

We flew in from Duluth. Walking down the concourse in MSP, Joan felt like she’d like to be going to Mexico now, instead of Seattle.

Where did that come from?

Ron said he wasn’t ready yet! Ah well, next February.

September 30th -October 1st Children’s Literature Conference

The lodge at Telemark is closed so the conference was held at another resort, Lakewoods. Very enjoyable with Deb Malesevich of TEFI, a great organization! Go to http://www.telemarkresort.com/ and click on TEFI.

and Bev Bauer of Redbery Books, my favorite bookseller. Go to her website http://www.redberybooks.com/ to get good ideas of books to read. She has a great BLOG about books too.

September 29th Another Lab and Dr Decker

WOW! We are ready to sign up as his regular patients! Very knowledgeable and practical. And very helpful. Said Ron could drive and lift again, and going to Seattle next week should be no problem. Will have another lab test upon returning from Seattle.

September 22nd Blood Tests

What a great deal! The little clinic here in Cable, WI can handle all kinds of medical events, even some surgeries. Three doctors on staff, even a G-I specialist. They are associated with the hospital in Hayward. And….what personal service! Donna, the tech, went above and beyond to help. Ron’s results are returning to normal, slowly but surely.

September 21st Telemark again!

Joan here again: We have arrived here for our annual visit, as you who have followed this account know – and there are photos on the other posts about Telemark, our favorite timeshare which is in upper northern Wisconsin. We are scheduled for 4 weeks in the same unit, #202 at the Pointe on the lake, thus allowing Ron to rest up and recover. He usually goes fishing, renting a little fishing boat from the resort, but he won’t be able to this time, at least for a while. We have checked where he can get the follow-up blood tests and the walk-in clinic in Cable that just opened up last year can do it!

The tree colors are beautiful…a little earlier than normal, maybe.

HOSPITAL!

Joan here: Thursday, Ron had severe stomach pain - well, also Wednesday... (he had been complaining of stomach pain intermittently on and off for a year or so and the doctor in Ohio was aware of it, but....)
So, I took him to ER early Thursday morning to the nearest hospital which was in Ottawa, IL, 12 miles south.
Tests in the ER diagnosed it as pancreatitus, inflammation of the pancreas, and with super high blood work results, he was admitted to the hospital. After X-rays, CT scans, an ultrasound, etc, showed a duct from the pancreas was blocked – so NO FOOD ALLOWED! – Saturday, an ERCP (endoscopy procedure) unplugged the duct and they said there was nothing else, e.g. no tumor.

The hospital was super nice, small, and I was very impressed with the doctors and nurses. It was so nice just to drive on non-busy roads, park near the door without charge, and not have a huge maze to find your way through, good food in the cafeteria, extra friendly people. It was a good experience, as hospital experiences go (which we do not have many of!)

Meanwhile, I had to check out of the Fox River Resort Saturday morning, so Thurs and Fri, I had to leave the hospital early evening in order to pack things up. I barely made everything in the van…Ron is our “loader.” I thought I had lots of room left, until I put the suitcases in the back, then all the room “disappeared.” But I did get everything in!

Then the resort allowed us to stay in a unit for 2 more days - medical emergency, Sat and Sun nights, so that was a GREAT gift!

He got out of hospital Sunday, so we're on our way to northern Wisconsin, to one of our favorite timeshares, Telemark, in Cable, WI. It was a very good thing we went to the ER and got this taken care of. With pancreatic tubes blocked, no digestion could occur!

We are in the Dells area tonight, at a GREAT Comfort Suites (really in Portage, just off the interstate). Ron can’t drive or lift anything more than 5 pounds (that means not even a gallon of milk!) I wanted to break up the drive and allow him to relax tonight too, so we decided to spend 2 days to get to Cable.

We both wondered if maybe this would mean we would have to stop this nomadic way of life... but looks like we can continue, but with an even more strict diet!

The Day Joan Dreaded: Will It Fit?

We returned from our son’s Keenan’s home in Illinois on Sept 10 to Ohio to begin to load the van with the Stuff that was left in the 10x10 storage unit in Springfield, Ohio. We needed to be able to completely empty it into the van for our continued travels. Essentially, everything there was what we had brought with us in May for storage there, but…..well, it SHOULD have been just that Stuff, but was it? Had we added more Stuff? Who knew if it would really fit!?

September 13, 2010 We’re Home!

Home? Well, no, not really, but sure feels like it! We arrived at Silverleaf’s Fox River Resort in Sheridan, IL, (the only one near Chicago) tonight, so we were able to make ourselves at home in a large beautiful 2 BD lockout unit, one of the newer ones up the hill. We could unpack all those special things that make the bare unit look like HOME! Unloading the van and setting up our things is so much better than just living out of suitcases!
We are staying at this timeshare so that Ron can visit his relatives that live in the Chicago area. One cousin did not answer his calls, however, so we are really only seeing three groups: his aunt and uncle, our good friends Marv and Myrna, whom we met in St Augustine and we see in Puerto Vallarta also, and another cousin. Meanwhile, we have been able to relax and recover and Joan washed clothes ALL DAY to catch up.
Yes, we are “home,” now, beginning our Fall 2010 trek.

September 12, 2010 Finishing up!

Today, we needed to completely empty the 10x10 storeroom to be able to leave right after Ron’s early doctor’s appointment Monday morning. After church services and a fun dinnertime with friends, we went to work and YES! Ron was able to empty the storage unit into the van! We were set to go: just one more night in a suitcase!

Joan played again in the church service with Quinn at the piano!

Yes, This Was The Month That We Did NOT Enjoy as Full-time Timesharers

This was the Working Month to finish “picking up the pieces” in Ohio and checking in with doctors, etc.

Sorting Stuff and loading again? … Who wants to do that?
Living out of suitcases, and moving every couple of days, instead of being in nice condos for 4 weeks? … Who wants to do that?
Making three 10-hour round trips in three weeks with the prospects of having to unload the trailer you just loaded? … Who wants to do that?
Well, we decided it needed to be done, so we did it! But…the GREAT thing was that we were actually able to get out of the Springfield, Ohio storage unit! But now that our STUFF – ah, what Stuff we all keep! – is out of Ohio and in Illinois, we feel very good and relieved about it. The storage unit in Illinois, half the cost of the one in Ohio, has a very high ceiling. Ron made special free-standing shelves, so we could load things quite high up – light boxes on top, of course -- so we gained a lot of space! And so, we, effectively, are out of Ohio.
The other GREAT thing about it was that we got to spend time with our son, Keenan at his home, and we had fun planning and working in the garden together.

With No House, What?

We needed to renew our drivers’ licenses and automobile tags. We still have legal residency in Ohio so we also ordered absentee ballots. We renewed our box at the UPS store in Fairborn, Ohio, for another year. The couple that own that shop are so nice and send the mail whenever we request it to wherever we are.
In addition, another glitch: Ron’s doctor wanted a follow-up visit in 30 days. Oops! We had not planned for that. We’d be in the Chicago area then, in a timeshare there.

What to do?
We decided to return to Ohio on Friday the 10th so Ron could get his lab work done in time for the doctor appointment on Sept 13th. We would just go late to our week’s reservation at the timeshare near Chicago.

More Packing Up in August

Returning to Ohio, we again went to the storage unit, this time with a trailer and John, Quinn’s nephew, whom we hired to help load the trailer, as we had a couple of very heavy furniture items to move. We had gotten rid of all our furniture except special family or antique items, which made very few furniture items, but those were there, a couple of them were too heavy for the two of us. John had worked for a moving company for four years and so he was very helpful in loading the trailers to their maximum! He also helped the next week to load another and last trailerload which enabled us to clear out the larger (10x30) of the two storage units we had in Ohio. We had rented the smaller 10x10 in May to make the sorting process easier and it really helped.
So we made 3 trips this month, one with just a van full and then 2 trailerloads, back and forth, back and forth to Springfield IL. We got to know that road quite well! After the last load on August 26th, we dropped the trailer in Illinois as we were going to Chicago that weekend for Ron’s aunt’s 90th birthday party. Hopefully all that was left in the 10x10 unit then would go into the van when we started out for our fall trip north.
The evening of the 26th, we were able to see the grandchildren at Culver’s with their mother, and when we returned on Sunday the 29th, we saw them at Keenan’s house. We had a Project that day: moving 3 tons of rock over to the drainage trench which was to look like a streambed. Yes, it did! And it also worked successfully when it rained! We made moving the rock a game….!

The Month That Was – August 2010

We left Kona on July 30th, returning to Seattle, where we stayed in our son’s condos for a week, needing to move from one to another midweek as they were rented out at different times. Of course, we had a great time visiting the family there. We have a wonderful video of our son, Philip (Andy) giving granddaughter Natalie trumpet tips on the “Carnival of Venice” which she was to perform with the Sammamish Symphony later in August. The home Project to help with was pulling up the carpet for their new carpeting to be installed the following week.
We returned to Dayton, Ohio on August 7th and stayed with our friend Quinn, in Xenia, Ohio, while we saw doctors and dentists and continued to sort our items in the storage unit in Springfield, Ohio.     
     We planned to take more over to our oldest son’s in Springfield, Illinois, hopefully to clear out those Ohio storage units. He also wanted to have us help plan his front yard landscaping, so we had that to look forward to. It did require careful planning for us to visit as his ex- has full custody of the two children, but he has them ½ the time and we are not allowed to see them without special advance permission from her, so he had to “trade” days with her, planning carefully.
     Our first trip was without a trailer, to go as soon as we could, and take over some things he has requested, esp a desk for grandson, Joseph. Joan wanted to take the artificial Benjamin fig; Ron said, “No, he doesn’t want that, there’s no room,” but it fit in, and when Keenan saw it, he said, “Great, for my living room!” and Joan said, …yes, you guessed it: “I thought so!”
     The first night we were there, we went to the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) “Star Party” out at the Emiquon land lab with to see the meteor shower so we were able to meet a number of Keenan’s colleagues.
     On that first trip, we also rented a storage unit there so as not to overpower our son’s basement! and were able to make a lot of progress in the garden work, most notably, digging out a trench for drainage, planning the new beds, and selecting a decorative crabapple.

July 30, 2010 Where to Retire? We Know!….But…

We went to Hawaii this summer to see if it was too hot there in summertime. Well, it was better there than almost anywhere in the whole eastern part of the USA! too hot there, perfect in Kona! We loved it there, but two problems with retiring there: 1) it is so far away from the mainland and family…granted, our friends there said people love to visit you in Hawaii, but they admitted that it costs too much for their families to visit very often, and 2) the VOG on the Big Island is getting worse. So many people here have breathing problems…..???? So, for now at least, that wonderful retirement thought is on hold.

You can guess that we hated to leave, though.

We flew out of Kona on July 30, 2010.

Sunset again

A short 10-minute drive took us to the Old Airport Park to watch the sunset tonight and fly Ron’s kite. Very enjoyable, great waves!

We had tried snorkeling again today but my mask leaked, so had to give it up, not happy about that. Sat for a while at Magic Sands Beach and watched the beach boys on their boards.

We will be leaving Kona for Seattle Friday; it will be hard to leave: the extended time has been wonderful. We’re on an Alaska through flight so it will not be too bad. Much better than flying to the East Coast!

So…to the Islands….ALOHA till next time!

Joan here: Many of you have asked how it is possible to live away from a homebase for so long. What I miss most from the house in Ohio was the beautiful garden view from the deck in the summer evenings. Today after I did my laps in the pool (I go here at KHV when it opens at 8 a.m. since otherwise it is too busy), I was sitting a while to dry off and noticed how gorgeously landscaped the pool area was (as is the entire resort, of course), and no one else in the pool, ...it was like having my own pool…and, even though I love gardening, I realized here was a beautiful garden for me to sit and enjoy, but without any maintenance! (Of course, whenever I feel a need to garden, someone is always happy to have me help them!) Last week, at Sea Mountain, down by the black sand beach, when I got out of the pool, I could sit and look at the rocky coastal view! How blessed we are to be able to live at places like these!

Kite-flying in the Old Airport Park!

July 23, 2010
Today we went to the Old Airport Park (after having friends over for brunch) to fly Ron’s new kite, a dual-handled small airfoil. He bought it in St Augustine, a portable one, so he could bring it in the suitcase. This was the first time to fly it.

We found out that
1. a “friend” is required to help. Guess who the “friend” was? (Hint: Joan!)
2. the young man in the shop lied: he said dual line kites were easier! (We guess it’s always easier if you know how!) It was fun, though, since it took more work! The clerk did say to start with a small one, so that was good advice.
3. we would not like to have the flying skills shown today to be responsible for a parasailing person down the beach or the flying car in the jungles for ITEC! (http://www.itecusa.org/)

We had a great time and maybe next time it will be even better.

Afterwards we walked in the Maka'eo Walking/Jogging Path there whic has developed many more new beautifulgardening areas.

The Most Wonderful Potluck That Was!

Tonight we went to the potluck here at the resort which we heard would be led by Aunti Tutu. Advertised as a "Poolside Potluck Picnic Party" = 4 P's!), we didn’t know that Joy is usually there, too, to help present the program and also some interactive activities with Hawai'ian instruments, singing, etc. But this time, Joy couldn’t be there and instead a guest’s 11-year old daughter, from Honolulu who was a hula dancer, danced along with Aunti Tutu singing. What a great and touching show! This little gal also dances competitively at the Queen Lili'uokalani Keiki Hula Competition (which is on TV this Friday night!) There was also a little 3-year old who wanted to dance along, and she was encouraged to join in, too. Aunti Tutu (who is Stephanie Lindsay) encouraged her, saying that is how the young girls learn, they dance along with the older girls, who are careful to dance around them while they also encourage and help them to learn. It was a beautiful program…and good food too.

Our 41st Anniversary July 21

Today was our anniversary, (well, it was really yesterday since we got married in South Korea and it is across the International Dateline– Moonwalk Day – but we celebrate ALL days this week!) (Photo: Seoul Korea, July 21, 1969)

After Joan swam her morning laps, we checked the email and received the good news that SFX had matched a week in Kauai next June! We went snorkeling down at Two-Step Beach near the City of Refuge (Pu’uhonua). There were lots of waves, so even though it was fun, we got roughed up on the lava rocks getting out. We drove up to Kealakekua Bay (Captain Cook’s Bay) and saw lots of spinner dolphins jumping, the we stopped at our favorite coffee tasting place, Royal Kona Coffee Mill. You can sample several coffees and look out on a beautiful ocean and cove view (even though it was covered with VOG today!) We drove up to the Old Airport Park Beach for the sunset, which wasn’t very good since storm clouds made the eastern sky completely black (was it the VOG or rain clouds?) Probably both, since it poured rain later this evening. We just fixed an easy dinner in the condo since we have lots of food to eat by next week!

It was a relaxed Happy Anniversary!

Back to Kona Hawaiian Village

We returned to Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Village for the next and last 2 weeks here, one week with Platinum Interchange and one with Wyndham points. To return to Kona, we drove up the east (Hilo) side of the Island. We visited the Volcano park again and then ate at our favorite restaurant in the town of Volcano, the Ono Café, in the Volcano Garden Arts gallery. We stopped at the Lupahoehoe Train Museum which was great, and then went on to the Waipi’o Valley overlook. We then ate at Jolene’s, which has great tempura, in one of our favorite towns, Honoka’a.
We had our same unit in KHV, 28A, by request, since it has a nice ocean view and sometimes you can hear the waves. (Photo left: view from lanai)

Joan went to the Botanical Walk, led by Joy (activities director) and she shares more than just the flower names: lots of Hawaiian myths and background too. She was so excited when she saw a gecko on a Bird of Paradise flower and said, "Take a picture! Take a picture! and email it to me!"

Tuesday, we went to the Mahalo party led by Aunti Tutu, her brother and Joy and really enjoyed the program. We had seen it last year too, but always enjoy it. We had new friends over for supper that night.

What a wonderful program at the Volcano Art Center in the town of Volcano

Probably the BEST thing we have seen on this visit was the "Niaulani Nature Sing-Along" with the Lava Jam Band with Angie Libadisos and Dina Kageler. Angie plays ukulele and sings with Dina, who plays guitar. It was so inspiring and these two women are real pros as well as so personable.

Here’s the info from the Volcano Art Center’s newsletter: “This 45 minute nature walk designed especially for children and families travels through a lush portion of an old-growth Hawaiian rain forest on an easy, 1/7-mile loop trail. A musical and fun introduction to the native plants and birds of Volcano. VAC's Niaulani Campus, 19-4074 Old Volcano Rd. in Volcano Village. Call (808) 967-8222.”

"ABOUT THE SING-ALONG
Are you wondering what to do with your keiki (youngsters) for the summer? This special 45 minute nature walk is designed especially for children and families, traveling through a lush portion of an old-growth Hawaiian rain forest on an easy, 1/7-mile loop trail. These nature walks are led by musican-educators Dina Kageler and Angie Libadisos of the Lava Jam Band. Their original songs introduce all ages to the native plants and birds of the Kilauea region in a fun and factual way.
LOCATION & DETAILS
The walk starts just one mile from the entrance to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Interested individuals should meet at Volcano Art Center's Niaulani Campus, located on the corner of Kalanikoa at 19-4074 Old Volcano Rd., the main road through Volcano Village, just off Highway 11. No advance reservations are required.
Located at 4,000', the forest at Niaulani can be cool, so participants are encouraged to dress warmly and bring wet weather gear, as walks take place rain or shine along a gravel and dirt trail."

Although the group has been together for years, this is the first summer they have presented this particular show. It was wonderful! They sing their original songs about many aspects of the rain forest as you walk through it together and stop at various sites while they share science and folklore about the sites.

We had previously met Angie at the Volcano Garden Arts gallery and restaurant in Volcano city when we were there for lunch. I think this is our favorite restaurant on the BI. The Ono Café (named after owner and artist Ira Ono) open 11-3 for lunch with original and fresh offerings. We bought the Lava Jam Band CD there and want to work more with them.

Sea Mountain is fantastic! July 10-17, 2010

We exchanged into Sea Mountain for the week of July 10 two-bedroom with Platinum Interchange, actually with a bonus week from them. I was a little leery because of previous reviews and the remote location, very close to the Black Sand Beach. Reviews say: No air conditioning! 20 minutes from the nearest restaurant or grocery store! 2 hours from Costco!
No need to worry. We brought some groceries and again stocked up Sunday when we went back to Kona for church and to meet TUGGERS Cathy and Bruce for lunch and then went to Costco and Safeway. It was about 1 ½ hours back. Oh, BTW, it seems only tourists with rental cars keep the speed limit here!
     Sea Mountain resort is at mile 56 on Highway 11 and a well-marked intersection sign. However, the sign for the resort is on the highway with no signage on the west side, so there is just a sign about checking in at the resort entrance. We got there early but pre-checked in and then walked around and sat at the pool. We already could see that Sea Mountain was gorgeous: beautiful views and landscaping; and the pool overlooks the ocean. We were given a great unit, #72 with a view of the water. In fact, from the 2nd bedroom balcony upstairs we could see TWO beaches, about 90 degrees from each other. This photo is from the 2nd floor balcony.
We were especially concerned about the lack of air conditioning, since it was July. Again, no need to worry. There are ceiling fans in every room, screens on every window with lots of windows and cross-breezes and even a floor fan, just in case (which we did not need.) And it’s also a little cooler down here, than in Kona. And BONUS: Since we have the windows open full time, the bird chorus wakes us in the mornings. It is so wonderful.
     The resort is so close to the water that we could hear the surf from our unit, especially at night. The Black Sand Beach is a short 5 minute walk,  downhill! The first day we were there, we saw 3 turtles! How they can be right where the surf crashes again the rocks and and not get smashed is amazing. Lots of surf there too. There are other short walks to shorelines which have fabulous surf views.

We are mesmerized by the waves and take so many pictures and amazed at the juxtaposition of the waves of the pahoehoe lava and the waves of the water. See photos at
http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4458949009/a=22435551_22435551/

6 Weeks in Kona in the Summer of 2010! June 18, 2010

After returning from DC, we spent a few more days in Seattle and then flew to Kona, Hawaii for a 6 – week stay.


Why so long?

The impetus to be there so long was because we were hoping Joan’s brother, who wholly owns a condo in Kona, would stay for a longer period of time than just a few days, like he usually does. He usually works 24/7 and when we saw him a year and a half ago, he was so relaxed here. So, we hatched a plan! We’d plan to stay for a longer time and maybe he would too! It worked: we booked 6 weeks of timesharing a year out for June/July ’10 (of course, as required) and he stayed 2 ½ weeks, which was great. We did lots of things with him: well, fun quiet things, like Shopping at the new Target, Going snorkeling, Watching the 4th of July parade and fireworks together, Having dinners together, Eating breakfast at LavaJava, and Walking miles with SIL! (Photo: Joan and her brother, Dave.)



We also wanted to check out how hot it really was in the summer. What did we find? It was cooler than almost anywhere on the east coast and Florida!
We stayed our first week at Kona Hawaiian Village (now named Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Resort) and the second at Wyndham Mauna Loa, which is a 5 minute walk to Joan's brother’s condo. It was so fun just to be able to walk up to his place and one night, they walked down to ours for dinner. The 2 BD at Mauna Loa is fabulous! With an ocean view too! http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4436409009/a=22435551_22435551/
I traded these two units with SFX. Then a week back at Kona Hawaiian Village with Wyndham points, for over the 4th. We love this resort; we’ve been here two other years, in 2007 and 2009.

See photos of Kona Hawaiian Resort at http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4484792009/a=22435551_22435551/

South Point is not to be missed! July 10, 2010

We were moving from Kona Hawaiian Village to Sea Mountain in the south (in Punalu’u). We had 6 hours when we were “homeless,” between resorts that are closer than 2 hours apart. So we need something to do, as well as having ice chests to transport the extra food. We borrowed those from friends who live here.

We had wanted to go to the Greenwell Museum but it was closed on weekends so we thought we’d go to the Volcano’s annual Cultural Celebration which ran from 10 a.m. to 3 pm. Of course, check out time at the resort was 10 a.m. and we beat it by a few minutes and were on our way. But as we came to the South Point exit at mile marker 70, we said, how about going there? So Joan drove the 12 miles down to the southernmost point in the USA. It was a nice drive but different. Sights: A beautiful plantation style B&B; a fire truck practice; a very large horse, standing like a statue in the midst of a huge meadow. It was kind of scary driving right past the older windmill farm, three rows of rusty, broken windmills; the newer ones were just over the hill and turning.
As we went down the hill, the nicely paved road grew narrower and narrower and finally was one lane, but with a good shoulder to turn out on if necessary. It got quite rough the last mile or so.
Then, suddenly, we were there and was it windy! There were so many people and vehicles there and tarps and tents. We parked at the first opportunity: good thing, the rest of the vehicles were mostly 4 wheel drives or at least with cars had higher clearances since the driving from then on was over lava. Many people were fishing; thus, the tarps and tents to keep the wind down.
It was amazing. We walked around quite a while taking pictures. But we chose not to walk the 2 ½ miles to the Green Sands Beach (road is 4-wheel drive only) as it was very hot, also. A friend told me later that the walk is very rough, too.
BUT….where was the marker? Maybe I missed it, but I was looking for a marker that said: “The southernmost point in the USA”, but, “No.” By the time we got back to Highway 11, it was late enough for lunch, so we ate in Na’alehu at the Hana Hou Bakery (no not the one with the bread, the other one!) and had GREAT food.