Florida Winter 2022

 

  This winter in Florida was a fun, creative year for me!  I took a class on taking pictures on your phone, tried a watercolor class for the first time, created a few things in sculpture and completed a piece of stained glass.  Watercolor was much more fun than I expected and I was actually very surprised that I am better at it than I would have ever thought and got more compliments than I would have ever expected.  I guess my take away is......try new things and be open to new experiences anyway!

It was also a monumental year for John because he sold his much loved '70 GTO.  We had enjoyed the many visits to Old Town with friends, waving to the crowd during the parade, tiara and all and the attention that she got on the road.  But alas "The Other Woman" became a bit high maintenance so it was time for her to go.  All good things eventually come to an end and it was a little sad to see her go but now she will bring many years of delight to another couple. 

 

  It was also a time of much fun and gratitude as we were able to once again see old friends we had been denied access to for 3 years.....Covid was an unwelcome visitor!!  We met Tom and Tris, Maureen and Ed, Char and Carmello and had a wonderful gathering.  It felt like old times with long time connections that were so welcome and heartfelt!

We also loved our time in Naples with Julie Wang, then visited Don and JoAnn Cundy with welcome news of Caitlyn's wedding, we had a long lunch with Ruth and Gary Swetnam (and are so grateful that the car accident behind us didn't get us too), hosted Brian Trask for an evening, met and loved my time with Shell and Louise, finally played cards with Denis and Denise, lots of dinners and lunches out with Mike and Carol, dinners with Candy and Darryl, several outings with Bernadette and Brian and even ran into John Reiter at First Pres/Winter Haven.  

We really do have an incredible life and are both so very grateful!!

70 years.....I can hardly believe it!!

 I knew it was coming!  It is hard to ignore a BIG birthday and John had prepared me for the fact that we would be CELEBRATING in Greenville this year but I had no idea what the plans were.  When I walked into the Fellowship Hall at St. Giles thinking that I was taking care of Huck and Finch for a bit for Adam and Meg I had NO IDEA what was waiting for me! The room was filled with church friends, neighborhood friends, camping friends, friends from long ago and lots of family. (some that I had just seen the previous weekend for Thanksgiving)  And we even went to Raleigh for Thanksgiving as a part of the plan so that the Raleigh crowd could come to Greenville the next weekend for this big bash!  This party had been in the works since early summer, gathering letters from so many to put in my book, collecting video from friends that live far way, and numerous phone calls from Jenna to John because of "car questions!" wink, wink!!

I am so incredibly blessed and grateful for family and and so many friends over the span of my 70 years!  The video was incredible and brought friends who could not attend in person to join in the day!  As Jenna said, " It was a good day!"  How did I get so lucky but I am indeed one LUCKY Nana! 

Thanks so much to all who came and especially John for celebrating my life with such love!!

Love to all...... Krista, Malcolm, Elissa, Celia, Lily, Jenna, Jonn, Jack and Sam!!

Colorado 2021

 Colorado is varied, colorful, and wild!  Rocky mountain National Park encompasses 265,808 acres of a spectacular range of mountains.  The weather was perfect, the vistas were amazing and the wildlife was abundant.  I especially fell in love with the Aspen trees which are everywhere!!

 We took a side trip while in Colorado Springs, destination Del Norte for the night where John "had the best hamburger he had ever had in his life" .We traveled the Silver Thread Scenic Highway thru Cripple Creek and onto Lake City.  Cripple Creek is the most pristine, serene valley highlighted by the Colorado river running through it and surrounded by lush mountains.  Lake City is a quiet, clean little community that brings pause and makes you want to stop and stay for a while.

"

Pikes Peak rises to an elevation of over 14,000 ft with warning of Altitude Sickness, which we happily avoided.  The drive us was all clear blue skies and fluffy white clouds.  Unfortunately the top was wet, soggy and socked in with rain clouds for the day.  But the visitors center at the top was very interesting and the drive was scenic, breathtaking and worth the visit.  Can't even imagine what the yearly Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Race must be like!!

Garden of the Gods, in Colorado Springs, is like a mini Arches National Park. What stands out about this location is there are no other red rock formations anywhere in the area and that although it is a National Park it was set aside as a free park so it would forever be accessible to the public!! Beautiful!

Manitou Cliff Dwellings in Manitou Springs are fascinating architecture of the Anasazi Indians. These cliff dwellings were relocated and replica of ancestral housing. 

Great Sand Dunes National Park in Alamosa is a sand dune field encompassing 30 square miles with the tallest dune towering 750 feet high.  Amazingly impressive!  And we went back that evening and took in the night sky, simply beautiful!

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is a 3 foot narrow-guage heritage railroad that runs the 64 miles from Antonito, CO to Chama, NM.  It is a slow ride through the prairie with crossroads of wagon trails warning of a train crossing! 

And Granddaughters are the best too!!

This year felt more like "normal" as we were able to take the girls for our yearly camping trip!! We visited the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, The campground had a high ropes course which I knew they would love and they did. It was sheltered by a beautiful canopy of trees with obstacles and zip lines!! John even ventured into the tree tops and I "made the sacrifice" and took photos from the ground! 

 

We went to a water park, checked out the Roanoke Star,

and indulged on some fabulous ice cream.

 

Teenagers are some of the most crazy, excited, fun loving, terrifyingly enthusiastic people that I know!! And our granddaughters are no exception!  I just love spending time with them.  I love it when they ask me about their mom and aunts as children.  I love their silly laughter! I love their curiosity!!

 

The BLOOMS came to town!

 What a treat for TJ, Laurie, Emma and Kendall to come for a visit!!  When they travel they bring their supersized motor home and this time we were included in their swing on a visit to the south!

It was fun to show them where we live, visit downtown Greenville, introduce them to SOUTHERN barbecue, Kansas City has nothing on us, and to enjoy a pontoon boat ride on Lake Jocassee!

Grandsons are simply the best!!!

 
We got to go camping again!!  This campground in Hillsville, VA is a great place for kids, complete with a pool, water slides, paddle boats and lots of shaded campsites.  The weather was perfect and we all had a great time!  I say it every time but I love getting the kids out in the woods to play games, and make a campfire and smores and act like kids!!  We are the luckiest of grandparents!!  The boys were so good and I think they really have come to appreciate our time together in the woods!