Forty-five years ago on September 7th, 1980, MFI and I were married on the grounds of the Rainbow Lodge along the Buffalo Bayou in Houston, TX. Several days later we flew to Jacksonville, rented a car, and drove to our honeymoon condo at The Amelia Island Plantation, where we enjoyed nearly a week of golfing…among…
MFI and I had our 75th and 74th birthdays, respectively, during our stay in Hollywood, FL. Sarah planned a dinner celebration for each of us after eliciting our desires regarding preferred atmosphere and cuisine. She offered us options based on our preferences, and we were treated to two wonderful family dinners out on the town….
The biggest project on Michael and Sarah’s list was paneling the ceiling (yes, I said ceiling) of the dining area, kitchen, living room, and hallways to the two bedrooms. After first hearing about this, MFI and I expressed trepidation to each other. We had never applied paneling to a ceiling before, hence no experience, and…
One of the primary reasons we returned to visit the Gomez Family this summer was to attend three important events for Happy. First, we celebrated his birthday; second, we witnessed his graduation from VPK; and third, we attended his first Hip Hop Recital. This guy was on a high ever since we arrived. Upon request,…
We committed to the Gomez Family, grandson Happy in particular, that we’d be there to celebrate his 5th birthday. That required we depart Coronado Island on 28 April and travel 2,665 miles in 13 days. We were challenged by longer driving distances between stops (306 to 437 miles) , and only being able to stop…
The drive from Seal Beach to San Diego was only an hour and a half, but because our check-in wasn’t until 2 pm, we lunched at Nectarine Grove Cafe & Bakehouse in Encinitas just to kill time. They served only “fresh and organic, 100% gluten-free, local, and sustainable meals.” Ohh-kay, we must be in California….
The drive from Needles to Seal Beach (pop. 23,896) was 264 miles across the Mojave Desert. We stopped in Barstow, CA (pop. 23,915) and got our second cup of coffee, filled our personal thermoses for the remaining drive, ate lunch at Panera Bread, and had Arthur cleaned at Blue Beacon Truck Wash. We’re new fans…
We had not visited with Chad and family for two years, and it was time. Heading north in early March was risky, but given our schedule for the next four months, it made sense to go now. It required two stops to get there: Tonkawa, OK (pop. 2,980) and Merriam, KS (pop. 11,098), a Kansass…
We left Arthur decorated until after the New Year. It wasn’t until we took down the decorations that the strange weather happened. The first event was the biggest snowfall of the season, although very little snow fell during our stay overall. The second event was heavy rainfall, sufficient enough to flood the street corner where…
This was the third time we’ve stayed at Sandy Lake RV and Tiny Home Park in Carrollton, TX (population 139,248). Not the best campground really, but we hadn’t found a suitable alternative that met our needs: reasonable cost; close to interstate highways; and convenient to Jon’s family in Richardson, the condo in Arlington, and our…
