Where have you been?

Today is Saturday, March 17, 2012 - St Paddy's Day - and I am at Lake Bernard pondering the warming trend in our weather which signals the start of spring. We have already done the "spring forward" thing and the temperatures outside are in the teens with forecasts showing the early 20s as the week progresses. It is a nice feeling to know that once again we will have clear days and warm weather.

Since I last wrote on this blog we have spent very little time on vacation. However, we have managed a trip to Pemberton to visit with our son Gray, his wife Bree and their newest addition to the family Skylar (June 6, 2011). We managed that trip in late June to meet this cute little lady and we stayed for a full and short week. In addition we travelled to Pemberton o be there for Christmas along with Tara-Lee. Both trips were wonderful and fun filled as we learned about and watched our first grandchild learn to do things for the first time.

In addition, Freddi and I went to Hawaii to rest in Kauai and then to explore the Big Island. Our week in Kauai at the condo was very quiet with the exception of a good round of golf and some mud-riding on 4 wheelers (ATVs). Otherwise we relaxed, read, slept, ate and enjoyed drinks with umbrellas. On the Big Island we stayed in a Marriott that was well equipped so we didn't really have to stray too far. We managed to get into a helicopter and viewed the island from above. During that tour we were exposed to a open and active volcano for the first time. That was an experience. During that flight we learned about how lava is formed, how it moves and how long it takes to be re-vegetated (new word?) after the lava has cooled down. We also played golf on the island and toured in our rented "Thug car" Grand Marquis. During our exploring we happened upon a renter of kayaks and off we went to view and play among the wild dolphins just off shore. Very cool experience for sure.

That has been it since we last wrote about our travels. Right now we are in the planning stage of a new vacation cruise that will involve some good friends and family. It is my intent to blog some about our experiences during that trip. My next blog will outline the cruise, the ports of call and some of the activities that have been planned to date. I need to get back to writing and this is the best way that I know how to do this.
Until my next note - stay well and breath happily.