Week 1 – May 1 thru Saturday, May 6

Monday was the first of two travel days for me.  We stayed in a hotel just a few miles from the airport in Portland, Oregon, overnight Sunday/Monday.  Saying goodbye to Mat and Lindsay, Edward and I took the hotel shuttle to the airport and boarded our mid-morning non-stop flight to Orlando.  After taking another shuttle to our off-site parking, Edward drove us back to his home in Ormond Beach (arriving about 9:30 p.m.)  In my Tuesday travels, I drove from Ormond Beach to Sun City, Florida, for a quick visit with Dad.  I had encountered so many bugs coming across the state that my next stop was a car wash.  Finally, I stopped at the grocery store before heading home.  The rest of the week was spent mostly “resting up” from my vacation with the exception of an annual exam with my eye doctor in his Parrish office on Friday.

Week 2 – May 7 thru Saturday, May 13

This week I got back into my “sorta” normal routine.  Dr. Mackie wanted to run more tests on my eyes, so I went to his Bradenton office on Monday to have those done.  He has now referred me to a specialist.  I did my volunteer work on Tuesday and Friday.  On Saturday, I got together with several ladies from church to go see Christian Comedienne,  Chondra Pierce in a movie titled “Roll With It.”

After the mid-afternoon movie, we went to Der Dutchman for supper.   dhgroup.com

3713 Bahia Vista St, Sarasota, FL 34232

Week 3 – May 14 thru Saturday, May 20

Sunday, 5/14, was Mothers’ Day.  I took both granddaughter, Emma, and her friend, Brooke, to church with me and then we went to visit Dad in his memory care center.  When I got home, I found a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my son, J.P., along with a lovely card.

I also joined J.P., Kellie and Emma, that evening for supper.  It was a very nice day.

On Monday, 5/15, I had an appointment with a retina care eye specialist.  He tells me that I have an occlusion in my left eye.

There is blood leaking into it, causing extra pressure within it.  This could be caused by diabetes or high blood pressure.  He wants to see me again in a couple of months to see if it resolves on its own.  In the meantime, he is sending a letter to my primary care physician in case he wants to change any of my medications.

Back to my regular schedule on Tuesday, after volunteering in the church office, I had lunch with Jackie at Caddy’s on the Manatee River in Bradenton.  www.caddys.com   

801 Riverside Dr E, Bradenton, FL 34208.  On Friday, 5/19, I worked in the yard for a couple of hours in the morning, then at the church’s food bank (in 90-degree weather) in the afternoon.  These activities helped me to decide to stay in the house and rest most of the day on Saturday.

From Sunday, May 21 through Wednesday, May 31st,  I did all my routine things: church, volunteering and visiting Dad.

Emma and I went to church to participate in a workday on Saturday, 4/1.  We started by refreshing story-boards for the church’s 65^th anniversary “homecoming” celebration tomorrow and stuffing plastic Easter eggs for the hunt scheduled for next Saturday.  Then we went to visit Dad in Sun City where we learned that his memory center has recently put four chickens in a pen on the down-stairs patio.  As we walked around the pen looking at the four chickens, this black and white speckled hen followed Emma everywhere she went.  I have a feeling we might have to visit the chickens every time we see Dad.

On, Sunday, 4/2, Emma’s friend, Brooke, joined us for Sunday school, church, and “dinner on the grounds” (pot-luck lunch) in the new pavilion after the service.

On Tuesday, 4/4, I met Jackie for lunch at the Anna Maria Oyster Bar (www.oysterbar.net) at 1525 51st Ave E, Ellenton, FL 34222, for a delicious lunch.  Wednesday, 4/5, found me on the road heading north to Sun City Center (about 20 miles from my home) to visit Dad.  Then I went south to Palmetto to give Jackie some papers that I forgot to bring to lunch yesterday before returning home.  Later, I went to church and choir practice to be ready to sing on Easter Sunday morning.  Thursday, 4/6, was a work-day-at-home for me.  My task list included:  laundry & ironing; slice strawberries, peel and boil 3 lbs. of potatoes, boil half dozen eggs, make potato salad and pre-prep mashed potatoes for Sunday when I will be feeding my immediate family with ages ranging from 9 to 93.  I began my work at 9 a.m. and finished all tasks at 4 p.m. with multiple rest stops in between.  Emma didn’t have school on Good Friday, so she joined me again volunteering at the church’s food bank.  Then on Saturday, I took her and her friend, Brooke, to church for the annual Easter Egg Hunt which also included some crafting, a movie (see below) and lunch.

The girls helped with cleanup before we returned home and they immediately went with Brooke’s mother to our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt.

Easter Sunday, 4/9, Emma and I attended Sunday school and church before driving up to Sun City, through some pouring rain, to pick up Dad to bring him home to share our Easter feast with the family.  I surprised everyone with a small Easter basket as a place card at the table.  In addition to candy, there were other things that everyone enjoyed.  Our meal consisted of ham, potato salad, asparagus, macaroni and cheese, and crescent rolls.

Before and After – back corner of property next to preserve

Before and After – front corner of property next to preserve.

After a walk outside to check out the lot clearing that J.P. and a couple of his friends accomplished yesterday, we had desert of angel food cake with sliced fruit and whipped cream before taking Dad back to his memory care center to spend the evening with his friends there.

While I was at an appointment on Monday, 4/10, my phone rang and went to voice mail.  When I checked my message, I heard that, although not an emergency, Dad wasn’t feeling well and his blood pressure was off.  He had told the nurse that he wanted to go to the hospital and she was sending him.  I drove to his facility and learned that he had been taken to a stand-alone emergency room associated with Manatee Memorial Hospital.  They had run a number of tests and found nothing wrong.  I was able to go pick him up and bring him back to the facility to eat his supper.

I went to visit Dad Wednesday morning, 4/12, to check to see how he was doing.  Today would have been Rick’s sister’s 77^th birthday.  I met Eileen four years before meeting my husband when I worked a summer job at the phone company.  Pictured below from right to left are:  Rick, his mother, Eileen and her son, Mat, and Edward (Rick and Eileen’s younger brother).  The picture was taken in the fall of 2013.  Sadly, Eileen passed away the next Spring.

Edward and I are going out to Oregon to visit Mat at the end of this month.

 

April seems to be a very popular for birthdays in my family.  Thursday, 4/13, was my youngest great-niece’s 2^nd birthday.  I had the pleasure of meeting Elodie last year when I visited Nebraska.

Monday, 4/17, is my brother-in-law, Edward’s, birthday.  He was 7 years old when I married his brother.  The picture below is of Edward signing the guest book (with his cousin looking on) at our wedding.

Today would have also been my grandmother’s, Dad’s mother, Juanita McGatlin Cambre Hunter (we called her G.G.), birthday.

Wednesday, 4/19 is my niece, Christina Cambre de Boeck’s (Elodie’s Mom) birthday and her father’s birthday (my brother Bill Cambre) is 4/20.  The picture below is Christina and Bill taken at a family wedding reception 25 years ago.  Christina is now expecting her second child.

Oregon Vacation

On Thursday, 4/20, I left the house before 7 a.m. to take my car for some last-minute service and saw the morning sunrise as I was leaving the neighborhood.

When the car service was done, I made my way north to Sun City Center for a brief visit with Dad and to let him know that I’d be back to see him on May 2^nd.  I left Sun City heading east; stopped for lunch along the way and arrived in Ormond Beach mid-afternoon.  My husband’s brother, Edward, continues to live in the family home here.  We went out for a bite to eat before going to bed around 8 p.m. with the hopes of getting a little sleep before we planned to arise at 2 a.m.

Friday, 4/21, was a very long day.  We left Ormond Beach (in the Daytona area), drove to an off-site parking lot for the Orlando International Airport, shuttled to the airport; started the tedious check in/security process and were happy to board the 7 a.m. flight for the first leg of our trip, a six-and-a-half-hour ride from Orlando to Seattle (gaining three hours along the way with time changes).  In Seattle, we had to go to a different terminal to take our next flight (31 minutes) to Portland, Oregon.  We picked up the mid-size SUV we had reserved and left the airport asking for the closest place to eat.  The attendant recommended Cascade Station so that was our next stop.  We left the restaurant around 3 p.m. Pacific Time and drove on a road that followed the Old Oregon Trail through a pass near Mt. Hood stopping at a rest stop along the way where I was surprised to see people skiing.

At 7 p.m., we pulled into our home for the next week (via RCI Timeshare swap) WorldMark Seventh Mountain Resort – Bend, OR – Official Site (wyndhamdestinations.com)

Our nephew, Robert Mathew Butler (known to the family as Mat and to the art world as Robmat), and his fiancé Lindsay came out to the resort to welcome us to Bend and make some preliminary plans for the coming week.  I got to bed about 24 hours after rising this morning.

Saturday, 4/22 – Since Lindsay had to work this week, Mat came out to our place where we talked about what we were going to do and where we could go to eat, etc. etc. In the afternoon, the three of us started walking the nature trail that goes behind the condo complex, we were a little surprised to see snow on the ground and ice in the path along our way.

Near the end of our hike, we saw a nice pond with some geese swimming in it. We finished the hike around 3. Then Mat took us into Bend to meet up with Lindsay. The four of us took a drive around town seeing the sites and stopped to have supper at the Grove Market Hall www.grovebend.com that houses nine locally-owned restaurants, bars, and coffee shops to eat supper. Edward and I ordered from an Italian place while Mat and Lindsay got Thai food. There was also a visit to the ice cream place before we left. After a short trip to the Safeway grocery store, we were home and ready for bed.

Sunday, 4/23 – Mat took us to see two small waterfalls today – Lava Rock and Dillon Falls (shown below).
Then we returned to town to pick up Lindsay after she got off work and headed to the town of Sisters to begin the McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass scenic byway. Along the way we stopped at the Suttle Lodge on Suttle Lake which was carved by glaciers.
It was too windy for us to walk along the shore of the lake, so we went into the lodge and had a drink. Another customer at the bar was kind enough to take our picture.

The picture below shows the view of the lake from inside the lodge.
When we got back into Bend, we stopped at the Black Bear Diner Bend | Black Bear Diner for supper.

Monday, 4/24 – Mat, Edward and I headed out east of Bend to follow part of the National Scenic Byway called the Oregon Outback Scenic Byway. We started by heading south from Bend on Highway 97, then taking OR 31 and following the signs from La Pine to Fort Rock.

Fort Rock rises 325 out of the high-desert plain. It is a National Natural Landmark that takes its name from the fortress-like rock walls that form a near circle. There is evidence of human occupation dating back more than 10,000 years. In nearby Rock Cave, archeologists have found a pair of sandals made from sagebrush bark which have been carbon-dated to be at least 9,300 years old, making them the oldest known shoes in the world.

Tuesday, 4/25 – We saw the most spectacular scenery today when Mat drove us about three hours south of Bend to Crater Lake.

The deepest part of this lake is 1,943 feet below the surface. It is the deepest lake in the US (300 feet deeper than Lake Tahoe). About 83% of the water in the lake comes from rain and snow falling directly on the surface. The balance of the water comes from runoff from the slopes around the lake. Crater Lake occupies the shell of Mount Mazama, a collapsed volcano. The volcano once stood 12,000 feet tall, but its summit imploded about 7,700 years ago.

When we arrived at the south entrance to the park (the only one open this time of year), we took the opportunity to use the restrooms. In the picture below, notice the roof compared to the door of the ladies’ room.

Immediately across the parking lot from the restrooms was a not-so-gradual snow ramp up to the rim of the lake. (This is pretty much the only thing accessible at this time of year other than a gift shop and small café.)

In the picture below, you see Mat looking over the lake from the rim. According to the Park Service, the color of the water varies from bright blue to slate gray, with hues of red, orange, and purple at sunrise and sunset. As you can tell from the picture below, today the water was reflecting a brilliantly blue sky.

Wizard Island is a newer volcano (a cinder cone) that erupted out of the lake about 7,300 years ago. Even though the National Parks Service said that the average temperature for April is 42 degrees, we had cloudless, sunny skies with a temperature around 60 degrees. Below is a picture of Wizard Island. You might be able to tell that there is ice to the left of it and below is its reflection in the water. (You can click on any picture to enlarge it.  You may have to hit the “back” button to return to the text.)

Wednesday, 4/26 and Thursday, 4/27 – Mat and Lindsay worked both of these days so Edward and I were on our own. We decided to take it easy exploring the town of Bend and the resort where we are staying. I attended a WorldMark properties presentation Thursday morning before doing our laundry and then packing and organizing as much as possible to be ready for our departure from Bend tomorrow morning.

We had to check out of our timeshare by 10 a.m. on Friday, 4/28. Our plan was to meet Mat and Lindsay at one of their favorite breakfast places in Bend, The Original Pancake House originalpancakehousebend.com. But, as plans do, this one did not come to fruition. Lindsay wasn’t feeling well and needed a little more time to get going, so Edward and I ate breakfast there before starting our journey. I had some delicious pumpkin pancakes (chosen from their healthy menu). Lindsay likes this restaurant because they offer glutton-free pancakes among many other things. After breakfast, it was decided that Edward and I would start out alone and Mat and Lindsay would come later in the day. We traveled again to the town of Sisters to begin the McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass scenic byway. When this by-way turned south, we continued west on US 20, passing through some beautiful forests with trees covered in a yellow-green moss.

We turned north onto US Highway 101 (the Pacific Coast Highway) in the town of Newport, Oregon. Newport seemed like a typical coastal town very busy with visitors. We stopped along the highway, just outside of Newport to take this picture.

From Newport, we continued to travel north along the Pacific Coast Highway until we reached the seaside town of Netarts, Oregon, where we had a 3-bedroom Air B & B rented for two nights. Mat and Lindsay arrived about an hour after us. This is a beautiful home with unbelievable views of the coast. We hope to make the most of our day here tomorrow.

Saturday, 4/29 – We left the house in Netarts around 11 in the morning and returned just after 5 p.m. Our first stop was at nearby Jacobsen’s Salt Company. Mat says using this salt on anything you cook makes it taste better.
They process salt from seawater brought up to the cooking vats in the small white pipe in the picture above. From here we traveled north on the Pacific Coast Highway to Cannon Beach. This is another quaint seaside town with lots to offer. After having brunch, we walked down to see the beach and then went through some shops and art galleries.

As we were leaving town, we drove by Haystack Rock. This basalt seastack rises 235 feet from the shoreline and was featured in the movie, The Goonies. If you click on the photo, you might see the many people at the base of the rock.

On our way home, we made a brief stop at the Tillamook Creamery. They produce a lot of cheese and other dairy products that are widely sold throughout the northwest.

Sunday, 4/30 – We chose to head towards Portland on the Trees to Seas scenic byway, a 68-mile byway that takes travelers through the Tillamook State Forest. Before reaching Portland, we turned south to go to the Stoller Family Estate and Vineyard, https://www.stollerfamilyestate.com. This was a beautiful location for us to have a bite to eat for lunch. This was our view from the Heritage Tasting Room.

Our waitress was kind enough to take our picture outside on the patio.

After lunch, we drove to Portland where we checked into the Hyatt Place in the Cascade Station area. We will say goodbye to Mat and Lindsay in the morning and Edward and I will fly from Portland to Orlando and then drive to the family home in Ormond Beach, Florida. I will continue my journey home on Tuesday.

On Thursday, 3/2, I took my and Dad’s tax information to the accountant to do our taxes.  In the evening, granddaughter, Vanessa, was here to celebrate her mother, Kellie’s, birthday.

Emma’s friend, Brooke went with us to church on Sunday, 3/5.  Then the three of us had lunch before going to visit my Dad in Sun City Center.  I had a 3-month check-up with my doctor Monday, 3/6.  He said that both my weight and my A1C (blood glucose level) were down from December, so I don’t go back for 4 months.   On Tuesday, 3/7, Jackie and I had lunch at Whiskey Joe’s on the Manatee River.  www.thewhiskeyjoes.com   Wednesday, 3/8, would have been my mother’s 94^th birthday.  She died of pancreatic cancer in 2003 at the age of 74.  The picture below was taken of her at Niagra Falls in 1996.

Dad and I visited for a couple of hours in the morning, giving us plenty of time to reminisce about the many vacation memories that we shared.  I was not with them on the trip pictured above.  Emma started her Spring Break on Friday, 3/10, so she helped me volunteering at the church’s food bank that afternoon.

On Saturday, 3/11, I joined my brother, Bill with his wife Mary and their niece, Samantha and her friend at The Straz Center Theatre on the Tampa Bay Riverwalk to see Wicked.  This is the story of the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz.  In place of a curtain they had a map of the Land of Oz.  (You can click on the picture to enlarge it.)

We had a cold front come through the area on Monday, 3/13, evening and were under a Tornado Warning for a short time, so I didn’t leave the house.  On Tuesday, 3/14, I did my volunteer work at the pregnancy center and had lunch with Jackie.

The monthly Senior Saints meeting at Palm View First Baptist Church was held on Thursday, 3/16.  One of our members, Teri Passmore (who is also in charge of our food bank) participated in a mission trip to Cuba last month.  Using about 75 of her pictures, I put together a slide show for her which she narrated to our small group of about 15.

Teri (in blue) is visiting a shut-in lady above.  Everyone enjoyed seeing her pictures and learning more about the needs of the Cuban people.  The ministry team supplied a Cuban-inspired dinner of Cuban sandwiches, black bean soup, fruit salad and flan.  The meeting was a great success.

Meeting attendees enjoying the food.

On Friday, 3/17, Emma joined me volunteering at the food bank.   Because it was Saint Patrick’s Day, we both wore green to avoid being pinched.  We had lunch with Vanessa on Sunday, 3/19, after Sunday school, and church, before visiting with Dad.  I made flight reservations with Makers Air for our July family trip back to Compass Cay on Monday 3/20.  JP and I went shopping at Lowes on Thursday, 3/23   We purchased a couple of trellises and some bougainvillea to climb on them along with some tools.  Then Saturday morning, 3/25, Emma helped me use my new post hole diggers to plant a croton bush near the fence.  I have one or two more to plant, but I’m going to let our yard man plant them when he refreshes some of the other shrubs in the yard.  The rest of March was filled with my regular daily activities.

 

I continue to do my normal weekly activities volunteering at church and the pregnancy center and visiting Dad in his memory care center twice a week.  This month, specials event included:

On Saturday, 2/4, I baked and decorated a cake to take to a fundraiser at church.

The chili cook-off and cake auction raised funds to help the youth to go to camp this summer.

On Monday, 2/6, after visiting Dad, I took new flowers to the cemetery to place at Rick’s marker.

 

When I called Jackie on Tuesday, 2/7, about going to lunch, she invited me over to her new 4^th floor condo (her porch light is on in the picture below) overlooking Terra Ceia Bay and the Skyway Bridge in Tampa Bay.

She hasn’t moved in yet; but, it shouldn’t be much longer.

I picked Dad up on Thursday, 2/9, to attend the monthly Senior Saints meeting at church.  We were entertained by a wonderful musical couple, the Dunneman’s.

This week, my daughter-in-law, Kellie, planted some fruits and vegetables.  I call them , Kellie’s crop-in-a-pot.  Among the things she planted were broccoli, beans, tomatoes and grapes – mmm, mmm, good!

 

 

 

On, Saturday, 2/11, the high temperature for the day was 81 degrees and tomorrow’s high is supposed to be almost 20 degrees cooler – life in Florida.

Emma and I had a short visit with Dad on Sunday, 2/12, before heading home so she could help clean house for the company they expected to come over to watch the super bowl.  It was a close game, but the Kansas City Chiefs came out on top of the Philadelphia Eagles by three points.

The temperatures have been so erratic that much of our vegetation is in bloom.  The pollen level has been so high that it is giving my allergies a workout.  So, I stayed inside on Monday and Tuesday to try to get my symptoms (mostly itchy, watery eyes) under control.  Of course. Tuesday, 2/14, was Valentine’s Day.  I baked a pork loin chop and some home-grown sweet potatoes and then had fresh strawberries and vanilla yogurt with a glass of red wine which my granddaughter, Vanessa, gave me for Christmas.   I got a massage on Monday, 2/20, and talked with brother-in-law, Edward, for more than an hour about our upcoming trip to Oregon in April.

Tuesday morning, 2/21, was spent volunteering at the pregnancy center and had lunch with Jackie at Mila’s on the Manatee before attending a family council meeting at Dad’s facility and then going to see him.  When he let me in his room, he told me that my brother, Bill, was there visiting him as well.  The three of us had a good time catching up for about another hour.  I left the house at 8:30 a.m. and didn’t get home until 5:30.

On Thursday, 2/23, I attended the monthly North River Care Pregnancy Center Board meeting.

Saturday, 2/25, found me attending a fundraiser luncheon at Carraba’s Italian Grill on University Parkway for the Educational Harbor School which meets in the Palm View First Baptist Church educational building.  After lunch, I went for a short visit with Dad.

Sunday, 2/26, was a warm, sunny day.  I went with Jackie Sosville to a polo match at the Sarasota Polo Club as guests of our financial advisor, Evan Guido, Aksala Wealth Advisors.  Then on Tuesday, 2/28, we had lunch at the Ybor Grille, 339 19th Ave. NE, Ruskin, FL 33510.  We both had a fried grouper sandwich with homemade potato chips in a charming restaurant that features Cuban food at about half the price we paid at the beach a few weeks ago for a similar entrée.

 

On, Sunday, 1/1, I had a wonderful call from my niece, Christina, husband Wim and daughter Elodie with the Happy New Year news that Elodie will be a big sis in July.  I am so happy for this sweet family who I visited on my trip last October.  I have been fighting a nasty cold for the past five days, but I managed to drag myself out of bed (in 15-minute increments) to make a traditional southern New Year’s Day meal of ham, black-eyed peas, greens and cornbread.

Then, I went back to bed and ate it from a bed tray.

On January 3, I joined my sister-in-law, Mary Cambre at the Straz Center in Tampa to see the play, Hamilton.  It was a very enjoyable evening.

The rest of the week I worked a little every day getting my Christmas decorations down and ready to be put away for the year.

I got a much-needed deep tissue massage on, Monday, 1/9.  Then Tuesday, 1/10, after I finished my volunteer work in the church office, I joined the North River Care Pregnancy Center’s director, Teri Giles, for a lovely lunch on the river at Mila’s on the Manatee, www.milasonthemanatee.com .  Then I went to Freedom Plaza to attend a monthly Family Council meeting before visiting with Dad.  I set aside, Thursday, 1/12, to be my work-day for the week.  With a great deal of help from my son, J.P., we managed to get all of our Christmas decorations put away – some in the attic and some on the shelves in the garage.  JP also moved seven boxes of wood flooring from the garage to the attic along with several boxes of other things, that I don’t use regularly, off of the shelves and into the attic.  It was a great feeling to get this done for the season.

 

Then for several hours in the afternoon, I broke down boxes to go into recycling.  I completely filled the recycling bin to be picked up in the morning and it looks like I have enough to fill the bin one or two more times.

Palm View First Baptist Church is sending a mission group to Cuba in February, so on Saturday, 1/14, we enjoyed a Cuban Pig Roast meal as a fundraiser.

 

Monday, 1/16, was Martin Luther King Day and a school holiday.  I worked at the Manatee Southern Baptist Association booth from noon to 5 p.m. at the Manatee County Fair which was quite busy.

I spent all day at the North River Care Pregnancy Center on Tuesday, 1/17, organizing baby items stored in three new spaces along with another volunteer and went back to continue that on Wednesday morning before going to visit Dad.  There was no choir practice that evening because the youth minister, who also leads the choir, was working at the fair along with the church’s youth group.  I returned again to the pregnancy center on Thursday, 1/19, to join the Senior Saints of Palm View First Baptist Church to learn of the 25-year history of the center and take a tour of the facility.  This was followed by a light luncheon.

After that, I went to do volunteer work at the church office stuffing envelopes with end-of-year statements for church members and donators.  I finished up the work week on Friday, 1/20, volunteering at the church once again at the food bank and then going out to eat supper with some of the ladies afterward.

On Sunday, 1/21, I received a call from my brother Bill who said that they had an extra ticket to see Wicked in March at the Straz Center in Tampa, and wanted to know if I would like to join him and his wife along with a few others in her family.  Of course, I gladly said yes.  I continued to work on projects around the house on Monday, 1/23.  When I called my friend, Jackie Sosville, about attending a polo match next month, she told me that she is in the process of purchasing a condo.  The closing will be in a few weeks.  I am very excited to hear this news.  We got together for lunch and some shopping the next day.  I started my day, Wednesday, 1/25, taking about a one-mile walk in my neighborhood on this beautiful 65-degree, sunny day.  I am hoping to do this more often to get into better shape for my trip to Oregon in April to see my nephew, Robmat Butler – whose birthday is today.  On Thursday evening, 1/26, I attended the monthly board meeting of the North River Care Pregnancy Center where we voted on officers for this year and approved the 2023 budget.  Friday morning, 1/27/2023, I picked Dad up from Freedom Plaza Memory Care Center and took him to the Eye Center in Parrish.  Dr. Michael Mackie said that his eyes are in very good shape for a gentleman of his age.  He recommended using liquid tears as needed.  He saw no justification to prescribe glasses even though one of Dad’s eyes is a little weaker than the other.  He confirmed that Dad had cataract surgery over 10 years ago and that the implants placed in his eyes are still in good shape.  While Dad’s eyes have degenerated some over the years, the doctor said there is no evidence of macular degeneration disease.  Emma and I celebrated winter at the annual Ladies luncheon at Palm View First Baptist Church on Saturday, 1/28.  About 100 ladies both young and not-so-young enjoyed visiting with each other while eating delicious homemade soup, salad, sandwiches and desserts.

 

My friend, Jackie Sosville, is dog-sitting for her grandson, Rob, this week and staying at his home which is just a few miles from mine.  We decided to go out to Anna Maria Island for lunch at the Sandbar Restaurant on Monday, 1/30.

 

We enjoyed grouper sandwiches as well as the view.

After lunch, we decided that we needed a good walk, so we stopped at Robinson Preserve www.robinsonpreserve.com on Perico Island and took a trail to Tampa Bay. There was some sea fog on the horizon, so we couldn’t see the Skyway bridge.

I’m sure you will agree with me that this was a very good way to end the month.

December 1 – 15

Friday, 12/2 – While I was working at food bank, Emma started participating in an after-school soccer program.

Saturday, 12/3 – There was a plant sale, Christmas decorating and school arts and crafts sale at church from 8:30 to 12:00.  Emma decorated most of the tree below.

 

Sunday, 12/4 – After Sunday school, church, and lunch Emma and I visited Dad.

 

Monday, 12/5 – Emma and I decorated a new Christmas tree for the front porch.

 

Tuesday, 12/6 was a busy day for me starting early at the North River Care Pregnancy Center, then getting a haircut, rushing home to eat and change clothes to go to Freedom Plaza for a Family Christmas photo session.  It was so nice that my brother, Rick, was able to join me and Dad for this activity followed by a nice visit.

Then, I went to see my doctor to get the results of my blood test last week.  She said I was doing very well keeping my diabetes under control.

Wednesday, 12/7 – A new movable murphy bed was delivered today to go into my second bedroom to replace the bed that moved with Dad to the memory care center.  It is   on wheels and, when not in use, it looks like a chest.  I’ll be making some more additions to the room after the first of the year.

 

Saturday, 12/10 – Last Sunday, friends from church, Kathi and Linda, gifted me and Emma a gingerbread kit.  We spent some time today putting it together.

 

Thursday, 12/15 – Emma and I joined my brother, Bill, and his wife, Mary, with Dad at the  Freedom Plaza Family Christmas Party

We were entertained by a saxophone player and everyone loved singing Christmas songs with him.

 

December 16 – 31

On Saturday, 12/17, my brother, Bill and his wife, Mary, came over for the afternoon.  We had turkey, dressing and green beans for supper before they returned to Mary’s mother’s home in Temple Terrace where they are staying for the winter.

On Saturday, 12/24, Palm View First Baptist Church’s Outdoor Christmas Eve service, the temperature was 45 degrees (5 p.m.)  Emma woke up with a fever this morning, so she did not come with me.

After the service, I picked up my granddaughter, Vanessa, and brought her home to spend the night so we can all spend Christmas morning (early) together.

On Christmas morning, Sunday, I opened presents with Emma, Vanessa, Kellie and J.P.,

then went to church service, picked up Dad and brought him home.  We welcomed my brother-in-law, Edward, and opened more presents with all mentioned including Kellie’s parents, Judy and Roy.  After our ham dinner, Edward headed home to Ormond Beach and I took Dad back to Freedom Plaza in Sun City.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday was still very cold (for Florida) so I mostly rested but started taking down some Christmas decorations inside.  By Tuesday night, I had a very bad head cold and spent the rest of the year trying to get over it. On New Year’s Eve, I woke up at 11:56 p.m. – just in time to watch the crystal ball drop over Times Square.

Wednesday, November 2, was my granddaughter, Vanessa’s 24th birthday.  She came over to the house after she got off of work at Hickory Hollow www.hickoryhollowbbq.com in Ellenton. On Friday, November 4, I worked at my church’s food bank after going by the cemetery to put some new flowers by Rick’s stone.

On Sunday, November 6, Emma and I attended Sunday school and church where she and other girls in her Sunday school class sang a song during the service. Then, we went out to lunch before visiting with Dad.  He was proud to show Emma the new, permanent dentures which he got on October 24^th.

I visited Dad on Wednesday, November 9.  He is doing so well at Freedom Plaza Memory Care Center.  The director told me that he has gained 10 pounds since he moved in.

On Thursday, November 10, Florida greeted Hurricane Nicole.  This storm caused much additional damage to the central Florida Atlantic coastline (Daytona Beach area) where both my niece and brother-in-law live.  It was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it moved all the way across the state and turned north.  Thankfully, we only had to deal with wind and rain.  They closed our schools for the day and we all found things to do inside.  The rain moved out of the area by Friday afternoon, November 11, when Emma and I went to work at Palm View First Baptist Church’s food bank wishing everyone a happy Veterans’ Day.

Monday, November 14th, was JPs 43^rd birthday

Thursday, November 17th, I picked Dad up in the afternoon to attend the Senior Saints dinner meeting.  We had roast chicken instead of turkey, along with many of the sides you expect at Thanksgiving including both pumpkin and pecan pie for dessert.

A cold front came through the area during the night leaving it cold, windy and rainy all day on Sunday, November 20.  I was surprised when I opened front door to check on the weather and saw a deer in my front yard. (You can click on the picture to enlarge it.)

My husband, Rick Hoffmeister, was born on November 22, 1949.  This year he would have been 73.  The picture below was taken at a surprise 50^th birthday party.  Our son, JP, who turned 43 last week, hosted the beginning of the party while Rick and I were out buying a Christmas tree.  It never could have been pulled off without JP’s help as well as help from our neighbors, Ann and Curt Mahoney, who lived on the corner.  They let everyone park at their house.

My granddaughter, Emma, came over early this morning and asked if we could go to “Popi’s rock” (his marker at the cemetery) to sing Happy Birthday to him.  So, we set off this morning to go first to the church for a couple of hours of volunteer work; then to Walmart to buy some new ornaments for my Christmas tree (which will go up on Friday); and then to the cemetery to wish Rick a heavenly happy birthday.  After the cemetery, we made a quick stop at Publix to pick up some cupcakes to eat for Rick to continue celebrating his birthday.  Then, she helped me make some deviled eggs.

Thursday, November 24^th was Thanksgiving.  Shown in the picture is me and Dad along with Kellie’s parents and J.P. and the top of Emma’s head.  Kellie took the picture.

I started decorating for Christmas on Friday, November 25.  It took me about a week to finish.

Emma and I went to Michael’s on Saturday, November 26, to get supplies to make Christmas some Christmas gifts.  On the way home we saw this giant blow-up Santa.

 

We took a Christmas wreath to Dad to decorate his door after church on Sunday, November 27.

On Tuesday, November 29, I went to my doctor for a blood draw then took Dad to his dentist to adjust his dentures.

Week 1 (October 1^st – 7^{th )} Donalsonville, GA; Biloxi, Natchez & Vicksburg, MS, Mountainview, AR

Jackie Sosville and I set off on a month-long adventure today, October 1.  We drove from Manatee County, Florida, to her mother’s home outside of Donalsonville, Georgia, on the shore of Lake Seminole.

 

Since we didn’t find any weather damage at Jackie’s mother’s place (which is for sale), we decided to continue our travels today, October 2.  I had thought to go to Mobile next, about a 4-hour drive from here; but Ann, Jackie’s sister, recommended that we go a little farther down the gulf coast.  Jackie and members of her family have an app on their phones called Life 360 which allows them to track where they are.  As we were driving west on I-10, we received a call from Jackie’s sister, Barbara, who was tracking our movement.  She suggested that we would enjoy stopping to see Bellingrath Gardens and Home, just south of Mobile.  So, we went there.

They have an extensive outdoor garden with many different varieties of plants.  We saw a very pretty rose garden before we came to a greenhouse where we found the Bird of Paradise plant pictured below.

Mr. Bellingrath owned the Coca Cola bottling plant in Mobile.  It was the 10^th plant in the country.  He originally bought this property to use as a fishing camp.  It is located on the Fowl River – so named for the many birds that are seen there.

Mrs. Bellingrath said that she’d like to plant a garden on the property and so the fish camp blossomed into something much more.  Eventually, they replaced the fish camp with a beautiful home.

They were a very prominent couple in Mobile society, and they loved to entertain.  Pictured below is their formal dining room.

When they weren’t entertaining, they ate in the summer dining room which was on a screened porch.  (It is now glassed in to protect the furnishings)

Because it does get cold sometimes in the winter in Mobile, they had a third dining room which they called the cozy dining room or winter dining room.

Before passing away, Mr. Bellingrath established a foundation to keep the house and gardens open to the public.  I am certain that the gardens would have been absolutely breathtaking had the thousands of camelia bushes been in bloom.  One of the board members of the foundation donated a large collection of porcelain which is housed in a separate building next to the home.  The porcelain flowers below are representative of what we would have seen.

After touring the Gardens and Home, we continued to Biloxi, Mississippi where I had made a reservation at a Days Inn by Wyndham.  Unfortunately, when we arrived, we were shown three different rooms that we considered uninhabitable.  We declined to stay there and headed to US 90 to see if we could find another place to stay.  We were detoured before we got to US 90, aka Beach Drive, and kept seeing signs saying, “Welcome Cruisers”.  Long story short, about two hours later we checked into the Beau Rivage for two nights where we found out who the “cruisers” were.  Thousands of classic cars converge on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for an entire week of rock ‘n’ roll, sock hops, swap meets, and headline entertainment all along the Gulf Coast. Car enthusiasts parade their antique, classic, hot rods & custom vehicles up & down Highway 90 with entertainment provided at designated stops in Bay St. Louis, Biloxi, D’Iberville, Gautier, Gulfport, Long Beach, Ocean Springs, Pass Christian, & Pascagoula. Since its inception in 1996, Cruisin’ the Coast has grown from 374 cars to over 8,000 annually.  One of the cars is in the picture below.

We did a lot of walking on our second day in Biloxi, Monday, October 3 — starting with walking just under a mile to the Tourist Information Center.  We spoke to a nice lady who suggested that we go to a local seafood restaurant near our hotel for supper.  We spent some time in the Beau Rivage Casino – no luck- then we went next door to the Hard Rock Casino – even worse luck!

We came back to the Beau and went to the pool deck for a while.  Even though it was warm out, the hot tub (the largest one Jackie or I had ever seen) soothed our aches and pains.

Then we walked to McElroys for an early seafood dinner.  This restaurant was destroyed by hurricane Katrina.  When they rebuilt, they made sure it would not be flooded again.

We got a table out on the “porch” (at the far left of the picture).  Jackie had blackened Mahi Mahi and I ordered popcorn shrimp.  (See below).

Before we finished our meals, we were graced by a beautiful sunset over the Gulf of Mexico.

We left Biloxi on Tuesday, October 4, heading to Natchez, Mississippi.  We were only on the road for about 2 ^1/2 hours but what a pleasant drive it was – avoiding Interstate Highways and taking only US Highways all the way.  Again, we went to the tourist information center as our first stop.

The lady there, advised that we hurry to get some lunch because most places stopped serving at 2:00 and it was almost 1:00.  So, we went to a B & B that had been recommended both for their lunch and their rooms.  We thought that their advertisement said that they had a water view, but they did not.  So, we had lunch at the Ellan Guest House on Franklin Street and then we headed to the Grand Hotel which was just across the street from the Mississippi River.  (Remember, you can click on any picture to enlarge it.)

It had been suggested that we take a Hop-On Hop-Off tour of the city the next morning, but we wanted to get to our next destination sooner than that would allow.  Jackie took a picture of the sunset over the Mississippi River.

We arrived in Vicksburg, Mississippi, about 11 a.m. on Wednesday, October 5, and were able to check-in to our motel early.  We went to the Vicksburg National Military Park on Clay Street that afternoon.

We first watched a 20-minute film in their Visitors Center which recounts the siege and defense of Vicksburg during the Civil War in 1863.  Vicksburg National Cemetery is located by the USS Cairo which was sunk in the war.  It is the second largest national cemetery containing 116 acres which are inside the National Military Park.  The cemetery holds the remains of 17,000 Civil War Union solders, a number which is unmatched by any other national cemetery.  The military park is so large that most people participate in the driving tour through the park.  A volunteer in the visitor’s center helped me download the NPS (National Parks) app on my phone which we were able to use to hear a narration of particular points of interest throughout the park.  There are over 1,340 monuments to both Confederate and Union soldiers that participated in this battle which began in May and ended with the surrender of the southern delegation on July 4^th, 1863.  This was a major turning point in the war.  Unfortunately, since I was listening to the narration on my phone, I failed to take any pictures.  We spent the entire afternoon here.

The Vicksburg Visitors Center had given us a map that showed two scenic drives through and around Vicksburg, so the next morning, Thursday, October 6, we started on one nearby our motel.  These two routes took us through a myriad of old homes and historic buildings all over downtown Vicksburg.  There is a Coca Cola Museum in Vicksburg.  Even though we didn’t visit there, we learned that it is on the site of the very first Coca Cola bottling company in the world.  They were bottling Coke in 1894.  We stopped to shop at a Flea Market down by the Levee just before noon and picked up a couple of small items.  We asked for a recommendation for lunch and they were happy to recommend Rusty’s Riverfront Grill which was only a couple of blocks away.  After lunch we went to the Water View Casino.

When I saw a slot machine entitled Road Trip, I thought that I had to play it (since we’re on a month-long road trip) and it turned out to be lucky for me – breaking even for my afternoon’s play and making back some of the money I lost in Biloxi.

We left Vicksburg, Friday, October 7, taking the I-20 bridge over the Mississippi into Louisiana. In the picture below, you can see the I-20 bridge on the left and a train bridge, the darker one, on the right.  You might also notice that there is a train on the bridge and a barge under it.  In the center of the train bridge is a flag which indicates the state line between Mississippi and Louisiana.

We went less than 20 miles on I-20 W before turning north and continuing on US and State Highways out of Louisiana into Arkansas.  Jackie’s brother, Michael, had called and invited us to spend the night with him and his wife, Violet, in Mountainview, Arkansas, as it is just a few hours from Branson, Missouri, where we have a reservation at a timeshare for next week.  Along the way to Michael’s, we stopped for a picnic lunch and walked down to see the river.

Michael met us about 40 miles away from his place and led us the rest of the way.  He and Violet took us into JoJo’s Fishing Warf for a fried catfish dinner and then through the town square where there were numerous groups listening to “pickin” music.  It was just a little too cool for us to get out of the car and “sit a spell.”  This ended our first week of travel.

Week 2 – October 8^th – October 14 – Kimberling City, Missouri (outside of Branson) and Nebraska City, NE

This week was mostly spent near Branson, Missouri, where I swapped my timeshare for a week’s stay.  While still at home, I had received an e-mail about discount show tickets to which I replied that I might be interested.  They called me and I bought tickets to four different shows in Branson.  A couple of phone calls later, I discovered that I needed to go into Branson the day of our arrival and then back in on Sunday to watch a 90-minute presentation about joining a travel club.

We left Arkansas on Saturday, October 8, and checked in to the “The Shores at Table Rock Lake at Kimberling Inn” in Kimberling City, Missouri, a few hours later.

After getting settled in our condo, we drove into Branson through West Branson to pick up our show tickets.  I had paid $200 for 8 show tickets which I felt was a very good price (especially since two are dinner shows).  When they saw that Jackie was to be my guest at the presentation, they refunded us another $50 which we picked up after bringing them proof that we had both attended the presentation.

We started the “dreaded” 90-minute presentation by Excursions Travel Club at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 9.  Our presenter, Jerry, kept it going pretty quickly while giving us a lot of information and throwing in a few jokes.  The time went quickly, and I made my story as to why I couldn’t buy in very convincing even when they came down on the price three times.  We were out of there by 11:00 as promised.  It really did sound like it could be a good deal for those who like to travel a lot and they also offered to get you out of up to four timeshares if you desired to do that.  From here we went to downtown Branson to Branson Landing.  This is several blocks along the riverfront with many restaurants, bars and shops with a big Bass Pro Shop at the south end.  We were tempted to eat at Paula Dean’s but decided not to when they said that we’d have to stand in line for 30 minutes.  We ate at the next eatery called the Black Oak Grill.  Then, we walked off our lunches by window shopping in all of the other places up and down the landing with the exception of the Bass Pro Shop.  We did go into a couple of the shops where we were tempted to buy some small things.

One of my disappointments on this trip has been the lack of Wi-Fi in several of the places that we have stayed – even though they advertised that they had Wi-Fi.  Even the timeshare that we are in now only has Wi-Fi in the main building.  So, we killed two birds with one stone by taking our first week’s laundry up to the main building so that while we were waiting on clean, dry clothes, we could get the messages that we had not been able to receive for several days.

On Monday, October 10, we drove to nearby Dogwood Canyon without reservations – which is something that I do not recommend.  Dogwood Canyon was developed by Johnny Morris who is the owner of Bass Pro Shop.  We paid $22 each for general admission but there were absolutely no tours of any kind available – they had all been sold out through on-line ticket purchases.  The 2-hour tram tour that we were hoping to take was sold out for the rest of the week.

The first suggested stop on the walking tour was at the Dogwood Canyon Mill, Canyon Grill, Indian Cliff Falls, Nature & Conservation Center, and a Treehouse built by the Tree House Masters television show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next was a covered bridge called Long Pine Crossing

Then, we came to the Hope Wilderness Chapel.  Completed in 2002, this church is a replica of the churches in the 1800s.  It is available for weddings, vow renewals, meetings and special services.  Rick and I visited it in 2014.  See pictures below of me on this trip and Rick in 2014.

 

This chapel is about half a mile down the walking/biking trail.  And, through the glass doors behind the pulpit, there is a lovely waterfall.

A signature stop in the canyon is Thunder Falls.  This 60’ waterfall was enhanced to show what the area looked like thousands of years ago.  This is one mile down the trail.

We continued walking on the trail for another .3 miles to the Chuckwagon Site.  This area has been provided for groups to use and is where we decided that it was time to turn around and return, the way we came, to the parking lot.

We drove back to our condo and rested in the afternoon before going to the Grand Jubilee Musical Review at 7:30 in Branson.  The show consisted of several acts singing mostly country songs with a little gospel and patriotic songs mixed in.  The Emcee, Mike Patrick, often worked with comedian Jim Dandy throughout the show.  But both also displayed some amazing musical talent as well.

The quartet “New South” did a great job and included a bass from Crawfordville, Florida (near Tallahassee).

The band that accompanied them was called the Rhinestone Mafia and they were very good as well.

We thoroughly enjoyed this show which lasted two hours.

We slept in on Tuesday, October 11, and drove to the shore of Table Rock Lake to board the Showboat Branson Belle mid-afternoon.

It had become a little cool, windy and rainy.  As we were boarding, a staff member gave each person a $10 bill without explanation.  We found out later that they do this when they feel it is too windy to take the boat away from the dock.  Jackie didn’t have to worry about get seasick!

We walked through the gift shop area into the show room/dining room where we were greeted by a server named Amber who seated us at a table for two (table 1 on row L which was the last row of the main floor).

She took our drink orders as we were seated; brought our salads almost immediately; followed by our dinner which included both roast beef and roast chicken along with a vegetable and mashed potatoes.  After a short period of time to eat, they announced that we would have about 20 minutes before the show started in case anyone wanted to go outside to take pictures and Amber told us that she would serve our desert just before the show started.  All the food was good, and the service was terrific.

The show consisted of a musical/dance group with a house band and an Emcee/magician.  The dinner cruise was schedule to begin at 4 p.m. and we were walking off the ship at 6 p.m.

We got up early, Wednesday morning, October 12, and were greeted with some unfriendly skies.

I had made on-line reservations for a museum tour and golf-cart nature trail ride at Top of the Rock Ozark Heritage Preserve which was also developed by Johnny Morris like Dogwood Canyon.  By the time we got there (about a 30-minute drive) it was raining and lightning, but they said that they expected the weather to clear up quickly and suggested that we start with the museum first – which we did.  In our walk through the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum, we saw skeletons or recreations of extinct animals that had lived in this area such as the Short-Faced Cave Bear, Hell Pig, Terror Bird, and Bear Dog along with thousands of arrow heads and other artifacts from every Indian tribe that lived in the Ozarks (which encompass 4 states.)  By the time we finished at the museum the rain had stopped and we were able to catch a shuttle to the Welcome Center where we got our electric golf cart and started down the 2.5-mile Lost Canyon Cave & Nature Trail.

This trail includes at least 5 waterfalls and several caves – largest of which has a bar and a waterfall inside it.

The golf cart we were in had a retractable roof which we had to stop and close before driving around this hair pin curve.

They have also constructed a lookout called the Eagles Nest because it is so high up from which you can see Table Rock Lake.

They also have a couple of covered bridges that were built by Amish craftsmen.

Near the end of our trail ride, we crossed over the horseshoe bridge and waterfall.

There is a sign along the trail that advises you to watch out for animals.  We saw a couple of squirrels and numerous birds around the many bird houses that are hung nearby; but the biggest surprise was the groundhog (much larger than a squirrel) that we saw just before we returned the cart to the Welcome Center.  As we drove by, he ran into a hole in the base of that tree.

In the evening, we attended the WhoDunnIt Mystery Dinner Theatre.

We were served our barbeque pulled pork, chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans before the show started.

The five cast members shown above were eventually joined by four members of the audience who were suspects in the murder.  In the play, we were told that it was one of the ladies’ birthday and during intermission, we were served white birthday cake for dessert.

Thursday, October 13, 2022, would have been Rick’s and my 50^th wedding anniversary.  Even though he’s been gone for five years, I still celebrate it by traveling somewhere.  In 2017, I joined Ken and Jackie Sosville on the Bradenton Yacht Club’s Power Fleet Cruise to the Tampa Yacht Club; in 2018, I flew out to Denver to spend the long weekend with my brother, Bill and his wife, Mary; in 2019 Dad and I went to Tennessee and in 2020 we went to North Carolina; then last year, 2021, we took a day trip over to Ormond Beach and met Rick’s brother, Edward, and my niece, Melissa, for a dinner at Mario’s Restaurant a long-time favorite for Hoffmeister family special events.

This afternoon, Jackie and I went to the Clay Cooper Theatre in Branson to see a show called #1 Hits of the 60’s (which also included #1 hits from the 50’s and 70’s).

Afterward, we went to a nearby Longhorn Steak House for a steak dinner and a glass of wine.

Friday, October 14, was the first of two days of driving to reach Plainview, Nebraska for a visit with my niece, Christina and her husband Wim along with their one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Elodie.  We left Kimberling City just after 9 a.m. and stopped for the night at the Nebraska City, Nebraska.  We were in Missouri most of the day and then spent a few minutes in Iowa before getting into Nebraska.  Tomorrow, we will drive another few hours to get to Plainview.

Week 3 (October 15^th – 21^st ) Plainview, NE; Osceola, Iowa; St. Louis, Missouri

Jackie had a cold and didn’t want to expose Christina and her family, so we stopped in Norfolk, NE and got a room at the Lodge for Saturday, October 15 and Sunday the 16th.

Jackie stayed there while I went another 30 miles and stayed with Christina, Wim and Elodie.

On Sunday, October 16, we were going to drive into Norfolk to go to a pumpkin patch, but that didn’t work out and it really was too cold and windy for Elodie who is 1 ½ years old.  Instead, we spent the time visiting and enjoying one another’s company.  Christina, Elodie and Wim are in the picture below.

I left Christina and Wim’s about 4:30 Sunday afternoon and returned to stay the night at the Lodge in Norfolk.  We left Monday, October 17.  I wanted to avoid driving around Omaha again, so I changed our route to St. Louis to travel on I-80 and we spent the night in Osceola, Iowa, at the Lakeside Casino.  (Rick and I attended Osceola Elementary School in Ormond Beach.)  It was a nice hotel and reasonably priced.  After eating an early supper, we spent a little time in the casino where Jackie doubled her money.

We arrived in St. Louis on Tuesday, October 18, and checked in to the Drury Inn and Suites.  Rick and I discovered this family-owned chain when we crossed the country in 2014.  Included in the price of your room is not only a hot breakfast but also, three free drinks and a light supper in the evening.  We will stay here for 4 nights.

On, Wednesday, October 19, we drove to the Saint Louis Arch and rode up the tram inside to a height of 630 feet.

From the top of the Arch, you can see the Mississippi River in one direction

and the Busch Stadium and old St. Louis Courthouse in the other.

(You can click on any picture to enlarge it)

We rode up in a small 4 or 5-person capsule with two others where (in most seats) you couldn’t sit up straight without bumping your head.

Jackie put on some motion sickness medication as we started up.  You can see from the picture below that she made it up to the top OK.

On Thursday, October 20, we drove to Grant’s Farm, a historic farm built by Ulysses S. Grant in 1848.  It has also served as a residence of various members of the Busch family.  They have over 900 animals at the farm including some of the Busch Clydesdale horses.  They also give free samples of beer to those who wish to partake and are of age.  But, when we got there, we found that it was closed because of a special Fall festival event going on tonight.  So, we spent a good portion of our day at the St. Louis Zoo.  This zoo is one of just a few to which there is no entrance fee, but there is a $15 charge for parking.   In the parking lot there were statues of many animals, including this elephant.  Of course, we saw live elephants in the zoo as well.

 

It was chilly when we started, but soon the temperature was very pleasant for walking from exhibit to exhibit.  One of the most impressive animals we saw was this big grizzly bear.

When Jackie and I were traveling with our husbands, her husband, Ken, used to say about every third day, it was time for him to just sit on the porch.  So, that’s what we did on this third day in St. Louis, Friday, October 21.  We spent some time hot tub which was inside on the ground floor level while we were doing our laundry and then reorganized our suitcases to begin our final week of vacation tomorrow.

Week 4 (October 22^rd – October 29^th)

Louisville, KY; Santa Claus, IN; Gatlinburg, TN; Valdosta, GA

Today, Saturday, October 22, was a travel day.  We left St. Louis; drove through Indiana; to Louisville, Kentucky, where we checked into a Drury Inn and Suites.  After my Facebook post yesterday that we were going to come this way, our Youth Minister, Ryan Akers, replied “Say hello to Santa Claus.”  Ryan and his family moved to Florida from Santa Claus, so I couldn’t resist taking a small detour off the Interstate to see this charming town.

Jackie and I spent a few minutes browsing in the Christmas Shop before we went next door to have lunch. Then we continued about another hour to Louisville.

I booked a tram tour for Sunday, October 23, at the Louisville Mega Cavern.  Even though we enjoyed the tour, it was not the cavern that we expected. The Mega Cavern is a former limestone mine in Louisville, Kentucky.

 

The cave stretches under parts of the Watterson Expressway and the Louisville Zoo. Due to its support structures (one of which is shown below), it is classified as a building and is the largest building in Kentucky.

The cavern is used for business, storage, recycling, and tourism, with offerings including tram-guided tours, zipline tours, a ropes course, an annual holiday lights display which they were preparing to display in November and December.  (We got a sneak preview of some of it.)

They plan to have around 6,000 lights in this year’s display.  When we left there, we drove through Historic Old Louisville marveling at some of the old churches and houses before returning to our hotel.

On Monday, October 24, we left Louisville heading to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  Jackie’s daughter, René, and her husband, Tommy, are vacationing this week in Pigeon Forge.  We stopped by their RV resort for a short visit before continuing to Gatlinburg.

Tuesday, October 25, was our day to explore Gatlinburg.  We were staying at the south end of the Parkway.  We walked about halfway up the strip before moving to the other side of the street and walking back.  After resting for a short time, we took the free trolley almost all the way down the strip to go for an early dinner at the Smokey Mountain Trout House where Jackie had dined on other trips to the area.

When we finished our meal, we waited to catch the free trolley back to our hotel (about a mile away).  When the trolley came to our stop, the driver didn’t even open the door.  She just shook her head and mouthed the word “full”.  We ended up walking almost all the way from one end of the strip to the other.  The meal was good and the walk wasn’t nearly as hard as our earlier walk in the heat of the day.  Because we did so much walking on Tuesday, we decided to drive on Wednesday, October 26.  The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is conveniently located minutes from downtown Gatlinburg. To access Roaring Fork, turn off the main parkway at traffic light #8 and follow Historic Nature Trail Road to the Cherokee Orchard entrance to the national park. Along the way, we saw some turkeys.

Just beyond the Rainbow Falls trailhead you have the option of taking the one-way Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.  This 5.5-mile-long, one-way, loop road is a narrow, winding trail that offers a spectacular view of mountain streams, forests, log cabins, and a historic mill!  There were a lot of cars parked at the trailheads to Rainbow Falls and Grotto Falls which are two highly recommended falls to see.

Before entering the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, we stopped at the Noah “Bud” Ogle self-guiding nature trail which is a walking tour of an authentic mountain farmstead

and surrounding hardwood forest.

We also found a couple other trails that came off this one.  But unfortunately, they were closed.  Click on the picture to read the Notice of Bear Activity.

Along this trail we found a streamside tub mill

and the Ogle’s handcrafted wooden flume plumbing system.

Just a few minutes after we returned to our hotel, Jackie got a call from her daughter saying they were in town and inviting us to join them for the rest of the afternoon.
Since Thursday, October 27, was our last full day in the area, we decided to make it a shopping day and to spend it in nearby Pigeon Forge.  We joined René and Tommy in their RV for breakfast, then set out on our own to do some shopping.  We met back with them mid-afternoon at a complex called the Island.  Jackie’s daughter is seated between the two of us.

After some window shopping in the complex, the four of us had an early supper at Paula Dean’s Restaurant.  Then, while Tommy sat digesting his meal, we three gals did some more shopping before Jackie and I said goodbye and returned to Gatlinburg.

On Friday, October 28, we started driving early by taking the Parkway from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to Cherokee, North Carolina (about 35 miles south).  We continued south on a couple of US Highways and got onto I-75 around Macon, Georgia.  Saturday, October 29, we found ourselves heading to Inverness, Florida, to see another one of Jackie’s relatives for a short visit before heading back to Manatee County.  This ended our more than 4,700-mile adventure.

I took Sunday, October 30, as a day of rest (in between laundry and a trip to the grocery to refill my empty refrigerator.)

While on vacation, I got a call from Dad’s memory center staff saying they needed my signature on some forms for Medicare to cover some testing of Dad.   I arranged to sign them first thing, Monday, October 31.  I drove to Sun City Center, signed the papers, and then went to visit Dad.  He continues to do well.  In the evening, I passed out candy for Halloween while JP and Kellie and Emma went to a friend’s for a hayride.  Below is a picture of JP and Kellie dressed for a Halloween party.

Happy Halloween

 

September 1^st through the 15^th

I visited two more memory care centers in Sun City Center on Thursday, 9/1, one of them, Freedom Plaza Memory Care was the facility I felt would best fit Dad’s needs.  I volunteered at the church’s food bank on Friday afternoon and then, Emma had her “tropical” birthday party on Saturday, 9/3.

When the guests came in, they got some tropical favors as a gift.

After sliding and swimming for a while,

everyone ate pizza followed by birthday cake.

Everyone had a good time and the rain held off until most were gone.

Dad, Emma and I attended Sunday school and church on Sunday, 9/4; and while Kellie went to work on Labor Day Monday, 9/5, the rest of us took it easy.  On Tuesday, 9/6, I joined Kellie and her parents, Judy and Roy Clark at Judy’s brother’s funeral at the Sarasota National Cemetery.  While it was a sad occasion (Jack died suddenly), it was held in a beautiful setting, and he was given military honor for his service to our country.

 

On Wednesday, 9/7, Dad and I rode up to Freedom Plaza in Sun City Center,

for him to get a tour and meet some of the people with which he will be interacting.  On Thursday, 9/8, Dad returned to his dentist for a “wax” impression to be sent to make his permanent dentures.

Sunday was the 21^st anniversary of the terrorists’ attacks on 9/11.  Dad, Emma and I attended church and Sunday school and remembered those who were lost.

Tuesday, 9/13, while I was volunteering at church, I received call from Freedom Plaza letting me know that Dad’s move coordinator has Covid so his move-in date will hopefully be next week.

On Thursday, 9/15, Dad and I attended Palm View First Baptist Church’s Senior Saints monthly dinner meeting where we watched a short movie.  Dad is wearing his blue Daytona Dirt Riders jacket in the picture below.

Dad saw his primary care doctor on Friday, 9/16 where we were pleased to learn that his weight has gone up one pound to 126.  While there, the doctor completed a form necessary for Dad to move into the memory care facility.  Then, in a rare Friday night college football game, FSU beat Louisville.

On Monday afternoon, 9/19, I received word that Dad could move into the Freedom Plaza Memory Care Center on Wednesday morning.

Tuesday morning, I spent a couple of hours at the pregnancy center helping to put together goody bags for the upcoming golf tournament fund raiser event.

 

On Tuesday afternoon, 9/20, JP picked up a U-Haul truck and we loaded some of Dad’s furniture in the evening.

Dad and I awoke at 6:30 a.m.  Wednesday, 9/21, to get dressed and get the rest of his bedroom furniture loaded into the truck.

JP’s friend, Roman, came over to help load and then went to Sun City Center with us to unload the furniture.

I returned to Freedom Plaza on Thursday, 9/22, and completed all of the paperwork necessary before taking him to the dentist – but just as we were leaving, the dentist office called and said that his appointment would need to be rescheduled because his new dentures did not arrive this morning as expected.

I spent most of the day on Saturday, September 24, at the North River Care Pregnancy Center’s Fundraiser Golf Tournament at Tara.  It appeared to be a great success. We, the board members, are very grateful to the many sponsors, and players.

On Sunday, September 25, Emma and I went to visit Dad/PaPa.  She was very excited to get to see him and his new home; and he was equally excited to see her.  We went home and started preparing the house for an expected hurricane Ian.  On Tuesday, September 26, I visited Jackie Sosville who is staying with her sister and brother-in-law, Ann and Curt Mahoney, in Palmetto Point just a few doors down from where we used to live.  We spent a couple of hours planning our upcoming travel in October before I returned home to finish preparing for Ian.  Wednesday and Thursday were spent in doors mostly waiting for Ian to move out of our area.  We were very fortunate that we did not have a direct hit (it came in further south and caused untold damage.)  I spent Friday, September 30 getting ready for my trip.

 

• Note: This month I begin a new routine.  In order to be more “at hand” to help Dad, I am restricting my former weekly activities to monthly.  I will volunteer at the food bank on the first Friday of the month; attend choir practice on the second Wednesday; do data input in the church office on the third Tuesday; and do computer input at the pregnancy center on the fourth Tuesday of the month.

August 1^st through the 10^th

On Monday, 8/1,  Dad got a haircut and I got a post-Bible school massage.

Wednesday, 8/3 – I picked my friend, Jackie, up from her sister Barbara’s condo and we went north over the Skyway bridge then west to St. Pete Beach and south to the village of Pass-a-Grille, where Rick and I rented a house while we were having our Palmetto Point house built in the early 80’s.  We had lunch at The Sea Critter’s Cafe and enjoyed the food as well as the activity on the water.  The picture below was taken from their website and is a little blury.

 

Dad saw his doctor to check on his weight and general health Thursday, 8/4. The doctor said that Dad had lost a couple more pounds in the eight weeks since he was last there.  In December, Dad weighed 147 pounds – today, he weighed 125.  The doctor ordered a CAT scan of Dad’s stomach to be sure that is not part of the problem.  We will return for a follow-up on October 4.

Since Friday, 8/5, was the first Friday of the month, I volunteered at the food bank from 4 to 6 p.m.  J.P and his older daughter, Vanessa, went to a concert in Orlando and then stayed overnight with friends.  On Saturday, 8/6, they drove from Orlando to Tampa to meet JP’s cousin, Melissa (my brother, Rick’s, daughter) along with her son, Michael and his significant other, Brooke, at Busch Gardens for an early celebration of Mike’s 24th birthday.  He is just a few months older than Vanessa.  Kellie and Emma drove up from Parrish to complete the group.  They all had a good time.  Pictured below are Brooke, Michael and Melissa.

 

Saturday was also another cousin’s birthday.  My niece, Christina is married to Wim de Boeck who turned 38.  They live with their daughter, Elody, in Nebraska.

Sunday, 8/9, found Dad, Emma and me attending Sunday school and church as usual.

Wednesday, 8/10, was Emma’s first day in the 4^th grade and her first time ever riding a school bus.  She came over to my part of the house to have me braid her hair since her Mom left for work at 6:15 a.m.  In the afternoon, I took Dad to his dentist’s office to have a second set of impressions made for his permanent dentures.  Then, in the evening, I went to church for choir practice where we went over music for the next three weeks.

August 11^th – 31^st

On Thursday, 8/11, Dad had a visit from his health insurance company’s House Calls nurse.  She said he seemed pretty healthy for his age.  She also suggested that I call the VA to see if I could get some help taking care of him at home.

The next Saturday, 8/13, Kellie and JP drove, in separate cars, up to the Ocala Forest to get her parents some things from her sister’s mobile home.  Dad and I followed them in my car.  We stopped just across the highway from the Silver Springs State Park on Florida State Road 40 to transfer Emma from her mother’s car to mine.  Then we followed Kellie east on 40 over the Oklawaha River bridge (built as part of the Cross Florida Barge canal which was never completed due to ecological concerns).  We turned north onto CR 314.  When Kellie turned off 314 to go to her sister’s place, we continued on to Salt Springs.  After checking out the Salt Springs Recreation area, we turned south on State Road 19.  We passed by the entrance to Silver Glen Springs which was closed because they had reached a capacity crowd.  As we continued south, we caught a few glimpses of Lake George.  (Lake George or Lake Welaka is a broad and shallow brackish lake on the St. Johns River.  It is the second largest lake in Florida, after Lake Okeechobee.)  We made a brief stop at the Juniper Creek Wayside Park.  Later in our journey, we passed the entrance to the Juniper Springs State Park on State Road 40 heading west back toward Ocala.  They have a 7-mile canoe trip which leaves from the park and travels down Juniper Creek.  The end of the trip is at this wayside park where the water is still crystal clear.  We drove by the cabin that Dad built over 50 years ago and saw the new owners outside putting up a fence in front of a nice motorhome.  Other than that, the rest of the place looked the same as it did when Dad lived there.  Our last stop was at a park on the Silver River (which comes from Silver Springs and joins the Oklawaha River.)  On the map below, the roads in red that we travelled (both SR 40 and SR 19) are part of the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway.

We met again for an early supper.  After supper, Emma returned to her mother’s car (JP’s car was full of stuff and Kellie’s was only ½ full) and we all drove back to Parrish.  On Thursday, 8/18, I went for a blood draw in the morning; and, in the afternoon, Dad returned to the neurologist to get the results of an EEG.  The doctor said that he has dementia.   That evening, I attended the Senior Saints Potluck supper meeting while Dad stayed home.  The following Wednesday, 8/24, I got my 3-month health check-up.  Last week’s blood test revealed that my sugar is much too high – I have to make changes.  On Friday, 8/26, Dad and I had a serious discussion about our health.  He understands that I just can no longer give him the quality of care that he needs and agreed that I should start looking for a memory care center for him to move into.  I contacted “A Place for Mom” to get some recommendations for places to tour.

The following week was filled with tours of memory care facilities.  On Monday, 8/29, Kellie and I visited two memory care facilities in Sun City Center (about 30 minutes from home).  Cypress Creek is a definite possibility, but Belvedere did not appeal to either of us.  Tuesday, 8/30, I visited two memory care facilities in Lakewood Ranch with JP. On Wednesday, 8/31, Dad got a CT of his chest, abdomen, and pelvis at MDC Riverside (ordered by Dr. Bollegraf, his primary care physician to rule out any of them being the cause of Dad’s weight loss.)  That evening, the family celebrated Emma’s 9^th birthday.  She will have a pool party on Saturday to celebrate with a bunch of friends.