The Great West!!

Well...it was time to see something other than palm trees and beach....though I love it, a change of scenery was past due. I love the west, the mountain, the animals....and has been way too long since I've been there. So, it was time for a trip.
Flew into Phoenix and spent one nite. Then we headed to Boulder City, Nevada to see Hoover Dam. The drive across 93 was very diverse. We kept being amazed at how much the landscape changed depending on if the area got rain or not. It's like there are "pockets" where rain happens and it's nice and green. Then, no rain and lots of brown. There were even different cactus in different areas. There were a few palms, but again it seemed to depend on if there was rain or not. We also decided if you lived here, you needed to have a satellite phone....cell is not good enough!!!
There is no real good way to describe this marvel called Hoover Dam. It was constructed in the 1930's....way before computers and it is amazing. At it's base, it is 2 football fields thick...was built to last 1500-2000 years and an earthquake of 9.0...I think it will be just fine. We did a tour of the power plant and went "inside" the dam. When they built it, they built in tunnels (yes you walk, you don't crawl), so they could keep a check on concrete cracks. They also built the tunnels for tourist. Even back then they expected to make money on tours...smart folks. It is truly a site everyone should see. We walked across the top and drove across. Until 2010 it was the only way across the Colorado River...now there is a big huge new bridge.....so the dam and its road are for touring, not necessity.  Boulder City is where all the workers and families lived. It is a quaint town with way more square miles than people. They increased the size of their town way more than necessary to keep Las Vegas from coming over and having gambling in their town. Vegas is only 30miles away. You see, Hoover Dam and the Colorado River are split down the middle 1/2 in Arizona, 1/2 in Nevada....but seems to work ok.

On top of the bridge looking down....wow.

A view of Lake Mead, some of the water handlers and the back/top of the dam

The new bridge..now folks don't have to cross over the dam ....is much more efficient.

Got a cool nighttime picture

The inside tour....very cool, these make electricity

Some steps going to another level 

We stayed at the Hoover Dam Hotel....a sort of B&B. It has about 30 rooms, but you do get a full hot breakfast in the restaurant...very nice. The hotel was built back in the 1930's and has that era of charm. Antiques....a piano in the lobby....very nice and the feeling of "back when". Famous folks used to stay here when they came to "see" the dam being built. You see it was the only place in town that had private bathrooms with the rooms....wow! They have a cool museum on site about the dam, is small but worth it.

In the evening these Bighorn Sheep just wander around this park....cool

We ate dinner a the Big Horn Restaurant....wonderful!! In fact, we liked it so much we ate there both nites we were in town. The prime rib, pork chops and salmon were awesome. The owner Paul was very nice and chatted with us each nite about our day and things to do. He suggested a zip line of Bootleg Canyon. I'd seen this in a magazine I'd picked up and was already curious....so we signed up to do this on Saturday. For now, it was time to hit the bed we were tired.

Saturday we had to be at the zip place at 830a for a 9a run. We got there, got into our gear and headed up the mountain. Was a bumpy dirt road but was gorgeous. We did 4 zips in 2hrs.....the hikes were not bad. We watched a big horn sheep for a long time, he got a little close to us....was really cool. The guys handling the zip were great. http://www.flightlinezbootleg.com/  this is the place we zipped with, they were really great. Zipping is something you just have to experience...it's fast, fun, and the scenery is for sure a bird's eye view!!

One of the platforms where we would get "hooked up" so we could zip to the next platform

At the next platform the guys were waiting on you...

                                                  Denny is coming in for a landing....

Here I come....when in doubt legs out....that's what we were told...helps to slow you down....

A view of Bootleg Canyon....very rugged, lots of rocks....and bighorn sheep, and we got a bird's eye view.

After zipping , was time for showers and to hit the road to head towards Sedona. We took the slow drive as we wanted to drive the famous Rt 66. We did 80 mi on Rt 66...it was very nostalgic. They even have some of the old Burma Shave roadside signs up. We stopped at some Old General stores along the way that must have been there back during the time RT 66 was used a lot. These stores had several old cars of the 1950's outside, some in good condition, some not...but really neat.

I think he died trying to fix it!!!!

Will the real person please stand up???

Denny was having find memories of all the old cars...

Santa is alive and well on Rt 66

Road Kill  Cafe'......YUM!!

Inside there was tons of memorabilia from that era...and all soft drinks were sold in bottles!!! It was a really fun ride. We connected up to I40 and drove to the the town of Williams. WOW it was busy...there was a Labor Day weekend rodeo in town. We walked around, got some dinner and headed for Sedona. It was late, we were tired and it was time to find our condo for the week. http://www.highlandsverderidge.com/ This is our home away from home for this week....a lovely new unit. Great location and fantastic scenery. I think I'm going to like it here!!!
We got settled in and quickly to bed. Tomorrow, Sunday, we are sched for an orientation breakfast and a  train ride.
Sunday.....orientation and breakfast were great....now we know a little more about the area. However, our AAA books and info had us fairly prepared and informed. We had a little time before our 1p train ride so we drove to Jerome. It is an old mining town and known as a ghost town now. It's very thriving with little shops and such and waaaay up on a mountain, gorgeous views. And the ghost part is played up, we will likely do a tour later this week. However, it was time to head for the train depot.

Cool paint job on the engine...this area is known for having lots of eagles, we'd hoped to see some, but didn't

We headed down the tracks and pretty quickly spotted these old cliff dwellings...neat

                                 spent lots of the ride out on the open car...don't wanna miss anything

Coming around a big curve.....

headed into a tunnel......

We went "first class"...gave us some snacks and a table....was very nice

We crossed lots of bridges and saw some beautiful country .....the rugged red rocks, cactus streams, it was all very peaceful

http://verdecanyonrr.com/   this was out train ride. Through Verde Canyon...a 4hr round trip. Breathtaking....my neck got tired from looking up. We went first class in the Sycamore car. We had  some hot and cold snacks and truly enjoyed the ride. I spent much of my time in the outside open car....I'm like a kid, don't want to miss anything. The views were so varied. This area is so well known for having bald eagles that the train engines have them painted on them....however, we did not see any at all...bummer!!! This train is over 100 yrs old and is lookin' good! We went from milepost 38 to 18, then back again. It was a wonderful afternoon. There was a bit of cloud cover, but that was ok, it kept the heat down when on the open air car.
After the ride we checked out Dead Horse State Park...not much there to do but a pretty park. Good camping and some nice day use areas. We were a bit tired, had been a little busy a good bit of driving so we headed "home". We needed to do some laundry, as we did that we took a swim and hit the hot tub. Got back, watched a movie and fell happily to sleep....tomorrow....we drive to the Grand Canyon!!!

Until then.....

Catch Up Blog!!!

Well....since I still sit in cube world in a corporate building 5 days a week..it's hard to find good blogging material. However, I am behind, I have done some cool things in these past 5 months. Hopefully, I will get better at blogging. April was a busy work month. I was beginning my transition into a new project and with a new manager. I had to train others to do what I've been doing so I can move on. It was all good, just busy. I had to take a business trip to Minneapolis, which gave me the chance to shop and play at the famous Mall of America....a must do if you are in that area. It was a quick but good trip. On the weekends I was busy going to Chad and Ashley's ball games...always a fun outing....basketball and softball. Then at the end of April I was able to bring Chad to work with me for Take Your Kid to Work Day....what a blast. Some of these pics are from the 2011 Take Your Kid to Work Day, but 2012 was about the same as 2011.

Cute car outside the training center where the kids spent most of their day....

Inside the cockpit of an airplane that is in the Delta Museum Hanger 

I got us Chick-fil-A to eat under the airplane on display in the hanger....cool or what??

Delta and Chick-fil-A are VERY close friends!!

A friend of mine Jeff Rourk works at the jet base and was able to give us a private tour....WAY cool, not many kids got to do this....THANKS Jeff.
                         Jeff explains how this machine works as another co-worker looks on.....

  You mean those are all just rivets or screws that hold that airplane together????

  This is the emergency exit of an MD88.....hopefully this  the only time we'll have to see this!!!

  Did you know the nose flipped up and all the GPS equipment is in there???

Man the tires are big!!

                                                               Headed up..............

                                                        To where the luggage rides.....this is so cool.

May started with the new Atlanta International Terminal opening.....I participated in a "mock up" exercise to see if they were "ready" for business. I had to take packed bags and everything...it was a blast. I attended Ashley's last band concert as a Middle Schooler, Chad's 5th grade graduation and his crossover ceremony from a Cub Scout to a Boy Scout....he is Eagle bound now. It was a busy family month.
I also went to Stowe, VT with my good friend Reba. We had a blast. We stayed at this awesome resort, www.smuggs.com We drove over 500 miles during the week we were there seeing the sights. Just to name a few, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream (YUMM, and be sure to go see the 'graveyard' of flavors that did not make it...too funny)...Cabot Cheese (also YUMM), Boyden Valley Winery (bought a bottle of Glog, is served warm, great for the cooler evening and drank the whole bottle during that week), VT Maple Outlet (had some really cool maple goodies to bring back), we saw some old beautiful covered bridges and took a guided tour of The Trapp Family Lodge. Remember the Von Trapp Family for the Sound of Music?? Well...that's a true story and the family settled in VT many years ago. They now run a lodge, very fascinating. We even got to meet one of the granddaughters of Maria Von Trapp....lovely place.
http://www.trappfamily.com/ a really neat story and experience. We also went to Cold Hollow Cider Mill....we are not big cider fans, but enjoyed the tour and had to have a famous Cider Doughnut...they were good, but one was plenty. We were there during what is called "shoulder season"....the plus was, it was not crowded, the minus was some places were closed. We still found plenty to see and do and got in some slow mornings and R&R at night. I must not forget Snowflake Chocolates....the BEST in the area.
http://www.snowflakechocolate.com/ we actually went twice.....was VERY good.
We were very close to many small towns and really enjoyed Jeffersonville....cute with many neat restaurants. A favorite was http://www.158main.com/ it was a true surprise. Some of the best food ever and you would never guess it from the outside. Their Seafood Chowder was awesome...a must get again.
There were some places not open that maybe we could try next time. We tended to eat a light breakfast at the condo....have lunch out, but might be later in the day...and have a light dinner at the condo. We were kinda boring on the going out.....we were about the R&R.  We did really enjoy Depot Street Malt Shop in Stowe....good food, great milkshakes. Then we walked the streets of Stowe to work it off.
We did walk up and down the main street in Burlington and shop there one day, but we really much preferred the mountains to the city. It had been a long time since I had been in that part of the country and it was a good trip.

My great nephew Dylan James Perez was born in May ....what a sweet baby boy, the family is growing.

My next adventure was over Memorial Day weekend to Cabbage Key, Boca Grande, Cayo Costa State Park and Pine Isle. Places not far from my home, I'd never been to and was very curious. Boca Grande is a long slim island with a cool lighthouse you need to see. Much other than that.....it's pretty, but basic.
Then on to Pine Isle where we had a small fishing cabin for the nite. Our main goal was to take a ferry ride out to Cayo Costa state park and Cabbage Key....both only accessible by boat. Our "cabin" was a concrete block structure, not much to it, but would do for 1 nite. The next morning we were up and on the ferry. Our first stop....took 2hrs to get there, was to Cabbage Key. A wonder secluded place. Has cabins for rent, one restaurant and lots of R&R.... http://www.cabbagekey.com/home/  no phones and wonderfully serene. We had lunch there, the famous Cheeseburger in Paradise.....I won't spoil the story go see for yourself!!
Then we went to Cayo Costa....again, only by boat. Read all about it http://www.floridastateparks.org/cayocosta/ there are some private homes, some basic cabins (no water no electricity) for rent and lots of tent camping. The beach is unspoiled....it's really neat. A need to see once at least.  We did treat ourselves to a wonderful dinner at the famed Tarpon Lodge.
http://www.tarponlodge.com/home/ delicious, but a bit spendy.
And that was May.........busy in many ways but loads of fun.

June was a quiet month, it needed to be. Chad and Ash started their summer swim meets, those are fun, but HOT. I got doctor appts out of the way and summer began.
July has been quiet, even spent July 4th at home....watched fireworks on the TV. Went to the local theatre in ATL to see some friends in the production Always Patsy Cline and saw a music review show in Sarasota. So was a bit of an "artsy" month.
August looks like a slower month, just travel between home in FL and job in ATL, GA. Then in September I will be heading west for a week in Sedona, AZ. Want to see the sights around there, take in a train ride, see the Hoover Dam and maybe the Grand Canyon (again).....so, until then.....
Hope your days are filled with good times and good friends.

January flew by...... Mom's Big 75th party.....and swimming with the Manatees

OK...not doing too good with keeping up with blogging, sorry. It's just not the same when you are doing day-to-day and not on vaca. January was a busy month. My sisters and I and Brad, Britt and Brooke (older nieces and nephew) planned a surprise birthday party for my Mom....she was 75 on Feb 2, but the party had to be on Feb 4. We flew in one of her best buds...Betty Alexander from OK...that was fun.
Then we had invited 100+ to a Broadway Birthday party at Southside Theatre Guild for a cocktail hour and appetizers....a Broadway show, then a dessert reception. It was wonderful. Ken, Patty, Charlie, Kathy, Tommy and Robert all did a fantastic job...Mom had a blast and was oh so surprised. We worked hard on this, and it turned out perfectly....we thank all that helped make it happen and all that attended.

Mom with her brother Bill, his wife Frances and sister Renie on the end....lookin' good!!!

Mom with grandsons Chad and Brad

Chad and his mom Kelley (my sister)

Our bartender and my good friend Reba

All Mom's daughter's....(in birth order, not sure we know how to stand any other way)

Debbie, me, Kelley and Shea

This cake was really cool, made by friend Susan, it is really a bunch of tiny boxes put together and they each have party treats in them...what a cool party gift.

We had other desserts...and we did light this cake and sing....absolutely!! 

Mom with Chad, Brad and great-grandson Quinton...he was all dressed up

Does it get any cuter than this???

The weekend after this I went to Miami for 3 nites to visit Linda K. I'd been to visit in Maine, but wanted to also visit in FL. It was a bit cool, but we still had a great time...the relaxing was very nice. Thanks Linda....enjoyed my visit very much...

The next weekend I headed for my home in Sarasota....was cravinig my own bed. It was a holiday weekend and I was ready to do something on my "bucket list". I was headed to Crystal Springs to swim with the manatees......
It had to be a early start....be at the dive shop at 615a....OMG.....but it was worth it. Crystal River is 72 year around...so with a wetsuit I was just fine. The water was peaceful and after some instructions on do's and don'ts, we were off.
We rode about 10min and came to a cove. They anchored and we all slipped into the water off the back ladder very quietly. There were 3 on the bottom below us and it was sooooo cool watching them. We stayed there about an hour then several other boats came and it got very busy. So, we pulled anchor and headed for another spot. We saw some others but they were swimming not being still so we kept moving. We went into another cove and saw only one and that one had a "tracker" attached, so we left. The Wildlife Assoc attaches floating trackers to some manatee for study purposes...you cannot get close to them....so we did not stop.
We continued to look, but eventually had to give up and head back. It has been very warm in FL this winter so the manatees have been ok in the ocean...it is the cold that drives them into the river...so all total we probably saw 12 or so.....and though I didn't get to touch one, it was still very cool. Check....can take that off my list, although I might like doing it again...was only $45 so not bad on the budget.
Back to the hotel and a shower and some breakfast and then off to River Side Resorts to see Monkey Island.... www.riversideresots.com
It's a very tiny man-made island at this resort where the first owner kept his monkeys. Well, that was many yrs ago and those monkeys are now in "monkey heaven", but they now have new monkeys and they are fun to watch.....that was cool.
Then off to Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.....this was cool. Yes, these animals were in captivity, unlike the manatees I'd just seen, but they were still fun to watch. Gators, hippos, LOTS of birds, black bear, deer, bobcat, 2 manatees that were there for re-hab....and many other animals. It was a great way to spend a few hours and the weather was perfect. Then it was time to head back south...it was a 2.5hr drive home. It was a gorgeous day and was a nicer drive home than it was the night before since it had been dark and rainy and plenty of traffic.
It was a great 1 night get-away.
The next 2 days were spent with neighbors and beaching it....was a great weekend.
Then.............screeeech...........put on the brakes, back to ATL and reality, cube world. That's ok, I'm grateful for the job and will one day enter the world of NO schedule.
Until then............

December was a whirl-wind

Wow...December did not disappoint...it was busy like always. Delta hosts a Military Holiday Lounge during this time of year for about 6 weeks. I really like being able to thank our MIL folks for their service...so I do lots of baking and put in a good bit of time volunteering...so that's a busy time for me. Then there is the decorating at Mom's and all the family baking, buying and wrapping. There's never a moment to spare.

I also had a surprise visitor...Glen from www.tosimplify.net, I'd tracked his adventures for some time and we'd done some email. He was on his way back south, the north was getting a bit chilly. We had a nice dinner and Mom, Shea and I got a sax concert...too cool. Thanks Glen, we really enjoyed the evening.

Christmas Day was busy as always...the whole family was at Mom's...15 of us plus 1yr old Quinton. It was a fun time. The next day we started shopping for events in 2012...the sales are great. On the 27th I came down to Sarasota....oh yeah, New Year's in the warmth...can't beat it.

There are some fun things planned for 2012, but since they are surprises I can't really talk about them...but stay tuned.

I wish you all a Happy New Year.....may 2012 be awesome....I for one, am ready to bid 2011 farewell!!!

Holidays...and a new Family addition!!!

Welcome to the family my little great-nephew Quinton McKinnon Carter born 11/11/11....he has my Dad's middle name...I think that's cool. I didn't take new born pics, but I love this one....he's about 6mths old.

Since vacation things have been very busy....have had several family birthdays and the holidays have started. Thanksgiving was as always....lots of folks at Mom's...the weather was nice so we could spread out. I had a little heart procedure done to fix a slight electrical issue I've had, so I was rather out of it for this holiday, but I'll be good for Christmas. I also got a cold, and just now shaking that...so will be glad to get back to normal. Thanks Denny for helping me last week, sorry I gave you my cold.
Work is fine....it slows a bit during holiday time. Next week Delta opens their holiday Military Lounge and I'll be volunteering and donating baked goods and such to that...is always nice to give back and help this time of year.
Thanks to my travels this year, I have almost all my Christmas shopping done, so I'm a bit freed up for other things. Good thing I didn't need to shop any after Thanksgiving sales, I was just not up to it. but I missed having the fun.
Very soon I will start helping Mom with her wrapping and more decorating.....let Christmas begin!!!

Clearing Customs....what a hoot!!!

This is about 30 days late...sorry.
Our flight home went very well....I slept most of the way this time so it went faster. The flight attnd gave us all Customs Forms and that's when my debate began. I was worried about my wild boar salami. I decided it best to be honest...I was affiliated to Delta and if caught, might not look too good. We landed and I was off the plane in a hurry....was anxious to get it over with. Cleared the first re-entry point just fine, but then had to claim luggage and clear again. Since I had put on there that I had the wild boar...I was sent to the "special" line. They were very nice but they took it. Said that there were viruses in Europe we didn't have in the USA and these can be transmitted through meat products....so, bye bye cool salami....sorry family I tried.
Now...off to recheck bags so they can meet me upstairs....and clear security one more time...how weird. OK..bag checked and off to security line....had never had to do this before...it was just like the security at the front of the airport...no liquids...3oz or less on other stuff...etc. Oops..got a problem....in the Paris airport I was determined to spen all my Euro's....so I bought some pastry things, no problem, but I bought a jar of jam....was bigger than 3oz and I was going to loose it. So, back I go to a DL counter...I had to "check" or rather send my carry on bag up stairs to baggage claim, with my jam in there or I'd have to give it up. NO way....I'd lost my wild boar, so I put it in my bag and "checked" it....this was beyond stupid and they even admitted it....and said they were changing this in 2012, but for now, these were the rules. By now I was sweaty and tired and sooooo ready to be out of customs and that airport.
Finally I clear security and head for baggage claim, get my bags, get on the bus that goes to the GO, get in my car and head home. Was really good to get to Mom's. She was there and was cooking my request....veggies....love you Mom.
I bent her ear for hours telling her about our trip and showing her my treasures. It was a wonderful trip....I'd love to go back to Italy. I'm glad I've seen Paris and all the things you are supposed to see....but, may not rush back.
Susan, you were a great traveling buddy....we are thinking of Ireland next.

Unril then ....back to work....need to make more, so we can spend more!!!