Book Recommendation

 I’ve been reading some really great books lately so thought I’d share with you.  Susan Wiggs is a good author and a great story teller. One of the reasons is her characters, even secondary ones, come to life. And in … Continue reading →

Cranberry Chutney Recipe

Our granddaughter made this dish for Thanksgiving. Not only was it a new recipe she embellished it. The original called for brown sugar but after a taste test we all knew it didn’t need it. I can see Cranberry Chutney … Continue reading →

Beyond 2020

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September is almost at an end and we are entering the last quarter of 2020.  It’s been quite a year. One we know doubt will be talking about in the years to come. It makes me think about life and … Continue reading →

Grand Dogs Gotta Love Them

The kids decided to take Hoss with them when they made this trip. Even though it was hot they drove straight through and once there they have a/c

And Hoss found the joys of a swimming pool. He loves it. No, he isn’t a lab or lab mix. He’s a giant schnauzer. They said as soon as he saw them come downstairs with their swimming suit’s he was ready for his vest.

If one of them didn’t get right out to the pool he’d go between the house and the pool until they were all in it. No leaving anyone out.

Even though they stayed home to be safe they had a trip filled with memory making. This trip was golden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“WE ARE NOT IN THE SAME BOAT”

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 I received this in an email and thought it was worth passing along. I heard that we are all in the same boat, but it’s not like that. We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat. … Continue reading →

2020 at Myrtle Beach

Last month we made our second trip to Myrtle Beach. The first one since purchasing the condo. I love it there. Everything moves in a slower pace than here in the Pacific NW. The interstate highways looked like ours did in maybe the 1960’s. The picture above is the sunset from our balcony. We get both sunsets and sunrises while looking over the Atlantic Ocean. It didn’t make sense until we accessed to compass on our phones and saw how the coastline ran. Here’s another one of the sunset and then a sunrise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have piers on both sides of us so nice for walking.

We knew we had a lot of work to do when we went back but it turned out to be even more.

Like: New mattress’s for all 3 bedrooms, Dining room table, Counter stools, Living room –  sofa’s, coffee table, area rug, and TV stand with electric fireplace insert.

Then all the little things like new coffee maker, dishes, flatware, bedspreads. You name it and we pretty much replaced it. It didn’t leave much time for touristy stuff but we enjoyed eating out. No one can flavor food like the South. We ran around so much I didn’t even gain any weight lol.

When we got down there the weather had turned warm. T-shirts and of course we hadn’t brought many. We did put a new washer and dryer in when we first got the condo (August) so it wasn’t a big problem. Then it turned cold, like artic cold. I’m sure the wind had something to do with it. I love the ocean in the winter so no real problem except we had brought sort of in between type clothes so it was cold going outside. I still managed quite a few nights with the bedroom patio door open and slept to sound of the surf.

We still have the cabinets and living room blinds to go. They said about 4 weeks for the installs. The property manager put the upgrades on their listing at

https://www.northbeachvacations.com/booking/sunrise-pointe-10f-oceanfront-cherry-grove-section/1347-142742

Can’t wait to go back and enjoy the area. We are about 2 hours from Charleston and they have a lot to see. We’ve already started a list of things to see and do.

 

 

 

Spring in November

Since we won’t be going to Arizona this coming January we decided to take the month of November to get a respite from winter. By leaving the end of October we felt safe in changing the route we usually take and instead traveled along the Columbia Gorge to Boise and then cut down on Hwy 93 at Twin Falls.

I’ve been on 93 as far as Wells Nevada quite a few times but it’s been a lot of years since I’ve been on it into Ely.  We saw a smattering of snow and Ely was experiencing some really cold weather. We spent the night there and it was supposed to get to -7 the next morning.  Karen and I dug out sweatshirts and winter coats, but it didn’t last and as we got closer to Vegas we were on the side of the road getting back to t-shirts.

Travel traffic was good until we got to Vegas. Oh my gosh, we deserved a couple of gold stars for that part of the drive. Their freeway design looks like a bowl of spaghetti.  The navigation was almost continually pointing us to take exit this, then a left, then exit that, we finally landed off the freeway and found ourselves in a downtown area. The navigation was still trying to direct us back into the freeway system, but about the time we were ready to give it another go we spotted ‘Las Vegas Blvd.’. Ah ha, Luxor, where we were staying,  is on this street.  We turned north, wrong, and after what seemed miles we turned around and started south. Now at least the distance on the navigation screen was reducing, but it was still trying to get us back on the freeway.  7 miles out we puttered down the Blvd watching as the distance between us and our destination decreased.  All this time the navigation kept chattering. The bright side of our driving adventure was that Karen hadn’t been to Vegas for years and was enjoying the view. Me, all I could see was cars and more cars. It was early afternoon but it looked more like it was in the middle commute time.

So Vegas, we bought a bus pass that enabled us to hop on and off all day. The route took us down the Las Vegas strip. A friend had told Karen to be sure and see the Venetian.  I agree it’s a must see. If you go take a look at the shop area’s  ceilings.

Another must is the Bellagio. The conservatory defies description. Pictures don’t do it justice, but here’s the link for them.  They change the theme with the seasons and the tigers were there when we were.  They are one of the animated displays.  We played a little and browsed the Conservatory gift shop.  Then had a drink at the piano bar under a ceiling of Chihuly glass.  Loved our time there.

Linda (friend since second grade) and I were in Vegas in 2016 and had happy hour at Trevi an Italian restaurant in Caesar’s Forum shop area where the ceiling looks like the sky.  Karen and I found it on this trip and it was as good as ever.  I had a salad … the picture it says it all.  We had a Trevi Bellini drink, a repeat of  2016.  Believe me if you go to Vegas you won’t want to miss at least stopping at the Trevi for a drink. 

 

From Vegas it would have been a short day to Glendale even with going through Oatman.  It was Halloween and we expected to get in early and stop for candy but hit construction. They closed the freeway so it turned out to be a two hour detour.  Again, a real driving experience.

We’ll be heading back after Thanksgiving but have so loved Arizona in November we may do it again.  A lot of pool time and lazy days.

 

 

 

 

 

Coloring Books They’re Not Just For Kids Anymore

I did a dumb trick the other day. I downloaded a coloring app to my iPad. And now I’m having trouble getting my nose out of it. It’s like – – “One more color, then one more. Okay I’ll just … Continue reading →

Myrtle Beach South Carolina

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In May we decided to look into purchasing a condo. We really wanted to be on the beach. However, living in the Pacific Northwest, it is wet and cold so we looked south and came across Myrtle Beach.  It was … Continue reading →

Beach House Memories

We recently purchased a condo in North Myrtle Beach South Carolina.  I’d never been there before we flew down to look at the unit and I love the area. This book is set on the Isles of Palms which is 95 miles from North Myrtle Beach so perfect timing for me to read it.

It opens with Lovie (Olivia Rutledge) again at her beloved beach cottage. She is an old lady and in the last stages of cancer. The story is designed like a sandwich with the first and last chapter in the present and the rest of the book mainly about the summer of 74 at the beach. A plus is the sub plot where they study loggerhead turtles and the newly hatched babies. We saw some nesting spots when we were in Florida. These creatures are amazing.

Lovie finds love this summer and she truly finds herself. We all face crossroads in life. Some us face more than others, but  I think we all wonder what our life would have been if we had taken the other road.

As I read this story I thought that everyone over maybe 60 should read this book. Choices were made that changed the course of life and in the end, if you believe in soul mates you can believe that these two will meet again.

Maybe it’s where I live, but I seem to be more aware of the life journey than I once was.  Here it’s 55 and older, and there have been a lot of changes on our street.  One couple downsizing to an apartment, another moving to a local assisted living, another choosing to move across the state to be closer to their daughter and they also chose assisted living.  One lady described it to me as turning to a new chapter.  This book made me look back and see more clearly the chapters of my own life story.

A recommended read for sure.