In this blog update, we arrive back to the US from our 11-day transatlantic cruise. The cruise port of Canaveral is next to the area that we have spent much time over the past 30 years. My parents bought a house here after retiring from Up North. It felt like we were really coming back home after being gone almost two months, even though we have one more travel segment to get back to our actual home in Virginia. That flight will be in a few days, but first we wanted to do a few things here…
Continue reading “Cocoa Beach Florida – Arrival Back in USA”Transatlantic Cruise – What to Expect?
In this post, we continue with the two-month vacation as we are nearing the end. Previously, I covered the beginning of the cruise from Barcelona to Port Canaveral Florida and the one stop at Funchal. Now, we will ponder what exactly to expect on the remaining cruise as we leave land near Portugal and cross the Atlantic Ocean.
Continue reading “Transatlantic Cruise – What to Expect?”Transatlantic Cruise – Adventure of the Seas
This update will continue with our two-month trip to Europe and the cruise back to Florida. In the last post, we moved out of our Barcelona apartment and moved onto the cruise ship ultimately bound for the USA. This is by far the longest that we have ever been out of the country. It will be good to get back home to see family during the Christmas holiday. Why take a cruise back home instead of fly?
Continue reading “Transatlantic Cruise – Adventure of the Seas”Florida Winter Wrap Up
The long overdue update is finally here from our last few weeks in the Sunshine State. We have a completely different agenda in Florida than at our home in Virginia. In Florida, we have many things to do either inside the RV park or outside in the surrounding towns. We seem to be out and about exploring new destinations and usually finding a great eating establishment. Whereas back home in the mountains, we enjoy the large home and yard and venture out only once a week or so. So, here is the final winter wrap up of some of those Florida activities!
Continue reading “Florida Winter Wrap Up”Florida Update!
My long overdue blog post has finally been written and posted! In this update, I will try to capture the highlights of the last couple of months. There have been many highs and a few lows over this period as we have enjoyed the many activities and friends at our RV park in New Port Richey (NPR) Florida. I’m sure a few things will be left out as I try to cover this time.
Cortez Florida Walking Tour
We try to walk at least 3 miles every day and our location here at Cortez is perfect to achieve that goal. It is a mile to walk across the bridge to the Anna Maria beach. Then more miles on the beach or else to the Moose club for eats and drink. The food and drink are the reward for the walk. Anyway, that is my story. On other days, we just cross the street from the RV park and enter the Cortez fishing village. By walking all the streets in the village, it is exactly 3 miles.
Family Visit on Anna Maria Island
We recently had a visit from both of our sons and our daughter-in-law. A slightly early Christmas gathering on the warm sunny island. Unfortunately, our daughter could not make this trip due to some college coursework she was completing. It was great to have them here for a week to see the island sites, take a few hikes, eat many meals, have a few drinks, and walk the beach admiring the many beautiful sunsets.
Arrived in Florida
We survived a rushed loading session back in Virginia due to a delay in getting the rig. The low stress five-day loading process turned into a hurried 1.5 day controlled chaos. I only missed packing a couple of things, and I believe Pat got everything needed for the kitchen. Pretty amazing since the weather turned cold at 22 degrees on the morning that we left. That was just a nice reminder of what we will be missing!
The Snowbird Trip That Almost Wasn’t
We are officially, finally, off on our annual snowbird pilgrimage to the warm south. I’m writing this post from our RV park from Savannah, Georgia, an overnight stop on the way. I did have a few unexpected snags with the RV this year. Just to make things interesting, I guess.
Cruise – Western Caribbean
One of our vacations from a strenuous retirement, is to take a cruise while we are already in Florida for the winter. This year I found a 6-day cruise on Royal Caribbean aboard the Jewel of the Seas. It was a good deal at less than $100 a day each for an inside cabin and it sailed out about 45 days from when I booked it. It was a beautiful warm week in late February and we had a surprise waiting for us on board! On to the Western Caribbean!