Book a beach vacation for next winter.....

Marco Island is on the books for Winter 2009.

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

My daughter and I spent the last week at  The Villages in Florida.    It's a beautiful community for the 55+ crowd....and I'm getting there!

We enjoyed 78 - 82 degree sunny weather every day.   Thanks for a great visit, Dad and Carol!  Hope to be back again next year.  As for the rest of the family.....

My husband and our sons went on a ski trip to Vermont.

This is Uncle Rob's cabin in the woods where they stayed.  Although it was not 80 degrees in Vermont, it was 40 degrees and sunny.  We all had a great time.  Now it's time to get back to our regular routine on the prairie, where today it is cold, cloudy and dreary.  But we are happy to be reunited as a family.

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

...and I wasn't disappointed!

Zion National Park  is a geologic showcase with sandstone cliffs among the highest in the world.

The Virgin River serves as a natural corridor for exploring the park.   We hiked through The Narrows on trails along the river.

Sedimentation, uplift, and erosion have resulted in elevations ranging from 3600 to 8700 feet.  At every turn we enjoyed varied scenes and colors.  We only had a camera phone with us, so these photos don't capture the full depth of colors.

We drove up to Zion National Park from Las Vegas, the nearest large airport, about 150 miles away.  In the future, we plan to make a family journey of approximately 700 miles to visit what is called the Grand Circle.   This encompasses all five Utah national parks, in addition to scenic Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde.   Having grown up in the Finger Lakes region of NYS and currently living on the fertile prairies of IL,  my trip to Utah was a completely new experience!

• Comments (2) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

112 people died during the Hoover Dam project

The Hoover Dam was the first man-made structure to exceed the masonry mass of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The dam contains enough concrete to pave a strip 16 feet wide and 8 inches thick from San Francisco to New York City.

Hydroelectricity produced by the Hoover Dam power plant averages 4.8 billion kilowatt-hours annually.

Two tower cranes were recently built on opposite sides of the canyon, forming dual highlines. Once the highlines are erected, the entire length of the new bridge becomes accessible to the crane hook for delivery of materials used in the main arch crossing, columns, and the superstructure.

We had an awesome visit including 80 degree weather in November!

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

• Comments (1) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

I'm the luckiest girl in the world.  I have friendships from my college days that have endured the test of  time and distance.   We now live in different parts of the country, but  still try to get together regularly.   Tomorrow,  I leave for Stratton Mt. Vermont,  this year's location  for our annual reunion.

No....we won't be skiing the mountain.  Too many conversations and memories to recapture !   Why  spend our precious time together skiing and  NOT talking?   My husband can't believe we will be slope-side, content  in a hot tub,  gabbing instead.   He's a skier and adventure seeker.  Sitting fireside and staying up all night to continue deep conversation constitutes a complete mystery  to this man.    So given the chance to choose your weekend adventure.....would it be a gab session with old friends or swishing the slopes with the wind in your hair?

• Comments (6) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

The TERROR of it all!MGM Studios:   My sane husband and I braved the Tower of Terror once.....but the kids enthusiastically did it again. 

We boarded a Viking ship in Norway @ EPCOT in remembrance of  Beorn the Proud!

We squeezed through the "Wardrobe" to Narnia....a welcome change from the Florida heat!

All in a hard day's play.

• Comments (8) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Mission Space

EPCOT at Disney World

We made great  family memories on our vacation.

• Comments (4) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Or where OUT of this world are we going?  Usually I post a "Where In the World" photo for my husband's travels, but this time the WHOLE family is going.

Any guesses where we're headed?  Our departure countdown starts in an hour.

• Comments (2) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Wow!  What a trip! 

I couldn't help but hear Dorothy's line in "The Wizard of Oz" murmuring....."I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."  As with the early explorers, we left the high desert plains of Reno and Carson City and crested the hilltop to this sight.  It was like leaving this world and entering a surreal place.

We learned Lake Tahoe is one of the deepest lakes in North America with its depth measuring 1,645 feet and averaging 1000 feet deep.  At 6,225 feet above sea level, it is the highest lake in the United States.  In addition to the natural beauty of Lake Tahoe, we were entranced with the fresh alpine air filled with the scents of pines, cedars, cypress and wild meadow flowers.

Because no major rivers empty into Lake Tahoe, the lake's water is 99% pure and pristine clear.  We could see objects 75-100 feet deep.   The only source of fresh water is mountain run off and snow melts.  It was amazing!

One day we cruised from Zephyr Cove, Nevada to Emerald Bay, California.  Reportedly, the sun shines 75% of the time with low humidity.  Such was the beautiful day of our lake tour on the paddle wheel boat.

You can easily see why Emerald Bay was named after this jewel.

It is one of the most photographed areas in the region.

Another day we drove the lake rim stopping at scenic vistas, and Starbucks, hiking up to Eagle Falls above Emerald Bay  and lunching at a local lakefront bistro.

The Blue Water Bistro in South Lake Tahoe is an awesome local eatery.    We enjoyed lunch out on the balcony overlooking Tallac Mt.

Another day we hiked through Taylor Creek State Park.  There we explored alpine meadows, streams, swamps and forests all within one park.  We saw Kokanee Salmon swimming upstream to spawn and a multitude of Steller Jays flitting between the Jeffrey Pines and Sugar Pines...several new varieties of species to us! 

We stayed at the Embassy Suites in South Lake Tahoe.

We love the special hospitailty for Hilton diamond members, but all guests enjoy the manager's evening cocktail party and full breakfast.

We definitely want to return to Lake Tahoe with the kids.  Every season offers a variety of activities whether on the lake, on the slopes, or just enjoying the natural wonders of nature.  I think it's one of those MUST see places in the United States!

• Comments (9) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Leaving with my husband on a trip tomorrow.....

just the two of us with with NO KIDS!

Where are we going?

• Comments (5) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link