Hodge Podge Trip to the States Part II

With the computer back on track it is on with the show! So we continue with our land trip.

Carl and Eric load the mixer

The kids helped shovel the stones

When we returned to St. Louis Eric and I worked on his patio. It was almost a week long project of preparation as Eric still had to work each day, culminating into a weekend long concrete mixing and pouring marathon done by hand.

We finish the patio pours

Cole is learning to shave

Cole and Madison engrosed in their digital games

 

With the patio setting, we drove off Monday morning to Ft. Benning Ga.  We spent three weeks with Aron, Katie, and their kids Madison and Cole. Madison was practicing for her part in the Nutcracker as Claire, put on by the Georgia Ballet so she was gone a lot to practice. However, we got to ride bikes, jump on the trampoline and play a lot.

Leslie snuggles with the kids

Aron recieves an award from the army

Then we headed back to St. Louis for Thanksgiving, with Aron and family a few hours behind as he had a night class to attend.  Aron is getting a master’s degree in business and Katie is home schooling Madison.

Eric frying the turkey with help from Cole

Meals are a happy time

In St. Louis we had a great Thanksgiving with everyone!



Breakfast is a fun time for kids.

The kids made cookies with Kelly and Leslie

We hated for it to end, but end it did and Aron and family headed back to Georgia.

Leslie with Judge Roy Bean, SASS #1, and ladies

We Learn to dance the period dances




It snowed while we were there

We drove down to Branson Missouri for a 4 day Single Action Shooting Society, SASS, convention. The hotel was all decked out for Christmas and we had a great time attending the various events and classes. I even got to do some indoor wax bullet shooting.

The shooting was fun!

We shot postol, rifle, and shotgun with wax bullets

All dressed for dinner

Leslie is ready for the ball

We left Branson after a two day snow storm, Leslie chopped an inch of ice and 4” of snow off the car, back to St Louis where we spent a couple weeks with Eric and family.

Our little Prius covered with snow

Time to stop again. However, we still have Christmas to go in the next segment. See you then!

Hodge Podge Trip to the States Part I

The middle of September we put the boat on the hard in Virgin Gorda and prepared her for hurricane season.  We flew back to St. Louis for a few days, just long enough for Leslie to trade in our 2004 Prius for a 2010 Prius, then we drove to R.I. 

Leslie and the "new" Prius

 

 While there, we packed up our storage shed into a POD to ship to St. Louis and went to the boat show in Newport to buy stuff.  We met our friend Diane at the boat show and filled the needs for this coming years boat projects!.

We meet Dave and Jan at the show

Diane at the helm of a new Lagoon 450

 

Dinner at Tamar's House

Neighbors and friends get together

We stayed at cousin Alice and John’s house and had a great time. We also had a dinner party, thrown by Tamar, at our old neighborhood. Time to visit was limited in RI and NY, where we visited with Carl’s dad and cousins Wray and Cindy, as day care was closed for a week in St. Louis and we were going to take care of Tali and Cloe.

Eric runs to the first set of targets!

Eric engaging various targets

We drove back to St. Louis to play with the kids for a week which is one of our favorite things. While there, Carl got to do some shooting with Eric.  Eric is still with Boeing and Kelly is now a high school librarian.

snow storm at Ally's house

Leslie, Mom, and Ally

We drove west to Cody Wyoming stopping to visit Leslie’s Aunt Helen in Nebraska before continuing on  through a snow storm to spend a week with Leslie’s sister Ally and visit her mother. It was a fun visit and we got to do some activities with Ally as well as take mom on some outings. We also hooked up with other friends there and had a great time at the Buffalo Jump Winery.

We stopped leaving Nebraska

Leslie in cousin Melody's garden

It was then back, stopping at Leslie’s cousin Melody in Nebraska where Carl went on a Combine ride to harvest corn.



Tali and Cloe relax at the water feature

we prepare to release turtles on the beach

The turtles are off!

Then off  to St. Louis to repack and go to Mexico with Eric and family.  A fun time of surfing, water slides, pools and aquacise.

Eric Surfing

Cloe, Tali, and Eric put in sun block

one of the slides at Mexico

More to come but the computer is complaining.
 

Cruising Friends and Fun

There is more to the cruising life than sailing and seeing new ports. It’s the friends you make and the activities you participate in that make in a unique experience.  It’s the relaxing times, the beach parties, and the get together with friends.





Joe from Sandy Annie



Gordan and Suzanne on Ocean Wings

We have been fortunate to meet a great group of people who have become good friends. We have often gotten together on each other’s boats for dinner or drinks.

 

Sandy from Sandy Annie

 

 

Gene and Wilma from Gewil

 

 

 

 

Vince and Alex bought Sandy
Annie renamed Slow Motion

 

 

 

 

 

 

Midnight Rambler

Peg and August

Peg and August on Midnight Rambler are a couple we try to see and visit every time we go to St John. We usally get together for drinks and dinner and if we are on Midnight Rambler August, who is the chief at Morgans Mango, makes the most incredible food.

Leslie cuts her cake

We toast Leslie's Birthday

Leslie gets a second toast

 

In June I tried to surprise Leslie with her birthday party, but ended up taking her with me to get the cake for a birthday on the beach. Champagne and cake was enjoyed by everyone.

The beach barbecue

The search for treasure

 

The beach has been a wonderful place to get together to talk, have drinks, and do dinners on the grills. One time Charles brought in his metal detectors and we searched the beach for treasure.

The Culinary school entry

Leslie liked his best

One of the events we saw was coal pot cooking. The participants cooked a dish in a clay pot with a coal fire. There were some very nice stews.

Leslie in her "princess chair"

Kayaking is fun and exercise

Relaxing and playing is part of the experience. Shaun, a researcher marine biologist for USVI, took us to a great ocean film festival. There were many videos on the sea of a quality I wish I could match.

Shaun and Leslie ready for our trip East

Carl Fights off a shark attack!!!

Jumbies are everywhere

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cave dwelling

The rock cliffs we climbed to

 

While anchored in Brewers Bay we always saw the cliffs of stone up the mountain behind the Bay, and desired to hike up to them. The locals said there is a trail up and upon investigation we found some red ribbons tied to trees along a dried creek bed of tumbled rocks. We put water and snacks in our packs and started up the creek bed. We went slowly looking for ribbons and possible side trails. About 30 min into the climb we came upon a cave which someone had turned into a dwelling. It has doors, windows with screens, beds with a mattress, a sink, and other furnishings. However, in the not too distant past the stream had collapsed the outer wall and corrugated steel roof. It is now a wreck. We took a break there inspecting the cave and then continued up. Another 30 mins. of climbing and Leslie decided we were off course and started to head back down the trail. Ray and I continued up and 10 mins later arrived at a large rock. We climbed to its top and enjoyed a great view of the bay and airport, but we were on the far right side of the cliff. It was getting late so we enjoyed the view and climbed back down meeting Leslie at the cave wreck.

Inside the cave dwelling

Carl at the top of the rock cliffs