As 2024 Winds Down. . .

It is exactly one week until Christmas as I finish writing this. I imagine you are all in the midst of preparing for the holidays – shopping, wrapping, baking, decorating, cleaning, making celebratory plans with family and friends! Our tree is up, my shopping is done, wrapping gifts is underway, and one batch of cookies has been baked.

This year has been busy with traveling and activities with family and friends. We spent several weeks in February and March with our friends, Vicki and Fred Behr, in Florida. We were based in Clearwater with trips to Naples and Marco Island, a cruise to the Bahamas, the drive to Key West and exploring the Everglades. We enjoyed the warmer weather (although a bit colder than normal for Florida) and meeting up with friends along the way.

In Key West at the Southernmost Point in the Continental USA

Vicki & Fred's daughter Lauren & family joined us for a week at the beach!

One of the many alligators we saw in the Everglades 

In one of Buffalo Trace Distillery warehouses - barrels of bourbon.

In April Steve and I flew to Denver for our nephew Jay’s wedding. It was great to catch up with all my brothers and sisters and spend a couple days in Colorado Springs and Denver.

Summer in Minnesota was full of golf, deck building, gatherings with family and friends and a few trips out of town. Father's Day weekend we went camping with my brother, Bruce, and his family at Brushy Creek State Recreation Area in Iowa. Luckily my nephew Jonathan has a large camper so when a storm went through and flattened our tent, we had a place to sleep for the night. . . as well as my brother Brian who joined us for the night! It was great to hang out together, with lots to eat and drink, games and kayaking. Timing was perfect and the next couple days I spent with high school friends at Lake Panorama. 

We enjoyed outings with our family – Alyssa, Jaime, Mike and Xander, who turned two in August. We spent a long weekend up north in Baxter, Minnesota. We hiked at Crow Wing State Park, went to a beach with the added bonus of watching a waterskiing show, played mini golf, went to a brewery and enjoyed the large house we rented along the Mississippi River.

The family at Jack Pine Brewery in Baxter MN

Regarding house projects – Steve with the help of Fred, finished the shed, and got most of the deck built. A big thanks to Steve Hauser and Paul Goldsmith who also helped with those projects. The stairs are yet to be finished, but the deck is beautiful and we look forward to using it a lot next year.

We live in the small town of Dundas which is basically an extension of Northfield, a picturesque town with a beautiful main street and a population of around 21,000. In August I volunteered along with a group of friends to help with the Northfield Shares Community Dinner. 1,200 people plus 250 volunteers were served a family style dinner at tables up and down main street. Click here to see a video of the event which was amazing!

Northfield Shares Community dinner in downtown Northfield

In early September Annika Kay joined the world, little sister to Xander and our second grandchild! We enjoyed staying with Xander when Annika was born and meeting her when they arrived home. She is now over 3 months old and such a sweetie!

Xander meeting his little sister

Aunt Alyssa with Annika

Luckily timing worked out and Annika was born before we left for a trip to Italy on September 21! We took a 14 day tour with Gate1 and it was fabulous! We flew into Milan and spent 2 to 3 days in Lake Como, Venice, Florence, Rome and Naples. In each city we had local guides who gave us tours of the most popular sites. We also did wine tastings at local farms, saw glass blowing in Venice, toured Verona, Pisa, Assisi and Pompeii, and spent a day on the Isle of Capri. Our tour manager, Alice (pronounced a-lee-chay) was terrific and we had a great tour group, making many new friends.

A selfie at Lake Como

The canals & gondolas in Venice

One of the magnificent tapestries in the Vatican Museum

In Rome at the Baptistry of San Giovanni

Amazing ruins in Pompeii

Overlooking the beautiful town of Positano

Inside the Colosseum in Rome

After returning from Italy, we spent a weekend in Iowa and went to the Iowa State – Texas Tech football game. Unfortunately, Iowa State lost 22-23 but it’s always fun to get together with long time friends.

The group at the Iowa State football game

Steve’s mom, Dolores, turned 90 on October 23. Many of her family including grandchildren and great grandchildren attended a birthday party at her facility in Grafton, Wisconsin on Nov. 9. Although her health had been failing, she enjoyed the day having her family together and meeting two of her newest great grandkids. Two days later she passed away quietly in her sleep on Nov. 11. We were all so fortunate to see her that weekend. She felt the love of her family and knew she could move on. Her services were Nov. 23 in Gurnee and her entire family was able to attend to celebrate her wonderful life.

Dolores's high school picture

Dolores Ann Keller Wilt

Nana's many grandchildren and great grandchildren

Which brings us to the holiday season. My brother, Bruce and his wife Barb celebrated Thanksgiving with us. It was great to spend time with them and they got to meet Xander and Annika. Bruce helped Steve and Alyssa cut down our Christmas tree (in the cold weather!) while Barb and I shopped in downtown Northfield. Fred, Vicki, Steve and I went to White Christmas at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre and enjoyed an early start to the season. We had a table right by the stage, which was a wonderful location, really close to the actors!

Barb and Bruce meeting Annika

We look forward to celebrating Christmas and New Years with our family and friends.

As 2024 winds down, we wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2025!

Updates and Travels 2024

 

In the warehouse at Buffalo Trace Distillery.

It has been several months since I published a blog. My time has been filled with travel, drawing and painting, family genealogy research, gardening, golf, etc! I’m not having a problem filling the days! High school friends recently reminded me that they enjoy reading my blog, so it’s time to work in writing too.

Steve and I along with our friends, Vicki and Fred, spent several weeks in February and March in Florida along with the road trips down and back. This year we were  based in Clearwater with a two-week trip that included a couple days in Naples and Marco Island, a cruise, a drive to Key West and exploring the Everglades.  Below are highlights from those travels.

The tasting after the tour at Buffalo Trace

Buffalo Trace Distillery – although I am not a Bourbon fan, my husband is. I do enjoy a good brewery or distillery tour. On the way to and from Florida we stopped at Buffalo Trace for tours and to purchase their specialty bourbons. Only one of those coveted brands is available each day, and you don’t know which one until that morning. You can only buy one bottle per person every 90 days. Steve and Fred were happy to scoop up 3 different bottles. Yes, we did go to the distillery 4 different days, to get those 3 specialty brands.

It was a cool winter in Florida (but still warmer than a warm Minnesota winter). We wore sweatshirts over our swimsuits the first couple beach days. The weather got progressively warmer, and we enjoyed beaches in Clearwater, Sand Key State Park, and Honeymoon Island.  

As always, the seafood was delicious! Grouper was a specialty on many menus, and we enjoyed fresh shrimp prepared at home.

Whimzyland House in Safety Harbor had a variety of funky decorations surrounding it

There are a lot of attractions and parks in and near Clearwater that we explored this year. Safety Harbor is east of Clearwater. It has a quaint main street just a couple blocks from the water. If you are in this area, don’t miss Whimzeyland, a house near downtown that has been converted into an art piece.

Johns Pass is south of Clearwater Beach along the coast. It has a fun boardwalk with restaurants and shops, along with an outdoor shopping area. We enjoyed lunches at restaurants along the docks, watching people, pelicans and dolphins.

Dunedin is north of Clearwater. It has a variety of restaurants and shops in the central area, as well as a Saturday farmers market.

We hiked and enjoyed parks in the Clearwater area including Cliff Stephens Park, Florida Botanical Gardens, and Moccasin Lake Nature Center.

A mama manatee and her baby at Crystal River 

Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge is one and a half hours north of Clearwater, but definitely worth the drive to see manatees! Manatees spend the winter in the Three Sisters Spring fed pond, as well as in the canal out to the bay. There are small beaches and towns along the way to stop for lunch or dinner. We stopped at Robert K. Rees Memorial Park in New Port Richey to enjoy a beverage and views of the bay.

This year we were lucky to spend time with family and friends during our time away. Fred and Vicki’s daughter and family joined us during their spring break. We also enjoyed visits with college and high school friends, Illinois neighbors, and Minnesota friends. It was such fun to reminisce and catch up with everyone as we enjoyed the Florida weather!

Fred, Vicki, Steve and I on the boat tour in Nassau

The beautiful white sand beaches and blue water on Norwegian's private island.

We scheduled a 5-day Bahama cruise out of Miami on Norwegian Cruise Lines in mid-March. Of course, there were a lot of young spring breakers on the ship. Once the initial first day frenzy to get alcoholic beverages calmed down, we discovered the bars that didn't have a long wait for drinks. We enjoyed a beautiful beach day on Norwegian’s private island, a land and sea tour of Nassau, and a jeep tour (with really old jeeps) on Grand Bahama Island. The key takeaways included gorgeous turquoise blue warm water, silky white sand beaches, the usual island trinkets sold by the locals, lots of choices on what to eat and drink, and relaxing as the ship cruised through the beautiful water.

In Key West at the Southernmost Point of the Continental USA

The swimming pool with Hemmingway's writing studio in the back

After the cruise we jumped in the car again and headed south on Highway 1 to Key West. The drive went smoothly with no traffic delays. We had lunch on a patio with a mother hen and her chicks running among diners’ feet, met up with friends Burdette and Maxine from Illinois, shopped, and watched the sunset at Mallory Square. We booked a cute condo just off Duval Street for the night. The next morning, we walked to the Southernmost Point in the Continental USA for a picture – when the line was much shorter. After breakfast at the Banana Café, we took a tour at the Hemmingway Museum, which was interesting and informative. Lunch was Kermits Key Lime pie which was delicious on a hot day. After a tour of the Key West First Legal Rum Distillery, we headed north to Marathon for the night. The next day we went to Crane Point Hammock Nature Center which featured interesting history, nature trails and animals including racoons and tortoises. We stopped at Robbie’s of Islamorada which is a good stop if you need a break on the drive, but basically a tourist trap.

One of the many boardwalks in the Everglades area

An alligator sunning in the water

Everglades National Park was next on the agenda. The first day we stopped at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center and drove the Main Park Road to Flamingo. We stopped at several spots to take short hikes, many on boardwalks to see the everglades. “Robert is Here” Fruit Stand was a fun stop on the way to the hotel. It featured so many kinds of fruit and great milkshakes, as well as rescued animals including cows, goats, turtles, iguanas, emus and more.

Our second day in the Everglades included an airboat ride with Cooperstown tours, one of the companies recommended by the National Park Service. The ride through the river of grass was interesting and we did see a few alligators. After a long wait to enter the Shark Valley Visitor Center, we were able to get tickets to go on the Tram Tour. We saw birds, alligators and one elusive crocodile, and we took a climb up an observation tower to see the everglades for miles. We did quick stops at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center (in a trailer, not much to see) and Big Cypress Bend in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park on our drive to Naples for the night.

A beautiful sunset in the Keys

The sandcastle we created on our final day at the beach!

We spent another week in Clearwater and its beaches before heading home to Minnesota. Of course, we expected it to be spring in the Midwest in early April, but winter wasn't over and we drove through snow in Illinois and Iowa! The realities of living in the Midwest! As always, we enjoyed our time away in the winter, but were happy to be home.

We are enjoying our summer in Minnesota with a few trips to Wisconsin and Iowa to see family. Steve and friends are building a deck on the back of our house – in between rain showers! We golf a few times a week, spend time with friends and family, and are planning our next travel adventures.

I hope you are all enjoying the summer. As always it is speeding by too quickly!