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!

One Year into Retirement

Hiking in Banff National Park

What? I’ve been retired a year? Yep, I retired a year ago on February 3 from a 38 year career at Johnson & Quin, a direct mail printing company. Time has moved along quickly, yet at times it seems longer than a year. There have been a few times when I felt at loose ends, uncertain about what to do with my day. But I now have plenty of projects to work on and my days are full. 

Retirement started with a trip south, out of the Minnesota winter. With our friends Vicki and Fred, Steve and I spent 5 busy weeks starting in Texas, then heading east to Florida. We enjoyed the Texas Hill Country, New Orleans, Clearwater Florida, Nashville, and many sites and attractions along the way. 

New House Projects 

Over the spring and summer, I added a small garden in the backyard, planted perennials, and went overboard as usual with pots of annuals. Unfortunately Steve started to have back problems which hampered his ability to build a deck and get his work areas organized. He was finally able to maneuver the medical worlds between Illinois and Minnesota to find a doctor here that was able to solve his back pain. And with the mild December winter, he built a shed in the back yard to store yard tools. 

The shed which will be painted in the spring.

We organized closets and pantries, put up pictures and made our new house feel like our home. This spring a deck will be built on the back of the house, with finishing the basement on the project list next. We’ve had several family and friend gatherings in the past year, so our house has been broken in. 

Golf 

We joined the Northfield Golf Club. Little did we know what a good decision that was! Steve is a golfer, but I have golfed maybe a total of a dozen rounds in my life, and none for years! In addition to being outside on a beautiful golf course getting exercise, we have met many new friends. I golfed with 7 other lovely ladies on Wednesdays, Steve golfed in the men’s league on Tuesdays, and we golfed as a couple on Friday afternoons. Of course, after golfing there were drinks and dinner and great conversations. It was a good brain workout to remember everyone’s name, and then details on their familes and lives. Looking back on the year, I certainly didn’t predict that we would meet so many wonderful people in our first year! 

Fresh Fruit and Veggies 

Northfield has a great little farmers market where I bought fresh veggies every week. Silkey Farms is near our house where I picked strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and apples. Now that I had the time, I made a lot of freezer jam, as well as freezing the fruit for future smoothies and baking. My Mom and Aunt Joan froze sweet corn when I was growing up. I used their recipe (with cream and butter so it had to be delicious) and froze bi-color corn from a local farm. 

Raspberries and ingredients, ready to make jam.

Cutting corn for freezing. Delicious in the winter!

Girls Weekends and More

I was lucky to spend weekends with high school and college friends. I hosted three long-time high school friends this summer, and we explored the Northfield/Dundas area. In October six Iowa State roommates met in Galena, Illinois. It had been many years since we had seen some friends, so the weekends were such fun catching up and reconnecting. We enjoyed a family weekend up north in Crosby MN - biking, hiking, kayaking, games, and just hanging out with our children and our grandson, Xander! In addition, there were weekends to Wisconsin to see Steve's mom and Iowa to see family. 

More Traveling 

We plan to travel a lot these next few years. while we can. In August Steve, our daughter Alyssa, and I took a road trip to southwestern Colorado to see several national parks and historical sites. Along the way we avoided the interstate highways and stopped to see many local and state attractions. 

Alyssa and I at Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

Alyssa and Steve at Scottsbluff National Monument in Nebraska.

In September we took another road trip with college friends, the Behrs and Goldsmiths, to Glacier and Banff National Parks. The scenery was amazing in both the U.S. and Canada, and we met so many interesting people along the journey. Hiking and driving through national parks reminds us of the beauty of this world. And spending time with friends was the best! 

Having lunch at Seeley Lake MT on our way to Glacier.

Creative Outlets 

In addition to writing a blog, I have recently started getting back into art. I took art classes in high school, and majored in Advertising Design and minored in Journalism at Iowa State. Alyssa nudged me back into painting by giving me a watercolor set over a year ago. Painting on my own wasn’t working when my Silver Sneakers membership started offering painting and drawing classes. Taking those basic and intro classes has made the difference, and I now have direction in my painting. I have also found artists and videos on YouTube that are providing further instruction. 

Online watercolor classes resulted in these paintings.

A class on Zentangle drawing, described as meditative doodling, introduced me to this type of drawing. I love it! Check out Zentangle.com for more information if you are interested. Examples of the drawings I have done are shown below. 

Examples of Zentangle drawings.

Future Projects 

I have discovered that I need a plan for the day. It can be a very loose plan, but I like to have a list in my head of things to do as I start the day. In the future, I would like to start quilting since I was an avid sewer until my babies arrived. Our families genealogy also interests me. We have bins of pictures and historical information from my mom, as well as Steve’s mom, so those need to be organized, scanned and shared with our families. 

The big travel destinations are planned for 2024, so look for information on those as we venture out this year. Until next time, enjoy whatever the remaining winter brings!

Christmas Letters Over the Years. . . and Once Again in 2023

 

Family picture at Denver Botanic Gardens in 2017 at Amy & Corey's wedding

As we were preparing to move to Minnesota, going through decades of “stuff”, I came across past family Christmas letters. The oldest was written in 1995 with a yearly series through 2001, then the letters began to falter. There was a sprinkling of letters with the last one found in 2014. They were all printed on holiday stationary and sent with cards. I did a final check on my laptop and found one more recent letter written in 2020.

Those letters provided a wonderful summary of each year, with many details that were buried deep in my memory bank. It was fun to remember those memories as our daughters grew up and left the nest, the places we traveled to each year, and fun events with family and friends.

Life gets busy, especially at the end of the year with Christmas approaching, and many years those letters did not get written. I’ll summarize our year later in this blog, so keep reading. But first I’ll share a few of the past memories that I enjoyed remembering.

The first two letters in 1995 & 1996

1995, Letter #1 – We had recently moved from Hanover Park IL to Gurnee where we loved our new neighbors, preschool and babysitter. Jaime was 5 and in preschool, and Alyssa at 17 months was always on the move after starting to walk at 10 months. “Her latest feat was falling with a can of paint in the family room. The result was a paint-covered toddler, a puddle of paint on the new carpet and a hysterial mom. Steve who is always buying a new gadget came to the rescue with a new shop vac!”. Steve started a new job in sales with Roseburg Forest Products out of Oregan, and I was working at Johnson & Quin promoting direct mail printing.

Lauren, Jaime, Kelli and Alyssa at Drunken Jack's Restaurant in Murrells Inlet SC - the best hush puppies!

1996 – Our summer vacation found us going to Myrtle Beach SC with Fred and Vicki Behr and their daughters, Kelli and Lauren. This included the infamous afternoon when the upcoming tide washed Steve, Fred and Vicki out of their beach chairs after an afternoon enjoying Strawberry Hill wine (our beach Kool-Aid). It was one of many trips with the Behrs and so many wonderful memories!

1997 – This year’s summer road trip was to Yellowstone National Park with the Behr family. We enjoyed the Badlands and Custer State Park, Devils Tower, Grand Teton National Park and all the wonders of Yellowstone. “It was a wonderful trip, just a little too much driving for a week, and too much camping with young children (all but one night!).”

Jaime and Alyssa with Mickey Mouse at Disney in 1998

1998 – Alyssa was 4 and her favorite Christmas gift was a large toy horse and the Barbie that went with it. Jaime was 7 and got a Magic Attic doll from Nana and Grandpa. Steve with all his home projects was finishing a room in the basement and added a patio in the backyard. My comment on my job was “The Internet will have a profound effect on a lot of businesses as well as everyone at home.” Yikes, little did I know what the digital world would be like today! Trips included Disney World in Florida with Steve’s entire family, a road trip around Lake Michigan, and the annual 4^th of July camping trip to a friend’s farm in Ridgeland WI.

1999 – Prep for Y2K was the big scary topic in 1999, but the world didn’t implode when January 1, 2000 rolled around! The big events were a trip to California to San Diego and Los Angeles, skiing in Lake Tahoe and moving into a new home in Gurnee! Our old home sold quickly so we lived in an apartment for the summer while the new house was built. We loved that house and our neighbors and lived there for 23 years.

Jaime and Alyssa at Gooseberry Falls in 2000

We recreated this photo in 2021!

2000 – Trips included skiing in Breckenridge CO, the first ski trip for the girls. We also spent a few days on the North Shore of Lake Superior enjoying the lighthouses, parks and waterfalls. Little did we know that one day we would live in Minnesota! I often attended Direct Marketing Conferences for work. This year Steve joined me for a weekend in New Orleans which is always fun.

2002 – Two trips to Colorado included skiing in Breckenridge, as well as a summer trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, Pikes Peak and more Colorado sites.

Pictures from the 2006 letter

Fast forward to 2006 – Jaime is now a freshman in high school and Alyssa is in sixth grade at the Middle School. Both girls are on the Blue Devil Swim Club, along with various other activities. The big trip this year was spring break in Florida with Steve’s parents making the rounds of Disney, Universal and Sea World.

Several pictures included in the 2014 letter

2014 – Alyssa wrote the letter this year since Mom hasn’t gotten to it for a few years. Alyssa is at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and Jaime is in Physical Therapy School at Northwestern in Chicago. No big trips this year, but we spent time as a family in Chicago at a Cubs baseball game and visiting museums.

The final letter in 2020 – After the first covid year, I finally wrote another letter on New Years Eve as Steve and I spent the evening at home. We had been vacationing in Breckenridge with friends in March when the pandemic hit, so we quickly headed home. I then started working remote at home. In October Steve and I took a trip to Colorado to see Great Sand Dunes National Park, old mining towns and other sites. It was great to get away from home and be out in nature in Colorado, even if all our meals were take out.

This year’s 2023 highlights:

Our grandson, Xander, is 16 months old and so fun!!

In August 2022 we moved to a new home in Dundas MN, the same week our grandson, Xander, was born! At the end of 2023, we are feeling pretty settled in our home, and are enjoying living in Minnesota close to our daughters and friends. Steve is building a shed in the back yard, and next year we plan to add a deck off the family room. It is really a safety issue since currently you would fall a story down to the patio if you stepped out the sliding glass doors!

Eating beignets in New Orleans.

I retired from my job of 38 years on February 3. Two weeks later we took off on a five week trip south to get out of the Minnesota winter. We spent time in Canyon Lake TX, New Orleans, Clearwater FL, Nashville and stops in between. This year we have a six-week trip planned back to Clearwater, as well as visiting friends who are also wintering in Florida, driving to Key West and a cruise to the Bahamas.

I enjoyed golfing with the Wednesday Wonder Women each week.

We joined the Northfield Golf Club and I finally golfed more than one round a year. We both met a lot of new friends and had wonderful groups that we golfed with each week.

Playing Mexican Train Dominos in Crosby

This summer the family spent a long weekend in Crosby MN by Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area. It was great spending extended time with Alyssa and Jaime, Mike and Xander!

Alyssa, Steve and Kay with one of the amazing views in SW Colorado.

In August Steve, Alyssa and I took a road trip West and visited many national sites in SE Colorado including Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, Canyons of the Ancients, Chimney Rock, and Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Plus many other planned and unexpected sites along the way.

Cocktails at Glacier Distilling near our rental house

In September, we joined the Behrs and Goldsmiths on an adventure to Glacier National Park and Banff National Park in Canada. It was another amazing trip with great friends seeing beautiful country.

This year also included trips to Milwaukee to see Steve’s mom who lives in an assisted living facility. In 2024 we hope to make more trips to Wisconsin and Illinois to see family and friends.

Before we knew it, the holidays and end of the year are approaching! We hosted family for Thanksgiving at our house. Jaime, Mike and Xander plan to go to New Mexico to see Mike's parents for Christmas so we’ll celebrate with them when they return. We’ll enjoy Christmas with Alyssa and family friends.

Do you send Christmas letters or cards? We enjoy receiving them if you do!

As 2023 winds down, we wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2024!

On the Road Again - Part 2 to Banff Canada

Part 2 of our fall trip took us from Glacier National Park into the Canadian Rockies and Banff National Park. The entry went smoothly into Canada through customs at Roosvelt Canada. We drove north along the Canadian Rockies which are amazing! They appear more majestic than the U.S. Rockies, so I googled “Canadian Rockies” and found interesting info on Wikipedia. The Canadian Rockies are more glaciated than the American Rockies, resulting in sharply pointed mountains separated by wide, U-shaped valleys created by the glaciers. The American Rockies are more rounded, with V-shaped valleys carved by rivers. Canada has larger rivers and more glaciers, and the tree line is lower than in the U.S. mountains. We definitely enjoyed the scenery along Trans Canada Hwy 1 as we headed north.

We rented a lovely VRBO condo in Canmore which is south of the town of Banff. After very long lines at Safeway and limited inventory on some items like hamburger, we settled in for the night to a spaghetti dinner and unpacking. 

The next morning, we were up early to head to Lake Louise. I was a bit stressed about parking in the town of Banff, but luckily there were plenty of free spots at the train station. It was an easy walk to the Banff High School Transit Center where we picked up a shuttle bus to Lake Louise. With advice from a friend, we had bought shuttle tickets the month before and the shuttle system worked smoothly. The weather had gotten colder but we were prepared with layers to keep us warm in the 30- and 40-degree weather.

We enjoyed two beautiful blue lakes that day – Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. From Lake Louise a second bus took us to Moraine Lake. There we took a short climb to the top of the Rockpile – which literally looks like a pile of rocks – for a spectacular view of Moraine Lake with reflections of the mountains in the calm blue water. We hiked along the lake before returning to Lake Louise. After a chilly lunch in the bus shelter, we hiked along the shore of Lake Louise to the far end of the lake. It was a wonderful hike with views of the lake, mountains, and glaciers in the distance. Both lakes are fed by glaciers and are a beautiful turquoise color due to the rock flour carried by the meltwater. The lakes attract up to 15,000 visitors a day in summer!

View of Moraine Lake from a top the Rockpile

On the shore of Lake Louise

The next day was 34 degrees with rain forecasted, so we adjusted our plans and headed to the town of Banff. First stop - the Cave and Basin National Historic Site which was a delightful experience that wasn’t high on our list of Banff areas to explore. It combined history, hiking, and nature. We learned about the cave and natural thermal mineral springs that were found in the 1880’s and led to the creation of the first national park in Canada. The site also had a small Interment Museum on the people who were held in Canada during WW1, as well as a boardwalk along the marsh that was created by the hot springs. Driving back into town, we stopped at the Bow River and Falls, and saw the majestic Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and Banff Gondola in the distance. We had lunch at Three Bears Brewing and shopped in the many cute stores in downtown Banff.

Cave & Basin Visitor Center with the thermal springs pool in the foreground

The boardwalk over the thermal streams and along the marsh

Paul & Leslie relaxing on the red chairs that are found throughout the Canadian parks

Bow Falls with the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in the distance

Our final day in Banff was spent driving north on the Icefields Parkway, north of Lake Louise. That drive is a must-see when visiting Banff. We were treated to spectacular views of the mountains, glaciers, and waterfalls! Along the way, we stopped at the Columbia Falls Tent Campground to have our picnic lunch. Not too many campers in late September, so we picked a spot with a picnic table and enjoyed the warmer temperatures. We also met a young family from Fort Smith in the Northwest Territory. Due to the smoke from the wildfires and lack of groceries in their town they were traveling and camping for a few weeks. Below are a few of the highlights from the Icefields Parkway drive:

Bow Lake – a half mile hike provided a great view of the lake, waterfalls, and glacier. It also had a coffee shop, so we enjoyed hot chocolate, coffee, and pastries after our walk.

Peyto Lake – a short but steep trail leads to the overlook with beautiful views of the lake and glacier.

Mistaya Canyon – a short .3-mile path down an old roadbed led to the canyon. The river has cut through the limestone to create a deep canyon with water rushing through it!

Columbia Icefield – just inside Jasper National Park this area has 6 major glaciers. We took a steep path to near the foot of the Athabasca Glacier to get an up-close look. It is crazy and sad how fast it is receding – 5 meters per year.

Back in Canmore we forewent cooking dinner and had a wonderful meal at Tank310, a restaurant above the Grizzly Paw Taproom.

Alas, it was time to head home the next day. We stopped for breakfast at Phil’s Restaurant in Calgary, a classic diner with all the basic breakfast foods. We learned about chubbies - patties of pork (think breakfast sausage), hamburger or chicken which came with the egg meals. We stayed in Moose Jaw for the night. Of course, we had to take pictures of Mac the Moose, a large statue near our hotel, especially since my Steve has been “Moose” since college. This area of Saskatchewan also has many saltwater lakes. Sodium sulphate is mined in the area, and we could see huge white piles of salt from the highway.

Windy lunch break at a rest stop in Saskatchewan

Mac the Moose in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan

The next morning as we headed to the U.S via Fortuna, North Dakota we saw many oil pumps. I discovered that North Dakota ranks third in the nation for crude oil reserves and production. In our quest to avoid nonstop driving days, we had one more attraction to see before arriving back in Minnesota. We stopped at the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Steve and I had visited the South Unit but had not been north. The north section of the park is more compact with a beautiful twist and turn scenic drive through the badlands. There are two resident bison who often hang out at the entrance sign. We enjoyed talking with the rangers about the morons who get too close to the animals in a quest for the best picture! We drove along the 14 mile scenic route and stopped at several scenic overlooks.

Cannonball Concretions – round rocks formed like pearls in the butte.

Riverbend Overlook – provides a panoramic view of the North Unit, with a stone shelter build by the Civilian Conservation Corps which stands at the edge of the butte.

Paul photobombing my pic of Fred & Vicki

Oxbow Overlook – at the end of the scenic road this spot has beautiful views of the Little Missouri River and the valley.

Bison wandering along the road (pic taken from the safety of our car!)

After a night in Bismark, North Dakota the last day of our trip was spent on the road with just necessary stops. This was another wonderful trip with great friends, experiencing so many amazing sites and beautiful country! On to planning the next trip! 

But for now, it is nice to be home and sleeping in our own beds.

References:

Canadian Rockies - Wikipediea