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Our time in Charleston is always enjoyable - we just love that area plus have our daughter, her hubby and our 3 beautiful granddaughters plus friends in the area.
One night we went to Lucille and Vinny's home for a party for their granddaughter. She is in the Air Force and was leaving for Italy for a 2 year tour. We had a wonderful time and met some really nice people. We spent the night - did breakfast the next morning - a little shopping and then back home. Thanks Lucille and Vinny for a wonderful time.
While in the area Tim had the skin cancer removed from his face - it was very close to his eye and the next day he woke up with a black eye. We had our taxes done - attended the church we love - babysat and just enjoyed our stay. We had our 4 year old granddaughter spend the night with us and had such fun. She is so talkative and so funny - we enjoyed that greatly. Our time came to an end so we went out to dinner on the 7th with Sue, Jerry and girls. Good dinner and wonderful company.
We will leave in the morning and head south to Florida - stayed tuned. |
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The last two days have been just beautiful. The sun in out - shining brightly - and the beams are just so warm. We sat outside for a good three hours yesterday after doing laundry. So nice to sit and read and just enjoy the day.
Today our daughter Susan went with our oldest granddaughter on a school field trip. So Tim and I went and picked up the two young ones from nursery school - gave them lunch - played with them and just enjoyed the day. While I am taking care of children it makes me feel young again. They are so full of energy and just so lovable.
Tonight when we got back to the base there was alot of comotion in front of the mini mart. Come to find out they were filming again for Army Wives. Two weeks ago they also filmed inside the commissary. So if you watch the program you will see Charleston Air Force Base, kind of cool.
We just returned from dinner at the galley. We got two meals for the expensive cost of $5.75 tonight. As I tell Tim we can not cook for that price and it is not to bad. The thing I like about it is I can eat a huge salad while Tim can eat a meal. Makes it nice. Tommorow we will have our big meal at noon - better for you also.
Last week we were tempted to look at homes and condos. We were thinking of settling down - then decided we like the freedom of being on the road and seeing all the different places and meeting all the people. In June it will be 3 years and we have not seen half of this beautiful country. Our plans right now are to leave Charleston, South Carolina at te end of the month and head to Florida. We are going to a timeshare on Easter Sunday for two weeks and then will travel around the state. On May 22nd we are meeting our daughter Susan and family at Disney to celebrate our granddaughters birthdays. Emily will be 10 and Julia will be 5 so we should have a wonderful time. We took our grandson to Disney when he turned 5 many years ago and had a wonderful time. Nothing like seeing Disney thru the eyes of little ones.
I am reading a really good book "Celebration" by Fern Michaels. I love to read and always looking for good books. We have started going to thrift shops looking at books as they are so much cheapier.
Tommorow will be another beautiful day here in Charleston and then it will get cool again. Low 60's during the day by the weekend - nice walking weather.
Keep a smile on your face and enjoy life to the fullest. |
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Time has flown by again and really no reason for not doing our blog. We keep fairly busy and time goes past us to fast. Guess this is what my mother meant when she said how fast time goes as we get older.
Our time at Barksdale was very enjoyable. We took a ride thru Shreveport and saw many nice homes and buildings. We wanted to tour the area around downtown but the pouring rain prevented that. One day we did get to go to the Eighth Air Force Museum on base. They had a good assortment of aircraft, dioramas, and a gift shop. It was nicely done and we enjoyed the nice walk also.
We left Shreveport and headed to Vicksburg Mississippi. The area is famous for the Siege of Vicksburg in which the union gained control of the entire Mississippi River during the Civil War. The siege lasted 47 days and they surrendered on July 4th. I could not believe that because of this the town did not celebrate the 4th of July until after World War II.
Vicksburg has a beautful National Military Park with over 1,330 monuments, a restored union gunboat and a huge national cemetery. The cemetery has over 18000 people buried with over 17,077 being Civil War soldiers. The monuments are all over the town which makes it quite interesting.
While in town we stayed at the Ameristar Rv Park which had full hookups, pads, cable tv, wi-fi, showers, laundry, propane, pool and a free shuttle to the casino. We did visit the casino but it snagged our money really fast so we left after an hour. All in all we enjoyed our stay in Vicksburg.
Our next stop was Gunter Hill Corps of Engineers Park in Montgomery, Alabama. We love these parks because we get them for half price with our golden age card. For $9 a night we had water, electric, pull thru, showers, river, boat ramp, dump, playground and beautiful hiking trails.
While in town we toured Montgomery, the capital of Alabama since 1846. In 1861 it was selected as the first capital of the Confederate States of America. The state has beautfiul state buildings - think it is one of the nicest state capitals we have visited. This city also is the primary site of the Civil Rights Movement. Dr Martin Luther King was pastor of the Baptist Church from 1954 to 1960 in the city. This is also the place where Rosa Parks would not give up her bus seat to a white man in 1955. We really enjoyed the area and will return someday to tour more of the town.
We did visit Maxwell Air Force Base which is the country's center for airpower education since 1930. Very interesting stop. Claudia and Devin came to visit for a few hours on Saturday night which we enjoyed.
Our next stop was Fort Benning Army Base in Georgia. The base was established in 1918 and covers over 182,000 acres. On an average day the base has over 100,000 people on base. Huge. The campground is Uchee Creek Campground and Marina and one of the nicest military campgrounds we have stayed at. They have 85 sites with mostly full hookups, pull thrus, campfires, cabins,. laundry, rally area, grills, meeting room, basketball, volleyball, softball fields, propane, store, archery range, river, marina, boat rental, fishing, pool and activitiy center. On Sunday Lamar, Tim's oldest brother came to visit with us. We had a nice visit with him. On Tuesday we met Scott and Betsy (Tim's Cousin) for lunch at Cheddars Restaurant. We ate lunch and talked and stayed at the same restaurant and ate dinner. That was a first. We had a really nice visit with them and enjoyed it greatly.
Charleston Air Force Base was our next stop. We love the Charleston area plus our oldest daughter and family live in Mount Pleasant. We have been visiting with them often and babysat for them also. Julia, the 4 year old, and I went and had our nails done
together. All the girls are such a pleasure to be with. We will be in this area until the end of March.
Last Thursday Lucille and Vinny came to Charleston to visit and do lunch with us. At the same time friends from Ct, Ray and Louise, stopped by on their way home from Florida. We all did lunch and enjoyed the company greatly.
On Friday we took Louise and Ray to the Charleston Museum and then had a nice lunch The museum was very imformative - enjoyed it greatly. Thanks guys for stopping by and visiting.
On Monday we were going to babysit - got up and got all ready and our truck would not start. Around 1 we finally got a boost and Tim took it to the dealer. They informed him it was the battery - we have two so it cost over $300. Yikes. Now it is all fixed and running very well.
If you are in Charleston area stop in and say hi. Until later
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When I left you last time we were planning to head to the strip at Las Vegas for the evening. That is exactly what we did. Wow was that ever exciting. This was the first time for us both and we were like little kids in a candy shop. Everyone should experience this at least once even if you do not gamble. We parked the car and started walking. Our first stop was at MGM to visit with the lions. It is a habitat with 35 foot glass walls which gives you wonderful viewing capabilities. Tim took a few pictures of them - they are such beautiful animals. I found out from the movie about them that they are bathed each day before being shown. I enjoyed this greatly.
We then walked the strip stopping in at the New York, New York; Paris Las Vegas; Caesars; and Bellagio. We had dinner at Mon Ami Gabi - sat outside and enjoyed the view and the dinner. It sits across the street from the Bellagio where they have dancing water which soar 240 feet. It was just beautiful to watch - plus the dinner was just fantastic. After dinner we went into the Bellagio and I put $5 into the slot machine. When I cashed out I had over $100 - paid for our dinner.
The fun of Vegas is seeing all the lights, the shows and watching the people. Remember this is a place where anything goes and I mean anything. It was a fun night and so different.
Saturday morning we left the base and headed to Kingman Arizona. We got all set up and called our friends Dan and Pam whom we had not seen since 1976. We enjoyed talking and then all went to an early dinner. On Sunday Tim and I rode along old Route 66 in KIngman and saw alot of the old buildings. In parts of this town it looks like 1950 again. Sunday afternoon we went over to Dan and Pam's to play pinocle and have dinner. Very enjoyable day.
Monday morning they picked us up and we headed to Oatman, Az along Route 66. This is a living ghost town, it used to be a mining town and is located in the Black Mountains. In 1915 two prospectors struck a 10 million dollar gold field in this town. The mines were worked until 1941 when they were shut down. Colonies of wild burros, direct descendants of the pack animals used by gold miners, roam the hills and town. You can feed them carrots and film them as they stop next to your cars. It was a definite different experience. We walked around the town and went into a few stores.
We left town and headed to Bullhead City, Az for lunch. We had a nice lunch and then headed to Laughlin, NV to the casino. We stayed about 30 minutes and I put in $20 and cashed out with $20. All in all it was a wonderful day. Thanks Dan and Pam for the wonderful hospitality. We enjoyed every minute and hope to see you again sooner.
Tuesday morning Tim went to UPS to pick up the part for the camper while I did my WII. We traveled from Kingman to Tucson and stopped at Beaudry RV Resort. A very nice park but kind of expensive for us. We had full hookups, a nice pool, and a really nice restaurant. Great food at a resonable price. On Wednesday am we brought the camper to Beaudry RV to have the slide fixed. While that was being done we toured the Air Force Base and then looked at motor homes. We saw one that we really loved but it cost $450,000 - that is more than our home cost. Yikes. We will stick with the home we have now - serves us well and it is paid for. We did have fun looking though.
Thursday morning we left Tucson Az and headed to Van Horn Texas. We stopped at a nice campground for the evening and had a nice dinner to end a long day.
Friday morning we headed to Abilene Texas thru really strong winds and boring landscapes. Tim and I really do not enjoy the dessert - we like the green grass and trees not the brown sandy soil. Abilene is doing lots of construction and the campground we headed to was alful. Tim got alittle annoyed so we headed further east. We stopped for the night at a really nice campground called Cactus Rose - super people also.
Saturday morning we hit the road again and arrived in Bossier City at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. We will stay here until at least Wednesday to get laundry done - clean the camper - and just relax. This base is huge with a very nice campground with full hookups. They allow you to wash the camper so Tim is delighted - has not been done since Petaluma, California back in August.
Today is Sunday and our youngest daughter's birthday. We talked to her this am and hope she has a wonderful birthday. Happy Birthday Amanda and hope you have many more.
Until next time
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Here it is almost a full month since writing again - would you believe it is because we are so busy. I stil do not understand how I ever worked 8 to 12 hours a day and still had time to clean, do laundry, shop, and visit with family and friends. My time now just disappears and before I know it it is time to make dinner or go to bed. Yikes.
New Year's Eve was spent with Amanda, Tim and Josh. We had a nice dinner and played pinochle, I love that game - so much fun. We stayed up until 1:30am - drank and ate alot but had a really nice time. We spent the night - got up around 10 and headed home. We figured they needed time to themselves with only one day off from work. Thanks Tim and Amanda for having us.
We attended the movie "The Day Time Stood Still" at IMAX. It was a good movie considering it was Science Fiction and I really do not usually watch them. We do not attend the movies to often so it was fun.
Another eye doctor appointment - trying very hard to get off the eye drops, down to one drop every other day so we are making progress. The bottle is about 1 inch tall and cost $95 which my insurance will not pick up. I have been on these drops up to 6 times a day since about the 26th of April. Too long and too expensive. Time will tell if my eye finally will adjust to no drops.
We visited the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, Ca. This place became well known to the rest of the world when President Regan had them on his desk. The tour was very imforative and completly free. You get a good birds-eye view of every step of the candy making process. It takes up to 20 days to create each jelly bean. At the end you get to sample a few plus a free bag of jelly belly beans. They have a wonderful cafe with great food - we were very pleased. The store has over 150 different types of candy so we bought some. We were able to get Christmas candy for a steal - candy is candy. I am trying to lose weight but I could not resist trying some. Now I eat one candy each day. We highly recommend this place for a visit if you are ever in the area.
We visited Napa Valley for a wonderful tour of the Sterling Vineyards. They take you up a 300 foot hill by aerial tram to visit the winery. The tour is self guided with loads of photographs and displays explaining the wine making process. The view was just beautiful and then we got to taste the wine. Tim passed but Agnes, Steve and myself sampled them. None of us were to impressed with the wine - I am just a cheap wine drinker but we did enjoy ourselves. We then stopped at a wonderful deli located in the town of Calistoga. We ordered sandwiches and then sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine. After lunch we headed to California's Old Faithful in Calistoga. Back in 1975 Tim and I visited here for free. Today they charge you to see this and we were not very impressed for the price. The geyser shoots water 60 feet into the air for 3 to 4 minutes. It happens every 40 minutes or so. It is very different. We then headed to another winery for a tour of the caves. Because we did not want to sample wine they gave us a free tour of the caves and explained how the Chinese dug these in the 1880's. It was very interesting. We had a really nice day - napa valley is just so pretty plus the weather was perfect.
One Friday we went into San Francisco and visited the California Academy of Science. This wonderful museum is located in Golden Gate Park and just reopened. They have a beautiful aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, african hall, swamp, and an island of evolution. This was truly a very interesting place to visit.
Joshua , our grandson, celebrated his 14th birthday on January 12th and we got to celebrate with them. We had a wonderful dinner and a great ice cream cake from Coldstone Creamery. We also were able to attend a few of his basketball games while in California. Josh you play an awesome game.
Our time to leave California and head south and then east was coming to an end. We will miss Amanda, Tim and Joshua a great deal but hope to catch a military hop and return soon. Thanks for all the wonderful memories we shared during the last 8 months. We enjoyed being together and spending so much time with Josh. Josh keep up the good work in school - you have the brains to accomplish anything you want. We love ya.
On the 21st of January we left Travis Air Force Base and headed to Camping World. They had a recall on our refrigerator so we had to have that fixed. We arrived early and were very lucky as they took us right away. This gave us an early start as we traveled to Lemoore Naval Air Station in Lemoore, California. We decided to spend 2 nights at the base and just relax. The campground was pretty nice but kind of expensive for military campgrounds. We had a full hookup site for $23 a night.
Friday, the 23rd we traveled to Wilderness Lakes Preserve which is a thousand trails campground. It was a hard trip as it rained and was very foggy climbing those huge hills on I-5. Our truck really does a wonderful job pulling our 5th wheeler up those hills. We arrived at the campground and met up with Jeff, Tim's youngest brother. We got 4 days - three nights for free from camping world. We had to attend a 90 minute selling speel which we said no to. We were not impressed with the grounds - too close together for us and about 4000 cows as our neighbors. Yikes what a smell.
On Monday morning as we got ready - I tried to bring in the dining room slide. Would not come in all the way or go back out. Tim and Jeff pushed it closed while I pushed the button to get it in. Something is wrong but we wanted to leave and head to Las Vegas to the Desert Eagle RV Park at Nellis Air Force Base. We arrived about 3 and got set up - slide would not work. We are still here with the slide not open - thank goodness we have another slide in the living room. It is a little crowded but we are manging okay. We have it set to have it fixed next Tuesday in Tuscon, Az and it is covered by warranty. Yeah!!!!!
I still am doing my WII exercises each day. I have lost a few pounds and really enjoy doing this. This is how I start my day - no more coffee or wine - plus I watch what I eat. My goal is to lose 20 pounds slowly so I will keep the weight off. I have never been a big eater but I got lazy when I started to work and never exercised very much. That and age finally catch up with you. While at Travis Tim and I walked each day around the base also which was great.
Today we took a ride to the Hoover Dam. What an impressive wonder and the new bridge they are building is unbelievable. Wow it is hard to believe what they can do and make it work. We also rode thru Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Our golden age pass got us in for free. The scenery is just specatular and so different from the east coast. The water level is quite low though - seems most of the west needs loads of rain or snow. We have had about 3 days of rain in the last 8 months.
We stopped at the Hacienda Hotel and Casino in Boulder City for lunch. After eating we played the five cent slots - big spenders we are. Tim lost $4 - I came out with $1.70 more. It is fun to try them but I cannot believe how some people lose all their money in those places. This casino had smoking so we did not stay long. The smoke burns your eyes with such stale air.
I would like to hit a few of the big casinos here in Las Vegas tommorow to see what they look like inside. We drove down the strip and checked them out from the outside. Some of them are just beautiful. The MGM is home to several African lions and cubs which sounds really cool. The Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino transports visitors to an undersea ocean of sights, sounds and encounters with over 2,000 animals represting 100 different species. The Silverton Hotel and Casino has a 117,000 gallon saltwater aquarium where you watch them feed the fish. These sound very interesting to me - will have to try and talk Tim into visiting as he is not a gambler and would be happy to not step inside a casino.
On Saturday we will leave here and head to Kingman, Arizonia to visit friends we have not seen in over 33 years. Looking forward to that.
We have met so many nice people everywhere we go - this is such a wonderful life. God Bless until next time.
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Wow another year gone - how time flies when you are having fun.
Seven years ago today my mom passed away. Gosh do I ever miss her, she was such a beautiful kind woman and always so upbeat. I can honestly say I only remember one person she did not care for and that was a caregiver that came into our home to take care of her while I was at work. She refused to call her by name, she called her that girl. Mom I miss you so much.
We had a beautiful Christmas with Amanda, Tim and Joshua this year. We went to their home on Christmas Eve and attended church in the city. It was a nice service and very friendly people. Christmas morning we were up around 8 and opened presents - we received loads of nice stuff and yes I did get my purse. Santa is so good. We had a nice dinner and a very enjoyable day. We did miss our other daughter, son-in-law and granddaughters in South Carolina but got to talk to them on the phone. Next year we will feel the same way about Amanda and family.
This week has been pretty laid back - we have walked, shopped and been doing our WII Fit. On some of the exercises I have improved greatly - others I am just not able to get doing more than one thing at once. Yikes - feel like a little child again.
Today is New Years Eve and I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year - hope next year will find you healthy and happy. We will spend the New Year with Amanda, Tim, and Josh with a nice dinner and a few drinks. Tommorow we will change our eating habits and start loosing weight. I told Tim I wanted to wear a bikini next summer - he just laughs at me - I wouldn't wear one when I weighed 95 pounds soaking wet.
God Bless you all and have a wonderful New Year. |
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The Christmas spirit has taken over - people are so happy and friendly this week. Why can't we be like this every day? Oh to be fair most people are very nice and helpful - few jerks that get all the attention. The exchange is over flowing with all types of stuff to buy for Christmas gifts. I found a beautiful purse that I would really love to have - wonder if Santa will bring it to me. Also asked for a new bottle of perfume but other than that really do not need anything. We are very content with what we have in our small little home. As you know I love clothes but I will have to lose some weight before I go that route.
I am still using my WII fit each day - I think what I like the most about it is the variety of things you can do so you do not get bored. I love the yoga and step the most.
Yesterday on our walk I felt like I had Jillian from the biggest loser with me. My hubby kept saying move it - no excuses - pretty tough man at the moment and I was getting just alittle mad. Well this morning I got on the scale and had lost 1 1/2 lbs so it paid off. Thanks hon.
Last Thursday night I was flossing my teeth and one of my caps fell out and went down the drain. I went to the dentist and he said it would cost $1200 for a new cap. Yikes. They asked me if I had the cap as they can sometimes reuse it. Of course I said no - it went down the drain. I made an appointment for Wednesday to have this done. My smart husband took the drain apart and found the cap - took it back to the dentist and they put it back on for $98. Pretty good savings - maybe now he can buy me that purse????
Tim went to the doctor on Wednesday - he has a sore on his face that never healed. They did a biopsy on it so we will wait for the results. That skin cancer is hitting everyone, years ago we did not use sun screen - we put baby oil on our bodies and let them fry. It was the in thing to do to turn red. I can still remember many sleepless nights due to the heat and soreness from that sun. I still love the sun but I do use sunscreen now.
The weather here is still pretty cold - it was warmer the other day in Connecticut than here. We broke down yesterday and bought a little electric heater and it really puts out the heat near where we sit each evening. Good investment.
Tonight we are going to San Francisco to watch our grandson play basketball. Last week we went to a game but he had been sick so he felt he did not play that well. We will see what the results are tonight.
Another few weeks sitting still here and then we will start our journey south. We have enjoyed being near Tim, Amanda and Josh but are ready to do some traveling. Guess it gets into your blood - do not like to sit idle.
If I do not write before Christmas we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year. May your new year bring you joys and pleasures that you all deserve. God Bless |
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Our week here at Travis Air Force Base has been kind of low keyed. This has been a great base for us as we are close to everything and great sidewalks for walking. Each day we walk about 2 miles plus do at least 30 minutes on my WII fit. I must say that was a wonderful purchase - I use it every day doing step arobics. I am determined to loose weight - I quit smoking 6 years ago after smoking for 40 years so I guess I can lose 20 pounds. As Tim keeps telling me it takes time - I want to go toi bed tonight and all that excess weight be gone. Why can it not work that way?
Last week Tim flew to Florida on Tuesday night and came home Friday at noon. It really was weird for me to be alone but I kept busy and got along fine. I much perfer to have him here though.
I had to go to the kidney doctor on Wednesday for a follow up as I had gout twice in the last few weeks. It makes it quite difficult as I cannot put on sneakers so stops most things. As you know I am stuborn and try to walk anyways. I got a very good report but he does want to see me before we leave thre area.
On Thursday we went to a new eye doctor. After 6 months on a prednisone eye drop four times a day, my eye finally looks like it is clearing up. I will drop the drops each week down one until I am completly of them. Please say alittle prayer that this time it will work - tried this 2 times already so I need the prayers. The drops cost $90 for a small bottle and the military will not pay for them. You have to take them so what can you do? Just lucky that I can see fairly well and can still read. I read at least two books a week plus loads of blogs - the newspapers and magazines. I thank God for letting me keep my sight.
We have been lucky while here though - we have gotten most of our other medicines on base for free. After all these years we really are taking advantage of all our benefits when near a base. In our old lives we lived 50 miles from the base so while working we did not use the base very often. It was just easier to shop locally.
Last Sunday Amanda, Tim and Josh came to visit with us. We had a nice visit and then we all went out to dinner. This Sunday we wil go into San Francisco to watch Josh play his first basketball game of the season for school. That should be interesting.
I still have Christmas shopping to do - need to buy for Amanda, Tim and my hubby Tim. I know what I want so it should be fairly easy and quick. We will be going to Amanda's house for Christmas as we have no room for a Christmas tree. I do have my villages out and they look so pretty. I also hung some santa's up to make it festive,
Until next time have a wonderful week.
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Monday, December 1st they had the lighting of the Christmas tree and the Menorah on Travis Air Force Base. It was sponsored by the Chaplain Corps and they did a wonderful job. They had tables filled with cookies, cider, coffee and water. They told the Christmas story, sang songs both for Christians and the Jewish faith plus had Santa arrive on the firetruck. The weather was perfect about 60 and a nice night.
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September was a month of such fun. The wedding plans all came together and on September 13, 2008 our daughter married her best friend Tim. She made a stunning bride and the maid of honor, bridesmaids, junior bridesmaid and flower girl were also beautiful. The wedding was held on the Bridges Golf Course in San Ramon, California on a perfect night. The reception was just beautiful - the Bridges did a wonderful job and we had a wonderful time. The rehersal dinner was held at Garre Vineyards in Livermore. The dinner was wonderful, wine very good and then they played bocci. A fun time was had by all.
Tim and I spent two weeks with Joshua while they were on a honeymoon in Thailand. We enjoyed being in the city and getting to visit Golden Gate Park, The Presido, Sausalito, Golden Gate Bridge, Fishermans wharf and Fort Funston. We love this city and so much to see and do here in the area. San Francisco Bay covers so many beautiful views of the water and the famous bridges. You can enjoy the tall hills and yet walk on the beach at the same time,.
September also was our anniversary which we celebrated in Old Sacramento. We went to the California State Railroad Museum where they are preserving the history of the railroad. We got to see dining cars set up with china, the sleeper cars, loads of engines but the most interesting one for me was the mail car. I had never seen this before - they sorted the mail on the train and then dropped it off at different stations. In the 1970's it was taken out of service due to the use of zip codes. Very interesting. Old Sacramento consists of 53 historic buildingds on 28 acres. We went into the Wells Fargo History Museum - had dinner and drinks at the Delta House Restaurant. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed it greatly together.
October I flew to Charleston South Carolina and left Tim at Sharpe Depot in Stockton California. I babysat for my beautiful granddaughters while their parents went on a cruise. We kept very busy with school, dance, play groups but we enjoyed our time together. I was even brave and took all 3 of them out to dinner twice but they are well behaved girls and so good.
The middle of the month we hooked up our little home and headed for Monterey. Tim attended a photography class while here which he enjoyed greatly. He loves that camera and will be posting pictures as soon as he can. We also did alot of walking at Point Lobos State Reserve and along the water in Monterey. We also visited the Naval Postgraduate School which was the first luxury resort west of the Mississippi River called the Del Monte Hotel. The area around here is a big producer of spinach, artichokes, strawberries, lettuce and garlic.
While in the area we also visited The Basilica of Mission San Carlos Borromeo at Carmel By The Sea. It was founded by Padre Junipero Serra of the Franciscan Friars in 1770. It was the 3rd mission built of 21 built along the coast from Mexico border to Sonoma. They all are alittle different but very Spanish - nothing like our east coast churches which are more European.
Our next stop was Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield California. We will be here thru the start of the New Year to spend the holiday with Amanda, Tim and Josh. This area is also fun as you are really close to Napa Valley and all the Vineyards. We have visited Sonoma Barracks where they housed Mexican troops in 1834 to serve as a buffer to the Russian movement on the coast. They also have Mission San Francisco Solano which was the 21st mission established in 1823. 5 rooms of the original mission remain and today they all come under the State of California State Parks.
We visited Mare Island which used to be a huge Navy Base and shipyard. 513 ships were built here during the 142 years the base was in operation. The navy left in 1996 and today they are building new housing and redoing the old officiers housing. The area around here has seen so many bases closed and the area goes into such neglect. It is really kind of sad to me that they tear down so much instead of using it for low income people - give them a nice home to live in.
I know I have been very neglectful of our blog - will really try to keep it updated each week.
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