Just a quick note to all of our friends and family.  We are enjoying Boynton Beach FL, grilling out today and that is our plan for tomorrows Christmas dinner.   Florida is having above average temperatures again this December and we are the beneficiaries.  But on this Christmas Eve we think of all of you, and we wish we could share some warmth with you.  The friendships we miss- but not the cold car and chilling wind!  For some of you it has been a year with some struggles and challenges and we give thanks you have made it through.

Our hope for all is for a magical Christmas and for the year ahead to be full of happiness and health.

Merry Christmas!

We made it to our Florida destination.   We went through Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.   We were welcomed to Boynton by Ron and Verna who beat us here (I think they took a shortcut).  We spent 6 days on our last leg after a few weeks in Albuquerque with Marie. We had a relaxing time and beautiful weather,  all well above average.  We did some fun sightseeing, and MJ flew in for Thanksgiving.  We were able to grill and eat outside for Thanksgiving dinner.

Once we left Rio Rancho we stopped first in Lubbock, Texas.  Going East out of Albuquerque is a pretty trip through the mountains and then opening up into rolling hills and plains.  We drove I-40 to Santa Rosa then south to Fort Sumner and Clovis, NM.  I would have to say the roads got better when we hit Texas even though we would not be on an Interstate.  It was mostly 4 lane and well paved through Texas.  Chris and I did not expect to see so many cotton fields, turns out it is a big crop for Texans.   And we were in prime cotton picking time.  We saw truckloads after truckloads of cotton and white snowy fields waiting to be picked.  Our first night stop in Lubbock was a good night.  Our hotel was nice and we had a great meal in a brew pub close by.  The next morning was a start of a day’s drive through Texas to Austin.   More cotton, cattle, and flat lands turning into hill country with lots of variation in Texas landscape.  The hill country provides interesting views.  We drove through many small towns on our way to Austin to visit our nephew­­ Craig, his wife Andria and daughter Evelyn.  It was super to spend time with them.  Evelyn is growing quickly and a joy to watch.  We shared some good beers, Austin Bar-b-que, and quality time.  After a couple of nights in Austin it was on to Lafayette, Louisiana.  A pretty good ride, although Austin and Houston traffic made us happy to have been in the small towns.   Once we made Houston we got on to I-10 heading East.  It’s a good road but is a major East West passage so  we encountered a lot more trucks than we had previously seen.  Being near the gulf was a lot flatter and we saw a lot more water.

A relaxing night in Lafayette and then further East.   We planned a late breakfast and stopped for Kolaches in Baton Rouge.  Chris found the place that made great dough covered breakfasts.   Then continuing on through Mississippi and Alabama into Florida.   Out West we marveled at roads through the mountains and here we marveled at bridges that went on for 10-15 miles through the bayou.  Louisiana was very scenic with lots of tree lined highways.  Mobile,  Alabama calls us back as it looked so inviting, and the bridge there over the gulf was awesome.  Our stop for the night was in Defuniak Springs Fl.  We had a nice bar-b-que dinner with Gail and Larry.  So glad they could share a Friday night with us and catch up.  After a good night’s rest at a hotel we had been at before we continued heading East on I-10 until we reached I-75 and then were able to head Southeast.  Longwood near Orlando was our next stop.  Darren and Sheryl invited us into their home.  We went out to a great German meal and Polka music in Sanford.   Sooo good.  That pork shank should carry me through the week.   Then after a  Manhattan, back to their house to meet some friends and watch the Badger game.  OK, part of that was not so good but we had a wonderful evening.   They treated us to a relaxing breakfast, then we headed south for the shortest drive of our trip.   Now back in Boynton, unpacking, cleaning up, and settling in.  More to come in the next month, but less driving!

 

 

We have seen some new parts of the country the last few weeks.  It has been a great trip so far, and more to go.  We left Oshkosh for Florida, heading West.  We traveled across Minnesota and South Dakota to start our trip in sunny late October weather.  We were amazed by the size of the cornfields, not the small farms of Wisconsin but straight, long corn rows that went on farther than we could see.   It was fairly flat land rolling on and on, and most of the corn was dry but still standing.  So the first day we saw farmers out working the harvest, hour after hour.   We saw many semi trucks in the fields and were sure the harvesters needed to unload to the trucks before they could finish one of the long corn rows.  Along the way we could not resist stopping for lunch in Austin, Minnesota and taking in the Spam Museum.  Who knew there were so many varieties across the world?  Fun Place!  It was a beautiful day of driving, ending up in South Dakota.  We stayed in downtown Sioux Falls and had a nice supper at a historic tavern.  Our hotel club points gave us an upgrade to a 2 room suite bigger than our apartment, and we relaxed there most of the night.

The next days’ drive was across South Dakota.   We had more clouds and a 30 mph sustained wind plus some gusts.  So we saw less of the farmers out but lots of corn stalks and tumbleweeds hitting us across the highway.  Our miles per gallon on the car took a hit but it was still a good drive.  Our friend VW recommended taking a sidetrip off I-80 to the Badland Loop which we did.  It was beautiful, on our list now to go back in hopefully sunny weather.  The South Dakota rolling hills turned to rock and canyons and beautiful color, with lots of wildlife from deer to mountain goats and pronghorn.  Being from Wisconsin we are not used to pronghorn, I thought some type of deer.  A naturalist in Wyoming later explained they are not deer or antelope but their own species.  And we have seen them throughout the West.  This time of year they are herding up so were easy to see in the plains and the mountain valley.  In the badlands we were close to our next destination of Keystone, South Dakota.   The hotel was a welcome stop, and we parked the car, checked in and were able to walk across the parking lot to a decent bar/restaurant.  We were almost assaulted by mule deer walking back to the hotel, but made it safely.

The next day started off at Mount Rushmore.  It is an awesome sight.   You pay for parking and we got a senior/off season deal, and the park entrance is free.  The movie and museum are fact filled and interesting.  Then to walk out and see the mountain in front captures you.   We spent a number of hours there and then headed to the Crazy Horse mountain site.  It’s an interesting story, even though after many years of slow progress (now done mostly by volunteers), only the face is done.  But a worthwhile place to take in and have a nice lunch.  This region of South Dakota is mountainous terrain and a treat around every corner.  We decided to take a tour through Custer State Park in the afternoon which again provided inspirational views.  We saw our first Bison herds among the great views and other wildlife.  We really enjoyed it and the only draw back was the sun was dropping when we decided to leave and most roads in the area are small winding two lane roads.  Around every turn seemed to be more deer.   I noticed they all did not look like mule deer, and later learned that yes whitetail were also in the area.  But we saw more deer in one evening than I may have seen in my life.  We often found the mule deer grazing on the edge of, or right in towns.  We made it back to the hotel without incident and were happy for a cocktail and dinner.

The next day we continued West.  The first hours were very scenic leaving South Dakota and entering Wyoming.   But many hours after that we concluded Wyoming was something to be missed.  Long flat lands with a few cattle, pronghorn and occasional people.  A naturalist later told us that at one time there were more pronghorn in Wyoming than people (not long ago).   There were not many places that looked like places we may want to stop until we got to Southwest Wyoming.  We made it to Salt Lake City Utah after a long day.  But it was quite scenic near the end of our day.  We found our way to our hotel, then a nice brew pub, and our first Uber drive home.  Uber worked very well.  Sunday Yelp found us an Italian restaurant downtown for early lunch that was very enjoyable.  Then we walked through downtown and the beautiful Temple Square area.  It was interesting and nice sunny day that eventually found us at another brew pub, go figure.   The downer in Salt Lake City was the high number of homeless people on the streets.  One of the reasons we used Uber for our first times (we were at a hotel just out of downtown) because we did not feel comfortable walking through/over so many homeless, even though no one was aggressive.  We see them in all cities, certainly South Florida.  But in Salt Lake City the homeless seemed to be much more present.

The next day was South through Utah and into Nevada.  As boring as Wyoming was, this day was filled with exciting sights.   And in the last hours of Southern Utah, Arizona, and Nevada we were both awestruck with the idea of how they could have built this road through the mountains.  It is well worth taking this drive.  And at the end of the rainbow is Las Vegas!  We had made a room reservation a couple of days before at Paris Casino.   Mike S had warned me about “resort fees” added to hotel daily fees.  How do they get away with listing an unreal price?  But we found a decent deal in the middle of the strip and for a few bucks upgraded to an end suite, very nice room.  Vegas is a lot more expensive than the old days when we used to go often.   The Paris food was excellent, the cocktails expensive, and the casino somewhat dark.  But it was enjoyable to see Vegas again, we visited a number of casinos and took in the sights, and we did not leave much money behind even after a full day.

Next on the itinerary was to start heading East.  Neither of us had ever seen Grand Canyon, which is a fairly easy drive from Las Vegas.  So we had another enjoyable drive and short enough that after checking into the hotel we still had time to head to the canyon and take in some sight seeing.    We took lots of pictures but none do it justice.  The park is laid out nicely and has a number of free shuttle bus routes.  The drivers are helpful and the stops are often to give you lots of options.  The first afternoon we parked at the welcome center and took a couple of bus routes to see lots of viewpoints and get the lay of the land.  We stayed to watch the sunset and then headed back to our hotel in town.  The next day we had a good idea how the routes worked and did more sight seeing to the landmarks, galleries, shops in the park.  We often stopped to take in the view.  Different times of day the light brings out new views, new awesomeness.  Nothing overhyped about these views.   We did take in an Imax movie about the Canyon at the start of our full day which was fact filled and well done, a good way to prepare yourself for the day.

The next day was a ride further East to Albuquerque, where we are now.  Spending some time with Marie and giving the car a break.   It has been a wonderful ride, and looking forward to much more!

 

 

 

 

 

Not only another month gone by but the summer is gone.  Time has continued to fly by quickly, retirement is wonderful!  We still have had some warm weather in Wisconsin but those days may be numbered.   So it is time for Chris and I to be thinking about leaving!

September and early October was a time to get caught up on lab tests, doctor appointments, dental appointments.  We have survived those mostly intact, and hopefully we have those taken care of for some time to come.  This winter we will look for a Florida dentist to keep up with our cleanings.  In between appointments I had a chance to get some golf in, and to brew some beer with old friend Mark.  We made a big stout, so some bottles will be able to wait for me to return next summer.  To start out October Chris and I spent some time in Door County.  We had a couple of days in Fish Creek and then were able to spend a long weekend on Washington Island helping celebrate Janet and Steve’s 45^th anniversary.  They had many friends come to wish them well and we had a lot of fun.  A number of us received our bitters club card (ask us sometime!).  The following week Chris and I finally had a chance to golf with old friends Jim and Nancy in the Madison area, and to attend a fund raiser at the Minhas Brewery for a friend injured in a motorcycle accident.

So now for our next steps in the year.  We are thinking of leaving Wisconsin shortly, heading to Florida via South Dakota and Utah.   If you know your geography that may not make sense,   but neither of us has ever seen the Mount Rushmore Memorial, and Salt Lake City sounds like fun.   Then head south for possibly Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.    All to spend some time in Albuquerque with Marie.  Then after Thanksgiving head on to Florida.  That is the tentative plan, we will watch the weather and leave room for adjustments.  We do have time to change if we want!  We look forward to some new sights to see and things to do.   Enjoy the fall!

 

 

Another month has gone by quickly.   After our July time in Door County being so much fun, August did not disappoint.  After seeing Marie off in Milwaukee we had took care of some Milwaukee appointments and had the chance to see our niece up close and personal.  Craig and Andria brought Evelyn to Milwaukee for a visit which was perfect timing for us.  They are back in Texas and doing fine and we hope for the best for Andria’s relatives in the Houston area.

The next week we were back in Milwaukee for Irishfest, the biggest Irish festival outside of Ireland.  Chris and I have enjoyed the music for many years and this year was as good as ever.  We had a wonderful weekend of music, friends, and drink.  After a couple of days home to Oshkosh Chris and I packed up and headed out.  We spent an enjoyable night in Sault Ste Marie ON, then on to Tamagami Ontario to see our good friends Ron and Verna; our Florida neighbors. They are wonderful hosts who put us up for 4 nights.  They introduced us to some of their wonderful friends.  We saw bear, eagles (missed seeing a moose) and fit in a long boat ride.  We got to see some of Ron’s  years of work out on the islands and had a tour of a work in progress from their friends Joe and Marian.  We had a multi course meal at another friend who is a wonderful host and loves to cook.   Thanks Sandi and Bob for hosting us another afternoon, it was great to see you again!   And at Ron and Verna’s we ate, and ate, drank and ate.   It was a wonderful time we will treasure, and hope to do again.

From Tamagami we headed south to cross off another thing from the bucket list.  We headed to Niagra on the Lake ON, the gentler Canadian side of Niagra Falls.  Our daughter suggested Niagra on the Lake instead of the more commercial Niagra Falls, which was a good choice.  Niagra on the Lake is full of bed and breakfasts and we found a good one.  We did the scenic ride to see the falls and some sightseeing in and around Niagra on the Lake. It was relaxing and fun.  There are wineries everywhere!  After a couple of great breakfasts we headed West to the Detroit area.  We spent Labor Day weekend with MJ and John. We saw MJ’s school room, had some grill outs, and watched lot’s of tennis!  Oh and some football.  After a stop to leave some of my money in a Michigan casino we made it back to Oshkosh.  We had a lot of fun.  On the downside during the 2 weeks we see more changes in the colors of the leaves, and the weather is cool.   On the upside we made it home to win 2 free pizzas and some 50 cent drinks back at Cranky Pats!   Thanks to Ron and Verna and all who treated us so well.  Our thoughts to those in Houston and thoughts to those ahead in the Caribbean and Florida.

 

The last month has been busy.  We headed to Michigan before July 4^th and had a great time.   A night in Marquette MI, Gaylord MI, and some time with MJ and John in the Detroit area.  We also spent a couple of nights in Ann Arbor.   Lot’s of good food and beer was involved along with scenic countryside.  Upper Michigan and northern Michigan are very scenic.  And we made the 5 mile ride over the Macinac bridge and took some scenic roads.  We were back for July 4 and participated with some friends in our July 4^th weekend bike ride.  Beer was involved…..   Marie, Chris and I spent a couple of days in New Glarus WI.  Chris’s grandmother took them there each year to celebrate their Swiss heritage.  The Swiss Heritage Museum was eye opening for the story of the Swiss immigrants that started the town.  Then we prepared for our annual Door County camping trip.  This year we rented an RV for Chris and I which made hauling our equipment much easier.  We had a wonderful time.   Since we have been doing this for 35+ years it feels like home to be with our old friends.  Mj and Denise camped for a week.  I did manage to get some golf in!   Now home, un packed and most of the clothes washed and put away.  Marie is on her last few days here in Wisconsin and will be heading home to New Mexico on Wednesday.  There is still some summer left and Chris and I will sit down to make some plans one of these days.   Life is good.

 

 

 

About a month back in Wisconsin now and life is good.  The weather has warmed up and been good overall.  Some storms over the last month but we don’t have a yard to clean anymore or a house to worry about.  So other than catching a few rain drops it has not gotten in our way.  We picked up Marie in Milwaukee on Memorial Day weekend and spent a couple of days walking downtown.   Then home to Oshkosh briefly and then on the road to Hayward.  We made what has become an annual trip to visit Dick and Carol and get some fishing in.  Actually more eating and drinking than fishing but Dick and I gave it a good effort.  Even though we were later than usual by a week the water was still cold and the Crappie still were not spawning.  But we still caught some along with some Walleye and Northern and had fun, as well as bringing some filet bags home.   We spent a lot of time out in nature watching the eagles, hummingbirds and new born fawn.  The days went by too quickly.

After getting home Chris and I have been catching up with appointments.  I had my root canal finished and the doctor was happy with the progress.  We are catching up with our favorite Oshkosh bars and restaurants, took in some Irishfest music and a nice Waterfest night with Brian Setzer rockabilly.  I have been able to get some rounds of golf in, which is wonderful!   My old friend John goes out early many mornings and I have been lucky enough to join him.  And I even got my friend Mike out although the course was shortened by the rain storm the night before.  We had a good time.  Next up is a trip to Detroit.  We leave for Marquette Michigan tomorrow then through Michigan’s UP to the ‘mitten’.  So some time to spend with MJ and John, a couple of days in Ann Arbor, then who knows what is next!  No schedule to be home so we will plan our route when the time comes.  The next trip will be Door County camping at the end of July, looking forward to seeing a lot of old friends then!

We made it back home to Oshkosh Wisconsin!   Unfortunately it was in time for the temperature to be dropping!   But not too bad,  we just had to break out the warm coats we were wearing when we left in December!  But it has been good to see old friends again and start visiting our old ‘haunts’.  It seemed a little ‘weird’ for both of us to be back in the apartment.  We lived here just last year and then were gone for 6 months, so it is still new.   Everything was good when we got back and we are into some more ‘cleaning’,  there was a lot of paperwork and files related to our old work lives that will not be needed anymore.  So we plan some changes to rid ourselves of some file cabinets and a desk this summer.

We had a very nice ride home.   We had no reason to hurry so took in some sightseeing.  We started our trip in Jacksonville Florida having a nice evening with Jeff VW, an old high school friend of mine.  We all had lots of weekends together over the years and lot’s of stories to reminisce about.  Jeff showed us some nice spots along Jacksonville Beach and we talked about his hopes to retire this year.   We will be getting together more in the future.

Upon leaving Jacksonville we headed for Northern Georgia.  We made plans with more old friends, Dave and Stacey and Curt and Lynn.  Dave and Stacey have a home in the mountains north of Atlanta that we met at.  We drove north to Savannah and then through Georgia.  A pretty ride and interesting as we drove north to see hay being cut and knee high corn.  Now in Wisconsin we see fields being worked and some just planted.  Northern Georgia is in the mountains and the town we stayed in bills itself as Helen Georgia a Bavarian town.   And it was very nicely done.  After grilling out one night at Dave’s we all spent a day walking through shops and restaurants.   It was a rainy day so we did spend some time in some establishments.   And in a nod to our younger days we spent some time in a German bar playing sheepshead and telling stories!

On leaving Helen we took small mountain roads north.  We were in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky.  Our destination was Danville Kentucky.  I have an old boss who lives there that had told me to stop by if we made it to the area.  And since Kentucky always looked interesting when I drove through it, and they happen to have some bourbon there, we decided to make it to the area!   We did some sightseeing in Danville, visiting the house where a Kentucky doctor did the first successful abdominal surgery in 1809 and our first distillery! And my old boss drove us around the area giving us a tour and we had a tasty dinner with another old work mate.

Leaving Danville was a short trip to Louisville where we planned our next stop so we wanted to see some country side.  Kentucky is horse country with green rolling hills and lot’s of limestone water which makes good bourbon.  We stopped at Four Roses distillery and Wild Turkey distillery.  We had lunch in a small Kentucky town.  When we got to downtown Louisville we stayed across from the Louisville Slugger baseball bat museum and had time to take the tour!  It was fun and we left with our souvenir bats and back to the hotel in time for the Manager welcome party and local beers and wines.   Which prepared us to make it to a nice restaurant for dinner.  Downtown Louisville has a large selection of restaurants and they all seem to offer bourbon flights for tasting which gave me a chance to try some new bourbons, and I took advantage.  The next day we visited the Muhammed Ali museum and Churchill Downs. Both were well worthwhile.  The tour at Churchill Downs was very interesting and the guide was very knowledgeable having gone to the track all the years since his mother started taking him as a little boy.  Great stories. And we saw where the millionaires sat on Derby day and where the other 180,000 people were.     Beside the beautiful seating there is even a crystal reproduction of Churchill downs on display.  And I had my first mint julip with lunch.

The next days plan was to get through Chicago traffic which we did safely.  The usual slow downs but we did OK and stayed in Kenosha Wisconsin overnight so we could get home fairly early the next day.   Now more plans and a continuation of our learning about retirement life.   Marie comes into Wisconsin this weekend and we will spend a couple of nights in Milwaukee.  Then next week up to Hayward for my fishing trip with Dick and Carol.   And later in the month over to Detroit, July to Door County and a few side trips to fit in the next couple of months.  Life is good!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is almost 6 months since we arrived in Florida.   It does not seem possible.  The days continue to fly by.  The sad part is seeing our neighbors leaving, we have had so many days of sharing fun time.  We have shared grilling out, cocktail hours, coffee and cake, and had an A&B building breakfast.   All of which we talk about doing more of next year!  The positive of condo life is seeing neighbors and asking what is on their agenda, or what we can add to it for later today or tomorrow!  But we have good friends back home that we will be able to share time with soon, and we look forward to that.  Marie is coming to Wisconsin late in May, so we need to be home by then!   And we have plans to be in Hayward to end May and start June.  So our plans are starting to form for the ride home.  We plan to spend some time sightseeing on the way home, so at least a week on the road.  We will put more plans together over the next few weeks.

We want a warm June Oshkosh.  Will I have to wear socks and shoes?  Charles just sent a picture of it snowing in Switzerland, that is the closest I want to come to snow.  We continue to feel blessed for the life we live, and pray that it continues.  I shared my retirement party with Steve who is now going through radiation treatments.  So as we look forward to the end of his treatments and spending time together we know it could have been any of us who was in his place.  So each day remains special.  Enjoy life until we see you, then let’s party.

 

Another month has gone by already, it seems hard to believe.  But we have been busy so that must be why!  Friend Mike visited with us after Marie left.  We did some local sightseeing, and brewery tours; and took a few days to Tampa.  We met friends Jeff and Becky there and toured Cigar City Brewery and the Ybor City area.  Besides our hotel horror story it was a wonderful time!  We ate and drank our fill, and even had a local cigar.  After Mike left Chris and I started emptying out the condo.  Our tile was coming and some furniture was destined to move on, so may as well have less to move as the tile went in.  I removed all the baseboard in the condo before the crew came.  Luckily they removed all the carpet and hand carried all the tile up to our 2^nd floor condo.  We are very happy with the crews work and craftsmanship.  In 3 days carpet was out and tile in.  And we are very happy with our clean bright condo.  We had talked for a few years about more bedroom storage so the next trip was to IKEA.  We had picked out a dresser we liked so one wall is now dressers and plastic bins have been put away.   I became quite good at assembling dressers and drawers, and night stands.   We also added a dining table we have been without for a few years.   In a small condo we wanted space that the original dining table did not leave  us.  We finally found a drop leaf table to mirror the antique we have at home.  Small for most of the days that are just Chris and I but affording us the ability to seat 6.   Neighbor Ron helped me (actually I watched) put in all the new baseboard.   He is a craftsman and it really finished off the rooms.  Everything but the closets are freshly painted, and they may get some work next year.  But we are thrilled with our new condo.  And it was time for some relaxing after a few weeks of work.  We took the South Florida Tri-rail to Miami Beach for a day.  New sights to see.  How can you beat a $5 day pass that included the Miami metro rail.  It was a fun day.  And to finish off the month we made a trip to Ocala to visit Chris’s Swiss cousins.  And to meet cousin Elizabeth that Chris had not seen in 60 years.  The Swiss brother and sister had some to Ocala to visit her and we did not want to miss the opportunity to see them all.   We were treated so well in Switzerland, and now treated so well in Ocala.  It was fun to catch up and continue to piece together pieces of family history.  Chris is blessed with wonderful relatives and it is a shame a lot of years went by without contact.  So some of our Florida friends will be leaving soon, the snowbird season is coming to an end.  But Chris and I have no plans on when we will leave here.  We need some time to relax yet!