March 24, 2013

Today we left Orlando and made a short drive back down to Lake Wales.  On the way we were tempted to stop, smell the roses and possibly enjoy a fresh orange or 2.

See if you can find Tom with his Orange shirt hiding in the Orange grove.

This is also a good location to pick your own strawberries.  The strawberries right now are going for about 3 boxes for $3.00  Yeah, that's right...a buck a box.

The citrus travels from grove to plant by the truckload.

One thing we seem to notice is that the poor Floridians can't seen to get good scales anywhere.  Every one that we have seen here is either broken or not accurate at all. 

Just so our grandchildren don't forget us, here is a recent picture.  Tom cropped the picture because the scales don't work.  Just saying!

March 23, 2013

Today we left Vero Beach and headed to Orlando to visit Kathy, Tom's younger sister and brother-in-law Steve.   We were treated to a  home cooked meal, not often seen while on vacation, but certainly much appreciated..  After supper we took a nice walk around a pond near where Steve works. The distance was 2 1/2 miles and a nice flat walk...what part of Florida isn't.

Steve and Kathi sure look good for a couple of youngsters.

March 22, 2013

It's been a very relaxing week at Heron Cay in Vero Beach.  We were treated very well in our very first Bocce (fools game) experience and then the tide turned.  We got skunked on the 2nd game and lost the third.  We would like to thank Gail and Dave for the great company...and yes Dave, today is your day.  For you Dave, just a blog reminder of our new friend.

Dave, click here after viewing the picture below.

Dave, a song for you!

We are about as far south as we are going to go and Saturday will make the turn around on the trip home. Going to see my sister in Orlando and see their new digs. Oh and yes kids, we will be sending you the rest of the itinerary.

March 21, 2013

Hi all.  I see that page views have dropped off a bit...probably because we haven't been updating our blog activity.  Sorry about that but it is kind of hard getting around with all the sunshine we have been getting.

Tom thought about going down to the beach and burying his legs up to his knees to try to be a little understanding about home folks dealing with the snowstorm  Alice said...probably not a good idea.

Yesterday we we went out to eat at a BBQ Rib restaurant.  It was on a stretch of road known as the Old Dixie Highway.   It was probably the best BBQ rib place that we have ever found.  Not only were they great but full of meat...and delicious.  It was Called Norris's and the Authentic ribs were the best.

The website is at Norris's Ribs

Today we went to a unique restaurant centered around an old gas station theme. When we got inside, the walls were covered with license plates from all 50 states and even a few countries.  How a license plate from Australia got there...we don't know.  The table (vinyl) cloths were checker board pattens.  The (linen) napkins were for real authentic grease rags used by stations from yesteryear.  The menus were uniquely written and covered with actual license plates held together by binder rings.  "Beamer" was out waitress dressed in the garb of old gas station attendants, and first asked what we would like for fuel.  Well wouldn't you know that one of the other waitresses was named GTO?  The room was filled with all sorts of "automobilia".

More information and their pictures can be seen at Mrs Macs Fillin Station

This evening we drove up to Fellsmere FL to the Marsh Landing Restaurant for dinner and to listen to some local talent.  A featured attraction was a guest appearance by "Tina Turner"on the right. "Tina" gave a great performance on his Bedpandolin. Although the real Tina didn't appear, Isaac Taylor, seen on the left, a 21 year old banjo player from Vero Beach displayed great talent. 

March 17, 2013

Happy St. Patrick's Day for those who feel well enough to enjoy it.  We started off the morning by having a facetime session with the kids and grandkids.  They were getting ready to do a little ice fishing.  When you don't see the little ones for several days they seem so much older when you do.  We were starting to think about places to go on the return home, but after seeing the weather predictions back home we want to be a little cautious that we don't get back there too early.  We surely don't want to see anyone running in snow during the Boston Marathon. 

March 16, 2013

Hi all, no we haven't dropped off the face of the Earth.
Last night we went to see the movie Quartet and really enjoyed it.  Reminded us of some of the wonderful musical talent from yesteryear that is still around.

We finished our packing for our next stop but before we did, we will have to admit that the time change really hit us as this was the first sunrise that we have seen in quite a while.  7:30

Loading up the van and heading south to Vero Beach, the weather got much warmer along the way.  When we arrived we learned from Gail that there was an antique auto show across the river.   Not having been in town more than 10 minutes we headed out to the show.  The following pics are just a few of the many nice cars there.

65 Mustang

57 Chevy

 

38  Chrysler Town and Country

 

Now here are a couple of muscle cars for you.

Another 60's favorite.

Camaro anyone?

Alice and Gail admiring a 56 Corvette.

83 De Lorean

After a nice afternoon stroll and evening meal, we headed to the "Age Restricted" hall for an evening of dancing.  What fun!  We danced more in the last 2 hours that all the last 2 years.  You could say that these people were definitely NOT "Age restricted".   Wonderful people and a lot of fun.

March 13, 2013

Testing the video feature on the blog.  A view of the roaring Atlantic from our own slice of heaven.

We decided to take our morning walk down the sidewalk instead of the beach and came across the local sign.  Do you think Maine's Governor could take a hint from this sign?

Walking back up the beach gave an indication of today's weather.

We went to the Atlantic Ocean Grille out on the Cocoa Beach pier.  Alice had the Crab cakes while Tom worked for his meal....Crab legs.

March 12, 2013

 It's getting near St Patrick's Day and we were thinking about what we are doing here.  We decided that we are ROVERS, the acronym for   Retired, On Vacation -- ers.  Please don't confuse us with the Irish Rovers that are more popular at this time of year.


It was several years ago when we were down to Cocoa Beach and heard this song for the first time. It was at a bar on St Patrick's Day.  It has a catchy tune.  A different version might have a word or two changed on youtube.


Sally called, when she got the word,
She said "I suppose you've heard about Alice."
Will, I rushed to the window, and I looked outside,
And I could hardly believe my eyes,
A big limousine pulled slowly into Alice's drive.

I don't know why she's leaving, or where she's gonna go,
I guess she's got her reasons but I just don't wanna know,
'Cause for twenty four years I've been living next door to Alice
Twenty four years, just waitin' for a chance,
To tell her how I'm feeling, maybe get a second glance,
Now I've gotta get used to not living next door to Alice.

We grew up together, two kids in the park,
Carved our initials deep in the bark......
Me and Alice.
Now she walks to the door with her head held high,
And just for a moment, I caught her eye,
As the big limousine pulled slowly out of Alice's drive.

I don't know why she's leaving, or where she's gonna go,
I guess she's got her reasons but I just don't wanna know,
'Cause for twenty four years I've been living next door to Alice
Twenty four years, just waitin' for a chance,
To tell her how I'm feeling, maybe get a second glance,
Now I've gotta get used to not living next door to Alice.

Then Sally called back, and asked how I felt,
She said "I know how to help you, get over Alice."
She said "Now, Alice is gone, but I'm still here.
And you know I've been waiting twenty four years.........."
And the big limousine disappeared.......

I don't why why she's leaving, or where she's gonna go,
I guess she's got her reasons but I just don't wanna know,
'Cause for twenty four years I've been living next door to Alice.
Twenty four years, just waitin' for a chance,
To tell her how I feel and maybe get a second glance,
But I'll never get used to not living next door to Alice.

On a more lighter note, we went to see Safe Haven at the movies. "And that's all I'm going to say about that"  Forrest Gump.

March 11, 2013

A wonderful weather weekend down on the beach.  People were out for nice walks along the beach while some were taking advantage of the constant wind.  There are also some who surf with sails, but not on this particular day.

This last weekend there was a surfing contest sponsored by Ron Jon's and the surfers were competing for a top prize of $3000 as well as $2000 and $1500.  There were many people out to view the competition that is held each year during spring break time.

While some people were watching the surfing, others chose to watch the women's beach volleyball competition. Others chose to just watch the waves constantly finding their way to shore...all under the guise of fishing.  So far we have not seen anyone catch anything.  The bird looks as if it was walking along the beach but it too was actually standing still, looking for a meal.

March 8, 2013

Hi all.
Sorry for the 3 days that we missed but there are things that are probably better left unsaid.  Actually we have been having so much fun that you know...Grammie completely forgot about her grandchildren...ya right.  Good friends Ed and Debbie have been here and we have just been relaxing the last couple of days.

While walking the beach Tom saw this gentleman going about his hobby and he thought about John B. who would surely have enjoyed this activity.

Yesterday the guys got in a little golf while the ladies sat and did nothing for a while???  The girls relaxed while enjoying a pedicure.  

They also visited a local yarn shop and found some pretty cool ribbon fabric "yarn" and enjoyed their new project making a ribbon scarf.  A fun project!

Today we rode up to St Augustine, the nations oldest city, to visit the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Their main exhibit in the museum features many displays featuring what Bob Hope not only did for the game of golf but more importantly for the encouragement he gave to many deserving sailors and soldiers in many USO programs for those who served our country.

The museum has many displays of golfers who have have been very successful in their sport and have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.  Here the crew enjoys a walk across the bridge at St Andrews on their way to ......the other side. 

In a little contest after the  museum, Alice managed to get a "hole-in-one" on the finishing hole.  Go Alice, Go Alice...whoops  Go Grammie, Go Grammie.

Later on, we went into the city and found a great place to eat on the water's edge and had a wonderful meal.  The Jambalaya was just great....and no one had any Tums after.  It is a really popular spot located off the well traveled highways. Cap's on the Water First time I had ever seen a Crayfish served with a meal.
After getting back to Cocoa Beach there was a musician playing the steel drums at the resort.

Another note, on the way back from St Augustine we passed a building that had a Havoline sign out front with a sign that read oil change...Wednesday is ladies day.  How nice.

March 4, 2013

Finally, a half decent day.  Not quite good enough for a beach day, but good enough for golfing.  In many places the grass is still in the dormant stage and more brown than green.

 Listening to upcoming weather on TV makes it a good thing that Doug and Robin went out last week.  Early this week, 8-14 inches of snow predicted for the Illinois and Iowa states, HOWEVER, the guy we were listening to made Kevin Mannix look real good.  This guy said  "could be up to 20 inches...could be nothing at all", really? 

We took a ride over to Patrick Air Force Base and did a little shopping for the week.  Friends from Scarborough will be here by Wednesday and more friends will be in the building by Saturday.  Got to make sure that we have plenty of milk on hand.  Also bought some fresh oranges and grapefruit.  Before we left home we made sure that our grapefruit knife and spoon were packed.  My sister thought that there were more cases of cancer down here compared to other states so she suggested that we not drink the water so we stocked up on water when shopping.  Then I got to thinking...in the winter months, most of the people are snowbirds are old...not like us you understand.  Wouldn't is seem more likely that people might get cancer if they lived long enough?   Enough of that talk...Today Tom went for his walk and Alice tried to wear out the credit card.

Alice just came back to work on a puzzle licking her fingers.  I just realized that she took the last piece of candy....and here I am eating almonds.

Today's pic was taken on the beach at Patrick Air Force Base.  Just to our right one could look up 10 miles of public beach all the way back to Cape Canaveral.  Notice how the wind was making Tom's windbreaker puff out. 

When we got back we got a call from our grandson Tyler who wanted to thank Grammie for the Highlights High 5 magazine he just got in the mail today.

Thanks for catching up with Where's Grammie.

March 3, 2013

Good morning everyone.  Today isn't quite what we had expected from Florida.  Driving down I-95 we went under clouds of smoke a bit before they temporarily closed the road.  There have been some brush fires towards the west that have threatened homes and have caused evacuations.  Also tomorrow there is a chance of freezing temps in the area.

We found a great little restaurant... Simply Delicious Cafe and Bakery in Cocoa Beach.  They have a wonderful breakfast menu including Stuffed French Toast with homemade bread, various quiches which is their most popular, and Eggs Benedict.  They also have bakery items.  The restaurant is located in a house and is small but the length of the waiting line on a Sunday morning gives you an idea of the quality of the food.  I think I've had my last packet of oatmeal.  The 3 mile walk up the beach to get there...and back won't however take care of the calories.

We spent the day with Kathy and Steve and had a good day taking walks and catching up on family.  The pier is just a short walk up the beach and as you can see, not very busy on a cold day.

A little later on in the afternoon one of 3 cruise ships heads out of Port Canaveral for Caribbean destinations.

March 2, 2013

Good morning all.
Just checking up on news before we leave.  A story that is on the news.  If the link doesn't work then copy paste to the address line.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/03/florida-girls-wish-to-see-snow-comes-true/


On our way to Cocoa Beach we drove by the World Golf Hall of Fame. I remembered when we were coming through the area several years ago, John Burgess was driving and after a passing it, he turned around and took us back because he didn't want me to miss it.  An added bonus was when I showed them my military ID and they let all of us in for free.

This year after driving more than 5 hours we only had a little bit of time before meeting my sister so I quickly unpacked and got things organized.  I thought I would give Alice a break since she was on the ipad or knitting most of the day.

My sister Kathy had already prepared supper for us and it was already nice and warm in the crockpot. 

March 1, 2013

Our last full day in Hilton Head.  After our typical vacation breakfast of instant oatmeal and coffee, we went to the Post Office to mail our absentee ballots back to the town office.  The vote on the loan to bring our district back to a point where it is capable of paying its bills is important to the students, teachers and citizens of the district towns.  Normally the ballot is a little bit more robust in candidates for school board but not so this time.  These are serious issues for the people in the district.  Hopefully people get out to vote.

Today we visited the Coastal Discovery Museum in Hilton Head.  It was established in 1985 to teach the public about the natural history of the area known as the Lowcountry.  A wonderful place to bring kids.  Below a pic of one of the friendlier alligators.

The Carolina Jessamine is the State Flower, isn't she beautiful?

In the town of Hilton Head, the trees are preserved as much as practically possible; however removal of a tree including the well established Live Oaks require a permit.  As rumor has it, a business trying to established in town was denied approval for 3 years, 1 for each tree cut down.  The Live Oak can grow to 80 feet in height and as much as 100 feet wide.

Tomorrow we will be driving to Cocoa Beach for a couple of weeks.  We will also be seeing Tom's sister Kathie and husband Steve.

Feb 28, 2013

Good evening everyone.  The last day of February is finally here and time for some serious snow melting to start happening tomorrow.  Actually it has already happened here.  Alice spent the day doing some relaxing and knitting and started reading her next book, A Singular Woman, the story of Obama's mother, and because Alice is a multitasker, managed to get in a couple of loads of laundry.  Tom on the other hand chose to go golfing again instead or finishing the last 30 or so pages of his book.  The Harbour Town Golf course was really green and nice to walk in amongst the many homes lining the fairways at the Sea Pines Resort.

Tom has finally concluded his research and had concluded that no matter what brand of golf ball played, they all sink at the same rate when entering the water.

Doug and Robin have finished their driving saga and will be spending the next few days unpacking. Thanks to Bob and Bev for making their last miles more enjoyable.

Feb 27, 2013

Hello again everyone.  Today we headed up towards Charleston SC for a golfing adventure for Tom.  We finally ended up on Kiawah Island after going through 2 security gates just to get to a golf course.  The course runs up and down the coastline separating the seashore from many fine homes in the area.  If you happen to see one of our kids, tell them to sell the house and deposit the change in the checking account.  And also we won't be needing a car any more if Tom has his way.  A view of a couple of homes just across a little lagoon, easily in the low 8 figures.

Once we got started walking, Tom with his best buddie Alice walking the course with him, we got down to business.  Now I really don't expect you to believe that this ball wasn't Tom's...and it wasn't, however the playing partner made the excuse that he didn't want his feet to get wet.

The course was really a nice place to play and Tom's caddy Travis really made the day.  Without him Tom would never have broken 120.  You can see Travis moving away after giving Tom a lesson on the rules about where to drop after taking a stroke penalty out of a hazard.  Tom's score on the hole...5.  The average score for the hole during the 2012 PGA Championship...5.4.

All in all it was a pleasurable day.  Tom's score was quite remarkable and the alligators had nothing to do with it, the umpteen hard traps had nothing to do with it, the hard greens had nothing to do with it, a 12 on the stimpmeter had nothing to do with it, the long holes had nothing to do with it, and the wind had nothing to do with it...Tom just wanted to get in enough swings to get his money's worth out of playing...and Alice wanted a nice long walk with her best friend.

By the time you read this, Doug and Robin will be in their new home city of Cheyenne, WY.  p.s...  If you want to see a good Rodeo, head to Cheyenne the last 10 or so days in July and say hi to them when you are there.

Feb 26, 2013

Hi everyone.  Today is Robin's birthday and she is spending the night in Iowa.  Well after a slow 5 hours on the road and only making 200 miles progress, they decided to call it a day.  I remember a high school classmate asking me what Iowa stood for...I said "no".  He replied  Idiots Out Wandering Around.  I really don't think the joke will cheer them up much.  They still have a long day's drive to make it to their new home.

Today after no success trying to play golf, we ventured off to Sea Pines Resort area which is the southwest end of the island.  There are many areas where there are nice homes but many are well hidden because of the successful attempts of concerned people to leave many areas of the island in their natural state.  There are walking trails and bike trails everywhere.  We stopped to take a walk in the Sea Pines Forest Reserve.

Within the Forest reserve area there was a place for people to hike into and have picnics and gatherings.  For those who know me well, you can understand my liking to the grill that was available to use.  I'm not sure our sons-in-law would use it but they would nevertheless understand.

We did make it to a local well known area of Sea Pines Resort...Harbor Town Golf course...home of the annual RBC Heritage classic.   From atop the well known lighthouse we could look back up the finishing hole where Arnold Palmer won the first year's tournament.

All in all, a wonderful day...and I got to spend it with my best friend.

Feb 25-2 2013

Driving around Hilton Head at night is a little bit of a challenge.  They do not have street lights because the Loggerhead Turtles after they hatch, go towards a source of light (usually the moon) to the ocean and the trip is implanted in their DNA.  Many years later after swimming the Ocean they come back to the very same spot to lay their eggs.  By having street lights around they go towards the lights and away from the ocean becoming lost.  It is that same reason that one should not carry the turtles to the ocean because they would not know where they started from.

Rain all day today so I thought I would add a pic from yesterday.  I guess blue at this point is better than white.

Feb 25 2013

Finally, I choose the right settings to allow comments.
Directions.  At the bottom of the post, you will see  No comments, or 1 comment, or 2 comments, etc.   Click on that.  You will then see a Pop up box. 
Enter your comment, then below, in the Name/URL box, put in your name.  no need for URL.
Then Publish.

The comment will not show up immediately. It may take a minute or 2, or a page refresh.

Feb 24, 2013

Finally a great day on the island. We took a walk on the beach for much needed exercise after spending a good part of several days in the van. But before the walk on the beach, Tom had to take care of a little business...would you believe making a T time at Harbor Town? On the property where we are staying for the week, (Waterside) there is a lagoon where we are told Big Al and his 3 alligator ladies in waiting reside. When we went to look for Big Al, all we saw were several birds sun drying, and a few turtles sun bathing.

Feb 23, 2013

Today we arrived in Hilton Head Sc, where the year round population is 3500, but explodes to over 2 million visitors each year. The island has become a year round resort for many. On the island, there are many golf courses and shops for the masses. Miles of wonderful public beaches make it a wonderful place to visit. A return in the future is a possibility in the future. Because we arrived with no sun, Alice quickly broke open a puzzle to work on. Even though Tom is in the picture with the puzzle, Alice did most of it.

Feb 22, 2013

Today was another day on the road and the planned stop was at Parris Island Marine Corps Training Base. Tom managed to get in a round of golf at the Legends course, one of the best courses in the military collection of courses.

Feb 21, 2013

Today we spent an uneventful day except for trying to find our way around Fort Bragg in Fayetteville NC. The Garmin doesn't have every address in it so it was more like a go up to the next stop, turn around and look for something that looks familiar. Too bad we didn't have John with us like he was a few years ago. We stayed in the same building as when he was with us. Fort Bragg was where I did my Basic Training in 1969.

Feb 20, 2013

Another day of new experiences. We visited the Outer Banks in North Carolina for the first time. It was a great day for driving and it was nice to see the temperature gradually rise. We visited a couple of Mainers in "exile" who will probably only be back to Maine for visits. It is so nice to see a wonderful couple like Bob and Glen enjoying their family and grandchildren in such a great place. It was different from what I thought down here. I thought that I would see single level homes along the beach but instead there are many 3 level homes with Crow's nests at the top to be able to see the ocean and wonderful sunrises above the dunes that protect the homes, and town from large waves and storms that hit the area. We were there at a good time as the seasonal people tend to cause traffic problems. Thanks Glen and Bob for your wonderful hospitality.

Feb 19, 2013

Hi everyone. Getting up in the morning was somewhat of a disappointment knowing that there were 54 holes of golf within 2 miles and the rain certainly made it even worse. Saying goodbye to Andrews Air Force Base and after a relatively short drive that took longer than it needed to, we arrived at the home of a high school friend that I hadn't seen since a reunion probably 20 years ago. We had a wonderful time catching up on the many years that have gone by including a little bit of reminiscing of high school days too. It is so wonderful to have a chance to catch up with people that you spent the early times of your lives with. We realized that Winthrop was a wonderful place to grow up in, and is still a special place. We found out that the things that you remember about someone may be quite different from the way they saw themselves at the time. Memories can be quite selective.

Feb 18, 2013

We set out for a long day's drive, about 460 miles, to get to Andrews Air Force Base. We checked into the Presidential Inn, home of Air Force One, and also 3 golf courses. We saw the last of the snow when we crossed over to New Jersey and bid good riddance hopefully for the remainder of this year. Tom washed off the winter coat of road salt which brought out the fresh scrape marks on the front bumper. Today's low..15 degrees, today's high 45 degrees. Lowest gas sign today: $3.46

Feb 17, 2012

Today we loaded up the van and set out for adventure. After a brief stop to pick up an extra set of golf clubs in Scarborough that belong to a friend who will be joining us in Florida we continued to visit Tom's sister in Danvers MA. A good part of the day was spent in blizzard like conditions and on the way, Tom "bumped" into a someone he had never met before. Sister and husband are doing great. They should be auditioning for the remake of On Golden Pond. What a pair, been married 50 years or so and would do the part justice. Upon request, no pictures were taken. On a sad note, RIP to a fictional character of Downton Abbey.

A family day together.

Hi everyone. Grammie is on the road again. This time she's heading to Florida for a bit to get some needed exercise and sunshine. Before she left, the family gathered to say Happy Birthday to Doug and Robin who both have February birthdays but more importantly, to say goodbye to them before they head to Cheyenne Wyoming. We all gathered at the Newport Entertainment center for a little bowling and fun. Doug and Robin shared a few hugs with the nieces and nephews before they left home.