Tuesday, November 5, 2013

First of all, I guess since it's only 61 here, it's time for me to switch my page to WINTER 2013, so after this entry I'll start a new page.

We had such a fun week-end with Phyllis here. She arrived on Friday and we had lunch and then sat by the pool and played with the dogs until we decided to watch Best In Show, which she had never seen. It's still as funny as the first time we saw it! After cocktails and dinner, we took the dogs for a walk and then sat up and chatted til quite late. Saturday morning we were slow getting started but sat outside and then had brunch before we all cleaned up and went to town. We decided to take a carriage ride around Beaufort and it was a lot of fun and very interesting. This is such an historic area and we plan to do some reading about it. Our horse Buck was quite skittish however and coming back, we thought he was going to run right into the side of a passing car!! We came home for snacks and a cocktail and then went back into Beaufort for dinner. I have been wanting to try Plum's but wasn't overly impressed with it so won't be on my go back to list, except maybe for drinks. They have a deck with a beautiful view-the sunset was really pretty. She had to leave after breakfast on Sunday so we went to a class at church and then the 10:15 service. The weather was just beautiful so we took the dogs for a long walk after lunch.

Last night we watched the Packers play-what a disappointment seeing Aaron Rodgers go down. Surely hoping he will be back soon. I barely slept because I was worried about my appointment at the endodontist this morning. It didn't go badly-he is a VERY nice younger guy and I think he felt worse for me than I did for myself! He told me that I actually need two procedures-one a redo of the original root canal and then an apicoectomy-a removal of the tip of the root. He felt so bad that he immediately started giving me discounts-no charge for the consult, no charge for the filling! Today he drilled into the crown and took out the old root canal cement, which he said was not done very well, even allowing for the fact that it is 50+ years old! It was so bad that he cleaned it all out and put an antibiotic  cream in and then just a temporary filling. On the 18th, he will take out the temporary, fill the root and put in a permanent filling and then do the apico. I'll have a few stitches and will have to go back the next week to have them removed. As long as he doesn't find a fractured root that day, we'll be all done. If there is a fractured root, it will be a BIG problem but we'll worry about that then. The novocaine is wearing off and nothing seems to hurt but he wrote me a prescription for a narcotic, so apparently he thinks that might be a problem later.

Off to walk our pooches now. Be sure to look for winter 2013 next time you visit us!

Here are Phyllis and Oliver on the "visitor's bench" downtown

And here they are after cocktails and dinner!

 

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Spectacular weather this week! We've been to the state park twice this week-yesterday we just walked the dogs but today we took them and all the fishing equipment and spent a few hours there. Just beautiful-warm but not so hot that we couldn't stand it. Tomorrow is errands day and then Thursday while I clean house, Oliver will probably go fishing again.

My tooth continues to be the same. Hurts when I push on it and I'm a little worried that it will get worse after I finish my antibiotics tomorrow. Hoping that it will hold on til a week from Thursday, when I see the endodontist. Looking forward to Phyllis coming Friday and hopefully that will keep me occupied!

Here's Oliver getting his rods set

Oliver and the furkids hoping for a bite

And here it is!!

SHARK!!!!!! This guy went back into the water!

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Unfortunately my week went downhill quickly. I noticed on Sunday, as I was scratching my nose, that my gum right under my nose was sore. When it was still there on Tuesday, I made an appointment with the dentist. Turns out that the root canal I had when I was 8 years old-following a fall on kiddy play highheels which broke my tooth in half-has failed and now I have an infection around the root of my front tooth! It doesn't hurt unless I push on it--yeah yeah I know-don't push on it! But it must be taken care of ASAP so off to the endodontist I will go on November 5. Best case, he will be able to drill a little  hole in the back of my crown and redo the root canal. I'm on antibiotics and hopefully that will take care of the infection, although at the moment it seems to be a tie between the two. Bad case scenario is an apicoectomy. That entails cutting through the gum and bone and removing the tip of the root and the infection. Worst case scenario is that he can't save the tooth and it will have to go, followed by an implant and crown or a 6 unit bridge. I am hopeful for scenario one but prepared for scenario three-but will cross that bridge when I come to it!!  (Groan) In the meantime, I feel a little punk-sort of like when you are just coming down with a cold.

On the bright side, my  friend Phyllis is hopefully coming to see us this week so that will keep me busy and happy. She was supposed to come this week but her husband had an accident and she couldn't leave him. Hint-how many college professors does to take to overturn a golf cart that is stuck in the mud? Answer-Bobby and 3 of his buddies. He's fortunate that it wasn't worse but he has a very painful back and is on painkillers and probably would forget to feed the dogs if she left!! Hopefully he will feel better this week and she will come.

We're still having a cold spell so we have had to wear jackets when walking the dogs. Yesterday it was 55 and I had on a sweatshirt, jacket and gloves-guess my blood has thinned!!! It is supposed to be back in the 80s by Wednesday so we will enjoy our few days of fall, I guess.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013 Thanks for stopping by!

We are so enjoying this fall weather! Last night we even had a fire:

Of course, since it was 70 degrees out, we also had to have the windows open!!

I had a nice lunch out today with my neighbor Justine. My phone rang and I didn't answer it, since I didn't recognize the number. Good thing there was a voice mail, as it turned out to be the Episcopal Bishop. just calling to chat about our visit at church on Sunday!! Folks sure are friendly down here!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Yesterday morning we decided to take the dogs over to Hunting Island State Park for their morning walk. It was quite warm and humid-the air conditioner is back on-but they really enjoyed the walk. Oliver wants to do some surf fishing, so we watched a few people who were fishing and today we went to West Marine so he could pick up some additional equipment. Guess we 'll go over one day this week and give it a try. I of course will just take a chair and my Kindle and have some sun time!

We had a very interesting morning. As we have been members of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America) for many years, we have been attending the local ELCA church here since June. We don't really feel a "connection" with this church and aren't getting the spiritual nourishment that we are used to, so after much thought, we decided today we would attend the Parish Church of St. Helena Episcopal church. (That's where we went Friday for the organ concert, to sort of check it out). It is one of the oldest churches in North America, having been established in 1712 as a colonial parish of the Church of England. The present building, although having been enlarged three times, dates back to 1724 and has been the current size since 1842! Thomas Heyward, Jr., one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, was a parishioner. St. Helena's Old Churchyard, the cemetery surrounding the church, is one of the most historic burial grounds in the country. Although the church is very historic, it is also very active and averages nearly 800 people in attendance at one of the three services on Sunday. The Communion silver used today dates back to the 1700s. The Reverend Jeffrey Miller(!!!), the Rector, gave an amazing sermon and when we met him after church, he said "Call me and I'll take you to lunch"! Guess we'll have to increase our offering!! There is also a Bishop in Residence. The Senior Associate Priest is a Red Sox fan and wore his baseball cap while greeting us outside after the service! We were quite familiar with the liturgy, since the Lutherans and Episcopalians are quite similar, and we very much enjoy the formality, although Oliver is not sure he can get used to wearing a suit and tie after all these years! We were very warmly greeted by people who recognized that we were visitors and felt more a part of the congregation after this one visit than we have been able to feel at the ELCA church. We plan to attend again next Sunday and on November 3 they start a series of meetings for visitors which we plan to attend. However, we still maintain our membership at Lord of Life in St. Simons, where we were so happy for the short time we lived there, and are planning to spend Thanksgiving Day down there for the annual dinner.

Here's the lighthouse at Hunting Island

Look at this tree standing on it's tip toes!! It is standing straight as can be on nothing but it's roots!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

A beautiful day for almost anything! We walked the dogs this morning and then Oliver finished working on his box for the golf cart, to help with his yard work. Then we went to Hunting Island to do a little fishing. Oliver again caught two little crokers and two skates. I don't think he really cares about what he catches, since I would make him throw back whatever it was! When we got home, I got in the pool with the dogs for a bit. We still think we will need to heat the pool but so far, I can still swim. Tomorrow we are going to an organ concert at the Episcopal Church in town and then out to lunch.

Oliver pimping his ride!

Oliver fishing

Me-----not fishing!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Our beautiful fall weather continues. Yesterday was a bit cloudy so we took a drive over to Hilton Head to look at a boarding kennel there. They have lovely private suites, with fancy little beds for the doggies as well as color TV in each room along with daily massages. We think Skipper and Marina will love it! Then we drove out to Coligny Beach before stopping at Home Depot and then coming home. A very nice afternoon.

Today Oliver is working outside-gathering brush and wood and burning it. What started as a little project-cleaning up places where snakes could hide-has turned into a major project-everyone knows that there are no LITTLE projects where Oliver is concerned! First he made a bigger box for the back of the golf cart and then created a road all the way around the back of the property! He really enjoys his outdoor work!

The fire pit

The path

The rest of us just relaxed while he worked!

Friday, October 11, 2013

We've had a very nice week. The weather has been glorious-very fallish, with temperatures going down to 60 at night-so no air conditioning on-but back up to the 80s in the afternoon-so able to play in the pool with the dogs. We're all enjoying our morning walks in the cooler, less humid air. We had a nice afternoon/evening visit with friends from Wisconsin. Oliver and I both worked with Scott for several years and have enjoyed some nice times with he and his wife Susie. They were in Hilton Head for a week so on Tuesday they drove over here. We spent a nice afternoon chatting and then went to Panini's on the Waterfront for dinner-which I think is a better place for lunch. After a fun evening, they headed back to HH. It was great having them here.

Oliver has spent a few days clearing out more brush from the side yard and building a gate on that side. He's been burning brush and leaves and it smells so wonderful. Can't believe it's almost Halloween. Luckily one of my neighbors told me that we only have ONE trick or treater here-little Natalie from down the street-so I WON'T be buying a ton of candy, which I will then eat! I think I'll go tour local chocolate store and buy a special caramel apple for her-and probably one for me as well!

Here are Scott and Susie at the "Visitor's Bench"

Since Scott still works for Pfizer, we took this picture of him-maybe he can say he was working! Although Luther's Pharmacy is now a restaurant!

Friday, October 4, 2013

We had such a nice day today! We walked the dogs at the neighborhood across the street-Coosaw Point. It is a very big development, although only about 25% built so far, and there is lots of nice walking area. After breakfast, we loaded up and went to Hunting Island State Park to try a little fishing. At 1,020 feet, the Hunting Island Fishing Pier (Paradise Pier) is the longest freestanding fishing pier on the East Coast. The pier is located in the water between Fripp Island and Hunting Island. I wanted to go back and hold Wylie, the king snake I petted the other day, but my friend Ranger Mitch was not there so will have to do that next time. It was an absolutely outstanding day-sunny with just a few puffy white clouds, 86 but enough of a breeze to cool us off a bit. There were a few other people fishing but not too crowded. No fishing license is required on the pier, they sell bait at the wildlife center and you can borrow fishing tackle-although of course Oliver has his own. He had a few bites and caught two little bitty crokers and a skate, all of which were released, of course. I took my camera and my Kindle and took a few pictures and did a little reading. After a couple of hours, we left and stopped at the grocery store on our way home to stock up for the week-end. I spent some time in the pool with the dogs and we're now sitting on the porch having cocktails and doing computer work before dinner. Looking forward to a quiet day tomorrow and lunch with John and Jeannette on Sunday. Thanks for stopping by!

This is the pier looking out from near shore-Fripp Island to the right and the ocean off to the left

the bridge to Fripp

The first of tow crokers

The skate-up close these guys look just like ghosts! He was safely returned to the water.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

We've had a pretty quiet week after the fun of having company for a couple of weeks. Mostly just worked around the house and Oliver did yard work. I tackled all the windows and plantation shutters in our bedroom and got them all sparkling clean. Yesterday we had cocktails with our across the street neighbors Frank and Dolly before having dinner and then a nice walk. We have been taking the dogs for a second walk after dinner and they really enjoy it. The weather has been marvelous this week-cool enough at night to turn the air conditioner off and have the windows open but warm enough to still swim. I'm waiting to see how long I will be able to swim without the pool being heated-apparently at least til October 2!!!

Thursday, September 26, 2013

We've had such a fun time this week with Carol and Tom. They arrived on Monday and then went to Charleston for the day on Tuesday and then to Savannah yesterday. The weather has not been great, especially today when we had clouds and then some rain. Late this afternoon we went into Beaufort and drove around a bit and then parked and walked the riverwalk. We decided to have dinner at Old Bull Tavern and it was excellent. After dinner we walked up and down the main street for a while and now we're sitting on the porch.

Today we did have a bit of excitement. We were sitting by the pool playing with the dogs and Tom walked over to pick up a ball at the end of the pool and saw a coral snake laying at the edge of the concrete pool deck! He hollered hey look-here's a coral snake! I ran to pick up the dogs and got them into the house, while the guys took care of the snake and Carol took this wonderful picture!

Friday, September 20, 2013

We've had a fairly busy week since Bunny and John left. I washed sheets and got the guest room ready for our next visitors and went to the grocery store for re-stocking. On Wednesday,  I went to lunch at Wren with Justine, my kitty corner neighbor. She and her husband Charlie have lived here for 10 years. Charlie is a contractor and professional photographer. We had a lovely lunch and the next day Justine called to see if we were available for dinner tonight. She and Charlie took us to Old Bull Tavern, which is rated the #1 restaurant in Beaufort, and it is truly a wonderful place. Very casual but with a very interesting menu. We really enjoyed getting to know Charlie and Justine.  After we got back, we spent a bit of time outside and Oliver took this beautiful picture.

We are really looking forward to Carol and Tom arriving on Monday! More pix then.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

We're sad that Bunny and John left this morning but happy that they came and that they got home safely. Yesterday we went into Beaufort and walked around a bit before having lunch at Luther's - supposedly they have the best burgers in town and we all had a burger with bacon, grilled onions and bleu cheese. They were yummy. It was really hot out so we came back and spent a couple of hours in the pool before cleaning up for dinner. It rained quite hard for a bit but stopped when we went to dinner at Saltus River Grille. It's right on the waterfront downtown and is my favorite restaurant. It is a bit frou frou for Oliver but he actually said he thinks the chef is inventive and we all loved our meals. Bunny had scallops, John had the special, which was a wood grilled grouper, Oliver had fried lobster tails and I had  shrimp and grits- a very upscale version! We had different salads which were quite good also.  The décor is very  pretty and our waitress understood that we wanted to enjoy our cocktails for a while before ordering. When we came home, we sat on the porch and the guys had a beer while Bunny and I had raspberry-chocolate wine. It was such a nice evening! This morning we had baked oatmeal and leftovers (coffee cake and Door County casserole)  before they left around 11. We were all tired today-although I don't know why- and Oliver took a nap with the dogs while I sewed. We certainly had a wonderful time with the Craigs!

Marina had so much fun with all the attention she got from Bunny and John.

Bunny and John in waterfront park

Monday, September 16, 2013

We had a busy few days before Bunny and John came on Saturday night. We did get to Hilton Head and did so much shopping, we couldn't fit anything more in the truck so we came home! B&J arrived about 8PM and we had cocktails and then dinner and stayed up quite late. It was so great to see them! Yesterday we had a leisurely brunch, complete with mimosas and  bloody marys. We sat out by the pool until a little rain came and then moved to the porch, but the sun came out again and we spent the rest of the day outside. John and Bunny played with Marina and Skipper and the dogs are now exhausted! We all showered  and then had cocktails on the porch before dinner. Bunny and I watched the Miss America contest-we think it's been about 45 years since we last watched that together! We laughed about how we used to lay in bed and I would practice my talent for when I was in the Miss America pageant--a medley of Yes We Have No Bananas and God Bless America!

Today we are heading into Beaufort to look around, have lunch and pick out a place for dinner!

Happy Birthday to  our sister Nancy!!

Here are some pix from yesterday.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

First of all, Skipper's foot seems to be better-he's not limping. BUT last night he started digging at his ear and shaking his head and when I looked, his ear was swollen and he had scratched it til it bled! Fortunately, I have some antibiotic eardrops and gave him those plus a painkiller and he slept well. After this morning's drops, it looks much better so will keep giving them twice a day. Next week both dogs have their annual checkups, so if he isn't better, we'll go from there. What a tough week for our boy!

We had a nice day Sunday. After church and the grocery store, son John and his wife Jeannette came up from Savannah and we spent some pool time and then cooked burgers on the grill. It was a beautiful day. John brought his power washer for Oliver to use. He (Oliver) has been working like crazy washing the outside of the house. On Saturday we spent about 6 hours cleaning the porch and rearranging the furniture. We like it much better now. Since then, he has cleaned the upstairs porch, the front porch, the side porch, the garage doors and half of the back of the house. Tomorrow he finishes the back and then does the pool house and will power wash the steps all over. We also had the pool repairman here today-our skimmer broke- and the propane man was here for our "safety class". We might have the pool heated so both the pool man and the propane man gave us some advice.

We're hoping to get to Hilton Head tomorrow or Thursday to visit Bed Bath and Beyond, and need to do major grocery shopping before Bunny and John arrive on Saturday.

Here are the kids swimming

Everybody's pooped!!

Friday, September 6, 2013

We are both feeling well now, although with lingering coughs. This week has been back to normal for us, for the most part. Skipper has hurt his right foot somehow and is running around on 3 legs. Not sure what happened-could have been an insect bite, as one of the pads appears a bit swollen, or he could have jammed his toe jumping into the pool. We plan to watch him over the week-end and take him to the vet Monday if there's no improvement.

Yesterday I went to the Lady's Island Garden Club meeting with Dollie, my across the street neighbor. I KNOW-how funny is that?!!! Fortunately they do other things besides garden-like they served a really good brunch which I enjoyed! And also fortunately, I didn't kill any of the beautiful centerpieces just by looking at them! It was a nice way to meet a few people though and I probably will go to the next meeting-only once a month.

Oliver has been hard at work all week. I mentioned that he had to dig under the sidewalk when the DireTv guy was here but I may not have mentioned how filthy dirty he got! Not to mention hot and sweaty!

Today he was working on the yard and his golf cart has now become his work cart

We had to buy a power trimmer the other day and he really put it to good use today! We are trying to get ready for upcoming company-Bunny and John are coming next week-end for a couple of days and then Carol and Tom are coming the following week so we are VERY excited!

Hope fall is treating everyone well. It is still quite hot here and the dogs and I are enjoying the pool so much! Thanks for checking in with us.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

We are both recovering from our colds and have the house more or less back in shape and I have done about 15 loads of wash. Yesterday the DirecTV guy came supposedly to hook up a TV in the den but the line had been cut somewhere and he couldn't find where! So 6 hours later-after running a second wire under the sidewalk-we have a TV in one of the guest rooms instead! Now we are off to town to run a million errands. But I wanted to put a couple more pictures of our trip on here. I don't think I showed the contrast between the very high forest covered mountains and the high desert mountains-so here it is.

And here's some of the rapids we ran thorugh on our jetboat ride

Friday, August 30, 2013

Finally getting around to updating and posting pictures! We left Scottsburg at 6:30AM on Wednesday morning and soon decided that we wanted to sleep in our own bed that night, so we drove straight through. We were in Beaufort at 5:30PM-and I think in bed at about 7!! Oliver felt horrible but at least we were not in a hotel. yesterday we were up early but didn't walk the dogs. We did get to the grocery store and I spent time in the pool with Marina and Skipper and last night we had a good dinner, but we didn't get much unpacking done.

Today we slept until 7 and then took the dogs for a walk and started unpacking. I got all the suitcases unpacked and most of the laundry done, while Oliver attended to paperwork and unloading the truck. He feels better but I am now coming down with a cold! I was sure that would happen, especially since Phyllis said she and Bobby both had colds all week! I did spend a bit of time in the pool but I am looking forward to soup and early bed.

We took SO MANY pictures that I had a hard time deciding which ones to include here. Just discovered that I have almost 2,000 pictures on this blog! That's my limit, so I will have to negotiate with my server for more.  Anyway, hope these give you a little idea about our trip!

We started in Portland and visited the world famous Japanese Gardens!

Here we are on the deck of the Red Lion, with our riverboat in the background

Bobby and Oliver during our safety briefing

The next day we were in Astoria

This is our sorority girl pose!

Sunset in Astoria

Mt. St. Helens was absolutely awesome.

This is Multnomah Falls-the second highest falls in North America

The kite surfers and wind surfers in the Gorge

 

It was very windy but the water was so clear and we enjoyed it here

Phyllis and I saw a show in The Dalles (Not really-this was an auto repair shop!!)

We didn't see Mt. Hood when we went past it, because of the forest fires but saw it at night

We just loved our jetboat trip on the Snake River. saw this bald eagle

And these longhorn sheep

One night some people couldn't sleep-turned out one of our paddles broke and had to be removed

This was our Captain

Cocktail hour on our last night

And dinner on our last night. Our dear new friends Marilyn and Christel

We were always the last ones to leave the dining room!

 

 

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Against insurmountable odds, we managed to get everything ready and left at 7:15AM this morning! Of course we only got about 15 miles down the road before Oliver brought up the question of whether the refrigerator door was ACTUALLY closed or not! Thank heavens for my dear friend and neighbor June, who immediately went over and checked it for us (yes it was closed-of course it was!). This was after we had already bothered her once  when we discovered-right after turning the water off- that we needed to wash our hands! We might buy the house next door to us in Beaufort and get Bill and June to live there with us as well!

We stopped in Hinsdale (suburb of Chicago) for my annual appointment with my gynecologist of almost 25 years-it's going to be a long drive once we move but he's worth it. Oliver, Marina and Skipper sat under a tree in the parking lot while I was inside and fortunately Dr. Wilson was very quick today. Then we were off and arrived in Scottsburg, Indiana (just north of Louisville) around 4:30PM local time. We unpacked all the paraphernalia it takes for the 4 of us and then discovered that the air conditioning in our room did not work. So I went down to ask for a different room and they upgraded us to the Presidential Suite! Keep in mind that this is a Holiday Inn Express in Indiana so don't imagine the President has stayed here too often, but it is very nice and certainly the first time Marina and Skipper have stayed in such a nice room!! Too bad that while I was moving things from one room to another, Skipper pooped in the massive Presidential bathroom. But at least it was the right room and I think it tells us that he is a Republican. I knew we raised that boy right!

Oliver is coming down with a cold and feels crappy so he is lying down and I'm getting ready to take the dogs out for a little walk (yes, I know, that horse has left the barn already but Marina is a good girl anyway). Hopefully tomorrow we will get to Hendersonville, NC and then have a  pretty short drive home on Thursday. None of us can make it for the long days we used to travel so it takes us 3 days to go 1000 miles!! The truck as usual looks as though everything we have ever owned is packed into it but the house seemed as full of stuff as ever.

Thanks for checking in with us. Keep watching for the pictures of our cruise!

Monday, August 26, 2013

We arrived home right on schedule Saturday night at about 10:15 PM, tired but happy with a great trip! Once again, though, my plans have outpaced my judgment and we are frantically trying to get everything done so we can leave at 7:30AM tomorrow!! Packing the truck, making short visits to friends, and several appointments today. After a quick routine doctor's appointment in Chicago tomorrow, we'll be on our way to Beaufort. We are looking forward to getting home-NOT looking forward to the 1000 miles between here and there! I'll post pictures later this week.

Friday,  August 23, 2013

Today was our last day and it was another beautiful day. We can't believe how wonderful the weather has been. After breakfast we packed and at 12 AM we boarded our jet boats for a cruise up the Snake River.  We saw amazing rock formations, a bald eagle and some ancient petroglyphs and traversed some big rapids. Aftet a couple of hours we stopped for lunch at a beautiful location, where we enjoyed the deer and wild turkeys. Back at the Queen of the West, we changed for cocktails and dinner, and had some after dinner deck time with our new friends Christel and Marilyn. Now to bed as breakfast is at 6 AM!!!!!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

We were up early for breakfast and an 8:30 docking at Umtilla to offload the passengers for the Pendleton tour. Phyllis and Bobby went on that tour and we continued up the river to Richland. The trip was interesting-rhe desert rock formations were beautiful.  We took a nap on dwck in the sun and then had lunch. Once docked in Richland, we walked to town and visited a very nice art gallery. Came back and sat on deck until a sudden rain came up. We had a fun dinner and then a nightcap on deck. Not much to see on the Snake River where we are now.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

I'm actually writing this after breakfast on Thursday because after spedning an hour typing it out on my phone last night, I lost the connection-and all my work!! Then I got up and took notes so that I could remember this morning.

We breakfasted while going throuhg a lock yesterday and then went up on deck where it was very windy, since we were still in the Gorge. Very shortly thought the terrain changed and went from all trees to high desert. Mid-morning we enjoyed a Taste of the Northwest - I particularly enjoyed the huckleberry lemonade with a shot of huckleberry vodka!

At lunchtime, we tied up in The Dalles. We disembarked and there people from town all dressed up in old time costumes to greet us. We walked into town-it was very hot-but we found a wonderful bookstore with lots fo fun items and a very nice owner who ran to his house to see if he had a charger that would work with Phyllis's camera. He didn't, so we walked up to Staples and found one, and went to Safeway for some Bactine for Oliver's sunburned face!!

We had dinner with our usual group and then went up on deck for an absolutely beautiful sunset followed by a full moon. The winds were calm and it was warm-just perfect. We could see Mt. Hood, which we had missed earlier because of the smoke from the forest fires. While in The Dalles, we saw helicopters and planes ferrying water to the fire. We could smell and see the smoke but now we are further upstream from it. As we went to bed, we were sitiing dead in the water in front of a lock. Not sure when we went through, as we were all asleep.

This morning we locked through again while having breakfast and Phylls and Bobby are off on the tour of Pendleton. We stopped in Umtilla to let the tour group off and then we will proceed on up to Richland, WA where they will join us later. We've taken some good pictures and I can't wait to be able to post them!

Thanks for checking in with us.

Tuesday,  August 20, 2013

This will be a short update as the ship's internet is not working so have to use my phone and the typing is a little more difficult.  Yesterday we were up very early to see Cape Horn, which is the beginning of the Columbia River Gorge followed by Multnomah Falls, which are the second highest falls in the country. Then we transited our first lock at Bonneville Dam. We docked at Stevenson, WA which is a very small but pretty town and we walked around and visited a few shops. We found some rocks to sit on right at the river's edge-the water is so clear here. After lunch we laid on the deck-it was so warm and sunny. It was also quite windy and we were treated to a wonderful show of 6 or 7 colorful kite surfers and about 20 wind surfers. Also a small daytrip paddlewheel boat and a couple of barges. A VERY active day on the river! 

We had our usual cocktails at 5:30 and dinner at 6:30. The food is quite good and beautifully presented. Since the entertainment was the same as the night before-which put several of us to sleep, we skipped it and sat on our balcony with wine until bedtime!

 

Monday, August 19, 2013

We have had such a fun day! First of all, I awoke tis morning to the realization that I am the WORST daughter that ever lived! My mother Mary's birthday was yesterday and I did not call her til this morning. Mary-I am so sorry!!!

I did not go down for breakfast as I feel like I am about to explode, so I sat up on the top deck and watched while we meandered down the river. Oliver joined me later and we chatted with a gal from New Jersey who is traveling with her aunt and also with a very nice lady from Virginia. The weather was just outstanding-sunny and warm with hardly a cloud in the sky. Around 11AM we reached our destination of Kalama and instead of docking, our Captain just turned towards the bank and drove right up to it! The gangway is right on the bow of the boat and they just dropped it onto the shoreline and the engines are keeping us up against the bank! Lunch was early and a couple of really nice women from California joined our regular group-Phyllis, Bobby, oliver, Crystal, Marilyn and me. These two were from California and both of them had been PAROLE officers for over 30 years!! After lunch we boarded ur bus for Mt. St. Helen's. It was about a 1 1/2 hour drive and we had an interesting bus driver and watched a movie. We were just in awe when we reached the visitor's center. The crater that resulted from the eruption is just huge! The whole top of the mountain was taken off and there are still dead trees strewn around-after 33 years!! The eruption occurred at 8:32 AM on May 18, 1980 and 56 people died-many of those were assumed dead because they were never found. The resort at Spirit Lake was buried under 300 feet of ash. There is much new growth-in 1983 they began planting new trees and now have hundreds of acres of trees growing. We watched a movie about the regrowth and it was quite interesting. Animals like ground squirrels survived the blast and as they burrowed out, they ushed seeds ahead of them that sprouted and grew. There are many animals, fish and plant life in the blast area now. We headed back down the mountain and had snacks and wine on the way.

We arrived back at the hipe right at cocktail hour so we quickly changed clothes and went down. At dinner we were joined by a couple from Colorado and he was a complete JERK! He annoyed us all so much that instead of lingering over dinner, as we have been, we all excused ourselves as soon as dessert was finished! We went to the lounge for the evening's entertainment and it was quite the ----I don't know what! There were two guys, one playing the piano and one the bass, and while they were very good, they were also VERY boring! We sat in the back and as we looked across our row, one lady was sleeeping, three guys were reading a newspaper and the rest looked like they were watching a documentary on a boring subject! I had a hard time controlling my group! I acted like I was going to the bathroom and left! Ran into the gal from Virginia out in the hall and she had stopped one of the crew and said "I don't want to listen to these guys but can I still get a root beer float?" By the time I got to my room, here came Oliver and Phyllis-they snuck out and left Bobby! He eventually left and we sat on our deck and laughed until we were all crying!

We want to get up early tomorrow as we enter the beginning of the Columbia River Gorge at 5:45, go past Mulnamah Falls at 6;15 and go through our first lock at 7:15 (not that we haven't done enough locks but Phyllis wants to see it). They are going to bring out heaters in case it's chilly. We set sail at 10 PM tonight. Tomorrow we are in Stevenson, WA and it is supposed to be another lovely day.

Thanks for checking in with us.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

We are in Astoria, OR and I have a few minutes to update while I can still remember everything we've done!! Yesterday morning we had breakfast and boarded the Queen of the West at about 10:30. Our staterooms are on the 3rd deck and the partition on our balconies swings open so we can walk back and forth between our rooms and all sit outside. After we boarded we had our safety muster-although unlike ocean cruises, we didn't have to actualy practice. Just found out where our life vests are and then moved on to more important topics-like when meals are served and what time the cocktail hour is! We had lunch and sat with 2 couples from Boynton Beach, FL.

The ship departed Portland at about 1:30 and we sat up on deck while we traveled downriver. It was a beautiful, warm sunny day and we were so impressed with how clean the Columbia River is. There were quite a few pleasure boats out and of course big freighters. We were surpirsed to learn that this area supplies over 40% of all the wheat exported to Asia. We were also surprised by how little of the river bank is developed, although we did pass a couple of big grain elevators. There is a gentleman on board who gives us the history of the area, and he has some very interesting information but is a bit long winded.

Cocktail hour is hosted by the cruise line every day from 5:30 til 6:30, when we go to dinner. We sat with two VERY nice and fun ladies from Durham, NC who are traveling together. One of them is (was)  a psychiatrist and we have had a lot of fun with her. This morning Oliver saw her and informed her that he had a strange dream he wanted to talk to her about! After dinner we went to the Mt. Hood lounge where Ian-the historian-gave another talk and in case we hadn't eaten enough, they came around with popcorn and root beer floats!! We were quite tired last night.

This morning we met for breakfast, again with Crystal and Marilyn, and we were joined by a lady from Atlanta who was also a retired physician! We had quite a fun breakfast with lots of laughter before they departed for their tour and the 4 of us got off the ship and walked all the way down the riverwalk to where we had heard seals barking. There were dozens of them out on some docks and they made quite the ruckus. We talked to quite a few people with dogs-we all miss our pups-and someone told us about a big street fair so we walked downtown to take a look. There was lots of food, crafts and a farmer's market. We came back to the ship-it had been over three hours since we had eaten!!-and had lunch with Crystal and Marilyn again. After lunch, we walked back off the ship to catch the trolley tour that runs up and down the riverwalk. We learned even more about the area. It was once a big bustling town -the home of Bumblebee Tuna as well as a thriving timber business. It was named after John jacob Astor, who never came here but founded the Astor Fur Trading Company here. Now it is primarily tourism which supports the area although there is a big sardine canary here. There is also a big morring area for ships. Astoria does not charge them for mooring here as they do further up the river. The tour was very interesting and now we are back at our rooms getting ready for the cocktail hour. And my new friend Crystal just came in to check her email so I will let her use the computer!

Tomorrow we sail at 7AM and will be at Mt. St. Helens in the afternoon. We are really looking forward to that!

Thanks for checking in with us.

 

Friday, August 16, 2013

I scared myself to death- thought I had erased everything under this tab!! Somehowvgotbit back. Aftet a crazy busy week which included sppointments with eye doctors, , attorney and hairdresser, we got up this morning at 2:30 for our flight to Portland. We had a shuttle driver who wsd a bit odd and drove at about 40 mph the whole way to the airport-I thought we would miss our flight for sure!  But we arrived in Portland a half hour esrly, as did Bobby and Phyllis. Grabbed the shuttle to the hotel which is right on the Columbia River and dropped our bags, had lunch and grabbed a cab for the world famous Japanese gardens. Phyllis has a friend who is a docent so we got a private tour! Really quite spectacular. Came back to the Red Lion Inn to clean up and then had cocktails on the deck overlooking the river before taking the hotel shuttle to Saltys for a wonderful dinnet, again overlooking the river. It's now about 11:15 Wisconsin time so off to bed. We board our paddlewheel river boat at 11 AM to cruise upbto Astoria. We are very excited! More tomorrow.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

It's been a long time since I posted, what with our travel from Beaufort to Port Washington and no internet here. Thanks to the best neighbors in the world(Bill and June) we have internet today!! Not to mention that June spent all day yesterday weeding my yard!! We spent 3 days driving up here-stopped overnight in Knoxville and Lafayette, IN and got here by 11AM on Tuesday. Since then we have been extremely busy! I've been to the dentist, Oliver has gotten a haircut and an eye exam, we sold my car and then Friday we picked Mary up at the Lake Express Ferry. Friday night we had a wonderful time with Bill and June-cocktails, dinner and more cocktails, before Barb and Dave joined us for dessert and more cocktails! What a great night-we will never find friends like this anywhere!

Yesterday we drove down to see Libby and Dave, Erin and baby Molly. The girls are so sweet you could just eat them up.  We enjoyed our visit so much. We came home and rested a while before going to dinner at the Port Hotel. Jerry and Marge and Marty and Roxanne were also having dinner there so we had a nice chat with them. Now we're getting ready to take Mary back to the ferry for another smooth crossing today.

Tomorrow we have several more appointments and will have cocktails and snacks with our friend Alice. On Tuesday I'm having breakfast with my dear friend Renee Paukner-really looking forward to that. Tuesday night we're meeting Joe and Rose and Paul and Sharon for dinner. Wednesday is dog walk day with Sue and Cody-been a long time since we've been able to do that!!  Thursday is haircut day for me and the day the doggies go to the Bark and Biscuit. We have a 3:25AM shuttle pickup Friday morning for our flight to Seattle. We are so looking forward to our week's  river cruise on the Columbia and Snake Rivers with best friends Phyllis and Bobby. We get back on the 24th and will leave for South Carolina on the 27th, stopping in Chicago for my annual physical. What a crazy month!!!

This cute little green tree frog was on our house in Beaufort. Look at those beautiful yellow eyes.

Here's Mary and Marina

Cute little Erin, who had celebrated her 3rd birthday on Friday. She starts school in a couple of weeks and has her lunchbox and backpack ready!

Erin and her Daddy like to go to Chinooks baseball games!

GreatGrandma and Molly

Super Aunt Sally and Molly

GreatGrandma with both girls

Thursday, August 1, 2013

I honestly don't know where the days go! Doesn't seem like we've done that much but here it is over a week since I last posted. One big thing that happened is my newest great niece Molly arrived on July 26, my Daddy's birthday! She and Mommy are both home and fine. She was a big girl, at 8lbs. 9oz. and 21 1/2 inches long! Can't wait to see her, and her big sister Erin--and of course her Mom and Dad.

Sunday morning we start driving towards Port Washington. We are DREADING the long drive and probably will take 3 days to do it-the dogs get a little restless after about 7 hours, as do Oliver and I. Hopefully Mary will be coming across the lake on the ferry next week-end to see us and Molly. We plan to do some packing in the house and on the 15th, we drive down to the airport and stay overnight for our 5:45AM flight to Portland, OR the next morning. In Portland we will meet our friends Phyllis and Bobby and on Saturday, we board the Queen of the West riverboat for a 7 night cruise on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. We'll visit the beautiful Columbia River Gorge as well as Mt. St. Helens and maybe-depending upon our courage take a high speed boat ride in Hells Canyon on the Snake River! We are looking forward to a great week with our besties and then when we get back, a couple day's rest before we leave for SC. Hoping to get back before Labor Day traffic starts.

I'll try to post pictures during the cruise but may not be able to, as I probably won't take my computer. Lots when we get back though!!! Stay tuned.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Well, I'm surprised it didn't happen before now but this morning I went out into the kitchen to let the dogs out and just as I got to the end of the island, I realized I hadn't turned the security system off! I turned around to go back but the motion detector "saw" me and the siren started screeching-Oliver jumped out of bed, the dogs went crazy, I couldn't find my phone OR my glasses so I could call the alarm company and tell them it was a false alarm and neither of us could remember  how to turn it off! I finally found my phone and called them but just then Oliver's phone rang and it was the company wanting to know if everything was all right! What a way to start a day!

After the excitement, we walked the dogs and then showered and went to McDonald's for breakfast and to West Marine to return something and to Home Depot to return something and then to John's house to pick up a 55 gallon drum and then to Lowes to buy something and then home! This afternoon  the dogs and I played in the pool while Oliver made a gate for the little doggy fence, so that you can get to the pool house without climbing over the fence. Of course he had to stop for first aid when he cut his finger with his electric saw but it wasn't too serious and he ALWAYS bleeds when he works! Now we're enjoying our cocktails on the porch before dinner and early bedtime.

Here's the gate-needs to be painted but that won't take long. This is about the only place you can see the green fence as every place else it is hidden in the first row of bushes.

This beautiful butterfly must have a death wish-it kept flying right in front of Marina and Skipper and then landing. I had to chase all 3 of them to prevent a sad ending.

Marina THINKS she is laying in the shade!!

Monday, July 22, 2013

The week has flown by but not sure what we have done! One day we put up a small green fence, that runs just behind the first row of trees, all around the back yard. It made me too nervous when the dogs-especially Skipper-would run back into the woods where I couldn't see them, even though it is all fenced in. Tight after we put it up, Skippy went racing towards the woods-and bounced right off the new fence! I think he understand it now, though. And I feel better that I can see them wherever they are. Today Oliver put up two posts by the sidewalk to the pool house and will build a little gate to get through the new fence. We called Diggers Hotline to come mark the lines so he wouldn't cut through anything-and then found out that all the lines are in the front yard! We also had a visit from the company that has our homeowner's insurance, to take pictures for their files. AND our power went out for some reason, for two hours. Funny, because we were waiting for the electrician to come to check one of the bathrooms where the lights and fan aren't coming on, but he couldn't because--there was no electricity!! Tomorrow we are going to Savannah to pick something up at John's house and return some stuff to Home Depot on the way. Wednesday I think we'll go down to the Water Festival and check it out. I wanted to go Friday but I had a weird thing with my leg-felt like a shin splint and hurt like hell-but then by Saturday afternoon it was gone!

Today the dogs were playing in the pool and then the wind picked up and the skies opened and it just POURED. Then the sun came back out.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

We had a nice walk at the beach at Hunting Island State Park this morning-except when it started raining and we got soaked! But 5 minutes later the sun was out and we dried off. It was a little sad, though, as an airplane flew back and forth along the beach, looking for the body of a 17 year old boy. Three people drowned Saturday-a father, son and cousin and they are still looking for the cousin. Very tragic and unfortunately much too common.

Last night we were sitting on the porch and it started pouring down rain-took this great picture.

You've got to love the south. Today at 4PM our doorbell rang and it was our neighbors across the street who had come to "call" on us! Yesterday I met him taking out the garbage and he had said "May we call on you?" So here they came, bringing two bottles of wine for us. He is 91 and she didn't volunteer her age but they are sweet as can be-she wears false eyelashes and I looked like something the cat dragged in! We had a nice chat with them and they invited us to pay them a call! They said they have a martini every day at 4PM!! So for sure we know what time to go.

Here's Oliver and Marina at the state park

Monday, July 15, 2013

Well, we had something happen to us that we have heard about but didn't think would impact us personally! On Saturday, we got a call from our VISA bank-were we in New York?  Ummm-nope. Turns out someone had used our card number at a Kentucky Fried Chicken for $30 and then tried to use it at a Target in Brooklyn for over $400-that was rejected by the store! Then went to McDonald's, where it was also refused. So they have refunded the KFC charge and cancelled our card. We will get a new card on Wednesday.  We're not out any money but we have had that number for over 10 years and I knew it by heart!!! AND we have about 8 different bills that are automatically charged to that card so now I have to contact them ALL and change the number. We think it was "skimmed" at a gas station here. It was the day after Oliver filled up that the charges happened and he had noticed several young men just sort of hanging around the station. They put one of those skimmer devices over the slot where you slide your card and then they capture your number and either give it to a friend or sell it. They can put the number on the magnetic strip of an old card and use it, but if the store asks for the last four numbers, as Target did, they don't know those numbers and the card gets refused! So bravo for U.S. Bank's fraud department!!

This Saturday is Fish Day in Port Washington. This will be the first time in 18 years that we are missing it (no-second time, as Paul and Sharon's daughter Kelly got married on Fish Day in 2008) and I at least was felling a bit bad. (Oliver doesn't care all that much for Fish Day). But yesterday I discovered that this Friday is the opening day of the 58th annual Beaufort Water Festival- a TEN day event that starts with opening ceremonies featuring the Marine Band and fireworks and concludes with an air show over the river! In between there is an arts and crafts show every day, and every night there is entertainment with a different theme-Country, Motown, Rock, Island-as well as boat races on the river and other fun stuff. Doubt that we will go every day and night but we will sample as much as we can. Sounds like great fun and will make up for Fish day!

Tomorrow we plan to take the dogs to Hunting Island State Park to walk the beach. We just got our one year pass and are looking forward to going back-we visited when we were here looking at houses. Four miles of beach and many miles of walking trails, a lighthouse and a fishing pier. I think I already said that, though!

No pics today but thanks for visiting us!!

Saturday, July 13, 3013

Well, we've had a busy week, with getting our internet, our security service and our satellite TV all installed! We were worried about the TV, since we have many VERY tall trees but he was able to find a place back in the bushes for the dish-you can't even see it from the yard-and it shoots right over the house! We've had fun playing with it, since we now have such fun additions as Pandora music and we can view pictures and videos from our computers right to the TV. The dogs and I also got groomed and we all look better-they more than me but still..

We really enjoy driving around this area and one of these days I will remember to take my camera but  the lowcountry is beautiful, especially this time of year. The marsh grass is a bright green and there are so many creeks and rivers. The Broad River-VERY aptly named-is one we cross over frequently and it's just a beautiful view. Here's a map of the area to give you an idea of where we are:

That's the Broad River that runs between Beaufort and Hilton Head and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. You can see that Beaufort actually sits inland, which is what helps protect us from hurricanes and the storm surges. Hunting Island is an amazing state park with 4 miles of beach, a lighthouse and a 600 ft. long fishing pier, which Oliver plans to use when we get settled in. Here's another map, which shops Lady's island, which is actually where we live. It is an unincorporated part of Beaufort County.

This area is called the lowcountry for obvious reasons-it is all mostly at sea level. But besides a geographic region, it's also a cultural region and has it's roots in European, Caribbean and African culture. Although agriculture used to be the #1 industry, now tourism holds that position but there is also  manufacturing-Cummins diesel engines and Boeing. You might remember that when Boeing opened a plant here to build the 787, our illustrious president had the NLRB sue the state and try to prevent Boeing from operating here, because it's a right-to-work state-MUCH better to put it in Washington, where the unions drive up the price of everything. But I digress!!!  The Port of  Charleston is one of the 10 busiest ports in the country, handling over $60 billion in goods per year. And of course, there is a very significant military presence here. The Air Force, Navy and Marines all have bases here. The Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris island is where many marines go through basic training, there is a U. S. Navy hospital here and the Marine Corps Air Station is nearby. When we are outside, we can sometimes here the jets as they go on training missions. This past week they have been doing additional training at night in preparation for a deployment to Afghanistan. We generally don't hear them but when we do, we know it's the sound of freedom so it doesn't bother us!

Beaufort is the second oldest city in South Carolina, after Charleston, and the entire Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Beaufort, Hilton Head and Jasper County, has a population of about 180,000. Here's a map  of the area considered to be the lowcountry::

I guess that's enough geography now, so I'll close with a picture of Marina and Skipper in their new hairdos!!  Thanks for stopping by. Hope many of you will stop by for real now that we are settled!!

July 8, 2013

Yaaay!! We have internet! And it's very fast-much better than our AT&T card was. Mostly today was devoted to technology-getting the internet up and running and working on the home security system. Hopefully that will be ready to be activated tomorrow, after Oliver installs the control panel. We also have a grooming appointment for the dogs and I am getting my hair cut and colored tomorrow morning. So, we are getting all settled in. Our lawn guy was here today and the yard looks really nice. We were going to go out to dinner tonight but decided we were too tired to get cleaned up.  My schedule is all upside down now-instead of showering in the morning, which I am used to, I now shower after afternoon pool time. The dogs like to play in the pool between 3 and 4, and then they eat dinner while I shower and get our dinner ready. They go out again at around 8, and I have to keep them out of the water so we don't sleep with wet dog smell.

We are having our first experience watching a tropical storm. Chantal is forming in the Atlantic and we are supposed to just get rain this week-end. Oliver and our realtor were talking today about our hurricane shutters. Oliver says it looks like it would take about a month to get them up! Our realtor suggested a guy that would probably help him-while the dogs and I jump in the car and head for Atlanta!! We really aren't too worried-Beaufort is on a similar longitude as St. Simons so also hasn't experienced a hurricane since the 1890s. (Did I say that out loud? Hope I haven't jinxed us!!)

Here a few pictures. Skipper getting ready to go for a "swim"

Marina wanting a poolside tummy rub!

This pretty gazebo is down the street from us, on the creek. My Daddy loved gazebos!!

July 6, 2013

Hoping to have our internet on Monday so no pix til then. We didn't make the fireworks-too tired! We spend a lot of time every day unpacking, although we have about 90% of it done. Then we spend a lot of time outside with the dogs. I float around the pool on my floatie and Oliver throws tennis balls into the shallow end for them. They would stay in all day if we let them but after a while we make them come on the screened porch to dry off a bit-otherwise we'll be sleeping with wet dog smell!

We have discovered two stores that alone make the move worthwhile. The first is Grayco-they have everything from clothes, to very upscale home décor, to nuts and bolts, to patio furniture-you name it, they have it! In the same shopping center is the liquor store, which has every beer known to man and some they make themselves. Oliver bought a Growler-it's a BIG bottle that they fill with one of their 8 microbrews. When he finishes it, he will go back and have them fill it with a different kind. They also have a HUGE liquor store. I browsed the vodka shelf and while I was tempted by bacon, marshmallow, cotton candy and fruit loops flavors, I settled for a  lime vodka. They also have a huge wine department.

This morning I did my first bit of housecleaning-swept and wiped up all the travertine floor in the kitchen, bathroom, hall and laundry room. Also cleaned the kitchen real well. Oliver continues to get his shop set up in the pool house. We're at McDonald's right now, using their internet, and will go home for swim time in a bit.

We're settled enough for company so any and all are welcome!!

 

July 2, 2013

No pictures as we don't have our internet up yet and I have to use my phone but wanted to do a quick update. We have been working like crazy and have unpacked a LOT. Yesterday we went to savannah and brought my car home. Today we made a million phone calls getting lawn, garbage and pool service set up, as well as satellite tv and internet. We've met 3 of our neighbors-and we only have 9-so we are settling in nicely. We walk the dogs  every morning and play in the pool every night before dinner, so we all sleep soundly.

Tomorrow night we're going to try one of the local restaurants. Might go to Port Royal for fireworks on Thursday.

Hope everyone has a great 4th!!

 

 

June 29, 2013

We are in our new house!!! What a week it has been. We didn't know if we would be closing in Beaufort until yesterday morning! On Thursday we rented the Uhaul and started packing up, interrupted by a 3PM visit to the attorney's office to sign the papers for the SSI house. We worked until about 8:30PM Thursday night-then slept on the floor as we had given our bed away-and got up at 5AM to finish. At 8AM we closed the door, just as the sellers were arriving for a final walk through before they signed the papers at 9AM! We drove to Beaufort and left the rental truck at the house, took Marina and Skipper to doggie daycare, then did our walkthrough and had lunch with our realtor before going to the attorney's office to sign the papers. By 2:30PM we had picked up the dogs and were at our new house!  Even though it was 93, we started unloading and got everything off the truck by 6PM, including the golf cart! I about had heart failure watching Oliver drive it down the steep ramp but it went well. By 6:30, we were all in the pool! Marina likes to wade on the ledge in the shallow end.Skipper doesn't much like it but he was pushed in once and fell in once and the second time, he figured out how to swim to the ledge and get out.

We found our sheets so were able to get a good night's sleep. Today has been spent trying to get our cell phone problem worked out. Turns out AT&T doesn't have a tower near us so we need to change carriers. We've been to Hilton Head and now we're heading back to Beaufort-and hoping we don't have to go to Charleston!  We'll keep you posted.  Here are some pictures of yesterday.

Our big ass truck!

The kitchen on Thursday afternoon

The garage in Beaufort

The kitchen in Beaufort

Pool time!!!!