Merry Christmas

I thought this might be a good time to do a little recap of our year.

The big goal for 2018 was sale of our old house.  One realtor described this house as having a lot of "verticality".  That means there are a lot of stairs!!  It also had a lot of landscaping for Mom and Dad to take care of.  Those two things made it seem like a bad place for two people who are getting older and want to travel.  That was why Mom and Dad bought us a new house in 2014 and we moved.  We had trouble selling this house back then, so it's been rented.  About a year ago, the tenants told Mom and Dad that they were planning to move, giving us a great opportunity to sell it.

We have a lot of good memories from this house, but glad that 

Mom and Dad don't have to take care of the yard anymore.

Our new house suits our lives much better.

They put the house on the market in mid-April and got an offer in June, with closing in the first week in July.  Around the time they got the offer, Mom found out that her High School Class was having a reunion the last weekend in July.  For several years, Mom and Dad have been talking about a "someday" trip to the Northeast to enjoy fall foliage.  The ideas of "No Longer Responsible for Big Yard", "Class Reunion", and "Fall Foliage" merged rather rapidly to ROAD TRIP!!

We left home on July 18th and are currently in Ft Worth, Texas.  Here is a map of our travels to get here.

Christmas Eve will be our 160th consecutive night in the motor home.

People often ask us to name the favorite place that we've visited.  Mom says that's like asking someone to name their favorite child.  Each place is unique and has it's own personality.   But, since everyone asks, here are a few of the places we have particularly enjoyed...

July

Seeing Mom's classmates at the class reunion

Taking Uncle Gary (Mom's brother) to ride on the train at Randy's farm

August

Finally meeting Mom's cousin Robin

Visiting Courtney in Indiana and getting the Indiana sticker on our map.

The Beach along the St Lawrence Seaway in Quebec

Sunset over the St Lawrence Seaway

September

Lighthouses

Hiking Rugged Coastline - Gaspie Peninsula, Quebec

Picturesque Fishing Villages - Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia

Clouds, rocks, and the Sea - Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

More of the Cape Breton Island Coast

Live Music at a Pub - Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

Hike ending near Sunset - Cape Breton Island

October

Start of Fall Color at Acadia National Park

A visit with Emily in Massachusetts

A week in the Hudson River Valley - 

this photo at the Vanderbuilt Mansion at Hyde Park

Visit with Cousins - Penny, Edward, and Liz

 

with Gale and Edward in Maryland

Pandas at the National Zoo

November

Exploring along the Blue Ridge Parkway

a mill along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Fall foliage along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Thanksgiving near Columbia, SC

Christmas Lights near Charleston

Magnificent Oak Trees

mist filled coastal marshes

December 

 Christmas Lights in St Augustine, Florida

Wildlife at Wakulla Springs State Park, Florida

White Sand Beaches in Florida

Visiting Family in Fort Worth - especially Cousin Scout

and most of all.....

Going to the Stockyards with Granddaddy

and having BBQ at Angelo's

We are truly blessed to be able to reconnect with friends and family and see the great beauty of this country (and Canada).  I hope you have enjoyed my little trip down memory lane.

From our "house" to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  

Love,

Doolin

Savannah, Georgia to Jacksonville, Florida

Saturday, December 1 - Today we woke up to rain.  Since yesterday was month-end, Mom has some work that she needs to do.  It could wait a few days, but since it's not a nice day to be out, she thought today would be a good day to do it.  

Mom and Dad had talked about going to the Railroad Museum here in Savannah.  Mom isn't all that interested in railroad stuff, so Mom suggested that Dad do that while she worked.  It was nice to have Mom stay home with me.

Here are some of Dad's pictures from the Railroad Museum.

The round house

Sunday, December 2 - We woke to another rainy morning.  After a leisurely start to the day, Mom and Dad decided to take a drive around the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge.  Mom read that they have Alligators there and she would like to see one. 

There were several birds out and the marsh grass was very colorful.

The fog was pretty

Apparently, Alligators don't like rain.  At least Mom and Dad didn't see any.

Monday, December 3 - Today we left Savannah and headed south.

Welcome to Florida

We drove through some rain on the way and then settled into our spot at the Orange Park Elks Lodge in suburban Jacksonville.  Mom and Dad went to the grocery store to pick up a couple of things.

We may not be in Kansas, Dorothy, but it's looking a little 

like a Kansas tornado.  Yikes!

Tuesday, December 4 - The storms have moved on.  It's warm and the skies are clear and sunny.  Today Mom and Dad drove to St. Augustine, Florida.  St. Augustine claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement within the borders of the continental United States and it was apparent from the start that it's dripping with history.

Old City gates leading to St. George Street.

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument that dates from the 17th Century.

Views from the Castillo

The Spanish had very ornate cannons.  

Fortunately, they aren't used to fire on the city.

A lion guarding the bridge over the harbor.

After strolling around town and looking at the historic sites, Mom and Dad had an early dinner at a local brewery.

They heard that during December, St Augustine has Nights of Lights.  The historic district is decorated with over 3 million Christmas lights.  When they came out after dinner, it was getting dark and the lights were starting to come on.

Flagler College, originally built as the Ponce de Leon Hotel in 1888.

Lightner Museum, originally built as the Alcazar Hotel in 1888.

The waterfront with holiday lights.

Current Location - We are in Shreveport, Louisiana.  We have reservations in Ft Worth, Texas starting on the 15th for two weeks.  We are going to visit Dad's family.  I'm really looking forward to seeing Granddaddy and all my Aunts, Uncle, and cousins - especially cousin Scout.  He's Poodle, like me!

Love,

Doolin