Dec 15 house hunting

So we survived the house hunt, one of many I'm sure. We saw a total of 13 houses from 10am til 4 pm. We actually narrowed it down to 2. Both have great features and both have pros and cons. We need to see those last two again. Then once Christmas is over I'm thinking a few more may come on the market to choose from. We hope to decide by mid January.
Our last week at work was quite busy. My office had a great dinner out night at Flemings Steak house. It was wonderful, thank you Jim!!!!...but now we each have the next 10-11 days off. This is my favorite week of the year.
OK be sure to turn off the alarm, I dont need that thing going off at 5:30am.
We will be up in Phoenix with all our family, most of Monday thru friday. Hope to see you!

The new Adventure

OK so I guess it is time to post again. We have been so very busy. Selling our house and moving was quite time consuming, then that dumped us right into Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Each time we are up in the Phoenix area we look for houses. We went with our realtor early December, then the next day just wandered around neighborhoods trying to get a feel for what was out there. Then copy down a few addreses of neighborhoods we like, for sale or not we look them up on Zillow for approx. price range and year built.
We started looking for homes for sale that were built in 2000 or newer, 2100 sq ft to about 2700 sq ft. We found that kept taking us far south. Then we saw a home we liked from the outside and it was a 1991 built, but had very large bedrooms and family room. It had a new A/C, and other new features (which is why we had dredded the older home, we didnt want to walk into all sorts of repair needs,)So this Saturday we will look at those.

Our search has been around the Gilbert/Chandler area. Once, a year ago or so, we drove up Gilbert Rd near the 202 and I really liked the newness of the shopping and general area. When we 1st moved to Tucson, many parts of the town were very old and dated. I think Im ready for something new and refreshing looking. Actually the part of Oro Valley we live in is like that too, I guess that is why we like it here now.

We are keeping an eye for homes in other areas, but with Mimi just moving to town I'm sure we will be getting together with Stella/Don and Mimi/Ralph alot for doings and happy hour. So near there makes sense.
Scottsdale isnt anywhere near my price range....Don't want to live anywhere near Central Phoenix. North 101 loop has nice homes and close to our sweet Alana, but far from everyone else. It has not been an easy choice.

All these things

We had wanted to post again about our trip wrap-up , but since we have been home , it's been one thing after another.
We did manage to make some neat 11x14 prints of 3 of the famous monuments in Rome. Now to find frames!!!

Meanwhile...

...while Denny and Carolynn have been gone... Lady, their fun old dog, has been having a blast up at Randy and Paula's house. [We have pictures to prove it!]

The days at Randy and Paula's were relaxing, and involved quite a bit of sleeping.



There were kisses from Mr. Floppy.

There were those daily walks to the mailbox that she just had to come too on...









Then, there was the unsuspecting tug of war rope that Mr. Floppy ever so daintly brought to Lady's attention... Lady devoured it.






Out of all that fun though, we speculate that Lady's highlight was the trip to South Mountain to go hiking. Granted, it's a toss up as to whether she liked the car ride, or the hike more. :-)

Our Last Days in Europe

Our time is coming to an end.
We really enjoyed our time in marseille , France. We went to a quaint village, on the way were rolling hillsides and green vineyards. Every where you go they give you wine with lunch, they say it is cheaper than water. We had some free time in aix en province. we ordered our own lunch , which was quite an experience. I almost ended up with onions on lettuce for a salad of the day.
We left the ship this morning and are wandering around Barcelona, Spain. the architecture is so different here, very ornate buildings kind of like you would see at Disneyland with glazed tile roofs and almost a cartoon style, yet very stately. We hope to include many pictures later, but where we find internet it isn't always possible.
We will fill in more blanks when we are back in the U.S.
I think what has impressed me the most is how many ancient civilizations had things that are so familiar to us, lots of marble and building materials we treasure today. Also how different our culture is from many of these countries

More when we get back , we are due home Aug 11
-Bye Carolyn and Denny

Naples and a Rescue

on our way to naples the ship made a water rescue, someone from Rome had taken their sailboat or small yacht out too far , there where high winds, rough seas and they put out a distress call. our ship rescued 5 people including 2 children. it caused us to be 2 hours late to our port , but we were so glad to be available to that family. i cant even imagine being in that position. next we went to positano where under the tuscan sun was made, it was the most beautiful countryside yet. amalfi coast has the whole town on a hillside. then on to pompeii, we cant wait to show you pictures of this 2000 yr old ruin that has been restored. ok i need to go now, no caps or punctuation since the key board is so different--love to you all
Denny and Carolynn

On our way to Naples...

Our next stop was Istanbul, Turkey. It was an exotic port, with Sultan Palaces, Harem quarters, and the oldest biggest Church around. The Hagia Sofia is 1,500 years old. It used to be a Christian Church , but is now a Mosque/Museum. We have some of the pictures from that area we will post later as internet time here is slow and costly. We also visited the Grand Bazaar, they had lots of Turkish Rugs, spices and Turkish Delight!!!

Our next Port Myconos Greece, stopping in the Greek Isles was canceled due to high winds. The captian did not feel it was safe to enter the port. We were outside and when he began to turn the ship. The wind was so very strong!! It even blew a deck chair up in the air about to go over the 4 foot retaining wall. The pool water was sloshing all around, pretty exciting. Yet we were glad it wasn't any worse.

We are going to Naples next, and have enjoyed two nice relaxing days at Sea. Gaining weight with the excellent meals, and just really enjoying our time.

Pictures

Gondola Ride in Venice.
The Coloseum.

Arch of Constantine

Venice and on our way to Turkey

The Train ride from Rome to Venice was beautiful, thru countryside and the Tuscany Area. Then Our time in Venice once we trotted across 3 bridges with our suitcases (yuck) , was wonderful. A beautiful city, we took a gondola ride thru narrow canals, then took a public water boat down the Grand Canal to the Rialto Bridge. Our time was short, but very sweet. The sailing out provided a grand view of the city with Andre Bocelli singing in the back ground.

Next we Came to Athens, the highlight was the Acropolis Area which is the home of several old structures from the early 400BC era. Today we saw Ephesus, which is now in Turkey. It was amazing. Large structures that have been unearthed dating back to the 1st Century. We saw the stadium where Paul Preached and St. John's Tomb, it was very interesting. Yet hot, hot, hot. 95- 104 degrees, but very humid. We are enroute to Istanbul.

Rome Day 2

This morning we left early to see the Vatican. I didn,t think I would enjoy it as much as I did. Lots of walking, Many old statues, paintings, and tapestries. So much interesting history. We saw the Popes Tombs, very eerie. The Sistine Chapel, on the small side compared to St Peter,s Basillica. Yet awesome to view in person. We are tired and lots of sore muscles. We returned tonight to the same quaint outdoor cafe. We enjoyed wine, minestrone soup, pizza, and a small dessert. All were excellent. Interesting though, you can not order dinner until 7:00 pm , but you can sit there and drink until 7pm. We also saw the Coloseum. Very Big and amazing. So old yet still standing.
Pam got one of their two bags. The other one is missing and no where to be found. We are hoping and praying it will make the ship, but it looks slim. Tommorrow we move on to Venice, taking the train across the countryside.
The weather is warm , but not too bad. Just very humid, we are soaking through our clothes! Pictures will have to follow. Ciao for now

We Are Here Now- Rome

Wow , 18 hrs and we are here. It went well, although Pam and Eldon dont have their luggage. We have seen the Trevi Fountain and The Colloseum from the Van. We had Great pizza at a small cafe. The Cafes are every where, and oh yes, gelato, yummy. The key board im using has many different characters on it. And blogger shows up in Italian. Its 10 pm and people are out every where. More later , we see the Sistine Chapel tomorrow very early. Ciao-
PS WE SHOULD OF LEARNED MORE ITALIAN !!!!!

The Bridge Cam

Here's the Bridge Cam, the best time to view it is early morning because of the time change.

Our Big Trip is Finally Here!!!

We are so excited about our upcoming vacation to Europe. We leave July 25th. We hope you check back to see where we have been. If we can post along the way we will try , but no promises.
Here is where we will be and when. Also check out the webcam on the Emerald Princess , You can see 1st hand where we are. The best time to check it out is early morning.

July 4th at the Beach

It was a good day. This year early in the morning we staked out a beach site (on the sand). Then watched hundreds of others crowd in around us. It was nice as different people in our group came down , we were able to be together. Dave encouraged me to also get an early morning lawn place, as is our long standing tradition. I wasn't sure I wanted to fight for that spot this year. There must be a turn over of occupants at Carlsbad Inn,as not many where there for the table and chair race at 6:00am. So we tried something new. We got a table way out in between the gate to the beach and Condos. It was a great choice, a little more secluded, quiet, close to the performers, and in those wee hours that we stay holding the table we could see the beach and the waves, as well as beautiful flowers directly in front of us. I think this is a new favorite spot.
It was funny though as Becky and Dad looked out the balcony for us the 1st time and they were looking and looking before spotting us!!!
The day was overcast, but that was ok, since we were outside all day. The tempurature was very pleasant. We hit the BBQ's around 5:30, and enjoyed our usual potluck with the massive group. The whole Geary family, including their new grandson, all the Carroll's, Ken and Christi, and their friends, Stella, Don, Mimi ,Ralph, Several of Becky's friends, as well as the Collins kids and friends. The beach in the evening was very crowded. After all the days events Ken,Denny and Don played a round of poker. No hour of the day was wasted on sleep, that is for sure!!!

Sitting at the beach

It's early morning , I'm on the balcony at Carlsbad Inn. I know you can visualize this. The weather has been nice. Friday we went to Sea World and had fun seeing all the sea animals. I bought a neat sweatshirt with a Shamu tale embroidered on the front, and the outline of hundreds of mini-tales line the hood. Even the zipper pull is a silver look tale. We stayed at a great hotel, then Saturday morning visited Seaport Village. Mid day we drove to Carlsbad Inn, The sun is out and we waited patiently for our room.

My long lost cousin, Emilie came to meet us.Stella and Don were there as well as Christi. Ken and the kids were enjoying the beach to the fullest. We had a delightful visit catching up.
Then soon Dave and Becky came, as well as Dan and Gale. Sunday we went to the beach to soak up the scenary.
Manna came, as well as Joy, Nakiska and Torin, we also had a patio lunch at Fidel's. My cousin had brought a Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream cake to go with dinner. It was pretty big, but oh so yummy. Of course any one who walks thru our door has to help consume it..No one has complained!!!!

Today for the afternoon our visitors will include Richard and Helen, Mimi and Ralph.
More cool sunshine to enjoy. The weather is about 75 degrees. OK time to finish putting up all my red,white and blue!!!

Lady in Waiting

Our dog Lady loves sitting indoors. So in the morning after her time outside, she is always wanting to come right back in. Who can blame her it's hot out there.

Well yesterday when I came home I walked in, turned off the house alarm, and headed for the kitchen. Then I took a double take. What --- Lady was in the house already???? Oh my gosh I HAD LEFT HER IN ALL DAY. Poor thing. She wasn't even in a hurry to get out.
Lucky for us she must of just sat there all day, while I was at work. If she had left the family room the alarm would of gone off. I looked around, and no puddles, whew. Sometimes she cuddles up on the tile behind the recliner so she didn't catch my eye as I left.

So I let her out , and within a couple of minutes she was asking to just come in again. Guess she is getting old and really doesn't have much to do outside!

A two car Garage?

We really do have a two car garage but its tight. Even tighter for a truck and car, and even tighter if you have a lot of stuff to store. Mom boxed up some stuff and we spent the morning arranging the boxes, paint, fans, and other misc. items. We also filled a trash can (mostly with cardboard). After the dust cleared we very carefully eased the Tahoe in and then the Lexus. I had an epiphany and realized that if I back the Tahoe in then we only need one wide (er) aisle for exiting both cars. This worked great. Its still tight but It will help preserve the paint jobs a little. This should last until we accumulate more stuff or need to get into the stored stuff.

Here's a picture.

Itried to add an AVI file but couldn't. I'd like some help please.

Wild weekend at Grandma and grandpa's

Alana came for a long visit. She and Grandma had a great time.

Grandpa got to take her fishing.

And yes she caught fish- 4 to be exact!!

Memorial Day Weekend Was great

We had a nice relaxing weekend. We chose not to camp and I liked that for a change. We asked to have Alana over and that worked out great. Laura brought her down Friday and stayed the night. We saw Shrek III, which was pretty good,had sushi,and swam in the pool. Saturday Dad had a doing at Sportsmans Warehouse with Trout Club, while I got my car windows tinted. Oh my gosh the difference was amazing on the inside car tempurature. Why did I wait so long???
Sunday we went to Mt Lemmon, since we just bought Alana a new Fishing Rod.It comes with a plastic fish, but she said she wanted to catch a REAL fish. She ended up catching four!!! she did an awsome job with grandpa's help. Monday we returned Alana and bought a new laptop computer. We had been pricing them out and got a smoking deal. It is a Toshiba with a 15.4 inch screen. We are really liking it! Even Vista is kind of fun to play with. Oh it was sure nice to have a 4 day weekend!!! Then the work week was only 3 days for me since I usually have Friday off. I guess I'm spoiled!!!

Watching the Corn Grow on I-10

In the last few weeks, starting early April, we have been up to Phoenix almost every weekend. Interestingly enough, near Casa Grande there is a Corn field growing along the freeway. So one week we noticed these sweet little green plants maybe 5 inches tall. The next week they were about a foot high. The next week they were 3 feet tall or so. Wow we are witness' to these little veggie lives!!! (OK , you already knew it was a boring ride otherwise!!!) Today when we went by they were about 5-6 feet tall. Pretty soon they will have Corn and then, our little corn stalks will probably be no more! It has been kinda fun to see how quick they grow. They look nice and healthy, very green.
When you come down you can see them too!
Other than that, we keep having things to post, but either get busy or forget :(

The Good ,the Bad and the Ugly

Well the good is the past two weekends have been great!! Cinco De Mayo, or as Gina calls it Cinco de drinko, was fun even if the place didn't give any specials for the day. Gina and Christi joined us for a short time. The good is also since the drinks were not cheap , , we didnt have many!
This last weekend, we spend friday evening up at a retirement party. It was a Luau theme and was a good time. They hired hula dancers ( a troupe of about 10) which were really good. A couple of little kids that could make some sharp moves. 4-5 adult gals that changed costumes faster than you could bat your eye. The drum player , that kept the music lively.
Since we have had several events up in Phoenix we have done a few quick turn around trips. But we have spent just about 24 hrs there , then home again to capture the rest of the weekend. That has helped alot!
The Ugly is we just realized that we need to amend our tax return....this is NOT fun. we omitted an item accidently, that we had not recieved a form for. It's good that we found this on our own, and the IRS didnt spot it 1st. The bad is , once again that 100 degree heat has found us! I just need to remember , the hotter it gets , the closer it is to vacation!

a special birthday meal

So what better way to celebrate a special day than with a special meal. Especially since we live in Tucson where a special place just opened especially for us! Special Huh?

Great stuff for the Dad

Here is the Dad with his loot from last night's birthday bash! The net fits perfect! Can't wait to get out there and try it all out. Thanks again kids! Your the best.

Happy Birthday

This weekend we are celebrating Dad's birthday. we will head up to Phx in just a little while. Oregano's sounds yummy. Tommorrow we will be back in Tucson, and who knows we might even be brave and go to the In-and -Out Line!!! which last report was about 2 hrs long. But oh so worth the wait!

A test picture

Here's a nice 20 incher from my last trip in March.

We'll both add content

After a few mis-sarts we figured out how I can add posts here too. Hope you like fishing pictures!

April 23, 1977

Interesting day to create a blog.

Today is our 30th anniversary. So this is the day this Pair was created, many years ago. We took a cruise for our honeymoon, it was great! So after the last 3 years of planning, this year we will celebrate this milestone with a cruise to the Mediterranean. I'm hoping we will be able to update here , even while on the cruise, but we will see.....

We have many destinations, Rome Venice, Florence, Pisa, Naples, Pompei, Istanbul, Athens, Marselle, Provence and a few others I cant spell. We don't leave until Summer. But preparations are under way already.

But don't worry we will probably post other interesting things here. Or maybe they will be boring, but that is the neat thing about a blog , you can read or you can not.