Archive for the “trips” CategoryWe took part of the break to drive to Sandbridge. It is known as the Outer Banks of Virginia Beach. We rented a house just across the street from the ocean. We had typical spring weather with some cold rain and some beautiful warm sunshine. We made drip castles and moats; played in the freezing surf; ran with Shadow up and down the sand; and, of course, hunted for seashells. Grandy and Pop came for a visit too! It was so peaceful that none of us wanted to leave.
Today we all had cabin fever so bad that we piled in the van and ventured the road. We knew the neighborhood would be the worst of it. We packed the shovels and went for it. We did NOT get stuck! We had a nice lunch out and made a few errands. It took most of the afternoon since everyone else was in the same boat. The roads were O.K. Many lanes suddenly ended because of the piles of snow. Intersections with stop signs are tricky–the high snow blocks view of oncoming cars… We got home just a new snow flakes made their appearance! Schools announced they will stay closed Wed. thru Fri. They were already closed for President’s Day on Monday… Guess I have a good chance of getting the puzzle done!
Then tonight. The bulldozer.
We got a clear street. And it began snowing…again!
We got to do a little more sight-seeing. We had breakfast at this diner. We were the only one’s there because we’d been wandering around looking for a certain coffee shop that, even tho we asked many people, we never found! So we were very happy to land here:
We then when over the mountains –stopping to make a call in to work, and take some pix–and through the woods to see the Redwood trees. Wow. Amazing. Fabulous. Incredible. The adjectives failed us. God is amazing! I felt so small. On the other side of the ridge, we arrived at the ocean once again. This time in Santa Cruz. We had lunch on the pier with the pelicans! (the picture is not cropped or zoomed, just right out the window from our table!)
We did some shopping and then headed back to San Jose. It was fun trying to see how far the Prius could go on just one tank of gas, and we weren’t done yet! The hotel we stayed in, The Saint Claire, is historic. A fantastic place for me to spend my week while Rich was at his conference. I sat in the huge yet intimate lobby to knit and people watch; it was so peaceful and the luxury further pampered me! I went to two museums. The San Jose Museum of Art and the Museum of Quilts and Textiles. It was so nice to read all the placards and to take my time. The museum of art had some Ansel Adams and tho I am not a huge fan, the original works were almost textural to me. The quilts on display were Victorian “crazy quilts”; a style of various shapes and textures. They included hand panted velvet and detailed embroidered images. spectacular works of art! I wandered the streets exploring. Mostly, I relaxed. We drove up to Napa Valley. It was so beautiful. We had tasting and lunch at V. Sattui where I had been with Kirsy before. The tasting was fun. We bought a Medeira which is a type of port. As we were going back south, we were following a slow car into a winery. When we got out of the car, we could hear the air flowing out of the tire! Rich volunteered to help. Turns out the driver was on his way to a Dr. consultation about having knee replacement surgery and would have missed the appointment if he’d had to wait for a tow truck. They were so grateful and couldn’t believe Rich offered to help. The lady and her two friends insisted I join them for tasting. She is a member there and treated us not only to the tasting but also to a bottle of Cabernet! Good wine, Good scenery, and Good deeds. We did some of the famous things–with me as the tour-guide. Obviously after one visit almost 2 yrs ago, I am an expert! Ghiradelle Square was very nice. We had an ice cream, bought some chocolate, listened to live music, and had the first California wine tasting. Nice way to start the trip! Rich really wanted his picture under the Haight Ashbury sign… ahh musicians. We drove down the crookedest road. Rich even video taped that one. And we had a “smoochie scene” as the sun set over the ocean horizon. I am so blessed! Rich had to speak at a conference in San Jose and he pushed to have me go too! When I say pushed, I mean it’s not easy to leave 3 kids at home for 8 days. I literally had to make a spread sheet for the kids’ care givers. Thanks to all of you! We went to San Fransisco first and stayed at Aunt Connie’s in Oakland. She has a fabulous little place. Thanks for lending it to us! I will post the pix in groups. This group is mostly the Golden Gate bridge. There is a fort below the bridge that we climbed up into. Retreeeeet! I left out of the house in the opposite direction of my family for a weekend away. It was fabulous. Kir and I went to our church Women’s Retreat a day early so as to unplug from the summer and be able to focus. The theme was GPS: Growing Peaceful and Secure. We arrived in the early afternoon and walked across the parking lot to a shopping plaza that had a HUGE used bookstore where we could have spent a week, a shoe store where we both came out with new sandles, and a Dollar General where we found deals on things we didn’t even know we needed/wanted! The afternoon had dissolved into evening and our hunt for a place of dinning ensued…without a GPS! We drove around “nowhere’sville” for an hour before coming back to our plaza Burger King for take out! The conference was filled with friends, song, fellowship, lessons, discussions, laughter and tears, prayer and worship, food, and talent. And despite the lack of a working air conditioner (and only 2 huge fans) we had a great journey! I learned how important my relationships are, with those both older and younger than me. We have so much to offer each other. The sound of the ocean is constant. We can hear it at first, but then we ignore it as background noise until we consciously listen. In the same way, we must consciously listen to God’s voice for direction. I realized that my peace and security are dependent on my surrender to God… Growing Peaceful and Secure! To Grandy and Pop’s house we go! Why do we try to cram it all in when we visit?! Make a new “blankie”
Drink wine/ eat too much
Ride “suri” bike for around 25 blocks
Eat icees
Play in the surf
Shop trader joes (12 bottles for around $47)
Edit pix… Are you SURE we did it all?! I drove the kids to PA for a week of camp. James, Kate, Max and Jonathan plus Alice and I packed out van. Its a little over 3 hrs. Had to settle them all in with registration and swim tests. Turns out James’ cabin is the “brother” cabin to Kate’s cabin so they are all in yellow… The boys are on one side of the camp and the girls on the other, so I did some dashing thru the mud, but left them all smiling! |
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But God is so encouraging and gave us a FULL rainbow to gaze at while munching from our room.
Re-organize/re-route wires for computer desk area
