Oregon Summer 2011

We visited my sister, Claire & brother-in-law, Howard's places in Tigard and Willamina, OR for a week this summer.  Our dear friends, Betty & Richard, traveled from Houston to join us there.  Check out our beautiful pictures of the Columbia River Gorge, Mount Hood and hiking near our relative's cabin.  Also, check out "Farm for Sale" if you'd like to buy it!  See below - a real deal!!!

The picture to the right was taken on "Howard's Mountain" on the cabin's (farm) property.  Isn't the sunrise awesome?

We also traveled to Ashland, Oregon in the southern part of the state.  What a great place!  It has a 9-month "Shakespeare" Festival (well - not only Shakespeare, but all kinds theater (plays) with wonderful B&Bs nearby). We saw a remake of a Moliere play called The Imaginary Invalid - a funny comedy. 


Columbia River Gorge    

Mount Hood

Ashland Oregon

Farm for Sale 

Niagara Falls Hike

Goodbye to our dear kitty Sherwood 1995 - 2011

Joanne wanted a cat.  Although a dog person, I acquiesced to cat, agreeing that a dog wasn't practical choice for our lifestyle. One day,  our friend Cheryl upon hearing that Joanne wanted a cat, called to offer us a free baby kitten.  We knew that Cheryl raised pure bred cats for show but we didn't know what kind.


When we walked in Cheryl's front door, a baby Persian Tabby kitten walked right up to greet us, his new parents to be.  Cheryl's husband, Dan, told us that if we hadn't come right over, they would have kept him - even though Cheryl was getting out of the cat business.   He had personality plus!


We didn't know we were getting a long haired cat with a weird pushed-in face but he was so friendly we couldn't refuse.  What to name this kitten?  We lived on Sherwood Forest Drive and Sherwood seemed a sufficiently distinguished name for such a cat.  So this kiity, now named Sherwood, joined our family and our hearts.




He never knew a stranger right from the beginning.  Halloween was his favorite holiday. Each time the doorbell announced another band of little goblins, Sherwood would bound for the door to greet the little costumed creatures who came trick or treating.  When we hosted disscussion groups at our house, little Sherwood would sit in a chair if one were available - - or sit in the center of the group, if not.  Sherwood would look intently at whomever was talking as if he were following the conversation.  One time, I announced that Sherwood was recording everything that we said.  Our friend Richard Armstrong immediately added, "And beaming it up to the mothership, too!"  With a voice full of surprise and astonishment, I asked Richard how did he know, Sherwood's secret identity?

Sherwood did not like change.   Although always interested what we were eating he would only eat his cat food.  Changing the shape of his food bowl threw him for a loop.  He didn't like car rides either.  We never took him on the boat thinking he wouldn't do well with the boat motion.

After we retired and decided to give Florida a try, we wondered how Sherwood would handle the long car trip from Houston to Punta Gorda.  Well, after a little whinning and gazing through the windows, he settled right down.  Whenever he sensed the car slowing down, he would get up expecting an end to car captivity. 

How would he be traveling and living on our sailboat?   That surprised us, too.  He adjusted just fine and eventually even would sit with us in the cockpit and look at the waves and birds flying overhead.

Sherwood lived 15 years, 7 months.  He started to lose weight - the vet figured out his kidneys were failing and he developed a mass in is abdomen.  It was hard saying goodbye to this little kitty.  He enriched our lives so much.  Even when he wasn't feeling very well this past May, he greeted each and every guest at Cousin Constance's birthday party at our place.  He never new a stranger!  We know there must be a very special place in heaven for those special pets who give so much love and ask nothing in return - well maybe, just a little rub under the chin! 

Summer Visitors

Bart & Nita, Richard's brother and our sister-in-law, visited us from Killeen, Texas.  Here they are pictured with our Punta Gorda celebrity, Miss Manatee Mailbox!  It was great having them stay over and we had a wonderful dinner and visit!

Next on the agenda was Michele, our daughter, visiting us from Austin, Texas.  She has decided to leave Austin and practice medicine on the Big Island of Hawaii in Kona!   We are so very proud of her and we wish her much happiness there.  Bryan, her "significant other" is also going and they are starting a new life together there.  We can't wait to visit and hope to see them early next year.

We had lots of fun while she was visiting - check out the biking picture taken along the new Punta Gorda bike path along the Peace River.

Independence Day

July 4th - Spinning wheels, we rode our bikes down to Fisherman's Village to watch the first few of  three hundred swimmers complete a one and half mile swim cross the Peace River.  The annual event is called the Freedom Swim.  Along the way, Richard stopped to make time with Miss Manatee!

Ride with us now along the Peace River to the Trabue Harborwalk.  A beautiful but non-native Banyan Tree shades Retta Esplanade at the Best Western. The Banyan tree first imported and planted in Fort Myers by Thomas Edison in 1924 is thus considered by the state to be non-native meaning that the first of its species arrived after 1513.  Of course most us arrived after 1513 as well. Can there be no path to citizenship for this illegal immigrant, older than most us here in Punta Gorda?   Pity the poor state that seems bent on destroying another beautiful tree, the Australian Pine. To learn about this tree and how you can help, click  Save Our Pines.   


The Trabue Harborwalk follows the Punta Gorda bank of the Peace River north of Laishly Park. This relatively new addition to Punta Gorda affords a pleasant place to walk or ride.





After riding home and cooling off in the pool and resting,we dined with Bruce and Dorrit at IYC. Afterwards, at the the Convention Center we listened to the symphony featuring Al Holland.  Al's selections included Neil Diamond's Coming to America.  We all sang Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA to end the performance.  Afterwards we watched the fireworks from the 41 bridge to end our fourth with a flash!

Everything Punta Gorda

The Peace River

Retiring to Florida

Watching the Grass Grow

Rain, sometimes more,sometimes less every day for the last week or so has pushed up our grass at a rate of over one inch per day.  At this rate, I believe, one could with a little patience actually watch the grass grow. We planted Bahiagrass, a pasture grass that is drought ,bug and salt water resistant.  Apparently the grass does well when watered too!

Midnight in Paris

Last night we watched our second movie of the summer, Midnight_in_Paris.  When Owen Wilson, the lead character talked,  we could hear Wood Allen speaking - classical Woody Allen dialog and plot with lots of Paris now and then on display.   We recommend this film.    Review

Moving Marie

March 2011-    Joanne's Mom, Marie, decided to sell her condo in New Port Richey and move closer to us.  Although at ninety, the new seventy,  she seemed a little too young for a  continuing care retirement community, she selected  South Port Square  in Port Charlotte.  She said she wanted to make her own decision now rather than take a chance and have someone make a decision for her should her health fail sometime in the future.    Her condo sold in short order. Fortunately, her condo buyer also bought most of her furniture and Marie went shopping for new furniture with cousin Constance and our friend Trudy while we sailed to the Exumas. 

June 2 - Moving Day.  Our friends, Chuck & Trudy volunteered their new pickup truck, time and labor to move Marie.  Mckalia, Trudy's niece who was taking a break from her Illinois farm life, cheerfully joined the labor crew. After stuffing the U-Haul trailer, our car and the truck, Marie said good-bye to her Sunny Brook condo.  By five we had Marie's new apartment full to the brim, but not unpacked. 



We stop for burgers. Trudy, Mckalia and Joanne with Marie





Marie rides in Chuck's truck



Mary and Al (Joanne's sister and her husband from Indiana) arrived the next day to take charge of the unpacking, storing, arranging, sorting and picture hanging. Then sister, Claire, (from Oregon) arrived to help. They did a super job!  Marie was all moved in by the end of the next week ready for her new life in the Punta Gorda area.   Click for Apartment Pictures.