Volcanos, Macademia Nut, Sugar Cane and Coffee Plantations




Our Friendship Force Group poses with the Turrialba Club
 

We've been kept busy here with a full itinerary that was arranged for us by the Turrialba Friendship Force Club.  Since the Turrialba volcano is very active (we can see it smoking in the close distance!), we visited the Irazu Volcano which is right next door to it.  We traveled up a dusty road, 11,260 ft above sea level.  The most recent eruption was in 1963 so we felt safe to look at the crater, which was a sunken in mass of gray rock.  Later, we visited the beautiful Basilica de los Angeles which is a destination for pilgrims.  We saw people walking on the knees up  the center aisle of the church.  Many are here to ask for cures for illnesses and many have been healed. 

We've also visited coffee, sugar cane and macademia nut plantations, where we received information

and demonstrations.  Today was an extraordinary day.  We visited a couple who owns a home in the country.  The couple is from California and rent their home on Air B&B.  We were treated to homemade tamales' lunch and other specialties while we enjoyed an awesome view of the valley.  Tonight is a farewell party with dancing for all of us.  We'll be sorry to leave these warm people.  We are headed on a week's tour of the Pacific coast area. 

Visiting Turrialba, Costa Rica with Friendship Force

Our wonderful hosts, William with Marielos

Richard and I love traveling with Friendship Force, an international travel exchange club.  This time I (Joanne) led the trip with 19 people in our club.  After an hour delay waiting for a replacement flight attendant on Spirit Airlines in Ft Lauderdale (the other stewardess became sick!), we took off into the clear blue skies.  After a short 2-1/2 hour flight, we arrived at San Jose, the capital of this gorgeous country.  We had arranged for a private bus transport to take us west to Turrialba, a cute city in the countryside of about 30,000 residents.

Everyone was met by their hosts and taken to their private homes for a wonderful dinner and accommodations for the 6-day stay here.  We are staying with Marielos and William, a delightful couple who are about our age.  William speaks excellent English and translates for us when we talk to Marielos.  They have a home close to town and Marielos is President of the Turrialba Friendship Force Club here - and has been for 5 years.  She is a world traveler with Friendship Force and has been to many clubs in the US (including ours) about 3 years ago.  She is leaving for another Friendship Force trip to New Zealand and Australia just 2 short weeks after we leave.  She is very excited.   Marielos is a retired teacher and loves to cook!   We've been treated to many of her homemade specialties.  Just delicious!   William is her significant other and they've been together for over 20 years.  He is a retired university professor of agriculture.  You guessed it....he loves gardening and his backyard oasis is lovely.  There are all sorts of exotic plants complete with hummingbirds, butterflies, etc.   Their eating area adjoins the garden and we have a lovely view while we delight in Marielos' meals.

We've been here 2 days now and the club had a lovely Welcome Lunch for us complete with dancing and arts and crafts.  Both of us painted some cute little vases - everyone in the club enjoyed the art exercise!   We've visited sugarcane, macademia nut and coffee plantations and a lovely park.  Tomorrow we will see a volcano and a famous cathedral.

Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves!  Check out some pictures....wish you were here!

Lighting of the Fleet

Maybe our last year for the snowman -

We have listed Eagle's Wings - see  http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2003/Catalina-350-2916223/Punta-Gorda/FL/United-States#.Vm2Bn-TSmUk

Celebrating Thanksgiving & Mom's 95th Birthday!

The birthday girl - 95 is the new 75!

This year we had quite a Thanksgiving week of celebrating with our family culminating with Mom's 95th Birthday Party at South Port Square!

We welcomed family members from all over the US:

The whole family surrounds Mom with LOVE

  - My sister, Mary and brother-in-law, Alan from Indiana
  - Their daughter, Holly, and her husband, Andrew  with the star of the show, little Francesca (Frankie), from NJ
  - My sister, 
    Claire, from California
  - Claire's son, Ben and wife, Addie, from California
  - My brother, Paul and sister-in-law, Diane, from SC
  - Their daughter, Laura, from Detroit
  - My brother, Kevin, from Los Angeles, California
  - Our daughter, Michele, flew the furthest from Kona, HI
  - Family friend, Bill, from New Mexico
  - Cousin Bill and wife, Carol, from Naples, Florida
  - Cousin Jake from Tampa, Florida

Verceil of Platter's fame sings for Mom and the crowd

What a gift of having them all to celebrate Mom's landmark birthday - not to mention all of Mom's friends from South Port, who joined us.  Mom moved there when she was just 90 years old.  In five years, she's made a whole new set of dear friends and is having a great time!

Francesca gives Mom a rose!  What a cutie!

After the intros were made, my sister, Mary, briefed us on the highlights of 1920, the year Mom was born.  Then, Al's unique picture show of events in Mom's life was shown.  We had lots of grins looking at some of those old pictures, clothing styles and hairdos!  

Francesca had time to meet Santa

After a yummy dinner of prime rib with all the trimmings and birthday cake, Verceil of Platter's fame, entertained us with wonderful songs.   This will be a party and week of fun that will be remembered for a long time.

Check out the picture show below!

Labor Day -Caspersen Beach

At Caspersen Beach

Joanne suggested that she get up early and get going to Caspersen Beach in Venice this labor day.



Joanne enjoying the water

Out of bed she came to find some serious rain moving in from the Gulf. So we delayed our departure for a few hours as we watched the storms move through on the radar.  We found the beach quite comfortable under partly cloudy sky overhead of us.  More people had the same idea than I expected but the beach still was not crowded. 

After some enjoyable time in the water and on the beach chairs, we decamped to split a grouper burger now $21 at Sharkey's.  

Building a Oyster Reef in the Peace River
 

Just a note - Richard has been maintaining Punta Gorda's loaner bikes and helping with the Oyster Reef project.

Building a Oyster Reef in the Peace River

Visiting Colorado Springs

Joanne booked us into the quaint Old Town Guest House B&B for four

Our B&B

nights in Colorado Springs.  At breakfast, the first morning, we met a couple who live in New York City. What a coincidence - Holly's hometown is Bergenfield, NJ just the same as Joanne. The next morning we met a couple from Austin. The coincidences continued because she is a chemical engineer whose UT adviser was Hugh Steinfink. Believe it or not, I took a course from him probably twenty years before her!  We really enjoyed talking to both couples.  We also give high marks to to Kim and Dave who run the B&B.

Siamese Twins

After a short rest at the B&B, we headed out to the Garden of the Gods only a few miles away.  After viewing a film about the geological formation of the gardens at the visitor center, we did a little walking around.  A short hike took us to the Siamese Twins for a framed view of Pikes Peak.


Pikes Peak in Distance

The next day, we continued checking out the Garden of the Gods before visiting the Air Force Academy's Cadet Chapel, one of the most visited sites in Colorado.  The modern architecture of the chapel was beautiful.

Seventh Bridge

In the afternoon, we hiked the trails in Colorado Springs' Red Rock Canyon Open Space.  We hiked Mesa trail with views of the Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak, the Quarry Pass trail and then followed the Canyon trail back to the parking lot. See interactive Trail Map.

The beautiful Air Force Chapel

Strawberry dessert at the Broadmoor
 

Colorado Springs turned a record cold Wednesday morning. Nevertheless, we donned our jackets for an enjoyable hike up the the Seven Bridges trail in Cheyenne Cannon.  Curiously, about 75% of the hikers were young women.  One young lady arrived at the seventh bridge with a two year old on her back and a six month old strapped to her chest.  All were smiling!  The Colorado people that we met are hardy and "in shape."

Tree Hugger, Joanne



Richard at the 4th Bridge out of 7, a 5 mile hike

We got back just in time for a BBQ lunch before riding the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. On our last day, we walked about the old town of Colorado Springs touring art galleries before a delicious lunch the Broadmoor.  We finished up our touring at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings.   We had a great visit and highly recommend Colorado Springs!

Photos 

Gideon's First Birthday

Gideon looking out; Dackel looking in.

Following his retirement, my brother, Bart, and his wife, Nita, recently built a new home in Yukon, Oklahoma, a rural area that is quickly becoming a suburb of Oklahoma City. So off we went for a visit that included their grandson's first birthday party. Gideon is Bart and Nita's daughter's son. Daughter, Ashley, and her husband, Matt along with little Gideon live nearby. Matt's parents drove up from San Antonio and niece Jessica, daughter number two, flew in from Houston.

The little one-year old birthday boy, Gideon

Bart picked us up at the airport. First stop - lunch at Tucker's for their famous Onion Burgers.  Yum!

In a way, out in Yukon, it was a step back in time for me.  The wind blows over rolling prairie spread out under a deep blue sky just like my home town, Abilene where my Mom raised dachshunds of which the longhairs were the best of the bunch. Bart has Dackel and Ashley has Min, both sweet black and tan dachshunds.  Having the dogs is such a nice tribute to Mom/Grandma Jo.

Industrial sized smoker Z6

Bart smoked brisket and sausage on his industrial strength Z6 smoker for the Friday evening welcoming dinner and grilled burgers and hot dogs for the Saturday afternoon birthday party. About fifty people, many of them with babies, showed up for the party. Although we had plenty to eat, we all went out for pizza in the evening.  Sunday evening we all enjoyed good Mexican food. We sure had plenty to eat!

Early Monday morning Bart & Nita drove us to the airport for our flight to Colorado. Bart, Nita and everyone else couldn't have been nicer.  It was a great family time!

Photos