SUMMER RECAP

We Said:

 

We’re back!!!!!  I know we said that we were going to send out some updates this summer, but obviously we didn’t.  It was a crazy, busy, fun summer with lots of activities. Here’s a short recap of our time off MTB.  WARNING . . . it sounds like an early Christmas letter, but the pictures are fun.

 

We spent the month of June in Naples, FL.  Thanks to Jack’s brother and our friends Ken & Debi for making their Naples homes available to us.  We decided to drive to South Beach Miami for a day since we didn’t stop there while on MTB.  We also spent time with friends Dale & Clara in Bonita Springs.  Jack and Dale golfed while Clara and I relaxed – beach, lunch & paddleboards.  Naples made our list of favorite places while on MTB and we enjoyed it just as much this time around.

My first experience paddleboarding.  I did OK, if I do say so myself.

Lifeguard stand on South Beach - Miami

July was spent in Columbus, OH (10day) and on a European Cruise (17 days).  We had a great time visiting Jack’s family in Columbus.  Between Jack’s mom, his 3 brothers/sisters-in-law, 6 nephews/niece and 8 great nephews/nieces you can only imagine how busy we were and how much fun we had.   

Jack with his nephew Kevin and brothers Jerry, Terry and Jim outside Papa Boo's 4th of July weekend

Then we were off to meet my parents, brother/sister-in-law, and sister/niece in Venice, Italy for 3 days before hopping on a 2 week cruise to Greece, Turkey and Italy.  We saw great sights, ate way too much and had a lot of fun.

 

St Mark's Square, Venice during flooding

Her I am with my niece Hailey on a gondola ride in Venice

Beautiful Venetian Canal
 

Venice - you've got to love this place!

Santorini - the whitewashed building make it look like a snow topped mountain

Jack riding the donkey up to the top of Santorini.  We laughed so hard that day!

Santorini - We finally made it to the top

The famous public bathroom at the ruins of Kusadasi, Turkey

Kusadasi, Turkey



Inside the Blue Mosque, Istanbul



Istanbul - torrential rains, bad for sightseeing



Mykonos - Jack's favorite port

I was on the cruise ship's version of "Top Chef."  Unfortunately, I was eliminated early, but it was still fun



Malta - built right on the water's edge

Hustling, bustling Sicily.  This is the fish market

We finally made it back to Phoenix in August.  We rented a furnished condo for the month and it worked out really well.  Thanks to all our friends who hosted us, listened to our stories, and made us feel welcomed and missed.  Special thanks to Gary & Kathy who made the supreme sacrifice and let us stay with them on and off while we were in town. 

 

In September we hit the road.  In one month we traveled 3200 miles – the same distance it took us one year to do on MTB.  We started in Vegas where we house/dog sat for my parents, golfed with my sister, and took my almost-16-year-old niece “student driving.”  Jack had her out driving for about 2 hours one day – what a trooper!  Then we were off to Seattle (a favorite spot of mine) with an overnight stop in Boise (it’s a great little city).  In Seattle Tim & Pam were great hosts – kayaking, golf, wine tasting, sailing, fabulous food and camaraderie.  We took a side trip to Vancouver, BC where we pedaled around Stanley Park.  From Seattle we headed to the wine country of Paso Robles, CA and friends Lance & Amy.  We met lots of their friends at a paella party that they hosted on our first night in town.  Instead of the doing a typical wine tasting, we brought our own picnic lunch to the winery, bought a bottle of their local wine and enjoyed the beautiful views of the vineyards while listening to live music.  It was delightful we did it a few times!  We had such a good time it was hard to leave, but our Phoenix condo awaited our return.

 

Mt. Rainier from our sunset sail - Seattle

 

Here I am alongside Tim & Pam's "floating house" heading out in the Kayak

Vancouver, BC skyline

Picturesque Cambria, CA

Our final month in Phoenix was filled with annual doctor appointments, planning for the Bahamas, and general administrative stuff.  We did set aside time to travel to Rocky Point.  Twelve of us from Phoenix met up down there and, as always, it was a great time.  Being on the water got us ready for the flight back to MTB.

 

Shrimp boats were out in full force while in Rocky Point.  We had a lot of shrimp on MTB, but you can't beat the ones from Rocky Point.

 

All and all – it was a great summer and a nice break from MTB.  We went from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from Canada to Mexico.  It’s amazing, but I don’t think we saw a 110 degree day in either of the last two summers!   We’re looking forward to getting back on MTB and finishing up our vagabond, life-on-the-water, two year adventure. 

We will start publishing our blog again about every 10-14 days.  Wish us luck!!