Colorado

After a week in Canterbury it was once again time to pack our bags for our next trip!! This time we went to Boulder Colorado to visit Michelle, Flick, Ellie and of course Dozer.
The purpose of this trip was to help Michelle celebrate her 30th birthday!!!
We were picked up at the airport on Wednesday by Michelle and Ellie and after a nice lunch at Panera Bread we drove to their home and settled in.
It was pretty remarkable to see how much Ellie has changed since we last saw her in May. She is now crawling, pulling herself up, clapping and giving high-fives!! She also likes music and has some pretty cute dance "moves".








On Thursday we stayed with Ellie while Michelle and Flick went to work to contribute to our social security fund!!!
On Friday Christa, Allie & Chaz flew in to join in the birthday celebration. Took them to visit Michelle at work before heading to the house. Michelle made a lactose free chicken tetrazzini that we all enjoyed. It was great to get the family together in such a beautiful place!!!




On Saturday we packed up in the cars and took a trip to Roosevelt national Park where we took a 4 mile hike to Lake Isabelle. It was not too strenuous and the scenery along the way and at the lake was spectacular. Ellie had the best seat in the house being carried by Michelle. She even took a nap on the trip back down from the lake.








Saturday night was the birthday celebration and we all hopped on a bus right outside of Michelle and Flick's house and went to Pearl Street in downtown Boulder. No driving for this group that was ready to party!!!








Michelle chose a local restaurant called Pizzeria Locale for her birthday dinner. The food at this restaurant was excellent. We each ordered individual pizzas and had plenty of appetizers and wine. A complementary after dinner drink topped off our great experience at this restaurant!!!!




A short cab ride back to the house (a first for Chaz) and day one of the birthday celebration was over.
On Sunday morning Flick made us all a great breakfast of omelettes, bacon, hashbrowns and English muffins. What a great way to start off our morning!!
After breakfast, we took a ride up to Estes Park and a trip into the Rocky Mountain national Park where we drove the winding roads up to the summit. At approximately 13,000 feet in elevation the weather at the summit was in the 60s and rainy compared to the low 90s and sunny in Estes Park. We were able to see several Elk at the summit and on our trip back down. To say the mountains are awesome is an understatement. It is just too hard to describe the breathtaking nature of the scenery.




The birthday celebration continued that evening with Fajitas for dinner followed by a birthday cake and the first round of presents.








On Monday, Michelle's actual birthday, Christa had to leave to go back home.




Michelle, Allie, Chaz and Cliff played frisbee golf that afternoon at a local course, (there is no shortage of outdoor activities in Boulder) while Nona stayed with Ellie. That evening to continue with the celebration of Michelle's 30th we had her favorite grilled cheddar burgers topped with red onion jam.....delicious! A few more presents, some strawberry pie and the birthday celebration had ended!!!
On Tuesday it was time for Allie and Chaz to return home. After Flick and Michelle went to work we loaded up the car and headed for the airport.




After saying our goodbyes it was time for Nona, Pepere and Ellie to head to the mall for some shopping!!!!
Ellie picked out a nice outfit for herself and while Nona was paying for the outfit, Pepere and Ellie decided to do some bouncing on the mattresses!!!
We then took Ellie to visit Michelle and her coworkers at her office and went out to lunch. That night we took Michelle and Ellie out to a local Italian restaurant, Il Pastina, where we enjoyed a great home-cooked Italian meal. We brought home a meal for Flick, who is pursuing his MBA, and was in class online.
On Wednesday it was our turn to leave and after spending the day with Michelle and Ellie we said goodby and headed back to CT. A great trip as usual and a 30th birthday celebration that will hold fond memories for Michelle and the rest of the family.

Back to Canterbury

Our trip back to Canterbury was not an easy one. We arrived at Bradley at 11:45 on a flight that was supposed to arrive at 8:30!!! Our flight out of Atlanta was delayed because our plane came in late and then we spent 2 hours on the Tarmac due to weather in Atlanta. Finally got to bed around 2:00 am!!!
Very busy week getting things done after being away so long.
The highlight of the week was going wine tasting on Saturday with our friends from Beacon. Met the Benson's and the Lawlor's at Saltwater Farm Winery in Stonington where we did a wine tasting and caught up. From there it was off to Jonathan Edwards Winery in North Stonington for a few more bottles of wine and some cheese and crackers.




















Dinner was at the Daniel Packer Inn in Mystic where we met Pam Alarie alias Mrs Tom Brady and her mom Lucille. We all had a great meal and a lot of laughs.




It was really great connecting with everyone and we are looking forward to Lobsta Fest at the Benson's in August!!
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Our Trip to Georgia

On Monday, July 2nd we flew up to Georgia to spend a week with my brother, Don and my father who has been staying with Don since April. Don lives in Morganton which is about 100 miles north of Atlanta in the Blue Ridge mountains. The "cabins" on the mountain are connected by a network of dirt roads that are better navigated by 4 wheel drive vehicles but ATV's are the vehicle of choice when going from cabin to cabin visiting with friends.
Don's cabin below.



Our ATV



On Monday night we had a delicious dinner prepared by Lorraine and Sherrie at Lorraine's cabin. Great meal and conversation catching up after not seeing each other for awhile.



On Tuesday it was off to Tallulah Falls and a hiking trip down the gorge where we saw some spectacular waterfalls and a suspension bridge that crossed the gorge. Donna, Don and Cliff made the trip down which was easy but the 300 steps for the trip back up was not!!!!








Daniel and Sherrie had a fourth of July barbecue for friends on the mountain. Daniels specialty of smoked barbecued ribs and chicken was delicious and everybody contributed something for the meal. (there is never a shortage of food when everyone gets together- southern hospitality at its finest!
On Thursday Don, Bill, Donna, Sherrie,Lorraine and Cliff took a ride to Hiawasee for lunch at Michaelee's followed by wine tasting at Crane winery.


We also stopped at Alexander's, a store that reminds me of an old 5 & 10 store which has "everything under the sun".
On Friday we took Don's boat onto Lake Nottely. We took a leisurely ride around the lake and viewed some of the beautiful homes.


We then met Lorraine and Daniel for lunch at the pizza place nearby and had dinner at Don's cabin that evening.
On Saturday we all drove down scenic route 60 to Frogtown winery in Dahlongea where Sherrie's daughter had her wedding. There we did a wine tasting then headed into town for lunch at the Porter House.



On Sunday we went into the town of Blue Ridge for breakfast at the Beanery. We shopped at the local boutique shops in town before going to the local community theater to see the play Greater Tuna. It was hilarious and all the characters in the play were performed by two actors. It was quite entertaining!
The week flew by for us and it was so great to see Dad and to spend time with Don and all of his wonderful friends that are like one big happy family. They were warm and welcoming and always kept us well fed and "hydrated". Looking forward to a return trip!
Back to Canterbury for a week then off to Colorado to visit with Michelle, Brian and Ellie and celebrate Michelle's 30th birthday.

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Naples One Month

Hard to believe that we have been in Naples for a month and will be leaving next week. Went through a 10 day stretch of good weather with sunny skies and highs in the mid 90's. Then tropical storm Debby came in and we had 5 days of rain and wind. Now we are back to sunshine and warm weather for the remainder of our stay.
Had lots of company recently.
Tim and Diane Benson from Beacon came to vacation in Marco Island and we met them in Naples and went to lunch at Campiello's. Took them on a tour of Naples and went to the Naples Pier where it started to rain and we saw a small waterspout.
Cousins Steve and Sandy came down to visit friends at Marco Island and we all met at Jeff and Diane's boat and went to dinner at Cafe de Marco on the island.
Mike and Mary Lynch came down to their place at Heritage Bay and we got to play several rounds of golf during some dry time during Debby. Wind was pretty bad which is what I'm blaming my terrible scores on. Donna gets better every time she plays and really enjoys the game. We went out to dinner with the Lynch's several times and had them over here for dinner one night. Nice to have good friends so close to us.




Last but certainly not least, cousins Ann Marie and Don came by to see the house and our community. They were vacationing in Fort Myers Went to lunch at the clubhouse and enjoyed visiting with them.
Donna and I went to the beach while we were still feeling the effects of Debby. It was incredible to see how churned up the gulf can get!!!!




We also planted some flowers in front to add some color to the area.



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Naples Week 2

Another busy week!!! Took a day trip to Sanibel Island, a hotspot for sea shell collectors. The beach stretches on for as far as the eye can see and the water is a beautiful blue-green. We came home with a pail full of shells to add to our growing collection.




The weather this week was much better with lots of sun and temps on the 90's.
The highlight of the week for Cliff was getting the corvette registered and putting the Florida plate on the back of the vette!!!!!




Cliff's retirement gift from Beacon, a wine cooler, was delivered this week as well. To borrow a phrase from Michelle and Flick we're "livin the dream" and feeling very fortunate!!!

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Week 1 Naples

We got a lot done this week. The weather has been cloudy but warm. We have been been walking and biking most days and have been to the beach and pool a couple times and had dinner and wine on the beach one evening. The gulf is 85 degrees and delightful to swim and float around in. We also went golfing on the course at the Quarry for the first time and have made it to the driving range to perfect our game. Took the vette down 5th Ave. and she felt right at home!
We have some new lanai furniture and lighting fixtures as well that were delivered and installed this week. Quite a busy and productive week!




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Naples!!!!! Wednesday

Left Savannah at 9:30 after yet another delicious breakfast at the Kehoe House. Plugged in the GPS and set our site for Naples. Weather was perfect for traveling and we took turns driving switching ever 2 hours. We drove a total of 1790 miles in 10 days!!! Arrived in Naples at 5:30 and made a quick run to the grocery store after we unpacked our suitcases.
Ate dinner on the lanai. Enjoying a nice bottle of wine and some of Michelle's chocolate chip cookies. A perfect ending to a great trip.






This will be our last daily blog but we will continue to post from time to time on our Naples activities and of course our trip to the mountains in Georgia.


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