2015 Oregon 3 week Christmas trip with the "kids"

 For awhile now the "kids" (son who's 37 and his wife, and our daughter who's 35 and her husband) have been talking about us all going somewhere for Christmas.  So on Thanksgiving of 2014, we decided in 2015 we would do it.   All we had to do was decide where and wait for over a year for the time to come.  After suggesting places like Grand Cayman, Grand Bahamas, Key West, and other assorted warm weather beach places, I mentioned the Oregon coast.  That was it, they didn't even hesitate!  That's where they wanted to go!  No warm beaches, no snorkeling, no t-shirts and shorts!  I've lived in Oregon many years ago and know that in winter it rains A LOT!  But I don't remember being in Oregon for Christmas since I was a kid, so I said, "Why not!?"  So at 13 months out  I went onto the Worldmark site and booked a 3 bedroom condo at Gleneden for 2 weeks. When it got closer to Christmas 2015, I refined our reservations by booking 3 nights at Depoe Bay before the Gleneden stay since Angie, Josh and we flew out earlier to get better airfare and cancelled the 2nd week of Gleneden when the kids had all flown home.  Ken and  I stayed an extra week to get the better airfare back, but my brother and sister-in-law offered us their empty house in nearby Dallas since they wouldn't be making it back for Christmas.  

Dec. 16, 2015---flying out of Ft. Lauderdale

Dec. 17, 2015 --- up to rainy Cannon Beach

Dec. 18, 2015---down the Oregon Coast to Cape Perpetua

Dec. 19, 2015---move to Gleneden Beach and Tim and Faith arrive

Dec. 20, 2015---walk along the beach and Mo's

Dec. 21, 2015---to Rogue distillery and brewery

Dec. 22, 2015---Tim's 37th birthday!

Dec. 23, 2015---heading south towards Newport and Seal Beach

Dec. 24, 2015---more sea foam and White Elephant gift exchange

Dec. 25, 2015---Christmas!

Dec. 26, 2015---sad day, the kids leave :(, but first--Multinomah Falls and Mcmenamins Kennedy school for dinner

Dec. 27, 2015---move inland to Dallas

Dec. 28, 2015---apparently there was nothing I wanted to remember about this day?!


Dec. 29, 2015---Silver Falls and Oregon Gardens

Dec. 30, 2015---riding around in the valley and search for Northern Lights

Dec. 31, 2015---Playing with my new lens, Rogue Farms, and into the coastal range by Falls City

Jan. 1, 2016---hanging around Dallas

Jan. 2, 2016---Senior pictures of my great nephew

Jan. 3, 2016---snow and ice storm and time to leave

After living 3 places in Oregon as a kid (Klamath Falls, Corvalis, and Dallas) for a total of 7 years and spending many years vacationing to Dallas as an adult after my parents retired and moved back there, it was nice going back to a place that felt like home.  A lot happened in the year from Thanksgiving 2014 and Christmas 2015---such as Tim and Faith moved to Knoxville and we moved to South Florida.  But we all still managed to come up with the time and money to make the trip.  Even with the cold and rain, it turned out to be a fun trip!

2015 Nov. 8-15 Western Caribbean Cruise on the Eurodam: Key West; Grand Cayman; Jamaica; HMC

When we "temporarily" moved to South Florida (as my husband likes to put it), I figured this might be a good time to try and get some good deals on last minute cruises.  Don't know how good of a deal we really ended up getting, but I managed to keep from accepting the up sell offer to a suite.  I had already upgraded us for $100@ to a balcony from the $499 OV room I had originally booked.  The first up sell offer arrived about 3 weeks before our trip and was $499 for a signature suite and $699 for a Neptune suite.  About a week later I got another up sell offer for the same super high price.  When we finally got our Verandah guarantee room assignment, I noticed we were in a less desirable room near the front of the ship with metal half walls on the veranda and no tub.  I called and requested a different room.
About 4 days before our cruise, we got an email with a new cabin number---mid ship, tub, and with a super deep veranda with Plexiglas walls and even 2 lounge chairs on the deck as well as the 2 other chairs, ottoman, and little side table.   About a day or 2 before the cruise, I called again because I noticed a couple suites opened up and I wanted to see if I could get an up sell for really cheap, like we did a couple years ago.  This time they quoted me $250 for a signature suite and $350 for the Neptune.  I was tempted, but also curious about the VA room we were reassigned.   Apparently there are 4 of these rooms---1 on either side of the lifeboats, so they're a little deeper then the boats are wide (about 14').  I read a lot of mixed reviews about those rooms.  Some people liked the extra space, others didn't because most of the veranda wasn't covered and, therefore, didn't have privacy.   I wonder if that's how we ended up with it.   I don't know for sure, just that there were no veranda rooms showing available for the last week or so before the cruise.
I'd say the actual covered area of our veranda was about what the regular verandas have.  We were on the sunrise side of the ship most of the time, so only got to watch sunset from our veranda 2 nights.  But I did spend a lot of time out there enjoying just gazing at the water.

This was my 2nd time on a Western Caribbean cruise.  Our ports were Key West, Grand Cayman, Jamaica (Falmouth), and HAL's private island in the Bahamas---Half Moon Cay. 

 2015-11-8 Embarkation day!

 

2015-11-9 Key West:

 

2015-11-10 Sea Day

 

2015-11-11 Grand Cayman:

 

2015-11-12 Falmouth, Jamaica:

 

2015-11-13 another sea day:

 

2015-11-14 Half Moon Cay:

 

2015-11-15 disembarkation day:

 

This was my 16th cruise.  Considering how my 1st one was, being evacuated back to Ft. Lauderdale with my Dad, I'm happy to say they've all been great since then.  

2015 Oct. Orlando

2015 Oct. Food and Wine Festival in Epcot

Our good friends, the Schneiderjans, from St. Louis, are always inviting me to join them in Orlando.  So I finally decided to do that.  After all, I've never been to the Food and Wine festival!  Plus Ken won't go to Disney anymore.  So I booked 3 nights in the Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort and Ken and I enjoyed a short vacation in Kissimmee---Ken hanging out at the resort a lot of the time and me running around with friends!

Oct. 26---On to Orlando

Oct. 27 --- Epcot Wine and Food Festival 

Oct. 28 -- pool time and dixie Landings 

Oct. 29 --- back to S Florida and Ken to STL 

 

 
I really enjoyed the fact that it only took us about 3 hours to drive to  Orlando now instead of the 15 from St. Louis.  I was even able to get a great fare to STL from there and sent Ken home to STL from Orlando for a couple weeks.  Then I drove back to South Florida.  Hopefully we'll do more of these short fun trips.

2015-2016 Living in South Florida!!!!

I started out making this post like most of my other travel posts.   But it got so LONG that I decided to start a whole new "South Florida" blog with a more traditional blogging style.  I edited this post with links to my new "South Florida" blog so it would be easier and faster to see specific places or things that we especially enjoyed in South Florida.  

  To check out my specific Florida events or places, click on the links below.  Some of the events or places will have multiple posts, some will just have one (be sure and click on the "older posts" link at the bottom right of the post):  

 

Our Apartment in Coral Springs, Florida

Biking around our neighborhood

Some of our trips to Deerfield Beach

Loxahatchee Federal Park

Cardinal games here in South Florida

Snorkeling at Red Reef Park

Some of our Food Trucks meals

Independence Day fireworks

Hugh Taylor Birch Park in Fort Lauderdale 

  
Tradewinds park

our rainy trip to Sanibel

our Summer weekend trip to Bahia Honda in the Keys

South Florida lightning

Some of our mini vacations to the various Wyndhams in Pompano

 

A walk along Ft. Lauderdale beach and dinner cruise on the Jungle Queen

3 Mountains Park in Broward and a Broward Heritage covered bridge

Butterfly World in Coral Springs 
     or see by date: 10/19/2015 ; 11/4/2015 ; 2/18/2016

 

Blowing Rocks State Park near Jupiter

Our mini Oct. trip to Orlando: Wine and Food Festival; Wyndham Bonnett Creek; Dixie Landings; Port Orleans
    

Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach--Lego exhibit

Flamingo Gardens in Davie

Gold Coast Railroad Museum and Fairchild Botanical Gardens in Miami 

Last minute cruise 

Hobie Island for city skyline photos for Coral Springs Camera Club

Old car show at Festival Flea Market and cool garden shop

The Everglades

Birding at Peaceful Waters Sanctuary in Wellington, South Florida  
     updated 1/29; 3/1

Birding at Green Cay Wetlands in Boynton Beach, Palm Beach County
     or check out my trips there by date:  1/29; 2/11; 2/29;  3/9; 4/14

Birding in Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach (about 4 miles from Green Cay Wetlands)
     or check out my trips there by date:  1/29; 2/6; 2/14 ; 2/26; 2/29; 3/9; 3/18; 3/21; 3/28; 4/8;  4/14; 4/22  ; 4/29

Fern Forest in Broward County

Tree Tops Park in Broward County

The Flagler Museum in West Palm Beach

Evergreen Cemetery in Ft. Lauderdale---historic cemetery on the "birding trail"

Cardinals Spring Training game in Jupiter!  

Spring trip to Naples, Sanibel, and Captiva 

Balearia ferry over to Grand Bahamas for the day 

 

( To check out my daily "South Florida" blog, click HERE )

 

There are over 50 different species of birds that call the sanctuary their home - See more at: http://www.southfloridafinds.com/park/fl/palm-beach/wellington/peaceful-waters-sanctuary.html#sthash.ikMBlrGQ.dpuf

There are over 50 different species of birds that call the sanctuary their home - See more at: http://www.southfloridafinds.com/park/fl/palm-beach/wellington/peaceful-waters-sanctuary.html#sthash.ikMBlrGQ.dpuf

There are over 50 different species of birds that call the sanctuary their home - See more at: http://www.southfloridafinds.com/park/fl/palm-beach/wellington/peaceful-waters-sanctuary.html#sthash.ikMBlrGQ.dpuf

2015 Aug/Sept STL road trip

8/19-9/10: road trip to St. Louis by way of Daytona, Edisto, and Knoxville.
 
When Ken agreed to rent an apartment in S. Florida for the year, he also claimed he was going to go back to St. Louis every 4-6 weeks.  So it came as a bit of a surprise to me when it was almost 3 months before he decided to head back for the first time.  His good buddy and x-work contact was going to be in St. Louis the beginning of September and had rented party rooms at 2 Cardinal baseball games and invited us to one.  That was enough incentive to even get me to come back to St. Louis for a "vacation"!  So on Aug. 19th, we jumped in our car and started our long trek back.  

The day after the food trucks we headed off on a road trip that took us to a night at the Wyndham Ocean Walk on Daytona Beach; the Wyndham King Cotton Villas in Edisto, South Carolina; 3 nights in Knoxville at our son and daughter-in-law's house; 2 weeks in St. Louis;  2 more nights in Knoxville; 2 more nights in Edisto; and finally back to Coral Springs.  Just a few pictures to highlight that trip---

2015-8-19 so long Coral Springs  

 

2015-8-20 on to Edisto    

 

2015-8-21 on to Knoxville

 

2015-8-22 Knoxville

 

2015-8-23 Riding around West Knoxville

 

2015-8-24 on to St. Louis

 

2015-8-25 MOBOT   

 

2015-8-28 and 29---visiting with friends and family   


2015-8-30---St. Louis Zoo 


2015-8-31---kids'  old house

 
2015-9-3---Butterfly House


2015-9-5---Cardinal game with Bailey's  


2015-9-6 to Knoxville and Boomsday celebration


2015-9-8 to Edisto


2015-9-9 Botany Bay


2015-9-10---on to Coral Springs


 It turned out to be a fun 3 week trip.  Even though at times I felt like we were back in the dark ages---no cable tv, just digital antennae; no computers, just a phone; no ac for the hottest part of the trip!  Was great seeing Tim and FAith and all our friends and family in St. Louis.  Am I ready to move back there---not hardly!!!

 

2015-8-25---Missouri Botanical Gardens

Day 1- I met up with a photography friend and she and I went to the Missouri Botanical Gardens and shot pictures of everything.  They were still set up for the Chinese Lanterns exhibit, so we got to see it by daylight.  This is made up of bottles of different colored water.

 found some more butterflies--Monarch, I believe.

 and lush beautiful plants.

 even found the reflections in the Japanese Garden pond interesting.

 colorful dragonfly

 More of the Japanese Garden.

 zig zag bridge in the Japanese Garden

 in the Italian Garden.

 The St. Louis symbol Flore de li made up of tiny plants.

 Karen getting a macro shot in the patchwork garden.

 more of the Chinese lantern decorations.  They light up at night.

 more Chinese Lantern lights.

 and, yes, more.

 close up of a hybiscus flower.

 cone flower

 bee checking out the garden, too.

 flowers with the Linean House in the back ground.

 some of the many roses.

 some of the many Chinese Lanterns.

 lastly, a water lily.  We spent 5 hours there catching up and exploring.  It was a fun time.

I do miss our Missouri Botanical Gardens!  It is impressive.  But so are the reciprocal gardens we find around the country!

2015 May Knoxville, Sevierville,Gatlinburg birthday trip

About a week after we got back from our month in Florida and 2 week cruise in April, I was on the road again.  This time to the Knoxville area with my son and daughter-in-law.  While we were on our cruise, Tim accepted a transfer to the Federal Courthouse in Knoxville.  So on my birthday, I left with them to go house hunting and checking out the area.  I knew it would be beautiful, I've been through Tennessee many times, but had no idea how much fun the area really is!

We did hit a lot of road construction near Nashville.  The highway was even closed a few miles near there.  So we took a bit of a detour through Nashville and found a great restaurant to get some dinner at---Peg Leg Porker

 We figured it must be good with the line waiting to order.

 My pulled pork sandwich and mac and cheese were excellent.  The "kids" rubbed ribs and sandwich and sides were also very good--so they told me.