February is for Lovers on Wheels

28 Feb.  Thurs.  I forgot   We have been busy.

27 Feb. Wed: Blue skies smiling at me - nothin but blue skies do I see.  Gorgeous day.  We walked to the fitness center wearing jackets in anticipation of cool weather since the water in the lake is whipped to a frenzy of white caps; but instead, it was quite warm.  The FC felt very hot while we were working out; the attendant was miffed when asked to turn the A/C down. Stopping at the Caddy Shack for dinner we ran into Jim and Cindy who sneakily paid the bill.  Thank you J and C!  Nice day; good workout, lovely dinner.

26 Feb, Tues: It is windy in North Texas with a temp of 55 degrees noontime when ET (Energetic Traveler) phoned home.  After buying jacket only Frogg Toggs at WalMart for a mere $30.00, he drove to Cabela's but they had no pants or jackets in stock.   It is cold on that bike today. On a motorcycle the real feel temp is about 20 degrees colder.  BRRRR!  It gets warmer closer to HOME.  
The traveler returned by 8PM cold and dirty from the dust of the back roads caked on his face announcing we will shop for a new AeroFlow windshield; this one does not block the wind or rain.

25 Feb, Mon:  Ron is amusing cousin Dorothy while enjoying a lovely visit with our 96 year old cousin.  She is a delightful conversationalist - and quite an amazing woman.  After retiring as one of the first female CPA's in TX,  she returned to school and became a famous award winning watercolorist.   Her work is published in Italy, France and shown in many galleries.

24 Feb, Sun:  Cynthia's morning assignment is to write a funny story about losing her cell phone (a week ago) so Ron can send it to VZ or Reader's Digest Funny Stories.  "Cynthia's Cell Story... Will it Sell?"  That is all she wrote because the lake views were more compelling.

23 Feb, Sat:  12 year old Zoe and her Grandmother had a super spa day: nails and pedicures, side by side, provided an amusing comparison of legs and feet.  Zoe's long legs stretch way down to size 9.5 feet;  Cynthia is a short self from the get go.  The marks on the back of Zoe's laundry room door proved Zoe has grown two inches taller than Grandmother.  The twos of them and son Paul had a memory maker lunch.  C returned home in time to catch up on news with Lauren, a senior at TX A and M.   Ron rode northbound to deliver three loaves of C's Italian bread to cousin Dorothy in Denton, TX.

Imagine!!! another anniversary :)  We haven't had an anniversary since Valentine's Day!   Ron proposed on this day in 2010, on bended knee in an Irmo, SC restaurant.  In honor of that special day, here is a reprint of our song, plus you can listen to Tom Baust singing it by clicking on this link: http://colonialswedes.org/music/

Tony Rubio wrote this special song for us sung by Tom Baust during the wedding ceremony and at the reception:

We’ve Traveled Through Time

A very long time ago

Before this world was known

The spirits of two lovers

Were destined to travel alone

Until they found each other

Until they found their home

And the name they carried

The day they married

And the love they’re giving

Through the life they’re living

Are all part of their story

All for the glory

We’ve arrived at this moment

With a new life to share

We’ve traveled through time

To find ourselves here

And now we walk the trails

And travel the roads

Guided by His peace

Everywhere we go

And though the world is changing, and the seasons, passing

Our love’s remaining a love everlasting

And the name we carried, the day we married

Love we’ve been given through this life we’re living

Are all part of a story, all for His glory

Through the seasons of change

And this world we’ve discovered

We’ve traveled through time

To find each other

Through these hundreds of years that I’ve waited for you

Apple trees still blossom in the spring,

And the Old Swedes church bells still ring

But now there’s something new

Now, there’s you

We’ve arrived at this moment

With a new love to share

We’ve traveled through time

To find ourselves here

Ron made fabulous egg white veggie omelets with asparagus tips, mushrooms, etc.  before the morning Show and Tell time on the 60" TV set he bought for his computer monitor; he uses Google Earth as the backdrop for multiple Windows on the screen.  This morning's  presentation was Google Earth zooming into the volcano crater at Lake Tahoe surrounded by gigantic lava flow that covered many states.  Ron said,  'If this ever erupts again, it will be the end of civilization."  Great show - tough timing.

22 Feb: Fri:  Today was Ron's first clergy spouse luncheon.  He impressed all of Cynthia's colleagues, especially those who are close friends.  One said she thought we were like two peas in a pod.  Ron said, "Yes, we both peed in the same pot."  On a sadder note, One of her colleagues was recently diagnosed with AML (Acute Myelogenous Leukemia)  that Scott, Cynthia's son, did not survive. Many discoveries have been made in intervening fifteen years, there is always hope.

Christmas decor is being packed; the lake house is being listed with her son Jon.  Anyone interested in a nice house on Lake Conroe?   Here is a link
http://www.trulia.com/homes/Texas/Montgomery/sold/23811056-13506-Northshore-Dr-Montgomery-TX-77356#photo-4  It has not sold during the 18 months it has been listed; but - the market has turned around with headlines in the Houston Chronicle noting a scarcity of homes for sale.  Also -  Exxon's Global headquarters is relocating about 30 minutes from here - 80,000 employees moving in to the neighborhood.

21 Feb: Thurs: We stopped for breakfast with Merry S - the sweetest, dearest friend.  Then - onto the lake house only to discover the new phone (Galaxy sIII was delivered yesterday by FEDEX and cannot be delivered again today.  After dinner at Pappadeaux we waited for the FE driver to return from her route with the package - took it immediately to VZ to get activated.   The 60 inch TV was delivered while absent.  It is perfect for a computer monitor with Google Earth running in the background.   If we  had the cell phone camera this is where Merry's picture would be  placed.

20 Feb. Wed:  Packed early we departed heading into rain by the time we reached El Campo's motorcycle shop.  They had the Gerbing's extra small heated pants liners that are a better fit for Cynthia so now she has the small size and the extra small size to choose between.  HAAAA!  This is too funny.  They did not have Frogg Toggs in a size large or X Large to fit Ron except a large woman's in PURPLE! Haaaa!  Off we drove - in the mist until a lot of rain poured down forcing us to stop for the night at Brookshire (ONE hour from the lake house).  Imagine - just imagine what a great photo we could have taken of Ron in purple Frogg Toggs to go right here!  IF we had the cell  phone camera.

19 Feb. Tues: Today's ride was an experiment in what Cynthia should wear - heated gear or TourMaster?   She wore both but did not turn on the heat to Seadrift.  The heated gear was placed into the top case for the journey to Port Aransas for lunch because the high was 79 degrees.  She was ready to leave all of the gear in the cases and Ride Like Ron from Port Aransas back to Port Lavaca except it got cold once again.

18 Feb. Mon: Ride Ride Ride!  Wind Wind Wind!  Drove south to Port O'Connor, then towards Seadrift and back to Port Lavaca.

17 Feb. Sun:  An observation about South Texas - everyone is brown except for strange looking white birds with MN and IA license plates.  The motel and gas station managers are East Indian.  The restaurant managers are oriental serving Tex-Mex, Asian, Cajun, Iowan or Minnesotan foodstuffs.  The world is flat: if it were not for the RV parks one could see all the way to Brownsville.  It rained.  We worked and slept.

16 Feb, Sat: Too much time has passed without exercise.  After breakfast at the Skillet: Aha!  There is a lighthouse, bird sanctuary and  beach walk - so we read in the nice brochure.  Walking across the street from the hotel to the RV park, we saw a nice white sand box with about ten umbrellas or bathing beauties.  Nice little boardwalk through a wetland area about a quarter mile long.  Continuing on we saw a model of a light house a block away.  Hmmm.  Could this be the beach, the mile beach walk and the lighthouse?  After a half hour walk to a gas station we learned, yes, indeed!  Those were the famous landmarks and the beach walk.  Hmmm.  The brochure was nicely done.  Dinner tonight was good - Bayside Seafood.

15 Feb, Fri: First stop was Verizon; the sweet clerk reinstated the service on the cell phone and attempted to call several times with no success; but this time the phone did ring.  Service was again placed on suspension.  We learned our options for a new phone with 26 days remaining before an upgrade was available; we drove all the way back to the rest area searching for the phone, talking to the janitorial staff before realizing the hopelessness of the situation.  AUUUGGHHH  By evening we were in Port Lavaca at a new Holiday Inn overlooking a bay with a seafood bar and grill next door.

14 Feb. Thurs:   Happy Valentine's Day.    May your champagne bubble, may the glowing embers  of love embrace you,  and may your hearts be filled with contentment.   Departure happened about noon.  Fortunately, Corpus is a short 4 hour drive at the max even with our many rest area pit stops.  Unfortunately, Cynthia lost her Droid cell phone at the rest area close to Victoria.  An hour later we learned of the loss, tried to call the cell phone but someone had shut it off so the call went directly to vox mail.  Immediately we phoned Verizon so they could place a temporary suspension on the phone.  Checked into the Hilton Garden Inn at Corpus; nice dinner at the Water Street Grill to celebrate Valentine's Day.

13 Feb. Wed. Gorgeous but cool day; the sunshine on the lake dazzles like diamonds.  We thought we were ready to take off at noon today but that did not happen.  The house is scrubbed down, gear is packed; 4 miles RT exercise.  Computer work on the Wrangel Years continues winding down to getting that critical index into Dropbox yet tonight.  Walter and Pam's pictures of motorcycling in Australia are awesome.

12 Feb. Tues.  One year and ten months anniversary deserved some champagne!  Work work work!  Jim Z is lined up with a rent scan laptop to complete transcriptions of    family group sheets that slipped past Austin who will be going to the seminary tomorrow to begin training Jim.  We have about 1000 pages left to transcribe.  Packages are arriving daily with goodies like more compression bags, mesh bags with clips, the right plug for the Gerbing's heated gear to plug into the BMW;  an inflatable pillow to be used for the knees while sleeping; AND SHIRTS!  Yes!  New shirts for Ron.  A summer weight and a winter weight thermal tech from the Motorcycle Superstore to replace the old blue shirt and the yellow one that are beyond repair,  finally going to the shirt grave yard in Ron's storage locker in IL or framed for Little Carol Anne to hang on her bedroom wall.   The new shirts are under layer gear made of a soft knit that hugs the body, rises high on the neck but not  a turtleneck with wicking, black and very good-looking   All of this with new tennis shoes, too.  Keep your eyes peeled for an extra light weight one piece rain suit that does not take up bulk in the top case.  The best goodie is the new water proof luggage that holds all of Cynthia's TourMaster gear and Gerbing's heated clothing plus the helmet.  Thanks to Carmen and Larry Miller for this marvelous gift from A&S BMW Parts store purchased with a gift certificate they gave us for the wedding.  Thanks to Walt and Pam for their wedding gift certificate that helped to purchase the bike cover.   We walked to the fitness center and worked out for 45 minutes: 4 Miles followed by dinner at Caddy Shack and home again home again jiggity jig.

11 Feb., Mon: UPS store, Wally World for printer ink, Apple Store for one hour training at 12 noon, run to recycling; back to Apple store for an hour training at four PM and to Pappadeaux for dinner.

10 Feb., Sun:  Worship at Grace Church was very nice.  We walked in the door JUST in the NICK of time and out just as it poured down rain.  Ron wore HOLY socks.  We worked all afternoon and into the evening.

9 Feb. Sat:  Yes!  The tree is still up:  I (CFB) love Christmas; we should celebrate Christmas as long as possible.  Besides, according to the liturgical calendar today is Transfiguration Sunday marking the transition from the Sundays of Christmas and the beginning of the Lenten Season Ash Wednesday.  Ron knows I love the lights; so he arises early to turn the lights on so I can see them when I get out of bed.  He is very funny.  Did you know that?   He thought I was sound asleep when he got up to make coffee.  I opened the door from the bedroom and walked quietly through the living room (open to the kitchen) and into the rear kitchen entrance, into the kitchen within four feet of where he was focused reclaiming the trash for recycling.  Standing RIGHT ACROSS from him, I picked up a banana from the counter, turned and retraced my steps to the bedroom. He puzzled over the bedroom door ajar,  but he thought it had not completely closed when he left the bedroom.  Tip-toeing in he thought I was asleep so he quietly closed the door and left.  My stomach HURT trying not to laugh out loud. 

 The first of many compression bags arrived today;  stuff gets rolled air tight.  Everything I can carry for a year is in that one little bag.  Here is the deal:  give away tees, shorts and undies, then shop in Wal-Mart for new ones.  

8 Feb, Fri:  Cynthia had a spa day after exercise.  After gulping down biotin, Collagen, Vit. D her nails are strong enough they needed to go to 'the salon."  Ron is making progress on the index; one tiny step at a time.  The Gerbing's heated pant liners arrived.  This is Cynthia wearing the heated under-layer with the four layer TourMaster gear on top: 1.) Quilted down inner liner 2.) Rain Liner  3.) Body Armor liner 4.) Outer abrasion protection jacket  - all four zipped together  with the heated gear under-layer weigh more than she does.  We need a  picture of Cynthia trying to get that leg UP and OVER the bike for Cheryl Shofner.  She can waddle well!    Wish you could see the lovely pastel colors in the evening sky; but they don't show up well with the droid camera.

FAT ALIEN CHRISTMAS ARRIVAL

Lovely soft pastel palette in the evening sunset.  Taken from inside the living room window

7 Feb, Thurs:  After a walk to the fitness center, lunch at Caddy Shack, we rode the bike to Wild West Honda to pick up the long-awaited bag liners that are form-fitted to the bag like a very lightweight suitcase.  Pretty cool.  Onward to Hempstead to pick up the thermostat control for the heated gear.   Jon and Barb met us at the Yacht Club for dinner; C ate the entire six ounce filet while Ron enjoyed Mahi Mahi.

6 Feb, Wed: Ron makes the yummiest omelets.  The day was spent eating, working, working out, and eating and working until midnight.

5 Feb, Tues: Arising early, Cynthia boogied to the Lexus dealer to have the drivers side front sensor replaced that went ballistic in  fog or rain; it was covered by warranty.  The rear sensor has the same issue; looks like someone hit the rear tail light and the sensor, surprising us since it does not appear to be damaged.  The service department cannot explain why the rear hatch opens up in the middle of the night when there is heavy fog or humidity. What a surprise to see that hatch open in the morning with all of our stuff exposed.

Ron is pleased that one more step of the index formatting was accomplished today.  We had a late lunch at Caddy Shack followed by a walk to the fitness center (3 miles RT) with 35 minute workout inside.  Thanks to Walter and Jim we now have spent a fortune on gear to hold our gear.

4 Feb, Mon: We are quite pleased to be so much smarter in only four days.  In three hours we were home, ate, unpacked and worked while waiting for the new liners to arrive Thursday.  We will re-pack only ONE pair of slacks, two pairs of socks and wear lightweight tennis shoes.  No clothes needed under the body armor - just a base layer.  Forget cute.  Forget changing into dress clothes.  We will NOT carry the cases into the hotel rooms.  We will not wear a money belt AND three fanny pacs.   Once our gear arrives, we will take another short trip to see how much smarter we may yet become.

         

3 Feb, Sun: It is always fun to see our 96 year old cousin who is one amazing woman.  Her artwork, in nine French books of art and poetry,  graces the walls floor to ceiling of her interesting ranch house.  She holds the title to being one of the top watercolorists in Texas.  Enjoyed the day, but, by two PM we packed and departed for dinner at Pappadeaux - arriving in Waco, TX by 7 PM to spend the night at the Hilton Garden Inn where we were given a coupon for free appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages.

2 Feb, Sat:  Breakfast at I-Hop's in College Station, dinner at Pappadeaux near Ft. Worth, arrival at cousin Dorothy's with homemade bread and the two riders are a lot smarter as well as exhausted.  In bed by nine we slept the clock around.

           

1 Feb, Fri:  We raced. We packed, unpacked, re-packed and packed some more.  By noon Cynthia sent a panicked email to Walter and Pam motorcycling in New Zealand and Jim and Joni in Maryland: "We don't have enough space for our gear, " accompanied by the photo of the three pieces of luggage that will carry all of our belongings for one year.  Off we rode on our shakedown cruise to Denton, Texas, getting only one hour from the lake house to spend the night at a hotel in Bryan, TX.  After moving all three cases into the hotel room, Ron said, "We need bag liners. This won't work." Walt wrote back to Cynthia, "We have to talk!"  Jim phoned with good suggestions.    Cynthia whipped out the IPad and ordered BMW saddlebag and top case liners, plus the tank bag and a chrome top case carrier rack, helmet locks for the license plate holder and a new knit turtleneck to replace Ron's hole-y blue shirt.  Back to the closet go the heavier hiking shoes, forget wearing jeans under the tour master body armor because of bulk. Ron smiled a lot at  Walt's advice,  "If it rains, you don't need anything but a good raincoat."

January 2013. Dr. Gould gives good news

Bill and Merry might need to know our schedule in Texas, so here is a link to a Google Calendar that might give us a clue.

31 Jan Thurs: Nary a moment's rest as we prepare for a year on the bike with everything we can get crammed into two saddlebags and the top case.  The top case holds two helmets and our shared Mac computer.  Cynthia's stuff sorta spilled over into Ron's saddlebag.  He is allotted one quarter of a saddlebag.  We are packed, the stuff that was spread out over the upstairs game room is packed in storage; the car is serviced and nearly ready for storage once a couple of sensors are fixed.  Cynthia spent the better part of the day at the Apple Store having her Mac Book Pro separated with an installation of Windows in 109 GB with 640 GB remaining in the Mac side.  It took the better part of the evening to upload Kaspersky security onto the Windows 7 partition; MS Office 2007 was a breeze.  Not all of the Gerbing's Heated gear arrived and they sent the control to her PO Box in Hempstead instead of the lake house.  But, we have to return for a three thousand mile service on the bike so the gear may arrive by that time.  Seems Gerbings has a new owner and they have a huge backlog of orders unfilled.  Cynthia is baking bread to take to our 96 year old cousin in Denton, TX tomorrow.  We will return on Monday to attend her intern supervisor's funeral, get the car taken care of and hopefully get enough miles the service can be done and we are outta here.

27 Jan: Sun:  We are sleeping a lot!  Maybe we should go to bed before midnight?  We worked out driving the motorcycle to the fitness center. had dinner at Ransom's Steakhouse and Saloon by car since the rain started to fall.  And here we are working late once again.  Goodnight!

26 Jan: Sat:  Soon to be running out of January and nice weather, we walked to the fitness center to work out (3 miles RT).  Bill S. was available in the afternoon, so Ron rode to Waller while Cynthia had spa time before having dinner with her four children and 12 year old granddaughter Zoe.  Cynthia was elated with the big hug from Zoe when she opened her gift:  a framed drawing Cynthia had done when she was in the sixth grade (like two year ago?)

25 Jan: Fri, Temps in the upper 70's are nice for riding that baby blue!  We drove to Sam Houston National Forest for an hour plus hike in Texas humidity.  The trails are desperately in need of maintenance, but we avoided the tackling any of it.  Realizing our physical stamina is pretty low for the amount of work yet to accomplish by the first of February, we made plans to delay departure.  Ron is doing asset allocation, reading the last six month's mail sent from KC, working on the Index for Vol. 6 of the Wrangel Years, while Cynthia is working on business stuffs.

24 Jan: Thurs.  Cynthia did not wake up until 11 AM.  Good for her.  Ron slept until ten.  Good for him!  He enjoyed riding Baby Blue to Wally World for egg whites.  This was errand day: the bank, UPS, fitness center, ride to Sam Houston National Forest.

23 Jan: Wed: The car went in for servicing and new tires - Ron rode to Wild West Honda BMW to pick up the new license plates for the bike and took Smooch Smooch out for lunch before he rode to Hempstead for the license registration for the motorcycle trailer.  Cynthia's wait at the Lexus dealer was an agonizing six hours.  She shoulda gotten a loaner car because she was worn out cookie by the time she arrived back in Montgomery.

22 Jan: Tues:  Cynthia had annual medical stuff all day with the back specialist who injected a new medication with a lumbar epidural procedure under X-ray.  Two discs are bone on bone;  surgery is not prescribed; hopefully this new steroid injection will help.  Walking works wonders.
21 Jan: Monday, What did we do Monday????
20 Jan: Church and I-Hop before hopping to the fitness center for a workout;  dinner with son Jon and Barb, Cindy and Jim.  We had a great time

19 Jan: Nice walk to the Fitness Center (3 miles RT) with half an hour on the elliptical machines.  We celebrated Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's days plus the birthdays of three of Cynthia's grandchildren.  Steven (soon 21) was amazed when Ron handed him the phone with his favorite band owner Tom Scholz on the line wishing him Happy Birthday!  It was the talk of the table for quite some time!  Tom was Ron's college roommate who is the nicest guy yet today; fame has not changed him.   We also celebrated Eric's new truck (the love of his life).  He was accepted into TX A&M College of Engineering following his HS graduation in May.  Granddaughter Rachel and fiancé Ryan were there showing off the ROCK on her finger with such excitement that Ryan pulled off the surprise proposal on a cruise a week ago.  Grdaughter Samantha (Steven's sister) was accepted into grad school - another reason to party.  Granddaughter Lauren completed her GRE and is grad school shopping after May graduation from TX A&M.   Eric got it right today, "We had a blast!"

Steven, Sam, son Jon, Lauren, Rachel, Ryan (standing), Eric, Cynthia and Ron

17 Jan:  The sun is now appearing! Arise now and greet the morning, the day begins anew:  The SCS councillor reports are mailed; Austin has finished his project with a final report delivered to the SCS; the rental laptop has been returned; the Bankston DNA article submitted for the SCS Spring newsletter which promises to be most interesting overview of Anders Bankston, his DNA, his grandson Lawrence's descendants among the SCS members.  Cynthia is doing tax stuff ad nauseum.

16 Jan: I'm hoping that the forecast makes for a nice motorcycling afternoon here in Montgomery, Texas. It was just too cold after all.

15 Jan: Poor little Smooch Smooch had to hop abruptly outta bed immediately after awakening at 6:45 am in order to get trapped in traffic en route to see Sasha, then to a new (Turkish) ENT, and she finally returned home in light rain after dark.

13 Jan:  Moving Moment:  Hundreds of waterfowl-a-flutter taking flight from our back "yard."

Waterfowl and Cynthia's Thumb

Interesting video conference with SCS's Bill W regarding the new website.  COOL! is the word when it opened seamlessly on Cynthia's new MacBook Pro.  Ron took a ride to Wally World and announced, "It is cold!  Better to recycle and record receipts."  We have much to finish before departure to the sunny SW in 18 days.  Gulp!  Did you read the weather forecast for PHX?  Our E-mail correspondence lags behind; one of us boasts it may be months or years behind!

12 Jan: Apple Store One-on-One training was ... Ok.  The assistant did not receive our request for specific topics:  1.) transcribe sound into text from cell phone vox messages.   2.) How do we use IBooksAuthor?  But, he was good at winging it; we learned some shortcuts.  Dinner with Cynthia's son Jon and his Barbara, friends Cindy and Jim at Pappadeaux was delightful.

Jim, Cindy, SmoochSmooch, Ron, Barbara and Cynthia's son Jon

11 Jan:  Nice sunny day with warm temperatures = a great day for the introductory ride with the WeeFee on the "new" motorcycle.  A fine time was had by all the survivors.

A hair-raising ride

10 Jan:After Cynthia's appointment at Apple Store and with doctor, we drove to Wild West Honda and picked up the new Baby Blue BMW R1200RT motorcycle.  The ride home felt mighty fine.

Baby Blue and Lexus "Mom"

9 Jan:

Sunrise at the Texas Lakehouse

8 Jan: At our Lake Conroe home: Ron the Egg White Omelet Chef outdid himself after discovering the mushrooms hidden in the refrigerator:

Cynthia's granddaughter Rachel just relayed news of engagement from a cruise in the Caribbean; Cynthia is VERY excited to be one step closer to having a new infant in the family.  We are back to work on our various computer projects.  Bo just called to report the "new" BMW ready to roll ... just as the most recent downpour came to an end.  We will probably pick up the bike on Thursday.  The forecast shows pleasant riding weather Thursday and Friday only. Cynthia has ordered her Gerbing heated underwear. We worked out at the Fitness Center for an hour, ate dinner at Walden on the Green (formerly the Caddy Shack), and are back to work before sunset on a chilly, grey, rainy day.

7 Jan: Cynthia went off to the optometrist and was given a clean bill of health.  Towards noon she experienced low blood sugar fatigue because she missed seeing the protein drink in the driver's side door of the car placed there so lovingly by her beloved Smooch!  Her labs were not as good this time: higher blood sugar, higher cholesterol. [ed note by Cynthia:  The labs are excellent by normal standards; by the cardiologist's standards they are a little too high; I am diabetic and have to keep my BS well below 95 to maintain the nice little arc without the peaks and plunges].   Ron behaved himself organizing projects and preparing recycling.  After all, we plan to motorcycle the entire year.  Pappadeaux prepares wonderful dinners; too bad their restaurants are so terribly noisy.

6 Jan., Sunday: We thoroughly enjoyed Sunday Services at Grace Lutheran Church nearby followed by egg white veggie omelets at IHOP and Blue Bell Spicy Pumpkin Pecan ice cream.  Yup, we celebrated the good news from the doctor by pigging out on ice cream this afternoon.  Jon &Barbara visited briefly this evening, and we are back to work until bed time.

5 Jan.: Sluggish today.  I'm going to bed for a nap.

4 Jan.: We always enjoy seeing Dr. Gould; he is an inspiration. In particular, his professional opinion is that I am still alive despite the two blocked arteries. Cynthia did not receive as favorable a review since we are all concerned with her blood pressure, blood sugar, and momentary black-out at dinner Dec 14th. After our doctors appointments and lunch at the Oaks, we drove to Wild West Honda, test rode a deep blue 2009 R1200RT around the block, and bought it from Bo.  Plugs and fuse panel to be installed before we start riding.

Wowee Zowee!  Let's Ride!

3 Jan.: That is one long drive from Baton Rouge to Houston.  Lots of swamp to be seen at first, then lots of development.  Cynthia noted fewer trees, probably victims of rising water levels & global warming.

2 Jan.: We enjoyed a delightful visit with genealogy cousins Pat and Reggie at the hotel dining room in Baton Rouge.  The drive from Columbus, GA was a long one.

Lake View at Hilton Garden Inn Columbus, GA

1 Jan.: Dick R. joined us for a lovely breakfast at Hilton Garden Inn in Columbia.  Thank God that Cynthia slept after so many pain filled, sleepless nights.  We were packed up and on the road at the crack of noon.  As we sped west on I-20, Cynthia determined that Macon, GA was close to the interstate, so we arranged to see her niece Danielle, a wonderful "kid."  Macon is indeed close to an interstate, but not one convenient to our route, so we wandered through the Georgia countryside for 60 miles to Macon and 100 miles west from Macon to rejoin our planned route.  Seeing Danielle was delightful and well worth the additional time. Our "bonus" for this detour was an excellent room upgrade at the Hilton Garden Inn in Columbus, GA.

 Nice visit en route to Columbus, GA with Cynthia's niece Danielle

December by the shore

31 Dec.: Thoroughly enjoyable evening with Donna & Greg, Vince & Mary, and Tom & Cheryl.  Mary baked sourdough bread especially for me due to my diet restrictions. Thank you, Mary!

30 Dec., Sunday: Thoroughly enjoyable evening with Greg & Donna, Dick, Clark & Elizabeth after today's drive from Florence, SC to Columbia.

29 Dec.: Checked out of Sands Villas barely on time at 11am and decided to drive rather than walk on the beach.  Seems it was a bad choice as Cynthia had excruciating back pain for several days thereafter.

26 Dec.: Wonderful thunderstorm, with tornado winds (one sighted nearby), propelled the surf high.  Breakfast at IHOP was satisfactory except that Ron almost left without paying the bill.  More copies and conversation at Staples, more holiday cards from WallyWorld plus an electric heater to warm my perpetually phrozen Smooch Smooch.  Although the Christmas cards were ready on Christmas day, no recipients were to be found close by, so the cards were mailed today.  By then it was time for lunch at Ruby Tuesday, and now we are returned "home" deciding to observe the big waves up close while staying dry.  This is going to be a windy expedition.

25 Dec. Merry Christmas!  I was good!  Oh OH HO HO HO!   Lovely Christmas day; we had to rush to breakfast because the Resort Grill stopped serving at nine to preparation their Christmas brunch, stuff we cannot eat.  Ron munched on a piece of bread as we walked onto the beach through an interested crowd of stationary sea gulls.  Wow, did those gulls evidence their interest, practically flying in my face and close enough to be a bit threatening.  Cynthia wanted to feed the birds, but first we walked 50 yards down the beach with bread in pocket.  Then Ron pulled the bread out and gave a sample to Cynthia who instantly attracted a milling "flight" of gulls.  Did you know that gulls can hover like a humming bird?  And they can pick thrown tidbits out of the air like a circus seal.  After walking for 3.5  hours on the beach, correspondence became the event of the day.  Almost all of the letters, cards, E-cards are written and will be in tomorrow's mail along with one gift Cynthia will return.  We lucked out finding a restaurant open this evening "Bistro by the Sea". Cynthia tried the door but thought it was locked;  we called and they had a place for us at the bar.  The bartender was quite a charmer, working as a teller at a bank during the day, bartending at night, plus completing her undergrad studies in business administration.  She takes her GRE in Feb with hopes of becoming a bank branch manager.  The way she managed that bar  by herself she will do well managing people in any field.   The tuna had a coconut sauce that was delicious; baked vegetables were also marvelous, and boiled red potatoes made a delicious Christmas dinner.  Especially after our only other choice was a Thai restaurant or McDonald's. Merry Merry Merry!

Feeding the Flock 

24 Dec, Mon:   I hope I don't get a lump of coal.  I been good.  Lovely two hour walk on the beach followed by dinner at Island Grille; the risotto is something else.  Cynthia ate a filet.  The Candlelight service at Shepherd of the Sea was lovely; the sanctuary was packed.  While it is wonderful to hear the carols, it is hard to sing with an organist who is not so lively.   Santa arrived while we were gone; OH did we have fun.

23 Dec, Sunday was very pleasant; we worshipped at Shepherd of the Sea Lutheran Church, Atlantic Beach,  which happens to be one of  only ten Lutheran churches in NE NC.  The pews were packed on this last Sunday in Advent; if you are Lutheran this is where you attend church.  The pastor had a nice message, the choir was good, and the post worship fellowship was warm and rewarding.  Well, not really rewarding because we cannot eat those sugary foodstuffs that women bring to church gatherings.  After a grilled chicken salad at the condo restaurant we walked the beach for two hours in sunshine followed by dinner at the Island Grille.  The risotto was prepared for us without oil or butter.

22 Dec, Sat: Tomorrow.  I hope the post office is open so that I can get my first two Christmas cards into the mail before Christmas.

Today arrived:  Cynthia pontificates:  The world did not end yesterday.  We woke up at the north pole of NC on the ATL seaboard where the temps dipped to 30 and the wind is 25 MPH.   One of us did not want to walk today.   Reading material over breakfast was the stock market report from Gabelli (30 June 2011) with brilliant insight, "The big decision last quarter was releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, in an attempt to ease prices.  This is not sound policy. The global release of 60 million barrels of crude represents  about 1/5 of 1 % of annual demand.  This cannot matter for more than a few days at most.  It didn't.  There is a good chance that the Reserve will now be refilled at higher prices and the US taxpayer is out the difference. Besides, there was no strategic emergency.  We ask again, where are the adults in Washington?  The debt ceiling debate is tragic political theatre. Who are these people who think nothing of playing politics with the integrity of the United States, arguing with each other like children and holding out default as a viable option?  Maybe in a move of solidarity we should all not pay our bills next month."  There is no new age, just the same OLD AGE where politics will never change.  Life continues.  Today someone will exhale their last breath releasing oxygen into the far reaches of the cosmos that will be inhaled as a newborn's first breath.  Amen!   Ron ran off to the library, WallyWorld, and the PO to print and mail Christmas letters before June.   I am too-much-over-excited-with new software: Adobe Acrobat X Professional Creative Suite.   This old mind is studying Acrobat for beginners.

21 Dec.: Tomorrow.  The OLD FOLKS vignette has been fun, but it is time to quit before it becomes overused. Cool night for good sleeping.  Even so we slept in.  Windy today with rough surf - pretty awesome.  We walked with the wind on the beach for an hour to Fort Macon and enjoyed the educational displays about barrier islands & natural communities thereon.  Return trip on roadway successfully kept sand out of our eyes.  The other bird we see most frequently on the beach is the willett.

20 Dec.:  58 degrees or lower overnight.  Marvelously cool sleeping.  Breakfast, rest, walk, rest, dinner anticipated ... OLD FOLKS.  Wait a minute, during our Beach walk this noon time, a pod of six or eight dolphins 50 yards offshore kept pace with us as we walked.  It was quite fascinating to see them intermittently surfacing.  One "dancing" dolphin stood on tail for a couple of seconds.  Excitements for folks of all ages.  Sunset was blue for our walk to dinner; Amy at the Island Grille made sure our portion of sea trout was adequate (Thanks).

19 Dec.:  Last night with windows wide open, we were cool enough most of the night, and Cynthia rested quite well without much stomach or back pain..  Today was primarily uneventful (OLD FOLKS). We walked the beach for a couple of hours and again to dinner.  The portion of sea trout this evening was disappointingly small, an unbelievable contrast to yesterday.

18 Dec.:  We slept well last night although the timeshare apartment is too warm for us.  NOW that is a real indicator that this blog is written by old folks for old folks !!  Let's not even suggest that the egg white veggie omelets are a highlight of the day and that we are excited by anticipation of another 5pm fish dinner at our favorite, familiar Island Grille.  Highlights for OLD FOLKS.  Our two hour walk on the beach is a bit beyond old folks.  Cynthia provided punctuation to dinner (sea trout) by blacking out momentarily.  ER was quick to see us and ran a dozen tests immediately, cardiac, brain, blood, urine.  The reason she has had a tummy ache for two weeks is a bladder infection, so Cipro was prescribed, and my honey is feeling much better.  No telling what caused the momentary blackout, but her blood pressure was extremely high upon arrival at the hospital, and her monitor showed signs of pvc's.  Excitements for OLD FOLKS.

 17 Dec.:  See entry above.  OLD FOLKS.  Wahoo.

16 Dec., Sunday:  All of our favorite restaurants were closed, so we enjoyed satisfying salads at Ruby Tuesday followed by the excitement of re-provisioning at Wally World.  OLD FOLKS. 

15 Dec., Sat: Packed!  We are off to Atlantic Beach, NC for two weeks.  We will be in Columbia, SC for New Year's Eve with the gang! After driving, we thoroughly enjoyed our walk on the beach to the Island Grille at 5pm for a Rockfish dinner.

A commentary by Cynthia about hysteria in the news and 'net over Photons, Mayan calendar, and the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, etc.:

"We have nothing to fear but fear itself, " said Teddy Roosevelt so eloquently.  Yes, we need to have clean air and be concerned about our ecology, calling attention to the sinkhole in LA and other environmental ills, but hysterical, feverish fear accomplishes nothing.  The internet and press are not helpful but misleading to people given to believing everything in print. Local political environmental organizations are places to invest energy to make changes and be part of the solution.  

Go after Hollywood, too. How many children have to die, not because of guns, for there are knives, not because of knives, because drugs and exposure to violence destroy young minds?   This morning's question, "Why?" about yet another senseless school massacre, begs an answer, "Why indeed!"  Look for answers in violent movies and vicious television shows cited by young killers who admit to playing out what they see on screen.  Look for answers in parents who allow young children and teen-agers to be exposed to atrocities.  Look for answers in those of us who support Hollywood and its ilk.  The answer is to turn off the TV, the computer, the cell phone, and spend time with your kids.  

14 Dec. Fri:   12 hours of marvelous sleep,  computer stuffs and off to the Hilton Garden Inn for breakfast before the AM "beach-beat.'  Despite the low 50 degree temps,  the bright warm sunshine made for a very warm pleasant walk sans jackets and gloves.  At the Quality Inn we climbed to street level to continue the walk to the Wright Brothers Memorial site of the first flight. The Visitors Center has the history of aviation through portrait paintings of personages prominent in aeronautics.  Cynthia enjoyed the glimpse into aviation in 2050 when flights will be available on demand; pilotless FEDEX and UPS,  flights that are not constrained by weather, etc.  No mention of what airport security will be like in 2050!   The stories of a couple of passionate young women aviators caught my attention as I read about the early deaths from accidents in air shows.   The ranger suggested we not try to take the three different ferries back to Atlantic Beach, NC tomorrow because of shallow water, high wind, favoritism given to locals and truckers so tourists come last.  We will instead drive the five hours back to our lodging at that beach for the next two weeks.

Two little stops to make before dinner tonight; we turned toward Virginia Dare Trail to go to Harris Teeter's to return frozen cherries that had pits left in them - but the blinding sun in the west prevented us from seeing the store immediately to our right on Virginia Dare Trail; 2.2 miles later we figured out we missed it and to heck with going back so we headed onto the recycling at Nags Head Municipal Park and thought we missed it, too.  We had not!  Whew.  Arrival was three minutes before Owen's Restaurant on Beach Road opened.  This was our  last night where we have dined every evening since our arrival.  They really feed us good food!!! It is delicious, plentiful portions, cooked to our severe dietary restrictions.  The Christmas decorations are the special attraction: the windows are lit with festive candles; they and the doors are draped with fir garlands, beads, balls;  Christmas trees grace every room including La Femme Toilette.

Model of the Kitty Hawk at Kill Devils Hill, NC

Replica of the Kitty Hawk

13 Dec., Thurs: Not many places on this island serve breakfast apart from fast food stuffs.  It is off season and so is fruit.  Since Tuesday morning we have driven to the Hilton Garden Inn for a great breakfast - all you can eat for $10.95 including fresh fruit.  The wind was much kinder to Cynthia as we trekked 4 miles RT to the Sea Shore Resort and inquired inside about a room since it has a marvelous oceanfront view; the rate is excellent: $75.00 a night.  But the real reason for stopping was  La FemmeToilette.

BIG WIND!!!!!

12 Dec., Wed:   19 months.  Another anniversary!  Brrr, it is cold and windy.  Dressed for an hour walk,  Cynthia wore Montbell down pants under jeans, a sweater, hooded sweatshirt, Montbell down under jacket, a down outer jacket and a wind-rain resistant hooded parka with three pairs of gloves.  Actually, she waddled for an hour.    Fascinating to see two guys surfing with kites and ski boards (this apparatus costs about 2K - very pricey).  A coast guard plane flew overhead checking the coast line.

SuperWindy View from Our Balcony

View from FourthFloor Balcony

11 Dec., Tues:  The drive to the Hilton Garden Inn was the perfect choice.  They DO have stuff we can eat including fresh fruit.   A Nor'easter hit the OBX!  Temp was a brrrisk 52 by dinner this evening.   It was a good day to stay cuddled up with our computers.

10 Dec:  Gorgeous day!  The waitress at the Ship's Wheel recommended Grits Grill for breakfast.  Forgeddaboudit.  Five miles RT in two hours; we felt great upon completion.  70 degrees today.  Notice the big fish the seagull caught that he cannot quite get out of the water (at his feet).  Yes, Virginia, the seagulls are real and so is the fish!

Mr. and Mrs. Santa Sea Gull 

Ron the Beachcomber

   

9 Dec:  Beach walk to breakfast at the Ship's Wheel.

8 Dec.:  Santa at Sands Villa, walking the sandy beach, driving to the Outer Banks, NC past cotton ready to be picked... Dinner at Owen's Restaurant, gorgeous sunset..

Feel like picking cotton?  

Sunset at Kill Devil Hills, NC

Santa came to Sands Villa

Quiet Beach Walk

Sands Villa Condos Beach View

7 Dec.:  It takes a different set of muscles trudging through deeply rutted sand dunes for  2 hours a day as opposed to trekking over rocks and roots in the mountains?  Just ask Cynthia.   Today's  beach walk to Fort Macon was pleasant; but half way back a light rain fell and we succumbed to yellow-blazing.  Wet puppies by the time we reached the condo, a cup of hot chili at the restaurant seemed better than a hot shower.  Ron enjoyed a phone call from Kat while she ate the soup and salad.  Kat was married last May!  Congratulations and best wishes on  their new home in Oregon.  With sore feet and light rain we drove instead of walked the beach to the Island Grille for dinner.

6 Dec.: Cynthia is finally "slept out" and awakened fully refreshed; I awakened after several cups of coffee and still crave "something to eat", but the doctor will weigh me in January, so it is time to tighten the belt. I suspect that I weigh 183 pounds instead of 176. The weather is cooler and windy, so for once we did not awaken "too hot" at any time overnight. Breakfast at the Resort Grill is so very convenient; the owners & staff report an enjoyable trip to NYC although they all now need sleep. The following summarizes our year to date:
We've had a marvelous year of hiking nearly every day throughout much of the spring, summer, and fall. Cynthia's physical condition and stamina is much improved and her chronic lumbar residual pain is much lessened (from a horseback riding accident 12 years ago).   It would have been lovely to continue hiking, but Reynaud's disease in her hands is not a good thing in cold weather.)
Our plan is to walk on the beach daily throughout December and drive to Texas starting December 28th. We've seen MUCH more wildlife on the beach: dolphins, seagulls, sanderlings, anhingas, sand crabs, ghost crabs who eat the sand crabs and much more activity: wave, wind, kites, and sand; Waaaay too many people, especially on the weekends; and interesting historical displays and presentations at Fort Macon about birds. Check out Dr. Coous, ornithologist and M.D. at Fort Macon.
It will be of interest to relocate Saturday to Kill Devil Hill, further east and north. Today (the 6th) was chilly and windy. Cynthia experienced painful Reynaud's symptoms after dinner. Wikipedia says that Reynaud's is exacerbated by vasoconstrictors, like caffeine and red wine, two of Cynthia's favorites. Dare I break the news to her?
Wrapping up our experiences is easy. We loved our daily hikes; we feel a terrific sense of accomplishment and satisfaction; we love our improved physical condition and are amazed that hiking can cure back pain. Recipients of our trail magic and beneficiaries of our trail maintenance have provided us many attaboys and a warm glow from their appreciation; we wish them all well, successful hikes and a long and enjoyable life.
I thank God daily for my beloved Cynthia and for whatever still works on this aging body. Best wishes to you all.
Love from Shakedown Cruise.

 Bird Hatching - Hardest Work of His Life

Almost There!  Mama where are you?

Neat video about the birds at Fort Macon

5 Dec.: Another marvelous night's sleep despite awakening too hot a time or two. Ventilation in this unit is not nearly as good as last year's 4th floor unit. This one has no sliding glass door into the bedroom. After our IHOP breakfast, timeshare representative Deanna of Deanna Hull Realty was unapologetic for not returning calls, saying that her office was closed. So why didn't her answering machine message say that the office was closed? The Smooches enjoyed another pleasant but slightly cooler walk on the beach for an hour to Fort Macon, NC State Park and an hour return after we both watched the entire documentary video. Five dolphins again amused us from 50 yards away and seemed to head directly towards us as I talked to them. After a satisfying computerizing during the afternoon, we enjoyed a sunset walk on the beach to the Island Grille and an encrusted flounder filet for dinner - very tasty.

View above Fort Macon to Ocean

A Dolphin Pod

Ahh! Amen!

4 Dec.: Another nice night of sleep again with too warm episodes. Today's big surprise is that the Resort Grill is closed to allow the staff a visit to NYC. We had to drive instead to IHOP but received excellent omelets and coffee there. Another hour walk on the beach to Fort Macon; this time Ron slipped in to the auditorium and watched part of a documentary with re-enactment of the roles Fort Macon has played over its 190-year history. Inside the Fort, we visited an officer's and enlisted casement room with exhibits and read up on the "hot shot" furnace. Eight dolphin were leisurely patrolling the shoreline as we perambulated similarly. Ron updated the Bankston web site to include DNA pages. Island Grille served us flounder again and promised to prepare fat-free potato with tomorrow's dinner.

3 Dec.:  Wonderfully long night's sleep. Another omelet breakfast, another walk on the beach all the way to the fort and around the grounds today, 2+ hours total.  Cynthia's foot is a bit better.  Indexing of Vol. 6 is finished (for now), DropBox updated, e-mails sent w/ attachment, so tomorrow I can move on to something else for a project. Our evening meal was much more satisfactory since the Island Grille did indeed have fresh catch today: flounder. I'm so excited to think that tomorrow I can organize ALL previous jump drives onto the NEW 32 Gig miniature Jump Drive (that cost only $20 !!)

2 Dec., Sunday: Sleep is wonderful stuff, and we seemed to get enough. Breakfast ditto. The Resort Grill was open with Santa Claus (the robot) greeting us automatically in the entryway.  Obviously the same management is still working there, and our egg white veggie omelets were as good as ever. We decided to walk two hours on the beach since Cynthia's foot is in pain, metatarsal something with a tight knot in the middle.  After garnering supplies from the nearest WallyWorld, we had time for a couple of hours work on the computers before walking on the beach to the Island Grille and a big disappointment: no fish. We settled for a filet, but I refused to eat much and upset my better half way out of proportion (in my opinion).

Surfers 

Cargo Ship

Searching for Bikini Clad Girlies?

Sun, Sand, Surfin' Sailing!

1 Dec.: The Hilton Garden Inn omelet chef did a nice job for us, and we were well-fed, happy and driving by 10:30.  Cynthia drove for the first leg so that I could work on the computer index for Vol. 6 of the Colonial Records.  We switched in North Carolina so that I could drive on the lessor roads to Atlantic Beach and the Sands Villa timeshare.  It was a major surprise that Randy is no longer manager there.  It was a substantial disappointment to find that our apartment is on the first floor with a VERY disappointing ocean glimpse.  The walk on the beach to the Island Grille for a delicious dinner cured those disappointments.  We enjoy a long night's sleep with the bedroom window open for cooling but were still over-heated at times.