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Monuments, Memorials and Memory Lane

Posted on August 21, 2016 by Doug and Jackie

Off we go to use up our accumulated days of timeshare before we turn it back to Wyndham through their Ovation program. We have a plan to spend 5 days in Washington, DC and 2 days in Manhattan (totally not enough, but this will be speed sightseeing!).

This time the RV stays home and we hit the highways in the Scion. Along the way we plan to stop by some of the places we remember from our past. In Doug’s case it will be childhood neighborhoods in Delaware and New Jersey; for both of us it will be our first house in New Jersey and the above-the-office apartment we rented for that first real job.

UPDATE: We are now home from the adventure and I can now post some pictures and share some stories. I’m going to add some information to the Foodie page, post lots of pictures to the Gallery page and hopefully keep your interest. Next blog page will be devoted to the New York stories, so you will want to check that out as well.

So can you really go back and re-live the days of your childhood by visiting all those great neighborhoods and places you remember? Have they changed much in 55 years or 30 years? What will you find?

Newark, Delaware

On the way from Washington, DC we drove to the Newark, Delaware neighborhood where Doug’s family bought their second house. While it was being built we stayed just down the hill in a small brick rental. What are some things I remember from that time? I recall going to Junior High for the first time, a late Spring snowstorm that with snow so deep we built an ingloo to play in, lining up to take our sugar cubes with the Polio vaccine, playing in the creek behind our houses and mischief night fun in the neighborhood (that was the night before Halloween when you could pull pranks on your neighbors).

The second house Doug’s family grew up in, circa 1961/62 (and YES we had real snowstorms back then).

Not much had changed after 40 years or so…

My sister of course remembers the time my brother chipped her front tooth (the cap for which she is just now replacing once again). I recall the time in the rental house when our hamster got out of his cage, never to be found again. It caused great panic for my great Aunt who was babysitting us that night and had already named it “that rat.” I was sure we would lose both the hamster and my great Aunt that night before my parents returned!

Our rental house and scene of the missing hamster caper …

The old neighborhood looked pretty much the same, except grown-in much more. I sure thought we lived on a hill with a steep front lawn, but by the looks of it today it was really just a gentle slope. I wonder if the pachysandra and hosta out front are the same ones that mom planted so long ago…

River Plaza, New Jersey

Further on into New Jersey and we crossed toward the shore and River Plaza, which is just next to Red Bank and along the Navesink River. Small world indeed, one of the guys on our DC Brew tour lived in the same area and we had been talking about some of the landmarks.

Ok, my elementary school was old even back then.

I found my way to River Plaza Elementary, turning just after Chris’s Delicatessen (still there) and was able to chat up the front office staff there. Yes, this is the school I went to for kindergarten and first grade and would it be possible to have a look around? Students won’t report until after Labor Day (wow) so I was able to check out the all-purpose room and hallways I once walked. The all-purpose room was that combination of raised stage, gym and kitchen area where you ate lunch. All I can recall of lunches was that on Thursdays you could buy a hot dog. Still K-5 with about 275 students.

Around the corner and down a hill toward the marsh was our neighborhood. Found our old house and met the nice couple who live there now, Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham. We shared some memories of the street and who was still around, who is gone. The Moores, Mansons, Kulas and Culises. The empty lot next door where we used to disc and sled during snowstorms was still called the Elephant Pit, even though there was now a house there and I doubt it was ever an elephant graveyard. Some of the great trees with rope swings along the banks of the marsh (that led to Dutch Neck, a netherwoods area that only the brave would wander into) were gone, victims of recent storms.

Doug’s family’s first house, circa 1953/54. I guess it is “midcentury” now. The style was the same as one that Jackie’s family had growing up, too: Cape Cod (with the unfinished 2nd floor).

The house in 2016. We met the current owners and shared some “whatever happened to ..?” moments.

Were we crazy then or what? Look how bundled up we were, but we HAD to get our ice cream!

Not much had changed in 50 years really. This was a neighborhood where you came home on Halloween loaded with a bag of candy and treats, where your parents would shout out and call you to dinner at night, where we all learned to ride 2-wheelers and I tried out my first skateboard… which was indeed a metal skate nailed to a 2×4 for which the skateboarder (victim?) was pulled by rope behind a bicycle. I still have dirt from that road embedded in my left knee.

Washington, DC

Whirlwind 4-day tour of our nation’s capitol was a blast, even though it was still very hot (90’s). Our timeshare was in Old Town Alexandria next to a stop on the Metro. We bought an unlimited pass and learned our way on the blue, green and yellow lines quite well. So what sorts of things did we do in Washington? Saw all sorts of museums, memorials and historical artifacts that made us appreciate the significance of our country even more. Really reminded us that our nation’s founders set a grand plan in motion that has been representative and responsive and functions well, despite the current election-year rhetoric.

We toured and visited:

Smithsonian Museums of Air & Space, Natural History, American History, National Gallery of Art, National Portrait Gallery
National Zoo, US Botanical Garden
Union Station, Ford’s Theater, Old Post Office, National Building Museum
White House, US Capitol, Willard Hotel, Ebbett’s Grill
National Archives (Declaration, Constitution, Bill of Rights, Magna Carta)
Supreme Court, Library of Congress

Washington is such a photo-rich city with statues and flags and impressive buildings and marble everywhere. It is going to take me a while to sort through all my pics, but it was so beautiful to see, even if it was way hot and humid. A few tours were extra-special and worth the time to try out:

Evening Segway Tour

Have you ever tried a Segway? How about with a dozen others as you zip along the roads, sidewalks, paths and grounds of DC? We loved it!! After a quick training with City Segway Tours, we were off to explore the memorials of the National Mall at night. Off we went like a swarm of bees, heading to see all these spots, most of which were quite different lit up at night. A few could not be appreciated as well at night, such as the Vietnam Veterans and FDR Memorials.

We saw the Washington Monument and memorials to Lincoln, Jefferson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Korean War, World War II, Vietnam Veterans and Martin Luther King. We stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and looked out across the reflecting pool as MLK did. And we were quite surprised at the large crowd of folks at the FDR Memorial who were… playing Pokemon Go.

DC Brew Tour

Gotta try a brew tour, so we went with DC Brew Tours and joined a young couple and 9 guys on a bachelor’s party (we were worried about that, but it was cool… even the blow-up girl they brought along). We hit four breweries that were a real cross-section of how it’s done. First stop was Port City Brewing for a great Weiss beer and an atmosphere much like our local spot at home.

We then hit a gastropub, Capitol City Brewing, for a much needed plate of grub and a sampling flight. Third stop was a small neighborhood brewery (Public Option) with some of the operation in a garage out back.

Last stop was truly different. We pull up to a lot that is surrounded by shipping containers and wire fences. Inside the gates of Bardo Brewing we see that the entire operation is outdoors. There are the fermenters and bright tanks outside, with taps from a shipping container surrounded by a pallet-wood bar. Quite the operation, but the beer was good.

Bardo Brewing tasting room bar

At least it was a clear and dry night.

As we closed out the tour we headed to the van, one that very clearly says “DC Brew Tours” with a large mug of beer on it. We all have our large tour lanyards around our necks as we load in to the van. But just as we pull away from the curb, a Metro police car pulls out behind us and we are stopped. Our driver was very professional and had not had a touch of beer all night, but of course was quite rattled as he tried to find the registration card for the van. We were told the area had a lot of suspicious activity and drug deals, however we checked out. Umm, I figure it was pretty obvious what we were doing in the area, but I respected their diligence. Didn’t help that the guys in the back of the van kept sending the blow-up doll forward in the van… “crowd-surfing.” Ah well, a little extra excitement, no charge.

Seems like a suspicious van to me …

New York City is our next adventure, so be sure to check the next posting for pictures and stories from the Big Apple. And check the “Places Gallery” for plenty of photos and “Foodie” for more stories.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Bardo Brewing, Capitol City Brewing, City Segway Tours, DC, DC Brew Tours, Delaware, Lincoln Memorial, MLK Memorial, National Archives, National Zoo, Newark, NJ, Port City Brewing, Public Option Brewing, River Plaza, River Plaza Elementary, Smithsonian Museums, Union Station, Washington, Washington Monument, White House, Wyndham Old Town Alexandria | 1 Comment

In Memory of Benji

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Doug and Jackie

Benji

February 14, 2003 – August 3, 2016

Our true adventure dog happily traveled with us in our retirement all the way to the Grand Canyon and back. But his favorite place was always where we were.

He was a one-of-a-kind dog and family member who made it through some tough adventures of his own these past few years, from nasty neighbor dogs to overly protective deer in the backyard.

Merlin posted a tribute and a gallery of photos of his buddy in Mews.

Benji will be missed greatly.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Benji | 4 Comments

Beach Tales 2

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Doug and Jackie

Good beach read

Heck, who doesn’t like a good sequel, right? Well this is the rest of the story of our camping adventure along the Emerald Coast of Florida.

Sandy feet to remember later

It continued to be great weather for us: hot, sunny and bright with water temps reaching the mid 80’s. While most folks probably think that is a great temperature for swimming and bobbing in the waves, it turns out that summer water temperatures have a dark side. What the travel brochures don’t tell you is that warm water usually means more marine life.

Marine life warning

I recall spending summers at the Jersey Shore and late August usually meant warmer water and jellyfish. And if you stayed at the beach during the hot summer, you probably know this. Just the same here in the Gulf of Mexico – the purple warning flags went up and we spotted more and more moon jellies and felt bits and pieces of them zapping us once in a while. That tapered off after a few days, but what also appeared in the beautiful, clear water was Junegrass (that is the local name for a green algae bloom).

Good day at the beach

This band of green hugged the shoreline most days and we found ourselves moving along the beach to find a relatively clear spot of water to splash around in. It was really more a nuisance really, and maybe it would not bother you if you didn’t mind swimming in a soupy broth, but it did put a damper on the experience. Chatting with locals we learned that it is something that stays all summer once the water gets warmer. Sun + nutrients + warm water = algae bloom. Just something to keep in mind.

Nice lunch at World of Beer

Our last day in Topsail Hill Preserve State Park was not a good beach day, so we drove to Destin Commons and had lunch at World of Beer. While it looks like we sample a lot of beer these days, the important word here is sample. Then of course I have to do it for my readers, you understand. Love their flatbreads paired with some beer from Apalaciacola’s Oyster City Brewing (loved First Light of Day blonde summer ale) and Atlanta’s SweetWater (Jackie likes their Bourbon barrel aged Imperial stout – Cork N’ Cage series).

World of Beer, Destin

Not All Who Wander Are Lost – our new mantra.

While the beaches we visited were great, getting there can be a good bit of exercise. We are almost thinking of them in terms of beer calories now. “That was at least a two-beer trek.” This campground is said to be a half-mile to the beach access, but by our estimates it must be twice that. You can take the tram, but that means waiting for the twice-hourly pickup and that’s not always what you want at the end of the day.

Tram to the beach

Option 2 is walking the paved road with chairs, towels, umbrella, cooler and beach toys (not recommended for families) or Option 3 is riding your bike. We managed to hitch up the trusty Tommy Bahama beach cart to Doug’s bike and rode our way to the beach access — which worked out fine. Oh, but you aren’t toes-in-the-water yet. You still have the long boardwalk to traverse and then the soft sandy dunes to drag your cart across. Set up umbrella and chairs, relax, swim and then repeat the trip back across the sand and back to camp. So yeah, probably worked off at least a beer or two there…

The long walk across the dunes

Last night in camp we were prepared for thunderstorms and were not disappointed. We had packed up everything, so it didn’t cause us any problems, but I couldn’t help but think about those folks in tents and tent-campers who would be watching the canvas all night for drips and leaks. Our only leak came on the road, as a crack in the upper part of the windshield appeared and started leaking when we hit some intense rain in Alabama. Another call to GEICO for windshield repair when we get home. I think this might have been from one of the stone pings we got while on the fall trip out West that eluded the crack repair in the fall.

Heading home at last!

So off we go, back home for now to enjoy the 4th of July and hopefully some time with the grandchildren. Not sure about the next summer camping adventure just yet, so stay tuned.

Be sure to check the updates in the Mews, Places and Foodie pages.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: beach, camping, craft beer, craft breweries, Emerald Coast, Florida, motorhome, RV camping, Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, World of Beer | Leave a comment

Beach Tales

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Doug and Jackie

A month in Florida is hard to beat: a perfect mix of sunny weather, sparkling clear water, a white sandy beach and plenty of little fish to chase around the water. That’s been our June so far, with a few stories to share. We don’t have wifi here in St. Andrews State Park so it has been a convenient excuse to postpone updating the blog and just enjoy the sand and surf. But a trip to Starbucks will give me time to share what’s been happening:

We love Panama City Beach and St. Andrews State Park. For us it is a very casual, friendly and laid-back vacation spot. Can’t beat the campsite, with a view of the Lower Lagoon, a nice breeze and lots of kids on bikes and golf carts zipping around. We arrived just as the rain stopped from tropical storm Colin and many of the sites were underwater. A high tide surge added a little more waterfront to many sites, too.

Nice (?) waterfront site

High and dry at St. Andrews

The storm cut into the dunes along the Gulf beach, creating a cliff of sand. You know how kids always want to get buried in the sand at the beach? It usually means someone gets totally covered in sand and has to rinse off. Well, sadly, a teenager who had been digging tunnels and caves in this particular sand wall was trapped when the sand collapsed on him. We were watching the boys dig the tunnels, but minutes after we left the beach emergency crews arrived to dig him out and administer CPR. Unfortunately he died the next day. Kind of a rough start to the week.

Ready for the beach

Jackie’s sister Judy and family came down to PC Beach mid-week and we spent time at the beach together, snorkeling along the rock jetty and splashing around in the surf. Just had to snap a shot of us all getting slathered with sunscreen! We joked about the long trek to the water with all the gear and laughed about the big deck umbrella they brought along. One afternoon a dark line of thunderstorms moved along the coast as we watched and debated when to pack up. That decision was made quickly when the wind rack kicked up and umbrellas started to go inside-out. Jackie grabbed and shut ours down just as we watched Judy’s umbrella go airborne in a slow-motion tumble that pierced itself on a pole, then lifted and tumbled further over the dune. Ok, time to go.

Tut, tut looks like rain!

Back at camp we got a phone call that our niece lost her glasses in the scramble. Could we come help look for them? Tracing our steps back from the parking lot, down the long boardwalk, up and over the sand dunes and down the beach to the scene of the crime, we looked earnestly for the purple frames. Not much luck, but I brought a small fan rake and began to skim the area where we were sitting. Probably useless, but just maybe … wait, what’s that? Something popped up out of the sand as I scraped along and Presto! there were the glasses. Great save.

Another vacation goal was to seek out local craft breweries and compare the samplings. We found Nivol Brewery in a strip shopping center and were pleasantly surprised by their operation. Had some samples of wheat, porter and red ales – they have only been open a month, but have a good selection of local beers on tap. With their full license pending, we had to buy a souvenir pint glass but could then have a fill of our choice of beer. We chatted up the brewmaster, who already knew about and carried Burnt Hickory brand and had been visited by Dry County (they have the same tank system), but of course we talked up Southern Sky Brewing, too.

Maybe the strangest craft beer sampling came the next day. An internet search listed “Screw and Brew” locally, so I just HAD to see what that was all about. A definite pint glass purchase, I figured. Jackie helped navigate the location, “wait, you just passed it” … well, according to the online maps, but we didn’t see anything. U-turn and try again. “Turn here,” as we drove past a small hardware store and through their side parking lot into a pretty gnarly back lot. Hmm, that wasn’t right. Back out front we noticed a small sign in the window “home brewing supplies” and thought what-the-heck. I left Jackie in the car (this was doubtful) and I ventured in.

Hmm, inside it was pretty much a hardware store, with a wall of home-brew supplies. “Can I help you?” Uhh, well, I guess I got the wrong spot. We are on a hunt for local craft breweries. A smiling clerk said he could recommend several spots (Fishale, Nivol) and I said those were already on our list. “Ok, well thanks, I guess I got the information wrong.”

“Hang on, I do have some wheat beer if you’d like a sample” he said, and I cautiously nodded okay. “Just follow me out back.” Ok, this was speakeasy creepy and I was wondering if I would have to know a secret password or handshake. Out through the stockroom to that gnarly section of the back room and garage … a rusty fridge had a tap installed and an off-kilter kegerator was nearby. “Don’t have any fancy glassware, (oh darn, the whole point of the visit), but if you are ok with Styrofoam…” Next thing I know I have a cup of foamy beer in my hand. “What do you think? It’s better this week.” Well, here goes nothing – lot of head but it’s actually not bad. We walk back into the store and he says he just can’t keep the beer cold enough in the kegerator, it keeps tripping the circuit breaker…

I thank him for the beer, wish him well, take the rest of the cup back out to the car for Jackie to finish (I mean, seriously, am I supposed to just drive off with this beer? No DUI for me, thank you). So chalk that one up to the weirdest sampling ever.

Local samplings at Fishale

Just down the road we stopped in at Fishale, which was a real pub that featured a lot of real craft brews on tap. Spent time sampling all sorts of Florida brews and decided to visit Grayton Beer on our way west later in the month, since we liked their 30A Beach Blonde.

Best Grouper Sandwich!

Caught up with one of our fellow teachers from school when we learned she was staying in PC Beach with a friend, too. Our suggestion was to meet up for the best grouper sandwich in town at Sharky’s on the beach – which lived up to expectations. Still the best sandwich in town! We shared stories and encouraged her to join the ranks of the retired (just maybe one more year of teaching she thinks!). Good fun all around.

Good Friends

So as I wrap up this posting, I should probably share one last story that just goes to prove that you really do need to check and double check your vacation plans no matter how careful a person you are. We came back from the beach on our last day in camp and sat out to enjoy an adult beverage and the nice breeze. We had been talking about what we needed to pack up so we could roll out easily the next day, Monday. Our plans from 11 months ago were to stay Monday to Monday (2 weeks) and then move to Topsail Hill State Park for 10 days.

A golf cart with two park rangers pulls up … “You know that checkout is 1:00 pm.” Yes we do, we plan to be out tomorrow by noon for sure. “You were supposed to be out TODAY by 1:00 (it was now about 6:00). Yikes, no way, we had a Monday check out. We scrambled to pull up the reservation info on our phone as he explained that they found another site for the folks who DID have the next reservation and we didn’t have to leave until the morning. But would we please settle up with the Camp Office in the morning?

So what was the story? Turns out we had a Sunday to Sunday reservation but put it into our Google calendar as Monday to Monday. The reservation at Topsail Hill was fine, but we got the one at St. Andrews goofed up by one day. Kept wanting to say, “that’s not us, we aren’t those kind of people… we are rule followers and are well-planned… we are retired teachers (and are always right) …we went out West for 6 weeks… “

Ah well, (sigh), honest mistake.

Happy Birthday drink for Jackie!

Jackie’s birthday celebration at Dewey Destin’s Harborfront restaurant.

Next stop is Topsail Hill Preserve State Park. Probably won’t get to post until we are back home.

Check out lots of great photos of the parks here.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: beach, camping, craft beer, craft brewery, Dewey Destin's, Fishale's, Grayton Beer, motorhome, Nivol Brewery, Panama City Beach, RV, Sharky's, snorkeling, St. Andrews State Park | 3 Comments

Mother’s Day for Critters

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Doug and Jackie

Sometimes there is more to a story than just a few pictures, so I moved my commentary from the “Happenings” page to a regular blog to tell the tale of a castaway…

Just a few days after Mother’s Day this year we found out we were deer parents once again. We were sitting out on our deck finishing up our morning coffee when twin fawns were spotted all wobbly-legged in the backyard ivy the very morning they were born. This is the fourth year that we have had new fawns born in the backyard (or the yards of our uphill or downhill neighbors). Mom had been hanging pretty close by (seriously, edge-of-the-deck close) – to the frustration of Benji, who now keeps his distance. You may recall two years ago he was pretty badly damaged by a doe who stomped him and flipped him while we watched and yelled. We really can’t figure which of the several deer who frequent the backyard had these twins, the original mom or one of the daughters, but you have to admit the youngsters are cute.

Only a few days later we had a pretty awesome thunderstorm, with cold rain pelting the ground and thunder booming all around. It turned quite cool the next few days, which was the start of our Len Foote Hike Inn anniversary trek. We came back home from that adventure and wondered about the backyard “zoo.” So far as we could tell, there was nothing moving next door, so we assumed the twins had gone off with their mother. We were busy getting the deck and backyard ready for our Retirement+1 Party anyway, so we were thinking about mosquitoes more than deer. But, the morning after the party we noticed that we had a single fawn in our backyard. The fawn got to enjoy the music and fun during the whole party without anyone realizing.

We now have to keep the peace between mom and Benji when they are all in the yard together. She stops by mid-morning and in the evening, silently walking through the yard to meet up with junior. If Benji happens to be in the vicinity, she definitely makes a beeline for him.

In the second week after the twins were first born next door, we saw a doe walk through our yard, hop the fence and wander down to where she was greeted by the fawn – the one in the downhill yard. Since he nursed alone and then scampered all around like a little rabbit, we assumed that he (or she) was the sole survivor. The stormy night and cooler temperatures must have been too much for the sibling. Our little backyard guy met up with his mom on other mornings when she would stop by to nurse and then leave him to hunker down in the ivy along the fence. You see, we have a four foot wire fence that separates the yards. It is no problem for the adult deer to hop over, but it keeps the little guys in place.

Our little castaway sits in the ivy all day, quietly waiting for mom to return. When she does come into the yard he runs over to meet her and eagerly nurses. We see both fawns, but we haven’t actually seen both does at the same time… hmmm. Just as we are trying to puzzle out the situation over breakfast on the deck, the doe walks through the yard, hops the fence and is greeted by the downhill fawn. Then they wander up to the fence line toward our castaway. Everyone just meets up at the fence. So mom and fawn #1 are on the downhill side and fawn #2 is on the uphill side in our yard. Mom jumps over and our little guy follows along and they hang out for a while.

You can view the fence line reunion video here: https://youtu.be/8FxkvVopaj8

About now we are getting the feeling that these are the twins, somehow separated by fence. How that happened is a mystery, but suddenly mom jumps back to fawn #1 on the downhill side and then sprints across that yard and stops. Fawn #2 runs along the fence trying to jump it. Clearly mom told him to get a running start and go for it. Wasn’t working.

I went around front and opened the side gate to give the guy (or gal) a chance to join mom. Not working, as the little one was running along the fence with no success. So Doug ambled around the back yard to guide him toward the gate and herd him along. Panic sets in, he gets frantic and leaps at the fence repeatedly while mom watches nearby. She stomps, he stops and there is a moment when we all seem to be thinking “any ideas?”

I moved closer down the fence line, he keeps banging along the fence, but as he moves toward me I simply press him down and calmly lift him up and over the fence. Zaaap! He sprints to the ivy and mom chases after. We think it is all a good family reunion now and the mystery of the twins solved. The day after, our neighbors spotted them together in the yard, so all must be well. Quite the tale of a castaway.

Oh, and the wrens who nested in a box next to the deck have been very busy keeping four noisy kids fed. What a Mother’s Day for critters it has been.

Gosh these kids are always hungry!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: backyard, deer, fawn, wren | 3 Comments

Hike Inn Anniversary

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Doug and Jackie

Rainy start to the 5 mile hike

You’re gonna love this post. For our 41st wedding anniversary this year we wanted to try something different and extend our adventures to a Georgia mountains challenge. So we booked a night at the Hike Inn at Amicalola Falls State Park. If you don’t know about this place, let me fill you in.

Amicalola Falls

View from Amicalola Falls

In 1998 the state built their first backcountry inn as a place that you could only reach by hiking 5 miles into the Chattahoochee National Forest from Amicalola Falls. Officially named the Len Foote Hike Inn, it is operated by the non-profit Appalachian Education & Recreation Services, an affiliate of the Georgia Appalachian Trail club. The inn is just one mile from the Approach Trail that leads to Springer Mountain and the trailhead for the Appalachian Trail.

The Hike Inn has 20 guest rooms in four clustered buildings: bunkhouse with lobby and gathering spot, bath house with showers and restrooms, dining hall reminiscent of summer camp, and a library of games, puzzles and sofas with wraparound deck and rocking chairs. In fact, each building has a wraparound deck for great views.

Hike Inn

You are provided with sheets, pillow and blankets for your bunk (two to a room) and a washcloth and towel to use in the showers … there were even cloth bathmats! Afternoon snacks and drinks are ready for you when you arrive, which is a good thing, since you will probably be eager for some of that blueberry crumble or banana bread and iced tea after the 5 mile hike. Dinner and breakfast the next morning are served family -style for guests.

View from Hike Inn

So you get the picture. A remote location in the Georgia Mountains that is pretty much on the Appalachian Trail. An easy way to experience the trail without having to pack in your tent, food and supplies (and didn’t I mention hot showers, too?) So while we couldn’t bring in a celebratory bottle of Champagne or even a nice Merlot, it was going to be a peaceful, backwoods hike in the mountains. We hoped to chat up some new peeps and learn about other good day hikes in the area from folks like us — I mean, who else would be there on a Tuesday night in May? Umm… well it’s a funny thing about being retired teachers: you are never really far from students.

At last! Made it to the lodge.

Len Foote Hike Inn Lodge

As we joyously arrived at the end of the hike and stepped up to the lobby check-in, it became apparent that something was amiss. Where were the seasoned hikers and elders who were ready to tell tales of their favorite treks? We were surrounded by a class of twentysome 5th graders who were staying the night with us. Seriously? Oh yes, there it was. All the familiar behaviors of middle-schoolers-in-training.

A class trip? Seriously?

“So, Jackie, let’s go get a glass of iced tea and a snack in the dining room.” Oh, but of course 5th graders live on sugar and iced tea, so it was slim pickins. “I hear they have a game of cornhole set up,” Jackie said. “I really wanna try it out.” Nah, that location was now some sort of bean bag dodge ball going on. “Ok, how about that nice porch swing out front?” Nope, there was a game of musical chairs between the swing and the rocking chairs. “The library?” Now that was just too cozy a spot to pass up, if you were a youngster with no internet — so it was a mash-up of Jenga, a half-finished game of Monopoly, a puzzle (?) being worked on by the quiet one and kids flopped about on the comfy sofas. And did I mention the wraparound decks? You know, the kind where you can get away from someone who is chasing you and then, like, spy on someone else or maybe, I dunno, cut through the lobby for the fourth time in 15 minutes? Well, at least there was the 5:00 tour of the buildings to look forward to . . .

Now don’t get me wrong, the location was great, the dinner and breakfast were delicious and there was a group of six other retirees who had hiked in for the night together. But they were sort of huddled together for safety most of the night. Oh, and the teachers and parent chaperones for the group (and our teaching buddies will know how that played out) were fun to chat with as we stood at the rail watching the antics around us. It just wasn’t quite what we were expecting.

Boardwalk was just that: boards.

As for the hike to the lodge, it was a good workout. The day started with thunderstorms, but by the time we started the hike it was just all wet, drippy and a bit of slippery mud. We crossed a few streams and climbed some steep inclines, and saw some woodland plants in bloom. The mountain laurel that were in bud when we hiked Cloudland Canyon were in full flower here – large groves of them. The rhododendron had finished, but there were literal forests of them — larger than I have seen. I would pause to snap a picture, which was a good breather for Jackie, and suddenly we would notice a cluster of something new around us.

Four-leaved milkweed

Cinnamon fern

Eastern hemlock

False Solomon’s seal

Solomon’s seal

There were patches covered in fourleaf milkweed, a delicate pink-white flower, and other places covered with mayapples. Galax were pushing out their blooming stalks. The best photo story is when I stopped to snap pics of club mosses and ground cedar (while avoiding the ever-present poison ivy). As I stood up, I noticed distinct orchid leaves and mentioned it to Jackie. She quickly spotted a couple of blooms back off the trail and we saw that they were gorgeous pink ladyslipper orchids. So I navigated my way through the hollies, briars and poison ivy and knelt down to get a shot or two, awkwardly. But heck, I got the shot, right? Well, not 10 feet further down the trail there was a cluster of them right at the edge of the path – perfect location, hassle-free. Oh, well. It was a large patch of them, and we easily spotted the pink blooms all around us. How cool.

Pink ladyslipper orchid

Ground cedar

Clubmoss

Rattlesnake plantain

Rhododendron forest

Mountain laurel

Trillium

Four-leaved milkweed

Galax

Mayapple

Local wildlife

Blackberry

Thump, thump, thump, thump. Clackety, clackety, clackety (sounded like someone’s carry-on bag being dragged across the decking). Oh, it was just our 6 am wake-up call, courtesy of the very active, yet somehow direction-challenged 5th graders. As we finally stumbled out of our bunks, we realized we only had a half-hour to get to the kitchen for a cup of coffee before breakfast would be served to the masses. Hurry! Breakfast was worth the early rise — eggs, bacon, grits and peach spoonbread served up hot in a cast-iron skillet. And we had one we only had to share with two other adults!

Dining hall

After we showered, turned in our linens, filled our water bottles, tucked in our packs, and collected our lunches (which were awesome, by the way) we waited just a bit for the munchkins to get out ahead of us, but it seemed they lingered around and … well, we finally just asked “So which trail are you taking back down? The Hike Inn trail or the Appalachian Approach trail? Oh, the Hike Inn? Great, good luck.” Any guess which one we took? Actually, it was a good trail back, seeming to head downhill more than uphill. We connected with the portion that went on to Springer Mountain and the AT, turned left and headed back down to Amicalola Falls. It was just a quarter mile longer (5.25 mi), so it was fine. And quiet. We got to the bottom of the trail just as the group of six other adults joined us from the Hike Inn trail and we briefly laughed at our shared experience.

So we had a great anniversary after all: a quiet, romantic night in a remote backcountry inn, surrounded by the night sounds in a National Forest that you can only reach by hiking five miles . . . well, something like that. I’ll check the Appalachian Trail off my bucket list and try to remember that even though you can retire from teaching, the kids are never very far away. (you might recall our posting from St. Augustine of last year).

Next trip is our return to Florida and St. Andrews State Park.

Be sure to check out the gallery in Places and some new pictures in Happenings!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Amicalola Falls State Park, Appalachian Trail, backcountry, Galax, Georgia mountains, Hiking, Ladyslipper orchid, Len Foote Hike Inn, milkweed, Mountain laurel, retired, teachers, trillium | 7 Comments

Family Cruisin’

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Doug and Jackie

This was one of those family gatherings that actually played out better than we expected – after lots of planning conversations laced with “fingers crossed” and a collective sigh of relief when we were back home. (My sister will note that I used my often maligned air quotes once again). So if you are up for hearing about a family adventure to the Caribbean, keep reading. If not, just look at the pictures here and in the Places Gallery and smile (oh and I posted more of our craft brewery discoveries in the Foodie section of the blog).

The goal was to get Dad out of the house and back on a cruise that he and Mom had enjoyed so often in retirement. He is a patient and loving caregiver for Mom, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, and he was in need of some serious social interaction and relaxation. So a three-night weekend cruise from Port Canaveral to Nassau, Bahamas seemed the right choice. My sister flew in from San Diego to join, my brother and wife from SC drove Dad and sis to meet us at the ship. We stayed at a local spot the night before and teased that we would be on board, poolside with drinks in hand while they were still driving down I-95.

Cheers to Cape Canaveral!

We actually had a good time the night before, as we discovered Florida Beer Company was just across the street from the Radisson where we were staying. So we sent selfies of our “hey we made it” drinks at Radisson and a few at the colorful sampling bar of the brewery just to get my brother and sister in the mood.

Florida Beer Company

Florida Beer Company

As it turned out, they arrived at cruise check-in the same time we did, so we all got to board and head to the pool deck at the same time, with a beaming Dad ready for adventure. (I have to pause a moment to thank my other sister who stayed with Mom the whole weekend and really was a critical piece in making this happen).

It was the first time we cruised with Royal Caribbean and as it turned out, the last cruise out of Port Canaveral for the ship Enchantment of the Seas. They were headed to Miami after our cruise to be their next home port. There was a big celebration one night in the center atrium, complete with a table-sized cake for all.

Central atrium was spectacular

Want some cake?

So of course we had to find the nearest bar for the perfect glass of champagne (Kir Royale) in celebration. Ok, Ok, we did purchase the unlimited drink package, so slap our hands and raise a frozen concoction to say “Welcome Aboard.” It really did make for a very fun and relaxing weekend, as we changed up the drink of the day and I checked off my list of gotta-try-this-next drinks. I have to say the bartenders onboard were top-notch. The sail away that evening was perfect: sunny, clear, smooth sailing. We left the dock before the Disney and Carnival ships and were ready for adventure in Nassau the next day.

Pool deck

But first we had to discuss the “peeps” competition between my brother and I. Not sure why, but we started this thing about having people we meet and high-five aboard ship and such. You know how you seem to run into the same faces for some reason the whole vacation? Well, Jackie and I already chalked up the server at the Florida Beer Company and the manager of the Radisson (a great guy who had several recommendations for drinks aboard ship). My brother was anxious to grow his list of peeps at the blackjack table later on, so the gauntlet was thrown down. He didn’t know that I already had a peep serving us at the Boleros bar on deck 5 …

Saturday we were to arrive in Nassau at noon and there was much planning about who was going to go ashore and who was staying on board. Jackie, my sister and I wanted to go ashore, since we had never been there before and we wanted to try a local beach spot: Junkanoo Beach. As we sailed into port, there were four other ships docked, so it looked to be a pretty busy spot. We had a great view of Paradise Island and the Atlantis Resort, something a lot of folks visited for a half day excursion. We stepped ashore, ready to walk a few blocks to the beach.

Junkanoo Beach beauties

I can’t say I was very impressed with the arrival area closest to the ship’s dock. We didn’t get to wander too far, but clearly the big draw was Senior Frog’s and Fat Tuesday’s – definitely crazy beach bars. We made our way around them to the beach, where the clear water was amazingly refreshing, but the whole public beach scene was not really the most relaxing. It was a good idea that we took a taxi the short ride back to the dock and was exciting driving on the wrong side of the road. We did stop in at Pirate Republic Brewing and had a flight (of course, you knew we had to) of Long John Pilsner, Island Pirate Ale and Captain Kid’s Kolsch. The pilsner was quite good. The waterfront just didn’t seem as welcoming and clean as we expected, so maybe a ride over to the hotels on Paradise Island or over to Cable Beach would have been a better choice.

Pirate Republic Brewing courtyard

Arghh

Yet another brewery flight!

Saturday night was Formal Night in the dining room. You can see that our table took that very seriously … well maybe it was more like Island Formal, meaning we had shoes on.

Formal Night in the dining room

Sunday our day was spent on CoCo Cay, the private island of Royal Caribbean cruises. We kids all took the tender ashore and spent the day snorkeling and sipping and spraying sunscreen. It was a gorgeous day and we had fun spotting lots of tropical fish, including rays, puffer fish, parrot fish, butterfly fish, trigger fish, and all the other golden, blue, silver and purple tropicals that make the reefs so colorful. For me, this was some of the nicest snorkeling I have done.

Sunday night aboard ship was so much fun. We hit the casino and pretty much took over one corner. Dad moved from roulette to the blackjack table and settled in. Next to him was the craps table, so my brother and I took a corner and started the action and noise. Pretty soon his blackjack peeps from the night before joined our end of the table and my sister (after some as-we-played instruction) joined us. She turned out to be a good shooter as was the entire other end of the table. Folks kept asking us to look over and check on Dad, who was doing just fine with his stack of chips. It was a fun night and we all came away with some pocket change. Asked later what his favorite part of the cruise was, Dad said “the gambling.” No wonder, he had his own cheering section. He might have won for the most peeps.

As we all said our goodbyes and started the long drive back home on Monday, we agreed that we had to do it again. The ship’s crew and staff were very attentive and enthusiastic and the weather was perfect. It was time for that collective sigh of relief and smiles about the good times together. Mom was just fine back home and nobody was worn out from cooking or cleaning. A family gathering to remember.

And Dad was heard to say “So when are we getting the team back together again?” Stay tuned for the sequel.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Bahamas, Coco Cay, Cocoa Beach, Florida Beer Company, Nassau, Pirate Republic Brewing, Royal Caribbean, snorkeling | 7 Comments

We’re Back!

Posted on April 23, 2016 by Doug and Jackie

Yes indeed, it has been a while since I have posted a new and exciting hiking or camping adventure. Not that we haven’t been busy the past few months. It has just been a lot of solid family time — helping paint and update our daughter’s new home; decking and bathroom projects at our son’s home; some granddaughter birthdays; decking projects at our house and welcoming a new grandson into the family!

Trees were just starting to leaf out

Great view north

And now, after de-winterizing the Winnebago, we headed out for a quick three days at Cloudland Canyon State Park in northwest Georgia. Weather was sunny, temperatures in the 70’s and we were ready to do some hiking down in the canyon and around the rim. As you can see by the pictures, the wildflowers were plentiful and the trees were just pushing out their leaves — maybe a week behind our Kennesaw neighborhood. If you have ever hiked Cloudland Canyon, you will recognize the views and the two beautiful waterfalls. If not, you should plan a visit to a spot that has views up along Lookout Mountain ridge toward Chattanooga and the Tennessee River.

The view North toward Chattanooga.

What’s in that cave?

Our first day’s 3 mile hike was from the West campground (oh, we were one of maybe 6 in camp that day) over to the Waterfalls Trail and the Main Overlook. Spectacular view of the ridges and valley below. The hike down to Cherokee Falls and Hemlock Falls is a combination of trail and stairways. Beware, it is 600 stairs down and the same 600 back up again! But if there is good water flow, the falls are a beautiful sight. And the wildflowers were amazing. A hillside of trillium, saxifrage, Solomon’s seal, dwarf crested iris and violets was gorgeous. Water dripped over limestone cliffs covered in moss and maidenhair ferns, with Jack-in-the-pulpit blooming.

Cherokee Falls

Along the creek

Hemlock Falls

Above Cherokee Falls

Trillium

Dwarf crested iris

Jack-in-the-pulpit

Saxifrage (foam flower)

Violet wood sorrel

False Solomon’s Seal

We had thought that the Sitton Gulch Trail was a choice for the next day, as it traced along the creek further down the valley, but since it also incorporated the same 600 stairs at the start, we opted for the West Rim Trail along the top of the mountain instead. That seemed like a good 5 mile hike to prepare us for our upcoming hike in Amicalola Falls to the Len Foote Hike Inn.

Catawba rhododendron

Fringe tree

Blueberries

Wild Indigo

Mountain laurel almost blooming

Flame azalea

Sweet shrub

Along the rim

The trail was a nice woodlands hike with plenty of pink native azalea in bloom. Underfoot were bluets, star flower, violets and the lovely blue dwarf crested iris. Doug was busy snapping away with his camera, which Jackie confessed provided some good “breather” moments. I am pretty happy with the pictures, but I must confess the ones “in my mind” always looked better than those the camera captured. Somehow the vividness of the colors just doesn’t come through as well, especially the blue of the iris. Wildlife was pretty scarce, with only one vulture sailing the updrafts. But a 3 foot green vine snake was a surprising find along the trail. We had a good look before we sent him along. The Catawba rhododendron were just about to bloom and the mountain laurel were maybe a week or two from full flower.

Green vine snake along the trail.

Quiet campsite

Benji loves camping

Back in camp it was quiet, with no sounds of planes overhead or highway traffic or train whistles, such as we hear at home. Actually, no wildlife sounds either, since it is too early for crickets or katydids but no peepers chirping. We did have a Pileated woodpecker teasing us at camp, stopping to tear up a few stumps mere feet from the campsite. He knew I didn’t have my camera out, of course. Jackie was heard to say “you have plenty of their pictures,” but you can always try for that one more money shot! Food in camp was rough: grilled strip steaks one night, maple-bourbon salmon the next. Don’t ya love it?

Rock outcrop at the rim

After a brief overnight rain, we packed up and headed for home — only a two hour trip. The campground was fully booked for the weekend, so lots of folks will be hiking the trails. It was nice to have the place almost to ourselves. We met some nice folks who will be heading to some of the Western parks we visited this past fall, so there was a chance to share ideas and experiences.

Back home we sat out on the deck and listened to the sounds of Barred Owls hooting in the woods, got buzzed by hummingbirds who wanted a feeder refill and we watched for our herd of local deer to wander through. Cloudland Canyon was very cool, but home isn’t so bad either.

Check out all the photos in the “Places” page of this blog.

Coming up next: weekend family cruise to Nassau and then for our anniversary a hike to the start of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia with an overnight stay at the Len Foote Hike Inn.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: camping, Catawba rhododendron, Cherokee Falls, Cloudland Canyon State Park, dwarf crested iris, False Solomon's seal, green snake, Hemlock Falls, Lookout Mountain, native azalea, trillium, Violet wood sorrel, West Rim Trail | 2 Comments

Happy Start to 2016

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Doug and Jackie

Trying to fix the perfect Christmas martini.

Ok, my son was overheard to say that he doesn’t know what happened to his parents. Someone replaced them with these crazy college kids. I guess I don’t blame him, since we have been acting more like college students than retirees … but that’s a good thing, right? If you aren’t much into the craft brewery scene, maybe you should just skip this post.

Winter Adventures

Noonday Creek Trail

Noonday Trail Hike

Walked and then biked part of the Noonday Creek Trail from Hwy 41 (KFC) to Bell’s Ferry Road trailhead and back. Great trail, but easy access parking along the way is just not available. Nice to see rental bikes, though. Great project for the Town Center Community Improvement District — keep it coming!

Silver Comet Trail

Bike helmets are not flattering!

We went for a 10 mile bike trip with our granddaughter from about Florence Road south. This is such an easy and fun trail to bike, but like all rail trails, it is an out-and-back trek rather than a loop. Still, I am so glad the County and State have worked on this rails to trails project to provide a great recreational opportunity.

Woodstock

Reformation crowd

Did you notice the warm, wet Christmas holiday? That’s probably to blame for the start of our winter adventures that seem to be more about visiting craft breweries and drinking flights rather than taking flights somewhere else. Continuing our mission to visit local craft breweries, we met up with friends in Woodstock in December to check out Reformation Brewery and loved it. Great vibe and some beers that suit our tastes. Our favorite is Cadence, a Belgian-style Ale, but Union was a refreshing one with notes of citrus and coriander.

Marietta

Red Hare Brewing

Cheers at Red Hare

New Year’s weekend, with Alex and Bethany along, we found Red Hare Brewing in Marietta and took a tour with samplings. Again, a nice vibe, some live music and several samplings that we liked. Watership Brown is one they are known for and we also liked Long Day Lager. Sticky Stout, an oatmeal stout, was their seasonal, but I don’t care as much for stouts and porters beyond a sampling.

Bluffton, SC

A flight at Fat Patties

Word about our youthful behavior gets around, so when I was visiting my parents this past week outside Hilton Head Island, my brother said “Let’s get together at Fat Patties in Old Town Bluffton tonight” Sure thing. What I heard was “Fat Patty’s” and was expecting some country cooking and fried chicken from an oversized woman named Patricia who would welcome you in with “Come on in, boys, and have yourself some fatback and greens.” No, it was a great burger joint with fat hamburger patties. Adam, Vickie and Jeff were great sports to join in the flight beer samplings … well, maybe it wasn’t that difficult to convince them (although I think Vickie had her eye on a grapefruit shandy). They are now convinced I can’t drink beer unless it is in small glasses on a fraternity paddle.

Yummy, thick burgers (I had a blue cheese one) with a flight of beer all around. If I recall, I had a wheat beer, Red Hare Watership Brown, a red ale and a Belgian Dubbel. The twist on burgers is you can order beef, turkey, shrimp, chicken or black bean as the pattie. If you are down that way, I recommend it. They are just starting up their Salt Marsh Brewery upstairs, so local brews are on tap along with regionals. Unlike Georgia, they can sell directly to consumers.

Chattanooga, TN

“Meet the Artist” Judy Klich

My sister-in-law Judy had a “Meet the Artist” night featuring her work in the River Gallery in Chattanooga this past Friday, so we met up with her for the reception. We were wondering if she was going to be considered goldfish cracker or crudite/cheese and cracker level artist (our informal scale). She was crudite-worthy and the Chardonnay was crisp. Judy is an amazing artist who works in Encaustic (beeswax) to create some gorgeous realistic and abstract pieces and commissions. You should check out her work. Anyway, Alex was on tap to suggest dinner afterwards, so off we went to Beast and Barrel Gastro Smokehouse in North Shore (other side of the river), Chattanooga. We got an odd response when we said we didn’t have a reservation, but seeing as how the bar was hardly full, we finally convinced the manager we could indeed be seated at the bar-top table for six.

Cheers to the Artist!

A flight of Eastern TN brews

Pastrami on Rye

A round of flights for us all – we did an East Tennessee flight that featured local brews (Terminal White Shadow Belgian Wit, Chattanooga Brewery Chick Bock, McHale’s Scottish Pride, Mayday Velvet Hustle Pale Ale, Fat Bottom Knockout IPA, Hutton & Smith Vanilla Stout Nitro). My favorite was Chick Bock. To eat, I had the Big Katz, a pastrami sandwich that had thick slices of meat, marinated, smoked and grilled topped with house-made kraut on Neidlov’s marble rye. Hands down the best pastrami sandwich I have ever had.

Woodstock Return

Jackie, Barb and 6 Cadence

Got a text on Saturday that two friends were at Reformation in the afternoon, so we hustled up to join them for a bit. Teri, husband Dan and Barb have upcoming play dates at Burnt Hickory Brewery in Kennesaw, so look for Blind Fate to show up there or off the square in Marietta from time to time. Cousins Maine Lobster Truck was serving up lobster rolls outside — you might recognize them from Shark Tank. Another fun afternoon.

So now the treadmill is our latest best friend. That, along with some brisk fitness walks around the neighborhood, is going to get us back in shape so we can be ready for some of the more active adventures we have planned for 2016. A Christmas present book “Hiking Georgia” will be the start of some hiking and biking adventures around the state. These craft brews are great, but they don’t burn off the way they used to when we were in college. So maybe we are more like retirees after all … NAH!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Beast and Barrel, Biking, Cousins Maine Lobster, craft beer, Fat Patties, Red Hare Brewing, Reformation Brewing, River Gallery, Salt Marsh Brewing, Silver Comet Trail | Leave a comment

Merry Christmas to All!

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Doug and Jackie

Gosh it has been a great year — well, actually the last 6 months in particular. Retirement has brought new life into our routine and has really made friendships more dear. We have had more time with family — spending a few days painting our son’s new house, baking brownies and playing around with our granddaughters, beer samplings with our sons and maternity shopping with our daughter (well, Jackie did that one, not Doug).

We struck off out West with our cat and dog to explore the National Parks and found out we could hike the canyons, cliffs and forge upriver with the best of them! (To quote from Monty Python, “we’re not dead yet!). Experiencing our country’s natural wonders only made us want to explore some more. It wasn’t enough to swim and snorkel in the clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico — we had to cruise out to National Parks in St. John and Puerto Rico to swim in the reefs and explore Spanish fortresses.

Falling asleep in the Rockies to the sounds of elk and coyote; watching a swirling cloud of bats head out for a night of good eats; pausing at the summit of a trail that drops off 1,500 feet beside you … these are all great memories from our recent adventures.

“Ohhhh you didn’t just take that picture, did you?” Congrats to Cindy!

We celebrated with colleagues on the deck this summer and just this week congratulated another teacher who joined us in retirement: our good friend Cindy. It was nice to join the party and catch up with all our other friends at school. It was nice to see students who ran up to say hi and tell us they missed us.

Notice the gentle grip!

Just wait until I get down!

So we had this great idea to take a Christmas picture with the pets, but nobody asked the cat and dog if they agreed. Several takes later we got a shot that worked, although Merlin quickly split and complained about “cat shaming.”

We do wish all our readers, friends and family a very Merry Christmas and thanks for following our grand adventures. Who knows what we will do in 2016, but we invite you to come along with us and find out.

Hang on Santa, it’s gonna be a wild ride!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Christmas | Leave a comment

	Debi Horne Weinstein on Our Galapagos Adventure, Part…
	Doug and Jackie on Our Galapagos Adventure, Part…
	Debi Horne Weinstein on Our Galapagos Adventure, Part…
	Debi Horne Weinstein on Our Galapagos Adventure, Part…
	Doug and Jackie on Our Galapagos Adventure, Part…

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