Just another beautiful day in paradise! Hello

Hello! We've been relaxing and enjoying the sun & warmth. This flower is about the size if my fist. It is growing between our house & the beach, and closes each night. So I presume it's related to a Morning Glory!!!!



Here Cory is relaxing onthe beach. He looks like he's enjoying himself tremendously, huh?

Our old friends from Canton, Renata & David Veeder, came by and we went out to Valentine's Day dinner. They are visiting her brother in Bonita Springs, and Wed. we will go to their place for dinner. It was great to see them after 11 years. (Ken saw Dave this past Oct. ) I should mention that David Veeder and Ken (and my Father) have golfed together for a zillion years. That's our beach house behind the Veeder's!

It's really nice to see Daveand Renata down here in FL. This past Friday I drove to Miami to the Miami Boat Show. Wow - I spent 5 hrs. of non-stop walking and saw about 1/3 of 1/2 of one of the 3 venues! It would take at least 3-4 days to see everything. Yesterday, we all (Linda, Cory and me) took a drive northward and explored around Englewood, Punta Gorda, and Port Charlotte. Same stuff - different location. Tomorrow its going to go all the way down to 50 degrees, darn - we're really going to suffer here! See you all soon. Ken

Teaching ourselves to blog- all over again

Because we forgot from last year - this blog posting should be read from the bottom up. We'll get it right the next time.



They're doing it to me again!!!!! Cory

We are so lucky to have this view off the deck every evening, and the sun goes down around 6:30 here. The air is 80 degrees, and the Gulf of Mexico water is 75 degrees- I should know, I'm out there playing in the water almost every day. Cory is mad at me cuz I took him out in the water on an inflatable tube, and a wave drenched us both. He REALLY does not like the water, but likes all the smells on the beach!

Right after we arrived in FMB Tom arrived by plane. We spent a really nice week with him - which included beating him in "Upwords," miniature golf, and bowling. He might tell you differently, but he lies...

We drove near the Blue Ridge Mts in VA. The views were breathtaking, and it was so cool I had to wear several layers of clothing!!!!

First, we stopped in NC and visited with Dave, and met Emily. We had a terrific time.

We're baaaack!

An update on our trip. We have arrived in Fort Myers Beach, FL. Actually, we arrived yesterday, Friday, at about 4:00pm. The weather is 80 degrees and sunny today, with a light wind and no rain in the forecast. We traveled 1730 miles from CT to NC to FL. The Honda CRV, loaded with a month’s worth of supplies and 2 bicycles, averaged 27.2 miles per gallon. We took the inland route thru PA and VA and had a really nice trip. We visited with Dave for 2 days and met his girlfriend, Emily. Dave is extremely busy this time of year and was in courses most of the day. We met for dinner and breakfasts. It was wonderful to meet Emily. She is really a terrific person! Dave is very fortunate to have such a good friend. After leaving Dave we headed to Linda’s cousins - all of whom live in Southport, NC. Once again, the visit was punctuated with a lot of family, laughter, and good times. We then left and traveled to FL - arriving in 2 more days. It should be noted that I left my cell phone in the hotel in NC and Dave had to go get it and mail it to me. I’ll be glad when I finally receive it. (Call Linda’s cell if you need to get in touch with us.)
Today, Saturday, was a day of just resting and getting used to not being in the car. I washed the car, fixed Dave’s bike so it is rideable and Linda walked the beach and looked for shells.
My brother is arriving today at 7:40 pm to stay for the next week. Weather looks great for the whole week - I’m very glad because weather in Feb. can be very iffy. The water is 74 degrees right now and Linda and Cory went for a dip today. Cory still isn’t talking to Linda!
I have brought the computer to the airport for the free wi-fi so I can keep current with the bills - at least the ones that I do on-line.
Right now Cory is trying to blend into the white tile floor so that we don’t get kicked out of the airport. There’s a big sign that no dogs are allowed unless they are service dogs. No one has bothered us yet. It’s possible that they think I am handicapped. I forgot my cheater reading glasses so I’m wearing my sunglasses to type this. It’s dark outside and I have sunglasses on - good enough for homeland security, I guess. I’ve just been told by Linda that Tom’s plane has been delayed another 45 minutes! Ken
Linda here- The trip down was very enjoyable- VA is beautiful. We passed thru Amish country & I saw a horse pulling the black carriage you typically think of in Amish land. The rolling hilled farms were beautiful. I saw a red-tailed hawk as he was landing on a tree branch close to the road. We did not go on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but we went over a mountain pass road about 11-12 miles long. It was breath-taking! I’m glad Ken was driving!! There were lots of “soft shoulders”! Apparently OSHA has not found out about this road yet! It was great to spend time with Dave, and to finally meet Emily. It was also great to spend time with my cousins and see my 89 year-old Aunt Pearl. We just happened to arrive on her birthday!! We have also been reminiscing about last year’s trip, and how we were getting ready for the Intracoastal- having no idea what lay before us! This year we have lots of beach time before us! Love to all! Linda

Back to Posting

It has been a long time since the last post - almost 2 months. We have been busy adjusting to land I guess. Ken went to the National Speleological Society Convention in Indiana for a week, Linda and Jane headed for the Cape, Ken and Linda went to Freeport, ME on an LLBean Bike and Camping Weekend, Linda, Ken and Paul went to Phila, PA for Aunt Marion's Memorial Service. In the middle of all that, Linda has been enjoying the bog, and there have been many trips to the shore and visits with friends and family. Linda also has gone back to work on a per diem basis - which apparently means "full time." The pictures are a sampling of all these events.


A sampling of the food and fun on the LLBean Biking Trip. We covered 51.02 miles in 2 days - a record for us. We were with 13 other people and 2 guides. It was a wonderful time. After a dinner of steak and lobster last night, we woke up to lots of coffee, fruit, and blueberry pancakes.

The camp ground set up. Each couple or family had their own 12-person tent, set up with a lantern, a winding flashlight, cots, sleeping bags and sleeping sacks.

The view from our tent. We arrived first and picked the tent right next to the water. The other tents were at least 5 feet farther back. Who says arriving early doesn't pay?

The NSS Convention in southern Indiana. We're sitting around trying to agree on the next cave to explore. The Convention was home to over 1200 campers for a week. Agreements on caves were generally made about 5 minutes before leaving.

My tent and equipment after a day of caving.

Debbie, Bob and Diane at Aunt Marion's memorial service. It was wonderful seeing all the family, especially the next generation. Sorry about the picture quality.

Branford fireworks picture from Alison's boat.

The crew of Alison's boat headed out for a rough day of checking the 5 lobster traps. Fortunately we all survived the "World's Deadliest Catch" moments.

Linda and Jane, 'nuff said.

The bog in dry July, 2007.

Our walkway now extends over 40' thanks to Tom's generous gift of his walkways from the shore.

Linda and Dara - both avid birders.

Our little boat (photo taken last year)

Dave called last pm - he just earned his Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do! We are so proud of him (again!!) I remember when we took him to check out his first karate schoolin Canton- I think he was 10 years old- he just took to the discipline of it and the physical aspect of it, too.

Ken & I have improved the walkway and "dock" at the bog at our house- using all recycled wood from previous projects- some from Tom, some from Garth, some from us. The baby heron is funny-looking but cute- visible right from the water's edge on our property. Speaking of baby birds- we have 2 or 3 baby phoebes in a nest on our front porch! The poor mother thought it was a quiet place when just Andy was coming to watch our house. Now that we're home- she's not so sure about us! The babies look like mini Don Kings with their fuzzy heads sticking up!

And I have been asked back to work (at the front desk) per diem- I have 3 days coming up. It should be interesting since it's a new location for the office, and I am not used to sitting!!!

There's No Place Like Home...

We're back in CT and safe! Ken made it back from Florida in 2 days. The front of his truck was COVERED in squished love bugs- he went thru swarms of them in Florida- but my knight in shining armor came to rescue me! Cory & I were having fun exploring VA with a rental car (NOT a Mustang!). The next day we had the boat pulled and put onto the trailer- and started for home at 12:40pm. By 12:40 am we were HOME!!!! A real bed, faucets that work, a ceiling that I can't reach, room to dance in the kitchen, toilets that flush, free laundry, several rooms in which to be, showering with no shoes on, and views to die for!!! Everything is so green and lush - there's nothing like the hills of NW CT in May. Thank you to all who read and commented on the blog. We will continue to blog occasionally, but right now we are unpacking & adjusting to life in paradise! (ps - the boat is back at the dealership in S Windsor being repaired- all under warantee!) Love to all- Linda

Out here, on my own....

This Army landing vessel came right to our marina in little Deltaville! It reminded me of the landing at Normandy on D-Day! They only stayed one night, they were from a base nearby, but I don't know why they came here!

So I'm driving along in my rented Ford Focus, and I see 2 giant, black, shiny corkscrews marking the driveway to a vineyard. Well, you HAVE to check out any place that has 2 giant corkscrews!!! The little red metal-roofed building on the right is their gift shop.

Taken while driving (!!) down one of the MANY private roads to the water's edge. There is no public access that I can find anywhere. Everything is private. Even though the houses must be worth a lot because of the location- they are not the mini-mansions that people seem to put up elsewhere along the water. It's a refreshing change- though I think these towns should consider some open/public space! I did peak at the Bay yesterday, and of course, the waves are 1-2 feet now!

Replica of a lighthouse that was on Stingray Point- just down the road from our marina. Stingray Point was so-named for Captain John Smith (of Pocahontas fame), who was stung by a "devil-fish" in 1608. He thought he was going to die (so did I when I got stung), but a Powhatan Indian "cured" him with some kind of oil. Captain Smith decided to eat his enemy (the stingray) and found it to be quite tasty!! (The origin of "scallops"??!) There is nothing in Deltaville except farms and boating and marinas and private roads. I do appreciate the small-town feeling, and everything is in full bloom.

Greetings from Linda & Cory in Deltaville, VA! It's a beautiful day to sit outside of the library-birds singing and flowers smelling delightville! Ken is driving towards us from Ft Myers Beach even as we speak! He hopes to be here tonight with the truck & the trailer. I have made arrangements to have the boat lifted onto the trailer tomorrow, and then the 3 of us will be on our way to CT! We will probably stay in a motel one night, because we have Richmond, DC, Baltimore, and NYC to go thru!!! Yucky, icky drive! But it will be worth it. We will probably go directly to the 4 Winns dealer in South Windsor to drop this sucker off for REPAIRS!!!!!!!I have been contributing to the economy of Deltaville by shopping in little gift shops, and walking the dog. I really have to get back to the boat to start packing!!!! Hope to see you soon! Love to all- Linda