That Last Day

Like all vacations - they come to an end much too soon!  The visit with the Sisters was no different.  We decided that after a busy few days, we would take that last day off, and laze around.

The Sisters took a few minutes to read.............honest - Aunt Grumpy does have a book in her hands - she just put it down for a couple of minutes to rest her eyes.  After sitting out there in the hot Florida weather it was time to cool down with a dip in the pool.

Since the weather has been quite hot - too hot for walking in the afternoon, we have been taking our walks in the evening - after supper.  On this last night for the Sisters, we all set out for a stroll just after sunset.

We wandered around the neighbourhood, and Aunt Denise wanted a picture of the palm trees on the round-about - with the lights on them.

They are lit up like this each night, as are the palms on the way into the community - it really is very pretty.  Once we arrived back at the villa, the Sisters spent some time packing and sorting to be ready early the next morning for their trip to the airport.  Sure enough, bright and early the next morning we were off to the airport in lots of time for their flight.

The luggage was taken out of the car and towed along to the baggage check for loading on the plane.  Then we had enough time to grab a bite of breakfast....

...here are the three siblings, Auntie Denise, Aunt Grumpy (who doesn't look grumpy at all in this photo!) and, of course, Poppa!  Once breakfast was finished, it was time for the Sisters to get in the line for boarding.

Poppa and I stood on our tippy-toes until they were out of sight and then we headed back to the villa.  We had enjoyed their visit and hope to see them again next year!

Auntie Colleen and Uncle Shaun got a new camera!  So I have been getting pictures again.  Here is one of my favourites...

And here is what she said....
"Usually the colour casts from digital cameras drive me crazy and I can't wait to get the pictures into Photoshop to make the colours real again. On this one Shuan took on the weekend, though, I kept the blue cast and just let the beauty shine through. I just love the tranquility of the aqua hue."


It is hard to believe that this beautiful bird was in and around my hometown at this time of year!  But, then again, I got this wonderful picture from Mommee - and it looks like most of the snow has gone from her new backyard!

That's Munchie running down the hill, under Daddee's supervision of course, and - someone else was keeping an eye on things from the deck....

Yep - that is Little Smiley sitting out there in the early spring sunshine, watching his big brother play.  I understand they got some more snow after this picture was taken, but I'm hoping it has all gone away again.

Kennedy Space Center

We spent a day with the Sisters at the Kennedy Space Center.  It was a great experience and I recommend it for anyone old enough to appreciate the significance of the space effort.  We heard the Discovery taking off for its last journey - but it was too overcast to see it.  Now it has landed and is in its storage building being prepared for transport to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.  Poppa and I had been there previously (with Granny and Gramps), but it had been quite a long time ago, and we didn't have time to see all the exhibits and presentations.  Once again we were faced with the challenge of finding a parking spot - which wasn't that difficult, and soon we were crossing the lot towards the Space Center.

The first part of the tour was a bus ride to an observation station - where we could see the Endeavor on the launch pad in preparation for its launch on April 19th.

The view from this place was beautiful from any angle - the water was off to the left of Launch Pad 39A.

And off to the right was Launch Pad 39B awaiting the arrival of the Atlantis for its June 28th journey.  We climbed back down to ground level and caught a returning bus to take us back to the Visitor Center.  In the distance we could see the Vertical Assembly Building - where they attach the external tanks to the shuttle in preparation for take-off.  It is huge - but looks tiny in this photo!

Just to give you an idea - there is an American flag painted on the top right hand corner of this building - which looks about the size of a normal flag (about 5'x7") from the ground.  In actual fact, each of the fifty stars is six feet across.  Very huge building!  When we had returned to the Visitor Center, we watched  an impressive presentation about the Apollo missions - and then got to enter an area where an actual Apollo rocket is on display...

....another very large construction as you can see by the size of the rocket compared to the little people exploring this area.  The display includes a real LEM (Lunar Exploration Module).

There was an area devoted to all the brave astronauts who had ventured to the moon...

..oops!....ummm....there they are in the background, behind this rather famous astronaut.  And finally when we reached the end of the building, we could see the little module that carried the humans off to that mysterious place and then brought them back.

Amazing!  We got to enter an actual shuttle and see the inside.  You would be amazed at how small the living quarters and the control room are.  Most of the shuttle is a huge cargo area - and the display model was complete with....

..........yes!  The Canadarm - emblazoned with our name and flag!  We grabbed a snack at a little stand and soon had to head back to the car - since the Space Center was closing at 6pm.  We had a little trouble re-finding the car, but eventually Poppa steered us in the right direction.

Aunt Grumpy treated us all to dinner at the Longhorn Steakhouse (much to Squeegie's delight) in honour of Poppa's birthday - which was back in February.  As usual it was delicious and we all left feeling over-full!

Once again we had a long day and were all ready for bed.  I fell asleep thinking about my little boys back in Canada.  Munchie had been taking fingerpainting lessons with Gramma and Taylor...

....while Little Smiley worked on his crawling skills...

....Mommee says he isn't really crawling, but is getting quite adept at getting to where he wants to go by wriggling along using his front appendages.  And, as usual - he is smiling for the camera!  Sweet dreams little ones!

Visit Digest

It seemed that we were always on the go while the Sisters were here!  We spent a day shopping.  Auntie Denise was having a blast, and Aunt Grumpy patiently oversaw the spending.  We spent a day at the beach - at Siesta Key - Poppa's favourite beach on the Gulf side of the state.  The most difficult part of that day was finding a parking spot,

but eventually we spied someone pulling out so Poppa snuck in as soon as the space was vacated.  We bailed out and headed to the shore - it was busier there than I had ever seen it.  You can see all the people basking and strolling in the background of this shot.

Before long we were strolling along with our feet in the water of the Gulf of Mexico!  The water has warmed up considerably since Poppa and I were there earlier in our stay, and it was a beautiful hot, sunny day - perfect for the beach!

After about an hour and a half of strolling in that hot sun, we stopped for an ice cream cone (I had Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream - YUMMY!), and soon it was time to brush the sand off our feet,

and head back to the villa.  We arrived safely, hungry and tired - so after supper we made plans to visit the Kennedy Space Center the next day, and headed off to bed.  I fell asleep with visions of little Munchie fast asleep in his new bed at his new house.

Vacation for the Sisters

We had some trouble finding the sisters, but as soon as we found them, we bundled them into the car - where they had a re-union with Squeegie and Taffy.

They were all glad to see each other.  We took them to the villa so they could unpack their suitcases, and then we all went out for dinner.  Auntie Denise wanted to do some shopping, so after supper we went to the Wal-Mart.  We stopped along the way for a photo op near an orange grove...and the sisters actually plucked some oranges off the trees.  When we got home Auntie Denise couldn't wait to try them....

....she said they were really good and very juicy!  So after a few moments of consideration, and a couple of squeezes....

....Aunt Grumpy decided to give them a try as well.  The following morning, the sisters were still recovering from their long travels the day before, so we spent the day lazing around and chatting in the pool.

In the meantime, each of the little boys had received a parcel from Nanna and Poppa (hee!), and when they tried on the stuff they found inside, Mommee took a few pictures for us.  Here are our little cuties in their new jammies!

Time is Flying!

I must apologize to all of you for the long stretch since the last post.  We are finding that the closer it gets to the end of our stay in Florida, the faster the time passes.  So, I'll try to bring you up to date.  I'll start with the knitting.  Having company slowed down the process considerably, but after listening to the sad story of Becky's inability to get access to the internet from  her new location in the mountains/hills of West Virginia, I told her she could pick a pair of socks from the two pairs I had completed.  So - she chose this pair...

...which left me with only one pair in the pile for the next giveaway.  However, I worked quickly in the interval before the sisters came for their visit and there are now three and a half pairs ready - whew!  I should have another two and a half pairs in a week or so - and I will let everyone know.  I also got back to my lace in the mornings - finished the heart lace and started this one called "Double Rose Leaf".  Even though it looks complicated it is much easier than the heart lace, and is finished now.

I have started a little tiny narrow strip of lace this time, since I only had a small amount of the red crochet cotton left after the lace above.  Whew!

We have been having a good time with these two ladies, we found them at the airport on Friday!

They got off the plane into 82F weather and I think it was a bit of a shock!  We are supposed to have great weather while they are here - I'll let you know!

Second Half

After a couple of quiet days, Becky and Whitey returned from Daytona Beach, full of stories of the sights and sounds of Bike Week.  I think they were ready for a rest, since they seemed content to sit and snuggle.

  The following day, they polished up the bike...

...all ready to head back home soon.  We went out for breakfast on Thursday morning....

....and finally decided on something that they both appeared happy with....

....we went for a long ride to Inverness in the north-western part of the state and picked up the filters for the hot tub back in Canada - they were about 1/2 the price here!  And, later that evening the three bears (hee) sat down for a final visit before our guests headed back to the colder, snowier area of the country.

Early the next morning, they were on their way.  And just after they left, before he even got out of his jammies, Squeegie was checking out the nice present that Becky had left for him!

Now we've settled back into our routine - until Auntie Denise and Aunt Grumpy arrive on Friday!

First Half

Becky and her friend Whitey arrived safely from their home in West Virginia.  It had been a long time since we had seen her and we were happy to greet them at the door.  After introductions....

...........here they are.............we went for a swim............

............and then out for dinner...........a visit.............and bed.  They were ready to turn in for the night after a couple of days of travelling.  The next day (Saturday) Becky and I went to the Nail Salon and got our hands and feet pampered.

On Sunday, she wanted to visit the Build-A-Bear store.  You can already imagine the outcome of that trip.  Yep...let me introduce her newest acquisition - this is Tucker.

Cute - isn't he!  And very well behaved, but then he's quite young.  Of course, we couldn't visit the bear store without finding something for Taffy - she got another new outfit.

I'm not sure I approve of those frayed jean shorts, but she felt very "stylin" and was more than pleased with her purchase.  AND - this time Squeegie even found something he had been wanting for a long time, and I just couldn't say no to him.

Yep - he bought some golf clubs and he's ready to go next time Poppa heads out.  He was so excited he could hardly stand it!  On Monday morning, Becky and Whitey climbed onto their secondary means of transportation and headed over to Daytona Beach for Bike Week.

Thus, the first half of their visit was over.  They were staying in Daytona Monday night and Tuesday night.  She called me when they were safely there and checked into their hotel for the night.  It sure seemed quiet on Monday evening!

Comparison

Just take a look at these two pictures..........

...and this one.....

............hmmmmmmmmm.....

Various Events

About two weeks ago we went to this place...

...which is about 25 minutes from the villa.  Poppa was noticing that his vision blurred after about 10 minutes of reading, so we went to see what we could do about that - he really wanted to finish his book! A couple of days ago I took this picture so you can all see the results.

He is finding it much better to read now and has finished that book and started another one!

Last Friday, while Taffy was watching Mickey Mouse Playhouse and Poppa was cleaning ....

.....and Squeegie was eating his lunch....

.... the doorbell rang, and this is what I saw when I opened the door....

... Becky!