Murphy Bed
The Murphy Bed was supposed to be built 7 years ago, but with our traveling schedules it was put on the back burner. We wanted Zac and Jennie to have a bed and not have to sleep on the blow up mattress again this year. Work on it began this fall. The process included measuring, cutting, sanding, staining, and drilling. Luckily Zac was here to help with the moving and installation.
Murphy Bed Installed
Thanksgiving 2017
We greatly enjoyed having the family here for the Thanksgiving weekend. It is so rewarding seeing how the grandsons are maturing and how our sons and daughters-in-law are doing so well.
Snow one day, gone the next. We are so blessed to live in Colorado!
Final Front Yard Landscape Project
Sara is enjoying the sunshine.
Dan is my rock star!
moving BIG rocks
landscape fabric
moving bricks
north side of the house
Tony's truck
After the ground was prepared and the landscaping cloth was put down, the bobcat was helpful in moving the rocks. The guy in the blue shirt is Tony, our landscaper.
Using the bobcat, Dan dug 4 ditches to bury the PVC pipe in preparation for the landscaping project to begin. Sure beats digging by hand!
Landscaping 2017
TURKEYS this is the first year that we have had turkeys in our yard
Love these blue-eyed boys!
Our friend, Curt, puts on a different "hat" once a week up in Cripple Creek at the St. Nicholas Hotel where he has been working as the bartender. Our Gad-Abouts group enjoyed a "cold one" after having lunch at a local casino and then attending the melodrama. It was a fun outing and the drive there gave us a chance to see the beautiful Colorado fall colors.
What a surprise to look out my window and see this bat! We've seen them busy at work at night, but not during the day, and so close.
Grandsons
Curt is dressed as Sargent Johnson Barbee who was in the Confederate Army. Peggy is in a Victorian dress and was a tour guide for Mt. Pisgah Speaks, the cemetery tour in Cripple Creek.
Sarah and John, our TX neighbors, were here for the weekend. We spent one day in Cripple Creek and went on the "Mt. Pisgah Speaks Cemetery Tour." We learned about the famous and fascinating characters who lived in the area and are buried in the Mt. Pisgah Cemetery. Two of the characters were played by Curt and Peggy Sorenson, also neighbors in our valley.
Fun to have Harry and Mary and Tom and Jan visit.
We saw these beautiful creatures in our Valley on the way home from town today.
Noah and Ryder love climbing trees.
Grandparent's Day 2017
Pizza lunch (surprisingly tasty) with Noah was a nice way to end my time at his school. While visiting his classroom, we did a math activity and a reading/question/answer time, as well as hearing the story he is writing. Third graders were participating in a music game that helped them learn the lines and spaces. Then it was time for recess.
A word matching game was one of the activities that took place in Ryder's first grade classroom. He knew all of the words, smart boy! Grandparent's Day 2017
So much fun listening to Ryder read at Grandparent's Day at Deer Creek Elementary.
The Hills are alive with sunflowers!
This unique mural, by local artists from Florence, is at The Pour, a coffee spot that we frequent after walking the dog at Pathfinder Park. It is easy to spend an hour or more here enjoying interesting conversations, scones, and specialty coffees.
Gus and Nancy came for an overnight and treated us to blueberry pancakes. YUM
The new golf clubs finally arrived!
The boys are into doing science experiments and they had fun making this volcano erupt.
Noah is now a 3rd grader! This Grandma was lucky enough to go with the boys to meet their new teacher and drop off the supplies. This is Noah's desk and he is all set for the year. Next, we went to see Ryder's first grade room and meet his teacher. The only picture that I have of him is this one. Both boys were a bit anxious and I felt that the teachers were also.
The Birthday Girl is named Daisy and she lives next to us with Aimee and Buddy. She shared her hamburger with Sara. Aimee and I often walk with our dogs in the evening. Buddy and Aimee plan to build a house next spring here on Dilley Ranch Road. They are living in an RV and have their "stuff" in this huge shop.
A great way to get some exercise. I opted not to join my grandsons.
This geocache known as "Peaceful Setting," is one of the largest that I've seen. It was hidden in a cemetery in Golden and had 38 favorites, so off I went with my geodog, Sara. Seeking out geocaches in cemeteries is a great way to get some quiet time in such a peaceful setting.
Eclipse 2017
Dinner with our good friends, David and Rita, how special to be with them on their anniversary.
Food Art created by Noah, our grandson
Zac and his pigs, Porky and Piggy. He is raising them for the meat. They need to put on another 100 pounds.
The quilt project is finally dressing up the wall!
This little frog is Ryder's "food art."
Butterfly "food art." Eating the delicious fruit is part of this activity. YUM
Creative Noah had fun with "Food Art."
Blueberry pancakes, YUM! Thank you Gus. The float trip down the Arkansas was called off due to the guide ending up in the hospital. We enjoyed hanging out with Gus and Nancy - lots of laughter, cards, eating, and "remember when" conversations.
This is the year for sunflowers.
London, England
London was our last city to explore on our 6 weeks adventure in Europe. Many memories have been made on this amazing trip.
There still are some of these red icons in the London area.
We arrived in London on a Saturday and there was a free music event in Trafalgar Square. This area is surrounded by museums, galleries, and historic buildings. It is a center for national democracy and protest. Rallies and demonstrations are frequently held on the weekends.
One could easily get lost while in Harrods. Dan did find a rain jacket after looking in many different locations during this shopping experience.
Greeters in front of the gift shop at Harrods.
This fellow in green points the way to the Legos.
Hyde Park
In Memory of those killed in the London Bombings on July 7, 2005
While waiting for breakfast, we enjoyed a Caffe Latte.
While waiting for dinner, we enjoyed a cold brew and did some people watching out the window.
Dreamgirls was the name of the play that we chose to see. Notice the umbrellas - typical London weather.
Geocaching in Trafalgar Square
Big Ben is the world's largest four-faced chiming clock. While we were in London, scaffolding was being erected so that work on this amazing tower (lasting three years) could be completed. The clock itself is accurate to within one second.
The Palace of Westminster or the Houses of Parliament
The London Eye is a giant Ferris Wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is 443 feet tall, we chose to admire it from a distance.
"Carry on Cleo" was the name of the geocache located in this area. It was a beautiful day to go geocaching in London!
Before crossing the streets in the center of the city, caution is advised since they drive on the left side of the street in the UK.
National Gallery
The National Gallery, an art museum in Trafalgar Square in Central London, founded in 1824, has over 2,300 paintings. Our hotel was in walking distance of the square and this amazing museum. We spent some time in here while it was raining outside. One of my favorite artists is Van Gogh and so we had to find this sunflower picture of his.
Brugge, Belgium
The following pictures are of the Town Square in Brugge where we spent several hours hunting for a geocache called "RV 5.08 Brugge" that had over 2,000 favorite points. The RV was a colorful bike that had "saddlebags" secured to the back of the bike. After finding this cache, we headed to dinner.
Dinner at De Vlaamsche Pot was served outside. Dan chose beef stew and I picked a chicken dish. Both were served in cast iron dishes that kept the food HOT. This typical Flemish food was delicious.
While waiting for the restaurant to open, we stopped at Brugs Beertje for a beer. Many, many kinds of beer were available and special glasses for each brew.
The AirBnB where we stayed in Brugges was about 3 blocks from this unique bridge. We rode our bikes across this bridge to explore this town.
This is the same bridge.
Amsterdam
The Albert Cuyp Market is the largest daily market in Europe. It began in 1904 and now has over 300 stalls lining both sides of the street.
Unique Dutch Area
The Hop on Hop Off boat cruise gave us a chance to see more of the architecture in Amsterdam.
Street Art in Amsterdam near a farmer's market.
This mosaic is made up from thousands of pieces of glass, tiles, stone and marbles. The building behind this colorful wall was the last public bathing house in Amsterdam. The geocache close to this work of art had 29 favorite points, so we had to check it out.
While in Amsterdam we used the Tram to get around. Since the train station is the building behind the trams, it made it easy to get to our airbnb.
We heard about this Mexican Restaurant, Los Feliz, while we were on a tapas tour in Barcelona. The food was one of the best meals that we had while in Europe.
I chose a shrimp dish with avocado - beautiful presentation and delectable.
Dan ordered his favorite "Fajitas" and it was delicious.
This is in an area where there are some of the oldest trees in Amsterdam. If you look closely, you'll see a wooden "woodcutter" on the tree branch using his saw = Geocache #17.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Biking to work or school
Bike parking is a BIG problem in Copenhagen.
Magasin Du Nord, established in 1890, is the oldest (and largest) department store in Scandinavia. It was previously Hotel du Nord. We checked out many of the floors, but didn't find anything to buy.
Legos are popular in Denmark. This example is one of many life size figures.
This silver mime was spotted in the Stroget Street area where there were many shops, many shoppers, and no bikes or cars so the walking was easy. Many women and some men in each country had on attractive scarves and I was hoping to find a scarf to remember Europe. So we stopped in a huge department store where there were many scarves, but none to my liking.
Nyhavn is a 17th century waterfront, canal and entertainment district. It is lined with brightly colored townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. There were many historical wooden ships in this area. It is a popular spot for tourists .
We ended up walking to ida davideen restaurant which is located several blocks from the canal district. Research showed that this popular restaurant is known for the unique Danish open faced sandwiches. I ordered the blackened swordfish on rye bread and Dan chose pork and caramelized onions on top of apple slices. The beer topped off these cold sandwiches.
We ended up walking to ida davideen restaurant which is located several blocks from the canal district. Research showed that this popular restaurant is known for the unique Danish open faced sandwiches. I ordered the blackened swordfish on rye bread and Dan chose pork and caramelized onions on top of apple slices. The beer topped off these cold sandwiches.
There are more 3,500 salvaged lifejackets worn by migrants and collected from the Greek island of Lesbos. They were put there by the Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei to bring attention to the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe. We first noticed this display while on the other side of the canal in the Nyhavn area.
Bikes, bikes everywhere! Copenhagen is world famous for its biking culture and is now officially the first Bike City in the world. Women in stilettos, men in business suits, even young children were seen riding bikes. There are about 400 km of cycle paths, and about 40 per cent of the population commute to work by bicycle according to Denmark, the Official Website of Denmark.
This fun statue gazing at Tivoli Gardens is of Hans Christian Anderson. The Tivoli is an amusement park, the second-oldest operating park in the world. (the gardens is right across the street from this statue)
Tivoli Gardens
Bike Mike Tour took us around Copenhagen on a 3 speed comfortable bike. Riding on the cobblestones was a challenge. We heard Mike's personal stories and witty commentary while getting to see some of the sites of this capital city. We learned that Denmark has NO debt, has free education and health care, is the size of Massachusetts, there are more bikes than people in Copenhagen, most streets have bike lanes, and the first bike lane appeared in 1910, kids go to school at the age of 7 and have no homework until age 12.
The Little Mermaid is a bronze statue by Edvard Eriksen, depicting a mermaid. It is on a rock by the waterside at the Langelinie promenade in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was inspired by ballerina Ellen Price, who in 1909 danced the lead role in the ballet The Little Mermaid at the Royal Theater and a tribute to the Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. It has at the entrance of the Copenhagen harbor since 1913. Unfortunately, it has been a target for vandals.
Vienna, Austria
The beer at this brewery in Vienna was delicious.
Naschmarkets is a long street that is a fresh air market. Most of the shops were closing when we arrived. However, the bars and restaurants were open and we had dinner and a beer while enjoying live music. YUM
Watching the Opera on the Outside
This huge screen was mounted on the outside of the Vienna Opera House and across from it chairs were set up in the square for viewers to watch the performance going on inside.
We found a geocache near this interesting art work.
Segway Tour in Vienna Austria Standing and balancing on the Segway for long periods of time was hard on the legs, but at the same time it was exciting to zip along - a bit scary in traffic with all of the bikes, buses, trams and people. Our guide had lots to share and knew dates, history, stories etc. of her country.
Dan made it look easy!
Half way through the segway tour we took a break and had a coffee at a little local shop. It was a much needed rest for our rubbery feeling legs.
The Segway tour took us to this monument and we also found a geocache nearby.
This giant pink bunny was created by Ottmar Horl in 2005 and is housed in the Albertina Museum in Vienna.
Vienna beer was delicious. This restaurant, Gasthaus Oper, was right across the street from our Airbnb. Handy, right? The wiener schnitzel was the best, in fact we ate there 3 times during our stay in Vienna.
A Night at the Opera in Vienna, Austria
Kursalon Concert consisted of a piano, 3 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello, 1 base, 1 flute, 1 piccolo,1 clarinet, 1 French horn, 1 trumpet, 1 percussionist, 2 dancers and 2 singers.
The concert was held in a beautiful old building within walking distance of our airbnb. It was an enjoyable evening with "light music" and several recognizable pieces.
The second Strauss composition was a waltz. Tall, thin dancers entertained us and waltzed away. Later these dancers returned and acted out a picnic scene where too much champagne was involved. It was a delightful evening.
The concert was held in a beautiful old building within walking distance of our airbnb. It was an enjoyable evening with "light music" and several recognizable pieces.
The second Strauss composition was a waltz. Tall, thin dancers entertained us and waltzed away. Later these dancers returned and acted out a picnic scene where too much champagne was involved. It was a delightful evening.
Salzburg, Austria
The Bike tour of the Sound of Music took us up a hill to the "Abbey". However, most of the scenes, according to Leo, our guide, took place in Hollywood. The Salzburg scenery was beautiful. We learned that the locals don't like this movie because it reminds them of horrible times in Austria.
The guide shared that the lake scene had to be shot multiple times because Julie Andrews was clumsy and fell out of the boat 4 times. She had to catch Gretel because she couldn't swim.
Venice, Italy
W 43 years ago a group of Venetians, amateur and professional rowers, came up with an idea of a non-competitive race in which any kind of rowing boat can take place. The first Volgalonga began with a message to protest against the growing use of powerboats in Venice and the swell damage they do to Venice.
We were lucky to be in Venice on the day of this event.
We were lucky to be in Venice on the day of this event.
The "streets" of Venice
There are more than 400 bridges in Venice. 170 canals run through this city.
The Rialto Bridge is one of the 4 bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice. It is the oldest bridge across the canal, and took three years to construct, 1588 to 1591. There are 2 rows of small shops on it and the bridge consists primarily of steps.
St. Mark's Basilica is the most famous of the churches in Vencie.
St. Mark's Square
St Mark's Clock tower displays the time of day, the dominant sign of Zodiac and the current phase of the moon. This 500-year-old timepiece is still keeping perfect time.
Astronomical Clock Tower in Venice
Mode of transportation in Venice was the boat bus. These signs helped us when traveling in Venice.
The Carnival of Venice, an annual event, is world famous for its elaborate masks. They can be made of leather, porcelain or glass. Covering the face in public was a uniquely Venetian response to one of the most rigid class hierarchies in European history. The mask would hide one's identity and social class.
Our Airbnb host owns this shop and gave us a personal tour of the masks. They are made with the application of gesso and gold leaf and then hand painted and decorated.
Our Airbnb host owns this shop and gave us a personal tour of the masks. They are made with the application of gesso and gold leaf and then hand painted and decorated.
Pantheon
The Pantheon, built between A.D. 118 and 125, is a former Roman temple and is now a church. It is the best preserved Ancient Roman monument. A striking feature of the circular temple is the 27 foot circular hole atop the dome. When we were inside, every 10 minutes or so we would hear someone announce "SHHHH" to quiet the many tourists.
Activity in front of the Pantheon
Fountain outside of the Pantheon
Colosseum
Our guide on the Colosseum Tour was passionate and shared her knowledge of these ancient monuments.
The Roman Numerals on the outside of the Colosseum indicated which "gate" men could go into.
This drainage system underneath the Colosseum still works today.
We were able to see the complex system of passages and rooms below the arena on the Colosseum tour. The counter weights helped operate the "elevators."
The amphitheater could accommodate about 70,000 people including the standing spectators. We were able to go up to the top floor at the end of our tour.
Roman Colosseum
Our last stop on the Foodie Tour was at the gelato shop. Real gelato has less fat and more flavor than ice cream and is not piled high but is flat according to our guide.
Spending time with others on the Roman Guy Foodie Tour was enjoyable. This walking tour gave us time to get to know fellow foodies.
Tapas on the Tour
First stop on the foodie tour was a cheese shop.
free water fountain
Waiting for the Roman Guy Foodie Tour
We enjoyed a cool brew while people watching at the street market.
Street Market
Trevi Fountain
When we arrived at Rome's largest and most famous fountain, the Plazza Di Trevi, it was being cleaned. Many tourists were gathered at this landmark. It is one of the oldest water sources in Italy and is made from the same material as the Colosseum. It uses recycled water and is 65 feet wide and 85 feet tall. The coins that are thrown in everyday are collected at night and given to an Italian charity called Caritas, which helps with food for the needy.
While staying in Rome at the Cosmopolitan Hotel, we had coupons for a free breakfast at Caffe Fondi, a favorite coffee/pastry shop within walking distance of the metro and our room.
The Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria, is a traditional riding school for Lipizzan horses. The first group of horses that we saw had some black coloring, which with age will turn gray. The next group that performed raised up on their back legs and jumped and clicked or kicked their rear legs. No picture taking was allowed.
Waiting for the show to begin. We were thankful that we had such good seats. The 3 huge chandeliers were raised before the show began.
Barcelona, Spain
Ciutadella Park was developed for the city of Barcelona by Gaudi.
The e bike tour ended up at the Els 4 Gats restaurant, which was a popular meeting place for famous artists throughout the modernistic period in Catalonia. Picasso would draw/paint a picture for this restaurant in return for food and drink.
Cava was our favorite at this winery.
This tapas tour included sampling muscatel using this unique container.
A Tapas and Wine Walk featured a seafood stop with calamari being one of the dishes.
L'Estel Ferit, The Wounded Shooting Star or known as the boxes or the cubes, which are 33 feet high. This art work is a landmark in Barcelona's old fishing district.
Park Guell
A fellow geocacher was close to ground zero where we discovered the geocache "Sagrada Familia" across from the famous cathedral in Barcelona. This young Frenchman had a backpack full of travel bugs and gave me one to take back to the US.
Geocaching Travel Bug whose goal is to be photographed in front of fire stations around the world.
Sagrada Familia, the unfinished Roman Catholic Church, designed by Gaudi will supposedly be finished in 2026, 100 years after Gaudi's death.
Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, an unfinished Catholic Church, is located in Barcelona, Spain.
Paris, France
We saw a number of padlocks on bridges in European cities. They may signify strong emotions of love.
Paris will be the hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The Eiffel tower, made of wrought iron lattice, is located on the Champ de Mars in Paris and is the most recognizable structure in the world. It was constructed from 1887-1889 as the entrance to the 1889 World's Fair. It is 1,063 ft. tall. The geocache close to this landmark was on our list of things to look for.
A charity event was held in the square near our Airbnb. Bicycles of all types were available for anyone to try.
Unique Garden
Art along the banks of the Seine
This was once a Paris railway station and hotel built in 1900. It was the first electrified urban rail terminal in the world. Now it is the Musee de'Orsay, an art museum which opened in 1986.
Hop on Hop Off Bus Tour
Bite and Bike Tour in Paris
Repairing umbrellas is a specialty in this surprise Parisian neighborhood.
Getting some water from one of the public "fountains" throughout this Neighborhood in Paris.
Picnic on the Seine
The Bite and Bike tour ended up on the banks of the Seine River where our tour guides provided cheese, meat, a baguette and wine collected as we rode through their neighborhood and stopped at some favorite spots. History and stories were also shared.
The Arc de Triomphe honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Beneath it lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War One.
This view of the outside of the Louvre, one of the world's largest museum and a historic monument in Paris, was taken from the Hop on Hop off bus. At one time it was a royal palace. In August 1793 the Louvre first opened its doors to the public.
The marble statue of the Winged Victory of Samothrace, 190 B.C. is of a woman poised on the prow of a ship. It once stood on an island hilltop to commemorate a naval victory.
The inside of the Louvre is a work of art in itself.
Venus de Milo
The metro to the Louvre location was an easy ride and since our tickets were for an early timeslot, we got right in. It felt like we had the whole building to ourselves. Since the Mona Lisa (Leonardo da Vinci) is behind glass, the picture on the phone camera shows it fuzzy.
Our first geocache in France was hidden in front of this amazing medieval Catholic cathedral, Notre-Dame.
The Sainte-Chapelle has 15 stained glass panels that cover over 6,500 square feet and show more than 1,100 different scenes mostly from the bible. The crisscross arches and columns hold up the panels.
Paris was our first destination on this 6 weeks journey. Staying in Airbnb's in many cities gave us the opportunity to live somewhat like the locals in areas away from tourists. Seeing the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Mona Lisa, and the Venus de Milo were just a few things on our schedule.
Business class on Icelandair was such fun and the perks made the long flight enjoyable.
May 17, 2017 Ready to ride the train out to DIA and board the Icelandair Flight which had a stopover in Reykjavik and landed in Paris.
Lots of time was spent in preparing for this BIG trip. It was December 31st when we decided yes, let's do it and we bought Eural passes. That started 4 and 1/2 months of planning, researching, dowonloading aps, shopping, packing, weighing the backpacks, and repacking.
European Trip 2017
Pickleball is a favorite activity in Arizona and Canon City. While we were in AZ, Dan and his friend Bob qualified to represent the CVRV resort in a pickleball tournament. Unfortunately, Dan was unable to participate due to a hernia. There is always next year! It is a fun sport and a great way to get some exercise.
Winterset is where John Wayne was born.
A Geocache took us to this tower and Sara wouldn't make the trip up these stairs to the where the view was amazing.
August sure has fun creating with Legos.
Another geocache took us to this Bicycle Parking Lot where we found unique sculptures made entirely of bicycle parts.
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On the way back to CO, we stopped to see Chris and Kim's new house. After showing us their house, we explored Winterset, Iowa where they now live. It was fun to have a "tea party" that Zoey fixed for us.
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Geocaching took us to this monument in Clear Lake, Iowa.
We are in Forest City, Iowa at the Winnebago Customer Service center getting some warranty issues fixed before the warranty expires.
Costa Rica 2017
One of the many beautiful plants growing in Costa Rica.
This is the fruit that produces cashew nuts. Within this fruit is a single seed or nut.
Geocaching in Costa Rica. There were no caches in the areas where the tour went. Fortunately, someone had placed one at the airport in San Jose. Mary and Gustavo and I searched for it while Ricardo drove the van around the grounds. This was my FIRST in a foreign country.
artists at work
We stopped in Sarchi to see how "Ox carts" are made. Each wheel has pie shaped parts which make replacing individual areas easier. There were 5 artists working on the designs used on these vehicles of transportation.
Beans and rice are a staple for many people living in Costa Rica. The hotel buffets where we ate offered this dish morning, noon, and night. The fresh fruit was the best part of each meal.
On the Espiritu Santo Coffee Tour, I got to wear the basket that is used when hand picking the coffee beans. Surprisingly, it was comfortable (empty). And at the end of the tour we sampled their coffee.
We visited CATIE which is known for its Gene Bank Collections of Tropical Crops and is recognized to have the largest living gene bank collection of coffee in the world. They demonstrated the correct way to make coffee and then we got to sample. Notice the different kinds of fruit on the table. Every meal had wonderful fresh fruit for us to enjoy.
Selfies
The Jungle Crocodile Safari took us to explore the Mangrove forest and we spotted a crocodile sunning himself. This area has the largest population of American Crocodiles.
Our guides for the week were Gustavo and Ricardo. Their company is "Costa Rica as it is!" They loaded our bags on top of the bus and covered them with 2 heavy tarps for protection from the rain. There were 18 of us on this tour. Ricardo was the driver while Gustavo shared information about their country.
Dipping into the Pacific Ocean in Jaco, Costa Rica. Our hotel was right on the beach which was handy for beach play.
Birding in Costa Rica. While hiking in the rain forests, we were able to see many beautiful birds. Mary was glad that she brought her binoculars.
One stop was to view hummingbirds. They were enjoying the sugar water in the bird feeders while we had a delicious trout lunch.
Another day we hiked in the Carara National Park and saw a Scarlet Macaw in this Tropical Forest.
Another day we hiked in the Carara National Park and saw a Scarlet Macaw in this Tropical Forest.
Many Master Gardeners chose this trip to enjoy and learn about the various beautiful plants in Costa Rica. This Botanical Gardens has 1000 exotic and native orchids.
We saw a one of a kind topiary garden in Zarcero, the bread basket of the Central Valley.
We saw a one of a kind topiary garden in Zarcero, the bread basket of the Central Valley.
Buenos Dias Costa Rica
March 22 to April 1st. When Mary called and said that her traveling buddy forgot to update her passport and could not go on this tour with her, Dan suggested that I go. So, with only 24 hours to pack, I was on my way to Costa Rica.
March 22 to April 1st. When Mary called and said that her traveling buddy forgot to update her passport and could not go on this tour with her, Dan suggested that I go. So, with only 24 hours to pack, I was on my way to Costa Rica.
Costa Rica
This is Judy, our exercise leader at CVRV. Every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00 we gather for an hour of stretching. She makes the class FUN.
Geocaching in the desert near the RV park with friends Darlene, Suzanne, and Becky. Darlene is our AZ neighbor who is also from Colorado. She has on the cute straw hat. Suzanne and Becky are from Canada. Suzanne is wearing the red sunglasses and is the photographer. She attends the geocaching meetings and is the tech expert of this group. Becky and her hubby Bob are pickleball friends. We are the Caching Cougar Cuties. Check out geocaching.com
The sewing room here at CVRV has classes available. Two good friends, Bev and Vicky, and I decided to take the class to make a table runner. First thing we had to do was decide on the material to use. Before we went to the fabric store, a stop for lunch was necessary. This girls day out was at least a four hour adventure. I plan to hang it on a wall back at Dilley. Will post the finished wall hanging later.
Sara, our yoga puppy, gets into the strangest positions while keeping an eye on what is happening in the RV. She loves to go for walks and has fun catching the ball while in the dog park. Eight o'clock and five o'clock are popular times to see lots of dogs in the dog park and we head over there often. Sara can also be seen often at the pickle ball courts.
Here are just a few of the dogs that enjoy the dog park. Sara has fun herding the other dogs who are running about and of course lots of sniffing goes on.
Vern is a good friend from the Geocaching Group. He and Rae, his wife, often have a gathering for wine time on their porch. In the summer Vern and Rae return to their home in Michigan and he keeps busy making interesting wine. We enjoy tasting his various wines.
After having dinner with friends Pam and Paul, we enjoyed an evening listening to The 3 International Tenors who performed at the beautiful Pinnacle Presbyterian Church in Scottsdale, AZ.
The Fashion Show Luncheon with friends Janine and Kathy is a well attended event here at the RV resort. Looking through the racks and racks of clothing and finding something that works after seeing the fashion show is challenging.
Spider ride with Karen Lee, a neighbor here in in the park. We went to a movie and then out to lunch. For a first time ride on the highway, it was a new and exciting experience. Oh, and yes, I did wear a helmet. Karen and I get together about once a week and play Mah Jongg for two.
The Mardi Gras parade is a favorite event here at the RV Park. The geocaching group entered and received a prize for their effort. This year there was a 4 piece band that rode on the bed of a pickup and happened to be right in front of our group. The lively music added to the festivities.
Fiesta fun with good friends, Bev and Robb, our Canadian neighbors. This event was held in the ballroom and the tacos were yummy.