February in Arizona (and California and Colorado)

The return flight from Philly had only about 20 passengers on board….quite different from the week before. But we still got in at midnight! We had a great time but it was so nice to get home. (You’ll recall that when in Phoenix we park the motorcoach at the home of one of Jim’s oldest friends). It is so wonderful at David’s. His ranch is nestled in the foothills north of Phoenix close to the town of Cave Creek. We wake up to the sun coming up over the valley with the southern mountains and the city below us. Many mornings there are hot air balloons up. Lots of quail running around and Yaqui (our cat) loves to sit in the window and watch them. She prefers to go out at night and we prefer that she doesn't because of the coyotes and cactus, so sometimes it is a challenge to keep her in. Thank you David and Kimberly for trusting us with the ranch and being such beautiful friends.

We stayed in Phoenix about 10 days and had fun visiting with Avey, her boyfriend Tony, Melanie and Travis, Joey, Stephanie and all the grandkids.

Jack is getting so big and he loves his Mimi Becky, falling asleep when she cradles him in her arms. We are so grateful that Jim’s family has opened up their arms and welcomed her into their lives and hearts. She certainly loves them and is thrilled to have new grandbabies to cuddle! Balloons and Jack

While in town we had to get in some “wheeling” with our friends Mike, Ben and Ryan. There are so many places in the desert that are crisscrossed by primitive roads where you can off-road and find some real challenges. Mike’s been “wheeling” in the area for a long time and knows a lot of the roads (and non-roads). He builds his own off-road vehicles and has graduated from sand rails to jeeps. I think we may have had some influence there. He has the advantage of “no fear of body damage” that we don’t have so it really fun to go with him. 4 wheeling in Phoenix

Believe it or not we then managed to squeeze in a short trip to southern California. We needed to deliver some boat things that our friends Marvin and Carlene had left in San Carlos when they sold their boat. We had a great visit with them at their home in Hemet and made a new friend. Turns out Bob …. an old friend of theirs…. spends a fair amount of time in the California wine country. Hey what’s not to like about a guy like that, especially when he is willing to share. So of course Becky had to try several different vintages. We always have such fun with them….we have so many friends in common, not to mention sailboats! And the best thing was that Marvin sold Jim on the advantages of a GPS for the road. Now, Jim being old school, has always believed in maps and Becky is a great navigator but they could foresee the need for electronic assistance in the near future….like navigating the freeways in CALIFORNIA!  Wow, is it cool. You have to be absolutely brain dead to miss your freeway exit ramp with this. Thanks Marvin, Carlene and Bob and hope to see you guys out on the road later this year.  

Since we were in southern CA anyway we decided to check out Minnie’s yacht supply in Newport Beach. Turns out Minnie’s first name is Ernie, go figure. We’d been told Minnie’s was like a giant boating garage sale….and it was. We were primarily looking for some bigger winches for Abigail but wanted to see what else we could find on our “wish list”.  Unfortunately we couldn’t find a pair of winches in the right size and we struck out on the rest of our list, too. But we had lots of fun. Equipment, pieces and parts everywhere, some we knew the purpose of and some….well it was a guess. We had a great conversation with Ernie about San Carlos and boats (in between people coming in off the street to sell him salvage). What a fascinating place! (Needless to say, we are still looking for winches and really don’t want to pay new retail, so if any of you know of some other discount/used suppliers between Colorado and Alaska, let us know).Oh, did we mention Alaska … don’t forget those best laid plans.

The last stop in CA was Venice! One of Becky’s best friends lives there and we hadn’t seen Tressa and Jim since our wedding. When we arrived we went to dinner at this great restaurant called Casa Blanca and guess what the theme was…you got it… a Mexican restaurant decorated with memorabilia from the movie Casablanca. Really great stuff, too. And the food was fantastic…Calamari steak like I fixed in SC but better and cooked 8 different ways! Can’t wait to try out some new recipes.

And yes, we went to Venice Beach, walked out on the pier and had lunch looking out over the ocean. Little did we know that the original developer of Venice, CA patterned a portion of the town after Venice, Italy complete with canals and bridges. We walked along the canals and saw some amazing houses, from modernistic to quaint craftsman bungalows. Guess which we ones we liked best?

Friday night was kind of a blur for some thanks to Carlos and his bottomless pitcher of pomegranate martinis. But we managed to rise and shine Saturday morning and go to the races…..that’s the thoroughbred races at Santa Anita. What a beautiful racetrack. Tressa  really loves the sport of horse racing ….. not betting but the history of the sport. She enjoys taking pictures of the horses and following her favorites.  It was so much fun to go to the races with her because she knows everybody from the ushers to the trainers and what’s going on with the horses. Her favorite track is Hollywood Park, which is a lot closer to home. It’s fate is really up in the air as it has been sold to developers who plan to tear it down and build another shopping center! She is very involved in trying to save the Park, check out her web page, Save Hollywood Park  Beautiful horses! After the races we went to downtown LA for dinner. Jim works downtown and gave us the 50 cent tour. It was quite different from what we expected. Downtown LA was going through a nice renaissance until the crash hit, so most of the building and renovation has stopped, but it is still quite the place. The new Disney Center will take your breath away, the architecture is amazing. We ate at a fabulous Italian bistro and the cioppino was great … and the portobello stuffed ravioli with walnut cream sauce were to die for. Thanks Jim and Tressa, you’re the best. And give Carlos a hug from both of us. California revisited

We got back to Arizona just in time to use our last 3 days from the timeshare to spend Valentine’s Day in Sedona. Awww, how romantic……yes it was! Los Abrigados is quite the place. We had a jacuzzi and fireplace in our suite. We felt pretty pampered. We worked out everyday in the gym to work off the gastronomic binges we enjoyed in California! It was a REALLY nice gym! Sedona

Our last weekend in Phoenix was Aravis’ 6^th birthday and the family got together to celebrate. She is really into Transformers and especially Toy Story. I don’t know which she liked better, her new “Woody” doll or Buzz Lightyear….it was a tossup. We had a nice visit with her and Judah (and Joe and Stephanie) and got to see Daisy for the 1^st time.  She was beautiful…..all cuddly, wrapped up in pink. We rounded off the weekend with a last visit with Jack (and Melanie and Travis). We’d gone shopping for books for him at the used bookstore and found some really beautiful ones. We had a lot of fun reminiscing over childhood memories. Sunday night found us at Jim’s sister’s house for dinner. We had a great time with Norma and Ron. 

Aravis, Judah, Daisy and Jack

As Jim was feeling a little down about his upcoming surgery and downtime he went shopping at 4 Wheel Parts for some new toys for the jeep. Came out of there very happy with a new winch and other cool stuff. Then he and Mike had to spend some “guy” time installing it. It’s amazing how excited guys get over plasma cutters and winch capacity. He can’t wait to try it out! He might have a hard time trying to find any 4-wheeling in Colorado that isn’t under several feet of snow, but you never know. Where there is a will there is a way!

Friday, Feb 25^th finds us on the road to Golden. We left Phoenix at 8:30 in the  morning and were still going strong at 11 pm. We both felt like driving, especially since a winter storm was right behind us! Gloria (the voice of our GPS) said we should arrive at 12:52 am. Then once it got dark, Yaqui decided she’d help navigate by riding on the dashboard. During the day she never came out from under the seat…crazy cat!  We can’t believe we drove straight thru, 16 hours total, but the look on our daughter Alisha’s face was worth it when she woke up and we were parked out front. Of course Kalyn and Allie came knocking way too early but hey that’s the joy of grandchildren.

So, we finish this chapter with the coach and our lives leveled out for the next few months in Golden, CO. Our preparations are complete so that hopefully Jim’s recovery will be smooth making Becky’s life only mildly insane.

Oh, and Alaska….. that’s the next chapter.

Until then keep in mind that to appreciate and recognize the potential that you really are is one of the most important steps you can ever take. 

When you open a door for someone else, you open one for yourself.

And it ain’t what they call you, it’s what you answer to.

Hugs,

Jim and Becky

Aruba (aka Las Vegas on the Beach)

We left Phoenix at MIDNIGHT to make a connecting flight in Philadelphia to get to Aruba. Who’d have thunk it! Other choices were equally out of the way. And most had either a 45 min connection time or 8-10 hour layover coming back…..no way. Given the winter storms that the eastern part of the country had been suffering thru, we were a bit nervous about flying out of Philly. But we lucked out again and the weather was perfect! There was not an empty seat to be had on either plane, full in Phoenix, full in Philly…..amazing! Obviously we picked a popular destination. What was really great was that at the gate they offered to check your carry-ons for free, hoping to avoid running out of overhead compartment space. Pretty cool considering the airline normally charged $25 for each checked bag both ways!

Aruba was warm and sunny and the diving was good. Sadly a lot of the coral is dying in the popular dive spots, but the farther south you go, the better it gets. We dove some wrecks, a first for Becky, one of which was supposedly the largest in that part of the Caribbean. We swam through a submerged airplane, entering like a passenger at one end and exiting thru the other. While the seats were gone and most of the instruments the cockpit still had some controls and one could imagine what it was like to fly it. We found out later that the plane was used to transport drugs from South America. Glad we weren’t on her last flight. That’s one of the best parts of wreck diving…learning about their role in history, some good, some bad.  Here are some links to some of the dive sites and the stories behind them and information on Aruba.

Aruba information

Dive sites 

Wreck information

We also did a lot of drift dives along the reefs, which was very cool.  For the 1^st time we experimented with video underwater. It was a lot of fun and Becky became quite good with just our little digital point and shoot. We saw some new and different fish along with turtles and what seemed like the world’s largest blue parrot fish, which thrilled Becky. While there was more color than we normally see in San Carlos it still seemed kinda drab ….mainly orange and shades of beige, brown and rust. Lots of different types, shapes and sizes of sponges especially some amazing purple tube sponges. There were many different shapes and sizes of worms but not many soft corals. . but who’s complaining. The water was warm and the diving laid back. The shop we dove with offered an unlimited dive package for a flat rate. So we dove 16 times in 5 days. That may not seem like a lot of dives to some but at the end of the day we were ready for a siesta. All the dives were boat dives, with very experienced crews. It goes without saying that having a knowledgeable local dive guide is priceless. The boat was the same kind and length we dive off of at Ocean Sports, but not as well equipped as the Ocean Spirit. No surface interval snacks, either. We really missed the great “comida” that Ernesto, Edgar and Junior make. All in all, a great time.

Aruba itself was definitely a bit of a contradiction. It is a small island that is part of the Dutch Antilles located approximately 14 miles from the northern coast of Venezuela. Dutch is the official language, but most locals speak at least 4 languages, English, Dutch, Spanish and a native patois, Papiamento, that is a combination of many different ones. It is a popular destination for most of the eastern seaboard, so it is somewhat like being center stage at a Jimmy Buffet concert in a New York state of mind. Inland the architecture and vegetation is much like San Carlos but along the beach……. can you say Las Vegas? High rise hotels, casinos, Hooters, TGI Fridays, Tony Roma’s and beach bars, bikinis, beach bars, and more….. bikinis. And HUGE cruise ships, 2-3 different ones every day. It was really a sight, watching them “park” at the pier. All the grocery stores are owned and operated by Chinese who don’t speak anything else and the locals call KFC, Keep From Cooking. When we asked where we could buy fresh fish to cook ourselves, they looked at us like we were from another planet. Bizarre! The biggest surprise (a very pleasant one) was at the airport, upon leaving. You clear US Customs and Immigration in Aruba before you leave. You actually cross into US territory in the departure area. Our bags were checked all the way to Phoenix and we did not have to stand in the interminable immigration lines in the US.

How cool is that! 

Here are links to the Aruba pictures,

one for scenery  Aruba pictures

one for underwater pictures Aruba underwater stills

and one for videos Aruba videos

 Enjoy!

A grateful Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

As they say … the best laid plans…. beginning with no work on Abigail (our sailboat) this fall. The weather was too hot and we were really busy diving with the shop. Many friends came to visit and time just flew by. We wanted to take a dive vacation in the spring hopefully before the scheduling of Jim’s second hip replacement. So we began looking for an exchange that would work with our timeshare and timeframe. Ahhhh…old man time….little did we know.

We decided to spend Thanksgiving in San Carlos. It was different not spending the holiday with family. Especially for Becky since it was her first time away from the kids. Yet God puts people into our lives for a reason. This year Andy and Bev’s (our dear friends we caretake for in San Carlos) sister Claire and her family came down for Thanksgiving. Jim had certified their daughter Katherine last spring while she was attending a semester of high school in Mexico. She was such an amazing spirit that when they asked Jim to certify her younger brother Jake he gladly agreed. Like his sister Jake was a natural and we all had a great time. Jake even learned how to catch fish barehanded, unlike in Minnesota where they still use a rod and reel after cutting a hole in the ice. Jake's diving

They graciously treated us to a home cooked Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. The turkey was an amazing 26 pounds. It seems that in years gone by turkeys have been hard to come by since the Mexicans don’t celebrate the holiday. But this year that changed in a “big” way. Turkeys were readily available for up to 4 times the cost per pound in the states. The bigger the turkey…..the bigger the profit. Who says they don’t understand marketing in Mexico at least when it comes to the gringos.

We made new lifelong friends and shared one of the most memorable Thanksgivings ever with them. It more than made up for being away from family.  You guys are awesome, vaya con Dios until we see you again.    

We left San Carlos around the 1^st week of December to head north for Christmas. We were excited to visit with the kids in Arizona and see our new grandson Jack. He was born Nov 3 and is named after his great grandfather. He is beautiful. Jim’s daughter Melanie and her guy Travis are wonderful parents and all 3 are doing great. Jack's 1st pictures

Joe and Stephanie are having a girl instead of a boy and she was due any day. We were hoping Daisy Annabelle Suzanne (try repeating that fast 3 times) would be born before we had to leave for Colorado, but she had her own ideas. Turns out she was born Christmas Eve! We now have a total of 10 beautiful grandchildren between us. Wow!

We got to Golden in time to see Christmas programs, basketball games and Christmas parades with Becky’s kids and grandkids. We even had time left over to bake cookies, enjoy a high tea and decorate the tree. It is always such a busy time when we go to Colorado to visit….. there is so much to catch up on and so many things to do. Grandparenting can be exhausting…..don’t know how we did it as parents let alone how our kids do it! It seemed especially hectic this time as we needed to leave right after Christmas to be back in San Carlos for New Years. Christmas in Golden

We drove south via Red River, NM. Judy (Jim’s sister) and Gil bought a townhouse down there in Sept and had much of the family up from Texas for a ski vacation.  That is a beautiful area of NM, north of Taos. We are going back when there isn’t any snow…we’ve heard it is really gorgeous in the fall. Red River 

We really lucked out with the weather and stayed just ahead of a major storm all the way back to the border. Even so there was snow in Phoenix… imagine that! It even snowed in Tucson and Nogales! Getting through Mexican customs was a breeze because no officials wanted to be outside in the cold. We got back to San Carlos in the afternoon on New Years Eve. Had a small bite to eat and made plans to paint the town later then decided a short nap would be in order.  Remember those best laid plans….we woke up from the “short” nap sometime close to midnight. Just in time to spank the baby and go back to bed.

We started New Year’s day off diving …..what else … with old friends and the day could not have been more spectacular! On the way to San Pedro Island we found ourselves in the middle of a pod of Orcas. That’s right, Orcas…. aka killer whales to some. But when you see them up close and personal, you forget all about the “killer”. There were at least 14, including 2 babies which made the experience extra special. They swam right up to the boat and put on quite a performance!  Shortly after that, we found ourselves being entertained by an even larger pod of dolphins. All in all a wonderful way to start the new year. Orcas

We finally got a call from the VA to schedule Jim’s hip replacement surgery. They wanted us in Denver Feb 28^th for pre-op tests with surgery scheduled for March 24^th. Re-enter old man time and the possibility for a dive vacation. Now, we understand that it’s hard for some to comprehend the concept of taking a vacation when your life is a vacation but it works for us. It seems that even if one is lucky enough to work at something they love…. for us diving… it can still become work. For Jim and I this was an opportunity to just dive together and enjoy someplace new and different. We decided on Aruba in mid January, not our first choice but in the ABC’s. For you non-divers that’s the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao off the northern coast of Venezuela.

Sadly this meant we would not be returning to San Carlos anytime soon. It was really hard saying good-bye to all our friends, knowing we won’t be back until the fall. Especially all our great friends at Ocean Sports; Sarah, Abraham, Chino, Oscar, Ernesto, Edgar and Junior. 

Ocean Sports

Tommy, sorry we can’t be there for your record setting dive. Remember it’s spelt Guinness as in book not beer.Tommy's dive blog

Rich and Barb, thank you so much for all the Guaymas tips and banana bread. Good luck with your rally. San Carlos rally  

We love you all like family and wish you the best. Thank you for being in our lives.

Next stop……Aruba