Warren, Ohio to Lakeland, Florida

After leaving Rochester, New York, it was time to head south. We had about 1300 miles to travel back to Lakeland and had planned 8 days to do it, making a few stops along the way.

Our first stop was in Warren, Ohio to spend 2 days with our friends, the Giammarcos. We hadn't seen them since we left on our journey in 2009. It was great to see Jim, Cathy, DJ, and their dog Ricky! DJ is living at home while attending Youngstown State University and is doing quite well while going to school and working! Daughter Lee Ann is now living in Cleveland, and working as a registered nurse and is also a Lieutenant in the Army reserves! She recently became engaged, and we were able to see her and meet her fiance, Buddy. Buddy, also in the army, was being deployed a few days after our meeting, so it was a little sad, especially for Lee Ann and Buddy!

While in Ohio, the weather started to get colder, and one morning we had some trouble with freezing temperatures, which caused one of our water pipes to freeze. Luckily, there was no permanent damage, but we agreed maybe we should head straight home, since freezing temps were in the forecast the entire way to Florida. Because we are building a house, and will need some new furniture, we were going to visit Highpoint, North Carolina, which is famous for it's furniture stores. If I didn't know better, I would have thought Art had arranged the cold weather to avoid this visit!!!!!!!

Luckily, we were able to spend an evening in Knoxville, and had dinner with Jill, Wayne, Kristi, Cayla, and Jason, Cayla's boyfriend. It was a fun evening and great to catch up with everyone! Cayla graduated from college this year and is looking for a job in marketing. She is a very smart and personable girl, and we know a good job will turn up for her! Wayne announced he had just received a promotion that day, so we did some extra celebrating!

The rest of our journey down south was uneventful, and we arrived in Lakeland at our campground 2 days later. After getting settled in our campsite, Carol and Ricky picked us up and took us to their new house. It is beautiful, and they truly got a great deal! We enjoyed the home tour and seeing Carol and Rick, who we hadn't seen since February! Their house is in a community called, Bridgewater, which is about 10 miles from where our house is being built. Of course, we had to take a drive to our house, also, since we hadn't seen it since construction was started. Seeing it in person made it seem much more real and exciting! Hopefully, it will be done, as predicted, by the end of February!

The last two years of travel have been wonderful! In the 6 1/2 months we were gone this year, we covered 18,500 miles and traveled through 24 states! We got to see and do so much, and also visit friends and family along the way, some of which we hadn't seen in many years! Art and I are so grateful to have had this opportunity. Even though we are building a house, we plan to keep the RV and travel, although less extensively, in the summers. We still enjoy this lifestyle, and do not wish to give it up completely.

Presently, we will be retiring our travel blog, and do not have plans to resume it at this time. If the situation presents itself to write about our travels again, we will notify you. We wish to thank all of our faithful blog followers who have traveled with us over the past 2 seasons! It was fun to have you "ride" along, and hopefully enjoy what we were experiencing!

Rochester, New York-Part II

While visiting Rochester and going to our old neighborhood, we were able to see the house we had lived in, both inside and out. New owners, Bob and Valerie, and their children Ryan and Cayla, really seem to love the house as much as we did, and have taken great care of it. It made us feel good knowing they are happy there, and the home we had for 18 years was in very good hands!

Steve and Jody arranged a Harkola reunion at their home while we were in town! We got to see Steve and Jody's daughter, Stephanie, son, Nick, and his fiance, Britney, Steve's parents, Chet and Helen, Jody's sister Gail and sister Leigh and her husband, Eric. We miss seeing everyone, whom we were fortunate enough to spend many special Christmases with! It was truly a wonderful day, and we were grateful we were able to get together!

We couldn't have left Rochester, without seeing friends, Kathy and Jack! Art and I were able to spend some time with Kathy and son, Kevin, one afternoon, and Kathy, Jack, Art, and I went out for dinner one evening. It was so good to see everyone, and as usual, we had lots of laughs and fun when we were together! There were many wonderful Thanksgivings that Art, Matt, and I had spent at the Shiltz household!

Marilyn, whom I had worked with at HCR, and her husband, Matt, invited us over to see their new home which is in Fairport. They and their families have spent the last months remodeling and updating the house, and it is gorgeous!! Of course, they have had to get things done a little sooner, since they are expecting a baby early next year! We are very happy for them!

Our McKenzie camping buddies, Kathy and Bill, invited us to their home one day for lunch, along with Judy and Dick, who helped found our McKenzie camping group. It was great to get together, and we had a very nice afternoon! We are hoping to see Kathy and Bill in Florida after the holidays, and Dick and Judy think they will visit Florida in 2012. Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Rochester, New York-Part I

Returning to familiar faces and places in Rochester was great! We had missed our friends and it was so good to catch up with everyone. Also, we were able to shop at Wegmans again. We never found another grocery store to compare in all of our travels around the country!

Good friends, Les and Joanne, extended lots of hospitality to us while we were in New York! We had several great dinners at their home, and one evening they invited some former neighbors of ours to visit. It was good to see Jim and Cathy, Jim and Kyle, and Bob and Lori. We also got to spend time with Joanne's Mom and Dad, Jocy and Irv, and her cousin, Melanie. It was a fun evening! Les took both Art and I for a ride on his beautiful Gold Wing motorcycle. He has put a lot of work into it, and it was thrilling to go for a spin. I can see why he and Joanne like it! One evening, Joanne and Les joined us for a campfire at our campground, although the weather was starting to turn pretty cold!

We had looked forward to seeing friends, Rand and Arlene, since we hadn't seen them since we left New York in July of last year! Arlene and I had worked together for many years at HCR before both of us retired in 2009. Since retiring, Arlene has battled major illness, and is now doing very well! We had a wonderful day at the Sundquist home reminiscing, laughing, and playing games! On another day, Art, Arlene, Rand, and I got together at Gail and Rick's home. Gail was also an HCR coworker, and she and her husband have both retired within the past year. We were invited for lunch, and were having so much fun, none of us left until dinner time!

While Matt was playing ice hockey as a boy in Rochester, we met John and Dorrie Bok and became friends. John was Matt's ice hockey coach for a time, and for a few years, Art and John played racquetball on a regular basis. During our trip we were able to get together with John and Dorrie for a delicious dinner at the Waterfront Grill in Canandaiqua. It was so nice to spend time with them again!

Michigan-Part III

Here are the rest of the "Surprise" party pictures.

Michigan-Part II

Art and I had been planning a "surprise" 80th birthday party for his brother, Kenny, while we were in Michigan, including making arrangements for Matt to fly in to attend with his girlfriend, Ashley. What I didn't know was while Art was planning a surprise for Kenny, he was also planning a surprise for my 60th! When we walked into DeLuca's Restaurant and I saw my friends and family standing there, I was totally caught off guard! Everyone said I looked confused! Art said he knew I was surprised because I wore the same top my Aunt Barbara had seen me in the night before!!!!! Had I known she would be there, he figured I would have worn something different!

The party was wonderful, and it was so good seeing everyone, some of which I hadn't seen for at least 15 years! Art did a fantastic job arranging the party and had enlisted some help to pull it off. Cousin Jane assisted in gathering my family together, which included Aunt Barbara and cousins Shannon, Greg, Shelley, Scott, Greg IV, Ted, and his girlfriend, Jen. Dee Ann recruited our college group, which consisted of Rich, Lynn and Bob, Nancy and Gordon, Donna and David, Chris, Bernie and John, and Nancy and Gordon. Niece Carolyn and her husband Mick were essential in arranging for the Kluegel family and friends to be present, who were nieces Kathy and Debby, Carolyn's children Julie and Kevin, and friends, Siggy and Gerry. Last, but not least, Margo, got together Diane and Lori, who I had worked with at Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital. Art made sure friends, Dot, Frank, and Brett, and Sue and Rod attended. I am very lucky to have so many wonderful family members and friends! Thank-you to everyone, especially Art, for making my and Kenny's milestone birthdays so special!!!!!!!

Michigan-Part I

East Lansing, Michigan, where we had tickets to the Michigan State vs University of Wisconsin football game, was our first stop after departing Wisconsin. Saturday morning, Matt and Ashley got to the MSU tennis court area early to set up for their traditional tailgate. Ashley had made some tasty appetizers and Matt was the "grillmaster", cooking brats and hot dogs. It was sure enjoyable to relax and watch them do the work!!!! Art's brother, Kenny, came with us to the game, and Ashley's Mom and Stepfather, Dine and Dan were also there, which made it even more fun! Some of Matt's friends and former roommates, Greg, Pat, Ben, Diondre, and cousin John were at the tailgate. It was nice to catch up with everyone! Of course, MSU won, which made the day, especially Matt's!!!!!!!!!!

The rest of our time in Michigan was devoted to visiting friends and family, some of which we hadn't seen in over a year. We were able to spend a great day with our cousins, Greg, Jane and Nick, and my Aunt Barbara, in Battle Creek. It was the perfect day for some Bocci Ball, although I think the boys beat the girls! Besides seeing Aunt Barbara in Battle Creek, we also had lunch with her and my cousin, Shannon, in Rochester, Michigan at the "Red Olive" restaurant.

My friend, Dot Baccari, arranged a reunion of gals from grade school. Attending were Dot, myself, Sue Saxton, and Lynn Frasier. Although Dot, Sue, and I have kept up friendships over the years, I figured Lynn and I hadn't seen each other in approximately 46 years! What a great time!!!!!!!!

Sue and I spent her "60th" birthday together, treating ourselves to pedicures and lunch, and discussing where all the years had gone! I'm glad we had that time together, since it has been a while since we were together on a birthday. Later that evening, Rod, Art, Sue, and I went out for further celebration at the McCormick and Schmick restaurant.

We were also able to spend time with Dot, Frank, and Brett. On one day, Frank made a delicious Italian dinner of lasagna and meatballs, and Matt and Ashley were also there to enjoy it! Later we enjoyed drinks and laughs in the hot tub! It brought back many pleasant memories of hot tub evenings in the past.

Madison, Wisconsin

Our trip continued to Madison, Wisconsin to spend some time with our son, Matt. Both Art and I were excited to see him, since Art hadn't been with him since Christmas and I since February. Matt had joined an adult hockey league, and did well during the year, scoring many goals and assists. We were able to watch him play 2 games during our visit and really had fun. It sure brought back memories of the years of hockey that Matt had played from a small child through high school, especially the smell of the ice rink!!!!!!! During one of the games, Matt got a penalty, and I managed to sneak up behind him and take a picture while he was sitting in the penalty box. I later found out his team mates saw me and told him his "Mommy" was taking pictures of him!

While in Madison, Art, Matt, and I took a drive to the nearby town of New Glarus to attend their Octoberfest. It was a quaint, small, town settled by the Swiss in the mid 1800's. The New Glarus Brewery, in the town, has become famous for some of it's beers, one of which is called, "Spotted Cow". A featured event at the festival, besides beer tasting, was an antique tractor pull. There were tractors from the 30's and 40's that took turns pulling a large weighted vehicle on wheels, and then the speed and length of the pull were measured and compared. It was interesting to watch.

Besides visiting Matt, we were also able to spend some time with our good friends, Dennis and Sandy Couture! As usual, it was great seeing them and we enjoyed lots of laughs together! We invited The Coutures to the RV for dinner, planning to eat outside. However, the weather didn't cooperate, so we stayed inside the RV, and managed to squeeze 5 adults around our RV kitchen table. Talk about close friends and family!! It turned out well and we all had a good time! One afternoon, Sandy took me for a new adventure, pottery painting. It is harder than it looks! We both painted cows, appropriate for Wisconsin. Sandy did Green Bay colors and mine was more eclectic. I don't think any new artists were discovered that day, but we sure had fun, and the cows turned out really cute!