The house we’re staying in is convenient to three ski resorts: Park City; Deer Valley; and, Canyons. And at the base of the mountain we’re on is the Rockport State Park which surrounds a lake that is frozen right now to a depth of 18 inches. As we were driving down the mountain this afternoon, … Continue reading
We had a nice flight out to Utah with a short layover in Chicago. O’hare is a very nice airport. We landed around 3:30 in Salt Lake City and had no trouble finding our home exchange hosts’ car that was left at the airport for us. It was about an hour drive from Salt Lake … Continue reading
We’re used to seeing seagulls and pelicans in the Keys, but the Royal Tern is not a bird that I recognize from our part of Florida, though it appears to be indigenous to the Gulf coast. Here’s one (foreground, right) from our beach walk this morning. We had fun watching the birds. This gull was … Continue reading
We’re not big fans of contemporary art, but there was one contemporary exhibit at the Ringling Art Museum that we really enjoyed. It was by an artist named Zimoun. You won’t be able to get the full experience from my blog because the exhibit was as much sound as it was visual, as evidenced by … Continue reading
I can’t get over the Ringling Art Museum. It was built by John Ringling in the 1920s and early 1930s to house his personal art collection after he finished building his mansion house. Keep in mind that there was virtually no one living here at the time and no way to get here except by … Continue reading
John Ringling made his first fortune in the circus business, but he also made a few more fortunes in railroads, oil and real estate. Apparently, like Henry Flagler on the east coast of Florida, John Ringling had high hopes and extraordinary vision for the future of the west coast of Florida. Before there was much … Continue reading
Ladies and gentlemen, step right this way! Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey present The Greatest Show on Earth! The six Ringling brothers were famous for their circus in the early part of the 20th century, and it made at least one of them, John Ringling, a very rich man. John Ringling had a 60 … Continue reading
Thursday we decided to ride bikes to the north end of Anna Maria island to the Rod and Reel Pier for brunch. It was 5 or 6 miles to the pier, for a round trip of around 12 miles. The restaurant sat at the end of the pier. We rode the bikes around the north … Continue reading
We are early risers. Most days, we get up around 6:00, grab a cup of coffee, and sit on our balcony reading our iPads as the sun rises over the Atlantic. It’s a very relaxing way to start the day. At the end of the day, it’s traditional in the Keys to look west over … Continue reading
I bet you would look too. We’re in Sarasota today. I left my only sandals at Tom and Leanne’s house, so we went shopping for replacements. Dale got a pair too. And I love this picture that Kelly took of me in her room when we visited her last week in Gainesville.
We’re on Anna Maria Island now, our home for the next nine days. We’re staying in a quaint beach bungalow right on the Gulf. Here’s the view from just outside our cottage where we’re having our morning cup of coffee.
Tom gave Dale a present as we were about to leave their house for Anna Maria Island. I don’t think he really expected her to hold it. It’s a dog’s life in Micanopy. Tom and Suzie taking a nap.
Every now and then, Kyle throws a fantastic music party. Nearly everyone that attends performs – anything from classical to rock and roll. This year, Kyle’s party, which he called Classical Cocktails, coincided with the end of a week of celebrating the end of Kelly’s 21st year; it’s been a week of Kellebration. Sunday is … Continue reading
After our morning hike with Tom and Leanne, we drove into Gainesville to meet Kelly and go with her to her African Choir class. It was a lot of fun singing with the choir, even though the Swahili words were nearly impossible to pronounce and even harder to remember. We gave Kelly her birthday presents, … Continue reading
We left the Keys just before noon Thursday and drove to Micanopy. We’re staying with our friends, Tom and Leanne, on the edge of Payne’s Prairie, just south of Gainesville. Their house is deep in the country and, lucky for us, the weather is wonderful right now. Friday morning we went for a hike through … Continue reading
Who knows this guy? My dermatologist tried to skin me alive today! He took out two skin cancers and had to cut from my forehead to the tip of my nose. But who knows, this might just make me movie star material. He did a great job repairing the incision and taking as little tissue … Continue reading
Yesterday afternoon we heard what sounded like an airplane circling our house, so we looked up to see what it was… Turns out it was a guy in a hang-glider with what look like a giant fan strapped to his back! He had taken off from the high school football fields that are behind our … Continue reading
While Trevor stayed home, the rest of us went for a hike in the DuPont State Forest to day to see Triple Falls and High Falls. It was a nice day and we wanted to get outside because tomorrow it’s supposed to rain. On the way up, we hopped out onto the rocks in the … Continue reading
And up they go! Making it look easy. With a little style. Dale watched… Then we found a nice place to read while they figured out how to get back down. The blue blazes led us back to the car. Next time, to the top!
On Christmas morning, we drove about 150 miles to Crowders Mountain near Charlotte so the kids could go rock climbing with their new gear. Unfortunately, the rangers decided to take the day off and thought everyone else should too, so they closed and locked the entrance to the park. We had to turn around and … Continue reading
Trevor was a bit tired when we got back from mountain biking. Dale got busy preparing pumpkin cheesecake. Kyle cooked a steak on the BBQ while Kelly made vegetables. While everything was cooking, we had a computer face-off. After dinner, it was time to open presents. Trevor gave us Buffalo Bills winterware.
Trevor arrived at the Asheville airport around midnight on Friday night. It’s nice to have everyone together. It rained for several days before the kids arrived, so we were especially happy to have a nice sunny day once they were all here with us. So, we headed for DuPont State Forest for some mountain biking. … Continue reading
Kelly found heaven at Mast General Store in Asheville. Candy!!!! They have a strange bike storage system here. It also works with unruly children. And they have a Mellow Mushroom Pizza Restaurant! We’re seeing a movie while we wait for Trevor’s plane; he lands around midnight.
This morning we hiked up the road behind the house. There was a nice view from the top. We trail blazed on the way down. The road less traveled.
Here’s a short post of our exchange home for the Holidays. Above, is a view from the road and below is a view from the creek (we finally had a sunny day). They have a japanese style hot tub. And a huge garden. Kyle and Kelly are with us now!
The Road Less Traveled 