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Oct-Dec 2010
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Riley =D
Week Ending 11-20-10
(Florida--Part 3)
Sitting here on the porch of the Westcott House Inn by the bay, taking in the view and reveling in the absolutely glorious Floridian weather, I'm finding it difficult to keep my mind focused on the task at hand. As is typically the case when one has no responsibilities whatsoever, each day melds seamlessly into the ones before and after, and it becomes increasingly hard to recall specifics. Of course, while "Riley" spends her days doing whatever it is that she does, hubby has actually had to spend his time here in The Sunshine State hard at work.
Fortunately, however, this has not been one of those projects where Scott has needed to be on site 12-14 hours-a-day, seven days a week. On Sunday, after a kingly breakfast of eggs Benedict, croissants, fresh fruit, coffee, & juice, we took an aerial tour of St. Augustine in the RV.
Circling overhead at an altitude of approximately 1000 feet above the earth, we had a splendid view of Florida's northeastern coastline and the Matanzas Bay.
(red arrow points to the location of the Westcott)
The drive to/from Palatka, where we have the airplane hangared, takes about 45 minutes each way. The flight to/around St. Augustine and back to Palatka took that many minutes total.
Before leaving Palatka, we stopped at the St. Johns River Memorial Bridge to photograph the bronze sailor--one of four life-size statues erected at either end of the bridge in honor of fallen WWI servicemen.
Later that afternoon, we toured the Castillo de San Marcos. The 17th-century structure, which became a national monument in 1924, has served as both fort and prison at different times in La Florida's tumultuous early history. Individual storerooms and living quarters within the walls of the fort now serve as museums in which to display historical artifacts. Twice daily, men in period garb put on weapons demonstrations, reenacting defensive canon fire being shot out into the bay by Spanish artillerymen.
When not strolling about town peaking into shop windows and taking in the sights, I have spent a fair amount of time just lounging around the Westcott House. Inn Keepers Joy & Andrew, and their amiable staff, go to great lengths to ensure that guests have a comfortable and pleasant stay.
In addition to serving up delicious breakfasts that are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the palate, and hot/cold beverages on demand throughout the day, they encourage folks to gather in the dining room each evening for hors d'oeuvres and wine/beer/soft drinks before heading out to dinner.
We have eaten such a wide variety of foods at so many different restaurants that I have completely lost track. While many a place here in St. Augustine exudes romantic ambiance and charm, such as Harry's (pictured below), one of our best meals by far has been eaten at an unassuming little hole-in-the-wall of a place across the bay on Anastasia Island.
No seating under the stars. No twinkle lights. No candles. No torches. No live music. They don't even accept credit cards.
(the calm after the storm)
But what O'Steen's (Jacksonville Magazine's 2009 Dining Hall of Fame) lacks in the way of atmosphere, they more than compensate for with what they serve-up on the plate. It's no exaggeration to say that these are the best fried shrimp we have ever eaten! Hands down, bar none.We now jokingly refer to O'Steen's as the Hard Eight of seafood. (If you've read any of our posts about the Hard Eight BBQ in Stephenville, Texas, you know exactly what we mean by that.)
One of the things that has made our stay in the nation's oldest city particularly enjoyable for me is that there is much to do and see within walking distance. For the geographically challenged, such as myself, it's nice to be able to move about freely on foot without having to worry about driving in a strange place for fear of getting lost.
I ventured across the drawbridge to Anastasia Island on Friday to check out the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum. I have now viewed the distinctive landmark from across the bay, from on high, from bottom to top, and from the inside out. The pic below was actually taken from across the bay, but with a little help from my Nikon, a zoom lens, a tripod, and a bit of cropping, it looks much closer than it actually is.
(view of the bay from atop the lighthouse)
Last week was a flurry of activity in preparation for the 17th annual Nights of Lights celebration. According to a calendar-of-events publication put out by Florida's Historic Coast, Nights of Lights was "selected by AAA in 2009 as one of the 10 best events for holiday cheer in the U.S. and Canada." How fortuitous that we should be here for the kick off of an event that has made its way to a top -10 list of seasonal celebrations in not one, but two countries!
More about our stay in St. Augustine in next week's post.
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Posted by Riley
Week Ending 11/13/10
(Florida--Part 2)
Picking up where I left off in last week's post, I'll begin by expounding upon my casual mention of the lost Nikon....
Last Saturday afternoon, as I prepared to draft my blog entry for the preceding week, I discovered that my expensive digital camera was nowhere to be found! I frantically checked and re-checked every nook and cranny of our room to no avail.
As I pondered its possible whereabouts, my memory was brought back to the day we had checked in at the Holiday Inn. Internet service in the room we had been assigned was non existent--not much better elsewhere in the hotel, but that's another story. When we alerted the front desk of our inability to connect, Rosaline suggested we try another room. We had not yet unpacked, so moving was no big deal.
In light of the fact that we'd be staying in a single room, as opposed to our typical apartment-style suite, I reasoned that putting the camera up off the floor and out of the way would conserve space and keep things tidy. And so I did just that.
Since receiving the Nikon as a gift from hubby last Christmas, I have used it primarily for aerial photography. I tend to carry our compact point-and-shoot for spontaneous shots. This is why it took me the better part of four days to realize that the Nikon was no longer in my possession.
Being the hardened cynic that I have become during my half-century of dealing with human beans, I held out little hope that the camera had not already been snagged by subsequent guests of room #323 or even hotel staff. Yet I continued to cling to the shred of a possibility that it had either been found by an honest individual or was still sitting exactly where I had left it atop the TV cabinet.
After scouring the rental car to be sure I hadn't inadvertently left it there, Scott asked the clerk on duty if anyone had turned in a camera. She thought she remembered someone having found one but was of no help whatsoever in terms of details.
As I lamented my own inattentiveness (this was not the first time something like this had happened), I could think of nothing but the lost camera. Not only were we out 1,000 of Scott's hard-earned dollars (including the case, two lenses, and assorted lense covers), but I was out one heck of a nice camera--one that was not likely to be replaced anytime soon. Hence, what might otherwise have been an enjoyable dinner for two at The Conch House restaurant that evening ended up being quite the somber affair.
On Sunday morning, feeling unrested and quite depressed, I headed back to the front desk to let them know that I'd like to inspect room #323 as soon as it had been vacated by its current occupants. To my great relief, the more customer-friendly Rosaline was now on duty.
As I began to explain the situation, she nodded knowingly and described the camera case to me; housekeeping had found and turned it in! It was locked away in the manager's office for safe keeping, but Rosaline assured me that it would be retrieved and returned to me before day's end. She was as good as her word.
Although I did not yet have camera in hand as Scott and I walked the short distance to Denny's for a bite, I had a renewed spring in my step. After a light breakfast, we drove to the Palatka airport and took a short hop down to Cedar Key in the RV.
The breeziness that had made for a bumpy 40-minute flight to KCDK made for a pleasant two-mile walk into town. After sharing a sandwich at The Pickled Pelican, we opted for taxi service back to the field.
Not long after we had donned our headsets in preparation for the return flight, we noticed an increased level of noise in our ears. My pilot quickly determined the source of the annoying crackle to be a faulty alternator, which gave out completely en route back to Palatka. Better now than during our 1,500-mile return trip to the Centennial State.
Next day, I was so exstatic about having my Nikon back that I visited the Mission of Nombre de Dios for a second time and set about honing my photography skills. The Great Cross, a massive stainless steel structure situated on "America's most sacred acre," is visible in whole or in part from virtually anywhere on the grounds.
I had learned from our daughter-in-law that Stevie was going to be "somewhere in Florida" on Navy business through Thursday. To my delight, it turned out that he would be in Jacksonville, just a hop, skip and a jump from where we were in St. Augustine.
What are the odds that our son, from Maryland, and we, from Colorado, would end up being within 40 miles of one another in a state that encompasses 65,795 square miles during the same block of time?! We drove up on Monday evening and spent a pleasant couple of hours visiting over dinner at The Longhorn Steakhouse. The fact that we'd soon be seeing Stevie, Mio, and our grandbabies when they come to visit at Christmastime made for a less painful goodbye than it might otherwise have been.
During our travels to and fro along the streets of downtown St. Augustine and the bayfront area, we've seen numerous B & Bs--a local alphabetical listing mentions 40 of them by name. Scott tasked me with scoping things out to see what was available and which ones I liked. He said that if we could find one comparably priced to the room we were in at the Holiday Inn, perhaps we could spend at least a few nights.
While there are loads of places clamoring for the attention of would-be guests, there are but a few along the Matanzas Bay. Of those, The Westcott House Inn is a standout that caught my eye right away. The festive autumn decorations on the front porch were a nice touch.
After stepping inside to grab a brochure, I returned to the Holiday Inn to do a bit of online research. Turns out, I have a pretty good eye. In addition to being the recipient of the "Superior Small Lodging White Glove Award," Westcott House has been voted "One of the five best inns in Northeast Florida." Above and beyond its pleasing appearance, the inn's waterfront location makes it a most desirable place to stay.
Unfortunately for me, however, the prices listed online were not in keeping with the guidelines Scott had laid out. Although I made a half-hearted attempt to find something within my prescribed price range, I really, really wanted to stay at The Westcott. Oh well...perhaps another time when it wasn't on the company's dime.
That evening, after our usual quest for a place to park, we happened to find ourselves walking right past the Westcott on our way to dinner. Once I had pointed the place out to Scott, he suggested that we at least go inside and speak with someone. I thought it to be a colossal waste of time but dutifully followed behind.
I was absolutely giddy with excitement as I listened to Scott and Joy, one of the owner/inn keepers, hammer out the particulars of our extended stay! You've heard the popular song, "What A Difference A Day Makes?" Well that sums up my experience in a nutshell. The flavor of my stay in St. Augustine was completely altered with a simple change of address.
On Thursday morning, I was in an unremarkable (rather dank) 2nd-floor room at a Holiday Inn, eating cereal out of a styrofoam bowl with a plastic spoon.
Come Friday morning, after a very restful night's sleep in "Emma's Room," I was sitting on the side porch of the Westcott Inn partaking of a freshly-cooked breakfast served up hot with actual dishes/silver, whilst taking in the beautiful view of the bay. Sometimes I just cannot be-LIEVE my own good fortune!
After breakfast on Saturday morning, I set out on foot with map and Nikon in hand to locate, tour, and photograph the Memorial Presbyterian Church. Intellectually, I understand that there is nothing particularly holy about a church building, regardless of its grandeur. But, on a spiritual level, it's difficult to stand amidst such a magnificent structure with all its religious trappings and not somehow "feel" that it is indeed a holy place.
More about our stay in St. Augustine in next week's post.
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Posted by Riley
Week Ending 11-06-10
(Florida--Part 1)
The ground temperature at Front Range Airport was 44 degrees as we departed runway 2 6 on Sunday morning. Our ultimate destination would be Palatka, Florida, but we had built an overnight stop in Mississippi into our flight plan. Although Scott didn't actually need to be on the job site until Wednesday, we were trying to stay a few steps ahead of some nasty-looking weather that was heading in the same direction we were.
Our first pit stop of the day was in Great Bend, Kansas, about two hours from home base. While our fuel tanks can handle legs twice this length, my teeny, tiny bladder cannot comfortably do more than two hours in the morning--especially if I've chosen to indulge in that all-important cup of caffeinated goodness.
We were fortunate to have a brisk 33-knot tailwind for the first hour or so of our journey. Conditions on the ground at KGBD were quite blustery--apparently a common occurrence at this particular airport as Scott told me that one of his hairiest landings to date had taken place there.
Leg #2 into Russellville Regional Airport--about 2:25 hours in length--would take us out of the drab landscape of Kansas and into the lush greenery of Ar-kansas.
During our final leg into Key Field Airport in Meridian, we flew right over Petit Jean State Park in the Nature State where several fellow RVers had camped the night before. Prior to finding out we'd be headed south on business, we had talked about joining them. Next year perhaps.
As Scott set about the tasks of getting us refueled, procuring courtesy van #16, and making hangar arrangements, I observed four of our Navy's finest preparing for an evening training session in their Goshawks.
After unloading and getting 339A tucked into a very spacious hangar with several other birds for the night, we headed in the direction of our hotel and dinner.
Shortly before 9:00 a.m. local time on Monday, we were packed and ready to depart KMEI en route to our morning potty break at Donalsonville Municipal Airport in Georgia.
By just after noon EST, we had reached our destination. Total flight time was 9 hours. Total miles covered were 1,520. Number of states traversed were 7.
While the jobsite itself is in Palatka, Scott had arranged for us to stay in St. Augustine so Riley would have something to keep her occupied during our 2-3 week hotel stint. After a quick lunch at Sonny's BBQ in Palatka, off we headed in the direction of our "nation's oldest city." So thoughtful of hubby to put my enjoyment above his own convenience.
That evening, as the sun was sinking low over the pedestrian mall along St. George Street, we enjoyed a light dinner of assorted cheeses, fruits, and bread on the balcony of the popular Sangria's Tapas (aka finger foods) and Piano Bar.
With an extra day padded into our schedule, we had planned a Tuesday play date in Orlando. We made the 2-hour drive southwest to visit the newly-opened Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's Islands of Adventure. I had first learned of plans to build the attraction back in early 2008 and had been eagerly awaiting its opening ever since. My only regret was that the one person who loves "the boy who lived" every bit as much as I do wasn't there to appreciate it with me--maybe next time, Cass.
Orlando's theme parks typically have lighter crowds during the period between Halloween and Thanksgiving, but I've noticed a trend during our last several visits--hoards of our brethren from across the pond milling about the Central Florida area. And this day was no exception.
While crowds throughout the rest of the park were indeed on the lighter side, not so for the real estate surrounding Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There were even obscenely long lines to get into the shops and eateries. We managed to experience the Dragon Challenge coaster, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, and a quick jaunt through Hogsmeade before giving up in disgust. Based on the formidable holding corrals that were built into each attraction, the crowds/lines can be MUCH worse than those we experienced.
At around 4:00, three hours before closing time, the rain that had been making its way across the country hit with a vengeance and drove all but the most die-hard of visitors back to their cars and out of the park. We waited it out in a coffee shop for over 30 minutes before reluctantly throwing in the towel.
It was a shame too, because we had paid the extra $30 each to have access to both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. We never made it out of Islands of Adventure and, of course, theme parks don't give refunds for bad weather days. The Sunshine State had apparently also experienced some unexpected snow in the days preceding our arrival. ;-)
(click here for more pics)
Our long drive back to "Florida's historic coast" was stymied by two successive traffic jams--one typical for that particular stretch of I-4 and one the result of an accident.
With the rain came a drop in temperature and intermittent bouts of moisture that hung around for a few days. When it rained, I stayed inside. Once it cleared up, I ventured out to peruse the enumerable restaurants, B&Bs, tourist attractions, and shops. We've sampled the fare at several local establishments but haven't even begun to scratch the surface of the vast array of choices that are available in St. Augustine.
On the recommendation of our friend Dave, we ate dinner at The Conch House on Saturday evening. The ambiance was pleasing (though it was too chilly to sit outside) and the food tasty, but an event had taken place earlier in the day that put a damper on our mood--my expensive Nikon camera had gone missing. More about that in next week's post.
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Posted by Riley
Week Ending 10/30/10
Knowing we'd be away for 2-3 weeks, we felt that some extra face time with "the man" was in order on Friday night. We took him for his first visit to Chuck E. Cheese's. The pizza was reminiscent of the frozen cardboard variety that we used to heat up in the oven as kids, but Dakota didn't seem to notice.
After we had eaten our fill, we walked around and let Kota check things out. At just 18 months of age, he's too young to understand the concept of tokens and game play, but he's a very inquisitive little guy and seemed to have fun just pushing, turning, and touching everything within reach.
After a couple attempts at throwing the Skee balls, he decided it was just too hard and walked right up there to drop 'em in.
For Christmas last year, Cass and Tyler gave us a gift card to bd's Mongolian Grill in downtown Denver. With an expiration date of December 31, 2010 just around the corner, we decided it was high time to use it. We rode the RTD into the city on Saturday evening and walked the short distance from Union Station to the restaurant.
As promised on their website, dinner at bd's is more than just a meal--it's an experience. Cass had given me a heads-up about the place, so I wasn't as surprised as I might otherwise have been when they presented us with empty bowls and pointed us in the direction of the food station. After piling our dishes high with cooked pasta, uncooked meats/seafood, and veggies, we selected our sauces and queued up at the cooking station.
When you're up, one of the grill masters empties the contents of your bowl and your sauce onto the flat circular grill where it is then stir-fried to tasty perfection. They prepare with flare putting on an entertaining demonstration with their sword-like cooking utensils.
It was another slow news week on the home front, so not much else to report. We spent a good bit of time preparing for a flight south on Sunday morning. More about that it next week's post.
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Posted by Deb
Week Ending 10-23-10
Nothing blogworthy to report.
Week Ending 10-16-10
Nothing blogworthy to report.
Week Ending 10-09-10
Continuing from last week's post ... A great time had been had by all at the LOE RV Fly-in in Weatherford, Texas, but it was now time to head back to our respective areas of residence.
Skies over the Thomas P. Stafford Airport were an interesting mix of brooding clouds and blinding bright spots as we prepared for departure on Sunday morning.
While many an RV had already flown the coop by the time we readied for flight, there were still several pilots and birds stacked up on the taxi way doing pre-flight engine run-ups.
The Mills, Baker, Zilik flight were wheels up at approximately 9:30 a.m. local time.
There were clouds and pockets of moisture along our planned flight path but nothing that would hinder a safe VFR leg into Goodland, Kansas.
Certainly nothing that would alarm our hero, The Flying Ace.
Following a leisurely breakfast at the Butterfly Cafe and a visit at the home of the Bakers, we and the Ziliks departed KGLD en route to home base.
The one-hour flight into Front Range was uneventful. After a couple weeks in Texas and a weekend in Oklahoma, our ATC tower sure was a sight for sore eyes.
More next week.
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Posted by Riley
Week Ending 10-02-10
Picking up where I left off in last week's post, our stay in Texas continues....
A couple of days after checking into our room at the Residence Inn Willowbrook, I discovered that the carpet was soaked and the wall behind the drape was covered with mold. It appeared that the air conditioner had been leaking for quite some time. We had smelled a strong odor of mildew upon first entering the room but chalked it up as par for the course in a subtropical climate like Houston's.
I contacted the front desk and made arrangements to move into an available room at the opposite end of the hall. When I was finished hauling our stuff from #214 to #202, I checked, double checked, and triple checked the original room to be sure I was leaving nothing behind.
After dinner at Joe's Crab Shack that evening, we took in the movie Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps--a sequel to 1987's Wall Street. It was kinda sad to see actor Michael Douglas looking so frail and haggard, but I thought the flick was pretty good. Scott and Dan-O were decidedly underwhelmed.
On Sunday morning, as we prepared to visit an area museum, we discovered that the rental car key had gone missing. We spent the better part of the day retracing (and re-retracing) our steps between the restaurant, the movie theater, and the hotel--including the original room. Nada. Zip. No luck.
The key never did turn up, and so the million dollar question remains unanswered: Did Deb lose the key while making the room switch or did it fall from Scott's pocket on Saturday night? Probably best that it remains a mystery. Of slightly more significance than who lost said key was the cost of replacing it--a whopping $378!
With a start like that, the week could only get better. The oppressive heat and humidity broke on Monday morning, and the weather was absolutely delightful for the remainder of our stay. I even managed to get out and do a little walking around the outside perimeter of the huge Willowbrook Mall. I had attempted this the day after our arrival, but it was so freaking hot that I quickly retreated to the air conditioned comfort of our room.
Scott & Dan were able to finish up at the job site on Thursday, which left us free to attend the annual LOE RV fly-in from Friday through Sunday. Don't ya just love it when a plan comes together?
Expecting that things would work out for a Friday morning departure from West Houston, we had been in contact with friends/fellow RVers Scott & Tayna Card and made tentative plans to meet up with them at Stephenville Airport. If you read last week's post, you know what's within walking distance of the Stephenville Airport--yup the Hard Eight BBQ. ;-)
It was a nice flight into KSEP. We touched down at about 10:15 a.m.
As we awaited the arrival of Scott & Tayna, a few fellow Texans they had invited to join us for lunch began to flock in. Scott & I were practically lickin' our chops (pardon the pun) in anticipation of the meat fest that awaited us.
We sat around the table for the next hour or so socializing and gorging ourselves on hot sausage, ribs, turkey, bacon-wrapped shrimp with jalepenos and beans. Oh yeah, and Tanya's famous chocolate chip & oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert. Mmmmmm, good.
(photo by Tanya Card)
By about 12:15, we and the Cards and two other RVs were on our way to the fly-in in Weatherford, OK. The only thing better than flying around the country in your RV is flying around the country with a few of your RVing friends.
(background: Dean Ogden in "Kermit "/ Foreground: Scott & Tanya Card)
We arrived at the Thomas P. Stafford Airport at about 12:15. We tied down, registered, and commenced to awaiting the arrival of our friends the Bakers and Ziliks who'd be flying in together.
That afternoon/evening, after several hours of socializing, a large group of us ate dinner at Lucille's Roadhouse Restaurant and then checked into our rooms at the HI Express.
Next day we and the Bakers & Ziliks played tourist. We visited the Heartland Museum, the Tin Star Shooting Range, Doc's Trading Post, the Stafford Air & Space Museum, lunched at Vinicio's Mexican Grill & Cantina, and drove the historic Route 66. (the route 66 site was a bit wonky when I linked to it but I notified them of it and they will hopefully fix it)
The day's events culminated with the LOE banquet and dispersement of charity monies that had been collected via raffle-ticket sales. An impressive $12,000 was raised for local childrens' charities.
After a tasty dinner of BBQed brisket, ribs, sausage, sides & dessert and the raffle-ticket drawings, a large group of folks headed over to Braum's Ice Cream parlor. Scott somehow managed to find room for a small sundae, but I just could not eat another bite.
(click here for more pics)
Details about our flight home from Weatherford to Denver in next week's post.
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Posted by Riley