Time to update our Blog

Since our last posting of Oct 2010, Sue and I are back on the road.  In the past year and a half we spent 2 school years in California.  We got to see a lot of football with our oldest grandson Alec, Volleyball games and boggie boarding with Griffin our second grandson and soccer, recreation basketball games and theatrical play with our granddaughter Peyton and ended the school year 2011-2012 with what they call out here in CA., as a Promotion ceremony for Peyton going from 5th grade at Vine Hill School to 6th grade in the Scotts Valley Middle School.  A great time year to be with them, we had so many good times and great memories.

Another milestone will be reached this year as Alec our oldest grandson has been in Drivers Ed and going for his drivers license sometime this summer. 

Peyton will be attending acting school this summer as she has the bug for the stage.  We saw her  in a play this past fall "THE WIZ" as she had a couple of speaking parts and she really had a ball.  At her school at the end of the school year a Talent Show was held and she along with two other girls from her class had a song and dance act.  They were very good.  The school has "many" talented students. 

We got to celebrate Christmas, birthdays and special days with Melanie and the grandchildren.  

Alec

 

Griffin

Peyton

 

Being in Scotts Valley, Sue and I were able to help out where needed for Melanie as she not only being a mother is a full time student to complete her degree.  During the fall in 2011 she bought a house in town and that gave me a few projects of minor repairs within my capabilities and painting of rooms and assembling those do it yourself items of furnishings to backyard equipment.  Oh that also included with the disassembling of  furniture for moving from their house she was renting to moving to the new house and reassembling and setting in place.  So our year was not items for posting, but it was a very enjoyable time with Melanie, Ronnie, Melanie's significant other, Alec, Griffin and Peyton and oh yeah Saddie Melanie's dog and Chloe, Ronnie's pooch, and their 3 cockatiels, Touke, Fred and Max.
 

Touke

Touke & Fred

Chloe

 

Melanie & Ronnie

Melanie, Sue and Wendy

Alec and Sue

Flag Day 2012

Griffin being Griffin and Sue

Grandma and Peyton sewing lessons

Peyton trying her new skills

Melanie and Peyton baking class

 Last summer (2011) Sue and I traveled back to Colorado to visit with Wendy and Troy and their dog Copper.  We spent a couple of months there visiting the area.  I had some issues with altitude as they live in Golden in the mountains at an altitude of around 8900 feet.

When in Colorado there are certain things that are always fun like attending the annual 4th of July celebration in Coal Creek Canyon where Wendy lives.  Celebration starts off with a road race, I did not participate, then a parade of the local organizations like the Volunteer Fire Dept, Church and kids groups marching, horses of course and some classic cars.  The Fire Dept usually has their hoses charges and some remote nozzles on the trucks spraying the kids and they love it.  Again this year we went and checked out the old cars for me and Sue and Wendy check out the craft tents.   This year 2012 was a lot different as there was a very strict fire ban with all of the wildfires in the state.  No fireworks anywhere in the state. 

During our 2011 stay Sue and I started to look for a Jeep as we have been going with Wendy and Troy on trails around the area and seeing the state from a totally different perspective.  We found several Jeeps and test drove them and found a 2010 Jeep Wrangler soft top, we have been having a lot of fun traveling on the dirt roads and in National Parks.  Put down the top and drive. 

2010 Jeep Wrangler 4 door soft top

As for the fires this summer (2012) in Colorado there was one that could be seen from the deck of their house about 4 miles away and it was heading towards Boulder, but still very concerning for the people on the mountain.  Today (July 18) everything is somewhat better, we have had some rain over the past couple of weeks that downgraded the fire danger, but it is still very dangerous situation.  In the attachments there are photos from last year as well as this year.  I will be posting items of places and events we have been.

Last summer while in Colorado, Troy's family, neighbors, Sue and I whereas we could not all be back in NH or just New England to have lobster, we ordered a bunch and had a cookout.  They were shipped overnight from a place in Maine and as they say they were delicious. 

Copper ready for a Jeep ride

1966 Mustang Fastback

Self Explanatory

Our trip last year 2011 we basically made a direct trip to Colorado and in Sept we traveled back with a stop at Travis Air Force Base FAMCAMP for a week stay.  We attended a football game where Scotts Valley High School (Alec) was playing a team from Sacramento on Friday night and on Saturday and Sunday, Peyton soccer team from Scotts Valley (The Pride) played in a weekend tournament in Napa.  Sue and I stayed a few more days to do some site seeing, Muir woods, Old Town Sacramento and some basic tourist things. 

Our next postings will be from June 17th 2012 to present to bring you up to date of our travels.  In the past month, we have traveled from Scotts Valley, CA., to Olympic National Park, Glacier National Park then a visit with our friends in Lead/Deadwood South Dakota with stops in Custer State Park, Mt Rushmore and then down into Golden, Co. 

Hope you enjoy.