May 6, 2013 - Here we go!

Spent the day packing up and cleaning up. Got done early so we hiked the last 3 miles of the Pine Mt. trail. This was a great month, spent a lot of time hiking and seeing Columbus and LaGrange. Went to Callaway Gardens twice got in free due to retired military status. Having my last Fox Pizza tonight. Early to bed and up at dawn to hook up and drive to Troy Alabama. See ya.

May 5, 2013 - On the Road again!

As most of you know Steve and June are on the road west this summer. Going to see the Texas they know and love, with the added joy of seeing June's brother David in Houston. We hope you all enjoy the blogs and photos as we cross this beautiful country. Aim high!

Apr 29, 2013 - Day 1: Atlanta, GA

This wasn't where we thought we'd be, but you know that life is what happens while you're making plans! Since we decided to stay east of the Mississippi, we chose to start in Chattanooga; we didn't make the aquarium when we were there before and everyone said that was a must. As we neared Atlanta, darkness was coming. We already knew we would stay in a Wal-Mart parking lot. When you find one online, it's always a guess to know what you'll find. This one had the most bizarre entrance and parking I've ever seen! A narrow one lane road leads...

Apr 10, 2013 - Final entry....Final Four

Ok guys, I have successfully spent all day downloading pictures and videos to my laptop and find that too many of the pictures are too big for this venuse. So I have put out there as many as I could that were small enough. I think you will get the jist of the whole five days. It was truly a blast with three wonderful gals. They are what keeps me young. Give me a few days to rest up and I might start believing it. Love all of you and thanks for following my Bucket List rambles.

Apr 9, 2013 - At the airport, heading home.

Well it's almost over. I am at the airport waiting to fly to RDU and then drive back to Wilmington. I would not be exaggerating at all when I saw this has been an extraordinary experience for sports fans and even non-fans. I have a short blurb from Sunday and then on o the game :-) The first has to do with "toilet paper"...yep you read it right. Long story short Jen had to check about five potty's before she found one equipped with tissue. So she did her thing and then returned with a partial roll of tp which she stuffed in my bag. Then I...

Apr 8, 2013 - Sunday, concert Sunday

Well, I wrote a bunch last night and when I got up to finish it this morning, it was gone. Guess I forgot to save it! Anyway yesterday there were no games. I got up around nine, but the girls were out partying until 3:00am so they didn't stir until almost noon. Oh, I take that back, one of them dragged her "morning after the night before posture" and begged for Advil. Poor thing, she was in a terrible way. After strong coffee and showers they were ready to face the day....by then it was 1:30. We hopped a cab and went to have brunch and do...

Jan 6, 2013 - Carter Presidential Center

One of the things we have discovered we truly enjoy is visiting presidential centers, libraries, home-sites, national historical sites, etc. Today we visited the Jimmy Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. It is good to remember the specific offerings of the multitude of presidents who have served our country ... and good to know of those who continue to serve humankind in significant humanitarian efforts, which certainly President and Rosalyn Carter have done. We have visited centers / historical sites of nearly a dozen past presidents so...

Jan 6, 2013 - The World of Coca-Cola

One of the most famous tourist settings in the US, certainly the major one for the Atlanta area is The World of Coca-Cola. In our group of about 30 people this morning, at least 5 countries were represented ... from China & Korea to two South American countries. Great exhibits, great videos of the history of Coca-Cola, a 4-D tour into the "secret" of Coca-Cola, a tasting station with over 60 flavors from all over the world, to a "Snuggle Polar Bear", which Bonnie truly enjoyed. If you are ever in the Atlanta area, take the time to come see...

Jan 6, 2013 - Stone Mountain

Another major tourist attraction in the Atlanta area is Stone Mtn. This huge exposure of granite was formed by a magma pool hundreds of millions of years ago 8-10 miles below the surface of the earth. After more than 200 million years the earth has eroded away and, "Wa - lah", Stone Mountain appears. It is amazing ... it looks like one big rock. And I mean big ... it has a 5 mile circumference and is almost 800 ft high at its highest point. ... pretty spectacular. The confederate memorial that is carved on the north exposure was begun in...

Sep 24, 2012 - Mandir, a Place of Peace in Suburban Atlanta

In 2008 I was in Atlanta for a conference and Emily took me to see a Hindu Temple that was built in her suburban town of Lilburn. I thought Jerry would enjoy seeing it and so we went. The Temple is called a Mandir. It was built over several years. It is stunning - bright white marble with elaborate stone carvings. There is a small pond in the front and the grounds are meticulously maintained. We went inside but I could not take pictures so you can only see the outside. Our world is certainly small these days. There are many, many churches...

Sep 23, 2012 - Atlanta History

We arrived in the Atlanta area on Saturday and enjoyed an evening with our dear, long-time friends, Emily and Andy. I don't want to say "old"! Sunday morning we went to church with the Moon's. Then we went to Oakland Cemetery for a tour of the cemetery. There are many different kinds of tours of the cemetery and the one we went on was to learn about the history of Atlanta via the cemetery. We saw where the first African-American mayor of Atlanta is buried. We saw where Confederate soldiers are buried, also golfer Bobbie Jones, where Jewish...

Aug 3, 2012 - On our way

We are at the airport and waiting for our flight to Paris. So far so good. A little traffic on the way to the airport, but otherwise very thing has gone very smoothly. They are calling for afternoon thunder showers, but so far it still looks sunny outside. We are leaving from the new Atlanta international terminal and it seems empty and easy to get around.