Day 2 - Part 2

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My observations about San Francisco that are different:

(1) People seem much nicer here. (Especially Kimmy's people! LOL)

(2) There are more homeless people here than anywhere I have ever seen. Every street we are on, they are there sitting on the ground, against a tree or on a bench with their shopping carts or bags. Many of them have dogs, too. We even saw a homeless person sitting at an outside table in front of Starbucks (yesterday morning around 9 am). He had a half full bottle of Vodka on the ground in front of him and (this is the really gross part), vomit down his pant legs and on the ground in front of him. YUCK!!! And there were 3 or 4 others within the same block. Most of them don't interact but one or two asked for something or tried to get our attention. There was even one that had a sign he held up and turned it from front to back. On both sides, it read "Why lie, I need a beer"!!! He had a airline bottle of something that looked empty sitting on the ground in front of him. What a site this is to see!

(3) The cable cars are a fun way to get around. And the only ones in use in the US. I love the bell ringing. I sing the Rice-a-roni song. ;O)

(4) Tourists are everywhere!!! Most of them came unprepared, like we did...about 2/3 of the people are wearing the same fleeced jackets we bought!!!

(5) This should be called the Windy City, not Chicago!

(6) I can now associate with all the chase scenes from "Streets of San Francisco"!

(7) Alcatraz had the most interesting audio tour. We learned so much about it. One of which was that the guards who worked there had families that lived there since the guards had to be ready for any escape attempt. So, there were kids who stayed on that island 24/7 and could see the inmates up close. (That would have been so spooky.)

(8) It is much drier here than in FL. I will probably have to buy another tube of Chapstick while on vacation.

(9) No Coke with Splenda makes Karen a very unhappy girl! :O(

(10) Sometimes you can't tell if the person waiting on you is the same gender as they were born!

(11) Pictures can be worth a thousand words....
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PCH Tour 2007 Day 2

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Today was a great day for fun, adventure and sore feet! We walked just about everywhere. Alcatraz Island was fabulous. I would recommend it to anyone. The weather wasn't too warm but after purchasing some fleece-lined jackets from an outdoor vendor ($17.99 each-a bargain!), Kent and I were ready to go. (The kids didn't want any further layers.) The temp was overcast and 61 degrees for a high, with strong winds...especially on the island.

Alcatraz is something everyone should witness. It was entertaining and educational. One of the best audio guided tours I have ever taken. The walk up from the dock was equivalent of 13 floors in a bldg! And the view of San Francisco from the island is spectacular. It's one of those things where a picture doesn't quite cut it. You really have to see it for yourself to get the full effect. Yesterday's pic was of Alcatraz from the city. Today's pic was of the city from Alcatraz. Either view is amazing. I could relocate here in a heartbeat...(hence, the lament I will be singing when we return home...."I Left My Heart..."!)

After spending half the day on the island, we returned back to the dock and decided to walk. We ended up at Pier 39 where there was a tourist mecca much like the Gatlinburg, TN main drag. People everywhere and street performers as well. Singing, playing instruments, juggling, walking a tight rope, balloon sculptors, living statues, you name it. Plus, every type of food you could think of. Mostly seafood at the restaurants but we were able to eat at a place called "Wipe Out". It was much like Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. Good food and a great atmosphere.

After walking about an hour more after we ate, we decided to head back to the hotel, drop off our bags and return out for more walking and dinner. We bought many souvenirs, ate pizza and now, we are dozing from the excitement of the days' events. Tomorrow will add more excitement to the blog as we cross the Golden Gate Bridge, take the cable car around the city, shop in Union Square, eat chocolate in Ghirardelli Square (mmmm), see the Victorian row houses and drive to Berkeley. Until then.....
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Word of the day....awesome!!!
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Day 1 - Part 4

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Still waiting...so, here is the evening's activity. Teagan's first MLB game.
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Day 1 - Part 3

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Okay, I'm waiting for everyone to get up and out the door so here are more pics. This was neat! A group of people came around the corner and quickly "segwayed" past us...we might do this, if we have time!!!
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This one is of all of us standing in the middle of the street with Alcatraz in the background. I never realized how close everything is. The word for the day was (okay, two words) "Oh, wow"!
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Day 1 - Part 2

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Last night was a blur. I was so tired, I could barely see the keys to type. Here is another picture or two. We drove for 2 hours after a lunch at a burger joint called "In N Out". (Karl had eaten at one in NYC last month.) The streets are up and down hills. Very cool. San Francisco is a rather large city with a great downtown area. Lombard Street, views of Alcatraz, The Golden Gate Bridge were all great locations for pictures. Lombard street was especially interesting because there was a line of people across the street below trying to stand in the middle of the street to take their pictures....which we did after driving down the treacherous stretch! The last thing we did was to see the Oakland A's play the Minnesota Twins at the McAfee Stadium. We left in the top of the 10th but heard the rest of the game on the way back to San Francisco....the A's lost 3-2 after 10 innings.

Today is the Alcatraz Tour and Fisherman's Wharf. We can walk there from the hotel!!! (The Pier, not Alcatraz!!!)
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PCH Tour 2007 Day 1

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Day 1 Leaving OIA Orlando, FL 6 am for a 7:10 am flight. The flight was 5 hours and 45 minutes. We have gained 3 hours and are still feeling it. Great plane flight...with a lot of turbulence. A busy day with lots to share. Have to sleep now and catch up. More pics of day 1 in am.....

Sunrise, Sunset...

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Here is the sunset on April, 3, 2007. Not as dramatic as the sunrise but the actual image was, oh, so much more. I hope that you take the time for these occurrences.

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Here comes the sun...

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One of my close friends heard that I took some pictures of the sun rising in Oviedo a couple of weeks ago as I drove my son to high school. Here are the views I had going east on Broadway after leaving Oviedo High School. The bottom one is the earliest and then the others follow. The first being the latest picture I took. (Don't ask me about whether I was driving at the time! LOL)
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Good Gracious!!! Snake's Alive!!!

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Okay, when you go out to get a nice picture for your blog, and I mean "outside" out, do you expect to be greeted (or scared out of your wits) by a snake?!!! Well, that's exactly what happened to me this morning. After the guys all left for work/school, I went out the screen door - pool equipment side. As I rounded the corner by the white Bird Of Paradise, a fairly large black with RED rings snake came at me and darted to the other side of the BOP at the last second. Did I scream and run?!!! NO! I stood there, like a statue, quietly screaming inside!!! Then, I stood there deciding whether to (A)run to the only open door...the one that the snake was in the direction of...or to do what I set out to do...(B)take pictures. Hmm...let's see...run like hell, screaming to get into the pool area or take the %$#%$# pictures I wanted to take....I decided to take the pictures!!! Mind you, I had propped open the screen door because that side's door locks after it closes no matter whether you want it to or not! (Trust me on that one, it's by experience that I found out...and while having a call of nature!!! Kent had run to Home Depot and locked all the other doors while KJ and I were out back pulling weeds last year! I was yellow by the time he got back home!!!)
I turned on the camera, peeling my eyes for anything that moved. I took a dozen pics and turned to decide my fate. Should I run like a bat outta hell or walk nonchalantly, as if nothing had ever been seen. I chose the latter, but with extreme caution. As I approached the door, I was looking in front of me, behind me, all around me, as I unlatched it and slammed it shut. Then I walked briskly to the door hoping that it didn't slither into the pool area. I didn't see anything further and the two eyeful cats were just peering out the screen door to the house as if nothing was seen. (They go nuts when they see reptiles moving in the pool area!)
So, here are my pictures of the rubber trees which were chopped down on Saturday (by yours truly) and which Kent and KJ replanted carefully, using Linda Wellman's replanting techniques - for which I am grateful. Gracias Linda!
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Happy St. Paddy's Day

One For The Road...

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Yes, we had everything we wanted on this trip. And snow was one of them!!! How awesome to go outside and feel the cold, soft flakes on our tongues. Memories to last a lifetime!!!
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Didn't make it to the Top 10...

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#2) Speaks for itself
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#1) Still have to work!!!
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The Top Ten Things to do in Tennessee

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#10) Sleep in...well, for some...
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The Top Ten Things to do in Tennessee

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#9) Take goofy "myspace" pictures
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The Top Ten Things to do in Tennessee

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#8) Breathe in that fresh mountain air
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The Top Ten Things to do in Tennessee

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#7) Learn from the pros
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The Top Ten Things to do in Tennessee

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#6) Spend quality time with those you love
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The Top Ten Things to do in Tennessee

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#5) Think about what you will be doing in 50 years
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The Top 10 Things To Do In TN

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#4) Go "Home On The (Gun) Range"
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#3) Cook Fettucine Alfredo for the masses

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#2) Snuggle

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#1) Eat, Eat, Eat

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Life Is Good!

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So, what do we do here in TN to relax? Well, let me tell you, it doesn't include much walking or being on your feet!

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No Worries

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I decided to take pictures of what we are doing here in TN for the week. It has been a very relaxing time. Hakuna Matata!

Greetings From TN

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Here we are happy as pigs in slop! Well, if that's what you want to call Grandma Bank's cooking, that is!!! We woke up on Monday morning to a wonderful hot breakfast (make that lunch, it was after noon). Sausage gravy and homemade biscuits...Grandma Banks' homemade biscuits...mmm, along with the staples...bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage patties, toast, oj, milk, soft drinks and you may as well include the kitchen sink!!! By the way, this picture was taken during fall break. The person in the actual picture is not here this time (poor Kimmy!)

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Quote of the day for 1/11/07

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A good friend will come and bail you out of jail... a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn, that was fun!"

Quote of the day:

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"Creating a family in this turbulent world is an act of faith, a wager that against all odds there will be a future, that love can last, that the heart can triumph against all adversities and even against the grinding wheel of time." - Dean Koontz, "From the Corner of His Eye"

Why I am proud to be an American

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"The Constitution is the bedrock of all our freedoms; guard and cherish it; keep honor and order in your own house; and the republic will endure."

-Gerald Rudolph Ford 1913-2006

I will never be a party affiliate but I do believe in individual integrity. I feel that is something that was in Gerald Ford.

We all must learn to laugh at ourselves...

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Not this picture, the next one. This was taken at Toscana at Avalon Park. A nice, upscale Italian restaurant serving the best steak tenderloin. MMMMM!!! It was the celebration of my 46th birthday. And it was very special!
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Okay, this is why we all need to learn to laugh at ourselves...KJ made the eye patch out of construction paper and taped it to my eyebrow. The theme happened because my brother brought over Pirates of the Caribbean 2 for all of us to watch! The DVD was wrapped in the bandana I'm sporting. The sock monkey ornament just happened to be nearby and I didn't have a parrot to put on my shoulder so I had to improvise!!! Life's short, laugh out loud everyday!!!
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