Seattle, WA

On May 16th, we flew out to Seattle to attend my US Navy ship's annual reunion. Each year a group of shipmates from the USS Harry E Hubbard, DD-748, meet somewhere in the USA to socialize, reminisce and basically have a fun time with friends, old and new.

This morning, Susan and I began our day by going to the top of the famous Space Needle (which was less than 2 blocks from our hotel) to enjoy the beautiful scenic views of Seattle. We were fortunate that it didn't rain at all while we were there (it was the first time in over 2 1/2 weeks that it didn't rain). Whenever a local would comment about the sunshine, we said that we brought it with us from Florida and all that we ask is that they send us some rain. It looks like it worked.

Then we went to downtown Seattle and took a walk through another of Seattle's famous landmarks, Pike's Market where, among other things, we saw salmon being thrown around at the Pike Place Fish Company. Then we had a delicious lunch (with some local brews of course) at Pike Brewery. We then wandered around the area enjoying some beautiful architecture and interesting art objects scattered around. After stocking up on some See's Candy, we took the monorail back to the hotel for some more reunion socializing.

Perry, GA

Spring is here, so it's time for us to hit the road again. Our first stop on this trip is Perry, GA, where we attended a big, week-long RV Rally at the Georgia Fairgrounds with about 3,000 rigs in attendance. Now, we're staying an extra week with some RV friends from The Villages at a smaller RV rally and lots of socializing.

Last Saturday, we drove to Warm Springs, GA to visit Franklin D. Roosevelt's Little White House. Roosevelt came to Warm Springs in 1924 in hopes of recovering from polio. He had this house built in 1932 while he was Governor of NY and visited it many times while he was our President. It was neither large nor pretentious as many Presidential homes are, but more like a nice, comfortable rural retreat overlooking a small valley. He died here in this bedroom in 1945 after suffering a massive stroke while sitting for a portrait.

From there, we paid a visit to Callaway Gardens. It was a bit too early in the season for the gardens to be in bloom, so we spent most of our time there walking around the beautiful Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center and seeing a variety of local butterflys emerge from their cocoons and fly around inside the center.We'll have to return here when everything is in bloom.

Weeki Wachee Springs, FL

While attending the South Eastern Area RV Rally in Brooksville, FL, we took a little side trip to check out Weeki Wachee Springs. It is the largest fresh water spring in the US with more than 117 million gallons of 72-degree fresh water bubbling up every day. An underwater theater was built in 1947 so tourists could watch women dressed up as mermaids swim and perform shows underwater while breathing out of air hoses. Today, it is as popular as ever for its mermaid shows. We enjoyed watching two of the mermaid shows. It was amazing to see what those gals can do under water. In between shows, we took a boat ride down the river that flows out of the springs. A very scenic place indeed.

Mediterranean Cruise 2010

So much for staying at home. We flew to Rome, Italy for a 3-week land/sea cruise with eight friends of ours on the Navigator of the Seas. To see the details, click on our cruise blog at http://navigatoroftheseas2010.blogspot.com.

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

We awoke at 4:30 AM this morning to get over to the Balloon Fiesta Park in time to see the Mass Ascension where about 500 hot air balloons from 17 different countries were scheduled to launch into the morning sky over a period of an hour or two. This is THE event to see at the Fiesta! The sun began rising, the sky was clear, the wind was light, and then, almost like magic, you would see balloons begin to inflate all around you. At first, only a few... then a few dozen... then as others began to grow, some began floating into the sky. Before you knew it, the sky was lit up as the morning light illuminated all the balloons and the sky filled with color.

Some of the more unique special shaped balloons (87 of them in total) included a giant cow (not jumping over the moon), Darth Vader, a swarm of bees, a witch and Spongebob Squarepants. What a fantastic way to spend a morning!

Albuquerque, NM

Today, after our ship's memorial service in the Chapel of Kirtland Air Force Base, our group toured the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History where we learned a lot about how atomic energy has been used to develop everything from the fluoroscope x-ray machines to the atomic and hydrogen bombs. Then, in the early evening, we went to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta to observe their Special Shape Glowdio where all of the special shaped balloons were inflated while tethered to the ground, then lit using the gas flames that are used to heat the balloon. We were allowed to walk among them and observe the event really close up and we did so with smiles on our faces the whole time. What an awesomely beautiful jaw-dropping experience!!

Santa Fe, NM

 We are now in Albuquerque, NM to attend my Navy ship's annual reunion. Today, we took a side trip up to Santa Fe to explore some of the southwest's history and culture. The architecture of this area is very unique. This building is one of the museums that surround the town square. In the square proper are many booths manned by the local Native Americans selling their jewelry and other local art. We visited Loretto Chapel which contains the Miraculous Stairway that was built by hand in 1873 and has no visible means of support, yet still stands strong after all these years of use. Simply amazing.