Pre-Christmas Vacation 2016

Anna and I spent eight days at the Secrets resort in Cozumel, Mexico.  The weather was perfect and the water temperature (for our scuba dives) was in the low eighties Farenheit.  The food was very good (and so were the beverages!) and we met many nice people.  We did eight dives on the world class reef and Anna took some nice pictures and videos of the underwater flora and fauna (all videos are less than 30 seconds long).

Our accommodations:

https://youtu.be/_o5JH5LxBdE 

https://youtu.be/Qsebbs2zgkw 

https://youtu.be/3dgweA_Z0Qs  

https://youtu.be/A_7wfDr7vw4 

Dive boat:

Myron

Turtles

https://youtu.be/QVshHjpl5hE

https://youtu.be/Z5J-Zqm_sf4

https://youtu.be/nlU2YcxbFfU

https://youtu.be/abT0GjU8TdM

Fish

https://youtu.be/r0RYiWBCDQk

https://youtu.be/24B_LTVcFF8

https://youtu.be/CxJt5eu7l-k

https://youtu.be/SU5qNbLvRyg

https://youtu.be/NNRKswe8Z5o

https://youtu.be/aODPtBpMX7Y

https://youtu.be/cDfYOZmWHMU

https://youtu.be/y-6HvEo68Ts

https://youtu.be/SU5qNbLvRyg

Puffer fish

https://youtu.be/bI3NYUlWJsU

https://youtu.be/veHUJXyPxW8

Skipper Anna

https://youtu.be/bKB8BfNtBNA

Sunset

Thanksgiving 2016 - Our Way

Anna and I started early - oysters and wine on Tuesday eve at Squid's in Chapel Hill, NC.

On Thanksgiving we shared non-traditional Rock Cornish hens and many side dishes with Oma and Opa and Chris and Prem.  Then Anna and I had our second desserts with our next door neighbors and their family.

On Friday, we left to drive to our beach house on the Outer Banks.  The ocean was calm.

https://youtu.be/tqSQzXL8Kw4

Of course, we had to go to Fishheads - the bar on the fishing pier.  This was their last weekend in operation before closing for the season.  It was packed and VERY happy!

https://youtu.be/jeSnNDN5Z04

After staining the deck, this is how we relaxed in the evening.

Cooking Class Adventure

Anna got an anniversary present from Myron - a couples' cooking class at Sur La Table. Fourteen couples had a date night learning to cook an Italian meal: gorgonzola-stuffed dates wrapped in prosciutto, pork tenderloin, risotto, and budino (an Italian crème brûlée of maple syrup, brown sugar and egg yolks).  The class was two hours long and the results were delicious!

Family Celebration at OBX

The family assembled to honor Oma and Opa: children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, as well as spouses and significant others.  We all occupied two houses for a week in Nags Head on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  The weather was sunny and warm and the water temperature was warm enough for swimming.  

We had beach wheel chairs for Oma and Opa and fishing gear for Sean and Paul.  We did Happy Hour shrimp and drinks at Fishheads on the fishing pier and arranged catered dinners for the first two evenings together.

Despite people driving and flying in from afar (Vermont, Salt Lake City and Wisconsin) there were no insurmountable travel woes. The photos and videos speak to the fun we all had.

Happy Hour at the Fishing Pier

https://youtu.be/pt5ELa2jciE

Paul Riding a Wave on the Kayak

https://youtu.be/sddVdS2YJvI

Over The Edge

Last weekend Anna and I went to a street fair with Lynne and Jim.  The coolest thing we saw was people rappelling down the 30 story Wells Fargo Capitol Center.  Turns out this is an event in support of the NC Special Olympics.  Anyone who raised $1,000 in donations got the chance to do this.

http://sonc.net/help-to-fundraise/over-the-edge/

Guess who wants to do it next year!

Two Weeks at our Beach House

We had wonderful weather and guests, son Chris and best buds Lynne and Jim.

Short videos:

The Beach - https://youtu.be/FAmZvfrShz8

Anna and Lynne boogie boarding - https://youtu.be/IMoQXp1h18U

Chris tried surf fishing (with one of Sean's rods and reels):

We visited Ocracoke

Goodbye for a while

Vacationing at the Beach House in Nags Head

We're spending two weeks at our beach house.  Son Chris is here with us.  The beach has been sunny and hot and the water has been cold and refreshing.

A sudden squall started in the afternoon and Chris recorded the formation of a waterspout over the Croatan Sound.  The impressive video is about four minutes long.

https://youtu.be/WogC-ofSOR8

Visit to Stowe, VT

We spent five days in Stowe with Liz, Sean and Yulia. Besides excellent eating and drinking, we spent fun time on Sean's boat and did the amazing zip line down Mt. Mansfield.

Watch the videos:

http://ziprider.com/rides/stowe/

Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane

Myron finally got to use the great gift from his Sweetie!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDYKxYL3XIQ

Father's Day

Guess what I got for Father's Day! Anna bought us day passes to the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC.  Oh yeah, she also got me a new T-shirt.  What a woman!

Tarr River - Kayak "Expedition"

Jim and Lynne set up an adventure for us to join them kayaking down the Tarr River.  The weather was perfect and the experience was delightful.  We ended the adventure by having a dessert-first dinner: homemade ice cream at Vollmer Farm in Bunn, NC followed by Shuckers Oyster Bar and Grill in Wake Forest.  We're looking forward to many more adventures with Lynne and Jim!

https://youtu.be/vAZiMnwu6j4

Anna @ 165 miles/hour!

Anna used her Mother's Day present at the Charlotte Motor Speedway as a passenger in the back seat of a full size Indy-style race car with a professional racing instructor driving at top speeds.  She thought it was exhilarating.  The very short videos give you a taste of the experience.

https://youtu.be/1XYPGEs6niM
https://youtu.be/xYWEy4fWTDM
https://youtu.be/MAGYMZmluPY
https://youtu.be/AvwIgQEv924
https://youtu.be/WV8cFznq4oY
https://youtu.be/wcGHiYf9BWc

Pistol Range Duty

Anna and I were range officers today at the Durham County Wildlife Club.  It was a hot day and there were many shooters.  When things slowed down Anna did some target practice with her .22 at 7 yds. Myron renewed his acquaintance with his 9mm Beretta at 15 yds.  Our reward was dinner at a local restaurant with Rebecca and David and little Hannah.

Myron's second target:

Komen Race For The Cure

Anna and I have done this 5K race for a number of years now.  Myron continues to "compete" in the oldest age group and Anna is now the oldest in her age group.  Lynne walked the Research Triangle Park course to keep us company.  It was a beautiful day and 1000 timed runners participated in the race.

Dinner at Prem and Chris's House

Anna and I shared pizza, salad and dessert with Prem and Chris in their Cary, NC apartment.  We devoured the dinner and had a great time catching up on their busy and exciting lives.  Our conversation touched upon all of life's challenges.

Memorial Day Weekend at the OBX Beach House

Another wonderful weekend at the beach with Lynne and Jim.  Anna and Jim swam in the ocean. Everyone had margaritas!

Anna's Underwater Photos - Palancar Reef, Cozumel

Scroll down to see the photos - the last two images show a toad fish hiding in the coral.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzLfdW7jsgW8Wjl6VTVSMnlFM28/view?usp=sharing

Scuba Adventure in Cozumel, Mexico

We spent a wonderful week scuba diving at the second largest reef in the world.  Water temperature was a constant 83⁰F.  We had a room in a special section of the Occidental Allegro called the Ultimate Dive Experience.  Divers had their own private lounge, pool and concierge.  The dive boat never took more than 10 minutes to reach the pristine reef which is a National Maritime Park. 

We will publish photos from our 10 dives after we have had time to go through them.  In the meantime, here is a video made by a professional who dove with our boat one day.

https://youtu.be/Kd5hzyJSHL4

Strawberry Picking

We chose a great day to pick 8 quarts in 20 minutes.  Anna promptly made some jam for when the strawberry season here was over.

And strawberry shortcake for dinner today with Oma, Opa, and Lynne and Jim!

Flowers at our house - April, Durham, NC

A very short video of Anna's handiwork: iris, azalea and knockout roses.

https://youtu.be/knrzIBCG5DU

OBX in April

Visited our beach house accompanied by Lynne and Jim.  We love walking on the beach when almost no one is here.  It was sunny and windy and the dolphins were feeding close to shore.

https://youtu.be/UzzkfwaqPfc

Garth Brooks Concert

Garth and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, performed at the PNC Arena in Raleigh.  It was a not-to-miss concert and we sat row 11, center. The energy and showmanship were the best we've ever seen.  And Garth's songs were, as always, amazing.

 

Visit to Utah

We flew non-stop from Raleigh-Durham to Salt Lake City to visit our Utah family.  We spent time with Liza, Paul, Maggie , and Jeff eating (and drinking) in Salt Lake City.  We ate lots of sushi

and did downhill skiing at Solitude.

And we all had the usual fabulous dinner at Gail and Richard's house in Park City.  We spent the night there and the next day we went cross-country skiing at Sundance.

The visit was, of course, too short - but WONDERFUL!

OBX - February Visit To The Beach House

Sunny weekend, 60 degrees F. Saturday.  Water temperature is a cold 43 degrees F.  Hot tub tonight!!

Walking the empty beach with Anna, Lynne and the dogs.

https://youtu.be/cxHxEOp0Ro0

Brave surfers, all suited up.

https://youtu.be/anRJ94YdBlE