We had such fun the last couple of days at the Grand Canyon. I will post more pictures later. We took the shuttle out to Hermits Rest. It was really nice because it was not crowded! You could get off and on the shuttle at each stop and not have to wait with throngs of people to get back on. There are some pretty sites along the shuttle route. You can see the Colorado River in several places and the colors in the Canyon are just amazing.
We made the drive to Vegas on Wednesday. It was pretty uneventful except for one thing! We bought a Power Ball ticket in Arizona (no we weren't the winners) and got to talking about what we would do if we won and missed our turn off to Vegas. We went a few miles out of the way before realizing it and so had to turn around and go back!
Yesterday we visited the casino. Ted did really well and more than doubled his money. I lost $17 so a pretty good outing for us! Today we took the truck in for an oil change and of course there is a casino near by so the shuttle took us over and neither of us had any luck. Fortunately it didn't take too long to change the oil and filters so we weren't there too long!
While we are here we have lots of little things to take care of and we hope to see some friends. We also want to get a movie in some time before we leave on Wednesday. After Wednesday we will be moving every three or four days until we head to Texas on the 17th of December!
It is pretty windy out there this evening, happens alot in this area! It's not as cold as the Grand Canyon and has been in the 70's in the daytime, can't complain!
Visiting Vegas..."Ain't Life Grand!"
Friday, November 30, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
Hawaii Cruise November 4-19th 2012
We are back from our cruise and at the Grand Canyon!
We had a great time on our cruise. We boarded the Celebrity Century in San Diego on November 4th. It's an older ship and needs a little sprucing up but everything was nice and clean. We had wonderful food including an herb crusted flounder, lobster and chateaubriand to name a few! The ship's crew were all very friendly and great! The entertainment was great. The muscians around the ship were really great and enjoyable. There was a guitarist, pianist and an acapella group that were especially good! We attended a few nighttime shows including the "clean comic" and a few of the variety type shows and musicals.
There are lots of things to do on the ship on sea days and we participated in some of them. They have a casino which Jeri and I frequented, bingo, pool activities, trivia, golf, bowling (on the X-Box) and more. There are great places to read your book, banana daiquiries to drink and lots of ocean to see! Jeri and I also had tea (or a latte for me) every afternoon with a little cookie to munch on!
One afternoon the four of us had champagne high tea in one of their special dining rooms. It was very elegant. The waiters were dressed formally and they had four at our table to pour the first cup of tea to each of us. I had the Vanilla Orchard tea and it was delicious. The sandwiches and desserts were also yummy!
We arrived at Hilo on November 9th. We had to tender in to shore and boarded a Waterfall and Rainforest Tour! Our first stop was the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory. It was quite interesting and we purchased some Macadamia Kisses! You can watch some of the process through windows. Next stop was the Waterfall. Unfortunately they had three days of a drought on Hilo and there was only a small bit of water falling! They have 113 inches per year of rain! We also visited a black sandy beach and could see smoking lava, cliffs with the ocean crashing on them and drove through a rain forest. We stopped at a park that lava had gone through and saw lava trees!
Our next stop on the 10th was on Kona. There we took a glass bottom boat out to see spinner dolphin. There weren't many fish to see but we did see the spinner dolphin, spotted dolphin and bottle-nosed dolphin. After we got off the boat Jeri went to visit her friend's mom that lives there. Ted, Stach and I went shopping. Jeri met us back at the Kona Inn for lunch.
On the 11th we stoped in Lahaina. Our friends David and Debbie Hawkins were also there and so we met them in Napili for lunch at the Sea Horse Restaurant. We had a great lunch and then we headed back to town. Ted and Stach went back to the ship while Jeri and I did some shopping!
Our last stop in the Islands was at Honolulu. We got off the ship and went to the International Market Place to shop. We bought a few things then walked across the street to the Royal Hawaiian for their famous Mai Tai and lunch! It's a beautiful view of Diamond Head from there. The guys headed back to the ship and Jeri and I went to find a nail place without success, they were a little far to walk to! But we managed to find a Starbucks and had coffee! We went to catch the bus back to the ship and it took us back to the shopping center where we caught the bus that would take us to the ship. Unfortunately we had to go all the way back around to where we started and then the bus broke down. They had to send another bus which took awhile and then they took us on a long ride back to the ship! We were tired by the time we got back and ready for our sea days!
We arrived in Ensenada at 7:00 p.m. on the 18th. We didn't get off the ship because we wanted to go to the final show after dinner. We arrived back in San Diego around 5:00 a.m. on the 19th. Ted and I were awake so just got ready to go to breakfast and watched the ship dock!
It was a very enjoyable trip and here are some pictures:
I will add some of Jeri's pictures after she sends them to me! It was a wonderful trip!
Cruising to Hawaii..."Ain't Life Grand!"
We had a great time on our cruise. We boarded the Celebrity Century in San Diego on November 4th. It's an older ship and needs a little sprucing up but everything was nice and clean. We had wonderful food including an herb crusted flounder, lobster and chateaubriand to name a few! The ship's crew were all very friendly and great! The entertainment was great. The muscians around the ship were really great and enjoyable. There was a guitarist, pianist and an acapella group that were especially good! We attended a few nighttime shows including the "clean comic" and a few of the variety type shows and musicals.
There are lots of things to do on the ship on sea days and we participated in some of them. They have a casino which Jeri and I frequented, bingo, pool activities, trivia, golf, bowling (on the X-Box) and more. There are great places to read your book, banana daiquiries to drink and lots of ocean to see! Jeri and I also had tea (or a latte for me) every afternoon with a little cookie to munch on!
One afternoon the four of us had champagne high tea in one of their special dining rooms. It was very elegant. The waiters were dressed formally and they had four at our table to pour the first cup of tea to each of us. I had the Vanilla Orchard tea and it was delicious. The sandwiches and desserts were also yummy!
We arrived at Hilo on November 9th. We had to tender in to shore and boarded a Waterfall and Rainforest Tour! Our first stop was the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory. It was quite interesting and we purchased some Macadamia Kisses! You can watch some of the process through windows. Next stop was the Waterfall. Unfortunately they had three days of a drought on Hilo and there was only a small bit of water falling! They have 113 inches per year of rain! We also visited a black sandy beach and could see smoking lava, cliffs with the ocean crashing on them and drove through a rain forest. We stopped at a park that lava had gone through and saw lava trees!
Our next stop on the 10th was on Kona. There we took a glass bottom boat out to see spinner dolphin. There weren't many fish to see but we did see the spinner dolphin, spotted dolphin and bottle-nosed dolphin. After we got off the boat Jeri went to visit her friend's mom that lives there. Ted, Stach and I went shopping. Jeri met us back at the Kona Inn for lunch.
On the 11th we stoped in Lahaina. Our friends David and Debbie Hawkins were also there and so we met them in Napili for lunch at the Sea Horse Restaurant. We had a great lunch and then we headed back to town. Ted and Stach went back to the ship while Jeri and I did some shopping!
Our last stop in the Islands was at Honolulu. We got off the ship and went to the International Market Place to shop. We bought a few things then walked across the street to the Royal Hawaiian for their famous Mai Tai and lunch! It's a beautiful view of Diamond Head from there. The guys headed back to the ship and Jeri and I went to find a nail place without success, they were a little far to walk to! But we managed to find a Starbucks and had coffee! We went to catch the bus back to the ship and it took us back to the shopping center where we caught the bus that would take us to the ship. Unfortunately we had to go all the way back around to where we started and then the bus broke down. They had to send another bus which took awhile and then they took us on a long ride back to the ship! We were tired by the time we got back and ready for our sea days!
We arrived in Ensenada at 7:00 p.m. on the 18th. We didn't get off the ship because we wanted to go to the final show after dinner. We arrived back in San Diego around 5:00 a.m. on the 19th. Ted and I were awake so just got ready to go to breakfast and watched the ship dock!
It was a very enjoyable trip and here are some pictures:
Hilo
Kona
Lahaina
Honolulu
Cruising to Hawaii..."Ain't Life Grand!"
Grand Canyon November 2012!
After we got off the ship in San Diego last Monday, we ran around running errands so we could leave for the Grand Canyon! We were so tired we decided to leave on Tuesday morning...relaxing and having fun on the ship was very tiring!
We drove all day Tuesday and made it to Kingman, Arizona which left only 170 miles to get to the Grand Canyon on Wednesday. We arrived around lunch time to a sunny but cool 60 degrees! Our evening temperatures have been in low 30's with 28 being the coldest around 6:00 in the morning!
Jim and Della had friends, Cindy and Randall, staying down in Williams, Arizona which is about 50 miles due south of the Canyon. They drove up for a look at the Canyon and Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. Jim and Della had cooked the turkey at home and prepared the trimmings at their RV. We brought everything over to our house and we had dinner here with the six of us. Ted and I did the dishes (so much better than cooking)!
On Friday the six of us spent time at the canyon, in the shops and having a glass of wine on the El Tovar porch! It was a lovely day!
On Saturday we took a ride to the Desert View Point to see the Watchtower. You can go inside up to top, four floors a total of 85 steps! I walked up to the top and the view was spectacular! The Watchtower was built in 1932 as a re-creation of other towers. Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter designed and supervised the construction of the Watchtower and adjacent kiva. It was designed to look like an original Indian tower, complete with designed flaws, cracks and partially finished patterns seen on the outside. The entry and shop reflect the architecture of a kiva ceremonial chamber used by the Puebloan people. The circular painting on the inside wall (as shown in my picture) and other paintings decorating the first floor were painted by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie. The petroglyphs were created by another Hopi artist Chester Dennis. It is very cool!
After the tower viewing we came back to the campground to rest up before going to dinner at the El Tovar. We got over there early and had a glass of wine on the porch. Just can't get enough of that view! We went in to the El Tovar dining room for a wonderful dinner! Della and I had duck with a cherry Merlot sauce that was delicious! Jim had the Bison steak and Ted had the Fillet Mignon. Everyone enjoyed their dinner and Jim had the Hazelnut Creme Brulet for dessert! A great meal!
We've had a few Phase 10 card games with Della winning two games, I've won one game and hmmmm Jim and Ted are zero games!!!! I'm sure they will try and get even with us in the next few days! We leave here on Wednesday!
Yesterday we rested and I blogged and finished laundry! Today we are getting ready to go back over to the Canyon! Depending on the time of day, the Canyon looks different and beautiful every time we see it!
Viewing the Canyon with friends..."Ain't Life Grand!"
We drove all day Tuesday and made it to Kingman, Arizona which left only 170 miles to get to the Grand Canyon on Wednesday. We arrived around lunch time to a sunny but cool 60 degrees! Our evening temperatures have been in low 30's with 28 being the coldest around 6:00 in the morning!
Jim and Della had friends, Cindy and Randall, staying down in Williams, Arizona which is about 50 miles due south of the Canyon. They drove up for a look at the Canyon and Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. Jim and Della had cooked the turkey at home and prepared the trimmings at their RV. We brought everything over to our house and we had dinner here with the six of us. Ted and I did the dishes (so much better than cooking)!
On Friday the six of us spent time at the canyon, in the shops and having a glass of wine on the El Tovar porch! It was a lovely day!
On Saturday we took a ride to the Desert View Point to see the Watchtower. You can go inside up to top, four floors a total of 85 steps! I walked up to the top and the view was spectacular! The Watchtower was built in 1932 as a re-creation of other towers. Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter designed and supervised the construction of the Watchtower and adjacent kiva. It was designed to look like an original Indian tower, complete with designed flaws, cracks and partially finished patterns seen on the outside. The entry and shop reflect the architecture of a kiva ceremonial chamber used by the Puebloan people. The circular painting on the inside wall (as shown in my picture) and other paintings decorating the first floor were painted by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie. The petroglyphs were created by another Hopi artist Chester Dennis. It is very cool!
After the tower viewing we came back to the campground to rest up before going to dinner at the El Tovar. We got over there early and had a glass of wine on the porch. Just can't get enough of that view! We went in to the El Tovar dining room for a wonderful dinner! Della and I had duck with a cherry Merlot sauce that was delicious! Jim had the Bison steak and Ted had the Fillet Mignon. Everyone enjoyed their dinner and Jim had the Hazelnut Creme Brulet for dessert! A great meal!
We've had a few Phase 10 card games with Della winning two games, I've won one game and hmmmm Jim and Ted are zero games!!!! I'm sure they will try and get even with us in the next few days! We leave here on Wednesday!
Yesterday we rested and I blogged and finished laundry! Today we are getting ready to go back over to the Canyon! Depending on the time of day, the Canyon looks different and beautiful every time we see it!
Viewing the Canyon with friends..."Ain't Life Grand!"
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Back to Pio Pico...again!
After a great weekend of baseball, Trent's team won the tournament! The last game was very exciting and was much closer! Trent had a very good weekend of baseball!
On Monday we had lunch with our friend Rusty Coole. Rusty and Ted attended elementary school together and then high school. We had a good lunch and visit with Rusty.
We drove back down to Pio Pico on Tuesday. Yesterday we ran a bunch of errands getting ready for our Hawaii trip. We leave on Sunday and are we are very excited! We are going with our friends Jeri and Stach. We have 5 days at sea to get to the islands, five days on and around the islands and five days back to San Diego with a stop in Ensenada! Should be very relaxing!
Ted has gone to lunch with his friend David Prime and this evening I have will meet the GNO Girls! Always look forward to seeing the ladies!
Excited about cruising..."Ain't Life Grand!"
On Monday we had lunch with our friend Rusty Coole. Rusty and Ted attended elementary school together and then high school. We had a good lunch and visit with Rusty.
We drove back down to Pio Pico on Tuesday. Yesterday we ran a bunch of errands getting ready for our Hawaii trip. We leave on Sunday and are we are very excited! We are going with our friends Jeri and Stach. We have 5 days at sea to get to the islands, five days on and around the islands and five days back to San Diego with a stop in Ensenada! Should be very relaxing!
Ted has gone to lunch with his friend David Prime and this evening I have will meet the GNO Girls! Always look forward to seeing the ladies!
Excited about cruising..."Ain't Life Grand!"
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