Snowed In

There was a time when I couldn't wait until we had a snow. Then I would be outside and traveling on the truck to enjoy the scenery. Now I really don't care for snow and I have no desire to be outside or to travel. Today I am quite content to stay inside, drink coffee, watch TV, read a book and stay warm. 

Just a few photographs taken around the house of the 3 1/2 inch snow we received last night. 

A couple more months of this weather and I will be coming out of hibernation.  I don't want to wish my life away, but I am so looking forward to warm weather.  

Additional Pictures from Puerto Rico

Following are additional photographs from Puerto Rico. These shots were taken at the El Conquistidor in Fajardo. It's a real nice place to visit, especially this time of year when the weather at home is freezing.

PR weather is great if you like warm and humid and I do. The highs were in the mid-80's and lows were in the low-70's while we were there. Fajardo is on the edge of a rain forest and therefore subject to getting frequent rains.  I think it rained three times while we were there, but the showers only lasted a few minutes and then the sun came out.  As you can imagine, all the plants are lush and green. 

Don't know the names of these flowers, but they were everywhere. 

This orchid was growing on a palm tree on the golf course. 

There are lots of iguanas. This little fellow was about 4 feet long, but don't worry they are harmless vegetarians. 

Lots of swimming pools. 

And a great water park with three slides, a lazy river and several pools.

Well all good things must come to an end and we had to return to the cold north. Thanks to U S Airways our return trip took 32 hours, all of which was spent in an airplane, an airport hotel or a terminal. Did I mention that our suitcases were sent to RDU on Saturday so we had no toiletries or  clean clothes to wear. 

We got to see a lot of the San Juan airport--not exactly a tourist attraction. 

Puerto Rico--Nice this Time of Year

I am so happy to be in Puerto Rico while the weather back home is miserably cold. The highs here have been in the mid-80's and the lows in the low-70's. As I get older, I find it much harder to cope with cold weather. If I had unlimited resources, I would spend winter months in a warm climate. Since I don't have unlimited resources, a short vacation in PR is the best I can do. I already dread the return to the cold North. 

The El Conquistador hotel is where we are staying. The hotel has 984 rooms. We are staying in a condo on the property. 

This is a picture of the nearby town of Fajardo taken from the condo porch. Fajardo is a small town of 36,000 on the east end of the island and is about an hour's drive from San Juan. 

Grandson, Brendan, seems to be adapting quite well. 

The golf course here is very nice. As you can see, it is built into the hills and is a challenge if you haven't played in a few weeks. Sean and I played Wednesday, but the scores were pretty bad. We are going to try it again Friday. 

Greater Antelles Grackles are everywhere waiting for crumbs from the outside diners. 

I will post additional photographs soon. 

January 11, 2014

Not exactly a beautiful day, but at least it is warm. 

As I get older, I get softer. I am no longer able to take the cold temperatures that we had earlier this week. If the outside temperature falls below 55 F, you will find Franklin inside. 

At 7:00 am Saturday morning, the temperature was 63 degrees in Morehead City. The picture above shows the Morehead City Port and the high rise bridge to Beaufort which would be to the left. Although he sky is overcast and the forecast calls for rain, it beats the heck out of the 9 degrees we had earlier this week. 

Oh, how I enjoy the warm days of summer!

Time to Get Back in Shape

HThe holidays have played havoc with my physical condition. Too much to eat and drink and too little activity. The weather has been cold or rainy and I just don't care to be outside in those conditions.

At our age now, the old body just won't do what it used to do. We tend to sit around and watch TV or play on the computer or IPad. My muscles ache and my joints creek. I can't remember the last time I was able to touch my toes. 

I was talking to classmate, Herbert Miller, this week and he told me about a program he heard about called "Silver Sneakers". If you are on Medicare and have a supplement or PPO, you probably qualify. I checked with my insurance company and sure enough, I qualify.  

Basically, you can join a participating gym at no cost. (Leave it to Herbert to find a deal.)  You have access to everything at the gym and it costs nothing. I found a nice gym in Morehead City with all kinds of equipment, an indoor track, indoor pool, racket ball courts, etc. I join that one Thursday and plan to join O2 Fitness in Fuquay this week. 

Maybe being a senior citizen on Medicare does have some advantages. In any event, I hope to get back in shape and drop a few pounds. 

If you are interested, check out their website below. 

http://www.silversneakers.com/

Blackeyed Peas

The very best way to have your blackeyed peas on New Year's Day is with Texas Caviar and good friends. My introduction to Texas Caviar was through fellow classmate Berti Stevens at our 50th class  reunion last spring. It was great!  So how better to have your traditional New Year's blackeyed peas than with Texas Caviar and with good friends. 

It is very easy to make, so we threw it together and asked some  of our Morehead City neighbors over to celebrate the New Year. Some of the best times are had on short notice. 

Texas Caviar, Scoops, cheese, crackers and a few bottles of wine. Nothing fancy. 

How nice and very fortunate we are to have good friends to share our lives with.

Here is a selfie of me, Jim Sewell, Carol Stone, Becky and Debbie Sewell. Do we look like we are having a good time? 

Becky and I wish everyone a Happy New Year.  May you have health, prosperity, and joy in the coming year.