What Day Is It, Anyway?

It's Friday.
TGIF!
I know that because there are no more school lunches or bookbags to pack this week!
I know it's Friday, because we can stay up past 8:00pm tonight.
I know it's Friday, because we can fix popcorn, pizza, watch a movie, and not set that alarm clock for 6 AM.
I know it's Friday, because it's already dinner time, and there is no rush. In case you missed part 1, you can catch it here AWAY WE GO .

GrannyNanny and Papa have survived Camp Carino with a 2 and 6 yr old-------> so far!
(BY THE WAY.... this task is NOT FOR WIMPS.)
It has been wonderful------->so far!
We haven't lost them, or forgotten to pick them up at the bus stop!
They haven't been to the emergency room!
They haven't been sick!
*Note: There are two of us taking care of 2 children. I could not do this without KingRon's help! Fact: This adventure is a 50/50 thing! He is my hero! No task is too big or too small for my man!

We've fed, clothed, and bathed these sweathearts.

We have run, slept, read, talked, cooked, and laughed!
We have washed clothes, dishes, faces, tables, and floors.
We've traveled outside the neighborhood to the store, the new library, school, bus stop, and Walmart.

Thank goodness the homework was on our level of expertise (even with the u-tube for the shoes). Oh dear, ya'll please quit laughing!

We've watched Stuart Little2, Home Alone and Sprout.
We've played Candy Land, air hockey, and the piano.
Oops, almost forgot about THE WII...(more learning adventures for GrannyNanny and Papa)
Somewhere along the way, we managed to get a little exercise and fresh air!(did I mention there are a total of 48 steps at Camp Carino?) 
Things are going great.....except.......for one item, which pushed me OVER THE EDGE for awhile.
Every single one of these remotes, operates DIFFERENTLY.

This pic represents about 2/3s of the total remotes. I seriously went bonkers.

What day is it, anyway? 
It's Friday!!!
So far so good. 
THE HUGS AND KISSES ARE THE BEST♥
We have not crossed the finish line, so please stay tuned for part 3!

February 22, 2016 AWAY WE GO...

For some reason?,  I envisioned our retirement years as, well, slowing down, rocking chairs, binge watching Netflix TV, sleeping late,  and having too much time on our h
We barely made it back from our  2 week vacation to Florida before the snow storm hit Roanoke. And then there was ----> the 3+ day power outage. There is never a dull moment here ("Under the Flaps"). Never. Never. On one of the no-power nights, we made the best of the circumstances with some fun in our driveway.  Using our cameras, we did a little 'light painting', with the camera's long exposure settings.

We had gas logs, a gas range, and gas hot water. Survival was  adequate!
So much for last week!
The suitcases have been cleaned out from the remaining sand, and replaced with winter clothes and survival items for 5 days. We will be 'entertaining'  2 of our grandbabies this week. 
Seriously, how hard could this be, right? (We suscessfully suvived keeping a now 7-month old, you know!). If you missed those blogs, click here -----> Houdini and the Swaddler and Babies R Us.
Look at these sweet faces below!
Such harmless, angelic, innocent children.
Such charming, intelligent, obedient children.
Surely this will be a cakewalk!

Do the words 'stamina', 'endurance', 'patience', 'sense of humor', 'go-with-the-flow', 'lots-of-hugs' come to mind? 
How about HOME ALONE, MRS. DOUBTFIRE, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, and MARY POPPINS?
Without a doubt, Papa and KK will have lots to share in the coming days. We've packed our cameras, our vitamins, and our running shoes. Obtainly the daily 'heart-healthy' requirements of walking 10,000 steps using MY FIT BIT should be easy-peezy. We've almost memorized the 6 pages of details written out for our instructions! 
We are ready for the challenge. 
On a serious note, we are honored that our adult children trust us with the care and safety of their precious cargo ♥
Stay tuned for part 2 (Granny Nanny--911)
AWAY WE GO!

Feb 2016 ANNA MARIA ISLAND Not Just an Ordinary Beach

I could probably be a beach bum, and live here!
The beaches are absolutely beautiful, the water is almost tropical!
Anna Maria Island is located on Florida's Gulf coast, 7 miles west of Bradenton, Florida.
The island itself is seven miles long north to south......and we went from one end to the other! 

There are six beaches on the island: Coquina, Manatee, Bradenton, Holmes, Cortez, and Anna Maria. Check out this link!!!----->BEST BEACHES!
The sand is sugar-white, and feels like powdered sugar .

We stayed at Tortuga Inn Beach Resort, recommended by a friend. It was a tropical, old Florida-style resort. I'd stay there again!

The island is filled with art, artists, great restaurants, no high-rise buildings, and low-key relaxation!
The highlight of our stay seemed to happened at night...... on the beaches, the piers, under the moon-lit, starry skies......with our cameras, of course!!!

Sunset and Moon at Coquina Beach

A moon-lit, starry "selfie" on the beach!

The nights were beautiful!

Anna Maria City Pier

Looking out at the Cortez Bridge, from our pier


Enjoy the u-tube of Anna Maria Island!

Florida's Fine Feathered Friends

Reddish Egret

Roseate Spoonbill

Snowy Egret

White Pelicans with Black Wingtips

The birds in Florida are almost as pretty as the ones in Virginia (I'm partial, however, to my back yard birds).  While we were in Sanibel and Anna Maria Island, we saw these birds. Photos were taken at the J.N.DingDarling Wildlife Refuge , as well as Anna Maria. If you have never been to the Refuge, take a few minutes to visit the link above. I suspect most of these creatures were used to having their photos taken!
Enjoy the photos!
P.S. I've learned a lot about birds in the past month. Refer to this post---> About Those Birds , written in January. 
By the way, I sure am glad that I don't have to feed the birds in Florida! They are MUCH bigger, and they eat a LOT more food!

Great Blue Heron

Anhinga

Pelican

Royal Turn

February, 2016 The Sanibel Stoop

Shelling and Sanibel go hand in hand, kinda like like peanut butter and jelly! We did the THE SANIBEL STOOP (this is serious stuff people! take a look at the link!), ate PBJ, and of course had our share of oranges and shrimp!

SeaShells By The Seashore

SANIBEL ISLAND is located on the gulf coast of Florida, near Ft. Myers. A lot of walking on the beach allowed us to get in our fitbit steps,as well as ....bending, stooping, bending, stooping, bending, stooping.

Sand Dollars from Bowman's Beach

More shells from Bowman Beach, Sanibel

Another great vacay 2016 on Sanibel Island

Starfish found outside our door!

It's best to wear sandals!

Here is a look a one end of the island. In the far distance is Ft Myer.

Shells at Island Inn Beach

We have enough shells to start our own beach!

And here, my friends......is the famous Sanibel Stoop!---for real!!!

The Sanibel Stoop

February 5, 2016 Happy 39th Birthday....

How could I possibly let the day go by without wishing 
A HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my first born daughter, Sarah.
Here is the updated  blog that I wrote 5 years ago:
-------------> HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH

February 4, 2015 Savannah, tybee Island A Southern Journey

Savannah in 2 1/2 days? Yikes! (of course, in order to see what we did, sleep was not a priority). The weather, however, was PERFECT, especially for the first few days in February.
Savannah, Georgia is laid out in a unique grid pattern of squares and parks, rich with statues, history, architecture, and riverfront views.  
It is easy to fall in love with the wrought iron, surrounding the old homes in the Victorian District. 

Cathedral of John the Baptist 

Touring Savannah is a cinch, given enough time.The first time we visited this lovely city, we chose to ride the trolley. Our guide was fabulous with his history and trivia (well-worth the time and money, if visiting for the first time).  You can easily tour by car, trolleys, horse and carriage, boating, shuttle, ferry, streetcar, or the old- fashioned way----> walking.
River Street, in the heart of downtown, is covered with uneven cobblestone, set in place more than 200 years ago. Did I say uneven? Wear comfortable shoes!

The Riverfront 

Restaurants, art galleries, vendors, souvenirs of all kinds, speciality shops, antique shops,........night life and daytime activities are abundant. Five star awards to the historic Savannah walk-in dining,  River House, located in an 1828 King Cotton Warehouse. Established in 1982, we dined while watching the merchant ships float by on the Savannah River. Our second dining extravaganza was The Chart House. (Oh my.... check out the menu! We will be giving some of these dishes at home!). Here was our dining view!
The Talmadge Memorial Bridge is the largest bridge in Savannah.

Forsyth Park (one of 22 squares/parks) houses the famous White Forsyth fountain. 

Spanish moss hangs gracefully on every tree.

Did you know that Savannah's downtown area is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the United States? It is divided into four sections: the Historic Landmark District, Victorian District, Thomas Square and Baldwin Park.
The beautiful City Hall, known for its gold leaf dome, is also in downtown Savannah.

Before leaving Savannah, we ventured out to  Tybee Island , a 20 minute drive from downtown. What a treasure! The pier, the lighthouse.....the BEACH....vintage beach cottages, all facing the Atlantic Ocean, were a few of the sites that we enjoyed.

Tybee Island Lighthouse, Georgia's oldest and tallest lighthouse

Happy Groundhog Day 2016

Get it? hahaha