Tag Archives: travels

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Savannah & Geocaching

Savannah
Scott and I decided to take our motorcycles to Savannah for a weekend of geocaching (more about this later), people watching and good food. Savannah is one of many places we like to go and relax. The streets, buildings, and especially the cemeteries are full of history and beauty. It is a wonderful place to just wander around on foot or bicycle. If you go to Savannah, here are a few of the dining places on the river that we recommend.


Tubby’s Tank House


One-eyed Lizzy’s


Spanky’s


Riverfront

Geocaching

Scott and I found several caches in Savannah. Many times caches are hidden in cemeteries and that makes Savannah a great place for the game.


One of the beautiful places geocaching took us this time.

Have you ever been Geocaching? Geocaching is a world wide game that is played by using your GPS unit to locate a specific point on the globe where something is hidden. It is a lot of fun and can be done anywhere you travel. A typical (traditional) geocache is hidden in an ammo box or rubbermaid type container to keep the contents from the elements. They can be hidden anywhere and pretty much are everywhere. Here are a few examples.


Typical hiding place for a traditional cache.


I found it, finally.

We found several geocaches in Savannah and the fun didn’t stop in there. When we got back home we found a few more within 5 miles of our house. During one of our hikes looking for a cache in a state park right down the road we were treated to a beautiful set of waterfalls that we never knew were there. After we did a little rock climbing to get to the cache we climbed back down to the falls and since the temperature was 100+ this 40 year old grandmother didn’t hesitate to take a dip. The wet clothing made for a fabulous ride home on the bike.


Me


My partner in crime and geocaching.

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Miami, Daytona & Motorcycles

Coming Home
Another thing that Scott and I like to do is go to sporting events. These include, but are not limited to, all major league sports, minor league baseball, and college sports of all kinds. We planned this trip so that we could catch a Florida Marlins vs. Houston Astros game in formerly “Joe Robbie” stadium. This is a stadium that I have always wanted to visit. It was so hot during the game (mid-day game) that we left after about the 5th inning. You can see from the photo that 90% of the stadium was empty right from the beginning of the game. Heat and a “not so good team” were probably the main reasons for this, but we enjoyed the game none the less.


Dolphin’s Stadium

After we left the game and went back to the hotel to freshen up we found a little place on the ocean to eat dinner called O’Mallys Ocean Pub. The dining was outside, with a live band and the tables were about 50′ from the crashing waves. Magnificent!

While we were on our trip to the keys we decided to get serious about finding Scott a bike so we could ride together. We decided to take the “scenic” route home to Alabama through Daytona in order to pick up new bike bells for each other. There is a legend that goes with these bells and they are supposed to be given to a rider by a friend. We picked out our bells in Daytona at a place called “Hot Leathers” (hmmmm) and purchased them for each other, had a spectacular lunch at Johnny Rockets overlooking the ocean (one last time) and then it was back on the road for home.

Scott’s Bike
After arriving home we wasted no time in finding a bike on eBay for Scott. We picked it up the next weekend and have been riding together almost every day since. Here are some photos of the proud new owner of a Honda Nighthawk 750 in the rare blue color.

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Snorkeling, Dining & Shopping Key West Style

The trip to Dry Tortugas National Park
Scott and I love to snorkel and there is a wonderful place to do this in the Keys called Dry Tortugas National Park . Our day began early with a half day trip out to the park for some snorkeling and sun. The last time we went out to the park we took the Fast Cat boat. This time we decided to take the Seaplane through Seaplanes of Key West. This turned out to be a great decision. We were treated to an aerial view of Key West and other keys as well. On the way to Dry Tortugas and back we spotted sharks, sea turtles, shipwrecks and even passed a biplane with rider. If you ever have the chance to go the seaplane is our recommended mode of transportation to get there.


Fast Cat


Our plane on the right. (yes, the little one)


Aerial view of Key West


Dry Tortugas National Park

The outermost wall that surrounds the moat is where most of the snorkeling is done. You are allowed to snorkel outside this wall about 200 ft out into the ocean. There is no snorkeling within the moat, but there are some very happy, super large fish that live there. When you are at the fort you can also take a tour of the fort itself. We have taken the tour before so this time the trip was all about the water.


Aren’t we cute?


Me


Fish


Sea Turtle


Sea Turtle close up (Yes, we were that close and he was that BIG!


Scott, having a discussion with a Grouper


Tony & Maria Valles (our seaplane companions)


Here we are, sunburned and smiling.


Dry Tortugas Lighthouse


Cuban “boat”


Cuban refugees

As we took off from the park to head back to Key West our pilot informed us that there was enough time for us to do a fly by of the light house which is out on a separate island. When we flew by the pilot noticed a boat (if you can call it that) on the shore that he hadn’t seen the day before. We circled around again and the pilot told us all to be on the look out for any people waving from the island. We were able to see several men waving shirts at us and after a few more passes we were able to count at least 6 Cuban refugees. Since this island is located so close to Cuba many refugees end up on this uninhabited little island and have to be picked up by the US government.

The pilot made one last pass over the island after calling in the situation on the radio to the proper authorities, waggled the wings of the plane back and forth as if to wave at the men and then we were off headed back to Key West.

This experience especially touched Scott and I because we once again realized how amazing it is that we live in the country that we do and how privileged a life we actually live here.


Shipwreck


Biplane with rider

We arrived back at the hotel for some quick showers and a little rest then it was off to Duval street for some food and fun. Our dining experience for the evening was at a place called the Tree Top Cafe. The food was fabulous and the restaurant is indeed upstairs and nestled among the tree tops of Duval street. We ate a rather early dinner and had the entire place to ourselves. Shopping was next on the agenda and so we were off to walk the length of Duval street going in and out of shops, not looking to buy anything in particular, but mostly just taking in the different characters we met along the way (and there were many). Our evening was topped off by sharing a piece of Key Lime pie at Margaritaville , Jimmy’s place.

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R & R = Reconnection and Recommitment

This past month has been quite a whirlwind of activity for Scott and me. We have been so busy with work, travel, and other things that there has been no time to blog about it. It seems that the more “blog worthy” activities we are involved in, the less time there is to “blog” about them. Anyway, the house construction has been at a stand still since the siding was installed last month so I thought I would take the opportunity to update our handful of readers, yes both of you, on our latest adventures.

Scott and I took off for a long weekend last month, July 13-17, to do as Jimmy Buffet would say “just to try and recall the whole year”. Actually, we did more than recall the past year, but more like the last 13 years of our married life. We took the time during this trip to reconnect to each other as husband and wife and to recommit our lives to each other. It is amazing how disconnected and alone two people can become when living under the same roof. So we treated this trip as a second (private) wedding and honeymoon, just for us. We had a wonderful time, saw and experienced many new things, as you can see in the photos in this post and the ones to follow. We came back home refreshed, more in love than ever and ready to tackle all our future challenges together.

Enjoy the photos and if you haven’t already, tell someone you love them today….

The Beginning – Our New Wedding Day

We exchanged new rings on July 14 at the end of the 7 mile bridge in the Florida Keys. This was a perfect setting for our ceremony because it is one of our most treasured places. It is a place that we both love and now a place that holds a completely new place in both our hearts.


Deborah’s Ring


Scott’s Ring

The Hotel
We arrived at the Key Ambassador on Friday night and were excited to find our room overlooked, not only the pool, but the ocean as well. Throughout the weekend we were able to sit on our private, screened patio where we had long talks and even watched the sun rise several times.

Best Western Key Ambassador

We dined at the Island Dog on Front street just off Duval and around the corner from the famous Sloppy Joe’s. The food at Island Dog was good and the evening was complete when we danced alone on the tiny dance floor to the music from the live band.

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National Polka Festival #40 – Saturday

Jak se mas? or How are you? This is the phrase I learned this year at the festival. You can see other cool phrases and tons of other interesting Czech stuff by clicking here.

Saturday’s activities started early. We made it to Ennis by 9am so we could get a parking spot for the downtown events. We landed a great parking spot and then went to a little grassy area on the side of the railroad tracks that gave us a good view of the parade route. Here I am again in my costume waiting for the parade to start. Scott said I looked like a little girl in the first one. Hmmmmm.

The parade started at 10am and like most parades had cheerleaders, bands, vehicles, clowns and of course horses. One thing that is different about this parade is that the floats are carrying the Czech bands on them and the demonstration dancers from Ohio and Oklahoma. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

After the parade we walked through the vendor booths downtown. Of course, there were food vendors too so I had possibly the largest corn dog I have ever had and Scott had a boring hot dog. I was able to get a souvenir cup though. HAHA

When we finished walking around downtown it was off to the halls for another afternoon and evening of dancing. We went to the Sokol hall to see the Dujka Brothers play and while we were there we saw a demonstration by the Sokol Greater Cleveland Folk Dancers. Their demonstration was a reenactment of a Czech village ceremony of sorts that welcomed in Summer. They did this by doing several dances and then the women of the “village” danced around the Maypole. The end result of this weaving of ribbons around the Maypole can be seen by the braid at the top of the pole when they are finished.

We had dinner at this hall that, for Scott at least, consisted of pork roast, dumplings, parsley potatoes, green beans and sauerkraut. I waited for the next hall where I could get some great bar-b-que.

When the folk dancers were about finished we headed over to the KC hall again where we would spend the remainder of the day and evening. While we were there we were treated to two of the finest Polka bands in the southwest, Vrazels’ Polka Band and the Jodie Mikula Orchestra. The halls are always packed when they are playing.

My dad and step mom were able to join us here and I got in as much dancing with my dad as I could before they had to leave.

Before my dad left he snapped this photo of Scott and I dancing. Isn’t this a cool picture and doesn’t it look like Scott is having a good time?

One of the things I think is great about this festival is that it is for the entire family. Kids in this culture are taught to dance at a very young age and they get to know others of the same heritage. The kids that attend the festival take to the floor during every intermission and play slip and slide on the dance floor. In order to make the floor slippery enough for dancing the halls put down a dust all over the hardwood and the kids love it, too!

I am not sure if we drove the car back to the hotel or if it drove us because we were so exhausted and our feet hurt a lot. The bands stopped playing at 12:30am and we made it back to the hotel around 1. I don’t think I have ever felt a more comfortable bed (at least that is what I was thinking then). Sunday morning came a little too soon for our tired legs, but we just had to return for one last day of festival fun. To be continued…..

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National Polka Festival #40 – Friday

Since there has been no progress on the house building lately I thought I would share what we did for this Memorial Day weekend.

This weekend was a special one for me because it was the first time I was able to attend the National Polka Festival in Ennis, Texas in about 14 years. I grew up in Texas and I am of Czech heritage. My family attended this festival every year as I was growing up and as a result I learned to dance Czech dances at the age of 5. Dancing has always been a big part of my life and going back to Ennis for the festival was a real treat for me. I hope to renew the tradition and make it an annual event for me and my family once again.

This festival is held every year on Memorial Day weekend and this was their 40th year. The weekend started with a dance Friday night, the 26th, from 7pm to 9pm at the Knights of Columbus (or KC for short) hall. Throughout this festival weekend there is no shortage of music, dancing, and fun for all ages. The food is always phenomenal as well. Friday evening we had dinner at the hall which consisted of bar-b-que sandwiches and klobase with kolaches and strudel for dessert.

The Harvesters from Lancaster, Texas were the scheduled band for Friday night and the hall was packed. We danced to practically every dance tune the band played. This selection consisted of mostly waltzes and polkas with a few country two step tunes thrown in for variety.

Later in the evening several couples competed in the National Polka Festival King and Queen contest. It was a typical dance competition with numbers pinned to the contestants backs and all. We were encouraged to cheer on our favorite couple as they danced by our table. The couple who were ultimately crowned were then required to ride in the parade the next day and attend the remainder of the festival, making appearances at all the halls and dancing for the crowds. They are fantastic dancers and we were able to see them several times throughout the weekend at the different halls.

After the King and Queen were crowned I tried on several Czech costumes from a vendor at the hall and purchased my first authentic Czech costume. After this purchase, there was little need for the clothing that I brought with me because I wore the costume the rest of the weekend. My costume consists of a red, full skirt, a white shirt with puffy sleeves and a wide lacy collar, and a black vest. The vendor had hair accessories available for purchase too. But since I am one of those people who says “I can make that”, we went to Wal-mart at 1am after the dance where I bought flowers, ribbon and hair clips. Then we went back to the hotel where I made my hair clip that you see in the photo below and the ones in future posts.

Thoroughly exhausted, we collapsed in bed for a few hours of rest before having to be back in Ennis for the parade Saturday morning at 10am.

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National Polka Festival #40 – Sunday

Sunday we started out a little later than Saturday. We went to the KJT hall for some last minute dancing and to visit the hall since we had not been to this one yet. We danced there a while and then we were treated to a demonstration by the Oklahoma Czech Dancers. All of these individuals attend a Czech school in Oklahoma and in addition to learning regular school circulum they are taught about their Czech heritage. The costumes were phenominal and their demonsration was great. Here are some of the photos we took of them. Enjoy.

The Sokol happened to be on the way out of town so we stopped there for our final dance and then it was off to pick up our storage stuff at Mom’s and head back to Alabama. I hear that my bathtub has been installed at the house so new house postings coming soon…….

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Quick Trip to the Keys

The weekend after we moved in to the rent house we took my brother in law down to Florida to pick up a van that he had won on eBay. Since we were going all the way to Miami to get the van we decided that it would be pretty much mandatory that we stay the weekend and visit the Keys. Although the weather was cold and windy we all had a great time.


Me and Hubby


Me and my brother in law

The one full day we had in the keys was a Saturday. We spent the day slowly wandering down the keys, stopping so the guys could fish along the way at the various public fishing bridges.


The guys


Something took my bait!


I caught bait!!

We stopped halfway down the keys at Bahia Honda State Park to get a closer look at the water and possibly get our feet wet.


Old railroad bridge in the park


Could be warmer!

By dinner time we had made it all the way down to the southernmost point of the continental United States (or at least to the marker, the point is actually not accessible). We went by Ernest Hemmingway’s house and then went to dinner in Key West at Sloppy Joe’s, Hemmingway’s old haunt.


Me and my brother in law at the southern most point marker

The drive back 100+ miles to Miami was complimented by a pretty sunset in the rearview mirror and great music on the stereo. None of us wanted to leave, but hopefully we will go back again when it is a bit warmer and snorkeling is possible.

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Time to move to Alabama

Could you load everything you own into this trailer? We did…

Things shifted a little in the 1500 mile journey from Colorado to Alabama.

Help was needed.

Now we can unload!!

The kitchen of the rent house quickly took shape.

Scott took over what is supposed to be the living room for his office space.

This is the center of the house. From this post you can rotate 360 degrees and see every room.

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Auburn 28 – Alabama 18

This weekend was a blast. We flew from Denver to Atlanta to visit the farm and take in a fantastic Auburn/Alabama football game. Once on the plane, I spent several glorious hours knitting and reading. Getting to Denver, however, was a bit of a challenge because of the snow through the passes, but it was also very beautiful.

Game day began with the traditional Tiger Walk in which the players walk through the sea of orange and blue clad fans on their way to the stadium. Can you see them?

Once the crowd dispersed we made our way into the stadium where Scott and the boys were able to go down and catch practice field goal kicks as they came through the goal post upright. This is one of Scott’s favorite things to do at the games.

Here is a partial group of the brave souls that enjoyed/endured the game. Every seat was occupied throughout the entire game.

The game was fantastic, especially if you are an AUBURN fan. We are already looking forward to next year!


Front Row Children
Martha, Issac, Abby, Gabriel, and Jacob
Front Row Adults
Sarah and Chris Marchio (parents of all the small children pictured)
Back Row
Levi, Dale and Larry Fillmer(Elders), Deborah and Scott Fillmer (brother of Sarah and his wife)


WAR EAGLE