Catalina Camping

We've been camping at Catalina State Park for over a decade, and it never disappoints.  This time again we were greeted by warm days and plenty of sunshine every day except one.  Our group has some favorite spots in Loop B, affording us ample space to put up canopies and play games of cornhole.  While most people are dealing with snow, ice and cold weather, we had days warm enough for shorts and short sleeves.

Doris, Sandy, Lori and Kerry were all set to play a fierce game.  Me, not so much.  To say the least, I am horrible at it.  Hence, I relegate myself to taking photos and cheering from the sidelines.  If everyone picked their players, I would definitely be the last one standing!

Games are over now it's time for some afternoon wine and snacks.  Sandy and Doris shared with their cousin, John, who had driven down from Surprise for the weekend.

 This year, we added another extended member of the family, Roberta Ross.  Jerry was giving her instructions on how to cook with a Dutch Oven.  He is the master of Dutch oven cooking whenever there is a group of us camping.  He keeps us going with his food and his humor.

 Time to check to see how it's coming along, Roberta.....

Well, now it seems that more have joined the Dutch oven circle.  Do you notice that most of them have a cup or glass in their hand.  Don't let the red plastic cups fool you....they are filled with wine!

As the day became dusk, all the side dishes were on the table.  We were waiting for Don and Jerry to finish cutting the brisket, which had been cooking since 7 AM.    It was Don's first attempt at smoking a brisket, and it turned out great.  No complaints from this crowd.

 During the last week camping, some dear friends came to visit us.  Phyllis and Nellie had gone to Flowing Wells High School with the rest of us, and they also had attended Redeemer Lutheran with Doris and Sandy. It was good to reminisce with them.  Maybe next time we can find a place where the sun isn't shining directly into our eyes.

Beautiful sunrises and sunsets.  Gorgeous weather.  Friends and family.  Great food.  Fun.  Lots of humor and laughing.  All of these are why we booked our stay at Catalina State Park for next 2019 before we left this year!

Davis Monthan Air Force Base

Our educational tour this year was at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, which dates back to 1927.  It was named after two pilots from WWII.  Our former neighbor, Ivan Lewis, retired from the Air Force in late 2016 and moved back to Tucson to work as a contractor at DM. 

 Before we could even take the tour, all of us had to submit our names, Social Security numbers, date of birth and address a week ahead of time.  Thankfully, none of us were deemed "risky" and the guard at the gate let us pass through.

 It was a gorgeous day as Ivan led us to the hangar where we would be able to watch teams being trained on how to load weapons on the A-10 planes.

We behaved ourselves, especially after looking at this warning on the cement floor.  At our age, we are too old to do much horsing around anyway.

 None of the weapons in this area were activated, thank goodness.  We all stayed behind the red line as the airmen went about their business.

 It takes two men to load the bombs, one drives the small vehicle while his assistant steadies the weapon.  Teamwork is essential in loading and securing each weapon.

As we passed behind the plane, Roberta pointed out the beautiful American flag hanging right above it.  What a privilege it is for us to be Americans and support all of our armed forces.

 Ivan, our gracious tour guide for the day, took time to further explain some of the ammunition loaded on to the A-10s.  Interestingly, the A-10's are the only aircraft designed around the 30 mm rotary cannon, which can spit out an enormous amount of fire power in a short amount of time.  The pilot is protected by a titanium box.

 Afterwards, we sauntered outside to view what Ivan referred to as "the dragon".  This unique and odd-looking machine does resemble a dragon.  It's function is to load new ammunition while sucking out the used shells simultaneously.

 This is a photo of the sign painted on the side of the dragon.  Cute, huh?!

This was one busy place.  We spotted lots of fighter jets coming in after their morning flights.

As we left, we passed by the "fighter on a stick", a local landmark at the base.  Thanks for the informative tour, Ivan!

Delaware: the First State and the Last State

I bet you're guessing what I meant by Delaware being the first and last state.....so, I'll explain further.  Delaware was the first state to ratify the U.S. constitution, and it was the last state for me to visit.  I officially checked off my bucket list for being in all 50 states!

My daughters, Lisa and Heidi, knew that Don didn't care whether or not he made it to Delaware.  So, they offered to go with me.  Heidi and I flew from Phoenix and Lisa came from Denver, and both our flights landed in Philadelphia at the same time (different terminals).  We met up on the shuttle to the car rental place.  This was the beginning of an awesome long weekend!

Lisa brought along a picture from the time when she was a baby and Heidi was just two.  Don was holding Lisa on his lap while Heidi "shared" her powdered doughnut with her.  Thus began the saga of "Flat Don" who would travel with us everywhere.  What Heidi didn't think of, Lisa did!  It was one photo opportunity after another, most of them posted on Facebook!

After about a 30 minute drive from the airport, we arrived at the Embassy Hotel , situated right across the street from the University of Delaware.

Both girls commented about being glad that I wasn't decrepit and in a wheelchair!  They teasingly said the trip would have been off.  I even had my picture taken in the handicap shower that came with the room.  Who knows, Lisa made the reservation months ago, and maybe was preparing for everything and anything.  We all laughed.  You have to have a good sense of humor with a dash of snarky to hold your own in this family.

We dropped off our luggage and drove another 20 miles south to Chesapeake Inn for a seafood dinner.  We discovered along the way, that it was in Maryland.  So, we had been in 4 states that one day!  We sure aren't used to states being so small and close together.  A twenty minute drive in Phoenix won't even get you from one side of the valley to the other.

 We were seated at a table by the window, overlooking the marina.  The dinner was absolutely wonderful.  Heidi had her Ahi the Sicilian style (EVOO, garlic, pimentos, capers and lemon) and I had Ahi Chesapeake style(baked with crab imperial, lobster sauce).  Lisa chose the swordfish steak.  If we had known how large the portions were, we could have shared two dishes between the three of us.

 After dinner, we enjoyed ourselves by walking around the marina and dock.  This must be a very popular place, since it was quite busy.  Day one came to a close with us looking forward to the next day's adventures.

Delaware and the DuPonts

One place the three of us all wanted to see was the Nemours Estate, built by Alfred DuPont and situated on 300 beautifully landscaped acres.  The house itself is 47,000 square feet and has 20 bathrooms.  As we approached the iron gates, we knew this would be an interesting tour.

 The mansion itself, while massive, isn't ostentatious on the outside.  The rather plain white and gray exterior doesn't hint at the 105 luxurious rooms inside.  The estate was named after Alfred DuPont's great-great grandfather, Pierre Samuel DuPont de Nemours.

 Turning around at the front steps of the house, this was our view!

 Heidi and Lisa posed by one of the huge gates on the grounds.  At this point in time, our legs and feet were still fresh.  At the end of the tour, we calculated that we had walked for 3 and a half hours.  That's a lot of steps!

 As we entered the house,we went up the impressive staircase, and gazed at the beautiful chandelier and stained glass window.

The chandelier below was located in Denise DuPont's bedroom.  She was a French war orphan and adopted as an infant by Alicia and Alfred.  The delicate glass flowers were hand blown, and there is even a matching mirror and lamp.  Opulent, to say the least.

 There are many formal gardens located on all sides of the house, so if you were a guest, you were guaranteed a great view from your bedroom window.

As we passed through the rooms, various docents provided additional tidbits of information.  One lady told us to look closer at this chandelier.  Between the lights are perfume bottles. As the lights warmed up, the perfume would give off a scent!  My gosh, how does one even think about that ahead of time?  If you look close, you can see the bottles with the stoppers on them.

 This was the cooking part of the kitchen.  There was a separate room for the ice boxes (later turned into refrigerators) and 27 sets of dinnerware.  Each meal was served on a different set of plates when guests were present.  Glad I wasn't a servant that had to do the dishes for them! By the time they had cleaned off the plates from the table, I'm sure they were already getting pots and pans dirty for the next meal.

 Other fun facts:  the house included a bowling alley that had both duck pins and bowling pins, an exercise room with it's own showers, a movie room, a library and a billiards room.  In addition, there was a cold storage room used for their mink coats.  That room had a iron gate secured with a padlock.

After touring the house, we strolled out into the gardens, admiring the fountains and pools, thankful that the day was absolutely gorgeous. 

As we walked back to the car, our feet were tired, but our hearts were happy.  What a wonderful day that the Lord had blessed us with!

Chesapeake City

After a late lunch/early dinner, Lisa suggested that we return to Chesapeake City while it was still daylight.  What a charming little town!  Almost all the houses were built in the 1800's, and it seemed like they were 3/4 size.  I guess, at the time they were built, they were considered absolutely huge.

We strolled down the main street, reading the informational plaques describing each structure.

 Lisa stopped by the huge clock, in front of the town hall.

 And here is the "guy" that was just hanging around the town hall!

 This teeny, tiny structure was situated right next door to a larger house.  It is considered the last standing "office" in Chesapeake City.  It was built at a time when it was improper to run a business inside your home, so many businessman built little places like this.  It looked like a playhouse to me.

 This the Bayard House, situated on the water of the Chesapeake Canal and the oldest building in town.   So glad that the majority of the houses in this town have been lovingly restored, rather than torn down.

Believe it or not, we did pass on ice cream here.  We knew the ice cream produced at the University of Delaware couldn't be beat, so we opted to hold off until we got back to Newark.

 Of course, the only cat that we saw headed straight for Lisa.  She got rewarded with some nice pets, and then walked off , quite contented.

One last stop before bedtime: check out the UDairy Creamery at the University of Delaware .  Deliciousness in a cone!  After all, these were not just plain vanilla and chocolate.  Lisa had coffee fudge cookie ice cream,  Heidi  ordered the Blue Hen which is vanilla, fudge, and peanut butter cups topped with blue and yellow sprinkles.  I wasn't as daring and stuck with butter pecan.  The Fighting Blue Hens do wonders with ice cream!  On top of that, the huge scoop on each cone was only $3.00.  

Perfect way to end the day!