Florida, Jacksonville - Saturday, December 21, 2013 - Pecan Park RV Resort

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2013 has been a wonderful year for us.

I retired on Friday, June 7.  Lots of very special people left behind but not forgotten.

On Sunday, June 9 we took off from Hidden Paradise Campground in Indiana to start our new adventure – living fulltime in our 43’ Mandalay motor coach with our Harley tagging along.

 

 

This year we have stayed in 18 states and in addition visited Washington D.C.

In New York we were awed by Niagara Falls and renewed our wedding vows in Syracuse.

In Pennsylvania we walked where Confederate and Union soldiers fought 150 years ago.  We had a sweet time in Hershey and checked out the new bikes in York.

We stayed in Maryland while we visited with our granddaughter Maddie and her family.  Hated to leave, they grow up so quick.  We get to facetime, but it’s not the same as a hug.

In Washington DC we enjoyed the Eastern Market and then wished it was closer for the rest of the year.  We spent the Fourth of July on the Capital steps enjoying the concert and fireworks.  Arlington National Cemetery is breathtaking.

 

In Virginia, Old Town Arlington is always a favorite of mine.

 

In North Carolina we met up with our friends Barbara and Ann in Maggie Valley.  We also met some new square dancing friends.  In Ashville we toured the Biltmore House (this had been on my list for years).  In Charlotte we enjoyed all things NASCAR at the motor speedway and the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

 

 

 

In Tennessee we really enjoyed the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and a walk downtown.

We just spent overnight stays in Missouri and Iowa on our way to South Dakota, we’ll have to come back and enjoy some more time there.

We spent a little over a month in Sioux Falls, South Dakota getting our paperwork finished up to make South Dakota our state of domicile.  Falls Park in the middle of the city is remarkable.  Our hometown has a Falls Park but it isn’t nearly as big as this one.  The Corn Palace in Mitchell was worth the ride.  We met more square dancing friends here in Sioux Falls-lots of fun.

Nebraska was just an overnight stop, but we got to see lots of Huskers fans.

Veterans Memorial Park in Pratt, Kansas was our home for a month while we visited with son David and grandkids Wyatt and Cheyanne.  We tried to be of help to David for the month that we were there.  Enjoyed time with the grandkids, as always hated to leave.

 

 

In Oklahoma we stopped at the Winstar Casino RV Resort.  I think this is one of my favorites.  We didn’t stay long in Oklahoma, we were headed to Texas to get some blinds repaired in the RV.

In Texas we got the blinds fixed and then headed down for a stay in San Antonio.  While we were there we rode out to the Hill Country and into Fredericksburg.  We enjoyed the River Walk in town and out.

 

In Louisiana we enjoyed our stay in plantation country.

 

On down to the Gulf Coast, our first stop was Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.  The rides along the Gulf were beautiful.

Continuing our Gulf adventures we moved on to Gulf Shores, Alabama where we met up with friends Mike and Sheila.  We spent a day at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola.  We need to go back, lots to see there.  Once again the rides on the coast in the sunshine just couldn’t be beat.

Right now we are enjoying high 70s, low 80s in Jacksonville, Florida.  While here we’ve ridden to St. Augustine and enjoyed the history there.  I think we will try to ride down to St. Augustine again tomorrow.

Our year will finish out with a visit with daughters Amanda and Robyn and son A.J. and their families in Orlando.

I really don’t think life could get any better than this.