Roger & Kathy's Travel Journal

THANKS FOR JOINING US ON OUR RETIREMENT ADVENTURES!



LIVE - LAUGH - LOVE

ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE NOT LOST!











Sunday, July 28, 2019

Costa Rica - 2019

We are in Costa Rica celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary with the kids! Life is so good and we are so blessed!

After a grueling travel day - left our house at 3:00 am (in the dark) and arrived at our villa in Manuel  Antonio, Costa Rica at 6:30 pm (in the dark) - 8:30 Michigan time. We had dinner delivered and went to bed early. So tired of sitting all day!

The house is magnificent and this is the view from our bedroom this morning! Welcome to paradise!



Front door

The front door is around the corner!





This is the view when you walk in the front door! An infinity pool - no walls!

Dining and kitchen with back deck

The stairs leading to our bedroom!

Lounge area off the living room - from our balcony

Living room from our balcony
L

Back yard





There are live flower arrangements throughout the house


Megan and Carlos - life is good!


We hired a chef to come and cook breakfast and dinner for us today so we could totally relax after a long travel day yesterday. We feasted on fresh fruit, banana pancakes, toast and a Costa Rican dish of black beans, rice and cilantro this morning. We are looking forward to him preparing grilled grouper and shrimp tonight!

Heather and Megan, along with their interpreter Carlos, are at the grocery store while the rest of us are at the resorts private beach. I said I didn't want to sit in the car  - Megan said your sitting in a chair now - I said no I'm lounging, there's a difference!

The tree line is about 20 feet from the surf at the beach so you can enjoy the shade and the waves equally! They have boogie boards and kayaks to borrow so the girls had fun riding the waves. It is a short walk down steep inclines to get to the beach but all you have to do is call for a shuttle to return home!





Everyone but Roger and I are on a "sloth tour" around the property right now but we have one in the tree right next to our driveway so we are back in our loungers enjoying the view!

Sunday, July 21, 2019

July 2019

I haven't posted in so long I have a lot of catching up to do!

It was cold and rainy in April and May when we returned to Michigan. Thought spring and summer would never arrive - it finally did! Skipped spring and went directly to hot, humid summer! We asked for it and we got it!

Most of Roger's time is being consumed by the building of his barn/workshop. It was delayed because of the weather but it is coming along slowly but surely. He will be glad when they get the garage doors on and the insulation in so he can turn on the AC! We have had two big trees fall down on our property with all the storms. A mess to clean up but one of our neighbors heats their house with wood so he is very glad to come and get it! Guess we have to expect this when we live in a forest!

We spent last week-end in Charlevoix, Michigan with Ray, Mel, Judy and Marilou. A nice "mini" vacation. We took the ferry out to Beaver Island - a bucket list item for all of us - the weather was beautiful but the island was a disappointment. Not much there!




Us girls toured a lavender farm near Boyne City - came back very relaxed! - while the guys checked out battery assisted bikes in Petosky and then we met for dinner. The guys had so much fun we went back the next morning and all of us rode them on the beautiful bike trail along Lake Michigan. They sure make biking fun for us old folks!






We celebrated Ray's retirement from Kellogs!


We are excited about our trip to Costa Rico with the kids - leaving on Saturday!

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Houston - Fall 2018

We have had a fun time here with the girls!

It poured all day on Halloween but cleared in the evening for the trick or treaters. Emily was the "Queen of Hearts" and Samantha and her friend were fruit - a strawberry and a pineapple! Kariss and Samantha look so much alike that their teachers get them mixed up! Samantha is the strawberry! Emily made her own "tutu" and Samantha did a great job doing her make-up! I'm the one on the right not the one in the middle!!!



Emily celebrated her 10th birthday - November 5th - with her friends on Friday night and we had a family celebration on Monday. She made her own birthday cake - from scratch! - with fondant frosting for Friday - quite the little baker - and we had decadent cupcakes on Monday.




Roger and I played golf at the country club that Kyle and Heather joined  - they are into tennis now. A really nice course but it was so hot and humid I gave up on the 14th hole! Hard to believe the clubhouse, the golf course and all the homes surrounding it were flooded during Hurricane Harvey. Many of the homes are still vacant or being renovated.

Willow Fork Country Club

Typical of the houses that were flooded during Hurricane Harvey
The Houston Junior League sponsors the "Nutcracker Market" every November - their big money maker for charity. It is a huge extravaganza of vendors! Not "arts and crafts" but great, unusual items ranging from furniture and home decor to clothing to jewelry to edibles to Christmas decorations. They also serve all sorts of food for lunch. The longest lines are at the beer/wine/Bloody Mary stations scattered around the venue! It is held in the huge    and Thursday, opening day, was packed! We spent forever in stop and go traffic just to get in to the parking lot where they have bicycle rickshaws to take you to the main entrance. One vendor was so popular that there were over 100 women waiting in line to pay! We put our stuff back and had lunch! The funniest thing is the women groups that "tailgate" in the parking lot! They wear crazy Christmas headbands or special T-shirts to identify them as part of the group and they set up tent like covers near their cars. They bring tables and chairs, food and drinks and spend the whole day shopping, eating and drinking! They rival the men at the football games!

Samantha ran her first cross country race against two other middle schools and came in 5th place overall for the girls! Ribbon time! So proud of her!



Emily's swim meet was on Saturday and Sunday against two other teams, The teams are so big it becomes a huge event. She does so well in a sport where there is so much competition. She is so independent - knows her swim times, heats, lanes - and is so self confident - she climbs up on the blocks, sets and dives in!!


We arrived in San Antonio yesterday afternoon. The weekly potluck was last night so we got to see all our friends that spend the winter here. The weather is sunny but cold and windy - no golf this week!

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Texas 2018

As much as we love our new home in Michigan, when the weather turned cold we were more than ready to head south! A dead alternator in the motor home delayed us a bit but we were thankful it happened as we were leaving the house and not somewhere on the road!
We stopped in Springfield, IL to tour President Lincoln's museum - a great place to visit! - and then turned southward toward Houston. 27 degrees to 82 degrees!
Samantha is in a play at her middle school tonight and then Halloween tomorrow - a fun time to spend with the girls. So glad both girls are doing well after broken bones last year at this time!
Emily has a swim meet this week-end and Samantha has a cross country meet next week so we get to "sports watch" while we are here.
Roger is going back to work - barn money! - so we are moving to San Antonio soon and will spend the winter there. It will be nice to be near family and old friends for awhile.
Love being back in HEB and Bill Miller iced tea land!!!

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Garland Golf Resort

Our couples golf league went up to Garland Golf Resort in Lewiston, MI for three days of golf last week. 18 of us - had a great time! Golf, food, fun and friendship!

Most of the group at Devils Lake Golf Course

Brian, Barb and Roger - gorgeous views on all three courses!

This little Par 3 kicked our butts!

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Boldrey Cousins Reunion

We invited all of Roger's cousins, from his mother's side of the family, to our new home for a reunion the end of August. We haven't got all the pictures yet but, this is one of Duane, Bill and Roger with Virginia and Sharon on their father's old tractor - they gave it to the brothers to restore. The guys did a great job!


Friday, August 17, 2018

Niagra Falls 2018


Roger and I took Samantha and Emily on a "mini vacation" to Niagra Falls while they were visiting us in Michigan. Perfect weather and a great time exploring the US and Canadian sides of the falls.


Riding the Maiden of the Mist





Eating lunch in Canada

See the rainbow?

The girls went fishing in the river by our house - big catches!



Helping Grandpa grade the driveway

Checking out the new calves at Weir farms with Olive

Ice cream lunch after soccer/golf with Aunt Judy and Tima!

Samantha caught a big one fishing with Aunt Judy!
Always fun spending time with them - they are such a joy! I took them home Wednesday and it is awful quiet around here now!!