Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Wake Up Blog!!!!

One of the things that I always question when a blog I've been following goes quiet is "I wonder what happened. Did they quit cruising or maybe worse have health issues or get a divorce?" Any number of thoughts pass through my mind as I ponder what could have happened.

Well I'm happy to report that in our case the answer to all of the above is NO. Although our cruising has been curtailed quite a bit since we made that left turn onto the Tennessee River.

As well as Tourist making a left turn so did our lives as we'd known them for the previous few years.
The passing of my Dad was the beginning of our directional change. That was followed by Pam's Dad being diagnosed with cancer and her Mom's on going battle with arthritis. That combination prompted the selling of their multi-level house and moving into an independent living facility. A hard move to make but a good one for them and peace of mind for the rest of the family.

A few months later we moved my mother into the same facility when she was diagnosed with dementia. She had been living at home alone and in general not taking care of herself. Getting her to move took a little convincing but once the move was made she hasn't looked back.

We now have my Mom and Pam's parents not only in the same facility but across the hall from one another. No one can make a move without us hearing about it!

Needless to say our focus has changed.

As far as the blog is concerned I'll try to do a few recaps over the next few months of what's been happening in our lives. There could even be some boating involved.

I covered 2016 in previous posts so I'll start randomly in 2017.

Since we've been home most of our time has been spent locally. We were able to sneak away in June of  '17 for a few days to Las Vegas where we met Rick & Sarah (M/V Private Affair) and Mark & Kate (M/V Mar-Kate). Of course what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas so sorry, no incriminating pictures. Let's just say we had a good time!

Pam and I did take a one day side trip to the Grand Canyon where we were able to take pictures. So here are a few.

Our first stop out of Vegas was at the Hoover Dam.

Looking out at the low water of Lake Mead.

One of the Lake Mead marinas. Notice where the water level used to be on the mound in the lower part of the picture.

Looking down river from the Pat Tillman Bridge. The old road is visible on the right side of the river.

Pat Tillman Bridge that took traffic off of the dam .

Hoover Dam and Lake Mead from the bridge.

From  Hoover Dam  we continued on and picked up I-40 at Kingman, Az.

Who could resist stopping at the Road Kill Café in Seligman, Az.

Grand Canyon
 
Bright Angel Lodge lobby
 
 
Of Course we found the bar at Bright Angel
 
 
The big ditch
 
 

 
Back in Vegas the temps outside were HOT! I know. It's a dry heat so it's not that bad right? Bullsh-t! 100 degrees walking across concrete and asphalt. You can feel the soles of your shoes melting away if you stop moving.
We did however have a few fleeting moments of insanity to get a couple pictures of the Strip.
 
 
 
 
 
We stayed at Mandalay Bay which is on the lower end of the strip. Our room had a nice view of the airport and of what looked to be an outdoor concert venue directly across the street. Little did we realize that a few months later it would be that venue that made headlines when a shooter opened fire on the Jason Aldean concert goers who packed the grounds.
 
Looking south at Mandalay Bay Hotel (gold building)
 
One thing that struck us while we were in Vegas was the huge number of families who chose to drag their kids with them to this largely adult oriented playground. So many so that it was almost annoying. You had to keep a sharp lookout when you walked around the hotel and the town. At any moment you could get run down by a non-supervised RugRat!
 
All in all it was a good time. We saw some sights. Took in a show. And oddly enough, won a little money. And the best part was being able to re-connect with some boating friends.
 
 
Until the next time Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!