Illinois Weekend with Family

I love Brendan and Amy.   The happily married couple. 

Brendan is my nephew.  He and  his beautiful bride, Amy pledged their wedding vows on Saturday, October 11th.   

Gerry and I flew back to the mid-west to attend the wedding and celebrate with them.  They are the perfect couple.  We could feel their love and know this is a match that will last forever. 

Fall foliage was at its peak!  Brendan joined us Friday morning on a hike. 



At Matthiessen State Park, Friday;  the next door neighbor of  the more famous Starved Rock

We were In awe of this tree, as we gazed upward in Starved Rock. 

The wedding took place at St. Mary's, a historic Catholic church in small-town Utica, IL.

The cutest ring-bearer and flower-girl on the planet walked up the aisle;  our nephew Logan and niece Olivia

Hours later, we danced the night away at the post-dinner reception at the Grand Bear Lodge.




Brendan and Amy do the two-step on the dance floor.

 

Now we are back home in L.A.  but I  continue to feel the LOVE from the wedding.
Weddings do this to me. 

They cause me to pause and reflect, to be grateful and appreciate what really matters.

absorbing  our beautiful world

Love... Family...Honesty... Respect.....Friends.....


Appreciate  each day, and look forward to the next.

COOL BREEZE CENTURY BIKE RIDE Ventura CA

100 Miles of gorgeous scenery while pedaling my bike on a peaceful Saturday on the Central Coast....  It doesn't get much better than this.

It was a 100 mile one-day bike ride.  Granted, it did take me all day.  I started at 7:00 am and finished near 4:00 pm.  But what a wonderful day it was!  I loved cycling this scenic route with friendly staff support.  They kept me well fed and hydrated on my bicycle journey through the towns of Ventura, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria  and Goleta. 

Maybe I'm at mile 40 (?)  
This is above Santa Barbara and one can see
Santa Cruz Island in the background.

The rest stops were welcome breaks, and we visited all 5 of them,  (mile 14.8, mile 30.9, mile 51.1 which was the lunch stop, mile 70.9.  and mile 82.1 which was the popsicle stop.)

Lunch stop - make your own sandwiches with all the fixins.
 

My favorite stop - the Popsicle station at Rincon Beach
only 15 miles to the finish line. 

We made it!

Our hotel, the ClockTower Inn was a bit dumpy, but the location is ideal - downtown Historic Ventura .

Later in the evening we set out on foot from the ClockTower and strolled the quaint Main Street of Ventura.  We stepped into Palermo, which serves the most delicious gelato, outside of Italia.  The ginger gelato was heavenly.

Sunday morning we checked out before 10:00 am and drove perhaps 6 miles  north to
Summerland.  We spent a few hours at Summerland Beach, which is directly below Look Out Park.



A quiet and peaceful beach
 

I was kicking back as well, but I got my arse up to take the photo

I highly recommend the Cool Breeze Century Ride!  A definite "Thumbs Up." 

The weekend was a fabulous getaway. 

I found it to be healing.  Some of you may know my beloved father passed away a month ago, on July 7th 2014.  He enjoyed cycling during his retirement years.  I thought of him often as I pedaled.  He would have enjoyed this.  Too bad we didn't do it together; but I felt he was with me in spirit.

He was a good father - extremely intelligent and very witty, but most importantly he gave me his unconditional love. 

Olympic Marathon Trials, Columbia, SC 2000
After I finished, standing with my doting, proud dad. 

Life is precious!
Take a Day and do what you Enjoy!

Summer Road Trip - Zion, UT and Estes Park, CO

We arrived back home from a fun hiking / camping trip and family get-together.  We drove from L.A. to Estes Park, CO.

First stop was Zion National Park.  We hiked the popular Angels Landing Trail one day and the Observation Point Trail the next.  The first night we camped outside the east entrance to the park in Zion Mtn Campground.    The second night we camped inside the Park, at the South Campground.  Our campsite was located nearby the Virgin River. 

A rustic campsite, the first night near the east entrance of Zion.

Sandstone checkerboard  at Zion, shortly after sunrise

Hiking the trail toward Angels Landing on a clear day

From Observation Point in Zion - Gerry looks at the stunning view below, ready to take a picture.

 

Wow!  I know why they call this hike "Observation Point." 

Our National Parks are a Treasure!  We have made good use of Gerry's Senior Pass. 

We left Zion and drove to Estes Park, CO.  We stopped off en route in Loveland, CO to visit my dear dad who is a resident of a Memory Care facility.  I love my dad.

 

Talking with dad.  (He uses the blue walker on the right to help him get from room to room.) 

Estes Park!    We first came here in 1973 on a family vacation with my grandparents.    I have fond memories of  staying here for a weekend over 40 years ago!   We stayed in a cabin at the McGregor Lodge, which still exists today.

This year we rented a spacious house, called the Aspen Leaf Chalet.  We drove up a winding road to reach the 4,000 sq foot vacation home.  We stayed here 5 glorious days and nights.   Our party included my sister Anne and her family (her husband Jason, and kids Dylan and Nell), my sister Eileen and her daughter Laura, and my mother.  Nine of us total, including Gerry and me. 

We hiked every day.   All hikes featured spectacular scenery. 



Dylan and Nell on the Fern Lake Hike
 

 

Laura stands tall and proud - Fern Lake Hike
 

At Fern Lake -  Dylan and Laura.....  Nell

The Ouzel Falls Hike is one of my favorites!  We pass by Calypso Falls on the way to Ouzel Falls.  Both waterfalls are spectacular! 

Nell, Dylan and Laura, with Calypso Falls in the background

Taking a breather.



Ouzel Falls - the perfect locale for a picnic lunch

 

Taking a plunge in the brisk water.....

Gerry and I didn't plunge, but we observed. 

We ate very well on this trip.  Lasagna one night, pork chops another, grilled chicken one night.....fresh salads and vegetables to accompany each dinner. 

Grilled Salmon - just one of our gourmet meals.

We're home, safe and sound.  Zion National Park and Rock Mountain National Park are truly treasures.  However the best treasure of all is spending time with my family....

Great hiking, much laughter.  Fun and games galore!  



Ecuador Vacation

We spent 10 days in Ecuador.   Most of the time was in the Galapagos, though we did visit Guayaquil and Cuenca on the mainland.

At Parque Bolivar in Guayaquil, also known as Park of the Iguanas

It's feeding time for the Iguanas! 

 We spent time on San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos (2 nights) and also Isabela Island (3 nights.)
We also visited the island of Floreana. 

On San Cristobal.  They call this hamburger rock.  I wonder why? 

Statue of the great Charles Darwin on San Cristobal.  This overlooks the spot where he first touched ground in the Galapagos. 

The cove where Darwin touched shore on San Cristobal. 

Isabela Island, where we hiked to the rim of the Sierra Negra Volcano.   The volcano's caldera is the second largest in the world, with a diameter measuring 6 1/2 miles.  The colorful volcanic rock was spectacular!  The out and back hike was slightly over 10 miles.  It was fairly easy walking.  Fortunately, the weather was not too hot.  Thank goodness for the cloud coverage. 

Making our way toward the rim of the volcano.

Beautiful volcanic rock! 

Gerry's on the edge of the world

We visited Cuenca.   We stayed in a hacienda about 40 minutes outside of the city, called the Hacienda Uzhupud.  It was quite the place, featuring lovely grounds with several walking paths and beautiful gardens and terraces to explore and enjoy.  The furnishings in the interior lobby, hallways and common areas deserved to belong in a museum.

A terrace at the Hacienda Uzhupud

We hiked in the Cuenca area, near the town of Banos.  Beautiful flowers and plants lined the rural road we walked.

Not sure what this is, but it sure was pretty. 

As was this  flower.

A local woman is making her way along the road. 

We approached Banos, and walked by this spectacular blue church. 

We ate lunch at the Piedra de Agua spa.  The grounds featured mineral pools and beautiful sunning areas.  It was a lovely place.  Piedra de Agua is carved from volcanic rock dating back 70 million years! 

We toured the Central Market in Cuenca.  Talk about fresh produce!  Grapes the size of golf balls,  heads of cabbage triple the size we see in USA, fresh mangos, gigantic papayas, etc etc.

A colorful display of produce

A local Ecuadorian woman near the bananas.  The top industry in Ecuador is oil.  Bananas come in at # 2.   

Anyone care for some pig meat? 

A trip in Cuenca would not be complete without a visit to a factory where they make Panama Hats.  Did you know Panama hats are made in Ecuador, not Panama?

Our final day we visited El Cajas National Park.  The Park is at 13,000 ft elevation.  We could see the clouds below us.  The park covers 71,000 acres and contains 230 glacial lakes.  Lake Llaviuco is the lowest point in the Park.  The Park is stunning.  Our guide Henry gave us much information about the birds, plants and animals of this tundra environment. 

Lake Llaviuco

Interesting tree by the lake

Talk about a colorful rock!  

Final day in Ecuador was in Guayaquil.  We visited the Parque Historico, which covers 8 hectares.  Over 50 species of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish are present in the Park.

A macaw showing his stuff

Another parrot ? 

We're back in L.A.   Would I go back to Ecuador?  YOU BET!!!