Key West

Today Mary and I drove to Key West. It was a rather long drive - over 4 hours - from the Doral, but well worth it! Our first stop was the southernmost point of the US, after which we ate lunch at the southernmost restaurant before shopping at the southernmost gift shop (have you caught a theme yet??) We had a great Key West lunch, Margaritas, Coconut Shrimp and Key Lime pie! Yum!!
After that we drove around Key West for a while, saw the Hemmingway House and Truman's Little White House. The west end of Key West was crowded and very alive with people! And this was on a Friday afternoon in the off season.
After seeing the sights we headed for Smather's Beach for some sun and relaxation. This was a nice quiet beach, but we were quite surprised to have two weddings conducted just a few feet from us! Then we remembered if was 11-11-11 and a lot of people are getting married today. After an hour or so on the beach we headed back east and got back to out motel for the night 3 hours later.
It was a very nice and enjoyable day to see Key West.

Conference at the Doral Country Club

DTE sent me to a 2 day conference here which was very benificial as I did learn quite a bit. The challenge next week will be to pass it along to others who can use it. This is a very nice setting for a conference -- I could not resist taking this picture of the first hole of the Blue course, one of 3 golf courses.

Mary came along and has enjoyed relaxing by the pool for the past 2 days while I was inside at conference sessions.
Most people flew home last evening, but I took Friday as a vacation day so we're headed for Key West for the day. Key Lime Pie, Hemmingway House with the 6 toed cats, southernmost point of the US and who knows what else. We plan to watch the sunset over the ocean from one of the keys as we head back to Miami.
After that, one more day of sightseeing, then we fly home and return to our regular jobs on Monday.

Heading East... 8-(

The John Adams concert last night was very good. John played a number of JD songs that no one else had played during their concerts. Overall a nice way to wrap up the week's concerts.
Today we woke up to light rain and snow on the mountaintops. Mary snapped this photo of the Wheeler as we headed to "Good-Bye, Again". There were about 50 people for this closing event which, due to weather, was moved inside the Chalet. After that we headed for Glenwood Springs where we grabbed some subs and headed for Glenwood Canyon for a nice picnic at a rest area.
As we continued east, we started to see some state highway trucks and, sure enough, we hit some light snow at Vail Pass (10,600' elevation). It was very pretty as you can see from this picture. The snow cleared as we headed east (there were "ice on road" warnings at the Eisenhower tunnel) but after that no traffic issues at all.
We stopped at Georgetown to shop and visit the post office and to get a little break from the drive. It was nice to see that quaint berg again and to hear how the owner of the Shoppe International had 30 minutes to teach John Denver to drive a sleigh for the movie "The Christmas Gift".
Tomorrow it's back to Detroit and to work on Wednesday. It's been a great trip with lots of "Aspen Moments" to recall. 

Sunday in Aspen

Our day started out with yet another "Aspen Moment" -- we had breakfast with Mack Bailey and his wife, Rachel! We enjoyed a nice, lively conversation over our food. What a great way to start the day, especially for Mary.
Mack Bailey and Ellen Staplehorst were singing for a church service at the Aspen Community Chapel so we went to it. It was not the kind of service we are used to, but the chaplain presented a message about St. Francis of Assisi around their songs. Afterwards they were having a blessing of the animals so there were lots of dogs, large and small, outside.  One lady brought a picture of her cat (due to all the dogs) and we received a certificate for Kitsa so she was blessed in abstentia. We said "good bye" to Mack, met up with a couple from Melbourne, Australia that wanted a ride to Windstar and headed out.
We had a free lunch at Windstar, heard Jim Conner and Aspen Meadow perform, then walked around the grounds. Mary sat on a bench next to John Denver's aunt, Bubbles, and Bubbles struck up a conversation with her, another Aspen Moment. We checked out the John Denver statue and the commemorative bricks around it, the gift shop, and enjoyed the sunshine as we walked the grounds.
After leaving Windstar we took our Aussie friends to the Woody Creek Tavern for a snack before returning to Aspen.
Tonight is the last JD concert by John Adams. Tomorrow is "Good-Bye Again" and then a stop at Glenwood Springs and Georgetown as we head east.

Saturday in Aspen

Saturday was a very busy day for us with the Cookhouse and evening Tribute concert,a few sporting events to watch, and another special Aspen moment in the afternoon.

The Cookhouse was very special, as always. Thanks to Judy Therian we had a great table right in front of the band (Chris Collins, Paul Swanton, Jeff Pine, and Jim Conner). The special guest of the day was John Denver's daughter, Jesse Belle. She had jewelry and artwork for sale and was doing a very brisk business. Her mom, Cassie Denver, showed up and Mary got this nice picture of the two of them. During the singing, Cassie's mom even took the stage to sing "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie". Later on, Cassie also took the stage for a rendition of "Country Roads". The meal was superb with salmon and chicken as the main entrees.

Mary got a big surprise in the afternoon when she went through the lobby and saw this group of guitar players jamming! Mack Bailey, Pete Huttlinger, Alan Deremo and 3 others were having a great time. She text'd me and I came out to enjoy it as well. Mack's son, Hayden, was there as well trying to help his dad -- very cute!
The second Tribute concert was very good. Even tho it was a repeat of the first one, things always change up a bit. The band members seemed looser at this one and it had a bit more energy, if that was possible. Pete Huttlinger was introduced after the intermission and even joked about his medical condition! Comedian Gary Mule Deer did have new material for this act. The silent auction did quite well with several of the items going for several hundred dollars.
On to today's events - church, Windstar, and John Adams concert.

First Wheeler Concert

WHAT A CONCERT!!!! Had a superb show tonight with quite the surprise when Pete Huttlinger came out after the intermission. And he not only came out, but he played the entire second half of the concert, including a few solos. But even before that it was a super show. The performers had great energy and it carried into the audience. They had 3 recordings of John Denver singing which was also a nice touch.

Pete even came to the after party where I got this picture with him. He also said he plans to resume work on McGuire's Landing (his major music project before he got sick) soon. He sure is a trooper. He has a heart pump with an external power pack, but besides that he is gaining weight and back to "Living Life".

I also had a chance to "talk flute" with Jim Horn at the after party so Mary snapped this picture. Alto flute, d-flat piccolos, Sousa marches, stuff like that. Very cool! He also said how he surprised John Denver by playing a soprano sax on a flute part one day and John liked it so it became a part of the show.
Overall a very great night!

Aspen day 2

Last night went went to Mollie Weaver's concert. It was a very informal, unrehearsed concert - like having a group of musicians getting together and jammin'.  Mollie has a beautiful voice which came through clear, but she sang some unusual arrangements of songs.  Overall a good concert with plenty of energy that went up when Bill Danoff joined them for a couple of numbers.
We went to the nightly sing along at the Mountain Chalet. At first only one guitar player, a new guy named Ron Matthews, was there but it soon expanded to 3 guitars and a banjo (also a first timer). Ron had a large repertoire of JD songs and wrote one in memory of John's passing. It was a great sing along, with lots of popular songs so we stayed for about an hour, but were fading by midnight so we headed back to our hotel.
This morning we slept in a while, then headed out to find the location of the picture on the cover of the Rocky Mountain High album.  It was a pretty walk along the Roaring Forks river with a clear blue sky and enough sun that Mary left her coat in the car. Just over 1/2 mile down the trail we found the spot! Very nice to see it.
This afternoon's Aspen Meadow concert was supurb! Jake and his crew put on a great, non stop 2 hour concert, playing a great selection of John Denver songs as well as a few of their own.  The received several standing ovations, including one for a flute solo rendition of My Sweet Lady. 
Tonight is the first Tribute concert and is rumored to have a big surprise. 

Day 1 at Aspen

Today was a beautiful day to be in the mountains!

Today's weather was wonderful: a bright blue, cloudless sky and nice moderate temperatures.
Our day started with going to the John Denver Sanctuary for "Meet and Greet". Mary and I walked among the boulders and reflected back on our past visits.
The event started a bit late as people mingled and got re-acquainted with friends from prior years. Eventually we had 5 guitars playing a few John Denver songs. About 60 people were at the event, a bit fewer than prior years, but still pretty well attended. Even the construction workers building a new wetlands within the Sanctuary silenced their equipment while we sang our songs.

Our next stop was the Maroon Belles. Who could resist going there on such a beautiful day? When we arrived the wind was calm and you could see a full reflection of the mountains in Maroon Lake. We walked around to the other side of Maroon Lake. It was so warm we took our coats off.

Tonight we have the Mollie Weaver concert at 8:00. She has a beautiful voice and will be accompanied by Bob Sirois. Should be a great way to wrap up this day.

Arriving at Aspen

We had a beautiful drive to Aspen today. Sunny, clear and un-hurried with no traffic to speak of and no construction backups. Being back in the mountains felt great! I'm not sure what it is, but I can feel the tension drain away during a drive like this. Here are 2 of the many pictures we took along the way. After passing through the Eisenhower Tunnel we took the Independence Pass route through Leadville where we enjoyed a nice lunch at the Golden Burro cafe. Leadville was a very quaint town with lots of stores and a classic western downtown just like you would expect to see.
The drive up the pass was very pleasant and beautiful. When we got to Independence Pass, we saw our first snow of the season. We did not stay out and walk around too much because the paths were snow covered and it was about 35 degrees with a blowing wind. The lakes at the summit were frozen over as you can see just to the left of Mary in this picture.

This evening we headed out to our first concert with Chris Collins and Paul Swanton performing many familiar songs as well as a few new ones. It was a nice kick off concert, but we missed the other members of the Friends With You Band. It was nice to see many JD friends from the past.

Our Trip Begins

We launched our Aspen 2011 adventure yesterday by flying to Denver where we stayed overnight. Today we have plenty of time for sightseeing and a leisurely drive to Aspen.
We flew on Southwest instead of Delta - sure like that extra legroom! No travel issues and we had our rental car and were at our motel in under an hour from landing.
We had a very pleasant surprise at breakfast this morning. I saw two waffle makers and two dispensers so I drew one cup of batter from each. Only then did I notice that one batter was darker and turned into a blueberry waffle! This was in addition to a very nice breakfast setup with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. So we each had half of each waffle for our second course and are well fortified for the day ahead. So far Independence Pass is open so we're planning to take that route to Aspen. Once we get settled in at the Limelight we'll do our grocery shopping and get ready for the Chris Collins concert tonight.
On to Aspen!!!

Cruise Pictures are ready!

Finally have my album from the British Isles cruise ready to go. Click Slideshow or view one at a time.
Check it out!!

London Picture Album

I've prepared an album with some of our London pictures. Still working on the cruise pictures.
Click "Slideshow" in the top left to see all.

Heading Home

We experienced several "lasts" in the past day.

• Last dinner with Gail, Kathy and Judy
• Last Princess breakfast buffet
• Last view of England
• Last use of Cruise Card to pay for everything 8-)

So we are back in the "real world". Our flight back was uneventful. Caught some shut-eye on the 8 hour flight and finished the book I was reading. Had a nice dinner and a snack before landing on this thankfully uneventful flight. We left Heathrow 30 minutes late and we arrived in Detroit about 45 minutes late. Had long lines at Customs, but moved through rather quickly - maybe 35 minutes.
We were promptly picked up at the airport in 90 degree heat (we had one or two days or got over 70 on our whole vacation), got home and eventually had our traditional LIttle Ceaser's supper. We left unpacking for Friday.
As of today I'm not sure when I'll get a full picture page up, but that is on the radar and when it's ready I'll post a link here. You can follow all posts for this vacation by clicking on the "British Isles" tag. Ta-ta for now!

Guernsey Island

Our last port today was Guernsey Island, the only British territory occupied by the Germans in WWII. It's one of the Channel Islands located just a few miles off the French coast.
We did not book an excursion at this stop. Mary wanted to shop and we wanted to see The Little Chapel. We tendered to shore,found the Visitor Center and they gave us direction for using the bus to get to The LIttle Chapel.
The chapel was amazing! It was small, but large enough to walk inside. And it was covered with broken pieces of Wexford China to give it a mosaic feel and coloration. The interior of the chapel was similarly decorated and had a main altar and several side altars. It was build by one man - quite the amazing feat.
Now we head to Southampton and on to London Heathrow for our flight home. I'm planning a photo page with more pictures and will post again once that is ready.

The Blarney Stone

We arrived at the pretty seaport of Cobh at 7:00 this morning. This is the port where most Irish emigrated to America. We had an early excursion to visit the Blarney Castle. It started off not so well and that continued - guess some days are like that.
We arrived at the Princess Theater for our excursion at the very early hour of 6:45. About 7:15, they announced that the busses had been parked in the wrong order so another excursion would get their busses before us. 10 bus loads later, at 7:50 we finally got to our bus. When we arrived at Blarney Castle we found that those 10 busses plus a few more were already there so the lines were very long. We had 1 hour 45 minutes before our bus left and the line was estimated at 1 hour long so I got in line to climb the castle while Mary toured the grounds and did some shopping. Well, 1 hour 40 minutes later I got to the top of the castle and did a quick kiss of the Blarney Stone. A 15 minute walk later I got back to the bus 10 minutes late which was thankfully! still there.
After we got back to the ship we had lunch and relaxed. I played Wii-Archery and got a medal, but came in 3rd in putt-putt golf. It was a warm sunny day so we swam, enjoyed a lobster supper and to top it off they had Mary's favorite dessert - Floating Islands tonight.
We enjoyed the final floor show in the Princess Theater and called it a night. Guernsey Island tomorrow, then packing and preparing to head home.

Dublin

Our morning was much less eventful than yesterday, but that's not saying much! The main excitement was being parked next to a Russian Destroyer. It was interesting watching their morning routine before heading to our excursion. Today's excursion was a 1/2 day tour of Dublin with stops at St Patrick's Cathedral and Trinity College. After Trinity College we had the option of staying in town and catching a shuttle later, which we did.
We had a very good tour guide today - had lot of humor and did a good job of narrating. After driving around the city we stopped at St Patrick's Cathedral. Our guide said this is the largest cathedral in Europe, which was very surprising. As with other cathedrals, this one is filled with graves, including it's most famous Dean, Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver's Travels. It also had very beautiful stain glass windowsas you can see in this picture of the nave.
We then drove through a large park to a cross where Pope John Paul celebrated Mass for over 1 million catholics in 1989, then we headed to Trinity College. I'm not sure why this was a stop, as we took a couple of pictures then headed out for lunch at the Bleeding Horse pub, a favorite of Mary's favorite singer, Mack Bailey. They have taps right at your table so you don't even have to walk to the bar. So we enjoyed a "pub grub" lunch and a pint of Guiness.
After that we headed back to the Princess shuttle bus, but Mary spotted a sweater shop. I found a nice blue pull-over on sale and could not resist. Sure hope we have enough room in our suitcases!
There are having an Irish music and dance show later this afternoon which we plan to attend.
Now to wait for the internet to come back (reportedly after we sail today) so I can post this along with yesterday's post!

Liverpool and Wales

Today we docked in Liverpool after a rather eventful morning. About 5:10 this morning, I felt the ship lean to one side a little, then some more, then more yet! I'm not quite sure how far we listed, but it sure created quite a mess on board. In our cabin, I first heard some batteries roll around on the desk, then Mary's purse slid off the table and crashed to the floor. We did not have anything damages, but I know of one other passenger whose camera fell on the floor and suffered minor damage. Also the Horizon Buffet (which was supposed to open at 6:00) was still closed at 6:30 and they would not let us even walk through to the Caribe Cafe (we later heard due to broken glass). With 2000+ people up early for excursions, the Caribe was overflowing. But, as we got in line, they opened one side of the Horizon buffet so we did get our breakfast on time. I'm sure some junior officer is not doing so well today...
After that start we did head out on our excursion. Apparently there are no ferries operating any more so we took a tunnel under the Mersey River and headed to Wales. At our first stop there were wild sheep grazing on open range. After days of trying to get pictures of sheep from the bus, here they were, just a few feet in front of us. Scotland has about 7.5 million sheep for 5.5 million people and the ratio is even higher in Wales - 3.5 mission sheep and about 1.5 million people. So yes, we saw a lot of sheep.
After a steam train ride, our next stop was Chirk Castle, a refurbished home that looked like a castle. They had some people dressed up in costume and the home was very nicely decorated with a beautiful gardensurrounding it. It was very pleasant and relaxing to walk the grounds of this home.

Loch Lomand

Our excursion was, again, a drive through the countryside as we took a bus trip to Loch Lomand, made famous by Scottish song. At least now we know what the "low road" and "high road" mean and why the person taking the low road gets there first.
Since we had an afternoon excursion, Mary and I spent much of the morning wandering around the town of Greenock. We saw a few interesting shops before finding an 80 store shopping mall.
Our bus trip first stopped at a resort village called "Loss" which is on the shores of Loch Lomand. ("loch" is celtic for "lake") It was a pretty lake, but very cold. Only had a couple of swimmers in it.
After leaving Loss, we took a rather pretty bus ride through the Scottish Highlands, ending up at a ferry terminal where we crossed the Firth of Clyde and headed back to our ship.
The big surprise of the day was that our ship actually got a Scottish sendoff! Virtually every port has some local there to greet the passengers upon arrival, but this is the first time in 9 cruses we've had a send off. A bagpipe band played 4 numbers and a tour guides stood on the dock and waived flags as the ship pulled away. It was very impressive! People were lining the port side balconies and clapping as each number was finished. I recorded a short video segment of the bagpipe band but need to wait for home before uploading it due to internet bandwidth.
PS This post is a bit late since the ship internet has been down since yesterday morning (about 30 hours ago)

Northern Ireland

While we docked in Belfast. we did not visit the city, only the countryside, with the main event being a place called Giant's Causeway. This is a very unusual geological formation that looks like a series of pilings close together as you can see in this picture.

The formation is quite large and covers quite an area. We walked around just one point of the causeway. I got to climb a lot of rocks and ventured out to the point. The area had beautiful scenery and cliffs as shown here
After leaving Giant's Causeway, we headed into a small Irish town where we had an hour to talk around and have lunch. We found a nice cafe that served a great irish stew, then did some souvenir shopping. We then had a pleasant bus ride back through the beautiful Irish countryside back to the ship.
Back at the ship we found out that the dry dock where the Titanic was built was right next to our ship so we got a picture of that, then, since we were on the Lido deck, stopped by the Horizon buffet for a late afternoon snack before heading back to our cabin.
Tonight at supper I got my birthday cake after enjoying a nice salmon steak.
It was a very good day.

Second Day at Sea

Today started with an unusual event. When we awoke, the ship was slowing to a stop just off the north of Scotland! We then spotted a small boat headed our way. It turned out to be a service called Lifeboat and was meeting our ship due to a passenger medical emergency. No details were provided, but I did see an older man and lady being helped onboard the Lifeboat.
Yesterday at the local museum I spotted some brochures about Scotland. What caught my eye was the German editionwhich had this interesting title. When I studied German in college I recall the German word for Scotsman was "schotte" so I figured my ancestors must have migrated from Scotland to Germany back before last names were assigned and were known to the Germans as "the Scots". But this is the first time I've seen our surname in print with the exact same spelling.
We have quite a few activities today. This morning Mary attended the cooking demonstration followed by a gallery tour while I watched the final space shuttle landing on CNN. After she finished the tour we headed to Pub Lunch for fish and chips, then I played bridge while Mary attended the Port talk.
Late afternoon, since it was such a beautiful, sunny day, we put on our bathing suits and hit the hot tub! Who'd think we'd be doing that so near the Arctic Circle. (At our northernmost point when we passed Scapa Flow and the Orkney Islands we were nearly 59 degrees north latitude.) But it was warm enough today -- as long as you stayed in the sun. Sorry, no pictures were taken 8-)
It is formal night tonight so we got dressed up and enjoyed a nice dinner. We had a variety of entrees, but all enjoyed the cold soup even if it was not as good as the pina colada soup the first night. All in all, a nice relaxing day at sea.