travelgirl3's VirtualTourist Home Page

Well, another winter has rolled around.... Luckily for me, its been mild lately, but we did have a treat over Christmas. We woke up on Boxing Day to find the most beautiful Marshmallow World I've seen since I was a kid.

The air outside was dead-calm without even a breath of wind, so all the snow stayed on the trees, exactly where it landed, for several hours. It was so beautiful, and for a while, I actually enjoyed winter! The kids had great fun tubing the big hill behind Nana's house, while I poked around taking tons of pictures.

My cousin sent it to me a little while ago. It’s a picture of my brother and I, along with my cousin, attending my maternal grandparents 50th wedding anniversary, back in the mid-60’s. I still remember that orange outfit I’m wearing, as my Mom made it, and it had these great shiny buttons…. I thought I was the cat’s meow wearing that! Now my brother’s outfit, well, lets just say if he finds out I’ve posted it here, I’m in big trouble! The reason for the picture, besides trying to give my friends here a chuckle, is because I included this shot, along with several others, in a photo collage which I gave to my Mom for her 80th birthday recently. We enjoyed a great weekend, including my first visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Mom really enjoyed herself.

I finally finished updating my Great Guana Cay page, after a very busy summer. We spent the first week of July on the tiny island of Guana Cay in the Abaco district of the Bahamas, and had an absolutely incredible time. The weather was great, the snorkling the best I've ever experienced, and the people we met were wonderful. But as usual, 1 week wasn't enough, so we're planning on 2 weeks next year. Hopefully, gas prices and the cost of air travel will level out a little by next summer.

One of my favourite pages is our not so recent honeymoon in Costa Rica. We were there for 2 weeks, the first of which was spent in the Arenal region. In addition to amazing hikes through the rainforest, it also included visits to the active Arenal volcano, Venado Caves, and Tabacon Hot Springs. The second week was much more laid-back, and was spent at the Villas Sol Hotel & Beach Resort resort on the Pacific Coast. The entire trip was absolutely beautiful and if you ever get the chance to visit this beautiful country - go!!

While looking through my 'shoebox of life' recently, I came across the journal I kept during a road trip through Southern California a few years ago. After spending a couple of hours reading and reminiscing, I decided to share the journey. I've posted the highlights in a travelogue under California. I made several stops along the course of the trip and from the California destination page, you can follow the links to each stop along the way. I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I did.

Our first ever vacation away from the kids was in San Diego and it was a blast. We were able to see what we wanted, on our own schedule, and the kids got to hang out with Nanny for 4 days; what could be better?! If you've thought of getting away without the kids, but are hesitant - go go go!! It was wonderful!

Oh, the shoebox of life! Hubby's Mom was going through hers a while ago and came across this photo of him on his precious bike, taken in 1964. Its amazing how one photo can bring back such strong memories.

- The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost. Honest, it's nothing about the title, but a hilarious recount by an over-educated, under-employed soul with the wanderlust, who ends up on Tarawa, an equatorial island in the Pacific.

- An Embarassment of Mangoes by Ann Vanderhoof. Another true story, this one is about a Toronto couple in their 40's who put their careers on hold, rent out their house, and sail to and around the Caribbean for 2 years. Also includes lots of terrific Island recipes.

My current listening favourites include the Soundtrack from 50 First Dates, Jimmy Buffett - License to Chill, and Chris Issac - The Baja Sessions. And of course, one of my all time faves, Kenny Chesney - the man knows how to relax! I just picked up 'Be As You Are - Songs from an Old Blue Chair' - it's fantastic.