Big Island Hawaii finally!

We enjoyed our first class flight on Alaska Airlines to Kona, though I used most of my miles on the upgrade, it was truly worth it!! Got to Kona airport around 11pm, got rental car and some how made to our hotel without getting lost! Stayed at the Kona Seaside hotel, really nice people, they had saved us a parking space right by the front door as I had requested handicapped parking for Mike. Got to sleep at around midnight. It was heavenly to sleep with the louvered windows all open, no AC on, just the ceiling fan! Drove Hwy 19 around to Hilo, found our Condo, nice owners! Nice condo! Nice view!  I had placed an ad on Craigslist and was able to have this condo lined up when we got in, $1000/month but it is right on the Hilo Lagoon with a very pretty park. Got groceries at Walmart, not so nice. We didn't get the Subaru we had sent our $100 deposit on, the car was real but I think the owners were addicted to drugs, they couldn't manage in 3 days to get to Hilo from Honolulu. So I gambled and lost. Bought a Mercury Sable instead, $2000. So far it gets me to work and back!!

View at Kona Seaside, first palm trees!

Kona Seaside pool

Even the crappy white bread at Walmart is expensive! Some foods are not too over priced but bread is ridiculous here!

Bought all this at the Farmers Market down town Hilo for $7, at the grocery store one tomato was $1.

The locals have interesting tattoos!

Richardson park,, first trip to beach/ocean, sat and watched the turtles! Can you see him smiling?

Hilo Medical Center

Random Gecko, they are almost everywhere!

I survived Black Friday at Walmart, here's Hawaiian Santa!

View from my lanai

This is 10 minutes from us! Lifeguards and bathrooms!

Really calm and inviting, will bring my snorkel next time

 !

Carlsmith park lagoon

There is danger in paradise!

Mike read that there is a $100,000 fine for feeding or harassing the turtles!

Another lagoon at Carlsmith park

No turtles today, waves were huge!

Rocky goes to Spokane - has this ever happened to you??

We all flew to from San Antonio, Texas to Seattle on November 22, got in at 9 PM, then Rocky and I continued on to Spokane at 10 PM, sat next to a lady who was just returning from Kona, Hawaii, nice to talk to her! Got in to Spokane after 11PM and waited and waited for Rocky to come off the plane, finally there he was, all smiles to see me, ran outside to pee for ever! Poor guy, was in his crate for about 8 hours but did fine. Jenna arrived and we hauled the crate across to the Ramada at the Airport, put in her car, checked in and got our key and then the fun began. Finally found our room, with 3 pieces of luggage and one antsy dog, open the door.....and it's still dirty!!! Called front desk and he said he'd "send the bellman (woman) to help us to another room", so we waited and waited, finally made our way back to lobby, met the bellwoman, took us to another wing, NO elevator! to another room, bellwoman opened the door, went in, then quickly came back out, "there's someone in there!!" Huh, good thing she didn't get shot. Calls front desk, he says "try the room across the hall", Jenna could hear TV coming out of that one loudly, so "try this one down the hall" (can't remember room numbers) but at about midnight we FINALLY got a room that was clean and not occupied!! They blamed it on the recent wind storm and power outages, who knows! This is the most convenient place to stay if flying in/out, and they now have free breakfast buffet for all, even the Priceline/Hotwire cheap people like me! I will stay there again but wow, hope that never happens again!!!

One happy Dog!!

San Antonio, Texas

We sold our car and got a rental car, drove to San Antonio on Friday November 20, speed limit 80!! Missed rush hour traffic. Found our hotel, the Wyndham on the RiverWalk, 3 1/2 stars, got through Hotwire, about $60/night. Took car to airport to return, only got lost once! The hotel was right next to River Walk, truly a beautiful place, lots of tourists walking along, but I got no pics! Rocky and I sure enjoyed it. Saturday did a Hop on Hop off tour, from Groupon, $27 for 2, good for 2 days, first stop: The Alamo. Sat and watched the Nat Geo movie, nice for those who can't stand for very long. Next stop: The Mercado, had lunch at Las Margaritas, great place for people watching, prices not too gougy. Wandered around the market, found open chairs for the free Ballet Folklorico show. Caught the tour bus just in time and back to hotel, for another walk with Rocky on the RiverWalk. Our tour guide/driver was surly and stringing together sentences just to be talking, it was kind of comical and disappointing.

Massive tree in Courtyard of the Alamo, if this tree could talk!

Doorway to Alamo, free but a long line.

Smack dab in the middle of the city.

Horse and carriage tours are available but I am too cheap! That's our tour bus on the right.

Ballet Folklorico dance - the women who took up arms and fought in the war. ( Can't remember which war)

The littlest dancers! So cute!

The caballeros

Churro Santa?

Big Beautiful horse

Wow, I am a sucker for carriages!

Ready to Move to Hawaii

Where are we now? San Angelo, Texas Where are we headed to next? Hilo, Hawaii

We left Moses Lake on July 31st. Mike had a colonoscopy the Monday before that and was diagnosed with colon cancer, an awful 32nd anniversary gift. Had to get to San Angelo, Texas as I'd been offered a 13 week contract job at Shannon Medical Center the day before his diagnosis and had to be making $ to pay those upcoming medical bills. It was a long hot drive. Made it here with 2 days to spare! The people at Shannon were nice to work with. Mike had surgery on 9/11 and did great. Went home on 9/13 and did great for a few days then became septic and headed back to ER on 9/16, surgery had to be redone on 9/17, then of course had all possible side effects of bowel surgery, with nausea, vomiting and all that fun stuff. He did not sleep for 4 days and was fairly entertaining, laughing at the chihuahuas on his feet, picking at stuff in the air etc. Finally got to go home on 9/26. It was a long awful time. But enough about that! We are leaving San Angelo tomorrow for San Antonio, then on to Hilo Hawaii. Woo Hoo!!!! I have a condo (hopefully) rented and sent someone a deposit on a car, I know, never send $ to someone you don't know but it's worth the gamble! If it's a real car when I get there then I won, if it doesn't exist I got ripped off! Stay tuned!

Mike all healed up, with one of the many Ewe's that they have all around town, cattle is not king here!

The front lawn of St John's Campus where I worked at Dialysis clinic and Long term care. This tree was filled with Monarch butterflies! Apparently this is a stopover point on their way to Mexico!

New restaurant in town, I heard the line wound around the block. There is at least 2 restaurants on every block here!

The HEB store, an adventure in grocery shopping, all the dietitians shop here!

Crawfish for sale!

Downtown San Angelo, this bordello was open till the '50's and now is a restaurant with marginal food but great atmosphere.

Looking down the hallway of the bordello, each girl had her own room each with a screen door.

Parlor with original furniture.

What is 6 1/4 cents?

Typical scenery in West Texas, mesquite trees and cactus, every time someone burns a slash pile I start thinking "Mmm Steak!"

These cactus grown everywhere!

Bought this car for $1000 when we got here, sold it for $1000 the day before leaving hre!

I heard this a lot in Texas, usually with a "Y'all" as in "Y'all have a blessed day." It kinda grows on you.

Work Camping in Moses Lake Washington at Pier 4 - May-July 2015

Yes I am still alive and kicking. We made it out of California to Moses Lake without breaking down, that's a plus. I spent the summer work camping at Pier 4, which let me spend time with the in-laws, get Jenna moved to Cheney for college, visit with Wade and friends at Bonner General and have doctor's appointments and had a nice visit with my Uncle Mike and Aunt Rae. For the uninitiated work camping means you work at the campground/RV park in exchange for space rent/utilities. I did earn the minimum wage. It actually was a great experience, though you have to ask your self this: why would a licensed, college educated health care professional want to spend the summer scrubbing bathrooms??? Well, I found myself wondering the same thing, but it was perfectly mindless work and great exercise, I could go to work in shorts and sandals without caring about what my hair looked like. I was done in time to watch the Price is Right, how many years have I stood in patient's rooms trying to sneak a glimpse at the Price is Right? It haunts me still. (smile) Stay tuned!

Mount Shasta in Northern California

Casino in Southern Oregon, spent the night in the free RV park

Nice Free RV park, they shuttle you up to the casino so you can lose your money!

A family of 2 adults and 2 kids live in this bus, they were panhandling at a rest area in Oregon. 

They keep chickens in a coop on the roof of the bus! They hope to expand in to meat rabbits the dad told me.

The Oregon/Washington border. All of Washington is NOT green.

NOT! And super Windy in The Dalles!

Impressive eagle statue at the Seven Feathers Casino

Mothers Day
 I cooked a Thanksgiving dinner, as my Sister-in-Law had brought a turkey, but it turns out she didn't know how to cook it!!!