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Such an amazing morning. Took a two hour drive to Wyoming to visit Devil’s Tower. I have always been a fan of Stephen Spielburg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind And wanted to go there. To be able to be up close and personal with the monument, hike 1.6 miles around the whole base, see people climbing up to the summit and smell the Ponderosa pines was a dream come true. We learned so many interesting things. Devil’s Tower started out as a magma plug in a volcano that never erupted. As it cooled inside the chamber, long columns formed around the edges. The whole structure was covered by land mud and slit over the following millions of years, and then through erosion by winds and water emerged as what is seen today. The Native Americans ... read more

What a wonderful day. Started with a really good breakfast this morning. The food was really good and lots of choices.Then off we went to Badlands National Park, an hour and a half drive from here. We took a Mile and a half hike when we got there. I was kind of worried, been a long time since I walked that far in the heat. Beautiful breeze, but still pretty hot. The Badlands is a an open national park, meaning you can hike anywhere, but we stayed on the path. Also there is a pretty great amount of erosion annually, though most of us would think 1 inch a year was not much. But in the great scheme of things, when a place has been dated to be hundreds of millions of years old. An inch ... read more

Last full day on the island in this beautiful house. I am already getting sad. It has been such a great trip and I have loved watching my daughters and granddaughter bonding. Amazing how much Becky and her aunt have in common and how easily all of us got along and enjoyed the same things. No sniping, anger or even hurt feelings. Anyway back to our last big adventure together. Yesterday was the first and only time we had to wear other than casual or dress casual cool clothes. We had to wear long jeans and carry sweatshirts for our trip to Mauna Kea to see the sunset and do stargazing. Little facts about Mauna Kea. It is a dormant volcano and is the highest mountain in the world. Whoa! Wait a minute, you say. We ... read more

When Jeanne got back, we were all treated to manicures by my granddaughter. She had just purchased four bottles of nail polish and wanted to experiment. I have not had my nails done in years, they are just so weak. Anyway we sat around and reminisced while she did her thing. We tried to grill out with a Big Green Egg, but did not work well, so Gerri cooked steak, chicken and baked potatoes in the house. We had been working on the puzzle in and off all day, so after dinner we hunkered down to finish it. Even started number three, a tropical fish puzzle. This morning we head out on our version of a “sugar overload tour”. We are heading down the west coast of the island. Our first stop will be at a ... read more

Part two - Behind Gerri’s bedroom is a full bathroom set up for entering the house after swimming without traipsing water across the great room. The hallway actually winds. Next comes an office, then another sitting room, a laundry room and the fourth bedroom and finally a three car garage. Back to the center of the house with its ten person dining table, a full living room, and a kitchen a chef would love. Two dishwashers, a double refrigerator, a 6x6 island, a wine refrigerator, three different types of coffee makers and so many pull out drawers I would never be able to fill them. And peaceful, oh so peaceful. I fell asleep to the sound of ocean waves and rustling palm tree fronds. This place is heavenly, literally. I am so grateful to Jeanne and ... read more