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Published: December 14th 2010
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Our Friends, Ken and Jeannie
Breakfast in Milpitas CA just before going to eat raw oysters on the Northern CA coast. Greetings fellow Bloggers and Blog readers. If you are a reader and not a true blogger, we have been away for some time. As you can guess, Laura and I are now back in Costa Rica after a long, and shall we say.... not hot, maybe just barely warm summer. Seems that when we are in the states we have to search for the sun. We happend to find it in of all places, Central and Northern California. Much of our time was spent up at Lake Tahoe and Shastina, just north of Weed this year. We did travel back and forth between Lacey, Wa and Salem where our parents are.
We had a week with a few grandaughters camping out in the Mt Hood area, and managed to visit a few friends along the way. Sorry if we missed you, but we could not get to everyone this year. Laura was very happy to be able to meet up with an old Jr./Sr. high school friend, Sheila, whom she hadn't seen in forty-seven years! All made possible because of Facebook.....what technology we have at our fingertips these days! We hope to be able to travel to the Boise, ID
Jeannie and Laura
Stopped to take pictures of the San Francisco skyline heading north for oysters. area to visit her and her husband Gene, and possibly one or two of her other old new-found friends.
As it turns out, we did not do much traveling this summer in the 5th wheel as we had determined way back in April that we would be heading to Asia for my older sister Lynda's wedding. Since that was the case, we decided to stay a little closer to home. We did make a few side trips and found ourselves in Hawaii for a week on business. We ended up staying with our friends, Ken & Jeannie whom we met on a cruise when we traveled through the Panama Canal just a year ago in October. They found out that I had a business trip planned for the islands, and insisted we stay with them. As it turned out, the school where we were doing the training was less than a quarter of a mile away from their home. It worked out perfectly. Only problem was that (according to them, Ken and Jeannie) we did not stay long enough. They showed us a wonderful time and we saw things we had not seen before as tourists.
Goldengate Bridge
Yours truly and the better half. The plan as we left was to visit them at their other home near San Jose, California when we came down for yet another training in the Sacramento area. Again, another week stay turned out not to be long enough. They are both wonderful hosts and we are expecting them in Costa Rica for a couple of weeks in February.
In between all of this traveling back and forth to the Bay area, We stopped to visit an old high school friend whom I had not seen since we graduated from high school. He looked just like he did when we were kids. I wonder if I look the same? Naw, couldn't be, he had hair... blame it on genetics. Anyway, we both went into the Navy and then went our separate ways after serving our country. He ended up in the Bay area and I ended up back in Southern Cal, until I moved North. It was nice getting to see him again and meet his wonderful wife. We plan to stay in touch with Jeff and Aubyn.
Coincidentially, our other good friends who lived only a few miles away had us stay with them for a
Suck um up Baby
Would you believe Laura hates raw oysters on the half shell. Hard to believe it myself from the looks of things. week as well. These folks are more like family than friends. Steve and Jen lived in Ketchikan when we were there. Steve is a principal so that is how we met, and Jen his wonderful wife was working for Wells Fargo Bank at the time while I was selling real estate. Fate brought us together. They moved, we moved, but have stayed very close for many years now. They have visited us in Costa Rica a couple of times and would be coming down for a third visit in April if not for a school conference in New Orleans during their Spring Break. We will miss them terribly. April will just not be the same without them. They love to ski in the winter and were traveling to Mt. Shasta in Northern CA several times during the winter months. After a couple of years of this they decided to buy a second home in Shastina, about 90 miles South of the Oregon Border. We have keys and an open door. Laura and I stayed for a few weeks before heading back North for our trip abroad. Which brings us to ASIA.
Sister Lynda is finishing up a 2 year
Break open another!
What a day on the CA coast. We were just south of, gosh don't you just hate it when you can't remember a name. Must be a sign! hitch in the Peace Corps. She was sent to Thailand and then given directions to a town about 4 hours NE of Bangkok by car. This was nice and we were very happy for her and really did not think much about the fact that she was doing what she had wanted to do since childhood. We were supportive but could not think of why we would want to go to Bangkok. I mean I was in South East Asia during the Viet Nam War. Nice place to visit, but who would want to live there? She loved it, had a great time and decided that this was the place, after having an 18 month courtship with her BEAU from back home, that they should get married in her village. What follows is the wedding of the century and a first for the Peace Corps in Thailand.
What could we do, but say GREAT!! We will be there with bells on! So started the plan for a trip to Thailand. Since we also have a loving Japanese family, whom we had not seen in 2 1/2 years, we decided to see if they would be willing to fly to
Long Layover in Hong Kong
We were in Hong Kong for a full day before catching our flight to Bangkok where we were supposed to meet up with Brother Steve and wife, so we did some traveling around. Had Dim Sum for breakfast and went to visit a Buddah. Younger sister Cheri arrived from Mexico just one hour after we arrived. Hong Kong to visit us for a few days. They were due to come last Christmas to Costa Rica, but travel was impossible for them at the time. They too, were ecstatic! The plans began to take shape and we were set. Off to Asia to attend a Thai traditional wedding, and maybe even ride an elephant. This actually started out as a joke and turned into reality for the bride and groom.
Somewhere along the line the list of attendies began to grow. My younger sister and mother jumped on the band wagon and decided to go as well. No problem. Ultimately mom ended up going to England to visit our youngest son and daughter-in-law. My younger sister, Cheri, came and met up with us in Hong Kong. My older brother Steve and his wife, Linda also in the Peace Corps and living in Guayana, SA decided to come along as well after hearing that Laura & I would be attending the wedding.
Believe it or not, all four siblings were in Chayaphum, Thailand for the glorious day... and what a day it was!
My sister is quite a gal.... very adventurous and a can-do type
Great Buddah
This Buddah overlooks Hong Kong City and Harbor. It is the largest outside Buddah in the world. of woman. EXCEPT when it comes to the kitchen, or some of those domestic type of things, like making a cake for a wedding that well over 160 people will be attending. So what does she do, but asks her little brother to make her wedding cake. Hmm, this could be a little difficult. I had no idea what I was getting into. I was partnered up with yet another Peace Corps volunteer, beautiful Nancy Marie, whom I had never met, let alone talked with. As it turned out, she would be the baker. I was to be the designer and assembler. Can you imagine bringing cake decorating materials half way around the world for a wedding in a place no one could find on a map?
We had a great time and also made it to Hong Kong. A trip to remember for a life time. Lyinda will be heading home from the Peace Corps on December 25 to reunite with her loving new husband. Our Japanese Family is gearing up for a January 2012 trip To Costa Rica and all is right with the world. Enjoy the pictures and look for the next edition coming soon to
Another view
Many steps to walk up to get just to the base. a computer near you.
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Chuck & Jacque
non-member comment
Fabulous trip
Wish you had contacted us when you were at Tahoe this past summer. We're only about two hours from there. Congrats to Lynda and Bob.