500 Saturdays: Nomad Diary

Saturday Activities: Flight from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco, California. For breakfast we walked from our hotel to another about half a mile in clear 50 degree weather. At 9am, the shuttle bus took us to the airport. Our check-in is under 30 minutes all the way through security.   I bought a pesto chicken sandwich at an airport coffeehouse to eat on our 90 minute flight. We also have a small avocado, a few blackberries and hazelnuts and a half of a pear. We ate all of our food on the flight as well as the little bags of pretzels served.  We arrived at our boutique hotel near the pier by 3pm, and I'm hungry and a bit tired.  On the train from SFO to downtown. I struggled a few extra minutes to get my electronic ticket, and we made it to this train just as it was closing the doors. Darrell navigating us to our hotel. About a 4 block walk in beautiful weather.  Our sweet little room in San Francisco until check out on Tues...

Saturday Activities Three generations walk. Quinn is setting the pace, and walking longer distances of up to .8 miles this week!  Gluten free Pancakes and bacon breakfast at Jeremy and Andrea's place. Darrell redeemed his pancake making from last week's flop. Today these were delicious! He used Bob's Red Mill gluten free pancake mix.  Jeremy and Quinn on our walk. Jeremy is tall! 6'6-7"! Quinn (19 months old) looks like his Dad looked.  Week's Highlights Andrea and Jeremy have become amazing cooks through their 11 years of marriage.  Jeremy makes amazing sourdough breads.  Andrea spent considerable time cooking delicious dinners from scratch.  After a few days, she let me plan and prepare some meals.   Sunday:  Worship together at Tualatin, Oregon as we reconnected with familiar faces and get to know them a little more. Lunch with Shelly and Mark, Jim and Jennifer at Oswego Grill. Lunch with chu...

Vancouver, Washington Farmers Market flower stand Week's Highlights Sunday: In Dallas, Georgia visiting with our long-ago friends (Fri-Sun lunch):  Mickey, Phyllis, and grown 'kids' and worshipping with them.  Driving southward for overnight in a hotel. Walking through Gibbs Garden with Mickey, Phyllis and Carol.  Gibbs Garden in the flowers! Monday:  Meetup and lunch with long-ago friend, Michael, who is a federal manager at Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge in Southern Georgia.  We tour the swamp. Drive to Daytona Beach hotel on our way to Ft. Lauderdale. Us with Mike, the manager of the swamp, giving us a personal tour! We all knew each other as teenagers and 20-somethings! The swamp is amazing!  Take the earliest tour you can for less sweating, and less people! Swamp alligators  Swamp baby Barred owls 2 days out of nest. Tuesday: Arrive Ft. Laudedale and turn our truck int...

Gibbs Garden near Ball Park, Georgia on Saturday  Week's Highlights: Sunday:  Our last Sunday with our church family.  We got hugs, well wishes, and questions about our travels.  It's bittersweet to be leaving those we have gotten to know and love through ups and downs of our lives together, growing in faith, study and worship together.  I'm so grateful for the friends I have had here and who I carry in my heart.  We ate lunch, played some cards, and visited with Darrell's brother Glenn and his wife Phoebe.  For dinner we were guests to a young family from church with four adorable little children.  We had loads of smiles this day!  And I shed a few tears too. Monday:  We drove 80 miles north to rural Tennessee to visit my longtime business friend Peggy, meet her husband Alan and tour their custom home in the making!  It's beautiful, massive and they are having a grand time with their dream project and soon to be home!...