Marv and Bon

Great Children Lucy, Kyle and Evie

2011-07-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

Dad/Rich Scotland Golf

2011-05-31T14:01:00.001-07:00

*Icelandair to Glasgow, Scotland via Reykjavik, Iceland
*Great Pubs...Food
*Five nice B & B's
*1000 plus miles from Glasgow to
Dornoch and Along North Sea to
St. Andrews and then Glasgow
*Beautiful Country...lochs, glenns,
rivers, highlands, sea, forests and
more sheep than one can imagine
*Castle and Church Ruins
*"Wee dram" of Scotch Whiskey at
Glenfiddich Distillery
*AND THE BEST GOLF IN THE
WORLD! Every course was
either an Old Tom Morris or
James Braid design and five of
six present layouts were built
before 1900. Of course, golf had
been played in all of these areas
for centuries.

Royal Dornoch
Brora
Old Moray
Fraserburg
Cruden Bay
Elie

"As for the weather...we usually has rain, wind, sun, calm, warm and cold...and that would be by the 5th hole!"
Amazing Father/Son Scotland Golf Adventure!!!

The North Woods!

2010-11-13T12:45:00.000-08:00

One week and then the next!

Mississppi River Headwaters

2010-10-18T17:18:00.000-07:00

The Mississippi River's Headwaters are at Lake Itasca near Bemidji, Minnesota. It doesn't look quite the same as the river many see near New Orleans as you can tell by the fact that our Grandson Cam (right) and Son Rich (left) walk across the rocks at its origin. Pretty neat spot!

The spot is also quite a contrast to Bangkok, Thailand where Rich lives and teaches English at Thammasat University.

We spent a few nights at Phil and Mary Gelhorn's lake home on Birch Lake near Hackensack. We were able to get in a bit of canoeing one morning when the lake was like glass. Very serene and if you look closely in the one picture you can see three lake otters that were having a ball as they played with us, but kept their distance from the canoe.

In another few weeks Birch Lake will freeze over and snow will blanket the area; temperatures just may get down to -40 during December or January. Snowmobiles will then replace the canoes!

Ah, The Fjords of Norway

2010-06-24T03:28:00.000-07:00

Neither these few written comments or the pictures will begin to do justice to the amazing Norway Fjords. And notice we specifically mention the fjords, because if one would travel to Norway and not travel into the fjord region, then it would be like driving up to the entrance of Disney World and turning around and going home.

The mixture of the fjords with the snow-capped mountains, the quaint homes very small villages along the fjords, majestic waterfalls, boats and ferries, trains, endless number of tunnels, glaciers and even ice covered (in June) mountain lakes makes travel through this area just so special. And yes, we were fortunate enough to even see reindeer; our tour escort who had made hundreds of trips through this area could only remember seeing reindeer in this area a couple of other times.

The Norwegian people are very genuine and friendly. The speak good English. The service at all hotels and restaurants was as fabulous as the accommodations and the food.

And do you want to get away to where it is quiet; in the little village of Balestrand we went for a 40 minutes walk on the main road one morning and saw one car.

Its easy to see why National Geographic often rank the Fjords of Norway as the number one tourist destination in the world. We were very blessed to have been able to visit!

The pictured Stave Church was built in 12th century. The top of the ski jump is the site of the 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer. They were doing practice jumps while we were there; we passed when they offered to let us a take a jump or two! Some of the pictures are from our hotel rooms.

Kyle, Lucy, Evie--Great Grandchildren

2010-04-30T04:51:00.000-07:00

"Rambunctious Kyle", "Inquisitive Lucy" and "Porcelain Doll" Evie are well and healthy!

Life's a "Beach" in Thailand

2010-04-02T04:50:00.001-07:00

Our Son Rich teaches English at Thammasat University in Thailand. While living close to the massive city of Bangkok is not something he enjoys, he has a great position at an excellent university. He departs the city as often as he can and travels to some beautiful and interesting places in Thailand and neighboring countries. Here is a few pictures from a recent trip to the beach.

Anthony and Brianna at Disney World

2010-01-24T07:55:00.000-08:00

Disney World's motto is that Its the Happiest Place on Earth and we are not about to dispute that claim after spending fours days there with Grandchildren Anthony and Brianna Calvano! Very special time with some very neat kids!

"Frost on the Pumpkin"

2009-11-20T12:30:00.000-08:00

During a semester break at Thammasat University near Bangkok, Thailand where our Son Rich teaches English, he came home for a couple of weeks. One of his goals was to "see his breathe". He did not have to wait long as the morning after landing there was a light dusting of snow and "frost was on the pumpkin".

This is just above a spot called "Hell's Gates" on the Kettle River in Pine County, Minnesota. During a logging era in the 1920's and 30's this river was on the route that loggers would use to float their logs south to waiting saw mills. Men (called River Pigs) would ride the logs and would take care of "log jams". Several River Pigs lost their lives in "Hell's Gates" which was the reason for its name.

Fall North Woods Bike Ride

2009-10-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

It was crisp, sunny, and 38 degrees this morning as I loaded up my bike, grabbed my cup of coffee and headed further north towards my favorite fall bike trail which was about an hour's drive away. Of course, I took all the back roads to look at the fall colors so that added a half hour.

A breakfast stop put me in a good mood and then it was on the trail.

I've been many places and done a lot of things but a north woods bike ride in the fall is definitely in my top 10!

I was surprised when I saw a couple of Sandhill Cranes as most have migrated south. I suspect they wanted to enjoy just one more fall day.

Another biker passed me with his eyes fixed directly on the trail and was in a bent over tucked position like those riding in the El Tour De France. Maybe he was in training or may he didn't realize that fall colors only last for about 2-3 weeks and one only gets so many chances to view one of the most amazing things in nature.

Didn't see any deer on this ride, but could hear the Canadian Geese and saw a nice flock of turkeys. The beaver had their dam pretty well ready for the winter and were busily working on their house.

On my way back to my car I met a family of five small boys and mom and dad; reminded me of the many time I have ridden this trail with grandsons Ty, Derek and Cam.

Marv

HHHALLOOWWEEEN in September!!!!!

2009-09-06T05:15:00.000-07:00

Brother Lee--1938--2009

2009-07-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

Linda's beloved Husband
Proud Dad and Grandfather; Son Jim and Family (Wife-Lisa, Children-Brody, Vanessa, Alexa-Great Granddaughter-McKenzie); Son David (Wife-Kathleen)
US Army Veteran
Bachelor's and Master's Degree
Fabulous Teacher
Loved and Highly Involved in his Moose Lake, MN Community
A Special Friend of so Many
At Peace with God
Church Leader
Person of Honesty and Integrity
Was Never Late in his Life!
Fabulous Golfer
Loved Walking and Hiking
Coach (Football, Basketball, Track, Golf)
Brother to Sister Jan and Brother Dwaine
MY BROTHER, MY FRIEND

Evie

2009-07-06T07:34:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Great Granddaughter Evie is not always happy to see me!

Lucy

2009-06-26T04:17:00.000-07:00

Great Grandchild Lucy arrived yesterday! Parents Kari and Ty are excited and relieved that this day has arrived. Big sister Evie is just a bit perplexed!

Ireland Golf

2009-06-08T04:20:00.000-07:00

Two years ago in celebration of my retirement Dr. Bob and I ventured to Carnoustie, Scotland and seven straight days of golf. In celebration of Dr. Bob's retirement this time we ventured to Ireland. We chatted often how blessed we were to have these two experiences.

Which was better and if you had to make just one trip which would your recommend? Well, that is a difficult question as both were very special and in a way quite different. During our Scotland trip we settled into the Park House B & B a five minute walk from the Carnoustie Championship course which was going to be the site of the British Open one month later. We quickly became friends with Robin and his wife Francis who owned the Park House. Robin was on the Carnoustie Links Board and so we had the inside scoop on the all the Open preparations. We also played the Carnoustie Championship course which is rated about 17th in the world. We then played three other Open Qualifying courses and added three more including Balcomie Links which might be the windiest course in the world and top 100 in the world, Glenneagles. From strictly a golf standpoint, that was the best.

During this Ireland trip we played six courses including Lahinch (rated about 57th in the world) and as a group they were more difficult than the seven we played in Scotland. In fact, all of the Ireland courses were very difficult and especially the extreme sand dunes courses of Carne and Lahinch. Golf World rates Carne 28th in the world, but I would highly question that rating. All the Ireland courses were on the Atlantic Ocean and they all had holes right on the ocean. As a group I felt they were more spectacular than the group we played in Scotland.

My favorite course on this trip was Rosses Point. It was the oldest with the first nine holes being laid out by Old Tom Morris of Scotland in 1894. Other than a couple of newly designed dunes holes at the finish it had retained the feeling of a very old links course which is what I love.

Dr. Bob was suffering a bit from a "bum" hip and that hindered his golf a bit later in the rounds. But he still played very well and had about 5-6 birdies compared to my paltry 2 birdies. My short game was very weak the first two rounds, but prior to our three round we had a lot of time to chip and putt and that really helped. In the end I had played to my expectations for the trip which was like "icing on the cake". While I slightly got the best of Dr. Bob in our golf matches, he evened the score and then some during our nightly games of Quiddler.

Several have asked if we did any sightseeing on our trip. While we only ventured once off our 600 mile golf route and that was to the Cliffs of Moher located just north of Lahinch, every minute of our golfing and driving time was sightseeing. Ireland is a beautiful and pristine country.

We expected the average high daily temperature was going to be between 55-60 degrees and we expected some wind and possibly some rain. Just on the chance the we might get a day of 65 degrees and sunshine I packed one pair of shorts. Well, I washed that pair out often as six out of the seven days we had sunshine and the locals said it might well be the warmest weather of the decade. They were flocking to the beaches!

I'm pleased to report to my beer drinking family members and friends that there is still some beer left in Ireland. I did have the second beer in my life but that was a mere half pint of Guinness which the locals seem to "throw down" like water. Yes, they are a beer drinking and partying group! OK, I have to admit I could only get down about one-half of the half pint!

We had hoped to hear a lot of live Irish Celtic Music at our nightly stop for dinner at the Irish pubs, but the music didn't start in most Pubs until 10:00pm or later and after a full day of golf we were ready to get back to our B & B and relax after dinner. Therefore we only caught one group, but they were as great as the food.

Prior to heading back to the Shannon Airport we spent the last two nights in the favorite B & B of our trip. The Berry Lodge was in the country with our neighbors being some friendly holstein cows. What a setting about one half mile from the Atlantic Ocean.

One great trip!

Spring in North Woods, Winter not Far Behind

2009-05-26T04:39:00.000-07:00

Lake Fanny which is a couple of blocks from our home sparkles in the Spring. A couple of months ago it was covered with ice and will again in about six months.

The trees we had planted at our home last year wintered well and look healthy this spring. It will be interesting to see how much the grow this summer.

Bon has planted flowers both here and at our place at Springvale Campground.

Bella has gotten a short haircut and enjoys the sun. She has mastered the "invisible dog fence" that we put in our yard.

Great Grandchildren

2009-04-26T10:45:00.001-07:00

Look in the dictionary for the word active and you will probably find a picture of our five year old Great Grandson Kyle. His Dad is our Grandson Derek who is the second child of our oldest Daughter Lori. Kyle is already sporting a pretty mean golf swing.

Evie is definitely a "wee one" at 15 months and cries very little other than when she first spots her Great Grandpa. Evie's Dad is Tyler who is the first child of our oldest Daughter Lori. Evie will soon have a little sister as Tyler and his wife Kari are expecting another girl in a couple of months.

Bella and her winter friend Winston had to get into the picture.

And Bella is sad because she did not have a picture of her best friend Motto who live in Las Cruces with Dr. Susan and Jane.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-17T12:29:00.000-08:00

May you be warmed by the blessings of the Christmas Season!

Bon and Marv

Grandson Ty and Kari Exchange Vows

2008-07-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

While they were married several months ago, on Saturday July 19th Grandson Ty and his wife Kari exchanged vows in the beautiful backyard of Kari's parents Bill and Kris in Apple Valley, MN.

The weather was not a friend as storms to the north caused some family and friends to miss the ceremony, but delaying it was impossible as storm clouds built up to the west.

Beautiful harp music played as Flower Girl and Kari and Ty's daughter Evie (with a bit of help from Kari's Mom Kris) sprinkled flower pedals as Kari escorted by her Dad Bill followed.

Words of inspiration, a special poem by Kari's best friend, music by another friend, the blending of sand, and exchanging vows were part of the program.

Shortly after the ceremony the rains came and everyone found some shelter for a bit. And yes, the rain dampened the tablecloths, the paper lanterns, etc., but it did not dampen everyone's spirit and as the rain began to lightened the line quickly formed in the garage for fruit, salad and delicious pasta.

The sun came out and Ty and Kari danced!

THE NEW HOUSE

2008-06-26T06:25:00.000-07:00

A GOOD time to buy!

This home is in a new development and with such comes the good and the not so good. The not so good is that the trees are small, and there are other houses. The good is that we don't have to deal with the water and septics systems, the lawn is watered and mowed, there is snow removal.

The exterior of the house is pretty basic, but the interior has a great "North Woods" design. And then there was the 4 car garage which is being turned into a large 2 car garage with shop and the "Man's Room".

Our Son Rich came up from Florida for a couple of weeks and got a great start on the "Man's Room", plus did an endless number of other things. He saved the day! Grandson Derrick came over one day and did a great job helping with the drywall work. Son-in-Law Mark made some great "rough cedar" cornices for above all the windows. Yes, that will cost us a round of golf! Grandson Cam helped lift ONE sheet of drywall and WE THINK Uncle Rich let him drive one sheet rock screw! Doctor Susan came up from New Mexico and helped Bon break-in the new appliances and made several decorating suggestions. And then we would be remiss if we forgot to mention Dan DeVries and his hardworking landscapers! Seriously they did work hard and in a couple of days sure changed the looks of the yard!

The home is far come being complete and it will probably take several months to find the rest of the furniture, pictures, etc.

Now, we wonder if we will keep this home longer than the average stay in a home by our friends the Shelton's in Arizona! And also, Belle still has her reservations!!

Bella has Arrived

2008-05-06T07:18:00.000-07:00

Bella (or Belle as Marv will call her) decided to call our place home for a bit. She is a Bichon and Shih Tzu and probably weights in a about a pound being 8 weeks old.

Bon, Deb, Anthony, Brianna and Bandit

2008-05-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

We recently visited Deb, Marc, Anthony and Brianna in New Jersey. Marv and Marc did a pretty good job of building a casting platform for Marc's boat while Bon, Deb, and Brianna ventured off to Atlantic City. Anthony was busy with some tests in school, but was also celebrating a victory of his prior evening baseball game where he knocked the tying runs and then stole second. His team went on to win.

Great Grandchildren and their Dad's

2008-04-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

Our oldest Daughter Lori's oldest two boys are Tyler and Derek.

Derek (second oldest) and his wife Jessie have a boy named Kyle who already is 4 years old. Derek recently finished four years of service in the Army including a year in Iraq and plans to operate Heavy Equipment in the future.

Two months ago Tyler (oldest) and his wife Kari and had a little girl named Evie. And little is not an overstatement as she was under 5 pounds when born, but is very healthy and is now over 8 pounds. Tyler is a branch Manager in Minneapolis for Enterprise Car Rental.

Friends--Birthdays--Disney World

2008-02-02T12:54:00.001-08:00

Its nearly become a tradition that Louise Nelson and I (Marv) celebrate our birthdays at Disney World. Of course we do invite Loren and Bon to join us. Louise's birthday is January 23rd and mine January 21st.

Last year we celebrated at the Norway Pavillion at the World Showcase at Epcot.

This year Louise and Loren surprised us by taking us out to the Hoop-De-Doo Revue at the Wilderness Campground at Disney World. This is definitely one of the most popular shows at Disney World. It was a ball!

After the show, we boarded a horse-drawn carriage and finished the evening down by the Lake watching the Wishes Fireworks over the Magic Kingdom.

It was our last evening at Disney World for this winter and it was truly special!

Rich and Brownie

2008-02-02T12:18:00.000-08:00

About 17 years ago when our Son Rich was working at Putter's Lounge in Flagstaff, Arizona a Truck Driver came into the Lounge with a little brown puppy and ask if anyone wanted this little girl. It was "love at first sight" and Rich and Brownie have been pals, traveling partners and "best friends" ever since.

The Truck Driver said he was traveling on a baron stretch of road across the Navajo Indian Nation when on the road edge he saw this little dog. As he traveling on down the road he kept thinking about this little dog and after about 10 miles he turned his 18 wheeler around headed back.

Rich and Brownie have been all over the west, New England, Texas, Arizona, Minnesota and most other lower 48 states when Rich worked as a Carpenter and the last couple year in Florida while Rich finished his Bachelor's Degree in Journalism at University of South Florida. Brownie spent some extended times with us when Rich was in Alaska and Venzuelua.

They literally took care of each other as Rich nursed Browie when she broke her leg in Teluride and got attached by two big dogs in Durango. Brownie was warmth when during cold winter nights in a small trailor in Durango.

More Than Gators at U of F

2008-01-19T05:30:00.000-08:00

University of Florida certainly is known as Gatorland, but it also has butterflies and sandhill cranes. They raise butterflies at the campus Rain Forest, but the cranes are just daily visitors at their Agricultural Farm and then depart each night for the Wildlife Sanctuary at Paynes Pairie. Could the summer visitors near Cambridge, Minnesota be part of this group?

More Disney World

2007-12-24T08:44:00.000-08:00

During our last week at Disney World Phil and Mary Gelhorn from Braham, Minnesota, their Daughter Colleen and Granddaughter Brianna from Edgerton, Wisconsin joined us for a few days. It was a great time!

Don't worry about the guy behind them in the picture. He obviously was still trying to figure out his Christmas Shopping List!

Piratesof the Carribbean--Arrgh!

Happy Holidays

2007-12-05T05:58:00.000-08:00

Disney World is always a place of beauty, but especially so during the Holidays.

Daughter Lori and husband Mark, Son Rich, and Grandson Ty and Fiancee' Kari (Ty asked Kari to marry him on this trip) recently spent some Holiday time at Disney World with us.

rPior to the trip, Lori held a month long Disney Trivia Contest which Kari ran away with and collected at Disney her Mickey Ice Cream Treat.

We celebrated the engagement of Ty and Kari and Rich's graduation in Journalism from the University of South Florida at St. Petersburg.

On the Kilimanjaro Safari Ride in Animal Kingdom they play about 20 seconds of a song that has held me (Marv) spellbound from the first time I have heard it. I have often asked Employees at the Ride and Animal Kingdom as to its name and where I could get a copy, but never had any luck. This time when the song came on I told Ty and Kari I would give them a $100 if they could get me a copy of that song. Of course, I never suspected they would get it done. Well, they persisted with several Employees at the ride and finally found one that made a call to a friend and they found it. It is Swahili and it is the Lord's Prayer. Its on a CD called African Dawn and available from amazon.com.

http://forums.wdwmajic.com/showthread.php?T=54314

Even in the fantasy world of Disney, reality does occur. We saw a young man, with artifical legs, and his wife pushing a stroller with two small children. He also had an obvious head wound. When we asked, he said he had been wounded in action. We thanked him for the sacrific he had made that allows us to enjoy the true amazement of freedom!

Whereever you are this Holiday Season we wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Triva Winner Kari

Graduate Rich and Kari

Kari and Ty Celebrate

Bon and Marv at Mexico at Epcot

Ty and Kari on Kilmanjaro Safari Ride in Animal Kingdom
(Kari overcomes fear of Giraffes)

Lori and Mark after Splash Mountain

Lori and Mark Relax

Bon and Jack Hannah

2007-11-20T05:08:00.000-08:00

In an era of a seemingly endless line of self-centered "celebrity types" we have Jack Hannah who is a true Celebrity.

He grew up in rural Tennessee with a love of animals and a commitment that one day he was going to be a Zoo Keeper during a time when being a Zoo Keeper was not cool.

He achieved his goal and has gone way beyond that goal to truely be a service to the people and animals of the world.

Mr. Hannah was in Gainesville for a fundraising event for the Teaching Zoo at Santa Fe Community College. It is one of only two such programs in the nation. Mr. Hannah has been an advisory to the College for years.

Even though his voice was hoarse from 16 speaking events in 17 days in Florida, he was passionate in his time with us as he showed incredible animals and videos and answered questions.

He was common and sincere and he made us feel that he appreciated us as much as we appreciated him and we know he did.

He was gracious taking time with each for pictures and autographs.

Gainesville and St. Pete

2007-11-17T07:03:00.000-08:00

We've been in Gainesville for a month with the exception of a short trip down to St. Petersburg last week while Rich attended class at the University of South Florida. Rich will graduate in three weeks with a degree in Journalism. The USF St. Petersburg Campus is highly regarded for journalism as it sits right next to the Poynter Journalism Institute. The value to USF is that when Journalists from all over the world come to the Poynter Institute, they often lecture at USF. Rich has heard several including those from the BBC. USF's library is the Poynter Library.

St. Petersburg is probably the most beautiful small city we have every visited. And driving in downtown is like driving in a town of 5,000. Desoto Beach lies south of St. Pete and in 2005 it was voted the #1 Beach in America. Its easy to see why when you take an early morning or late evening walk on that beach.

Rich will depart the day after he finished class for a month in Thailand and Laos. His friend Gik who is from Thailand and is working on her Doctorate at Unversity of Florida in Gainesville will travel to Thailand on December 23rd. We will watch Rich's dog Brownie until he returns on January 8th. Brownie is 16 years old.

While in Gainesville we have attended several sporting events at the University of Florida including Men's Basketball, Ladies Basketball and Volleyball and even a NCAA Regional Cross Country Meet which was held at the U of F Golf Course which is a block from the home we are staying.

We have visited some State Parks that feature fresh water springs. The last one we visited had a fresh water flow of 150 million gallons a day. Manatee's like to come into that spring when the Gulf of Mexico water temperature cools since the spring waters have a temp of 72 degrees. We saw a Manatee on the day of our visit.

After Thanksgiving here in Gainesville, family from MN (Lori, Mark, Ty, Kari) will meet us for a week at Disney World.

On December 14 we will end our stay here at David West's home. Its a great home right on the edge of the U of F Campus. Mr. West is a retired Attorney who is a good friend of our Son, Rich. He will return home from three months in Paris on the 14th.

Oct 15--Gainesville, FL--Home for Two Months

2007-10-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

We arrived yesterday at the home of David West in Gainesville, Florida where we will call home for a couple of months with the exception of a week at Disney World.

We traveled just under 4000 miles in 17 days. We had planned on being on the road for about 30 days, but we cut out a large segment of Canada and a couple of other stops in North Carolina. If we had gone the full route we probably would have traveled 6,000 miles. We are glad we made the change, but we definitely will go back to Canada as we want to see Quebec and Nova Scotia. Probably do a tour.

In addition to see Canada and New England in the fall, we also wanted to look at some areas that we might consider for a winter home spot. We found none.

David's home is great and Bon is looking forward to having a kitchen for awhile and I found a nice spot to do some business.

Our Son Rich and his Gik met David West when they put up some posters to do clean-up work after a hurricane a few years ago. They had just arrived in Gainesville and Gik had started work on her Doctorate at U of F and Rich was attending Santa Fe College.

Since then they have become great friends and Rich has done a lot of carpetry work for David.

David is a retired (very young Retiree I might mention) Attorney who had worked for U of F, Had his Own Law Firm and various other ventures. He is a very interesting person. He has a wonderlust for travel and as I write this he is spending three months in Paris and other places. In fact, I just got an e-mail from him that he just returned from Morocco and I know in a couple of weeks he is off to Italy.

We are now officially Defending National Champion Florida Gator Fans and presently ranked #2 University of South Florida Bulls (Rich's University) Fans! Of course, we are still pulling for University of Minnesota and University of Arizona! I understand from my friend Dr. Bob in Tucson, that Arizona has had a couple of VERY CLOSE LOSSES!

Oct 14--Callaway Gardens, Georgia

2007-10-14T16:50:00.000-07:00

Beautiful!

Oct 13--Atlanta, Georgia

2007-10-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

Oct 11-12--Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

2007-10-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

On the way to Gatlinburg we passed through Pigeon Forge which is like mini-Branson with a lot more traffic. So we did the tourist thing and hit a couple of shows; Country Tonight and Dixie Stampede.

Oct 10, Roanoke, VA

2007-10-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

On our way to Roanoke we made a short stop at Antietam National Battlefield. This is the site of the Bloodiest Day (September 17, 1862) of the Civil War as a total of 23110 were either killed or wounded.

The battle was basically a draw, Union General George McCellan hailed it as a victory. Shortly after the battle President Lincoln visited McCellan at the battlefield where he learned that McCellan had gotten a little carried away with his victory talk. Lincoln wanted McCellan to press the attach to General Lee, but that was not McCellan's approach. In November Lincoln removed McCellan.

In a way it was a victory for the Union in that the Confederates had a smaller army and could ill afford equal loses.

Oct 9--Chambersburg, PA

2007-10-10T15:14:00.000-07:00

Chambersburg, PA is where Lee camped his Troops after marching from the Richmond, VA area and before he debarked on Gettysburg.

Oct 8--Binghamton, NY

2007-10-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

We somewhat reluctantly departed New England today after nearly a week of some of the most wonderful sites we have ever seen. Fall in New England is everything it is billed to be and the stop at Boothbay, Maine was like a mini visit to Nova Scotia. The fall color pictures we took don't begin to do justice to the spectacular colors. And in fact, in some of the areas that were a sea of red and orange we did not take any pictures. What's the point? One simply must come and see. We are already planning a return trip.

We have already traveled 2300 since September 29 and probably have another 1500 to go. Next area to visit is Shenandoah Valley.

Oct 7--Rutland, Maine

2007-10-07T17:10:00.000-07:00

Oct 5--6--Boothbay Harbour, Maine

2007-10-06T07:01:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Atlantic Ocean Harbour Town. Will spend a couple of nights here. Bon is doing Laundry as I do this blog update. Had fresh lobster last night.

From here we will head inland and south.

GO GATORS

Oct 5--Plainview, Vermont--Where Rich Once Lived

2007-10-06T06:59:00.000-07:00

Oct 4--Montpelier--Capital of Vermont

2007-10-06T06:53:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Little Capital City. Drove up to Seyon State Park. Fall colors in Vermont are everything that they "are billed".

Bon got stung by a bee and at 1:30am ended up in Emergency at Hospital which was conviently across the street from our hotel. Everything was OK, just a quite substantial reaction.

Oct 3--Burlington, Vermont--Lake Champlain

2007-10-06T06:51:00.000-07:00

Great Bike Trail right along Lake Champlain--I (Marv) did 8 mile right on the morning of Oct 4--Great!

Oct 2--Ottawa, Ontario

2007-10-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

Parliment Building at Ottawa, Capital of Canada

Rideau Canal

Cathederal of Notre Dame which we think is in O'Canada Film at Epcot Center

Oct 1--North Bay, Ontario--Lake Nipissing

2007-10-06T06:41:00.000-07:00

Sept 29-30 Hayward, WI--Newberry, MI

2007-10-04T15:38:00.000-07:00

Camping with Rich in Smokey Mountains

2007-08-20T05:48:00.000-07:00

Rich had a break before starting his final semester of his Senior year in Journalism at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg, Florida and he decided to get out of the summer heat and humidity for a bit by going camping in the Smokey Mountains. Since my schedule is SOMEWHAT flexible I decided to join him.

I flew into Tampa and Rich and I went to Gainesville for a night and then on to the Smokies. We camped at Balsam Mountain and Cataloochi and also spent a night in Cheerokee, NC where we went to the Outdoor Theater, "Unto these Hills" a great story about the Cheerokee Nation. While the temperature in the surrounding area was 100 degrees or more, it was nice and cool in the Smokies. We also spent a night in Asheville, NC before I flew back home out of Asheville.

Rich then went back into the Smokies for a couple of more nights before heading back to Florida.

Scotland--A Great place to Golf

2007-07-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

A great trip with a great friend, Dr. Bob!

We stayed at the Park House B&B in Carnoustie and played the Carnoustie Championship Course as well as six other great courses. Six of the seven courses were Links and four of the six were Seaside.

Carnoustie is now definitely the greatest course I have ever played, but Balcomie Links at Crail right on the North Sea is definitely the most special.