Settling Into Being Back At The Beach

After being back almost a week, we are settling in nicely. High tides that reach to the sea wall comes with the full moon in winter. The result is daily beach hikes take place midday rather than first thing in the morning. The weather has been great with temps in the upper 70s but is turning cold this weekend. It's still far better than back in Kansas where the temps have been running in the teens.

Pleep is very happy to be back at the beach because it means he gets to visit all the local micro-breweries and local hangouts, aka, as dive bars. We've managed two trips up to one of his favorites, Beachside Brewery in Ormand Beach. Dan, the brewer/owner, has released several great new brews including Star 58 Porter, Dan's Colt 45, and the Big Kahuna. Needless to say, we tried them all and sampled a few others.

With the colder temps settling in, Peggy will have some time to work on a few crochet projects.  The ninth great niece/nephew is due to arrive in Idaho in the first months of 2019 and will need to stay warm.

Christmas Decorations On Display

After unpacking and a bit of tidy up activity, Pleep jumped right on decorating the place for Christmas.  The first things out of the box were the crèches - two from visits to Santa Fe and the other a gift from The Collins’ family cruise through Spain and Portugal.

Next up was Santa and his reindeer.  Delete thought he should be hanging out with the reindeer with his Generali red ribbon.  

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It took almost no time for Ed to assemble the small tree.  In fact, he spent more time vacuuming up the “needles” that fell off and figuring out how to set up the timer for the lights than he did putting the tree together.  Most of the ornaments on the tree are handmade from a Heidkamp Thanksgiving in the late ‘70s, spent at the log cabin just north of Green Bay.  A number of them have certainly seen better days but sentiment tops appearance on this tree.  One of Pleep’s favorites is Alice’s hand painted, signed on the back boy which has been broken and glued back together several times.  The yellow taxi cabs (gifts from the Parker boys) bring back many fond memories of NYC Christmas times.

With the decorating complete, Pleep donned his Santa hat and decided the best place to hang out was on top the liquor cabinet.  He knows Alice gives up Glenlivet for Advent and is contemplating doing something similar.  However, he is more inclined towards George’s approach - give up giving up.

Annual Winter Migration

Every December we join other snowbirds in the winter migration.  This year, in an effort to minimize the horrendous traffic in Atlanta, we opted to depart early Friday morning and stop north of Atlanta.  Pleep was very pleased with the plan as it meant we would be driving thru Metropolis, IL.  He is always hopeful that Ed could be convinced to stop and visit Superman’s birthplace.  As we neared the stop, he demonstrated his Superman flying skills but had no luck getting Ed’s attention.  In one last desperate attempt to divert, he grabbed the wheel but by the time he was steering, we were well past the exit.  Thanks to Peggy’s excellent navigation and technical skills, we were able to divert around traffic jams in Nashville and only hit minimal traffic issues in Chattanooga.  Friday’s drive was certainly successful doing 790 miles in just under 12 hours driving time (13 hours clock time with the change to Eastern time).

The Residence Inn in Kennesaw, GA turned out to be an excellent choice for the overnight stay.  It was far enough north of Atlanta to avoid the bad traffic.  Pleep thinks most of the drivers in and around Atlanta must think they are on the NASCAR circuit.  There are certainly a significant number of drivers who weave in and out of lanes at excessive speeds and love to run right up behind each other.  The resulting accidents lead to the greater Atlanta metro area being one of the worst areas we encounter in our travels.  Pleep was grateful for the decision to stop early as it meant he wouldn’t be required to spend his time monkeybutting all the bad drivers.

Saturday morning we headed out around 7:45 am and had absolutely zero issues with traffic.  Sailing thru Atlanta in record time, we were happy that none of the tailgaters from Auburn or Georgia decided to head to the Mercedes Stadium early.  With only a little more than 550 miles left, the drive was uneventful.  Pleep was able to convince Ed to stop at the Florida Welcome Center for a restroom break and free OJ.  He had a great time checking out all the exhibits. And when they pointed out the no pets allowed notice, Pleep explained he was a service animal.  He did think adding a shot of vodka to the free juice would be an improvement.

We got off I-95 around 3:15 and drove straight to the car wash.  This was the first long road trip for the 2018 Audi S5 Sportback and Ed wanted to make sure the car was washed up before we did the final few miles to the beach.  The Superwash fit the bill nicely even with the long lines.  Pleep was impressed by the Lava wash and free vacuum.

After 19 hours driving time, the worst part of the trip was hitting the Daytona Beach Shores Christmas parade.  Because the parade was right on A1A in front of our condo, all the routes were closed.  It took over an hour to navigate a route in and even then Peggy had to get out of the car and move a barricade allowing us to sneak in from the north.

It’s good to be back in our winter home and we’re looking forward to visits from our Northern snowbird friends.

Wheels Down: Heading South Where It's Cooler

Hitting the road again and decided to reactivate the blog after a 4 year hiatus.  Figured it would be the most efficient way to communicate with (or bore to death) family, friends and Facebook followers (assuming the IFTT recipe functions properly). This is the first summer in quite a while that Pleep won't be tied up editing and managing a new Collins blog.  (At least he's planning on having the summer off although Facebook rumors about a Collins trip to Cuba may alter those plans.)

We are always asked about why we head to Florida in July.  It's actually a no-brainer decision: 1) Temperatues & humidity in Daytona are typically better than Kansas.  2) Always a nice breeze off the ocean. 3) Our neighbor graciously manages all the landscape & lawn mowing action. 4) Family and friends love visiting us on the beach.  

We're looking forward to arrival of Maggie,Crieghton & June Deasy for a long 4th of July vacation.  The Ida & Perry Parker hit town with Pleep's best buddy, Oscar.  Oscar should get to enjoy the dog beach this trip and he certainly won't need his down coat and boots.  Perry's sister Nan & brother Roger are joining them at the beach too.

Organizing the homefront for departure is always a firedrill - packing, cleaning, hand watering new trees and landscaping, backing up all the mobile devices.  Watching all the activity, Pleepleus starts getting nervous about being left behind so he tests various staging positions to see which one is the best:

With the boxes? Not very comfortable and other than the crackers not much to interest or entertain a monkey for the 1,256 miles.

With the beer? That could be a great place expect it gets loaded in a cooler, packed in a lot of ice blocks then covered with blanket and stashed in the back of VW Jetta TDI.  Plus he's been warned not to attempt drinking as these are special beers reserved for Creighton Deasy.  He's looking forward to spending lots of time with Crieghton including trips to New Smyrna Brewery and Daytona Beach Brewery.  Plus a trip to the surfer bar is always a must do.

With the finding nemo cocoon crocheted up for great niece June?  That is certainly a comfy idea but not very practical in the 90+ temps.  Having tried it on, Pleep's a bit concerned that while it is clearly long enough it may not be wide enough for June.  Good thing one of the boxes is filled with more yarn & tools for crocheting another one.

ETD is 28 June at 16:00 following Ed's pt session.  With luck we'll hit Fort Campbell, KY 7 hours and 35 minutes later.  TDI mileage means no stops necessary but Ladbrokes betting line is on at least one. Pending construction & traffic issues, next update might be tomorrow night.  

Big Driving Day

Pleep was very excited to be returning to Florida. He loves hitting the beach and this year is planning a surprise for Cinco de Mayo. Thanks to his friend Patti, he will be sporting a very nice outfit.

KC departure was prompt at 6:00 am. Despite several traffic issues and near collisions from bad drivers who were not paying attention, Ed pulled into the La Quinta in Stockbridge, Georgia precisely as expected at 8:15 eastern time.

Total mileage was 842 with the Jetta TDI averaging 40 mpg. Total stop time was 20 minutes for refueling & passenger unfueling, aka as a loo stop. The diesel prices were best in Missouri and thanks to the Gas Buddy app, Pleep was able to identify the best prices for the refueling in Clarksville, Tennessee.





After such a big day monkeybutting bad drivers (especially in Chattanooga & Atlanta), Pleep said Ed and Peggy deserved couple of cocktails and a nice dinner. Frontera Mex Mex Grill is one of Ed's favorite places in Stockbridge. Plus, Pleep was very excited becausethey were having a warm up Cinco de Mayo party with live music, decorations and special Patron margaritas. Ed ordered up a giant beer and Peggy opted for the margaritas.


Frontera Mex Mex is a local chain of 17 restaurants in the Atlanta area started 25 years ago by a Georgia Tech student from Mexico. Their menu is great with a mix of traditional tex-mex fare plus unique Mexican entrees. Ed opted for the pork shank osso bucco style in a spicy sauce. He was extremely pleased with the meal and with the fact that he did not end up having any heartburn. Today the drive into Daytona is short with only 425 miles. It should only take about 6 hours and because it is Saturday, Pleep does not expect to have to deal with much traffic and therefore minimum monkeybutting.

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Santa Fe

Santa Fe has again proven to be a great place to visit. Thanks to the great staff at La Fonda, especially Rebecca, our concierge, at The Terrace section. She made everything memorable topping things off with delivery of a fab bottle of champagne to toast our art acquisitions.




Snow started on Monday and continued through Tuesday night but it didn't hamper any of the activities from walking Canyon Road through sampling beers again at The Marble Brewery. When the snow started falling into David's beer, he insisted we take things indoors and continue discussions on what we needed to buy.




Patti has been eyeing one artist's bronze dogs since their visit last fall. Ed and Peggy were searching for another James Busby sculpture and a piece for the stairway wall. The gallery tour resulted in finding several interesting pieces. No one, especially Pleep, liked the monkey art depicting several of Pleep's relatives. Following a long discussion over several of Marble Brewery's IPAs, it was determined we would return to the 3 different galleries and make our purchases on Tuesday morning.




First thing Tuesday, the crew headed to one of Peggy's favorite churches, the San Miguel Mission. The docent was just coming on duty and explained the extension renovation that is nearly complete. The snow made everything very beautiful. Pleep could not convince Patti to ring the bell but several other visitors did.




The next stop was to purchase the bronze dog that Patti had decided was perfect for the backyard and in front of their fireplace. This artist models all her dogs and cats from rescue animals she keeps at her studio/ranch in Utah. Patti's pick was named Dreamer and appears to be at least part Lab.




After that, the group headed to another gallery to purchase James Busby's Texas Ranger, a bronze that will join The Gondolier and Don Quixote in the living room. The last stop was at the Due West Gallery to purchase two paintings from Thom Ross' series on The Gun Fight At The OK Corral. The afternoon wrapped up with final visit to The Marble Brewery to warm up at their fireplace and a bit of shopping for boots, clothing and Santa Fe Cooking School items.

The plan for today is a leisurely drive to Durango with a few stops in Abiquiu and other scenic spots. We expect to land at the Strater Hotel and then hit the Ska Brewery tap party for their Mexican Logger.


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Location:E Water St,Santa Fe,United States

Return To Santa Fe

The flight from Phoenix to Albuquerque went perfectly and the drive up to Santa Fe was a breeze, even given the strong winds. Patti & David joined Peggy & Ed at the La Fonda. Because Ed had been tracking things, we landed great suites in The Terraza concierge level of the hotel. The rooms are all huge with balconies that adjoin a large deck area overlooking the cathedral.




Because the weather has been so great, the famous Bell Tower 5th floor outside bar was open. The Silver Coin margaritas they make are fantastic. Patti loaded up on them as she was still recovering from the practical joke played on her by David's coworkers. They had sent an email to David demanding his attendance at a global compliance meeting scheduled for the same weekend as their upcoming wedding. It was a bit breezy but Pleep secured a nice table in the sun and plenty of blankets were available from the hotel.




Leaving the La Fonda, the crew headed over to one of everyone's favorite places, The Marble Brewery. Patti continued to assuage her feelings by ordering up a load of pilsners and pizzas. Marble Brewery's deck overlooks the famous Santa Fe Plaza area so it makes for great people watching, Sunday night offered the normal array of interesting characters, dogs and activities. The low riders cruising around in formation coupled with a lot of motorcycles caused rounds of applause from the deck crowd.





The evening came to a close back at the Gathering Room near our suites. The evening view of St. Francis combined with the bells marking the hour made for a relaxing finish. The plan for Monday is hit the galleries, dine at La Plazuela and watch KU play UK. With luck, Kansas will put on a great performance sending Calipari and crew back to KY.

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Location:E Water St,Santa Fe,United States