Go Steelers!!!!

Steelers!!!

How many superbowls?

Record setting game. WOW!!!!

New Jersey with Family & Friends

Of course it had to snow while we were in NJ. Boy do I miss the snow, but I can do without it. I love the sun more.

Family together first time in a very long time.

Tough guys!

The original 3!

Me & my boys and Daria

Jay, me & Donny

My Jersey gang with a few missing. It is always nice to get together with friends.

A Sad Time in My Life

I lost my mom on January 27, 2009. This is a sad time in my life. I will miss my mom. She lived the last 8 years in Louisiana. Before she moved to Louisiana she lived in NJ only a few miles away from where I lived. We traveled a great deal together & our last trip together was to Scotland. She really enjoyed learning about her heritage. My last visit with mom was in October but we talked every weekend.

In Motion on the Ocean

On January 17th, I returned from my line dance cruise with Peter & Allison. Wow!! What fun!! It was the best cruise ever. Peter & Allison really do know how to entertain a crowd. We had so much fun with them & we learned quite a few new dances choreographed by them & others. We did do some pole dancing. Looks like we were having some fun!!

Cocktail Party

Rose & I really enjoyed the cruise, but I think we were dead tired. Here we are in Belize.

The dancers from dancing country with D&M

A Sea of purple

Formal Night

Christmas with the Kids

I am a little behind on updating my blog. Well I will try to catch up a little. The grandkids came down for the Christmas holiday & they kept me busy. The weather was great so we got to enjoy the pool. They also enjoyed riding in my new car, one at a time of course.

My New Ride

Just love my new ride!!!

Well we are home & enjoying all the fun activities here at MOSN. Maybe a few to many activities. Just a small sample below:

Went to Disney!!

A progressive party!

A visit with Santa.

John had a visit with his brother & sister.

John even got out of the house for a party with his brother.

On Our Way Home

View Larger Map

Well we are on our way home. Right now we are in Lake Texoma. What a park! It even has a paintball course. Imagine that! Picture John & I doing that...funny!
The above map shows our route from Washington State. Click on the bubbles to see the stops. You can move the map around & magnify it also. The map below was the beginning of our trip from Florida to Washington.


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South Dakota

The Badlands
Land of Stone & Light

The Badlands stretches 60 miles from Kadoka west towards the town of Scenic. Wind, rain, and freeze/thaw action have gradually worn down the badlands.

While staying in the Badlands, I went to a ranger talk about the stars. It was the best ranger talk I have ever gone to. Large telescopes were set up to view the stars & planets. The ranger said here in the Badlands is the darkest skies in the USA. When visiting, take time to go to the talk about the stars, it will be well worth it.

The Road to the Wind Cave-16A
Check out this tunnel we went through. The bus just fits through the tunnel. At the entrance it tells you to sound your horn to warn drivers on the other side. It is a two way tunnel. OH NO!!

Mount Rushmore

On the way back from Mt. Rushmore, we saw 2 mountain goats just hanging out on the side of highway 16.


Jewel Cave National Monument

Looks like the map of the US.

Jewel Cave was discovered about 1900.

It became a National Monument in 1908.

It is the second longest cave in the World.

Jewel Cave has Calcite crystal, dogtooth spar & nailhead spar which makes this cave different from most caves. Nearly all the of the cave chambers display collections of calcite crystals. When the light hits it...it looks sparkly. I liked this cave the best out of the caves we have gone in. John prefers Carlsbad Cavern the best so far.

Deadwood, SD
Today we spent the day in Deadwood & Sturgis. The town of Deadwood is a national landmark in 1964. It was the first community designated a National Historic Landmark. Deadwood got its name because of the dead timber on the surrounding hills. It was established in 1876.

Mt. Moriah Cemetery-Wild Bill (James Butler Hickok)& Calamity Jane (Martha Jane Burke)were both buried here. Her dying wish was to be buried next to Wild Bill.

Around Jane's monument are little trinkets left by mourners...coins, flowers and liquor bottles. John & I left a trinket too. (You'll have to guess what it is)

If you watched the Deadwood series on HBO, you have heard of this name. Seth Bullock was the first sheriff of Deadwood. Seth & his partner arrived in Deadwood the day before Wild Bill was murdered.

Gambling ended in Deadwood officially in 1947. Gaming resumed in 1989. Prostitution establishments closed during the years of 1950-1960. (look closely & you can see the prostitutes in the windows upstairs)

Wild Bill was murdered Aug. 2, 1876 at the No. 10 Saloon.

Calamity Jane & Bill arrived in 1876.

Crazy Horse

Crazy horse looks the same as it did 4 years ago when we were here.

Wind Cave, South Dakota

A strong wind blows through this cave...hence its name...Wind Cave. The wind is created by differences between atmospheric pressure in the cave & outside the cave. You can still feel the wind by the entrance of the cave.

This picture is the most prominent feature in the cave...Box work. It is a thin honey comb shape structure.

We had to do some ducking as we traveled through the cave. It was a very interesting and different than other caves we have explored.

Outside of the cave in the park, you can enjoy the wildlife. While we drove through we saw a coyote hunting the prairie dogs. The prairie dogs barked out a warning. It sounded like a lot of screeching. The coyote didn't find any prairie dogs as we were watching....maybe later he found some food. We saw several herds of prong horns and buffaloes.