SAWGRASS MALL AND THE BEST LOBSTER ROLL SINCE MAINE!

Thursday, January 15, 2026
Fairfield Inn/Daria Beach
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
63F, mist this morning, cloudy the rest of the day

Morning coffee, photos taken, and off we went toward Fort Lauderdale.  The uneventful drive took us to Sawgrass Mills Mall and I swear Chico's was giving things away the prices were so reasonable.   

TK took this photo of Cape Canaveral
 where he spent time last year
a not so fond memory...

TK also captured several cruise ships 
in the distance

This is the same view that I took a photo of last night
from our hotel balcony

We headed to our hotel in Fort Lauderdale and lugged luggage to our room to rearrange and regroup. The highlight of the day was dinner at the Rustic Inn Crabhouse. Since we had a prime parking spot at the hotel, we decided to walk there---  https://www.rusticinn.com/

It was a brisk cold walk, but warmer than Erie!  The restaurant was worth the walk and most likely very popular.   DDL Denise would love love love this restaurant!

We both enjoyed the lobster roll, the 
best we have had since New England

Flowers along the way
This probably was not the safest
walk, a highway, dark returning 
to the hotel

This is part of the restaurant
from the bridge while we were 
walking there
It is on a canal

Look at this handsome guy!

Just in case anyone needs a
photo to shoot darts at

We both had over 11,000 steps today. The most for me since summer.  Thank goodness we can still rock!

TK's Take: It is cold, wintertime here. Not as cold in Erie and no snow!

DIXIE CROSSROADS, OUTLETS, AND WISCONSIN FRIENDS!

 Wednesday, January 14, 2025
Wyndham La Quinta Oceanside
Cocoa Beach, FL
69F

After a car wash this morning, we hit the St. Augustine outlets for super deals at Tommy Bahama and Chico's.   Friend Ann, you did not steer me wrong and I made purchases at Chico's sister store, if you get my drift.  

Before noon we were on the road, headed to Buc-ee's in Daytona Beach.  That was when we spotted a Tanger Outlet Mall across the road with Trader Joe's and many other stores, but we only made purchases at Trader Joe's. TK loves their ground coffee, which will make it back to Pennsylvania.  About that time we realized that Donna and Lawrence were headed to Cocoa Beach today too!  

So, we met them at Dixie Crossroads, the restaurant we had planned to go to when TK took his tumble and broke his upper femur last  year.  Dear Donna and Lawrence stopped at the hospital soon after his surgery as they were headed to the cruise too. BUT this year, we are sure  hoping to board the Enchanted Princess with them on Friday!  By the way, the Enchanted Princess was the ship we were supposed to be on last year.

Today I drove the Acadia for the first time--it is so much easier than the truck that felt like I was driving a semi tractor trailer blindfolded with my hands tied behind my back.   That is all in the past, but I should  have been driving the new car sooner.  

We are   calling it a night, more malls and shopping tomorrow. Cruise begins on Friday!

The view from our La Quinta balcony

pool is straight down

Atlantic Ocean in the distance

TK and Janie at Dixie Crossroads

We forgot to get a photo with Donna and Lawrence

Brother Bill and Marge were at the

PA State Farm Show in Harrisburg

last Friday and Saturday

Photo by Marge

I love this butter sculpture!!!

TK's Takes: Good weather, cloudy today. Janie gets a passing grade for her driving.

HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS AND SPENDING EIGHT AND A HALF HOURS IN A CAR IS CHALLENGING!

Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Fairfield Inn and Suites
St. Augustine, Florida
67F

Hello Friends!  I forgot to invite you along for the ride this year, so here we go! Join us and I will do my best to report all the exciting things we do!

I won't belabor the fact that people drive a lot further than we do in a day (e.g. son Brian and Denise--21 hour trips to Florida from Erie, and Donna and Lawrence's 12 hour trip from Janesville, WI to Chattanooga, TN today), but I am much older than they are. TK purchased the non-truck Acadia so I could drive it more easily than last year's sort of fiasco when I had to drive his big honkin' truck for 1500 miles. That said, I still have not driven the new car. BUT, allegedly I will drive to Cocoa Beach tomorrow, and that is a 2 hour drive.  

Today the miles slothed by, sign post by sign post, mile marker by mile marker, cop cars galore, traffic not too bad, from rest stop to rest stop, cities whirling by ---Charlotte, Columbia, Brunswick, Jacksonville.  Finally St. Augustine at 5 p.m.  Nebraska, now St. Augustine, friend, Judy, who housed me last year during TK's rehab, picked us up for dinner at The Raintree, one of her favorites. Despite being Nebraska born, she is quite a tour guide and planner in St. Augustine.  

And it's already time to rest for the day...

The Raintree for dinner--

Last year's photo because 
I forgot to take a picture this year

TK's Take: Nice drive, beautiful day.  He is very happy with his new car.

GOODBYE ERIE, HELLO NORTH CAROLINA! GO STEELERS!

Fairfield Inn and Suites
Jonesville, NC
January 12, 2026
41F

And away we go!  TK's steady driving in his new GMC Acadia, as well as the dry roads and barely any snow paved our way south today.   We did not get on the highway until about 9 a.m. (gas and car wash, for one thing). Eight and a half hours is a long time as we reached our first night's hotel at 5:30 p.m.  

TK prepared his famous tuna fish sandwiches and we stopped in Flatwoods, WV, for lunch. That stop included a run into the Fiesta store, even though our dear daughters in law could open a store to sell the Fiesta dishes they already have. I could not resist a new light blue plate, one for each. TK said we may not return to Erie on the route we usually take, so that's it for new Fiesta.😓

For entertainment we listened to James Patterson's book, First Gentleman.   TK figured out how to download books and this is working out well for us.  I did learn that this audio book is 11 hours and 1 minute.  I think we are one third of the way in and that will work out well. It is a "thriller" with plenty of suspense.  

Other than that, today's trip was quite ordinary--a patch of deer, hardly any snow, less traffic than last year (we left earlier in January in 2025), beef cattle grazing, a hawk soaring every now and then,  and sun!!

I, for one, am hoping for a Steeler win tonight!  We are settled in and finished our second tuna sandwich for dinner.   

Our backyard in Erie--January 12, 2026

Our front yard in Erie when we left last year, 
January 4, 2025

HAPPY HEALTHY NEW YEAR 2026 ~ ON TO OUR NEXT CRUISE ADVENTURE!

January 1, 2026
Erie, Pennsylvania

With a temperature of 19F and about 16 inches of snow on the ground, it is time to dream of our next adventure at sea! In just less than two weeks we will be driving TK's new ACADIA  (no more trucks for Janie to learn how to drive) to Fort Lauderdale to jump on to the Enchanted Princess. (God willing).

The Christmas tree and all the decorations are stowed away and it is time to start packing! I am using the same list that I used for last year's ill fated trip.  Actually I never emptied my swim packing cube nor my formal wear packing cube--half the battle!

This is the door decoration which was also almost the same as last  year!

We will be joining friends Donna and Lawrence from Janesville, Wisconsin, and Nancy and Brian from Ukiah, California. A couple of Brian and Nancy's friends will join us too.

This is Lake Erie from Presque Isle Park, Erie, PA, 3 days ago. 

The seas are angry!

TK with his new toy, the SnowJoe,

a battery operated shovel. 

We have a snow plow driver who plows our 

driveway, but TK makes a path

for USPS and Amazon!

NO CRUISE IN 2025 AFTER ALL...

December 31, 2025
Erie, Pennsylvania

So what happened on January 7, 2025, that caused me to STOP my blog till now?   The short story is that we were in Cocoa Beach, a favorite spot. After checking in to our hotel, we wanted to go to lunch at our favorite restaurant in Titusville, Floria, Dixie Crossroads.  

As we walked to the truck, TK tripped over a “bumper blocker.” It was serious and he was in such great pain. I called 9-1-1, the fire rescue squad arrived and hauled us off to the hospital.

Broken upper femur. Surgery the next day. Cape Canaveral Beach Hospital till Saturday. We were so fortunate to have a good orthopedic surgeon. 

CRUISE CANCELLED. And we were going to be joining our friends Donna and Lawrence of Janesville, Wisconsin, and Gwenda and Colin from England.  Donna and Lawrence were sweethearts and stopped to see us in the hospital on their way to Fort Lauderdale to catch "our" cruise.

The good news: TK's hip was  not broken

                         

Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach, Florida

So how many people get to see a rocket launch

out of their hospital window?

That was a bonus!!

My great friend Judy P suggested that TK do rehab in St. Augustine so I could stay with her for the duration.   In the meantime, I was learning to drive a big honkin’ Chevy truck which TK had never let me drive before.

The big honkin' Chevy truck on January 7.

We had to make one final stop in St. Augustine/Buc-ee's so TK could

thank Judy for her hospitality and meet Buc-ee himself!

The bottom line: TK did great in rehab and was released on January 19. I did enjoy spending time at the Encompass Rehab Center daily with TK and spending time with my long long time friend, Judy—my friend when we studied in France in 1967-1968.

I drove that darn truck home, without trepidation after “trial by fire.”  I put 1400 miles in, driving back and forth to the hospital and rehab, and then home to Pennsylvania.  We only had one divorce worthy moment, and I don’t think TK will make any suggestions as to where I should park in the future.

The great news is that TK fully recovered and we are going to try this jaunt all over again.

We ended up with no cruises in 2025, TK cancelled our Mediterranean curise in October because he found a bigger better one for 2026.  We actually have three cruises scheduled for 2026, and now I add, “God Willing.”

We are grateful for TK's recovery and 2025 turned out to be a good year after all!

CHARMING ST. AUGUSTINE, SO MUCH TO LOVE!

Monday, January 6, 2025
Fairfield Inn
St. Augustine, Florida
Sun, 74F
 

After a good night’s sleep, we were ready to tackle St. Augustine, the oldest city in the nation. Of course, there was a brief stop at Buc-ees---the smell of barbecued beef and fresh baked sweet rolls as you walk in is overwhelming to the senses. We did abstain, except for coffee.

If you have never been to a Buc-ees, you might not understand the fascination of a gas station with 120 gas pumps and a store that has everything under the sun from Valentine doodads to 20 kinds of fudge, t-shirts, and a bakery with scones. In fact, Buc-ees is known for its BBQ brisket sandwiches, pastrami Reubens, cinnamon rolls, kolache, Beaver nuggets, walls of jerky (Bohemian Garlic, Cherry Maple, Teriyaki, Korean Barbecue, Bacon, Steakhouse, Jalapeno, Pepper, and Sweet & Spicy).  By the way, put your orders in for the jerky, we will be at Buc-ees along the way at least two more times—I’m serious!

Ever onward to Bass Pro and Costco, and one of our favorite outlet malls with Tommy Bahama, Chicos, and Travel Pro.  A TK swimsuit, 2 Janie pair of jeans, and another piece of luggage later, we headed to historic St. Augustine, we definitely needed some culture!

 

Brand new Bass Pro Shop 

St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine is a treasure and even if it hyper-appeals to tourists, its charm is unmistakable. I’m grateful for a city that preserves its heritage.  We parked the truck and started walking the streets full of people enjoying the warm weather and boutique shops along the way.

 

Part of Flagler College

Revolutionary War connection

We walked and strolled and walked some more, so much so that we could not find our truck when we were ready to leave.  Since my Fitbit today registers 7.5 miles, I think we walked 3 of those miles looking for that darned white GMC.  After my feet said they were walking for hours, we finally found it, right where we parked it—what on earth   would we do if we couldn’t find it?  I need to be more observant—TK is very good at directions, but I don’t think either of us were paying much attention when we parked—boutiques and shops were calling to us.

In the meantime, we reached out to my friend Judy from Nebraska who now lives in St. Augustine and made plans for dinner, we had not seen her in two years. Her choice of Poppy’s, an Italian restaurant, was excellent, but the best part was seeing her again—we share a friendship of 58 years from when we first met at college in Aix-en-Provence, France. The halcyon years.

 

Janie and Judy at Poppy's

St. Augustine

Our friends Donna and Lawrence left Wisconsin this morning and encountered much snow in Illinois. Thank goodness they reached Tennessee for their first night. They experienced a “huge rock to the windshield” after they got past the snow, but it did not go through, and they have already made an insurance claim!  We are keeping track of D & L and will meet up with them on Wednesday. 

Donna and Lawrence driving through Illinois

on a snowy highway

January 6, 2025

TK’s Takes: It was a perfect day—the weather was great.  The Bass Pro Shop is brand new and they are still working on the exterior.

Aside to Ann: I’m glad we can still keep up because I haven’t walked as much as I should have since Great Britain!! Keep at it, Australia beckons!

IS EVERYONE HEADED SOUTH FOR THE WINTER??

Sunday, January 5, 2025
Fairfield Inn
Elkin, North Carolina to St. Augustine, Florida
Clouds and sun 62^oF

 

Elkin, North Carolina

23F Sunday morning

Driving today was much better road wise, dry and clear, with no snow. We do think that everyone from PA, OH, and MI is heading to Florida, and we mean EVERYONE.  South Carolina’s highway is only two lane going South and that is just not enough for all the drivers.  We think the travelers are either going south for the warmth or headed home after the holidays.

It was another 500 mile day, a lot for TK and somewhat a lot for a passenger.  We were originally going to drive my car so we could share the driving, but TK’s truck won out because of the weather, and he still won’t let me drive it. 

You won't see the truck this dirty very often

South Carolina rest stop

We elected not to eat until dinner and that caused some “hangries.”  That is probably enough said.  I don't think we will do that again.

Welcome to Georgia

TK smiling because Donna texted

I kept quiet with books. Yesterday I read Three Women Disappear, and today I am almost finished with The 5^th Horseman, both by James Patterson, et. al.  My brother gave me American Heroes for Christmas, a non-fiction by Patterson. That is his best book by far and I recommend it.  Patterson and others interviewed U.S. soldiers or their survivors who served in overseas conflicts—from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan. They are valiant stories of those who earned distinguished military medals, including the Medal of Honor. Every one of them insisted they did not act alone, and others deserved medals too.   I personally knew three of the Medal of Honor recipients featured in this book.

Welcome to Florida

Orange juice is always our choice!

St. Augustine

Gas at Buc-ees

We arrived in St. Augustine about 5:30 p.m. and headed straight to Ford’s Garage for a burger and sweet and tangy chicken—just what we needed.   Today the temperature ranged from 23F to 63F, from North Carolina to St. Augustine.

Ford Model A in Ford's Garage

St. Augustine, Florida

TK’s Takes: He mentioned that his friend called him Dr. Doom—watching the weather like he does. I wanted to say Dr. D to soften it a bit, but TK said Dr. Doom was a comic book hero. I will go with that.  He also said that this was the worst traffic ever on our trip south to Florida.  I can vouch for that.   He is very tired again tonight. 

Day 1 Read

Day 2 Read

Best book for Christmas!

SNOW AND ICE BEGONE! NORTH CAROLINA WARMS US!

Saturday, January 4, 2025

Fairfield Inn
Erie, Pennsylvania to Elkin, North Carolina
Snow much of the way, 32F

 

Skyline Drive, Erie

January 4, 2025

8:22 a.m.

Thankfully TK keeps good track of the weather, especially when he spied a winter storm that would push toward West Virginia and Virginia on Sunday, our original departure date.  I’m more of a “the weather is what the weather is” kind of gal.  Since we were already packed, we left Erie this morning at 8:22 a.m. with a temperature of 20⁰ F and snow flurries threatening more Lake Effect snow.

The roads finally improved around Mercer, with mostly dry roads from then on.  We still saw some snow on the fields as we passed through West Virginia into Virginia. 

Here we are, West Virginia!

We stopped for lunch and our traditional “TK made” delicious pita sandwiches stuffed with tuna at the Walmart parking lot in Flatwoods, WV.  We bypassed the Fiesta Outlet in Flatwoods this time, hard to do, but our dear daughters in law have enough Fiesta dinnerware to open a small store.

West Virginia

January 4, 2025

I opted for only one sandwich for lunch because I must lose 8 pounds by Thursday so I can fit into my artful leggings. I texted Friend Donna to make sure she brought hers—she replied that she did, mentioning that we better wear them early in the cruise before they truly do not fit. Our dear friends Donna and Lawrence (Wisconsin) and Gwenda and Colin (England) are joining us on this cruise, and we are excited to see them!

With TK’s skillful driving through the windy roads and hills of West Virginia, we arrived in Elkin, North Carolina, about 500 miles from Erie, by 5 p.m.

TK is tired from expertly handling the GMC Sierra, and with snowy roads, crossword puzzles, a James Patterson book, small towns, pit stops at Flying J and Pilot, hawks soaring in the sky, creeks, rivers, New River Bridge, some ice, drivers who are nailbitingly careless, and Casey Kasem’s top 100 of 1978, I am tired too.  [More credit is obviously due to TK!]

After corralling our luggage into our room at Fairfield Inn, we had dinner--the other pita/tuna sandwich!

Dear Readers, here we go again!!

 

 

GOOD BYE LAKE EFFECT SNOW, WE ARE CRUISING THE CARIBBEAN AGAIN!

January 3, 2025
Erie, Pennsylvania
Lake Effect Snow, 28F

As I write, we are again experiencing Lake Effect Snow, not quite as bad as Black Friday Snowmageddon when we couldn't leave the house for four days, but not fun. That is why we are leaving earlier than expected for our trip south. TK has planned our January Caribbean cruise on the Enchanted Princess and away we go!!

January 3, 2025

Snow Globe Competition

Erie, PA--72 inches of snow so far this winter!

Early on November 29, 2024--our back porch and steps
that lead up to our pool
Lake Effect snowstorm begins

December 1, 2024

The same porch and steps -- over 42 inches

December 1, 2024

Janie shovels!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our precious family before the snow started---

Thanksgiving on West 27th Street, Erie!

After our great Christmas celebration with family, we turned to prepping and packing for our January trip.

Here is the rundown--

Saturday, January 4,  2025        Leave Erie, PA

Thursday, January 9, 2025        Board the Enchanted Princess with Donna and Lawrence from Wisconsin

                                                  and Gwenda and Colin from England! (Fort Lauderdale)

Friday, January 10, 2025           Beach Day at Princess Cays

Sunday, January 12, 2025          St. Thomas

Monday, January 13, 2025         St. Maarten

Tuesday, January 14, 2025         Antigua

Wednesday, January 15, 2025    St. Kitts

Friday, January 17, 2025            Grand Turk

Sunday, January 19, 2025            Fort Lauderdale and drive to Fort Myers

Tuesday, January 21, 2025           Tampa, Florida

Wednesday, January 22, 2025      Atlanta, Georgia

We will be home about January 24, 2025---We do love to travel!!

7 day outlook Sat-Fri, January 4-10, 2025

Snow and more snow

We are outta here!