New Orleans IFEBP Confrence

We arrived in New Orleans Saturday morning a full day prior to my conference beginning. Afterwards caught a cab and dropped our things at the Intercontinental Hotel on St Charles street right in the heart of the city. We caught the street car which came right past the front of the hotel into the Garden District. From there we walked around had lunch at a small bar did some more shopping and then back on the streetcar for the long trip back. We wound up going to the end of the line then turning around so we could sit. The wooden benches twisted my laurels after riding for almost an hour. Anyway, we got checked in eventually, small problem with a dog next door forcing a room change. One block down the street was Crescent City Music and BBQ Festival. More a music festival tan BBQ. There were food and beer trucks along with a handful of vendors. The music was fun highlighted by Jimmy Vaughan/ We spent most the time on our feet since we had no chairs plus we arrived an hour before we wanted. I really like the blues and enjoyed the music.

Sunday we went to church at St Patrick's Cathedral. The church was different as the priest said the prayers with his back towards the congregation. Also the lectern was odd note the big branches above itr in the pictures. The mass was the quickest service I've been too. We literally got to our seats 4 minutes after the hour and they were already reading the gospel. Father was leaving the alter at 35 past. It was like the old Father Hogan shotgun 8AM service. Anyway it was a different service but a beautiful church only a couple blocks from the Hotel.

After church we made our way to Cafe Du Monde for some of their famous beignets. Neither of us had tried them and we wanted to see what all he fuss was about. Neither of us had experienced a beignets before. Wow now we no what all the fuss is about and will definitely return anytime we visit New Orleans. Here's how it works:

1. Just walk in and take a seat
2. Cash only
3. Only Beignets, coffee and soft drinks
4. 3 per order
5. doughy hot and with the perfect amount of powdered sugar
6. open 24 hours for late night cravings
7. very affordable

The rest of the morning we walked around the French Quarter looking at street vendors, shops and other attractions. We eventually made our way back towards the hotel and by then it was lunchtime. We had heard about Mothers Restaurant and even with a line outside we stopped in for lunch. What a terrific place. The food was awesome as well as the service. We got a broiled shrimp platter. It had to be at least a pound of shrimp. It came with 2 sides too and was only $18. It was the perfect amount to share. Else wise we would have been like everyone else, leaving with a carryout box.

Later that afternoon we went to the Exhibit Hall at the convention center to get our annual flu shots and see the opening session of the conference. Amy Webb gave a talk on what the future holds. It was not really the motivating, exciting talk that opens this conference but rather a slow moving talk about which most in the audience probably already new or have experienced. Really, my house will become automated. Come on tell me something we didn't already know. Afterwards we went to the Delta Dental reception at Republic NOLA. I had seen Ryan Lindsay earlier in the day but didn't see him a the reception. We did however briefly bump into Al Cardillo and his wife Susan. We stayed for about an hour and then made our way to the IPS reception at the Windsor Court Hotel. It was a little tricky to find and after walking what seemed like 2 miles we finally arrived with only 15 minutes remaining for the reception. We ran into the guys form the 730 fund who were on their way out. They had an awesome spread of seafood. When we returned to the hotel we were quite tired from all the walking. Next time try a cab.

Monday I spent the day at the conference and returned to the hotel around 4:30. Maureen had a restful day and got a mani pedi somewhere downtown. We really couldn't make up our minds where to eat dinner so we started walking south and came across HerbSaint. It was a quaint little place right along St Charles Street. We were lucky to arrive early and get a seat in the bar area. Definitely should have reservations and we din't. Lots of people came in while we were there. The food and service were excellent.

After dinner we attempted to get the Uber App to work but were unsuccessful. So we had to walk about a mile to the Optimum RX reception at the House of Blues. It was the exact same band we saw 5 years ago when we were in New Orleans over Halloween weekend. Wew arrived a little late so we missed out on the food. We were able to enjoy the concert and have plenty to drink.

Tuesday I once again had to attend classes all day. Maureen had another enjoyable day and went to a New Orleans cooking school to learn how to make Gumbo and Pralines. That evening we were invited to dinner at Brennan's by Al Cardillo from the Savasta firm. Maureen seemed to hit it off with Al's wife Susan. We had a nice time but the wine I had with dinner didn't agree with the hurricanes I had prior to dinner me so we were back to the hotel afterwards. I felt terrible about that.

We flew out early the next morning and were home before noon.

Bethany Beach Triathlon

Jamie had been training all summer long to do the Outer Banks triathlon with her Uncle Dan on September 16th unfortunately it was cancelled due to hurricane Florence which had just gone through the state of North Carolina. She was very disappointed that her hard work wasn't going to end with the race. Anyway, we found out about the 1st responders sports weekend in Bethany Beach Delaware. They were having a triathlon the following weekend. After looking at it we were able to get registered for the event the following Sunday September 23. I booked a room at the Fenwick Inn about 10 minutes down the road in Ocean City, MD. I go the car loaded with some beach, chairs, toys and the bike and we left Saturday after lunch. It was  a little over cast but there were still people on the beach. We setup our chairs and Camden played in the sand. We checked out the water temperature which really wasn't that bad. The current and surf were difficult and noone was really in the water. We did however see someone practicing their swim.

Jamie and Maureen went to the 1st timers meeting at the firehouse later that afternoon. They were given information about the race the next morning. Good thing they went because the bike was not ready. There was some issue with the handlebars and the tires were extremely under inflated. Anyway, there was a volunteer there who took care of both issues and gave Jamie a quick lesson on getting the wheel on and off. Good thing they did that because she may have had tire issues during the race and possibly crashed. Maureen also had a few questions about spectating the race. I chilled out on the side of the Firehouse. There was a little common area with a few picnic tables and a small playground at the church across the street. The meeting took about and hour. After that we left to get checked in to our hotel. Once checked in we walked across the street and the 5 of us had a bite to eat and Bills Sandwich shop.

The next morning was race day. I awoke at 5 am and went down to the van. It was raining. At that point it was just a drizzle and not to bad.. According to other competitors it has never rained in the 10 years they had been having the race. The transition are was open from 5:30 - 6:45. We arrived around 6 Jamie got her transponder and got settled into the transition area. I wished her luck and went back to the hotel to get Maureen, Camden and Charleigh. I gathered them up and we headed back to Bethany Beach to watch the race. When we arrived the swimmers were already down the beach. We heard that officials has shortened the swim because of the conditions. It was only a 500 meter. Jamie left in the last wave with pink hats. Maurren watched from where you could see them come out of the water but somehow missed Jamie. Me and the children were over by the finish and saw here enter the transition area. Big smiles around when she saw us there. She had done the swim in like 10 minutes and was happy to get on the bike. The rain was coming down pretty well at this point. She did the 18 mile bike in just over an hour. She was very pleased with that because she had passed so many people during the ride. We were waiting under cover by the transition area when she came in. It was really pouring now. But off she went on the 4.6 mile run. She did it in 45 minutes and came hobbling down the boardwalk where we were all cheering at the finish line. There was an after party for participants at the Grotto Pizza right off the boardwalk. Jamie had a beer and some stuff to eat. It was still pouring when we left. We went back to the hotel got cleaned up, made a stop at Fisher's Popcorn and then headed home. It was a fun time for our family. Hope we do it again another year with other participants.

The Lakeside Inn Marco Island

Maureen and I visited the Lakeside Inn on Marco Island or a 2nd time. This time it was just for a 4 day long weekend. We left early Thursday morning with Jenna taking us to the airport on her way to work. The flight and drive were uneventful and we arrived there at about 1 PM. We met Anthony Flatt, but our room wasn't quite ready. We made a quick trip to the Publix then returned to get checked in. They room was the same one we stayed in 6 years ago when we were last here. We finally got to the beach around 3 PM. We used the public parking on the south end of the island. Someone had left a all day parking voucher on the ticket machine so we didn't have to pay the $8 parking. The beach there is very nice. The water temps were in the high 80's. We stayed a few hours then got cleaned up and went to CJ's on the Bay for the end of Happy Hour.

CJ's has a tiki hut outside with live music on the weekends. Boaters can pull in a dock right there. There is a very nice sunset view. The restaurant is attached and has a bar and dancing area inside as well. It started to rain after about an hour and we moved inside. There were quite a few characters working the dance floor and the two of us had fun watching them. We hung for a bit but called it a day about 10 PM.

The next morning we drove north to Lover's Key State Park It was about 15 miles off I -75 past Bonita Springs. It was $8 per car to get in. They offered a tram ride to the beach which was about 1/2 mile from the main parking. We were only the 2nd group on the beach that day. it was deserted. Later we found out it was most likely due to the Red Tide which had arrived a few weeks earlier and caused massive amounts of fish to die and be washed up on the shores along southwestern Florida. According to the news over 3 million pounds of fish had washed up along the coast. As we sat on the beach volunteers were still cleaning up dead fish and the smell was a little funky. After a few hours a wicked storm moved in and we took shelter in a gazebo there on the beach. Everyday we were there the rains came at about the same time 3 PM. My understanding is that is typical southwester Florida weather. That evening we went to dinner with Anthony Flatt the manager at the Lakeside Inn. We went to Snooks another cool place right on the water. We had been here before but it was now under new management. The food was quite good I had the grouper and Mo had stuffed shrimp. There was live entertainment as well. I enjoyed meeting Anthony and learning of the interesting places his career had taken him.

Saturday we found a great place to park for free. Turn left at Pinchers, go one block and there were about 15 parking spaces on the street. Beach access was right across the street and landed us right on the beach at the Marriott Beach club. There were chair and umbrellas for rent, para sail, jet ski, and paddle board rentals too. We just chilled on the beach and spent most the afternoon in the water. It was so hot and the water was the only relief. We did some shelling and found lots of live sand dollars as well as a few other cool shells. I'm bringing a few home for our Grandchildren. That afternoon we found a spa for Maureen to get a pedicure and I waited around in the brew house next door. That evening we had the most awful Chinese carryout. Found out later that is not the thing to get on Marco Island.

We checked out the following morning and visited with Anthony at his home near Bonita Springs. We went to lunch and then flew home later that afternoon.

Outer Banks 2018

Busch Gardens - We gave ourselves 3 1/2 hours for the drive left at 6 am sharp. Took rt 3 south through Waldorf avoiding any surprises on 95. With only 1 stop we made to Williams-burg by 9:30 and were in the park shortly after opening at 10 AM. It was a wonderful day in the park. Everyone got along so well, the kids were well behaved. We pounded sugar all day to power us through. There was a food and wine festival happening throughout the park. I had vouchers for 15 tastings. We used on variety of foods along with some craft beers. That, along with the free refill soda bottle did us for the day. We had a few other things as well. The attractions were enjoyable as well. A few more kiddie ride then I remember. There seemed at least one in every Country throughout. Camden did the Battering Ram twice. Pop pop got beat up on it his one time riding and didn't ride much else fort he day. All the big girls were able to do a few of the larger rides like the Griffon, Apollo;s Chariot and the Loch Ness Monster ride which was celebrating it's 40th year. We elected to skip the Scotty Mccreery concert that evening and attend the Celtic Dancing show int he Fyre Theater. We made the correct choice as we really enjoy the dancers and its up close in a good atmosphere rather than open air. A few more rides after that and we were out of there and back on the road to the Outer Banks. It took a couple hours to get there with Maureen driving the last hour we arrived shortly after Midnight.

Sunday was a gorgeous day at the beach. After grocery shopping was done we packed and headed there shortly after Noon. Camden was so excited and had a ball. i don't think he stopped going all day. In and out of the water, digging holes, finding shells, and making friends. He's still a little leery on the boggy board. Maybe a smaller one if we have another nice day at the beach.  Charleigh on the other hand is still a mess at the beach. She is not happy in the sand and appears petrified of the water. She cried almost the entire time we were on the beach. She quieted if given her pacy and held in a lap. The women had their hands full keeping the baby calm. Hopefully, she too will do better as the week goes on.
We picked up pizza later that evening at the Collington Pizza. it's a couple miles down Collington Road past Wright Brother's. Pizza was good but a little over priced. Got some wings too.

Dowdy Park = We passed this park last night on our way out for pizza, thought it looked like a cool place to visit, so we visited this morning. It's a relatively new park being built by the County. In fact there were construction folks there while we were there. It is right across the street from the YMCA. Jamie went on a bike ride while Maureen and I hung with the Grandchildren at the park. The kids had fun Camden and I played hopscotch and king of the hill. CK just loves the swings adn would stay int he security of the swings the whole time if you let her. We played around for an hour or so and then realized Jamie had biked back to the beach house.

We attempted to go to the beach later that morning but only lasted an hour or so because the wind was whipping and everyone was shivering in their beach chairs. We hit the liquor store the stopped at the DQ for a kiddie treat. We hung at the house that afternoon and went to the Jolly Rodger for dinner. Decided to go early 5PM because of buy one get one deal. Some where not happy with the choice of eating early? and did not eat. Anyway, it was a really cool place. Lots of lights and decorations, pirates, a cool little gift shop in the middle, reasonable  prices and friendly service. We'll return there for sure.

Wednesday was a beautiful afternoon at the beach. The water was easy 70 degrees and we all spent plenty of time entertaining Camden in it. On the other hand young Charleigh wanted nothing to do with it. The noise may have been what put the fear in her but it took quite some effort on everyone's behalf to convince her that the beach sand and water were the place to be. She cried pretty much all day but as the week went on she become much more accustomed to the beach and all that goes with it. Camden did very well wearing his life vest. He did super making friend, sharing and playing in the water. By Friday he was in pretty deep and ready to try the boogie board.

We ate  late that evening around 8 pm at the Blue Moon Grill in Nags Head. 45 minute wait turn into an hour but they had a decent musician playing outside. There was also a cool shark head Camden liked. Drinks were had while waiting and everyone loved their dinners. Especially, the cheese steak which Jenna had. It was huge and could have feed 2 but she managed to get it down. The fish and chips were good too.

Thursday Camden and I played miniature golf. We played the pirate ship mini golf place on 168. We played 18 holes in about an hour and then decided to play the other 18 for an additional 5 dollars. 2nd time through we only kept track of our hole-in-ones. We each had 2 and wound up getting a free play. Still have the coupon in the car.

Friday, was another nice day at the beach. We left that evening, knowing Camden and Charleigh would sleep most of the way. Got across the bridge off the island when Maureen remembered she had forgotten to leave payment for the cleaning person. We had to turn around and go all the way back. Not  a good start to our 5 hour drive.

Lake Gaston Summer 2018

Our family spent a good bit of time at my brother Mark and sister-in-law Kimberly’s vacation home on Lake Gaston this summer. We began Memorial Day Weekend. The water was already warm on the lake due to an unusually warm months in April and May. Camden and I were 1st in the water shortly after our arrival. Charleigh was very unsure of the water. She wanted nothing to do with it. She would scream and call for Mommy. Camden on the other hand did super. In and out all the time, constantly asking to ride boat or jet ski. He had his first experience on ski tube too over Memorial Day weekend. He did super for a 4 year old. Jamie continued to work on learning how to water-ski. We tried a ton but she just wasn’t gonna get it that weekend. She would eventually get it when we returned in July.

July 4th 2018 fell on a Wednesday, the only day of the week when working stiffs like us don’t get the extended long weekend, so we went from Saturday June 30 - Monday July 2. The fire department did their fireworks show Saturday night but the guy on the corner did not do a show as in years past. There were however various other folks shooting off fireworks over the weekend. The sunset was awesome before the fireworks. Max and his girlfriend Shelby were there for the weekend as well. Max went and picked up some barbecue at Grandpa’s. He had been at the lake a couple weeks prior with a group of his graduating buddies from Northeastern and they had tried the place. Max was leaving afterwards to begin his new job in Amsterdam. Shelby works for a railroad in Virginia. Camden and I attended church Sunday morning and then attempted to find a golf course.
The GPS took us to an old site were a community golf course had once been. We eventually found Lake Gaston Golf club the next day. They lost the greens so all we have done is hit balls at the driving range. It's really all Camden is ready for. Next year I'll let him ride the cart while we play. The Raimondo family arrived on Monday morning. They were there when we returned from the driving range. Amanda likes the water and riding on the tube. We couldn't convince her to give the water-skiing a chance. We really need a stronger boat. It would be so much fun pulling multiple skiers and tubes. It’s very difficult to slalom with only 90 HP motor. We should upgrade the speed boat this winter. We had a nice visit with Sherry and Jim. We left after dinner and made great time home. Maureen drove and did it in 3 1/2 hours.


Maureen, Jamie, Charleigh and I returned to the Lake on Saturday August 11th. We made great time and arrived at the Huddle House for breakfast at 8:15. We ate a huge breakfast and arrived at the house about an hour later. The Gurney's and Mark's family were already there. Mark and Eric were working on replacing a few boards on the dock. They finished up shortly there after and we had an enjoyable day on the lake. Alex had a couple buddies with him. Austin and CJ. They were harmless except for CJ spoke about some very off the wall topics that made folks feel uncomfortable. I doubt he will be returning. Jamie finally, got the skiing down. She did numerous long runs over the weekend. I used the white skis and had some nice runs too. I did a really long slalom run after kicking a ski off by the dock.

We visited Raleigh on Monday. Had breakfast at Mom, visited my father at the Sunrise facility, went and visited Mary Jo then ate dinner at the Mellow Mushroom. We then returned to the Lake House for another couple of days. That's the first we've stayed without Mark being there. Tuesday morning I took Camden to the golf course but The course still was using temporary greens so
so we hit a couple of buckets. I like the convenience of the golf course and look forward to taking my grandson there in the future.

The video above shows how far along Charleigh K has come this summer. All the time at the pool has really helped with her fear of the water. Camden is doing super with his diving too.

We visited the Lake one last time in October after Maureen and I returned from New Orleans. Jamie I and the kids left Thursday morning/ I believe it's the first I've been in the fall. The water was still in the 70's but we saw no one in the water. Camden and I did a bunch of fishing both from the dock and off the boat. We spent some time in South Hill picking up the reupholstered boat seats. We visited Occoneechee State Park on Friday, visited my Mother and Father in Raleigh on Saturday, then returned home to Crofton early Sunday Morning so I could attend the Ravens game with Maureen. This was the first fish we caught off the boat Friday afternoon. I watched another boater and learned how to anchor the boat closer to the shore so we could fish off the back end. It worked real well as we caught this guy by a grassy area on the other side of the bridge. Camden reeled him in and helped me get him landed.

Another trip to Niagara Falls

Maureen and I had made a short visit to Niagara Falls in 1992 while in New York attending my cousin Debbie's wedding. After 25 years it was time for us to visit again.
We caught an early flight and arrived in Buffalo at 9AM, picked up a car and some refreshments and arrived at the State Park around 11am. The weather forecast was calling for chilly temps and some light rain. We were prepared and actually found it refreshing being out of the 90 degree heat we left at home. Everything about the park was different than I had remembered it 25 years ago. The walkways, overlooks and buildings were all updated and modern. Parking was very easy although it was $10 for the day. It was convenient to the falls, restaurant, ticketing and gift shop  They offered a package deal for the Cave of the Winds, the Maid of the Mist but we passed having done it before. We walked through a good bit of the park exploring different parts of the river and Gorge.

There were numerous trails in the Gorge with many smaller falls and rapids. We so enjoy people watching and there were plenty to see that day. The picture above  Jenna found in one of our scrapbooks and posted it to Facebook on Mother's Day.

Sunday we visited Toronto Canada. Our GPS told us it was 90 minutes away and the weather was scheduled to be nice. Our first stop in Toronto was St Michael's Cathedral. It was right downtown in the center of Toronto. We attended the 10AM Mass. It was spectacular church and the children's choir made the service nice. The organist was amazing too. I enjoyed the young priest whom said mass. He spoke from the hip and had a very calm voice. 

After that we visited 2 neighborhoods in the city the first was Parkland. We had hoped the festival from the previous day was still happening but it wasn't. We explored the neighborhood and shops. There were quite a few Vintage clothing stores. We had lunch at a little sidewalk cafe across the street from the Cadillac Lounge. On the advice of folks sitting next to us we thought best to visit the harborfront . The BlueJays had a game that afternoon at the Rogers Center. My idea of attending that game had been nixed because of Mother's Day and the fact that neither the Nats or O's were playing. Anyway the harbor front was nice. Nothing going on but you could tell it would be nice in the summer months. It was cool seeing the CN Tower. We could see folks hanging off the side at the top which is one of the tourist attractions. They also offer a glass floor room at the top that offers spectacular views of the city. $26 each to go up. We passed. Saw the game let out from the Roger's Center. Too many BlueJay fans for my liking.

On the way back to Niagra we stopped in on the Canadian side of the Falls. The view of the falls from the Canadian side is better in my opinion because you can see the river. The Canadians have really commercialized the area. Tons of eateries and tourist spots. It looks more like a boardwalk and has everything that kids would love to do. We took in the view of the Falls and then hung out at the Niagara Brewing Company and watched some of the Caps Lightening game.


We caught a 7AM flight Monday morning and was able to get my girl to work on time at 9am.

So Long Maddie

After 14 years we said goodbye to our long time family pet Maddie. Here she is shortly after arriving in 2004. She was such a good friend to my little girl Jenna. We'll all miss you Maddier RIP.

Iron Valley Snow Tubing

I had purchased a groupon for 2 for $28. The normal lift ticket is $22 per person. The groupon was about to expire and we had no choice except to go on Sunday morning after church. It took a little less than 2 hours for the drive toi Lebanon. I couldn't help thinking of Aunt Mary as we made that drive. Her  and George lived there all those years. We arrived a little after 12 and the conditions were bad at the time. They tried to tell us not to pay but we really had no choice since the groupon was about to expire. The crowd really wasn't bad at all. There are 2 areas for tubing. One for older kids and adults and one for little kids. We spent the day at the larger tube park. There is a tow rope to pull you and your tube back to the top - or you can walk up the hill.
We found the staff to be very friendly and helpful.
Staff regulated when you started your ride - they had 4 of 8 lanes operating at one time. They made sure the end of the ride was clear of riders so you didn't have to worry about someone walking in front of you as you finished your ride.
There are tables outside where you can sip a cup of hot chocolate between runs. There is also a small seating area inside near the snack shop which had soft pretzels, hotdogs, beverages and hot chocolate. You can eat at the Miner's pub. From the dining room you could see the tube park. Prices are moderate and there is a 10% discount for snow tubers. 
The parking lot is directly in front of the tubing area - which was nice. We kept snacks and extra gloves in the car and could easily make a stop at the car between rides. 

Camden and I stayed for 3.5 hours. Towards the end the day the runs got much faster as we blazed to bottom of the hill. By this time the crowds were gone and we had no wait. I think I had more fun the Camden.

Celebrating David Bowie

We went to see the Celebrating David Bowie Tour at the Fillmore in Silver Spring MD last night. We just returned from Costa Rica and had to hustle there as soon as we pulled into the driveway. We arrived fashionably late and missed the first few tunes.

It’s hard to believe that two years have passed since David Bowie’s death. His untimely passing was a huge shock, but his music and influence continue to reverberate throughout the culture at large, from his final mesmerizing Black star album to the flood of covers and tributes that have popped up since his death.

To honor Bowie’s memory, a collection of his former bandmates came together last year to form Celebrating David Bowie, a tour of rotating musicians playing homage to all eras of Bowie’s career. Spearheaded by longtime keyboardist Mike Garson, Bowie’s most frequent collaborator who performed over 1,000 concerts with The Thin White Duke, along with guitarists Adrian Belew and Gerry Leonard, and special guests including Fishbone’s Angelo Moore (various stops of the tour will also feature performances by Evan Rachel Wood, Sass Jordan, and Joe Sumner, among others) this iteration of the tour imagines what a Bowie live show would look like in 2018, with a setlist spanning his decades-long career.

Here is the Set List:

Bring Me the Disco King
Rebel Rebel
Moonage Daydream
Fame
Changes
Space Oddity
Quicksand
Stay
The Jean Genie
Five Years
Lady Grinning Soul
Station to Station
Ziggy Stardust
Time
Wild Is the Wind
All the Young Dudes
Suffragette City
Young Americans
Changes

Encore:
Loving the Alien
Life on Mars?
Aladdin Sane
Heroes

Our trip to Costa Rica

We arrived in Costa Rica on Saturday February 3, 2018 at 1pm. It was very easy to get through customs and find our rental car agent outside of the terminal. We got a quick ride to the office and picked up our little Suzuki car. We then had about a 30 minute ride to the Pacifico Resort in Guanacaste Province. I met this guy in the picture while Maureen was checking in. We got checked in and made our way to our beautiful 3 bedroom Condo. Pacifico is a very secure gated community right of the strip in Coco. The only drawback about the condo was the very steep hill you had to climb to get into the building.  That afternoon was spent lounging around the pool. We met some Canadian folks visiting Pacifico for a couple months. I sure could find myself returning here for a couple months once I retire. The weather is just perfect during January and February. That evening we explored the town a bit and visited a local grocery store.

Sunday was another relaxing day. We didn't want to venture far because we needed to find a good place to watch Super Bowl 52. There was some concern because we couldn't stream the game in a foreign country on our Fire Stick. A fellow at the pool provide us with info in Mr z's.  We got there early around 3:30 and were able to get a nice table with good TV views from many different angles. There was a nice specials on buckets of Budweiser for $11. They had a bunch of block pools and Jenna was so close to winning until the New England kicker missed the extra point right before halftime. The game sure was exciting. John was clearly rooting for the Patriots and was quite disappointed with the Eagles Win. Afterwards it was nice to hear that Tom Brady and his family vacation here every year too.

Monday morning Maureen visited the Concierge in the office to look into some excursions and we elected to go on a Yacht cruise that afternoon. We had heard about sunset catamaran rides but they were unavailable since one of the boats was in for repairs. Anyway the boat ride was quite an enjoyable experience. Costa Rica is quite different when viewing it from the water. The Captain took us out around Monkey rock to a secluded island where everyone was brought ashore for snorkeling and paddle boarding. After that we were shuttled back to the yacht, feed a nice Costa Rican style dinner and then saw an amazing sunset on our return to Playe de Coca.

Tuesday we ventured out in our car to a little beach town called Tamarindo. It was over an hour drive from where we were staying, The drive was somewhat unnerving because of the lack of street signs. Once into the town we parked in the first parking lot and paid the attendant $10 to park and watch our vehicle for the day. Another $15 got us chairs and umbrella for the day as well. The beach was beautiful, sandy white with blue water. The only downfall was the wind. It was howling. We ate lunch at a local soda and left the town at 4:30 to avoid driving back in the dark.

Wednesday was an excursion day. We bought our adventure pass for Diamante Eco Park online. We could of just purchased the ticket there and avoided an online service charge. Either way the cost of admission is worth the price. We started our day right from the welcome center on a zip line. The attendants were very helpful,  We all felt comfortable and secure. The five runs where average excerpt for what they called "Superman" a 3000 foot  run with beautiful Pacific ocean view. It was really quite spectacular. After zip lining we spent some time in the animal sanctuary learning about local birds, snakes, turtles and other animals. After about an hour we caught a shuttle back to the welcome center for a Costa Rican style buffet lunch. I had a nice salad and a couple plates of food. Afterwards we returned to the animal sanctuary and then  visited the beach area where we went snorkeling, relaxed in hammocks and rope swings. I took a kayak into the ocean too. That evening after we returned to Pacifico Jenna and I went to Murphy's,  a pub within walking distance of the resort. We met the owner, who was quite friendly. He had moved to Costa Rica 4 years earlier and had opened the pub. Quite the character

Thursday the girls wanted to spend shopping. So we hit every little nick knack place in town. It was quite exhausting but we did manage to get a handful of souvenirs and gifts. Then we spent the afternoon at the pool. Once again we met some interesting people from Canada. The lady was very helpful in giving us directions to the Father Rooster restaurant where we were thinking of having dinner that evening. Later that evening we ventured out again and found our way to Father Rooster's. It was right on the beach about 5 miles from where we were staying. The girls hung out on the beach while I walked along and checked the area out. Later we had some drinks, apps and pizza. The had rope swings and very comfortable padded seating outside or inside. 

Friday was when Jenna had planned on leaving to go to Houston Texas. It would wind up being her last visit to the area as she decided to break things off with the guy she was visiting. So after we dropped her at the airport we planned an outing to a waterfall that was about and hour north of the airport. Llanos de Cortez is considered to be one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful waterfalls. The falls are wide and wispy, with thin streams of water tumbling along the mossy rocks. Rocky cliffs are visible through the transparent cascade. 

At the base of the falls is a nice pool that is good for swimming or wading, and there is a sandy area to just hang out and relax. We both went swimming and I even climbed up under the falls.There were even a couple of vendors set up serving cold drinks and snacks like grilled chicken kabobs. We were not looking forward to the return to the car and we able to bum a ride on a bus filled with seniors on a group tour. 

On the way back we stopped at the beach in Playa Hermosa. Quite the beautiful beach and ly about 10 miles from where were staying at Pacifico. We were kind of disappointed we hadn't found it earlier in the week. Jenna would have really liked it. Easy street parking with short walk to the beach. If spending the day you would want to pay someone to park and watch the car. 

Very excited to say we're going back in 2019. 2nd week of February.