(Ohh… so much to add to this post still…..)

The entire family headed to Grand Cayman for a week of Caribbean relaxation and scuba diving.  David’s mom (a.k.a. “Nana” to the grandkids) and Aunt Judy were also invited.  It was a wonderful situation for everybody.  Kids and relatives got to spend time together, we got to scuba dive without fretting about the kids, and Nana and Judy got a nice vacation and time to relax.

(plenty more to post later.  For now, just a stub to the picture.  Here’s the deal with the pictures… I’ve loaded the same set to two places.  I want opinions about which place you prefer.  Where do you like the layout better?  Which is easier to browse?  Or more responsive? etc. )

Pictures - location #1

Pictures - location #2

Categories: Family, Scuba, Sports, Travel
No Comments »

Beth decided that she needed a vacation before the new baby arrived.  Although she considered some more exotic locales, in the end, the best option turned out to be relatively close to home.  So in May, we packed up the car and drove down to San Antonio.  Alexa had a fantastic time at SeaWorld, and she still loves to wear her Shamu t-shirt and make the Shamu ‘whale tail’ splash.  She enjoyed all the animals in the shows as well as the dolphin feeding, the aquarium, and the penguins, but she wasn’t a big fan of the acrobats at the dolphin / acrobatics show.

The next day, we went to the San Antonio Zoo, where Alexa was excited by all kinds of animals.  Rhinos, elephants, giraffes, monkeys, lions, and lots of kangaroos.  As she watched the flamingos, Alexa kept practicing on one foot to be like them.  At the end of the day, we even rode the mini-train around the park.

Categories: Travel
No Comments »

May 5-12, 2005

Thursday, May 5
This trip to Cozumel was planned exactly between nursing baby #1, Alexa and trying to conceive baby #2. This would be our first time away from Alexa, as Nana and Frampa offered to keep her. So, Thursday after work we piled all our diving and vacation gear in the car along with Alexa and Libby and headed to Houston. We arrived at 11:00pm, and went to bed quickly after a short visit.


Show me more… »

Categories: Scuba, Sports, Travel
No Comments »

We started our stay in Paris with Notre Dame and then the Eiffel Tower. We had both been to Notre Dame before, and it was as beautiful as ever. We actually went up into the Eiffel Tower, something neither one of us had done before. Since it was late afternoon and the tourist season was a little low, there were very short lines. We rode all the way on the top, changing elevators half way up. The view was spectacular from up there. It is a very large city, but you can see the Seine river winding its way past the Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Notre Dame, and Hotel Invalides. You could also see Sacre Cour up on the hill in the far distance.


Show me more… »

Categories: Travel
No Comments »

We arrived in the Loire Valley a day early because of the train situation in Chamonix. We also had a wild adventure renting a car in Paris because the trains weren’t leaving there either! We arrived in Amboise mid-morning. Our B&B was Chateau de Pintray, an award-winning winery only a few minutes drive from Amboise. We spent much of our time in the valley touring the chateaux of the region. We also made sure to sample the local wines.


Show me more… »

Categories: Travel
No Comments »

The highlights in Provence were a bullfight in the old amphitheater of Nimes and a rafting trip in the Gorges du Verdon. We spent the first day going to the Pont du Gard, an old Roman aqueduct remarkable for its size and how well it has withstood the test of time. It has 3 levels of arches, and it spans a wide river. It is amazing what they could build in the 1st century BC.

Show me more… »

Categories: Travel
No Comments »

The final portion of my MBA program involved a series of international seminars. After a week in London, a subset of the class continued to Lyon, France for an optional collection of additional seminars. Beth joined me for this portion of the trip and from there we headed off for two weeks of a beautiful vacation throughout France. Here are the journal entries that Beth recorded for her scrapbook during the trip. (Someday, we’ll actually get the pictures scanned into the computer, too.)


Show me more… »

Categories: Travel
No Comments »

September 20-27, 2002
Shelley Walker and I took a fantastic girls trip to Bonaire for a week-long diving vacation. It is a sister island to Aruba and Curacao, collectively, the ABC Dutch Islands. It is in the south caribbean, away from most hurricant threats. It is known for its terrific shore diving. We stayed at the Plaza Resort Bonaire and used Toucan Diving on their property. The divemasters were fantastic, and the boat rides were niced and short to all the incredible reefs. Fish life was abundant, and I FINALLY saw a turtle!

Show me more… »

Categories: Friends, Scuba, Sports, Travel
No Comments »