WHERE HAVE I BEEN

Here it is almost two months into 2019 and I haven't posted the first word in the new year. I tried to post a couple of times right after the first of the year but for some strange reason I found that I was locked out of my account. While I could access all of my other Google accounts I could not log in to my blog.

After several weeks of emails and trouble shooting, I am back.  I make it a habit to change my passwords every two or three months.  At the beginning of the new year I changed the password for my Google account along with my email accounts.  It seems that all of the google account accepted the new password but for some reason my blog account did not and for some still unknown reason it no longer accepted my old password.After a lot of emailing back and forth my account was reset and I was able to reset my password and access my accounts.

So, what have I been up too since my last post.  Well, not a whole lot. With the new year come a new round of appointments, including doctors, dentist and yes the dreaded tax appointments.

My Beach Front Accommodation

I did manage to escape the cold weather of Virginia for a brief two week vacation in Florida. Two friends of mine who are also retired spend several weeks each year on Anna Maria Island and they year they talked me into joining them for a couple of weeks.

Anna Maria Island Sunset

The company he worked for has a large building that they have turned into 14-individual apartments that they rent out to their employees and retirees.  It is one large room that features a king bed, full kitchen, living area with recliner and sofa and a full bath with walk in shower.The room I had looks out on the Gulf and I am just a few steps from the beach.  And the Sunsets were simply magnificent.


During my stay the folks back in Virginia suffered some of the coldest weather of the year with temperatures in the single digits. The coldest it got was 48 a couple of nights and 57 during the day.  The rest of the time we enjoyed day time temperatures in the 60's and 70's.

The Beach View from my Apartment.

It was a wonderful way to get a way from the cold and even though I only spent a week on Anna Maria Island and another week traveling around Florida, I enjoyed the time immensely. So much so that I intend to spend about a month on Anna Maria Island next year.

Outside of my Florida Trip the rest of my time has been consumed with routine chores and appointments.

2018 was an extraordinary year, which saw me take a 32 day trip across Texas in March, Followed by a two week tour of Kentucky and a year end Amtrak Trip from Roanoke to Arizona where I spent three weeks traveling about the Grand Canyon State. It was a jam packed year filled with adventures and great times.

What do I have planned for 2019? Well, first off, this will be the first year since 2001 that I will NOT be attending the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.  In the past my march trip has centered around the first and second rounds of the tournament. Because I have purchased Tournament Tickets in the past I was allowed to sign up for early purchase option.  In the past I would receive an e-mail with a unique code that would allow me the option to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the public. This option allowed me to get good seats in the lower bowl of most arenas.

However this year, I didn't receive the e-mail with the early buy purchase code and when I attempted to buy when they went on sale to the public, all that was left was nose bleed seats in the upper deck. So I opted to by pass the tournament this year an take about a little two-week trip. Where?  I am not sure yet. I may look at the NIT Basketball Bracket and see if I can't squeeze in a few game at the NIT Campus Sites.

I have also explored the option of taking an extended summer trip by driving across country, but that is looking more and more like a 2020 Trip.  More Realistic trips may include a traveling around the Presidential Sites in Ohio, and a late summer or early fall trip through New York and New England. Those are still in the planning stages. We will see what happens.

I did enjoy the three day bus trip to Pennsylvania and New York Last year and I am looking at a couple of Sunshine Tours, to occupy my time between my trips.

Well, that should catch us up and I hope to get back on some kind of schedule now that I have all of the technical problem worked out.  Until then, I'll catch you later.