Christmas in Valdosta

Just finishing up a very enjoyable Christmas visit with Mike, Jennah, Kevin and the grand babies in Valdosta. It's been a nice family time for all of us. Mike was informed just before Christmas that he was going to have to deploy to Qatar starting January 12, but was able to get leave the week after Christmas so we headed down to St. Augustine for a week on the beach (in the sunshine). What a nice change from the Pacific Northwest!

Here are some photos:




Granddaughter Makenna looking all grown up



Mike and Jennah heading out to the Squadron Christmas party. What a little love Jennah is. Mike shines up pretty well too.


Nana with Makenna



A nice family shot






Christmas morning




Shane fascinated by a robot toy


The beach house we rented in St. Augustine was a real delight...right on the beach and only 10 minutes from Old Town and the Fort. It was a real treat to wake up in the morning to views of the ocean, and to be able to meander along the huge stretch of beach looking for shells with the kids. Total relaxation.


Part of the view from the rear of the house



Shelling with Grandpa



Looking up at the house from the beach below


At the Fort in St. Augustine





Rita and I hadn't been back to St. Augustine since the early 80's when we lived in Jacksonville, and had forgotten what a neat place it was. They do have some tacky tourist stuff, but mainly it's a very charming Old Town across the street from the old Spanish Fort. Lots of old streets and neighborhoods to explore, and of course lots of little shops and restaurants to temp along the way. Made for some pleasant outings just meandering about the town. Gets pretty steamy here in the summertime, but winters are typically gorgeous as you can see.


A family photo op



Obviously a Hawaiian girl



Mike and Shane relaxing on the beach


Shane going at it with the new Ipad.

While we were in St. Augustine we were able to reconnect with Bill and Patty Kennedy, a former Skipper of mine from VS-28 from many years ago, who drove down from Orange Park for brunch on Sunday morning. Great to see them both again. Bill and I made an Indian Ocean cruise on the Independence back in '81, then a Med Cruise in '82 that was punctuated by an ejection during a Cold Cat shot...so we do share a few memories and experiences from our Navy careers.

The week at the beach passed much too quickly. After returning to Valdosta Mike was busy checking out and getting ready to depart on the 12th. We were supposed to fly home on the 10th but got caught up in the snow and ice storm that hit Atlanta and north Georgia about that time. Our flight was cancelled, then rescheduled, then cancelled and rescheduled again as Delta has tried to clear the backlog of stranded passengers. No big deal for us since it just enabled us to spend a few more days with the family. We're scheduled to leave this afternoon (the 14th) and so far traffic appears to be moving again on a regular schedule, but we'll believe it when we land in Portland later this evening. Till then, flexibility is our middle name.