Watching it rain in Vancouver

We've been home since Feb. 23, after spending a few days in Honolulu on our return from New Zealand. Suffice to say that the winter weather here in the Pacific Northwest is a bit different from either NZ or Hawaii - which is one of the main reasons we got out of here in the first place. It's been particularly cold & rainy this winter with only a few really pretty, sunny days that invite you to go outside. We went on an easy hike in the Columbia gorge last week (Washington side of the river) along the Pacific Crest Trail. We were able to go about 5 miles along the gradually ascending route before we entered the snow zone starting around 1500 ft. and had to go back. Had lunch in a nice clearing next to a stream amid the snow covered trees and plants. Was OK as long as the wind didn't find us - warm enough at any rate with the sun reflecting off the snow. Made for a good stretch of the legs by the time we got back to the car.

We'll be heading out on May 1 to go visit Mike, Jennah, Kevin & the grand kids in Georgia. Will be taking a leisurely drive cross country and visiting some National Parks along the way. Looking forward to seeing Yosemite, Zion and Monument Valley on the way across. Also looking forward to stopping by to visit John & Faye Jackson in Mountain Home, Arkansas. John was an NFO in VS-29 with me back in 1975-77, and we went thru Pax River together in the same TPS class in 1978. Haven't seen them in nearly 30 years. It will take us about 2.5 weeks to make the trip, arriving in Valdosta on the 18th where we'll be staying in a 1906 victorian home in the older section of town - a place we stayed in back in December of 2007 during our first visit.

We'll be taking our sweet time on the return leg too, starting June 1. Looking forward to seeing my old Naval Academy roomate Don Tanaka & his wife Susan in Cincinnati, then continuing on to see the Black Hills, Mt Rushmore and Yellowstone on the return. I've also booked a special 40th anniversary weekend for Rita and I from June 6-9, but can't divulge the location just yet - keeping it a secret from Rita for as long as possible.





We really miss New Zealand. Although we've been there several times now we still marvel at the sheer beauty of the place and the abundance of wildlife. Unlike the hikes we've taken in other places, where the sounds of the forest are silent (Europe) or muted (US & Australia), the forests in New Zealand are always alive with sound. It really is a special place on the earth. Have included a film clip of one of our Kaka friends during our stay on Stewart Island - one of the places we hope to return one day.