French Riviera

The Villa in Grasse that was our home for a week, dates to the 14th century.





Cannes is hosts to the film festival every year.

The homes along the Mediterranean are breath-taking.

St. Tropez was made famous by Brigdet Bardot.

Gourdon is a historic village in the Alpes.

Amtrak Empire Builder to Seattle.

Williston, North Dakota - center of the fracking industry

The Amtrak Empire Builder train runs from Chicago to Seattle.  It is a two day trip that travels through the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Utah and Washington.

Canyonlands National Park

Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico

Arches National Park

Arches National Park

The Four Corners Area of the United States is home to many National Parks and Monuments.  Among them are Canyonlands, Arches, Zion, Bryce, Mesa Verde, Hovenweep, Monument Valley,  Glen Canyon and Lake Powell.  They can be visited in a circle of the states of Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. 

Bryce Canyon

Glen Canyon Dam

Zion National Park

Mesa Verde

Monument Valley

Spotsylvania

Manassas

We continued our quest to explore Civil War battlefields to coincide with a trip to Washington DC to experience the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Manassas

Fredericksburg

Civil War History - March, 2012.

The 150th anniversary of the Civil War beckoned us to discover more of the history.  We began in early March to visit some battlefields in Tennessee and Mississippi.   

Fort Donelson

Shiloh

 

  Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River in Tennessee was our first stop.  Here is where the Union General Ulysses S. Grant would accept nothing but "unconditional surrender" and thereafter was known as US (unconditional surrender) Grant.

Chickamuaga

 

Stones River

There were more Union than Confederate casualties at the Battle of Shiloh, however it resulted in a tactical victory for the North.

Most Civil War battles were fought in open fields.  Chickamauga was an exception.  It took place on wooded terrain.

Chattanooga

 

The charge up Missionary Ridge at the Battle of Chattanooga is considered one of the greatest charges of the Civil War.

There were 23,515 casualties at the Battle of Stones River.

Las Vegas - 2012

January 20th was our 50th Wedding Anniversary. We celebrated with a trip to Las Vegas. It has been many years since our last visit. We are not big time gamblers...but we enjoy the "glitz & glitter" and love the entertainment. Las Vegas sure has changed since our last trip. The "old" hotels and casinos are gone...making way for more. We stayed at the MGM Grand - Signature Suites.

It has been a anniversary tradition for us to visit a Hard Rock Cafe. This year was no exception.

Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery

Key West Florida

Tournament of Roses Parade - Pasadena

The Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena has been on our "must do" list for quite some time. We finally made it come true. We left Wednesday, 12/29/2010 and traveled to Los Angeles to join the YMT tour. The tour took us to Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood Bowl, the Reagan Presidential Library and the J. Paul Getty Center. The Kodak Theatre, Hollywood Walk of Fame and Grauman's Chinese Theatre were also among the attractions.

Included in the tour was a behind the scene glimpse into the world of float building. The history of the Rose Parade was presented and we had a chance to see the floats up close as they were being built.





The Hollywood Bowl has quite a special place in the lexicon of Los Angeles. It is a venue where the "elite" and the "common" share a bond. All entertainers want to play there. It has played host every form of entertainment.




The Hard Rock Cafe has always been one of our favorite stops. We have a collection of T-shirts from each one we visit.

The float building begins a year in advance. The design must be approved before the building process can take place. Every part of the float must be covered with flowers or organic material.















The parade covers a 5 mile route down Colorado Boulevard. A crowd of 700,000 people line both sides of the street.

It was very difficult to pick a favorite float. They all were magnificent. Here are two of the more that forty.















The Reagan Library and Museum in Simi Valley provides a breath-taking view of the country side. The highlight of the museum is the Air Force One Pavilion. It houses the Boeing 707 that served seven presidents.


Traveling on I-405, the Getty Center can be seen on the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains miles away. The museum's five pavilions houses paintings and sculpture and much more. In addition, the architecture and landscaping are truly remarkable.