Technical difficulties solved on Day 4!

If you really want to be "in the know" for this wonderful trip, consult Jane's blog at

http://journeyswithjane.blogspot.com/. If you want to hear from the technically challenged quarter---stay tuned. I have had no power to my computer at the other hotel for some reason. It seems to work well from this great hotel, though. I've even been able to change my blog back to English from the Turkish I found when I logged on!

Enough! We're having a wonderful time with a fantastic group of travellers. Margaret is my roommate. Ferrell has a truly fantastic itinerary for us and makes sure we see the important things.

The Turkish food has been a delight. Fresh fruits and vegetables are plentiful and tasty. Watermelon, strawberries, apricots and sour plums are everywhere. The Turks eat the sour plums with salt, I am told. Eggplant (aubergine) dishes are popular along with cheeses, wonderful breads, olives, figs, raisins, and yogurt and yogurt based sauces and soups. Soup is eaten at any time of the day, even breakfast. I'll tell you about the desserts another day, but suffice it to say that they're eaten all during the day, not just with meals. Hot tea is served in a small glass that we would use for juices.

Flowers and trees have many similarities to Florida. Fig trees are abundant, healthy and prolific. Vineyards are in many yards, along with mulberry trees. Roses are everywhere and dark green with no sign of black spot. Tulips have just finished blooming. Geraniums and many familiar bedding plants are growing. Acacia trees are in white bloom. Many trees are very old and have huges trunks for their kind.

Cats are everywhere you look. I'm presuming that many are feral cats. Margaret and I watched several cats on a neighboring roof to our hotel in Istanbul. They were lounging in one spot and close by a big bird sat in an unconcerned manner. Dogs seem to be second class citizens, many looking lethargic and sad. Maybe it's all those cats!

It's getting late and our 6:00 wake up call will come before you know it. Hope all is well with everyone there. We're walked about 25 miles today, so we're tired! Good night to all.

Lucy

Catch Up Info

I've been taken to task for not posting often enough, so I'll do a little catching up today. I failed to share a picture of my daughter, Wyndy and her sons, David and Joshua. The size of those boys is making me feel old! It was so good to see them.

Last weekend I went to Savannah with two other "girls." We had a kind of AARP slumber party! Went to eat at the Lady and Sons (Paula Deen's place) and also to her brother's establishment, Uncle Bubba's Oysterhouse. We made tons of pictures.

Tomorrow is another big travel day. I leave at 9:25 from Tampa International for a tour of Turkey and Greece with a Greek Isles cruise thrown in! I'll be travelling with Jane and Olen and several other friends from other times. Margaret from Madison AL will be my roomie. Stay tuned for travel info which will be different than most reported by Jane on her blog: http://journeyswithjane.blogspot.com/. I'll be covering flora, fauna, and food among other things. We will be visiting the sites of the seven churches of Asia of Revelation, Patmos, Rhodes, Athens and Corinth. Ferrell Jenkins titles this trip "Steps of Paul and John." Tomorrow I'll fly from Tampa to New York JFK, then to Munich and eventually to Istanbul, Turkey, arriving on Tuesday. Please pray for our safe travel.

Grandkid exercises

Wow! What a great visit! Three active grandkids can help you burn off some calories! It can also exercise your mind answering the million questions they can ask. As always, we had a wonderful visit with Ted, Jennie, Andrew, Rachel and Daniel. A teeball game, playing BananaGrams, lots of pretend, and a trip to Brenham to the Blue Bell ice cream factory kept us moving. The beautiful Texas bluebonnets are in full bloom along with Indian paintbrush. I'm so thankful for God's gift of family and flowers.

On the road again---

I am so blessed today! How many people get to spend the day with a parent on their 93rd birthday! As an added blessing, Mother is able to travel with me to see Jennie and family in the Houston area! We spent last night in Daphne AL, just across the bay from Mobile. After checking in to the hotel, we found the parking lot of a birding trail overlooking the bay. Last trip we had seen a large alligator sunning himself on a canal bank in South Carolina. Mother had commented that we couldn't go home this trip without seeing another alligator. Well, we found that one last night! He was another large one. I suspect people from the restaurant on the shore feed him, as he seemed unaffected by people nearby.

Thank you, Lord, for the mother that I have had and the good example she is to me. She's a hard act to follow. Today I truly "rise up and call her blessed." Proverbs 31:10-31

Lucy

The Blog Plunge

It seems that the thing to do presently is join in with the blogging craze. Since I frequently travel, this blog will answer the question I hear so often---"When are you leaving and where are you going?" It will also keep you up with my doings along the way.

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to seeing my oldest daughter and 2 grandsons, 17 and 15. They've come to Florida for Spring Break with family friends for Florida sunshine and a little fishing. Welcome and glad to see you all!

This first entry is a trial run for navigating the blog. More later.