Bavarian Manor Vacation

Just returned from our summer vacation at the Bavarian Manor in Purling, NY. in the Catskills. Above is the front porch; really enjoyed it. A nice place to decompress. They had a German restaurant open Thursday through Sunday and the food was delicious. My doctor will probably kill me. I feel like a gained a couple of pounds. It is an old inn first opened in 1865. The present owner has had it in her family for the last three generations.

Below are a few more photos to savor..........
The view from our room-above.


the lake on the property

Potato Pancake appetizer.........Excellent



The inn itself.......

Warriors and Quiet Waters.........

I just stumbled across a not for profit to which I think I'll make regular donations. As a veteran, its the least I can do to help our warriors returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Its called Warriors and Quiet Waters. It involves taking soldiers recently returned from the Middle East and taking them to Montana in groups of 5 or 6 to do some fly fishing for a week.


This is a quote from their website.

"In our program, volunteer guides and companions meld together with recently wounded warriors for six days of therapeutic fly fishing instruction, fishing, and recreation on the rivers and streams of southwest Montana. The wounded warriors receive a break from their medical treatment and are given instruction in the lifetime sport of fly fishing. At no charge, each wounded warrior is provided with transportation, accommodations, meals, and a complete fly fishing outfit, theirs to keep, valued at approximately $3,000 per wounded warrior! Result – wounded warriors experience a relaxing, rehabilitative, enjoyable, activity and a lifetime sport skill they can enjoy the rest of their lives. "

what a great idea. I love to fish myself so I can attest to its therapeutic value. So in addition to my other causes, now goes this one. Being so close to retirement, I won't be able to give them a lot but every little bit will help.

Finally, I OWN my Ford 500........!!!!!!

After 5 long years, I just made the final payment on my beloved 2006 Ford 500. Free at Last!! We'll wait and see how long it lasts now. I really love the car. Its roomy and comfortable. Great for long trips. It gets about 28.5 mpg on the highway. I've attended to it religiously over the years. She has 91,500 miles on her now. I will attempt to bring her into 200,000. I'm not thrilled with the 500's replacement, the new Taurus is the same car with a few more refinements and a lot more bucks. So when this one finally dies, I'll be hard pressed for a choice.

True to form, Ford sent me a brochure on the new 2012 Taurus when they sent me the letter releasing the lien. Not anytime soon folks!! As long as she rolls, she's going to stay in the driveway and carry me faithfully back and forth to work :-)

Preparing for Retirement............

will be retiring in a couple of years and am cutting back on disposable income. I have very few subscriptions left, I don't donate as freely as I used to. Its funny but when I stand back an take stock of what's left, my love of all things maritime certainly stands out. Gone are ALL my Civil War subscriptions and newsletters. Those that remain are: The U.S. Naval Institute, Zuni Maritime Foundation, U.S. Coast Guard Tug Association, Friends of the Hunley and the National Maritime Historical Society as well as the Nomadic Preservation Society (The ship built to tender the Titanic). I will keep up the annual donation of a wood burning stove to an Indian Reservation out west and monthly donations to my Sister's/Daughter's NFP Four Legs Good to help with Trap Neuter and Release program....Oh and then there's Netflicks:-)

I've cut up a couple of credit cards along the way as well and debating on dropping a third. No telling what the economy is going to be like in a couple of years. The car is now paid off. Hope to make it last a while longer. If we go on holiday, I'll go away closer to home to save gas and wear and tear on me and the car...

Such is life.......

Trying out a new place for a vacation

What with gas prices going up and things in general costing more, we looked around for an alternative. We spent the last 4 years at Herrington Harbor just south of Annapolis on the Chesapeake Bay. It was a beautiful place and reasonably priced, but quite honestly the last two years there have been unbearably hot.

This time around we found an inn in the Catskills. A place called the Bavarian Manor. It sits on a hundred acres of woods, walking trails and a lake. Its about the same price as Herrington Harbour but its only a 2 hour drive as opposed to 5 hours so less time in the car and less gas. Just hope it lives up to expectations. I'll be taking a lot of photos there for sure.

I've been Skyped!!!

For Christmas my son gave us a webcam. We set it up on Skype today and its really great. We can now talk to our grandchildren who are on the left coast and see them at the same time.

We tried it out today but the grand kids were out at day care. Will try it again tonight when theu come home.

Max Cries For Attention

This is Max, a somewhat worse for the wear Feral Cat that my sister & daughter rescued as part of their work with Four Legs Good (click link in my favorite links column on the right). He has really had a rough time of it and right now is quarantined to make sure he's going to be alright. I wish I could adopt him once he is eligible, but Regina is allergic to cats. So someone else will get him. I hope they do right by the little guy. He needs some TLC for sure.