We are saving our money we usually use for our annual winter get-away and are using it on a vacation in Switzerland in this summer. So, we managed to go to Hilton Head Island as we had planned a long time ago and had a nice time in spite of the wet and cold weather. We stayed in a Marriott timeshare that we traded for Marilyn's on Grand Cayman Island. The property was nice, but way too cold to use the lovely pools. We did entertain ourselves with shopping on rainy days and exploring the region on the sunny days. I even managed to locate and visit a previously unknown Bliley relative a few miles away and on our route from Hunting Island State Park to Hilton Head.

Hunting Island State park was a real treat. The island is almost totally wild with a large lighthouse and plenty of places to fish, hike and enjoy nature. We walked the beach that was devastated 24 years ago by hurricane Hugo. Hundreds of feet of beach were stripped away by the waves and seven tourist cabins were destroyed along with the roadways serving them. The debris field on the beach was eerie and also beautiful. It was surprising that so many of the large trees still are there, albeit naked and on their sides.

We also manage to visit several nature parks on the island and enjoyed seeing the luxurious homes that cover much of the islands. We hope you have an opportunity to visit there someday. It is a beautiful place for a summer vacation and a safe place for kids.

And, if you are into golf, there are no less than 26 public and private courses on the island of twelve miles by six!

Click here for a gallery of our Hilton Head activities.

We did not have enough of the greater West and decided to move a bit south to the desert areas of the southwest. Destinations included: Colorado, Arizona Sites: Bryce Canyon, Sunset Creator National Park, Phonon, Tucson, Tubac, Santa Fe, and Bisbee. Zion National Park, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Utah. Taos, New Mexico, Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC. Click here for a short gallery of these activities.

Marilyn had a fight with a cactus on the patio of my brother's condominium in Tucson. She was trying to do a good deed and sweep some leaves off the patio. She inadvertently, stepped on the edge of he bricks, rolled her foot, and fell over on the nearby cactus. The cactus won and she was picked by many dozens of needles on her hands and legs. Using white glue, I was able to pull out most of them after the glue dried. Click here to see the damage and removal technique. (CAUTION: The gallery contains images that may be uncomfortable to some viewers.)

After a very wet spring, we finally got some decent weather that allowed us to get on with some projects and social activities. These included hiking in the woods, attending a wedding in Erie, freshening up the gardens with new plants, and a special visit from Chuck's brother, John and his wife who live in Boulder, CO. A good combination of work and pleasure. Click here for a short gallery of these activities.

O.K. This is not exciting, but several family members and friends asked for an update on this project. It started in October shopping for a vendor and we settled on Home Depot. Interesting salesman/designer. Said he was an architect. Maybe he was, but he screwed up several important things and we were very upset and frustrated. Then, the delivery of the new countertops went from two-weeks lead time to six weeks. We had cabinets of the wrong size, microwave set too high, cabinets incompatible with the molding, cabinet set too high, exposed untiled floor, and a leaky temporary sink. The installers left with the dishwasher not hooked up and no garbage disposal in the temporary sink arrangement.

We got through it all and find many beneficial improvements. Not the least of which is the dishwasher is a foot further away from the sink and we no longer have to worry about stepping back and tripping over the open door. Now, we have to repaint the kitchen as the new cabinets and countertops are slightly different sizes. Photos cannot do the new cabinets justice, but here is the photo gallery.

After four years of engagement, we finally tied the knot! For details, look at our wedding site.

Wedding Galleries of Other Family Members

Elizabeth Bliley - Michael Waring (Chuck's Daughter, August 10, 2002)
Rebecca Bliley - John Hicks (Chuck's Niece, August 6, 2006)

For the third year in a row, we went to Naples, Florida for a month. This year, we stopped t Hilton head, South Carolina for a week in a timeshare. The weather was unusually cool and sweaters were frequently worn during the daytime. Hilton Head was an interesting experience with lots of luxury homes and plenty of areas to take walks and explore. Due to the cool temperatures this winter, the community was virtually dead. Many people stayed at home. That made navigation easy for us, but a bit lonely. We had several nice days with temperatures in the upper 60s that allowed us to walk on the beach and through the woods. I really loved being able to get out into the wild areas on the island.

Naples is now a place in which we are really comfortable. It too was cool but temperatures were much more mild than in Hilton Head. Still, of the 31 days we were there, we got into the condo complex's pool only three days! The average temperature was in the upper 60s to mid 70s. Better than was going on at home, but not much better. The cool weather also kept people away from Naples. The downturn in the economy also hurt Naples. We regularly walked though upscale neighborhoods and found a large number of homes for sale. Still, we found a new home being built along the gulf shore in Naples. It was built on a $15 million dollar "teardown" of barely an acre of land. The new single-family house of 47,000 sq. ft. is estimate to cost a minimum of $75 million. Apparently the downturn in the economy does not effect everyone! You will find photos of this construction and more in our getaway photo gallery.

The trip was wonderful, but after six weeks away from home we were ready to get back to the place we call "home" with it's rolling hills and the ability to take a walk in the woods without carrying a gun. ;-)

It is shaping up to be a busy holiday season as usual with activities here in Rochester coupled with Christmas in New Jersey with Marilyn's grandkids, and the annual holiday trip to Erie. Until it is all over, and photos and stories posted on the Web site, you can read my Christmas letter here online.

We both love the fall and try to make a trip, no mater how short at this time of year. This year we decided to go to Maine, a place that neither of us has visited before. It was a delightful time punctuated with great weather and some wonderful experiences. Our trip was timed to try and catch some fall foliage and avoid the summer tourists. We met our goals and were even surprised at how small the crowds were at many places.

Our route took us across the southern end of Vermont and New Hampshire, to the coast of Maine. Bennington, VT was our first stop at a B&B. The most memorable part was the breakfast with the best French toast we had ever had. It was garnished with mandarin oranges and an orchid! We visited a Victorian farm with a mansion for a house. The drive east was delightful through quaint villages all along the way.

Ogunquit, Maine, was our base of operations and a delightful small community of tourist stops and a delightful shoreline walkway called "The Marginal Way". We walked the beaches and visited many shops in Ogunquit. After a couple od days, we ventured on to our real destination, Acadia National Park, near Bar Harbor. Acadia N.P. exceeded our expectations and was filled with spectacular scenery and trails. We exhausted ourselves on the trails, but we did not complain about the pain in our feet a legs. We saw the park mostly in glorious sunshine and on the last day partially covered in fog. The fog is more common in these parts than sunshine, so it was good to see it both ways.

On the way back home we stopped at the L.L. Bean store in Freeport, Maine. It was HUGE! and very impressive in other ways. We drove through the middle of New Hampshire and Vermont with a obligatory drive through the Adirondacks State Park in New York. The trip home was filled with beauty and frustration as we tried to take scenic and secondary roads to avoid the expressways. We probably traveled on two dozen different county, state and national highways between Ogunquit and Rochester. It tested our patience but there were benefits in the exploration of new lands and scenery. I felt like my parents taking this trip with the requisite red coat or sweater for Marilyn to stand out in the photos. ;-)

We both agreed the scenery at Acadia N.P. was as impressive and inspiring as any other place we have visited on other trips. We made a pledge to return to the Maine coast and explore the inland areas as well on another trip in a few years.

Of course we took a few photos and distilled them down to under a hundred. For those who like to have the sweets first, look at the gallery of scenic highlights.

In August we celebrated the 90th birthday of the world's best mother-in law, Virginia Noble of Erie, PA. What a wonderful time. For full details with photos and videos of the activities, please look at her Web page.

We still seem to be on a treadmill going here and there on a regular basis. It was Florida for a month in March, and more recently, trips to Erie and various family affairs. The gallery includes a few photos from Florida, my grandson Nathan, Marilyn's church choir singing the National Anthem at local minor league baseball game, visits with an old friend and the first 90th birthday party celebration in Erie for Chuck's mother-in-law. We are having another party in Erie August 22nd with an even large number of people. The boat luncheon was hosted by Virginia's nephew, Ron Roberts, now of Phoenix, Arizona. What a treat!

Of course, we are still making regular outings into the Rochester area hiking and taking in sights around here.

My annual trip to Erie for the Christmas and New Year's Eve was delayed by weather. We had hoped to spend New Year's Eve with Virginia and my old friend Dave Bodner. We had our bags packed, but the weather was too threatening to leave. It was postponed by two weeks, but our spirits were still gay.

While we were there, we completed our planned New Year's Eve activities with an iMax movie about exploring caves and dinner at an old haunt, the Colony Pub and Grille. My life-long friend Dave Bodner joined us. The movie was spectacular and the dinner great. The restaurant had a small band that played jazz and popular tunes. Virginia asked Dave to dance and he accepted. It was great fun to see the two of them out on the floor, especially 89-year-old Virginia in her socks. She said, her boots were too hot!

While we were there, Virginia shared some stories as she sorted some old photos in a shoe box. It was great to see them laugh and so animated.

Virginia was exhausted by the dinner and dancing, so I took Marilyn on a tour of Presque Isle State Park, "the peninsula", that us Erieites love so much. She had seen it in the summer when it bustles with thousands of people, but it took on a different pallet of colors and textures in the middle of winter and with a temperature of 7 degrees!

Of course, there were photos taken of such momentous events. Look here for them. :-)

Our first real date was a trip to Letchworth State Park, NY October 25, 2005, just two days after our first face-to-face meeting in October 2005. That first date was exciting and a bit scary for both of us. We arrived at the park at the peak of fall's glory that year. It was a and exciting day, one that we have attempted to repeat every year since then.

This year we were blessed with a gift certificate on Christmas from my daughter and her husband. It was for a night's lodging at the famous Glen Iris Inn, a hundred-forty-year-old house that became and inn and restaurant in 1914. We made reservations for a date as close to that first date three years ago.

The park has never disappointed us; this trip was no exception. The accommodations were great and food just as good, the sights even better, in contrast to a dismal weather forecast.

Of course, there are a few photos to share with you of the events of the day. Check them out by clicking here.