A Traveling Girl

A Beautiful Day of flying in south Florida

2010-09-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

Only a few short weeks left of flying in south Florida, so we are flying every chance we get. Also taking more photos than usual, hoping to capture the beauty of the area. This photo is my new favorite photo.

A Few More Florida Photos

2010-07-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a few additional photos from a beautiful weekend of flying in Florida.

A Beautiful Weekend of Flying in Florida

2010-07-26T17:42:00.001-07:00

Well, I haven't posted in months, and thought I'd post a few photos from our weekend. We were supposed to have stormy weather, but instead it was pretty nice. We really enjoyed flying up the coast of Florida for dinner at the airport at Vero Beach. There is a nice restaurant at the airport and a lot of local Florida retirees come there for dinner. It is a fun place to fly in and very pretty. Even though we are both looking forward to moving to Texas -- I do think we will miss a little of these beautiful Florida sites.

Venice

2010-02-09T10:44:00.001-08:00

A few more photos of Venice.

Venice

2010-02-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

Venice is a really special and unique city. It was a much larger city than we expected. We had bad weather there, but it was still fun.

The Vatican

2010-02-09T10:17:00.001-08:00

Vatican City is a separate soverign state within Rome, and home to St. Peter's Basilica and some of the world's most famous art. I am not a huge fan of art, but the thing that was the most spectacular of everything was the Sistine Chapel. The famous ceiling that was painted by Michaelangelo. He started painting it in 1500. Here are just a few of the tons of photos we took.

Luis loved this ancient ruin area

2010-02-09T10:06:00.000-08:00

This area is called the Castel Sant'Angelo, rising above the river. It served as an army barracks, papal citadel, imperial tomb and medieval prison. Today the 58 room museum traces the castle's near 2,000 year history.

The Coliseum in Rome

2010-02-09T09:53:00.000-08:00

Another spectacular area of Rome -- the famous ancient Coliseum. The city has built up around this gorgeous ruin area, and you literally walk down a street and turn a corner and run into this gorgeous site. The whole city is breathtaking.

One of my favorite areas of Rome

2010-02-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

This beautiful area is located right next to the famous Forum area, which is very near the Coliseum.

Luis at the Parthanon in Rome

2010-02-09T09:33:00.001-08:00

I love this photo of Luis

The Spanish Steps in Rome

2010-02-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

This is one of many gorgeous and famous places in Rome called the Spanish Steps.

Rome

2010-02-08T17:11:00.000-08:00

We just returned from a fabulous trip to Rome and Venice. I was very fortunate to be able to go along with Luis on a business trip, and he was able to spend a few extra days with me exploring all the sites. I absolutely love Rome -- all the beautiful historical places. The city is 2,750 years old which is really hard to comprehend. Here are just a few of my favorites.

Check out our new Golf Cart

2010-01-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

We bought this cute little golf cart to help us move our plane in and out of the hangar. Because of the hurricane "lip" of the hangar, it is difficult to push it back in. We were going to buy a "tug", but found this nice, used golf cart. It is really fun to drive, and we can actually drive it around the airport.

Back to Florida

2010-01-03T05:57:00.001-08:00

And after two weeks of travelling in our small plane, we are now back in beautiful Florida. We spent the night in Daytona Beach because we were too tired to finish flying home. What a beautiful sight to see the beautiful beaches of Florida after flying over so many places of frozen tundra.

Landing at Charleston, South Carolina for fuel

2010-01-03T05:52:00.000-08:00

We landed at Charleston on our way home for a quick turn around. Charleston is not only an international airport, but also an Air Force Base. So here are some photos of the very large military airplanes based there.

One last visit to Williamsburg before we head home

2010-01-03T05:48:00.000-08:00

After spending time in Yorktown, we went back one more time for some hot apple cider and to walk the roads of Williamsburg.

Yorktown, VA

2010-01-03T05:44:00.001-08:00

Here are a few photos from the quaint little town of Yorktown.

Yorktown Battlefields

2010-01-03T05:40:00.001-08:00

A few more photos of cannons from the battlefields in Yorktown.

Yorktown, VA

2010-01-03T05:32:00.001-08:00

I think Yorktown was our favorite place of the three historic sites that we visited. This is one of the original colonies. It was not as commercialized as Williamsburg, and it felt more authentic. I was surprised when visiting one particular historic battlefield -- I thought this was only an area from the Civil War, and I was surprised to read that this was also the site of some battles from the Revolutionary War. Obviously it has been a long time since I studied American History, or I would not have been surprised by this info. We thought of Scott many times as we walked the battlefield sites, and looked at the many cannons. Some of these photos are especially for him, but I hope other people enjoy them too. It is a very special place.

Williamsburg, VA

2010-01-03T05:24:00.000-08:00

It was cold and blustery, but we really enjoyed walking along the historic roads of Williamsburg. We had some fabulous hot apple cider that warmed us from the inside out. The area reminded me a lot of the George Ranch outside of Houston, except that these houses are from the 1600's, so they are older. Most have been restored. Here are just a few photos from this beautiful place.

Atlantic City

2009-12-31T16:04:00.000-08:00

Before we landed in Atlantic City for more fuel, we took a short sight seeing flight down the coast to get these photos of the casinos there. It was very pretty.

The Statue of Liberty

2009-12-31T16:01:00.000-08:00

Absolutely gorgeous!

Flying over New York City at 8500 feet

2009-12-31T15:53:00.000-08:00

We flew from Boston to Atlantic City where we made a quick stop for fuel. We flew over New York City at 8500 feet, of course talking with the New York Air Traffic Control while we did so. They could not have been nicer or more accommodating with us as we flew over their air space. We were surprised that the air space was not busier. It was a spectacular flight and the views were breathtaking.

Saying Goodbye at airport near Boston

2009-12-31T15:50:00.001-08:00

Rafa, Miles and Ethan took us to Norwood Airport where we had our plane parked. It was the first day of good flying weather in the week that we visited them. It was a great visit, and they stayed to watch us leave.

Visiting Miles' Private School

2009-12-31T15:47:00.001-08:00

Miles attends a very exclusive private school for boys outside of Boston. We went to tour the facility, and it was gorgeous. Here are just a few photos from the school. It was brutally cold that day -- in the 8-10 degree Fahrenheit range with very strong winds, so it felt way below zero.

The Next Generation

2009-12-31T15:45:00.000-08:00

Here are Miles and Ethan playing with their DS's. They both wear headsets and were oblivious to most things around them when they were playing.

Kimi and Ruby in Boston

2009-12-31T15:39:00.000-08:00

This is Kimi and Ruby from our family Rafa and Marjory outside Boston. They also have another dog Jack who is 11, but he was already outside in the cold when I took this photo. Because he has longer fur, he did not need a coat to keep warm. Aren't they cute in their little coats?

A View of Manhattan from the air

2009-12-24T13:46:00.000-08:00

You know, considering how bad the weather has been across the country this past week, we make exceptional time in our cross country flight to Boston from south Florida. We were thinking about how many people have been stranded in various airports across the U.S., and with that in mind, we feel very fortunate to be able to fly ourselves here to visit family. The weather was perfect for us the entire way. The only "bad" weather we had was quite a bit of wind. Here are a few photos of our view of Manhattan as we were landing in New Jersey where we visited Luis' aunt and uncle for an overnight stay. It was thrilling to see Manhattan this close from the air in our own plane.

Seasons Greetings from Boston

2009-12-24T13:37:00.001-08:00

We have flown ourselves to Boston for the holidays, and arrived safely yesterday. It was a fabulous flight from Fort Lauderdale -- it took us 3 days to get here. It is gorgeous here and very cold. Funny we have forgotten how cold it can get after living in Florida for two short years. There is lots of snow on the ground, and Miles and Ethan made this gorgeous snowman.

Flying in an Open Air Cockpit

2009-11-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

The absolute best part of our day at the pilot and air show was that we were taken on a demo flight in an open air Waco airplane. It was thrilling and was a great treat.

Photos from Tampa AOPA Summit

2009-11-07T17:04:00.001-08:00

Here are some fun photos from our day of looking at planes and talking to lots of pilots. It was a fabulous day.

AOPA Tampa Summit

2009-11-07T16:53:00.000-08:00

We just returned home after 3 days in beautiful Tampa. We went to a summit for pilots and airplane owners. There were meetings and seminars, interesting people, and of course lots and lots of beautiful airplanes. Here are a few photos from our trip.

Luis in Kenya

2009-11-04T07:34:00.001-08:00

this is the open air vehicle that Luis was in

The Lion was Luis' favorite animal

2009-11-04T07:24:00.000-08:00

He was so close to these magnificent beasts -- kind of makes your heart skip a beat

I love the Zebras

2009-11-04T07:08:00.000-08:00

I would really love to have seen these beautiful zebras up close.

Luis with a rhino -- up close and personal

2009-11-04T07:02:00.000-08:00

Amazing that he was able to get so close to this huge animal. Turns out these rhinos are friendly to humans.

More photos from Kenya

2009-11-04T06:55:00.001-08:00

I finally got more of the photos from Luis' trip to Kenya last week. Here are just a few of my favorites.

Their Land Rover got stuck in a hole

2009-10-25T13:19:00.001-07:00

And their Land Rover got stuck and they had to get out and help. Oh my goodness. And not stuck in the mud because the Masai Mara where he is staying is in a very serious drought -- I guess the truck got stuck in one of the holes that were caused by the ground cracking from the drought.

This is a little too close for my comfort

2009-10-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

This photo shows how close his Land Rover got to a lion on the prey. That is much too close for my comfort. But I do enjoy the photo.

The Hippo family living beneath Luis's tent in Kenya

2009-10-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

He said he could hear the most incredible noises in the night. In particular this large family of hippos was making a lot of noise immediately beneath his tent.

Tent where Luis is staying in Kenya

2009-10-24T10:32:00.001-07:00

Here is a photo of the tent where Luis is staying in Kenya. He said he has a family of hippos living below his tent on the river. He can hear their breathing and noises so loud, it feels they are just outside his tent. He said they are as close as the pool in our building is from the gym on the 4th floor.

Photos from Kenya

2009-10-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Luis is on a business trip (right) in beautiful Kenya. Here are a few of the first photos I am getting from him. Looks amazing.

Photos from Houston

2009-10-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

A very beautiful Callie and Samuel (and I'm not prejudiced at all)

La Boca

2009-10-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

La Boca is one of the original settlements and the oldest part of the city of Buenos Aires. It is near the port, and now is mostly a tourist area, with colorful store fronts. There is extreme poverty in this area and we understand that it is not a safe place to go at night. We did not stay long -- just long enough to snap a few photos. This was one of those rare times when the photos were better than actually being there.

Friends and Family in Buenos Aires

2009-10-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken on a beautiful Sunday afternoon -- we were at Puerto Madero which is the port area of town that has been undergoing a huge renovation over the past few years. It is now a very popular tourist part of town.

A Trip to the Buenos Aires Zoo

2009-10-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, we took Lauti to the Buenos Aires Zoo. It was a gorgeous day, and we had a really nice time. Here are a few of my favorite photos.

Lauti's 9th Birthday

2009-10-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

We are in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and we went to Lautaro's 9th Birthday Party today. We all had a great time. He had at least 30 friends -- the facility was a great place for a child's party. It was very nice, and we are so happy to be able to be here for his birthday. Here are just a few photos from the happy event.

Flying over Fort Lauderdale Int'l Airport at 2,500 feet

2009-10-03T19:12:00.001-07:00

This is the view while flying directly overhead of the Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport at 2,500 feet. It was awesome.

The View from Aventura looking south towards Miami

2009-10-03T19:08:00.001-07:00

We were flying at about 1,000 feet over the shore while flying south. This beautiful view is from Aventura looking south towards South Beach and Miami.

Florida is so Beautiful

2009-10-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

What a gorgeous day of flying today. We flew to Marathon Key for lunch -- we had the most delicious lobster sandwich and crab cakes. The weather was spectacular and it has just now begun to marginally cool off and is now really comfortable to fly and not melt from the heat. Here are just a few of the great photos from today's flight.

Great Friends from Argentina

2009-10-03T18:09:00.001-07:00

Luis had friends visiting from Buenos Aires yesterday. We had this day planned for quite some time. Miguel and Any met us at the airport and we flew them to one of our favorite places -- the Airport Tiki in Port St. Lucie for lunch. Then back home for lots of shopping, a little sight seeing, and some great pizza. It was a very special day with lots of quality time, and even though we couldn't understand each other without Luis interpreting, it was still a great day.

A Beautiful Weekend of Flying

2009-09-21T05:04:00.001-07:00

We had a fabulous weekend with lots of hours flying around beautiful Florida. It is beginning to cool off a bit so that is making it more enjoyable too. Saturday we flew to Ocala in central Florida, and Sunday we flew to St. Petersburg in beautiful Tampa Bay. Great fun.

Abe & Diana's visit

2009-09-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

Abe & Diana are visiting from New York. These photos were taken at one of our favorite little places called Lighthouse Point, Florida -- not very far from home.

An Early Evening Flight

2009-08-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

We changed our Friday night routine, and went for an evening flight. Our plan was to fly up the coast to Vero Beach for dinner, but after we left, the weather went stormy on us and we had to turn around. But it was a gorgeous time of day to fly, and even though we had to change our plans, we still had a good time. There are a few photos showing some spectacular cloud formations. The weather changes all the time here in Florida, and can change very quickly.

Photos from a beautiful day of flying

2009-08-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was a beautiful day, and we had a great time flying north along the east coast of Florida for lunch at New Smyrna. It was a gorgeous day and not too hot, which made it much nicer.

Bathing Beauties in Florida

2009-07-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

I saw this cute window display in a store Friday night and got the idea for bathing suits for my bears. Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love my bears. My bear collection has shrunk over the years but I still get a lot of joy from them, and this was an absolute blast looking for bathing suits that would fit two of my bears. Only in Florida.

The Airport Tiki

2009-07-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

This is one of our favorite places to fly for either breakfast or lunch. It is called the Airport Tiki and is located at Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie, which is just up the coast from Fort Lauderdale. The airport is a port of entry for the country and it has a Customs office, so we usually see a nice variety of planes and jets that are fly in. It is a really popular place for local pilots -- the aviation fuel is cheap and the folks are very nice. They even recognize us now. It is a beautiful flight up the coast and we always enjoy the view.

Flying to Venice, Florida

2009-07-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

We flew to Venice, Florida on Saturday morning for breakfast at this really neat diner at the general aviation airport there. The chef is quite sophisticated for such a casual diner, with lots of unique choices and several healthy choices. On the way back, we flew around some major storms in the area which made it more challenging and quite beautiful flying around the major cloud buildups. We landed back home safely in a light rain just before the major storm hit our local airport. It was a great morning of flying.

The Pier in the Bahamas

2009-05-11T14:33:00.001-07:00

I loved the pretty pastel colors of the shops in the Bahamas.

Two Huge Cruise Ships

2009-05-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

Here is our ship beside a huge Disney cruise in the Bahamas. Look up at the back of our ship -- that is a climbing wall!

We thought Caleb & Callie would like this photo

2009-05-11T14:13:00.001-07:00

This was outside a fun looking ice cream shop on Paradise Island, and I thought that Callie and Caleb might get a kick out of this.

Here I am at one of my favorite places

2009-05-11T14:09:00.000-07:00

This was taken at the Starbucks on Paradise Island. It doesn't get much better than this!

the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas

2009-05-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

What a gorgeous resort. Maybe we will go back and stay there one day. On Friday, they had a little spare time when they did not have to work, so Luis and I took a water taxi over to this gorgeous hotel and walked around. I have wanted to see this place for a long time, and it did not disappoint. It was so very pretty.

A Fabulous Cruise

2009-05-11T13:36:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a short cruise to the Caribbean. It was a business trip for Luis with 35 other people from his company representing various countries across Latin and Central America, as well as about 6 other spouses in our group. We were on the Enchantment of the Seas and sailed out of Fort Lauderdale. Because of the swine flu scare, the ship had been redirected from Cozumel to Nassau in the Bahamas, and that was fine with me as I had not been there. Then we stopped in Key West on our way home which was really fun. We know Key West very well and have been there many times, but it was really fun and also very unique being there on a cruise ship. Here are a few photos from our trip.

Mar del Plata

2009-05-01T11:32:00.001-07:00

Mar del Plata

2009-05-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

The family at the beach at Mar del Plata.

A Few More Photos from the Party

2009-05-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

SURPRISE

2009-05-01T11:14:00.001-07:00

Here are a few photos from the 80th birthday surprise party for Luis' mother, Ines.

Luis, Lauti and Julian

2009-05-01T11:09:00.001-07:00

Two Carnival Cruise Ships in Key West

2009-04-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

As we were leaving, I snapped this shot from the air. There are two Carnival Cruise ships docked at the Key West dock.

More Key West photos

2009-04-07T11:38:00.001-07:00

These photos were taken from the air as we were leaving.

Disney Cruise docked in Key West

2009-04-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

The Disney Cruise was docked in Key West while we were there. The ship was huge. Look at the color of the water -- it almost doesn't look real, but this is the actual color.

Beautiful Key West

2009-04-07T11:30:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a fabulous weekend in Key West where we were celebrating our wedding anniversary. We had a fabulous time. It is such a beautiful and very special place. Here are just a few of our photos.

The two of us

2009-03-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

Here we are at today's bbq.

Just a few of the planes from today's fly-in

2009-03-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

A Fabulous Day of Flying

2009-03-21T18:13:00.001-07:00

We had the most fabulous day flying today. We flew to a bbq that was held at the fly-in community where John Travolta lives in central Florida. We had to make reservations a week in advance, and were given a 15 minute period of time when we needed to land. It was about an hour and half north of where we live, so we had to time it just right. It was very busy, with lots of other fellow pilots and their guests flying in. There were everything from experimental airplanes all the way up to jets. The bbq was great, but even better was meeting other local pilots who share our passion. It was a fabulous day. The only thing that would have made it better was if John Travolta had come over to join us. We did see his mansion as we were flying in and it was gorgeous. Attached are just a few photos of our day.

Flying Among the Clouds

2009-03-21T18:09:00.001-07:00

I just love these photos that were taken as we were flying around the clouds today. They were spectacular.

Best friends

2009-03-06T18:21:00.000-08:00

This is Nelda and me enjoying an afternoon Starbucks in South Beach in Miami.

Sheryle & Luis on South Beach

2009-03-06T18:17:00.000-08:00

Interesting Photo

2009-02-23T07:26:00.000-08:00

I love these photos taken in Saint Augustine. I especially love the shadows of the palm trees on these gorgeous buildings.

Visiting historic Saint Augustine

2009-02-23T07:22:00.000-08:00

We flew ourselves to Saint Augustine for the weekend. It is such a gorgeous historic place and really lots of fun.

Flying Over the Clouds

2009-02-23T07:08:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken while flying over West Palm Beach at 6500 feet, flying over the clouds. It was a gorgeous day in south Florida.

Downtown St. Petersburg

2009-02-23T07:05:00.001-08:00

I love flying into the Albert Whitted General Aviation airport in downtown St. Petersburg. Really beautiful place.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2009-01-01T08:03:00.000-08:00

To all my family and friends who follow my blog, I want to wish us all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009. Happy trails.

Sheryle

The best of friends

2008-12-18T17:29:00.001-08:00

Luis, Edgardo & Martha

2008-12-18T17:26:00.000-08:00

Martha & Andrea at the Hard Rock Casino

2008-12-18T17:24:00.000-08:00

Nadia and Andrea on Fort Lauderdale Beach

2008-12-18T17:22:00.001-08:00

A Gorgeous Sunset Photo

2008-12-18T17:12:00.000-08:00

Nadia really loved to take photos, and she caught this beautiful shot while we were driving back over the bridge from Biscayne Bay driving towards Coral Gables.

Edgardo, Martha, Nadia & Andrea visit from Buenos Aires, Argentina

2008-12-18T17:05:00.001-08:00

Luis' best friend from childhood, Edgardo, came for a visit with his family. They stopped here in Florida for two days on their way to spend the holidays with Martha's family in Monterrey, Mexico. We crammed a lot of sight seeing, shopping, eating, and visiting into two short days. It was a great visit, and a highlight of our holiday season so far this year. It was very special being able to spend quality time with good friends.

a Couple more Photos of the Boat Parade

2008-12-15T10:14:00.001-08:00

Winterfest Boat Parade in Fort Lauderdale

2008-12-15T09:58:00.001-08:00

Saturday night, we went to the Winterfest Boat Parade. There were about 100 boats and yachts that there decorated with Christmas lights and the parade started downtown, down the river, and then down the Intracoastal Canal. There were thousands of people watching, and the parade was really pretty. The photos are a little blurry, but you can get an idea of what it looked like.

Lauti with his trophy

2008-12-05T16:38:00.000-08:00

Here is Lauti with the trophy he won for his team winning the soccer championship. Congratulations.

Lauti's soccer team wins championship

2008-12-05T16:25:00.000-08:00

Lauti's team won the " 2008 Inter-School Cup" !!! They are the Champions!! Congratulations to Lauti and proud parents, Graciela and Rudolfo

The Head Family

2008-12-01T18:15:00.001-08:00

Here are a few photos of the Head family taken in Houston during the Thanksgiving weekend. I love these photos. They make me smile.

New Orleans Lakefront Airport

2008-12-01T17:58:00.000-08:00

The New Orleans Lakefront Airport is primarily used for general aviation planes, and is a beautiful place to land. However, three years after Hurricane Katrina, it is a very sad place that is still in serious need of repair.

New Orleans Jackson Square

2008-12-01T17:46:00.001-08:00

This is the famous New Orleans Jackson Square in the French Quarter. On our return trip from flying to Houston for Thanksgiving, we stopped in New Orleans for fuel for the plane and lunch. This part of New Orleans received minimal damage from Hurricane Katrina, and thus it looked pretty much like normal -- which was really beautiful on this gorgeous day. The rest of the city, however, is still in really bad shape.

Seaside, Florida from the air

2008-12-01T17:43:00.001-08:00

a beautiful view of Seaside, Florida from about 1,500 feet. This was the magical real-life town where they filmed the movie The Truman Story.

Luis in Seaside

2008-11-23T19:47:00.000-08:00

Just enjoying vacation ... relaxing and beautiful place.

Seaside Beach

2008-11-23T19:42:00.001-08:00

This is our new favorite beach town in Florida -- Seaside Beach. This is the little town where they filmed The Truman Show, the movie with Jim Carey. It is hard to believe this is a real place because it is so beautiful.