Monthly Archives: May 2025

Stateside Merrymaking: OK and TX

Leave a reply

Tulsa Oklahoma is my next stateside stop.  I came here to visit my dear friend Jamie whom I met in Austin over 25 years ago.

We spend a lot of time catching up at her house and enjoying some fine dining.  She also takes me to get the best pedicure of my life.  The pedi included warm neck towel, free refreshments, sugar sub, hot stone rub and gorgeous toes.  We also attend a fabulous balance and posture class.

We Are Back in Austin, Texas

Our first stop is Gonzales where we meet up with Donald and Ruth.  We used to sail on their boat called “Ruthless” and learned so much from them!  They’ve become family since we first met in early 2005.  We met at the Cow Palace and camped out for hours as we caught up.

Of course Matt and I had to stop at the world’s largest Buc-ees!  I love this place!  They are known for having the most gas pumps and the cleanest bathrooms!  But I love it because you can buy groceries, home goods, have lunch and oh so much more.

Lake Day!

Our friends Josh and Sara and their daughters Avery and Riley took us out on Lake Austin!  It was a perfect day with beautiful weather, decent waters, and few boaters!

Avery showed off her wake boarding and surfing skills!  This girl has talent!  Matt got up and surfed goofy footed!  He did an amazing job considering it has been years since he surfed!

We passed by the 360 bridge (iconic to Austin) and Ski Shores restaurant which was packed. 

We also came across some great art on the lake front.

The Barkers

We enjoyed spending several days with Matt and Diana in Austin. We are hoping they come back to Sugar Shack soon.

One of my priorities was to fix my hair! I had not had it colored in over a year and it was a HOT MESS!  

Wendy at Deseo Salon has been taking care of me for over 27 years!

Restaurants and Eateries

There were several places we HAD to visit including: Maudie’s, then Torchy’s Tacos, Taco Deli, Hula Hut, and Rudy’s BBQ.

Hula Hut dinner with John and Missy!

And it would not be an Austin visit without a stop at Amy’s Ice cream!

Our stateside visit was been packed full of good friends, great food, and fun adventures.  We are so blessed!

Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual live events. 

Matt and I visited the stateside (OK and TX) the last two weeks of March.

I played hard in LA and SFO.  Check it out in the last blog post.

Stateside Merrymaking: LA and SFO

Leave a reply

It is always a whirlwind when I come stateside.  I try to see my family and friends in a short amount of time.  It is always a lot to squeeze in.

My stateside visit started in Los Angeles with my sister Kimberly.  We really enjoyed some beautiful walks including this one in Palos Verdes.  We had a clear, beautiful day and then stopped at the Yellow Vase for some hot drinks.

Celebrating the end of the week with Kimberly and her husband Troy at Rockefeller.

My beautiful friend Kathryn at Descanso Gardens.  There was one cherry blossom tree in bloom, lots of beautiful trails, and several ducks frolicking in the river and small falls.  Kathryn and I met while we both worked at Advocate, MD 16+ years ago.

We celebrated Deborah’s birthday at Palmilla Restaurant on the Hermosa Beach Pier.  I met Deborah in Austin, TX around 25 years ago.

San Francisco

I took a whirl wind trip to San Carlos for a day to visit one of my sweetest friends.  I met and lived Jeannie back in the very the late 80’s in Hermosa Beach.  It was a super quick, but truly amazing visit.  Her husband Srinivas and son Sanjay were home to make it a truly wonderful celebration.  Jeannie and I met in the early 1990’s, lived together for many years and have remained close friends ever since!

Family Time

Kimberly organized a big brunch for the family.  My Aunt Donna drove over 2hours (one way) from San Diego (top left).  My Aunt Diana and Uncle Mark drove an hour (top right).  M funny and sweet uncle Matthew drove an hour.  And from my dad’s side of the family we had Kelly (his wife), my Uncle Joe and my two cousins Mark and Adam.

Kimberly made delicious chili and salad and I made homemade cheesecake bites.

Cameron’s Volleyball Team Sweeps the Tournament

Cameron, Kimberly’s youngest son, plays Men’s Club Volleyball at Colorado University.  They had a tournament in Irvine which is about an hour away. 

After two full days of playing, the ended up winning the entire tournament! 

Super proud of these young men, especially, Cameron!

Kalani (Cole’s girlfriend) came to visit us while we were in Irvine (what a sweetheart)!

We also took Cameron out for a celebratory dinner at a great Mexican restaurant.

Two friends from junior high reached out to us and came to meet us for breakfast! 

Kimberly took me to a great coffee place called Gitana and I fell in love with this artwork.   

We also completed an old school lunch box puzzle during my visit.

Kimberly’s fur babies. Felix the cat, Luke the new shepherd/husky puppy and Critter.  Views from their bedroom across to the Atlantic.

Only in Los Angeles will you see these crazy billboards.

Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual live events. I was stateside, LA and SFO during the first two weeks of March.

Come visit Descanso Gardens with me in our last blog post.

The Beauty of Savusavu

Leave a reply

Savusavu is a delightful place with grocery stores, fresh produce, bakeries, restaurants, chandleries, mechanics, and some tourism.  It’s small enough to be quaint and big enough to meet our needs after being off the grid for so long.

There are 4 marinas in Savusavu.  Two of the “marinas” are very small and only offer a few mooring balls:  Waitui Marina and Savusavu Marina.

Copra Shed Marina has moorings and a few slips at their dock.  They have 2 restaurants, a gift shop, chandlery, activity center, Fiji Airways office, and a Money exchange.

Nawi Marina is the new, big marina that is still in the process of expanding.  They have lots of marina slips and a haul out facility.  Soon, they will have mooring balls.  They have a beautiful pool, 2 restaurants, chandlery, small market, coffee shop, small beauty spa and more.

We stay on a Copra Shed mooring (see green arrow).  We have a nice breeze, very little traffic and a pretty view.

The marinas are all vastly different but there is something for everyone.

Nawi is still trying to figure things out.  They’ve unfortunately tripled their rates so it is not a place we stay.  But, we do love to visit and enjoy their pool, bar and restaurants.

There is a lovely produce market that is open daily.  You can find eggs, potatoes, onions, papayas, bananas, bell peppers hot peppers, cabbage, avocados, passion fruit and oh so much more!

A Month Long Stay

Normally, we would not have stayed for a month.  However, I had to fly back to the states to pick up our boat parts and Matt had to do the repairs.

At least we were “stuck” in a beautiful town with provisions, restaurants, and lots of other cruisers to hang out with!

We had lots of beautiful rainbows.

And more rainbows:

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.

We arrived Savusavu in early May and stayed for several weeks repairing the boat.  Be sure to check out our arrival to Savusavu here.