Serenity Dental

On our trip to Lake Havasu City, AZ, I went to visit Dr. Ash Kaushesh, DDS,while cousins Jim and Pat had their teeth cleaned. In the picture at the left, Tina starts to "gas" me so Dr. Kaushesh could do some work on my mouth. I guess all the procedures went well while I slept.
Below, I got some sympathy in the front office as I was filling out the paper work to pay my bill.
I think I need to come back in six months for some follow-up work. With the care I received, I won't mind going back to this dental office.
Warmest regards, Gus

New Friend

I made a new friend recently while I was in the Tucson area. Joyce invited Betty, Billy and me over for lunch (cousins Jim and Pat came along, too). We had a great time. The weather was great so we could sit on the patio.
Since then, we have moved to Ehrenberg, AZ, on the Colorado River. Sami is happy as she gets to play in the river. Yesterday she played in the water with another Chocolate Lab that she met last year in Indio, CA.
The temperatures here are running in the high 70s during the day and drop to 40s at night.
Warmest regards, Gus

Colorado Springs, CO

This picture was taken when I was out walking with Sami one morning this week. We are looking west, with Pikes Peak in the right-center of the picture. There was a huge cloud overhead and the sun was just coming up in the east.
It has been cold here in Colorado this week and I am ready to start heading south. However, I have been having a great time here with my cousins.
Warmest regards, Gus

Indiana Cousins

I was recently in Indiana and met some of my "cousins" for dinner. We had a great time catching up since I last saw them five years ago.
Since being in IN, I have traveled to Colorado and will be here for several weeks; then I hope to head to AZ where it will be warmer.
Warmest regards, Gus

Tixnow

Here is the picture of Tixnow which didn't get published with the report on the KY Horse Farm tour.
Gus

Kentucky Horse Farm Tour

Today I went on a tour of several horse farms in the Lexington, KY, area. In the picture to the left is Tixnow, who is standing at stud at WinStar Farms. The horse business is suffering some right now, but there are still studs commanding fees of $100,000 or more. I also visited the Kentucky Yearlings Sale and the prices are down. It certainly is a good time to buy a horse.
Warmest regards, Gus

Alabama State Capitol

Yesterday I visited the Alamaba State Capitol in Montgomery. The building has been recently renovated and is a beautiful Greek Revival style structure which dates back to 1850-51. Among other significant events, the capitol witnessed the formation of the Confederacy in 1861 and in 1965 the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March, led by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., ended here.
The principal building material is brick, covered with stucco scored to imitate a marble or stone finish. The rotunda's stained glass skylight dates back to 1906. Off the south wing is an outdoor display of the flags of the 50 states.
Warmest regards, Gus

Monaco Rally at Prattville, AL

This past week I attended a Monaco Motor Coach Rally in conjunction with the LPGA tournament at the Robert Trent Jones Trails Capitol Golf Complex in Prattville (Montgomery) Alabama. I had some good food, met some wonderful new people and saw some new Monaco and Holiday Ramber motor coaches.
The LPGA tournament was fun and I saw some great golf.
There were about 100 coaches at the rally. Thanks to Monaco and Navistar for a great event.
Warmest regards, Gus

NC Transportation Museum

Yesterday and I had the opportunity to visit the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC. The museum is located on the preserved site of the Southern Railway's steam locomotive repair facility. The exhibits trace the history of transportation in North Carolina and include trains, automobiles and planes. In addition to the exhibits, there are train rides and even rides on the turntable in front of the round house.
In the picture here, I am with Owney, a dog adopted by the mail carriers in Albany, NY; Owney was allowed to rides the trains with the mail bags and even traveled around the world on steamers. Owney was credited with bringing good luck to trains carrying the mail; I hope he brings good luck to me in my travels.
Warmest regards, Gus
P.S. Thanks to the staff at the museum for the movie on the history of the facility and for showing me such a good time!

Appomattox Court House, VA

Here I am in the parlor of the McLean's house in Appomattox Court House, VA. It was on this site on April 9, 1865, that General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant. For all practical purposes, this ended the Civil War (War Between the States), and allowed the healing to begin. This site is so different from the battlefields, where many fallen solddiers were buried and/or monumnets were built in the years following the war.
Warmest regards, Gus

Labor Day Party

Here I am with Betty and my very good friends Christine (left) and Christy. We were invited to Christy's house for a Labor Day party with her family and friends. Even Sami got to go and she managed to get into the swimming pool. We all had a great time catching up, since we had not seen Christy in over six years. She and her husband have two wonderful boys and enjoy life in northern Maryland. Christine and her husband and daughter had come from CA for the weekend. With these two young families as an example, I am not worried about the future of America.
Warmest regards, Gus

Hershey, PA

Wow! I sure like all this chocolate. When we left Cape Cod, Cousin Jim drove us down to the Thousand Trails Preserve near Hershey, PA. We took a tour of the factory and stocked up on some of our favorite treats. I learned that had I not been adopted by Jim & Pat, I might have been able to attend the Milton Hershey School. The Hersheys had no children, so they established a school for orpahn boys. The school now is co-ed and enrolls students in need. The students live in homes on a beautiful campus and receive a great education.
Warmest regards, Gus

Cape Cod, MA & Newport, RI

I sure have gotten behind in my postings. Since I left Bar Harbor, Maine, I traveled to Rochester, MA. Rochester is near the Bourne Bridge and Cape Cod. We all met Kevin and Kelly Cooke and Kevin's parents for dinner in Mashpee. I just listened as Kevin and Jim talked about the "good old days" teaching together at Los Alamos High School.
While in the area, I took a trip to Newport, Rhode Island. Besides checking out Fort Adams, we took in some of the ambiance of the city. On a beautiful day in late August, the city was crowded with tourists attending the many events planned for the area.

Carriage Ride in Acadia National Park

The other night Betty and I took a carriage ride to the top of Day Mountain. Our driver was Sarah (left) and her sister came along, too. It was a fun ride and we had great views from the top of the mountain. It is only 583 feet (178 m) but very nice.
Warmest regards, Gus

Bar Harbor, Maine

Yestereday, cousins Jim and Pat took me for a tour of Acadia National Park and we got this picture of Bar Harbor from Cadillac Mountain. Earlier in the day, the whole area was under a cloud, but in the early afternoon the fog lifted long enough to see a cruise ship in port. With the natural beauty of the area, it is understandable that Acadia National Park is very popular.
As usual, I met lots of friendly people on the trails and many are curious about my travels. I guess I really am lucky to get to travel to so many great places and meet such nice people.
Warmest regards, Gus

Schoodic Point, Acadia National Park

Today I went to Winter Harbor, Maine, for the Lobster Festival and then down to Schoodic Point to enjoy the water lapping on the granite coastline. Schoodic Point is part of the Acadia National Park across Frenchman Bay from Bar Harbor and Cadillac Mountain. I also got to see a number of the lobster boats which had been in Winter Harbor for the lobster boat races.
I think I have found my new favorite foods: lobster rolls and crab rolls. They taste soooooo good and someone else has done all the work!
Warmest regards, Gus

Mainland, NF

Yesterday I toured the Port Au Port Peninsula, located west of Stephenville, NF. Mainland is a small town on the west side of the peninsula on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Along the way I visited the site of a C-54 crash in 1944, and met some wonderful people. It would be hard to over estimate the warmth and hospitality of the people of Newfoundland.
Warmest regards, Gus

Moose in Newfoundland

I have seen some moose in Newfoundland but this is the only one which would allow me to sit on him for a picture! This moose is at the Irving gas station in Deer Lake. Most of the live moose I have seen were up north near St. Barbe. I have also seen a few around Gros Morne National Park.
Warmest regards, Gus

Sami in Bonne Bay

Here is my friend Sami retrieving her "duck" from Bonne Bay. In the background is the opening from the bay or cove into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. After many days of fog and rain, we finally had a nice sunny day.
Warmest regards, Gus

Bonne Bay

Here I am over loooking Bonne Bay, at Norris Point. This is near Rocky Harbour, Newfoundland, and part of the Gros Morne National Park.
Since we can't catch up with the caravan group, we are working our way down the west coast. Our next stop will be Deer Lake, then Corner Brook and finally down to Port Aux Basques to catch the ferry back to North Sidney, Nova Scotia.
I have met some great people here in Newfoundland and have found them to be very hospitable and proud of their heritage.
Warmest regards, Gus

Labraddor

In the photo at the left, Frank (tour bus driver) welcomed me to Labrador. We came to Labrador by ferry from St. Barbe, Newfoundland, and docked at Blanc-Sablon, Quebec. Then we bussed the few kilometers to Anse-au-Claire, Labrador. The weather was not the best, foggy and rainy, but we saw the light house at Amour Point and the museums at Red Bay.
When we returned to St. Barbe, we traveled to St. Anthony to visit the site of a 1,000 year old Viking fishing village. Cousin Jim discovered a leak in a hydraulic cooler on the motor home and went in for repairs. The repairs lasted for about 25 miles of driving and we barely made it back to St. Barbe. Jim made a trip to Corner Brook (215 miles each way) to see if the cooler could be fixed. The answer was no!! A new cooler has been ordered and should arrive in about five days.
In the meantime, the group we were traveling with has moved on to Gander and St. Johns and will take the ferry back to North Sidney, Nova Scotia, on July 27th. We hope to catch a ferry on the 29th.
I have had very limited internet service, but will try to catch you up on the travels over the next week.
Warmest regards, Gus

Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia

This is my new friend Jessica, whom I met at Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. She mixes a pretty good drink and told me some of the history of the area. I have not had internet service for several days, so I will catch up on my travels soon. Since Mahone Bay, I have been to Lunenburg, Peggy's Cove and today I toured Halifax. Tomorrow I will attend a Canada Day parade and attend the International Tatoo.
Warmest regards, Gus

Reversing Rapids

I visited the reveresing rapids in St. John, NB, yesterdy. This picture was taken at low tide when the the water from the St. John River was flowing from right to left into the Bay of Fundy. Six hours later I went back for high tide and the water from the Bay of Fundy was pushing the St. John River "upstream" and the rapids were reversed. At "slack time" between high and low tide, the water is calm. At low tide as shown, there are about 10 million gallons of water per minute flowing through this channel.
Warmest regards, Gus

1960 Thunderbird

Last evening I got to visit with my friends Blair and Joan who live in Nauwigewauk, New Brunswick, Canada. Blair has restored this 1960 Thunderbird and they are preparing to leave on a 7-week trip across Canada with over 100 other owners of antique and classic cars.
Check www.coasters2010.com for pictures and details of the trip.
Those of you who have visited Llano Grande Resort in Mercedes, TX, may remember Blair and Joan when they spent the winters there.

Warmest regards, Gus