2003 Highlights

Review of the year 2003

First trip of the year was Scotland at Hogmanay - we stayed at the Covenanter's Inn near Aberfoyle, and had a very pleasant few days, including Scottish dancing (with the fastest ever 'Canadian' Barn Dance)

February - Florida

We had a trip to the Florida Keys in the first week of February. We stayed at the Westin Beach Resort in Key Largo and managed to time it just right - the weather was hot and sunny with temperatures up to 87°F - equalling the hottest ever record from 1939 - for the time of year. The downside of this was that the rest of the USA was suffering blizzards and feet of snow, and South Florida was the only warm part of the country, so the place filled up during the week. Obviously we put a bit of time into strenuously taking the sun at the hotel pool and beach! But we also had some trips out - locally to the John Pennekamp State Park and further afield to the Everglades National Park, to Key West, to Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale.

Click here for more about our Florida trip ...

April - Visit from Elizabeth, Samantha and Mike

In April we had a visit in April from the USA by Elizabeth with her Mum and Dad. It was lovely to see them and my how Elizabeth is growing up. Some pictures here.


Elizabeth colouring	With Charles and Henry	In the conservatory	Watching CBeebies

May - Lynne and David's Wedding

Lynne and David got married in St Lucia in early May. Here they are at the ceremony in the hotel grounds, temperatures in the 90's and very humid, hence the casual attire!

Lynne and David stayed and had their wedding at the Jalousie Hilton resort in the south of the island. A party of us - Lynne's Mum and Dad, David's Mum, Dad and Jean, and Jennie and Ian all went out and joined in the celebrations. The Hilton put on a good show and the whole holiday was really memorable - for all the right reasons.

We all made the transfer between airport and resort by helicopter - quite an experience (I want one!) - and we chartered a yacht for a week while we were there, so Lynne, David, Jennie and Ian all came out sailing with us during their stay.

When everyone was back in England and recovered from jet-lag, Lynne and David held their reception at Mere Golf Club, in Cheshire. They got to cut a second cake (the steel band at the resort ate most of the first one!) and it was a great evening for family and friends.

Rhys is busy editing a video of the event. Click here for a small wedding photo album!

And of course we had a holiday for ourselves as well - here are a few pictures, but there's a whole lot more sailing ones on the St Lucia sailing page:


Jean on the beach	Outside one of the restaurants, with 'Bang' and one of the Pitons in the background	Part of the hotel - beach, bar, pool, from our room.

We've now had a couple of weekends in Dorset, again at the Priory Hotel in Wareham. Unusually nice weather for the Mother's Day weekend and afternoon tea on the lawns with Rhys's mother, surrounded by singing birds and spring flowers. Then in August another visit for her birthday and that of Jean's Uncle Graham, who lives in Bournemouth. Mother moved to a new flat in Swanage that should be much easier for her to manage than her previous house, and we've been down a couple of times helping her get sorted out.

Jennie and Ian traded their car in for a Toyota MR2 - bright red like the Cappuccino they had previously and no more space for luggage, but what the heck! They had a tour of Scotland in it over August Bank Holiday weekend.

'Fall' - Visit to the USA

We had a trip to the USA in October, going first to Chicago for a few days and then on to Midland, Michigan to stay with Samantha, Mike and Elizabeth.

In Chicago we stayed at The Drake Hotel, a lovely old place at the top of the 'Magnificent Mile' and on the lakeshore. The hotel looks like the set for gangster movies set in the 1920's and it seems likely (as it was Chicago's best hotel then) that the likes of Al Capone and his peers must have used the place. The hotel wasn't saying anything about this though, preferring to concentrate on more recent guests such Princess Diana. We did all the touristy stuff and went up to the top of the John Hancock Centre and on a trip along the river and out into the lake. At the John Hancock Centre we went up to the observation deck on the 94th floor, and the view was spectacular. We could look a long way down to the roof of our hotel, and all across the city and for miles across the state and the lake.

The weather when we got there was unseasonably warm as well - 86F, but after a couple of days cooled to a more normal (for the time of year) mid fifties. We tried to see the sights mentioned in the song, Chicago, My Kind of Town, and even went for a walk down to State Street - 'that great street' and found it not so great at all! - but this was the only small disappointment in an otherwise terrific trip. Here are some pictures.


*Jean on the 'Magnificent Mile' - Michigan Avenue*	View of Chicago from the lake (we took a boat trip)	*Jean at the top of the John Hancock Centre, view north along the lakeshore*


Chicago from the Navy Pier. The tall dark, angular building is the John Hancock Centre.	*Another shot of the North view from the Hancock Centre, looking along the shore of Lake Michigan*	*West view from the Hancock Centre, the Airport's in the distance, Bloomingdales in the foreground!*

Chicago was great but we didn't manage to get ourselves a Krispy Kreme doughnut! Oh dear, we might have to go back. We were given some new flavoured chewing gum outside the Wrigley Building though - don't think it's the same.

Elizabeth as a princess ready for her Halloween party

We hired a car from Chicago to drive over to Midland, and spent a very pleasant week there with Samantha, Mike and Elizabeth. It was Halloween week and many of the houses were decorated with lots of pumpkins, ghosts etc, and Elizabeth's school had a fancy dress party - Elizabeth went as a princess, of course! Here she is in her outfit, all ready to go.

We had a few days out from there, going to Ann Arbor (the splendid home town of the University of Michigan) and various lakeshore places - Lake Huron rather than Lake Michigan at Chicago. Unfortunately, the season being well into 'Fall', many places were closed, but many of the lakeshore resorts look good for a summer trip. For the winter, they say there is skiing in Michigan, but it all looked very flat to us - the highest points were freeway bridges!

The year ended with both Jean and Rhys 'retired' early and no contracts on the go, so we're thinking about our future and planning what to do next.

We had a very pleasant Christmas, and had goose rather than turkey - very much better and enough left over fat for our roast potatoes for months to come!