Visiting The Hotel del Coronado

I've been traipsing around the country this week, following my son to several lacrosse tournaments and posting from the road. One of our stops was San Diego. so I thought I would give a shout out to one of my favorite hotels ever, the Hotel del Coronado. 

The Del has played host to some of America's greats, including Thomas Edison, Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum and Babe Ruth. Famed aviator Charles Lindbergh was honored at The Del in 1927 after his successful trans-Atlantic flight and Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon filmed the 1958 flick Some Like It Hot at The Del.

Eleven U.S. Presidents have visited The Del, starting with Benjamin Harrison in 1891. One of the resort's most famous visitors was England's Prince of Wales in 1920. He would later become King Edward VIII, only to give up his throne in 1936 to marry Coronado divorcee Wallis Spencer Simpson. Many have speculated that they may have first met at The Del.

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The Navy Seals train right up the road, and every morning you can see them swimming the shoreline in the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean.  My son spent one day at a surf camp and had a ball.  Whether you are looking for a family vacation destination or a romantic weekend getaway - you can't beat The Del!

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Monet & Renoir have nothing on God's imagination

Nature photos from our Arkansas trip.

City Folks Take Arkansas by Storm!

For months my friend, Nathan, has been talking about how we needed to take the kids on a camping trip to Arkansas. He finally took the bull by the horns and organized a four-day outing to the Ouachita River, which is in Sims, Arkansas about 4 hours from Dallas. We stayed at the Ouachita River Haven Resort. I use the term "resort" lightly. When we first got there and I walked into the cabin, I realized it was one very small step above a mobile home. The furnishings were rustic (that's a nice way to say that it had been decorated in 1980's lake decor from Wal-Mart) and the water smelled like rotten eggs from all the sulfur in the water. I almost gagged when I tried to brush my teeth. But, the next morning, when I walked out onto the front porch and saw how beautiful the place was - I figured it was better than camping in a tent and just went with it.

There were 3 families and two houses. This is the Windchimes cabin where the Kauls and all the kids stayed.

This is the Honey Bear cabin, which Cenote kept calling the Honey Hole,
where we stayed with Cenote and Venus.

Sand, Surf and Seaside

We are back from our summer vacation to Seaside, Florida! We left last Friday and met up with our traveling companions, the McClure Family, in New Orleans for an overnight stop. After checking into the Maison Dupuy Hotel (where Randy and I got married nine years ago!) we headed over to Acme Oyster House where we convinced the boys to give raw oysters a try. Once one boy ate an oyster the rest couldn't be outdone. Not a hit with the kids. But the grown-ups had some laughs watching the kids try and gag them down. Above you will see Little Man's first oyster tasting. Note the amusement in Ian's face in the mirror.