Before we head west to California.....

some random memories of those two years in Marco... My Mother, and older sister Aunt Peggy and younger sister Aunt Lu spent three months with us in Marco. During that time we took many trips to see the sights that Florida has to offer and they seem to love every minute of it - except perhaps getting there in the first place! That was an experience. They flew into Miami - about 100 miles straight across Florida to the East Coast of Florida from our Western shored Marco Island. Dick was in California at the time, so I drove to Miami to meet them. They were supposed to come in about mid afternoon. The plane arrived and the people started coming through the gates. No ladies. Knowing that my mother would be in a wheel chair, I thought - they're probably going to be among the last, so I waited. More people, no ladies! Finally, no more people! Quick enquiries showed that they had never gotten on the plane! Now what. This is well before the days of cell phones and noone is home to answer any calls there. I call my brother in Canada - had he heard? No, but he'd call England. He called my sister and she called our cousin Mary who had taken them to the airport in London. As far as anyone knew they had gone on the plane! I finally decided there was no point in hanging around the airport, no one could reach me there - so I drove home. There was a message waiting for me from the airline in Miami. Where was I - they had three ladies (79, 81 and 83 years old). Apparently they had missed their intended flight (something about having to go a roundabout way because of my mother's wheelchair and they were too late!!) and they had put them on the very next flight which left 30 minutes later. Miami airport is strangely laid out and each gate is separated from the other gates in what appears to be separate rooms. They were announcing my family's arrival in their gate, but it wasn't sounding in my gate. So most of the time I was frantically making the phone calls to Gordon and he was transmitting the news from Mair and Mary, they were sitting in the gate right NEXT door waiting for me. By this time it was late evening, the ladies were exhausted and the airline put them up in a hotel and I picked them up the next morning.

During that time, we arranged a vacation with Bill and Frances, and Jerry and Bev to go to Hawaii. We had a fantastic time there staying on four islands - Oahu, Maui, Hawaii and Kauaii. They were filming a movies at one of he hotels with Paul Newman, William Holden, Jaqueline Bissett, Red Buttons and Ernest Borgnine. Dick, Bill, Jerry and I golfed that day but Bev and Frances watched some of the filming.

We had great fun with Bev after Paul Newman had touched her arm asking to go by. We were not allowed to 'touch the arm'. We rented mini motorcycles on one island and I was the chicken slowpoke of the crowd. They would all take off and then would have to stop for me to catch up! Two of Dick's and my long time friends from Motel 6, Ralph and Alma Playle lived on Kauaii (near Bali Hai where South Pacific was filmed) and we spent one great day with them as they showed us around their magnificent island.

I went home to Wales during this time - for my mother's 80th birthday party. We had a very nice evening and dinner in Llandudno, with friends and relatives and my mother was in 7th heaven with the attention - although she never liked to admit her age!

Suzanne and Becky spent one summer with us and needless to say most of the visit was spent in bathing suits. They enjoyed our pool and fishing off the dock (do you remember catching this fish Becky?). I took them for swimming lessons, and we did some sight-seeing on the beaches, boating, and Sea World in Miami.

Some shots of a couple of our boats. You can see how Buddy is having a great time.

There's lots of golfing memories of course, but one really fun event at the course was the Tony Lima Pro Am Tournament. Many celebrities turned out (although James Garner canceled at the last minute - and him I wanted to see!!). Arnold Parmer was among the golfers and for two days Dick and I became part of his "Army". What a nice guy - and he has the most gorgeous blue eyes. So did Paul Newman come to think of it!