Tuesday, December 27, 2011

December 2011 We were lucky enough to have Cody with us for a month!
November 2011 24 years and still going strong!
October 2011 Seagull Century! Dustin, Carl, Denise Susan and I One of the best centuries yet! It was #20 for Susan and I :)
September 2011 We spent a lovely week at the beach. Kathy joined me on the Amish Bike Ride. She did great!
August 2011 Zach, Tracy, Henry, Emmett, Will and I enjoying a day of biking at the beach
July 2011 Beach Beauties! Lana, Cortney, Kathy and I spend a wonderful week at the beach.
June 2011 Our annual Pedal To Preserve bike ride in Amish Country in PA. Carlyle, Doris and I climbed 50 miles of hills :)
May 2011 May is one of the prettiest months at the beach. Judy and Marty joined us for a girls beach weekend.
April 2011 Back to Tucson for another week of fun in the desert and with my sister. Then my big brother Richard came to visit and we of course, went to the beach :)
March 2011 Went to Tucson. Spent several days at Miraval Resort & Spa with Kathy and Lana, a beautiful place with wonderful food, mostly because Chad is the Executive Chef there :)
Wow, its been a long time since I've updated! I'll be back shortly with an update but for now, just gonna say hello and post a few pictures. I have almost a year to catch up on so it will take some time to compose :)

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Good Morning from the beach :) Haven't been here for four long months and the sight of the beach house was one for sore eyes. The ocean welcomed us back with huge waves the first day and calmer ones yesterday. About to head up and see what she has to offer today. Our beach house is not only a beautiful place, it is a refuge that we think about while going about our daily lives, working, errands, whatever we are doing, it is not far from our thoughts. Sometimes in fact, just thinking about it calms the mind :) We bought this house 10 years and at the time weren't sure we could really afford it but the timing was such that I felt we needed to do it, life goes by so quickly, we'd talked about it for 10 years, the time was right in that regard. Now ten years later and we have had so many wonderful experiences here that we would have never had without it. It is a special place to many of our family members and friends, who we cherish visits from. We've seen kids grow up here. Cody and Courtney were 8 & 11 when we started bringing them. They are now grown ups! Henry and Emmett were little guys and Will wasn't even born yet. Luke, Emma, Malissa and Claire haven't visited us enough here but when they have, its been great. We have lots of photographs of everyone each year and its fun to look back and remember the good times. Some of the favorite things they like to do here are: Henry and Emmett love to ride bikes with me :) All three of them like to go down to the osprey nest. Emmett and Lucy have a special bond and last summer Will and she began one also. He was thrilled when she stayed on his lap without anyone clutching her so tight she couldn't get down on her own. A milestone, if you know Lucy you know this to be true. Henry is an aspiring chef and has cooked up some good eats for us here. We have started an annual HUGE dinner when Zach, Tracy and the boys are here, and the main focus is our friend Carlyle's now famous crab cakes. I think the record for Henry is five crab cakes in one sitting. Cody loves Whack-A-Mole on the boardwalk and ends up with so many prizes that we all get one by the weeks end. Another tradition we have with Cody and Courtney is our nightly games of Sorry. I never new how much fun that game could be until we started playing it with them 10 years ago. Now its every night. And it can get pretty cut-throat :) Judy, Richard and Lana love Thrasher's (who doesn't?). Most times when he visits he must have them immediately upon arrival! Kathy is especially happy about that, having someone love Thrasher's the way she does. Lana and I do yoga on the beach when she's here. I also convince her to bike with me, which usually turns into more miles than she was originally told. Sue loves everything beach as far as I know, even Thrasher's though she has more self control than anyone I know when around a bucket of them, piping hot with vinegar splashed on them. Cindy and Dustin have only been down a few times but that is going to change. He and I share a love of cycling and have started a tradition of doing the Ocean to Bay ride in April. Kind of kicks off the cycling season. Lots of folks enjoy outlet shopping. I reserve that for a time when its too cold or rainy to be on the beach or on a bike :) We are also thrilled when we get visits from Brooke, Frank and Will. Will had his first ever beach experience here! In the fall, Kathy's favorite thing is the independent film festival. The most movies so far she has seen in four days is 12! Good grief! The search for sea glass is on, all the time, for us, and now for most most of our guests. Richard is still in search of the ever elusive piece of red glass and my hope is that he finds it here, in the shape of a heart. We once paid Cody and Courtney a quarter a piece to find us some. I know I am forgetting special people, so forgive me. Please know that each and everyone of our visitors are special to us and are what makes this house a wonderful place, full of love, laughter and memories.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

We lost our wonderful kitty, Ray Bones, a week ago. He was the coolest cat on the planet and we are so sad to have lost him at an early age. He was about 8. Hard to tell exactly because he came to us one cold snowy morning while we are out on a walk. He came running up to us and jumped up in my arms. At first I was not having another cat! Asked Kathy to find him a home. She was patient and knew I'd eventually give in and I am so glad I did. He was the only cat we've had, and we've had plenty, to play with dogs. He loved Lucy and she loved him too. They played a lot when she was a puppy and he continued to put up with it long after he wasn't feeling well. He also traveled to the beach on weekends with us. Never thought we'd be toting a cat with us! He rarely made a peep in the car, just sat in his carrier and enjoyed the ride. When we got there he'd make himself at home and seemed to really enjoy it. He spent as much time out on the screen porch as he could. He loved to be outside but since he was declawed we didn't let him roam outside. So the porch was good enough. There will never be another cat quite like him. May you rest in peace, Ray Bones Fuller Lytle :)
Mother Nature she gave us a treat last Friday night - my birthday :) I assumed it was for me :)

Thursday, February 3, 2011

gifts from the sea :)
Anxiously awaiting spring!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Dad's mandolin. I miss hearing the beautiful music he made with it.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Still riding strong after all these years! Our 19th Seagull Century
And kayaking!
Wouldn't be the same without a Whack-A-Mole.
Our summer tradition is to have Cody and Courtney visit and we spend the week at the beach. Seems every year its better than the last one, if that's possible. They are awesome!
Its been a long time since I've updated so here goes. We have three new baby girls in the family! My niece, Shayla Marie Joy and great nieces Tula Rose and Riley Brynn. They are all beautiful as you will see from their pictures. Last year I closed a chapter and opened a new one. My bike shop closed :( and while that was very hard, it opened new doors. I now have a job that I love with little to no stress :) And it gives me time and flexibility to bike!