|
| |
In January, Jana visited a conference in Orlando, and we took the opportunity
to visit Jana's brother, Tracy, and his family, including his wife Alishia and
their newborn boy Dylan.
This was the first time for Jana to see her nephew and we spent a few days with
them. We went to the beach in Tampa
and it was Dylan's first time in the water. The water was a little cold and he
didn't like it very much, although aunt Jana also reports that he normally likes his
bath
 .
Since we were already in Orlando and Tampa, we also visited some of the many
adventure parks located there. At Disney World's Animal
Kingdom, we hung out
with Tigger
 ,
we went to Disney's Epcot
Center and visited Busch
Gardens  in
Tampa.
Photo Gallery from Florida
At Animal Kingdom |
The Dinosaur exhibit |
Since it is Animal Kingdom, there were actually some to pet |
Visiting with Dylan |
...and Tracy |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
To celebrate Eliza's birthday, we went to Universal Studios
with our friends
Troy and Eliza. We took the Studio Tour, where we saw King Kong
 ,
a flash flood nearly
surprised us, and Jaws
was ever present. The day was fun-filled with food
(primarily pizza) on the Universal City walk, and rides on the Jurassic Park
"log ride" and the E.T. adventure.
Photo Gallery from Universal Studios
Lining up for the studio tour |
Except for Jana, everything in this picture is not real - it is a
backdrop. |
The studio backlot where most of the tour is taking place |
Set from an old western movie |
 |
Having fun with Jaws |
Show from the movie "Waterworld" |
Let's see who is here |
It's the Blues Brothers |
Finishing the day with "Charlie Chaplin" |
This year, Jana had a milestone birthday and we celebrated at the House of
Blues in Downtown
Disney. Several of our friends
were able to participate in the festivities and Jana enjoyed the fabulous day
 .
In May, Jana and Marc took a dive vacation on the Caribbean island of
Bonaire. It was fun trip with lots of shore diving, some relaxation and good
food. See the complete Bonaire
trip report for more details.
In early June, we went to one of our favorite cities in the world - San
Francisco, for a long weekend. On the first day, we had breakfast at
"Sears"
(not the department store, but a long-established restaurant
with servers who have been there longer than we are old). But then we were
off...taking pictures
 .
This is how Jana saw Marc for the most time, as Marc had just bought a new
camera and was busy trying it out. You can see some of the results in the photo
gallery below (although the pictures on the website are not that great due to
the lower resolution).
We hopped on the next available cable car
that came our way and off we were to Fisherman's Wharf. The ride on the cable
car trolleys was a lot of fun going down the steep hills of San Francisco
 ,
and narrowly passing by the on-coming cable car trolleys
 .
At Fisherman's Wharf we strolled through some of the tourist shops and visited
Pier 39, where we had a great view of Alcatraz
and the local sea lion population
 .
Afterwards we took a taxi cab to Coit Tower, where we were awarded with
spectacular views of San Francisco. We were very lucky and had a day without any
fog. We could even make out our next destination - the crookedest street in the
world - Lombard Street
 .
Unfortunately, we didn't have a car, which would have enhanced our excitement,
but since we have driven Lombard Street before, we decided to walk it watching
all the cars snake their way down. At the bottom, we caught another cab and sped
off to the Palace of Fine Arts
 .
Here we took many pictures and experimented with Black and White photography.
It is just a beautiful place with many nooks and crannies that invite the visual
mind.
From there we walked along the San Francisco Bay to the Golden Gate Bridge.
It was extremely windy and it took us literally twice as long to get there than
we had anticipated. But on the way we saw interesting sea life, boats,
windsurfers and stone art
 .
The bridge is always amazing, but we caught it at a special day (no fog) and at
a great time with great lighting
 .
We took some Black and White pictures of the bridge, which resemble some of the
old-time San Francisco pictures we have at home. After the long walk and staying
on the bridge for a while, we took a bus back to the hotel where we got ready
for our night out at Club Fugazi to see Beach Blanket
Babylon...an absolutely
hilarious show.
For the second day we decided to explore Golden Gate Park. On our way
there, we stopped by Alamo Square
 ,
where we saw one of the most well-known San Francisco views. Golden
Gate Park has many attractions and is very
wide spread, so we decided to first start at Stow Lake in the middle of the
park, where we walked through a serene setting with large trees, stone bridges
and turtles
 .
Fortunately, the park offers a free shuttle on the weekends, so we hopped on one
of the cars and went to the Japanese Teagarden. On the way, we found this rather
odd looking vehicle
 ,
which everyone was staring at. Inside the Japanese Teagarden, it was very calm,
despite the many people visiting, and we were able to take some nice portrait
pictures, as you can see below. After reveling in the Asian culture, we then
headed west to the Dutch Windmills
 ,
which are at the end of the park, close to the ocean. We then heeded the call of
the Pacific Ocean, where Jana demonstrated her beautiful modeling ability
 .
Since we were very hungry after walking and sightseeing, we had a late lunch at
the famous Cliff House
 .
Our last stop for the day was
 ,
where we walked through the Heavenly Gates
 ,
and had to leave on the evening flight. But we'll be back to this great city.
Photo Gallery from San Francisco
View of Russian Hill from Coit Tower |
View of Golden Gate Bridge from Coit Tower |
View of San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz from Coit Tower |
View of Fisherman's Wharf, Bay Bridge and Oakland |
Going down Lombard Street |
House on Lombard Street |
We made it down. Now let's hope that no car runs us over. |
Palace of Fine Arts |
 |
A Beauty at the Palace of Fine Arts |
Loving San Francisco style |
 |
 |
View from the bridge into Fort Point |
At the Japanese Teagarden |
This must be the world's steepest bridge |
 |
 |
 |
 |
To celebrate the 80th birthday of Jana's grandpa BJ, we headed to
at
the end of June. We flew into Grand Junction and took a car to Parachute, CO.
Since the party did not start until Sunday, we had the opportunity to visit
some of the magnificent landscape of Colorado's Rifle Falls and Glenwood Canyon.
Rifle Falls is a set of waterfalls
that used to power an electricity generator
in the early 1900s. Today, the falls are part of a state recreation park, and it
is possible to take some great shots in front and behind the falls. The area
also has many caves
that we explored during our visit.
In the evening we joined the folk at the senior citizen center for a round of
bingo. This was Marc's first official bingo tournament. The competition was
furious, but in the end it was all good fun.
On Sunday, the birthday party got into full swing. BJ's and Shirley's friends
organized a great buffet and lots of memorabilia for BJ or a.k.a
"Burt". It was also an opportunity for many members of Jana's mom,
Sharron's, family to get together, including Jana's cousins and aunts.
Photo Gallery from Colorado
Breakfast get-together |
 |
Visiting Rifle Falls |
Jennifer, Denise, DeeAnne and Jana |
It's us again |
A guy and his girls |
Look at what lives in these caves |
Glenwood Canyon |
 |
Bingo Night |
 |
Mickey, Jana and Sharron |
Let's get this party started |
The birthday boy in great company |
Mickey and Sharron |
BJ and Shirley |
Touched by the memories |
Shirley, Jana and BJ |
BJ and his girls |
|
On August 24th, we celebrated our second anniversary of having
met through the matchmaker.com website. Keeping the tradition alive, we went
to the restaurant "Bistro 201"
 , where we met in person for the first
time
 . A further tradition that we indulged in was to order the restaurant's
famous chocolate soufflé.
The following day, we decided to drive down the coast and visit nearby Dana
Point. Here are some picture from Dana Point and the mission at San Juan
Capistrano.
Photo Gallery from Dana Point
For Labor Day weekend, we went our first road trip this year with our friends
Troy
and Eliza. Our destination was Grand Canyon National
Park.
After driving for approximately 8 hours, with a short stop at the funniest
ice cream shop on the old Route 66, we arrived at Grand Canyon Village. It was
too late to enter the park, but we took a quick trip on a side street and found
ourselves staring at a herd of deer.
Bright and early the next day, we drove into the park 
and decided to have a good breakfast to strengthen ourselves for a hike along
the canyon rim. The views were just magnificent
and the feeling of grandeur was overwhelming. We walked for quite a distance and
saw many different views of the canyon
until we reached Hopi Point
 .
Since we were starting to feel exhausted (city folk we are), we hopped on the
park shuttle and saw the rest of the trail from the tourist-approved air
conditioned shuttle bus. Before heading back to the hotel we visited the
old-fashioned steam train
 ,
which transports passengers every day from Williams to the Grand Canyon.
Jana and Marc decided to go on a night-time horseback ride through the forest
and saddled up at the local stables
 .
We rode for about an hour
and came to a campground, where the wranglers had already prepared a fire, where
we cooked sausages and made smores.
The next day, we explored more of the canyon
by hiking into the canyon for a little while, until we hit "Oohh-Ahh
Point". The name became very clear after the canyon walls opened up to a
magnificent view
over a large portion of the canyon. At the end of the day, we were very excited
to explore the forest in a much speedier way by taking an ATV (All Terrain
Vehicle) tour through the forest
 .
It was a lot of fun, but it took two washing machine cycles to get our clothes
clean again.
On our last day, we spend some time taking special pictures with the canyon
always in close proximity. It was a great experience, to be recommended to
anyone.
Photo Gallery from Grand Canyon National Park
Taking a long vacation, Marc's parents, Frank
and Sylvia,
decided to visit us in Irvine late
September
 .
Before heading out to our Fiji
vacation, we were able to spend a little time with Frank and Sylvia exploring the California coast. We showed them around Irvine and Laguna Beach,
and visited the pier in Huntington Beach
 ,
where Frank pointed his new digital camera at everything and everybody
 .
We were able to spend some time together with Frank and Sylvia, and were able to
catch up on what is happening in Germany, the U.S. and the world over making
dinner
and eating it inside
and outside
 .
While we were splashing in tropical waters, Marc's parents enjoyed the
relaxing times at California's beaches
 .
After our return from Fiji, we were lucky enough to be able to spend some more
time with Frank and Sylvia. Together we visited the 
(Getty Center) in Los Angeles
 .Here
you can see Frank overlooking the hills of Los Angeles and the famous Interstate
405 freeway
, and Sylvia is overlooking Culver City with downtown L.A. in the
background
 .
Photo Gallery from the Getty Center
Jana is enjoying the center |
The main entrance way |
The main courtyard connecting the various buildings |
 |
 |
Overlooking the neighboring hills |
 |
 |
 |
 |
In October, we took to the South Pacific and visited several islands in Fiji.
The trip included some diving and was also very romantic with Marc proposing to
Jana. See the complete Fiji
trip report for more details.
Unfortunately, sadness overcame the Shelton family at the end of October and
beginning of November with Sharron's sickness and passing. Please visit Sharron's
page, which we have dedicated for her memory.
Thanksgiving Denise and Jennifer invited us to join them in Victorville. We
hit the road, and in good Los Angeles tradition, came to a very quick stop. The
freeways were insanely busy and it took us twice as long as we had planned to
get there.
We then had a very enjoyable Thanksgiving dinner. Jana's aunt DeeAnne and her
cousin Jamie were also present. After having stuffed ourselves with turkey,
stuffing and green bean casserole, we visited Denise and Jennifer's father, who
was enjoying the outdoors at a nearby campground. The night ended around the
fireplace.
Photo Gallery from Thanksgiving with Family
DeeAnne, Jamie, Eron, Jana, Jennifer and Denise |
 |
 |
The guys, Marc, Eron and Rosie |
Eron and Jana |
Jennifer and Jana |
Jamie and Jana |
Harlee, Denise and Jana |
Relaxing around the fireplace |
Calling it a night |
In the morning on Christmas Eve, we boarded a flight to Columbia, South
Carolina (with its state flag
 )
to visit Jana's brother, Tracy, and his family (wife Alishia and son
Dylan). On the way, we picked up Jana's father,
Mickey, in Atlanta airport with
whom we shared a rather bumpy flight to Columbia. The weather was very cold and
Columbia had very gusty winds. Tracy picked us up at the airport and took us to
their house in Irmo. The neighborhood was cheerfully lit with Christmas lights
and after a quick tour of the large and beautiful home
 , we sunk tiredly in our
beds.
After a cheerful squeal from her nephew
in the morning, Jana rushed out of
bed to give him a hug and after a delicious breakfast we started the Christmas
celebrations. Dylan sat between a mountain of packages and gifts, and could not
help but play with every new toy he received from Santa Claus. Around noon, Jana
and Tracy's sister Liane joined us after having driven from Charlotte where she
was visiting a friend. We had a scrumptious Christmas dinner with Turkey, mashed
potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, and a delicious chocolate cheesecake
and home-made pecan pie. As with all great Christmas dinners, we were completely
stuffed by the end of the day.
Photo Gallery from Christmas Day
A Merry Christmas in South Carolina |
Tracy, Alishia and Dylan |
...and the extended family |
Mickey and Jana |
Liane joins the party |
It's a swinging party |
Three generations of Sheltons under one roof |
Now give me a high 5, as it is time for bed... |
...as we are all tired. |
Signing off for now |
The day after Christmas it was shopping time for Jana and Alishia. The
bargain hunters pursued the deals in the largest mall in Columbia, fully
equipped with a carousel for Dylan to enjoy. Marc and Tracy headed to Charleston
to learn more about the Civil War past of South Carolina, where the first shot
of the war was fired on Fort Sumter located in the middle of Charleston's
harbor. While the girls were shopping to their hearts' content, the boys hopped
on a boat to the old fort and reveled in the historic artifacts and war stories.
After returning, Tracy and Marc had lunch while watching dolphins playing in the
harbor and cargo ships being loaded. Before returning to Columbia, Tracy and
Marc took a trolley ride around the inner city to see the old market, the King
street shopping area. The report of such interesting areas prompted the return
of the whole gang two days later. Upon returning back to Columbia, Jana's aunt
Nelda and cousin Mike stopped by for a short visit on their way to a short
vacation in Tennessee.
Photo Gallery from Fort Sumter National Monument
The entrance...but only to the boat |
Fort Sumter in the middle of Charleston harbor |
...and from the air |
Arriving at the site |
 |
How it once looked |
How it looked after all was said and done |
How it looks today |
 |
 |
On Friday, all of us went to get professional pictures taken. We then had to
say goodbye to Mickey, as he headed back to Oklahoma. After a quick lunch, we
visited downtown Columbia to take a look at the famous state house, which
continued to fly the confederate civil war flag until 2000. Only after many
years of protest by the African-American community was the flag removed from the
top of the state house, but it continues to fly in front of it by the Civil War
memorial. We drove around the city for a little while and then visited the
 .
On the way back, we stopped by Lake Murray, where we witnessed a beautiful
sunset over the lake. Then Tracy and Alishia got ready for their "Night Off"
and Jana and
Marc took care of little Dylan. We bathed him
and put him to bed and then
settled in to watch "Minority Report".
Photo Gallery from Columbia
The Statehouse |
...with the famous Confederate flag |
...which officially belongs to the monument next to it. |
A monument to the plight of the African-Americans |
A church nearby |
And some squirrels |
...in the park. |
Marc's riding an old train at the museum |
Jana is nearly being eaten by a prehistoric shark |
Dylan is intrigued by a mastodon |
Checking it out some more |
And since it didn't move, he is now the big boy! |
Lake Murray sunset |
Tracy and Alishia |
Jana and Marc |
Our last full day in South Carolina was spent (re)visiting Charleston. But
instead of exploring historic sites, the focus of the day was on exploring the
old market, where many different vendors were selling their wares in fully
equipped shops, as well as on fold-down table tops. We also explored the King
Street shopping area, where lots of little shopped invited the weary shoppers.
The final stop on our tour was a stop at the old battery, which had been turned
into an exclusive neighborhood with old-style houses.
Photo Gallery from Charleston
Entrance to the market |
Exit on the other side |
Side view |
Shopping at the market |
Customs house |
At the waterfront |
Love under the fountain |
Cannons from the old battery |
Houses of Charleston |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Unfortunately, on Sunday we had to say goodbye to Tracy, Alishia and Dylan.
We enjoyed our visit to South Carolina, and hope to be able to come back
sometime in the future.
For New Years 2003, Jana and Marc decided to return to the Queen
Mary
after having had a fabulous party there for New
Years 2001.
We checked in at about 4pm, after traffic had just been really bad on the
freeway. But soon after we entered our state room
 .
After a short nap, we got ready for the black-tie affair including dinner, 7
parties (everything from Disco and Jazz to Country and Swing), and champagne and
fireworks.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! AND A GREAT 2003 FOR ALL OF US!
Photo Gallery from New Years on the Queen Mary
View of Long Beach from the port holes |
...luckily the weather cleared up by 2003. |
Getting ready for the big party |
 |
But just a few more pictures before leaving |
 |
 |
 |
Dance floor for the disco music (early in the evening) |
After many dances to disco and swing |
The Swing Band |
The first kiss in 2003 |
Watching fireworks on the stern of the ship |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
