dedtired, Hints for seasickness... 1.) Look off the stern instead of the bow; 2.) Fix your eyes on the horizon instead of looking a few feet ahead of the boat (you'll be out of sight of land); 3.) Sip on cold Diet 7-Up; 4.) Many people do fine underway; but when drifting they start feeling queasy. Whale watch boats stop frequently for whale sightings. While drifting, stand at the gunnel stanchions & hold on to a rail if it's rough rather than sitting down...much better. Actually, more people get seasick in calm water than in rough seas (within limits, of course!) When there's good wave action your body gets into a rhythem. In calm seas, there's just a slight up/down, up/down that gets to some people. Beam seas are the worst! That side-to-side motion can do in even the saltiest of seamen! Since I've been a boater, I can't imagine WHY people stick babies in cradles! Inhumane punishment, IMO! Also, if you're focused on looking for the blow spouts of whales your body won't notice the rolling sensation nearly as much. We need Lori. She's more local to Newport...I'm about an hour away. But here's a place to start...a fun lunch spot in Newport is the Red Parrot. Allow about an hour just to read the menu & make your selection. It's also a great place to people watch. And go hungry! Parking is tricky. Don't be a hero & try to find a parking spot on one of the side streets...it's mostly "Residents Only". Just pay your $15 & chock it up to a good day in Newport. You can also rent the most adorable two-seater scooters in Newport. The shopping is one of two things...either touristy or very expensive boutiques, gallery quality art, designer jewelry, home decor, etc. There are also some great bookstores. History lesson on Newport: Did you know that most of early Newport was built with slave labor? Most people don't realize the extent Newport relied on slaves. The wonderful granite cobblestone roads, the houses, the ships...all slave labor. By 1770, the entire workforce was slaves mostly from Ghana. They came as children & were different than the southern plantation slaves. In Newport, most slaves lived in the same house as their owners often slept in the same bedroom as the owner's kids. They were taught skills & became highly trained. By 1830, most Newporters had freed their slaves. They went on to found businesses, become councilmen, teachers, policeman, fireman, & held high offices. But they came to America as slaves. End of history lesson. Follow the signs for Ocean Drive/Mansions & go to Brenton Park. It's right on Ocean Drive. On weekends, it's a popular place to fly those huge kites in different shapes. The water is right across from the parking (free). Actually, you could just sit in your car & stare at Newport Channel for hours watching the boats. You'll see many huge international & corporate yachts. The rocks at Brenton Park are also a popular dive spot. Look for small boats with a red flag floating in the water near the boat. The red flag means, "Diver Down". When's your trip? /tricia Here is a link that might be useful: The Red Parrot

October 2009 is good for me too! A personal note: if any of you have wanted to attend a quilt retreat but were worried about the expense, this retreat we have had at Camp Cheerio in the northwest corner of North Carolina is an excellent value for your money. We welcome dear husbands too! There is golf, fishing, biking, and short day trips in the area to provide diversion for them as well as relaxation and quiet "down time." We have a nice big space to ourselves with room for machines, sandwiching quilts, cutting, etc. We have games, a quilt show, and the "hanging of the quilts" on an outside railing to share with others at the Camp. And did we mention the food? The food is very, very, good at the Camp! Not your beanie weanies and jello of our camp days as youngsters. The area all around Glade Valley is a beautiful part of the country if you want to take an extended vacation and travel beyond the Camp before or after the retreat. I can possibly pick up Campers that fly into the Piedmont Triad International airport - and return them on Sunday. We'd love to see more of you at the next retreat! Teresa

in the mid-80's I was a mail carrier-so I walked about 8-12 miles per day, depending on the route I was carrying. I LOVED it. But it was just outside of the Hollywood area, so it wasn't a really scenic place. Now that I live in NW Oregon, there are more breathtaking places to hike than I can even share. But, ironically, my mobility is very limited and I can't do long or steep hikes any more. I like to do 2 mile hikes, and there are lots of gorgeous preserve areas around that have amazing walking/hiking trails. My favorite place hikes takes you over a very narrow suspension bridge to the the other side of a waterfall (Drift Creek Falls). Also, Silver Creek Falls-which has a nice, easy hike. This is the view from below of the supsension bridge at the swimming hole.

On a recent camping trip, the RV a few spots down had a big screen TV mounted to the outside of his RV. The light pollution from it was incredibly annoying. I hear ya. I've been dismayed on more than one camping outing when, having selected the perfect campsite for our tents and setting up, along comes a ginormous "house on wheels" and parks right next door, generator cranking away all night long and destroying the peaceful vibe. Tent campers can be pretty opinionated and snobby when it comes to how RVers are viewed (and vice versa, I've discovered). My folks recently bought an Airstream and are loving it. Dad always loved tent camping, but now that he's older he does enjoy the creature comforts. My mom certainly wants to be comfortable and never enjoyed sleeping in a tent. I can understand why one might want a travel trailer, but I personally can't see the appeal of going anywhere in one of those RV buses that's absolutely huge. They look like they'd be nerve-wracking to drive, to say the least, and most of them I see are towing a car as well. I'd rather just stay in a very nice hotel, and no doubt come out money ahead. BUT - to each her own. There's really no "wrong way" to get out there and experience this country.