Day Eight continues

Steam punk masks!
Dinner....
And a show...
The waiter dumped the ice-bucket for the champagne down two ladies backs. It wasn't burst out loud laughing funny until the gal rescued the champagne slamming it to the table and shooting a fork over a table. THAT was funny!!

Day Eight begins slowly.

I need coffee. Uh café...si café con latté...no included breakfast this morning. I have to hunt it down myself. The horror or if all!

I found it at the bar around the corner. Sat and had a nice café while Liz got ready.

Today was Doges Palace and the bridge of sighs it was early about 9am which in reality isn't early however early for us. We made it through with very few groups. It was nice as I sat in in a private tour for the grand room. Not on purpose. They sat with me...so I listened in for a bit ;)

We even got the obligatory photo of Liz with pigeons. :)

When we were done we went to the station to get reservations to which we were told we didn't need them. Talk about double standards! ;)

We then did a picture match from the small square by the station.
And NO photos on the phone. Hum. Slacker!

We went back to Murano for Liz to buy another present. And I was tempted yet again with glass. This time large sharks (these are 4' tall)
Smaller sharks (1.5' long and €600) sea turtles (6" long - $500€)
And cuttlefish (5" long - 350€) All of which tempted me however I resisted with the knowledge that much money is a trip to Utah for two!!

So pretty.

then back to main venice and the crush of people here! Wow! It's a mad house!
The lobby where I'm sitting now.

Day Seven

Bus to the train station. Well worth the 4€ spent rather than 10-15€ spent if we did taxi.
And our first adventure with hopping a train with no reservations. We didn't even have to move with a fairly full train. We thought for sure we would be booted to different seats. Nope.
Then when they come to check tickets I find that the high speed trains require reservation. Oops. Cost me twice the amount to get said ticket in the train - 20€ at the station vs 36 on the train. Oops! Things have changed since I was here last eh? that and all these high speed trains are under ground... We've been in a tunnel for 30 minutes! The thing was Pisa they didn't bat an eye at no reservations. Weirdness it has to be the high speed vs local issue? Possibly that there is no first class on those trains? Hard to know.
Ah well lesson learned. 
Riding a train is relaxing!

Found the hotel we may well have the exact room we (Suz and I) had in the past.

We're on Murano for lunch and talking about cost ... There is a family of 10 "adults" 7 kids and they were talking about the bill being around $25 a person. Ok. I had to do the math and it was about 550€ for the bill YOUCH. I will NOT complain anymore about our relatively small cost for meals.
Spaghetti with peppers and chicken. Yum
Bear enjoyed it as well! Ha!
Gnocchi - for Liz
And off to shop for Christmas ornaments.
Christmas ornaments purchased and shipping home. 6 clear red ones.
Two new friends in Murano :). They were 8 years old... Cute and had a shop out their window near the water bus station :)
One BIG glass of wine that Berry wanted to share
The ultimate view during dinner.
So Italian!
Finito! 
Our view us towards Rialto.
Ahhhh the life! 7pm and we will wander towards San Marcos then to the hotel to wait for the singing to begin. :)
Similar to the fish I emailed you about Butch :)

Yes - this is the spot!
How Liz is now sitting with feet dangling down. How funny!

We have wifi but in the lobby or stairs only. Good enough :)

We were going to eat dinner here... But it was a sandwich shop so we changed to here:
Nice view ;)

Behind us is a rowdy crowd for the Italy/Croatia soccer match. :)
And a fattening and filling meal was had by all. Goodnight Florence!

Day six.

Day six is interesting. We couldn't figure out where to go next so we stayed here and went to the Uffizi Museum. That was done by 3pm so back to the hotel to chill. I napped and Liz read for two hours. Hum. Not quite what I had planned... But works I guess. Dinner out tonight then Venice tomorrow. Well go early. Drop luggage and then take a train back to Verona if we get the urge that same day as its just an hour and we have a room booked... Again winging it...

Worries and slight panic...and letting go...(maybe)

It's been tooo long since I have traveled... it's been too long since I have been out of the states and truly on my own in a foreign country... it's just been too long!!  We're leaving in 5 short days and I think I'm a bit more prepared.  I have a hotel booked in Rome.  I have no idea how to get there... but I have it booked :)  that should scare me, but I keep getting side tracked.  I know, I know... get it together!
I just can't.  I have two hotels booked for the whole time and I think I'm OK with that... I have Venice as it's a weekend, and I have Rome as it's a weekend as well.  The rest?  I think we're really going to wing it.  I have an 11 day EuRail pass and think I'm going to really leave this up to chance for now.
Scary in a way, liberating in a way.

The Venice hotel is almost a joke, it's the hotel that my cousin and I stayed in some 20+ years ago when we backpacked Europe.  Liz said she wanted to experience it.  So experience it, we will. :)

the rest of the trip, with the exception of the overnight - and even that may change... we'll go, we'll see, we'll see if we like it, if not, we head on out to another stop on the map and call it good :)

We'll see if I survive this trip!!

Job Search Update

Agency name	Job Title	Status
Air Force Materiel Command	Purchase Request System Analyst	eligible
Air Force Materiel Command	TRAINING ADMINISTRATOR	eligible
Headquarters, Air Force Reserve	PROGRAM ANALYST	eligible
	1712/Supervisory Training Specialist (Emerging Leader Program)	eligible
Air Force Materiel Command	Operations Research Analyst, DR-1515-2/3/4
Military Sealift Command	IT SPECIALIST (SYSANALYSIS/CUSTSPT)
Forest Service	Program Specialist
U.S. Air Force - Agency Wide	MANAGEMENT ANALYST
Air Force Materiel Command	MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SPECIALIST
	Supervisory Inventory Management Specialist (Emerging Leader Program)
	Supervisory Logistics Management Specialist (Emerging Leader Program)
	0346/Supervisory Logistics Management Specialist  (Emerging Leader Program)

So… there you have it… I’m not sure I want to do the Emerging Leader Program… but it’s in the mix regardless

Happy Memorial Day!

You would think being prior military and all that Jazz we would do this holiday up right, wouldn't you?  Nope, not us.  We're very laid back - in fact this squirrels attitude says it all! 

This is how we felt:

 We had gone to the park and I looked up and noted Mr. Squirrel asleep on the limb... by the time I pointed him out and was taking a picture, Angela was armed with a twig to see if he really WAS asleep... well, was is the key word :op  poor squirrel was awake now!

 He seems to be telling her he WILL get even!  ha!

Soon after we got there, we discovered Angela is too old for true park trips anymore... all the little kids on the playground discouraged her from joining in on the fun... sad, my baby is growing up!

Saturday evening we opted for a beach walk at sunset... very nice!

Sunday we got up early and went to the beach for a swim... the water was a bit chilly for we wimpy folks now... burrr... and lots of seaweed that Angela had to fight her fear over... but fight it she did - she made it over in grand style and out to the deeper water!

 Lizzie warming up in the sunshine!

 Angie getting in the shade with Mom....

 Butch was getting a little sun as well....

 Grandma, Angela and I were the only shade hounds the whole weekend! :o)

 Final splash before going home!

This is something I wanted to share... and wish I could capture this for the scrapbook as well, the sound of Destin/Fort Walton Beach sand is quite unique in the world...

it squeaks!

Ze Lockers... Zey are DONE (insert cackling laughter and lightning!)

 I need to move a few more things off the shelf, however, progress can be seen - and the lockers are in place in the corner ( insert a Wooping sound here! )

 Not all the towels are in place yet.. some are in the wash, some are hiding in a closet inside (unsure why to this day why they end up in there!)  Progress - the noodles that will stand upright are in the corner in a basket - temporary, I'm sure, as it's not quite big enough for them.  The older ones are in the garbage and the old deck box is rinsed out and waiting for a new owner :o)

what secrets the lockers hold.  There are side hooks on the outer lockers and the potential for some more side hooks as needed (I have a few more to install if we so desire)... the top hooks are on either side of the lockers with doors to hang things from.  The left locker is going to be dubbed the "pool extras" cubbie - things that really aren't used that often and just need a place to "hang" - may put what little chemicals I have on the shelf in here as well.  Bottom left is all the "war" squirters - center bottom is the fins (I think Butch's are actually in there right now too), bottom right is floats and surfboards and silly things like that, upper right is the masks and goggles... do you think we have enough of those???   I actually had to fish two more out of the pool to run rover and as I was gathering towels found two more sets of goggles running around too.  Yikes!  I think that labels are in order for the doors as well in bright yellow - what do you think?