Nolan Family

This was the day I had been looking forward to the most.   As our Christmas present John purchased all of us a boat trip to see the dolphins.     At first we were not sure if we would be able to go on a trip in December, but we found a company that went out on a 2 hour trip.   The sun was shining but the weather was much cooler at 50 degrees.   Rosi at the dock waiting for the cruise Anita and Rosi ready to go the boat Bob and John sit and wait At 1pm we all loaded onto the pontoon boat.   Because the tide was out further than normal the captain decided to load the boat at the end of the dock.   It was still about a three foot drop onto the boat but we all made it!   Bundled up in our coats and sweatshirts we headed out to sea. The captain told us that about 30 dolphins made the bays of Alabama their home.   He said we would be searching in three bays.     We slowly made our way around the first bay.   All of us scanned the water for the dorsal fins th

On December 26 th we took Rosi to Florida for the first time.   It sounds like a long trip but it is really  only a 20 minute drive.   Our destination was Pensacola and the Naval Aviation Museum.   The Naval Museum was a lot of fun for all of us.   For Dave it brought back memories of his 9 years in the Navy.    Rosi enjoyed the military history.   For the boys it was about learning more about their father and for my parents, John, and I it was about remembering NAS Whidbey Island.   I found the sound of the jet engines reminding me of home.   Dave remembered the distinctive smell of jet fuel.   It was exciting to show the boys the A-6 and to find a car that was from one of the squadron’s on Whidbey Island. Next, we headed over to a Fort at Gulf Shores National Park which was on the navy base.   We took the tour and learned about the fort and the part that it played in the Civil War.   The boys accomplished the Junior Ranger Program and earned a badge a

On Christmas we started our morning opening a few presents (as we had done most of our Christmas gifts the week before in Green Bay.)   Then we started the prime rib using a new recipe where we cooked it at 550 degrees for 40 minutes and then turned off the oven and left it for 2 hours.   We decided that 2 hours was the perfect amount of time to head to Fort Morgan.   The park was closed, but that did not stop John and my dad.   Together with the boys they explored the Fort.   A great wooden pier sat at the foot of the Park.   When we walked out onto it we were greeted with an exciting experience of seeing dolphins.   They were playing among the oil rigs.   On the dock one pelican was looking for handouts.   He even let Ryan get very close to him! Upon arriving back to the condo we enjoyed a great dinner of Prime Rib and had some more fun on the beach.   That evening a cold front went by and we lost our warm weather.

On Christmas Eve we spent some time on the beach playing and then headed to the outlet mall to get some comfortable shoes for Rosi.   Then it was time for swimming and playing at the beach.   For Lunch we headed to King Neptune.   It was fun for the boys to play in the water with Uncle John.   He took them out into the waves.   I enjoyed sitting with my feet in the warm sand.   It was a beautiful 70 degrees out!