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Kozik Family Photo Blog
Phoenix Suns vs Portland Trailblazers 02/24/18
After a day of golfing and hiking, Steve and I went to the Portland Trailblazers vs Phoenix Suns basketball game. It was a fun game. The Suns were leading most of the game, but right at the end, the Trailblazers won. The Gorilla mascot was fun. ESPN Boxscore.
Hike Lost Dog Wash Trail, Phoenix 2/24/18
After a round of golf at the Wildfire Golf Club with Steve, I went to the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy and walked the Lost Dog Wash Trail. It was a perfectly clear sky with the Sun getting lower in the sky. The desert landscape was beautiful !
Liz’s Birthday Feb 2018
It was a snowy day, but we decided to drive up to Madison to take take her out for her birthday. It had been snowing, alot, and there was a letup in snow, so we decided to drive up. Half way there, it started snowing and we had a challenging drive. It did stop right when we got there. It was a good thing we visited that weekend, because the next week we had nine days in a row of snow, with the next weekend Chicago got 15 inches of snow.
We went to lunch at Merchant Restaurant, just next to the Capital building. This is our favorite place. They were still serving brunch.
We finished lunch, went shopping for a little, hung out at her apartment and then drove home — with clear skies and clear highways.
Happy Birthday Liz!
London New Years 2018
London 12/27/17 – 1/5/18
Wednesday 12/27/17 — Travel to London
-Limo to airport, Nora got herself there
-Really nice stretch limo with extra luggage space
-Arrived at airport in plenty of time
-Cathie upgraded herself and me. Really, really nice.
-About an hour delay because of maintenance
-I slept about 4 hours. Did french homework. No movies for me.
Thursday 12/28/17 — Walk to Buckingham Palace
-Arrived at airport at 7:30, the sun was just rising
-really long customs line. too warm. very friendly border force person (go to the pubs)
-Heathrow express to Paddington Station — just missed the first one, had to wait 30 minutes
-two taxis to the hotel
-checked into the Savoy. Had to prepay for everything. Rooms not ready
-we went for a long walk:
–Strand to Trafalgar Square
–Then walked to Buckingham Palace, Queen Victoria’s monument
–St James Park, Horse Guard, 10 Downing (lots of police, in ranks)
–Westminster Abbey, bought nice souvenirs, found Shakespere
–Had lunch at a nearby Pub, Westminsters Arms Storeys Gate. (Spitfire Lagar, hambergers, cod and chips, Sausage and Mash, Tea)
–Back and paid for the full Westminster Abbey entry fee.
–Walked back to the hotel and checked into our rooms
-Jack, Cathie, Liz and Nora in a two bedroom “Family Room”
-Liane and Mike in an upgraded King Suite
-Rested, tried to not sleep more than 30 minutes
-Out to dinner at Covent Garden, The Crusting Pipe
-Back to the hotel and asleep by 9pm
Friday 12/29/17 — Regent Street, Tea at Fortnum and Mason
-I slept the whole night!
-Showered by 8am
-Our first breakfast in the Savoy
–Really nice “tea room”
–We sat in stuffed chairs and sofas
–Long involved process. Took over an hour
–We really liked our food. Not too heavy.
–We are going to breakfast tomorrow, earlier!
-Our tea reservation was at 12:15, but we finished breakfast by 10:30. Oops
-We decided to walk to Regent street for shopping
–Passed by Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus
–We walked up Regent Street and stopped at Liberty. We liked it, but ran out of time.
–We walked over to tea, just in time
-Tea at Fortnum and Mason
–High Tea on the 5th floor, we had reservations. Good thing, they were booked!!
–Afternoon tea was with finger sandwiches, usual scones and sweets
–High tea was with a small starter meal and no finger sandwiches. Some of us had high tea.
–We each picked our type of tea (I had Wedding Breakfast). We each ordered a 2nd pot
–It was a lot of food. None of us had the dessert cake.
–We went shopping in the rest of the store. Nice selection of foods, other department store goods
–I tried to get a haircut
-We went back to Liberty and bought stuff (lots of nice fabric, scarf, tie, etc)
–Again, I tried to get a haircut
-We walked down Carnaby Street. Still lots of holiday lights
-We took the tube to Harrods.
–It was packed!
–We shopped a little on the lower floors
–We then retreated to the champagne bar.
–We then shopped some more and then had a simple dinner in the Urban Cafe on the 5th floor. Nice and simple dinner
–Went back to the food floor and bought candy
-Took the tube back to Covent Garden and walked back to the hotel.
-Ready for bed at 10pm
-Kids went to the Coal Hole.
-Spent alot of money today!
Saturday 12/30/17 — Tower of London, Wicked at Apollo Victoria Theatre
-Early breakfast, one of the first families of the morning in the restaurant
-Tower of London
–Took the District line tube from Temple (a little sketchy) to Tower Hill
–Great to have our tickets in advanced
–no entry lines for us! 9am entry time
–The Yeoman’s tour started at 10am. We went straight for the crown jewels
–We got to spend as much time as we wanted, really nice.
–Later, the crown jewels would be a very long line twisting back and forth outside
–We loved to Yeoman’s tour, He was great. Funny, interesting
–After the tour we went for tours in the White Tower, Edwards resisdence, Bloody Tower, et
–We went to the cafe for lunch. It was good but crowded. At the end of the day, we went back to the cafe
–There, we decided to go to a show.
–We were deciding between Kinky Boots and Wicked. We bought tickets right there in the cafe using our mobile phones
–We left the Tower at about 3pm, getting twilight-ish
–We took the District line tube back to the Embankment stop, near Charing Cross. Much better
-We had a 7:30 show, and it was 5:30
-We decided to eat in the basement of the next-door pub called Coal Hole. It was good food, but service was sparce
-Liz, Nora and I were served 15 minutes earlier than the others. We paid the bill and headed for the theatre
-Cathie, Mike, Liane met us at the theatre at 7:20. All was well
-Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre
–District line Victoria stop. Easy to get to but not walking distance from the hotel
–Great seats. Row O seats 12-17 ground level but above the stage
–Ordered stuff from our seats: ice cream and adult slushies
–Got someone else’s order
–Everyone, especially Liz, was thankful and grateful to go to a show. Liane really wanted to see Wicked for a long time. For Liz, she last saw the show when she was 16.
–Show got out the same time as Hamilton, big crowds on the streets
-Back at the hotel by 11pm. Later than expected.
Sunday 12/31/18 — British Museum, New Years Eve: Savoy for dinner
-Breakfast at 9:30. Order assortment of pasteries to go along with our usual breakfast. Good!
-British Museum
–Too many tube stops, just walked there. It is just North of Covent Garden.
–Crowded but only for security. No tickets needed for entry. We made 20L donation
–Saw Rosetta Stone first. It was like the Mona Lisa. Crowded but approachable.
–The Elgin Marbles are now the Parthenon Sculptures
–It was interesting to hear Liz’s take on the story (… Free of Charge…)
–Assyrian, Mummys, Mideval, Print as a Business, Lewis Chessmen, Enlightenment, Sutton Hoo sections
–had lunch at the sitdown cafe, The Court Restaurant. Had a nice lunch and dessert. About 90 minutes
–I bought several Rosetta Stone souvenirs from the Great Court shop
–Walked back after 4:30. It was dark.
-Took a 30 minute nap
-We started our New Years Eve celebration at 7:45 (15 minutes late, but ok)
–Great seats near the entertainment.
–We ordered a white wine: Astrolabe, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2
–and three bottles of champagne
-The entertainer flirted with both me and Mike during her performance
–The table had lots of New Years toys. we used the balloons, poppers and the streamers
–We ordered Champagne right be for midnight. Filled our glasses and sneaked them outside to watch the fireworks
–From outside the Savoy we could look over the river and see the fireworks over the London Eye
–Great view. We could also hear Big Ben chiming the count down to midnight
–Further, we could hear the band playing Auld Lang Sing after the fireworks were over. Everyone sang. It was moving!
–We went back to our table, ordered another bottle of Champagne and shared a glass with our waiter (from Lyon)
–We were back in our rooms at 2pm
–A little worried about Mike getting to his return flight
-Happy New Year!
Monday 1/1/18 — Slept late, walked to London Eye, saw The Last Jedi
-OK, I got up at 9:30. To make sure Mike’s room was all checked out
-He texted me from the airport. All was well
-They left their Wicked souvenir cups outside our door for us to take home.
-I had breakfast by myself. Every one slept passed noon.
-I went for a walk to the London Eye
–I started at the Embankment tube stop and got on the Golden Jubliee pedestrian bridge
–I turned right, walking by the very crowded London Eye.
–I went a little further and saw steps going into the Thames River, also saw a Cormorant
–Then crossed the river again, but on the Westminster Bridge. Big Ben and Parliament were under construction
–I turned right and followed the Victoria Embankment back up to the Embankment tube stand then
–Up to the Strand and back to the hotel.
–This was about an hour walk
-Cathie got us tickets for Star Wars The Last Jedi
–We walked to Leicester Square, stopping for a snack at a Pret a Manger on St Martines Lane
–We then went to the theatre a few minutes early for the 5pm show.
–Odeon London Leicester Square Theatre
–really nice cushy seats
–comfortable, not crowded
-After the show we walked back to Covent Garden and ate at a Pub Called the Nags Head
–The dining area was up stairs
–The nice host told us about how busy the day was and they were out of almost everything
–That was ok, I had beef brisket, and others found good alternatives
–We talked a lot about Star Wars plot lines
Tuesday 1/2/18 — Hampton Court Palace
-By far the rainiest day. Steady rain. Not hard, but not drizzle. Some let up during the day. Not cold
-Breakfast at 8:30. We got THE window seat overlooking the River Thames
-We caught the 9:36 Waterloo Station train. I arrived at 10:10 at Hampton Court
-Hampton Court Palace
–It was a 10 minute walk to the Palace
–We saved 50% by buying tickets using our Mobile Phone
–A Yeoman, William and a Lady, Mary, gave us a life-like intro to the Palace. They were grimly awaiting Henry VIII’s death
–We toured the Henry VIII apartments — The Great Hall, Henry VIII’s Kitchen, William III’s apartment, Henry’s wives, and the Gardens
–Baroque vs Tudor architecture styles
–The Chapel Royal
–Lots of tapestries
–Astronomical Clock
–We took a break at the cafe and had a nice light lunch, Privy Kitchen
–King George’s apartments: character’s costumes, all in white, with name tags a brief bios. Ghost like.
–The Palace Bardens: Privy Garden, Great Fountain Garden, the Pond Garden, Lower Orangery, and The Great Vine
–We left in time to catch the 3:50 train
-We arrived back at Waterloo Station, walked back to our hotel, but stopped at the Ted Baker Barber Shop
–They had a open chair, no waiting
–I got OTT treatment. Shaving, double shampooing, hot towel, arm massage, flame in my ears (for cleaning), etc
–Without asking they gave me the most expensive service on their price list: 32lbs.
-Back to the hotel, decided to meeting Nora and Liz at Covent Garden for dinner
-Dinner at the Lamb and Flag Pub
–This was the place that Mike read about in the guide book
–We sent him a selfie from their to home
–He replied with a picture of him just finishing shoveling the driveway (-5F)
–We took a picture of our drinks and toasted his work. 
–3 of us had fish and chips
–good desserts
–started to rain really hard
-Walked back to the hotel at 9pm
Wednesday 1/3/18 — V&A
-Windy! 25 mph
-For Breakfast, same waiter as New Year’s Eve. He didn’t get home until 7am
-We walked along the Victoria Embankment to St Paul’s
-We took some pictures outside, but did not want to spend the time or money (18lbs/person)
-Cathie and I went shopping at Fortnum and Mason
–Biskets for the grandmas
–Loose Tea strainer for Nora
–Bone style combs and hair brush
–We had lemonade and scones for a break
-We took the tube to the V&A
–We toured the 4th Floor: Britain 1760-1900
–Nora and Liz arrived. We had lunch in the cafe: The Morris Room. A piano player was in the Gamble.
–Ham / cheese baguettes
–Then we toured the 2nd floor: Britain 1500-1760 and some Medieval / Renaissance
–It was good we checked our coats, the V&A was warm.
–Liz and Nora were off doing their own things.
-Cathie and I took the tube to Oxford Circus and she bought some clothes at Marks and Spencer
–The tube was very hot, very crowded and walking through it was exhausting
–It almost seemed easier to walk back and skip the tube all together.
-We stopped for drinks at the Pret a Manger on Oxford, we were hot, tired and sore.
-The Oxford Tube stop was crazy busy, so we walked over to Tottenham Court Tube. It wasn’t much better but at least we could get on
-Got back to the hotel by 7. I took a nap until 8pm. A little bit cooled off
-Liz and Nora got back some time before that and they were waiting
-For dinner we walked over the Covent Garden and had dinner at the Pub called Punch and Judy
–Yet again we had bar food
–We had to order at the bar, I had our order all typed up on my iphone.
-We then when to Laduree for some treats for dessert
-The same nice concierge helped us plan our tomorrow visit
Thursday 1/4/18 — Windsor Castle
-Rainy, windy, cold
-Normal breakfast in Kasper’s — for the 2nd time they offered us a window seat. Very nice
-Rather than walking to Waterloo Station, we took a taxi, our destination was Windsor Castle
-Windsor Castle
–We took the train to Windsor & Eton Riverside. About a one hour ride. End of the line. we slept.
–The station was close to the castle, but up a steep hill. Reminded us of Prague, but not that steep
–We entered at the middle ward gate, bought tickets.
–The changing of the guard was at 11am.
–The Yeoman recommended that we go to St George’s Chapel first (lower ward)
—Really cool, historic chapel. The recent monarchs are buried here.
—Reminded me of Westminster, but smaller and newer
–We watched the changing of the guard. It took about 20 minutes. Cool! (lower)
–Next we toured Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, cool. (Middle ward)
–Then we did the main tour: The state apartments. Reminded us of Versailles or the Residence of Munich. Really historic
–Key phrase: Honi soit qui mal y pense.
–Noteworthy: the section damaged by fire was repaired, perfectly. The staff was very proud.
–That’s it. The rest of Windsor is private. Much less to see than Hampton Court or Tower of London
-We walked out of the castle to Windsor, into the town. We ate a nice lunch at the Harte & Garter Hotel. No pub food
-Then it was time to catch our train back to Waterloo station
–But, there was a tree fall on the tracks. The trains were stopped
–The promised a bus, but it was uncertain when the bus would come
–So we walked over to the Windsor Central station.
–We took a train to Slough. Then immediately connected with a train going to Paddington Station.
–It all worked! Our Waterloo tickets were accepted
-There still was enough time to The Sherlock Holmes Museum
–We took the Bakerloo line and 3 stops later got off at Bakers Street
–We walked to 221b Baker’s Street and queued up for a tour of the Museum
–We spoke French to another couple
–Great tour, excellent Bobbie, outside talking to us about the history of the museum
–He liked Elementary
–We took a short Pret a Manager break
-We then took the tube to Covent Garden (really crowded)
-Had dinner at a non-English pub: Belgo. A Belguim Pub. It was good, I had Duvel.
-It was a cold, windy Thursday night, but the Covent Garden area was hopping!
-Great day, great vacation!!!!
Friday 1/5/18
Christmas 2017
We opened presents a little late this year. We waited for Mike and Liane to join us. They went to Liane’s parents early in the morning and got to our place by 10:30am or so. Liane’s first Christmas with us!
We opened presents with Grandma, ate an excellent roast. Liane and Mike went back to her parent’s house for a 5pm dinner. We did the dishes and watched Dr Who.
Merry Christmas!
Christmas Eve 2017
Liane, Mike and Pam were all able to join us at Mom and Dad’s. Pam was really good with Bennet. We had to drive through a 4″ snowfall. It was pretty but did slow traffic a bit. We had lots of fun opening presents. Molly brought some Costco pies that were really good. We took some really good pictures of the grandkids with Mom and Dad. I got Dad a new printer and webcam.
Merry Christmas.
Thanksgiving Nov 2017
Our biggest Thanksgiving ever: 18 people, including Nasse and Vince (Great Lakes Naval Station), Nora and Timothea (Liz friends), niece Molly and everyone else (no Mikey). Things were fun and noisy. We cooked a 24lbs turkey and had a fire outside. The weather was great.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Captiva Oct 2017
Captiva102817
Saturday 10/28/17
-UA1189 (same flight as last year). Upgraded, bulkhead. Delayed 2 hours, had to change planes
-Met Ian and Leslie at airport
-Rented big Nisson mini-van, got into the wrong one, initially
-drive to Captiva: Rainy. Felipe Tropical Depression. We saw a serious accident along the road
-Stopped at Jerry’s Lots of wine.
-Stopped at Billy’s. Closed. Ordered bikes online
-Drive to South Seas: some Irma damage, but not really bad. Lots of standing water from the rain today
-Arrived at 1662. (last year: 1663, Ian and Leslie had 1661). Golf clubs already delivered. Questionable decor. We were year a few years ago for Easter
-Cathie and I took the upstairs appartment
-Happy hour on the patio. Lots of bird noises. They were mostly grounded because of the wind and rain
-Dinner at Lazy Flamingo. Key Lime pies
-Watched some of the World Series: Los Angeles vs Houston. Fell asleep before 10pm
Sunday 10/29/17
-Slept until 9am.
-Windy, mostly cloudy. Big waves on the gulf. birds grounded.
-Golfed 18 holes, teed off at 1 finished by 4pm. Really windy, sun started to peak out. Nick and Michael helped us.
-Happy Hour
-New tea pot, coffee maker
-Dinner at Sunshine Seafood. Really good. Key lime pie
-Watched World Series Went to bed LA leading 7-4. Woke-up: Houston won 13-12 in the tennth
-Slept in closest. Really bad sneezing fit. Clariton didn’t help much
Monday 10/30/17
-Cool! In the 50s. Clear skys. Lighter wind, but not good for kayaking
-Ding-Darling. Lots of people (surprise) and good selection of birdies: White Pelican, Reddish Egret, Blue Egret, Great Egret
–Aligators in two different places
–Saw flocks of White pelicans flying in
-Picnic at Baily Track. Saw turtles
-Stopped at CVS. I have a bad cold
-Played 9 holes at 3pm
-Took a nap
-Happy hour at 6pm
-Dinner at Muck Duck.
–Same outdoor performer
–Some empty tables. Got seated right away
–Key Lime pie was frozen. Slightly different than last year
-Star Gazing. The moon was pretty bright
Tuesday 10/31/17
-Cool, calm, clear weather.
-Sailed with Mick up to Cabbage Key
–Sailed about 5mph North, into a North wind.
–A little rough, but no sea sickness
–Lunch at the famous Cheeseburgur place
–Dollar bills and turtles
-Sailed back, slowly
–No wind
–Less than 3mph
–very relaxing. We got warm; took off our jackets
–one hour before sunset we motored in
–It was dark when we got off the boat
–We were happy. He took pictures
-Dinner at RC Otters
-Watched world series and did photos
Wednesday 11/1/17
-Slept until 9
-clear, calm and a little warmer
-Kayaked Buck Key
–Angel and Josh
–I used a new open-cockpit style kayak, green. Better. Loon by Old Town.
–Went around the far side of Buck Key, south toward Blind Pass, then back up Roosevelt Channel
–Bald Eagle hiding in the tree
–Lots of Osprey
–Far side of Buck Key was a little choppy but not bad
–Ian and Leslie tried out their new paddles
We went to our favorite Adventure Sea Kayak at Tween waters inn. We talked to Brian on the phone. Josh and Angel
helped up get launched. For a change, I picked the Old Town Loon Kayak. It had an semi open cockpit with a large
backrest. It was very comfortable. We kayaked around Buck Key in a clockwise fashion. The big event was seeing the
Bald Eagle on the far side of Buck Key.
-Lunch at Condo. Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich
-Golf from 3-5. A little crowded. Really good kid played through us.
-Dinner at Mad Hatter
-Fell asleep to the Astros beating the Dodgers for the World Series
Thursday 11/2/17
-Clear, Warmer, Got up before light.
-Just after 8am, left for marina to rent boat
-Boat up to Cayo Costa
–Followed Intercoastal
–Mostly went 20mph
–Smooth water
–Lots of white pelicans; water too shallow to approach closely
–Picnic on the beat of Cayo Costa State Park
–Nice person gave us a ride back and forth to the gulf side beach
–Water a little cool, but very relaxing. Could have stayed much longer
–Went upto 30mph back
–Captiva Watersports / Beach Bum Boat Rentals
–23ft Ebbtide
–VHF Channel 4
–Very happy to be back before 2pm due time
–ice cream sandwiches
-Straight to the golf course
-Jack took a nap
-Happy Hour
-Simple dinner at RC Otters
-Stayed up a little late to work on photos
Friday 11/3/17
-Slightly cloudy, low 80s, a little wind
-Kayaking at 10am
–Did Buck Key counterclockwise
–Down Roosevelt Channel, back up the far side of Buck Key
–cut through the mangrove trail and back
–Beautiful Bald Eagle, juvenile, being chased by Osprey
–Surprised by a manatee right at the marina, cool!
We launched from the usual spot at Tween Waters Inn Marina and paddled a course counterclockwise around Buck Key.
The first thing we ran into was a dolphin playing with a fish. We couldn’t get any pictures but it was fun to watch,
right in front of us. Then we paddled down the length of Roosevelt Channel and heading North along the far side of Buck Key.
The water was a little choppy. The first big patch of birds were Ibis and Little Blue Herons sitting together.
A whole bunch of them. Next about 2/3 of the way up the key, we saw a jeuvenille Bald Eagle being harrased by some
Osprey. Really cool. We then made our way upto the Mangrove Trail, we worked our way through it and headed back.
At the marina, a manatee swam right up to me, cool! It was a great day on the water!
-Quick lunch, peanut butter and jelly
-Golfing from 2-3:30. Cloudy, a hint of drizzle, some sun peaking through, windy, but not bad
-Roberto picked up our clubs for shipping
-United flight 1189 7:45am to 11:34am, upgraded. All on time.
-Met Ian and Leslie at airport. Big fishing boat, only one engine
-Wendy’s drive through
-Rented really big Tacoma SUV
-Filled back with luggage, barely
-Stopped at Jerry’s. Got lots of groceries
-3BR that we reserved was not available. Rented two 2BR for same price
-1663. Thanks to Bill for helping us.
-1661 and ours are tied together through the back doors. Worked out really well for us.
-Wine and cheese on patio
-Pleated Woodpecker
-Little fat bunnies
-Too late to pickup bikes too late to drop off clubs
-Late dinner at Lazy Flamingo. Watched Cubs game.
-Drove back to condo, watched end of the Cub game. They beat LA 5-0 and win NLCS!! Lots of celebration. W flag. VERY HAPPYT
–Go Cubs Go! Fly The W!