This was my first full year of retirement. All my life I dreamed of traveling when I retired, and certainly God granted my every wish. When I didn’t get travel, Manny did, so I have many wonderful pictures and memories for 2013.
On January 5th Manny and I headed south in my little green Prius that has 192,000 miles on it to San Diego where we met the History Girls. We met Russel Ray, the San Salvador, and the bronze lady. We faced peril in the Railroad Museum, and had to keep Manny under control in the Botanical Gardens.
Later in January I attended a committee meeting in Berkeley and had time to walk around the neighborhood and take pictures.
I went to Los Angeles to visit my friend Elane in February and so some shopping and serious eating. I probably visited my dentist, Dr. Moy, as well.
In March California Council for the Social Studies (CCSS) held its annual conference, Social Studies on the March in Burlingame in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Marches in Birmingham. 
The next week the History Girls and I celebrated our friendship in Costa Mesa attending the play “Wicked,” which I had wanted to see forever.
April is the month for the Executive Conference for CCSS. As the President, I got to pick the place, and Vince prepared our house to host it here. However, that didn’t work out for too many people, so we it moved to Los Angeles to the location where our conference will be held in 2014 at the Sheraton.
By May our neighbors wondered if I still lived here. I visited my friend Elane again in Los Angeles.
My friend Jean and I went to San Francisco to celebrate her birthday for a couple of days and did walking tours.
Towards the end of the month Vince and I took Cindy and Manny to Kauai, HI for her birthday. The dogs watched our homes, and Kay and Mike East watched them.
We arrive home from Hawaii on June 3, and believe it or not, we stayed home until September 11, and rested up for the remainder of the year which made us dizzy.
Since we stayed home, we sent Manny to visit Ralph in July.
In August he left Ralph’s home in Spain, and traveled to London with Ute.
From September through November he went with Carol and Glenn to Cologne, Bruges, Brussels, Frankfurt, Tasmania, Toowoomba, Waterloo, and Wuerzburg. I’ll be doing lots of posts about these trips during the year. I just need to learn a little bit more about them, and Manny is being rather tight-lipped about the events of the trip! Carol tells me they have some secrets they’re not telling me. 🙂
Then he flew home with their daughter Melissa, who was going to Florida. She sent him home from there. His bags arrived in December from Australia. He had fun showing us all his stuff.
By September Vince and I contracted the travel bug, and went to Oregon to pick up the best Ebay bargain trailer on the market in Southern Oregon. We turned it into our accidental vacation when our truck broke down in Klamath, CA.
Manny was still on the road, so he missed my next trip. A week after Vince and I got back from our first trailer trip, I took a train from Sacramento to Portland, Oregon to attend the Oregon Council for the Social Studies annual conference, and to meet my brother.
After the conference my brother took the train ride of our lives going first to Chicago, then to South Bend and Indianapolis, IN for a week.
After a short jaunt to Louisville, KY, I headed home on a plane to CA, and my brother took the long way home by train back to Portland.
Almost immediately I had to go to a dental appointment, and stayed in Santa Monica, an took the opportunity to visit our President-Elect, Amanda.
No sooner than I got home than my house-bound husband wanted to take a trailer trip to the coast for two weeks. We stayed a week, then he went home for some appointments. I stayed in Avila by myself to write my contribution to 2013 NaNoWriMo, Girls on Fire. A few days later he drove back and picked the trailer and me up and carried us back home.
Less than two weeks after that, I flew St. Louis, MO to the 2013 National Council for the Social Studies Conference.
Manny and I arrived home about the same day, him from Australia via Florida and me from MO. It was my husband’s birthday, and one week later the three of us got back on a plane heading for Honolulu, HI, where we spent a week in Waikiki.
We have been home eighteen days, and today we took a day trip to the coast to celebrate our friend, Margaret’s birthday with her husband, Spencer Morris, but I think we are going to stay home for a while now.
At least until morning. 🙂
I’d love to hear about your highlights from the year?
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
35 responses to “Travel Highlights of 2013”
What a great year, Marsha. You covered your ground! Happy New Year!
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I’ve been around, for sure! Of course, I’ve been around for a long time now! hehehe 🙂
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I think retirement suits you Marsha, you have been all over the place, you and Manny.
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We have been, and I think it does. Right now I don’t feel retired! 🙂 Thanks for being such a great friend and encourager. Your friendship is a treasure to me. 🙂
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If this is what retirement is like, all I can say is bring it on! As you know we had an adventure filled year and I’m hoping that 2014 will be more of the same. Happy New Year to you, my blogging sister.x
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You go for it girl. I live vicariously through you and Manny and your energy, too, you know! 🙂
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I hope we don’t wear you out!
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Huff, huff, huff. I’m there! 🙂 Look at Sylvia’s wonderful post. That’s me as I enter the new year this year. http://anotherday2paradise.wordpress.com/2014/01/01/terrence-the-turtle-makes-a-dash-for-the-ocean/
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I looked and commented. Gorgeous. If you are as focussed as that little turtle you will have a wonderful 2014.
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You too, Carol! 🙂 xox
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Wow my friend !! What differing adventures you all had !! I feel that I am permanently on holiday in Spain with my highlight being Manny & Ute coming to stay for a while. I hope to venture afield next year 😀 Big hug. Ralph xox 😀
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Hi MFR, I feel disconnected since I haven’t blogged in a whole week. You are on permanent holiday, and keep us over here in the US in stitches with your funniness. Manny said it was his privilege to come to Spain. It was a highlight for us, too. You and Ute have become such good friends. We love you. Happy New Year, Ralph. 🙂 xox RVBFM
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A really BIG smiley to your lovely reply Marsha 😀 xox
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🙂 RBAY
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We travelled to Grande Prairie, AB for a job interview for hubby & to Calgary & back to pick up my daughter for a short visit. This is all the travelling we did this year. I am much more housebound now due to a recent diagnosis of COPD.
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I’m so sorry about the COPD. My first husband had that, among many ailments. My mother also, but she still lived to be 80, 20 years with very little of her heart functioning. (5-10%) believe it or not. Life is an amazing gift. Hope your 2014 is wonderful. 🙂
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What a wonderful year it’s been for you & Manny!
May 2014 bring you lots more smiles & lots of great times. 🙂
My 2013 – in summary…Where did the year go?
{Hugs}
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For sure! When I sat down to write it, I had no idea it would take so long! Have a great New Year, RoSy. Lots of love to you M xox
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Wow, that was a fabulous year tchistorygal !!! Congratulations and All the very best for 2014!!!
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Thanks Rexlin. 🙂
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Wow- what a great year and some terrific places! All best for 2014! I still seem to think the year begins in Sept. and ends in June.. with a bit of time off in between. Take the teacher out of the classroom, but can’t take the school year out of the teacher, I suppose. Highlights of 2013? A new grandson, my daughter’s college graduation, weekend in London, lots of biking.. I guess I better write a post!
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Wow, you do need to write a post. Those are awesome things. I’m missing the family things. I never had children, and Vince’s son is 44. 🙂
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Highlights of 2013? Hmmm. I met someone. Didn’t work out. Met a couple of bloggers. AnElephant and Ute. That was great. Nowhere near as exciting as yours and Manny’s year though 🙂
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It’s hard to beat Manny’s year! He travels lighter than you and I do! 🙂 Much of my travel was for work, and I have a time share, which I used extensively this year. 🙂 I’m sorry your someone didn’t work out. It is hard to find someone who is a perfect fit. 🙂 Bloggers around the world love you, though. 🙂
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That someone lied to me. Wouldn’t even give me her proper name. Seemed she was already seeing someone as well. I get that a lot lol
Wouldn’t it be nice to be like Manny and just get packed inside a suitcase and leave.
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Actually, even Manny is too big for his suitcase, but he did have some wonderful things in his suitcase, including a thumb drive with all his Europe pictures. I’m sorry about your girl. You deserve the best. God bless for a great New Year. Marsha 🙂
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Thanks Marsha. It’s great that the thumb drive told so much of his journeys
🙂
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Yes, Carol is so generous! So were Ralph and Ute. Now I need to get busy and share! 🙂
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😀
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Manny, you’re some privilege bear – all those places …. I’m so envy – and all the nice hotels you have been checked into. Amazing year, I thought I was mad about travelling … but you are a real jetsetter.
My travel highlights from travelling this year hasn’t been that many …. NYC is always very exciting – and then Belfast, you would love Belfast … and Dublin is never wrong neither.
Next year there will be a lot more travelling if my sorry ass let me.
Thanks for sharing your fantastic year …. I think you should concentrate this year on finding a girlfriend …. Always nice to have somebody special as travel mate. Good luck … and I wish you only the Best for 2014,
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You are so funny Viveka! Manny is laughing out loud. He has girlfriends all over the world. He doesn’t want to settle down yet. He’s still only 7! 🙂
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Girlfriends all over the world .. I should had guessed.
A think 7 in bear years is very mature.
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You are probably right, but he is still my baby! 🙂
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Wow! This is so awesome! Retired? Seriously, you must be “working” harder than ever!
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If travel is work, I’m working harder than ever! 🙂 🙂
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