[jdviole2]

Since we did not spend our money on a fancy house or cars, boats, or other expensive toys we took a lot of trips. While I was still in the navy we got to visit Munich, Naples (where I was stationed) and Rome. After I got home we visited Los Angles and San Diego many times. We also spent a lot of time hiking in the Mountains in Colorado. During one trip to LA we drove and visited sites in Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. We went to two World's Fairs, one in New Orleans and one in Vancouver Canada. We had planned to return to Europe so I could take her to all the countries I had visited but sadly we never got that done. What we tried to do was see all we could while we were young. Her parents had intended to wait until retirement for their big trips, and then her mom passed away in her mid 50's. We decided that when our time came we wanted to be able to say "remember when we did this and saw that" rather than "I wish we had done this or saw that". For the most part we accomplished our goal. Though there were places we never got to and things we didn't get to see, we did a lot in the time we had. The last several years Helena was not well enough to endure a long trip or to do the things she wanted to do, so we revisited the places we loved by looking at the slides we had taken. Right up to the last we were planning future trips. I think we both knew we would never take those trips but neither of us let the other know that. So for todays pictures. The first one was taken in Colorado in around 1979 or 80. I had bought the drinking skin somewhere in Europe. Helena learned quickly to take a drink without shooting the liquid all over her face and body. The second photo shows Helena digging for diamonds, in Crater Of Diamonds state park in Arkansas. Didn't find any stones but she had a ball looking for them. Not all of our trips were "wilderness" types of things. The last picture shows Helena in a garden in Los Angles. I think it was on the grounds of the Hunnington Hartford museum. I'm basing this on the fact that the photo was in a group taken at that museum. More later.