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Spring Update

  • July 7, 2025
  • KK

After a few weeks at Captiva, Jack & I headed up to the Jacksonville area to see our boys and Florida grandkids. Before we headed to the East Coast, we stopped to visit our cousin Nancy Kennedy in Venice. Lucky for us, her Independent Living place had a one-bedroom available for us to stay the night. And WOW! Both Jack and I were ready to move into this place. Since Florida has numerous 55+ and Independent Living communities, there is considerable competition. It was absolutely stunning—a pool, a beautiful gym, a formal dining room, and a great big bar with a wonderful happy hour. It was great to catch up with her and hear all about the family.

The next morning, we drove the five hours Northeast to St. John’s, an area close to St. Augustine. I’m still sad that David and his family moved from McKinney, Texas, to Florida, but at least, both Christopher and he now live in the same town, along with one of my best friends—Sheri Pedoulas. Now, we can visit all of them at the same time. Spending time with the two little boys is one of my greatest joys (as it is for any grandmother!) But every time I look at little Harry, I am transported back in time. He is the spitting image of David as a little boy. Christopher and Haley have a beautiful home, and David and Jess are building one not too far away from them. All in all, I could have spent more time with the Florida clan, but we needed to get back to Houston; after all, it had been nine months since we had lived in our home.

Back in Houston, we finished unpacking and setting up the house; then it was on to the yard; I was a long way from winning the Yard of the Month!  As one can imagine, there were a lot of chores to do after nine months of an empty house. It wasn’t long before Jack and I were back to a regular routine of household tasks, exercise, and—of course—Pickleball; thank goodness we kept our game up by playing a lot while in London.

The two months passed very quickly, but we packed a lot into that time. We took the Blackburn grandkids to Corpus Christi to see the Blue Angels and spent a day on the USS Lexington (CV-16)—now a museum (Jack made his first carrier landing on it way back in 1979), and David’s family flew in from Florida to help celebrate Sarah’s birthday weekend. Having most everyone here for a weekend of swimming, playing, and lots of laughter was worth its weight in gold. Traveling for the majority of the year is an amazing experience, but nothing compares to being surrounded by our grown children and their families. Jack and I witnessed the special connections that make us a family. The political discussions, movie trivia, inside jokes, reminiscing about the past, and so much happy chaos. Clothing and suitcases everywhere, so many toy cars, trucks, and planes, and lots of food everywhere, but we would not have it any other way! 

Golf Partners in Jax
Cousin Nancy and KK
Houston Family at Easter
Georgia Ann at Blues
Corsair II
Lex 5" Guns
Onboard Lex
Jack Jr.
Breakfast Chaos
Cousins - Case & Jack
Reagan HS Graduation

Before I knew it, I was headed to London and a few days later, Jack made his way to Charlotte to see our oldest grand graduate high school—she’s bound for UNC Chapel Hill.  Back in London, I settled into a very inadequate and ill-equipped flat (more on that next time), and spent the first week making it liveable!  I had rented a three-bedroom flat in the same area since Kalee and her family would be joining us for a month. How fun is it that I get to share my favourite city with my grandkids? I hope they fall in love with it, too!

Next update: Arrival in London and the pains of renting a flat sight unseen!

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14 months into our exciting journey “on the edge” it time to say farewell to London – for now!

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  • karenkstuart@gmail.com
  • Home
  • Travel Blog
    • Updates from the Edge
      • Spring Update
      • Carnoustie – Long Journey Home
      • Veneto: The Land of Quaint Towns
      • Croatia: Rovinj, Porec & Pula
      • Venice in a Day
      • Crossing the Pond
      • At Sea… Again!
      • Last Days
      • Leaving Soon!
    • Croatia
      • Croatia: Rovinj, Porec & Pula
    • France
      • The Dordogne: Beynac-et-Carzenac & Outdoor Activities
      • The Dordogne: Caves
      • The Dordogne: Castles and Chateaus
      • Dordogne Region: Saint-Émilion
    • Germany
      • Christmas in Garmisch, Germany
      • Christkindl Markts
    • Greece
      • Crete, Greece
      • Paxos, Greece
    • Italy
      • Veneto: The Land of Quaint Towns
      • Dolomites, Italy
      • Valdobbiadene, Italy
      • Padua, Italy
      • Venice in a Day
      • 3 Best Pottery Towns In Italy
    • Netherlands
      • Amsterdam, Netherlands
    • Norway
      • Tromsø, Norway
    • Oman
      • Muscat, Oman
    • United Arab Emirates
      • Dubai, UAE
    • United States
      • Spring Update
      • Back to Houston
    • United Kingdom
      • London: All That Life Can Afford
      • Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
      • London: British Summer Time
      • London’s Final Update… For Now!
      • London Update 5
      • Greenwich: Royal Museums
      • London Update 4 – Tis the Season
      • London Update Three
      • London Update Two
      • London Update One
      • Orkney Islands
      • NC500 Scotland
      • Carnoustie – Long Journey Home
      • Edinburgh, Scotland
    • The World’s Last Luxury Liner – Queen Mary 2
      • Crossing the Pond
      • At Sea… Again!
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • Travel Blog
    • Updates from the Edge
      • Spring Update
      • Carnoustie – Long Journey Home
      • Veneto: The Land of Quaint Towns
      • Croatia: Rovinj, Porec & Pula
      • Venice in a Day
      • Crossing the Pond
      • At Sea… Again!
      • Last Days
      • Leaving Soon!
    • Croatia
      • Croatia: Rovinj, Porec & Pula
    • France
      • The Dordogne: Beynac-et-Carzenac & Outdoor Activities
      • The Dordogne: Caves
      • The Dordogne: Castles and Chateaus
      • Dordogne Region: Saint-Émilion
    • Germany
      • Christmas in Garmisch, Germany
      • Christkindl Markts
    • Greece
      • Crete, Greece
      • Paxos, Greece
    • Italy
      • Veneto: The Land of Quaint Towns
      • Dolomites, Italy
      • Valdobbiadene, Italy
      • Padua, Italy
      • Venice in a Day
      • 3 Best Pottery Towns In Italy
    • Netherlands
      • Amsterdam, Netherlands
    • Norway
      • Tromsø, Norway
    • Oman
      • Muscat, Oman
    • United Arab Emirates
      • Dubai, UAE
    • United States
      • Spring Update
      • Back to Houston
    • United Kingdom
      • London: All That Life Can Afford
      • Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
      • London: British Summer Time
      • London’s Final Update… For Now!
      • London Update 5
      • Greenwich: Royal Museums
      • London Update 4 – Tis the Season
      • London Update Three
      • London Update Two
      • London Update One
      • Orkney Islands
      • NC500 Scotland
      • Carnoustie – Long Journey Home
      • Edinburgh, Scotland
    • The World’s Last Luxury Liner – Queen Mary 2
      • Crossing the Pond
      • At Sea… Again!
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

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