Vacations/Trips For 2021

[Augie]

9 hours ago, Chef Jim said:

Not really.  My idea is to head to WNY this summer after I get vaccinated.  My mom's 95th was last August and I missed it due to the NY quarantine.  I still have my SW ticket which is good for two more years but I need to see the Young Lady while she's still around.  

 

My wife is always correcting me. I’ll say I have to take groceries to my mom today. My wife will say, “no, you GET to take groceries to your mom today”. She’s right, of course, and I did that earlier today. She’s 93 and you never know how many more chances you will get. Good for you! 

 

P.S. Happy Birthday Young Man! 

[Chef Jim]

31 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

My wife is always correcting me. I’ll say I have to take groceries to my mom today. My wife will say, “no, you GET to take groceries to your mom today”. She’s right, of course, and I did that earlier today. She’s 93 and you never know how many more chances you will get. Good for you! 

 

P.S. Happy Birthday Young Man! 

Thank you sir!

[Billsfansinceday1]

Iceland has opened its doors to travelers who are full vaccinated.  My wife and I have our tickets to see that magnificent country, straight out of Game of Thrones, this September.

 

I will just have to figure out how to see the first 2 Bills games of the 2021 Season.

[billsfanmiamioh]

Hilton head island with family coming up in two weeks, short little guys golf trip in the poconos region at the end of May, Montana for a few days with wife & kid in August.
 

Planning on an away Bills game or two this fall, some great options on the schedule again this year after obv not getting to any last year. 

[Gordio]

We got a house on Lake George third week of August, going to Florida with the whole family including my sisters and BIL and his family in October, I am going to try to visit my friend in Orange County super bowl weekend and then head out to Vegas for that Sat/Sun/Mon for the game(hopefully flights arent too expensive as LA is hosting the super bowl this year) & had to cancel our Aruba trip last spring so my wife and I (no kids) are going to head out there in April then for my son's graduation present next summer we are going to go on a little road trip hit a bunch of MLB ball parks(hopefully Minn/Both Chicago's/Milwakee/Detroit/Cinci/Cleve).  Always wanted to do something like that.  

[BuffaloBud]

Need to see my parents - thinking Memorial Day weekend.  Eyeing the Bills game in Jax this fall.  Other than that, half day Fridays again this year possibly.

[PastaJoe]

Going to the south Jersey shore in July. We were there last year just before they shut down, so we make reservations for the next year to get a discount. Been going for about 20 years. Get a hotel suite with kitchen. Mostly sit on the beach and watch the waves. Last year everyone kept socially distanced on the beach, so it wasn’t the mass of humanity you see in some places like Florida.

[Augie]

11 hours ago, billsfanmiamioh said:

Hilton head island with family coming up in two weeks, short little guys golf trip in the poconos region at the end of May, Montana for a few days with wife & kid in August.
 

Planning on an away Bills game or two this fall, some great options on the schedule again this year after obv not getting to any last year. 

 

Awesome! Where are you staying in Hilton Head? You’ll be there before it gets too stinkin’ hot and right after the Heritage golf tournament. Met my wife when I lived there, our kids were born there, it’s like home to us. One day (hopefully long from now) I’ll be buried in the cemetery in Sea Pines with some others in our family. Hilton Head seemed like a mandatory destination for locals when I was in school in Cincinnati.

 

Montana would be amazing to see! I would LOVE that.....ENJOY! 

[billsfanmiamioh]

1 hour ago, Augie said:

 

Awesome! Where are you staying in Hilton Head? You’ll be there before it gets too stinkin’ hot and right after the Heritage golf tournament. Met my wife when I lived there, our kids were born there, it’s like home to us. One day (hopefully long from now) I’ll be buried in the cemetery in Sea Pines with some others in our family. Hilton Head seemed like a mandatory destination for locals when I was in school in Cincinnati.

 

Montana would be amazing to see! I would LOVE that.....ENJOY! 

Staying at the same house we rented a couple years ago which was great!! Between the Sonesta resort and Coligny area  (closer to Sonesta). Private beach access, pool, etc. Really great spot for the little ones. Ours is 4 and a half, niece is 3 and nephew is 10 months. Looking forward to not doing much other than eating, drinking and laying around! Last time the wife and I started almost every day with a long walk down the beach to the frosty frog for a huge high octane daiquiri. By the time we’d make it back we’d be feeling pretty good! Definitely will hit Hudson’s and Skull creek and also do some cooking / grilling in. 
 

Montana is great, was out there for the first time in January to ski. We’re actually considering a rental property out there but the market is insane. Hopefully something shakes out, it’s beautiful out there!

[Bad Things]

Although NZ will soon be opening up a "travel-bubble" with Aussie and the Cook Islands, I suspect any other international destinations will be off the table for us this year.

That said, as bad as it sounds, we've been loving the fact that there aren't any international tourists in New Zealand.  We have the entire place to ourselves!

Just last month, I got to go backpacking in Fiordland National Park.  The trails were empty, and the scenery was beyond stunning.

 

[Augie]

15 minutes ago, billsfanmiamioh said:

Staying at the same house we rented a couple years ago which was great!! Between the Sonesta resort and Coligny area  (closer to Sonesta). Private beach access, pool, etc. Really great spot for the little ones. Ours is 4 and a half, niece is 3 and nephew is 10 months. Looking forward to not doing much other than eating, drinking and laying around! Last time the wife and I started almost every day with a long walk down the beach to the frosty frog for a huge high octane daiquiri. By the time we’d make it back we’d be feeling pretty good! Definitely will hit Hudson’s and Skull creek and also do some cooking / grilling in. 
 

Montana is great, was out there for the first time in January to ski. We’re actually considering a rental property out there but the market is insane. Hopefully something shakes out, it’s beautiful out there!

 

May I suggest Pool Bar Jim’s which is right near you on the beach. He’s been there since the 80’s and the best frozen drinks and setting ever, for my money. Personal bias there, but worth a shot. 

 

I think he was in the old Hilton Head Inn, which is now long gone for bigger projects (Marriott timeshares). Now in a different hotel. Biked there when staying with friends a few years ago, as good as ever but the bike trip from Sea Pines was longer than expected. Our host thought it was nothing, but he was a SERIOUS biker and would literally ride 100 miles a day!!!  

 

Skull Creek Boathouse was originally Schilling Boathouse owned by some neighbors (the Schillings) and their father. It’s since been bought by a group in which an old client (and kinda buddy) is a partner. We lived very close in HH Plantation then and the kids ate there weekly. Perfect for the young ones! The scored flounder with jezebel sauce is my favorite on the dinner menu. We try to hit there every trip back.  Awesome views! Old Fort Pub nearby was also great, but maybe not so much with kids. 

 

Have a great trip. You’ve inspired me to look into when we can next get back there. 

[billsfanmiamioh]

We definitely hit pool bar Jim’s last time and will be back! Frozen drinks were fantastic. We did happy hour and some apps there one day. Playing a round at Shipyard one day as well. At this rate it might be first time I’ve swung a club since October 😬

[Augie]

2 minutes ago, billsfanmiamioh said:

We definitely hit pool bar Jim’s last time and will be back! Frozen drinks were fantastic. We did happy hour and some apps there one day. Playing a round at Shipyard one day as well. At this rate it might be first time I’ve swung a club since October 😬

 

Shipyard is kinda tight, and I set a personal best there. Actually....TWO!  I once hit an 8 iron on a par 3 and came just 2-3 inches away from a hole-in-one. Sadly, I skulled it and it never went much higher than my knees. I still would have taken it!

 

BUT, to the tightness of Shipyard, my REAL personal best was hitting THREE different houses with one ball! How often does THAT happen? It was a rare hook for me into some patio houses.....roof, roof, side wall. Missed the windows, thankfully! 

 

My bride lived in Shipyard when I met her. I swear, HHI is probably more like home to me than WNY. I started visiting in high school and worked summers there during college. 

 

A guy who worked for me at the bank had a close friend who was important in the Heritage tournament. We could go to any course on or off the island with him without a tee time and just walk on without paying. This guy had clout! That was my biggest year of golf ever, but still less than serious golfers. 

[707BillsFan]

Got a few things planned. Going to Vegas in a few weeks. In June we're going to Aruba (couldn't go last June). Then I have a couple trips up to Reno/Tahoe...one of which is a "work" trip, volunteering for the PGA Barracuda Championship. Another is a golf trip. Probably in the fall, at least one trip back to Buffalo to catch a Bills game (fingers crossed). 

[LewPort71]

We are headed to Lewiston in August for our 50 year HS reunion.  Yes, Mrs. Lew and I are HS  Sweethearts.

Tha'ts about it.  Our time has been and will be spent in "grandma & grandpa"  mode.

A cruise is planned for 2022.

 

 

[billsfanmiamioh]

On 4/14/2021 at 9:19 PM, Augie said:

 

Shipyard is kinda tight, and I set a personal best there. Actually....TWO!  I once hit an 8 iron on a par 3 and came just 2-3 inches away from a hole-in-one. Sadly, I skulled it and it never went much higher than my knees. I still would have taken it!

 

BUT, to the tightness of Shipyard, my REAL personal best was hitting THREE different houses with one ball! How often does THAT happen? It was a rare hook for me into some patio houses.....roof, roof, side wall. Missed the windows, thankfully! 

 

My bride lived in Shipyard when I met her. I swear, HHI is probably more like home to me than WNY. I started visiting in high school and worked summers there during college. 

 

A guy who worked for me at the bank had a close friend who was important in the Heritage tournament. We could go to any course on or off the island with him without a tee time and just walk on without paying. This guy had clout! That was my biggest year of golf ever, but still less than serious golfers. 

Well maybe I blocked it out, but it was tighter than I remember. Could have also been the fact I hadn’t swung a club since October....I managed to mix in like 6 pars along with my usual lot of doubles and triples. Wish I could eliminate the disaster holes from my game. 
 

Oh well, great week so far. Weather perfect, good food and lots of fun on the beach and pool chasing the kids around. Have the pot for a boil heating up as we speak and the kids will be asleep soon. And we have 2 more days before we’re done so not much to complain about! 

[PromoTheRobot]

On 4/12/2021 at 9:51 AM, Halloween Land said:

Now that things are starting to get a little better, do you have a trip planned this summer? 

 

Our annual beach house week in Carolina Beach, NC. Great town, awesome coastline, affordable condos.

[billsfanmiamioh]

Oh sorry I forgot. I definitely hit a house too 😬

[Augie]

1 hour ago, billsfanmiamioh said:

Oh sorry I forgot. I definitely hit a house too 😬

 

HA! I’ve lived on three golf courses, two in Hilton Head (Harbor Town and what used to be the Sea Marsh course in Sea Pines, now renamed) and one in WNY. We used to check the neighbors place in HHI when they were up north to look for broken windows to avoid too much water damage.  Sadly, it happened far too often, and I have no burning desire to live in firing range of a golf course again, even if the constant cussing could be amusing. 

 

We spent last weekend at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC for our son’s wedding. FABULOUS event and setting. We got lucky with great weather and family getting together after a huge gap in gathering due to the pandemic thing you may have heard about. My sister had not seen my 93 year old mom in over two years due to world events. The wedding pressed her to push her comfort level, and that’s a blessing. She might not have many more chances to see her elderly mother. A blessing by all accounts. 

[Draconator]

My wife and I actually took a 2 1/2 week vacation this past January. Flew from Buffalo to Reno. Spent time in Lake Tahoe, then down the Eastern Sierra Mountains to Lone Pine, CA. Then across Death Valley to Las Vegas for a couple of days. Then off to Sedona, Arizona for a few days. Down to Phoenix for a couple of days. Then an evening in Solvang, CA (Dutch themed town on the Southern California coast). Up to the Bay Area to see my daughter for a few days, then back to Reno to fly home. I can try to post pictures, but I don't want to bog down this thread with a picture or two per post.