Category Archives: Daily Lime

Stateside Merrymaking: OK and TX

Tulsa Oklahoma is my next stateside stop. I came here to visit my dear friend Jamie whom I met in Austin over 25 years ago.

We spend a lot of time catching up at her house and enjoying some fine dining. She also takes me to get the best pedicure of my life. The pedi included warm neck towel, free refreshments, sugar sub, hot stone rub and gorgeous toes. We also attend a fabulous balance and posture class.

We Are Back in Austin, Texas

Our first stop is Gonzales where we meet up with Donald and Ruth. We used to sail on their boat called “Ruthless” and learned so much from them! They’ve become family since we first met in early 2005. We met at the Cow Palace and camped out for hours as we caught up.

Of course Matt and I had to stop at the world’s largest Buc-ees! I love this place! They are known for having the most gas pumps and the cleanest bathrooms! But I love it because you can buy groceries, home goods, have lunch and oh so much more.

Lake Day!

Our friends Josh and Sara and their daughters Avery and Riley took us out on Lake Austin! It was a perfect day with beautiful weather, decent waters, and few boaters!

Avery showed off her wake boarding and surfing skills! This girl has talent! Matt got up and surfed goofy footed! He did an amazing job considering it has been years since he surfed!

We passed by the 360 bridge (iconic to Austin) and Ski Shores restaurant which was packed.

We also came across some great art on the lake front.

The Barkers

We enjoyed spending several days with Matt and Diana in Austin. We are hoping they come back to Sugar Shack soon.

One of my priorities was to fix my hair! I had not had it colored in over a year and it was a HOT MESS!

Wendy at Deseo Salon has been taking care of me for over 27 years!

Restaurants and Eateries

There were several places we HAD to visit including: Maudie’s, then Torchy’s Tacos, Taco Deli, Hula Hut, and Rudy’s BBQ.

Hula Hut dinner with John and Missy!

And it would not be an Austin visit without a stop at Amy’s Ice cream!

Our stateside visit was been packed full of good friends, great food, and fun adventures. We are so blessed!

Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual live events.

Matt and I visited the stateside (OK and TX) the last two weeks of March.

I played hard in LA and SFO. Check it out in the last blog post.

The Beauty of Savusavu

Savusavu is a delightful place with grocery stores, fresh produce, bakeries, restaurants, chandleries, mechanics, and some tourism. It’s small enough to be quaint and big enough to meet our needs after being off the grid for so long.

There are 4 marinas in Savusavu. Two of the “marinas” are very small and only offer a few mooring balls: Waitui Marina and Savusavu Marina.

Copra Shed Marina has moorings and a few slips at their dock. They have 2 restaurants, a gift shop, chandlery, activity center, Fiji Airways office, and a Money exchange.

Nawi Marina is the new, big marina that is still in the process of expanding. They have lots of marina slips and a haul out facility. Soon, they will have mooring balls. They have a beautiful pool, 2 restaurants, chandlery, small market, coffee shop, small beauty spa and more.

We stay on a Copra Shed mooring (see green arrow). We have a nice breeze, very little traffic and a pretty view.

The marinas are all vastly different but there is something for everyone.

Nawi is still trying to figure things out. They’ve unfortunately tripled their rates so it is not a place we stay. But, we do love to visit and enjoy their pool, bar and restaurants.

There is a lovely produce market that is open daily. You can find eggs, potatoes, onions, papayas, bananas, bell peppers hot peppers, cabbage, avocados, passion fruit and oh so much more!

A Month Long Stay

Normally, we would not have stayed for a month. However, I had to fly back to the states to pick up our boat parts and Matt had to do the repairs.

At least we were “stuck” in a beautiful town with provisions, restaurants, and lots of other cruisers to hang out with!

We had lots of beautiful rainbows.

And more rainbows:

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.

We arrived Savusavu in early May and stayed for several weeks repairing the boat. Be sure to check out our arrival to Savusavu here.

The Sleeping Descanso Gardens

I met my dearest friend Kathryn at Descanso Gardens in La Canada, California. These botanical gardens are on 150-acres. They feature a wide area, mostly forested, with artificial streams, ponds, lawns, and small sitting structures.

There were gravel, wood chip, and dirt paths twisting throughout the property. Streams with small waterfalls, towering forest and blossoming floral gardens.

The colors were extremely vibrant and the smells are deliciously fragrant.

Poppies, daffodils, roses, stargazers, lilies and more.

There are lots of seating areas, bridges, and water features. We came across a man wearing a captain’s hat and reading.

Daphne’s Wardrobe

The Descanso Gardens had a wonderful display called Daphne’s Wardrobe Metamorphosis into Nature. It is beautiful combination of art and fashion.

The displays consisted of clothing, sculptures, paintings, and photography.

Many beautiful sculptures and carvings were on display as well.

I really wanted to try this on! Check out the pretty little shoes on display.

This was my favorite spot.

The cherry blossom tree was in bloom and reflected beautifully in the water.

What a joy it was to spend some quality time with Kathryn!

We really enjoyed the Descanso Gardens. Although, I’d recommend going in the spring when the flowers are in full bloom.

Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual live events. We were in Descano Gardens in early March 2025.

We had the best time as we danced through Disneyland, come play with us.