Brenda's Memories » Rick May

Las Vegas May Family Trip February 2009

Brenda May — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:37:14 +0000

Rick, Buck, Bill and me (Brenda) May and Susan Semanick(May) and Diane Kacer, Bill May’s girlfriend, all went to Las Vegas in February 2009. In a whirlwind 4 day trip, we ate, drank, gambled and took in some shows. Hey, let’s not forget shopping! You can never have enough pairs of shoes!

We stayed at New York New York and had a wonderful dinner at Gallagher’s Steak House in our hotel. My son, Patrick, and my ex, Bruce Audley, both highly recommended this restaurant. It was absolutely wonderful!

Rick and I walked for 900 miles every day (okay, 5 miles) taking in the sites – the last time either of us were in Vegas was at least 20 years ago so we saw huge changes!!!! My favorites were the beautiful glass flowers on the Bellagio ceiling in the lobby, the quaint shops in Paris, and the cozy atmosphere at Treasure Island. Most of all, I loved the Wynn Hotel. Rick and I has a really lovely lunch in the little cafe at the Wynn near the Manolo Blanik. Gotta love those shoes! It was a very truly amazing hotel – one of the prettiest I have ever seen.

One of the exciting hits of our trip was my win at the Casino. Usually I only play the penny machines and have a $40 limit but the second day of our trip, Rick gave me 2 one hundred dollar bills to play with. I sat down at a nickel machine, popped in a hundred, and 4 spins later, won $928.64; another hundred and another $528.19 win, and finally popped in a five dollar bill and won $161.38 – over $1600 US$ – a pretty amazing win in under 10 minutes. I cashed out right away and put the tickets in the safe – cashed them in just before leaving for the airport. I was thrilled!

Next trip – another Caribbean cruise in this fall (September) with Rick and my son, Patrick.

Cruising the Caribbean October 21-30, 2007

Brenda May — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 02:27:13 +0000

This is my first cruise! Rick and I and Patrick and Kathy are on our way to the Caribbean where the weather is hot! hot! hot! New camera, new clothes, lots of $$$, life is good!

We sailed from Ft. Lauderdale about the Carnival Miracle. Our cabin had a balcony – the only way to go! Lots of closet space for all those dresses and shoes! We packed way too much! Those early morning cups of coffee and late night cocktails, sitting on our deck chairs, watching the ocean waves gently rolling by…………..

After sailing for two days, we arrived at the beautiful island of St. Maarten. This was by far the best port on out trip! The people are gentle and friendly, the scenery is outstanding and the mood is charming. We enjoyed buttery croissants and delicious coffee on the French side, travelled uphill to Fort Louis, and spent a charismatic hour at the Butterfly Farm.

None of us liked St. Lucia and few of our fellow shipmates had anything favorable to say about the island. We did take a taxi to Marigot Bay – it was pretty but had a definite “cold” feeling.

Last stop was St. Kitts. Such a pretty and friendly island. Food was really good and the local Caribe beer was excellent!

We had our photos taken on the first formal night – what a lovely evening.

We celebrated Rick’s 62nd birthday and Kathy’s 30th birthday at Nick and Nora’s Restaurant at the top of the ship. It was definitely one of the most beautiful restaurants I have even been to and the food and service were excellent!
On our last night aboard, we sat in our cabin at midnight and ate the rest of the birthday cake.
Looking forward to the next cruise!!!

Christmas 2006

Brenda May — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 22:44:32 +0000

Christmas in Richmond with Rick and Brenda May, Patrick Audley and Kathy Chernipeski, and Dennis Mirva.

Puerto Vallarta 2006

Brenda May — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 22:46:22 +0000

In October 2006, Rick, Patrick and I vacationed in Puerto Vallarta. We stayed at a beautiful spa called Villa Premiere. The Villa has only 64 rooms and each suite is spectacular! The view is incredible. I have never stayed in Mexico in such a glorious hotel. Around the pool and on the private beach, are white cabanas. Each cabana holds a double bed that sways gently in the breeze – white curtains can be pulled around the bed for privacy. Service was great although we generally dined outside the hotel. So may restaurants to choose from…. We toured a tequila factory and brought home some very old and smooth varieties of the drink. All in all, it was a truly perfect holiday!

Kootenays 2006

Brenda May — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 03:26:10 +0000

n the summer of 2006, Rick and I flew to the Kootenays in southern BC. Many “hippies” of the 1960′s lived here. The ferries are quaint and we even found a brothel in an old ghost town. Harry Potter brooms are made just outside of Nelson.

Christmas 2005

Brenda May — Mon, 26 Dec 2005 04:12:51 +0000

Ixtapa 2005

Brenda May — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 02:55:28 +0000

Our planned trip to Playa del Carmen in 2005 was cancelled because the hotel, and much of the Mayan Riveria, was destroyed in a hurricane. So, we went to Ixtapa. Although the hotel was lovely and the scenery magnificent, the beach was rocky and not good for swimming. The countryside held pretty homes with an abundance of flowers. We also spent an interesting day in Zhuatanejo.

Cuba 2004

Brenda May — Fri, 22 Oct 2004 04:26:58 +0000

Rick, Buck May, Patrick, Patrick’s friend Danielle, and I went to Cuba for a holiday in 2004. It was Rick’s 60th Birthday Party holiday.

You can also see my son’s photos of the same trip.

Manzanillo 2000

Brenda May — Fri, 20 Oct 2000 22:06:32 +0000

In November 2000, Rick, Patrick, Danielle Doucette and I vacationed in Manzanillo. We stayed at the beautiful Karmina Palace. The hotel was wonderful and we loved our huge suites.

Scotland and England 1999, 2002 and 2003

Brenda May — Thu, 21 Jan 1999 03:31:42 +0000

Rick and I toured Scotland by car in 1999. We stayed at many beautiful bed and breakfast places. One morning we awoke to the bleating of a sheep – it had stuck it�s head in our bedroom window to have a look at us! Scotland is steeped in history and although we are not members of The Royal Troon Golf Club, we were able to have a small tour. We saw the world�s oldest wooden golf club and also the huge gold Rolex Clock in the Club lobby. The people were gentle and we even happened upon a Scottish wedding in a pub and were invited to join in the festivities. St. Andrews was a marvel and the course appears as a windswept, small hilled field by the sea! We also visited Loch Ness and got lost in the fog.

I took this photo in 2002 when I visited Patrick in Scotalnd. We took a day trip to Carlisle, England and stopped at a tea house next to the Old Fish Shop.

In 2003, I again visited Patrick and we stayed at the old, old Peat Country Inn. The suites were two levels and very quaint.