2017 Year in Review

Highlights:

In February we took a Fanthom Cruise from Miami to Cuba with stops in Santiago de Cuba, Cienfuegos and Havana.  http://dorisandbilltraveladventures.blogspot.com/2017/02/cuba-january-2017-havana.html 

Downtown Havava

Old vintage U.S. cars are all over Cuba

• We attended a "Sinatra:  A Man and His Music" concert at the Music Hall.

• In March we went to Beaufort to go Kayaking and stayed in our favorite hotel the Rhett House Inn.

Kayaking the ACE Basin

• We hiked the Hobcaw Barony with Chris and Jo.

• March 24th we went to the Woolfe Street Theater to see the play "The Father".

• May-June Spoleto Festival for Jazz at the Cistern and Chamber Music at the Dock Street Theater. 

• Attended a Giants vs. Braves game with Jeff June 17 at Sun Trust Stadium in Atlanta.  Giants lost 9-0.

• Our Cousins from Melbourne visited the end of June and we took them downtown and also toured Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie.

• Attended our Niece's son Skyler and Samantha's (maiden name Booth) wedding July 15th in Finley, Washington close to Kennewick.  

With Chris, Debbie and niece Courtney

• We flew into Portland and drove through the Columbia gorge, stopped in Dallas for lunch and on the way back overnighted at the Columbia Gorge hotel on the river.  

• While in the bay area we also visited Eddie  and Mike and went to Cousin Ken's in Lafayette for the summer Mehan family BBQ.  Great trip.    We also like to take in a Giants game while we are out in the City.   

• August 16 we went to the Gibbs Museum to listed to a Jazz trio feturing James Lewis (Saxophone), Gerald Gregory (Piano) and Ron Wiltrot on drums. 

• In August we also went to the Woolfe Street theater to see "Sex with Strangers" 

• We took our first Road Scholar Trip in August from Asheville to Nashville          http://dorisandbilltraveladventures.blogspot.com/2017/09/road-scholars-quintessential-south.html

• We started at the Biltmore Estate and Thomas Wolfe house in Asheville and went through Appalachia stopping in Brea, Knoxville and the capitol of Kentucky, Frankfort.  We hit the bourbon trail stopping at the Buffalo Trace distillery where I discovered Bourbon Cream (better than Bailey's). We also visited the site of the Kentucky Derby, Corvette factory in Bowling Green and Louisville (Slugger) before arriving in Nashville.  In Nashville we visited the Counrty HOF  Museum, Ryman Auditorium and attended a Buddy Guy concert. 

• In October, Raine and I attended a Herbie Hancock concert at the Gaillard concert hall.

• November 18 we had dinner at the Indaco with Gary & Harriet and Dick & Barb and then caught "Sweeny Todd" at the Woolfe Street Theater to see "Sweeny Todd". 

• We spent New Year's at Jekyll Island and had a ball.  

U.S. Events:

World Events:

Movies:

Best Picture was "Moonlight".  Best actor went to Casey Affleck in "Manchester by the Sea".  Best Actress was Emma Stone in "La La Land".  Best supporting actor was Mahershala Ali in "Moonlight".  Best supporting actress was Viola Davis in "Fences".          Best Director was Damien Chazelle for "La La Land". 

Super Bowl:  

Super Bowl 51 was played at NRG Stadium in Houston on February 5, 2017.  The New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conference the Atlanta Falcons, 34–28. The game featured the largest comeback in Super Bowl history with the Patriots overcoming a 28–3 deficit.  The game was also the first and currently only Super Bowl to be decided in overtime.  The Patriots' victory was their fifth, moving them into a three-way tie with the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers for the second-most Super Bowl wins. After finishing the regular season with a league-best 14–2 record, New England advanced to their record-setting ninth Super Bowl appearance and their seventh under the leadership of head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. The Falcons, led by the league's top offense and MVP quarterback Matt Ryan, finished the regular season with an 11–5 record and were seeking their first Super Bowl title in their second appearance. Brady was named MVP for a record fourth time and was the oldest player to receive the honor at 39; he would surpass both records                                                      in Super Bowl 55. 

World Series:

Did the Astros Cheat?

 The Astros defeated the Dodgers, four games to   three, to win   their first World Series in   franchise history, also becoming the   first team   from Texas to do so. They became the second   team in   postseason history to win two Game 7s in one postseason, after   the Kansas City Royals did it in 1985.  It was the first time since   2001–2002 when two consecutive World Series went to seven games. Both teams set a World Series record with a combined total of 25 home runs throughout the entire series, including a team record 15 home runs by the Astros, and 10 homeruns by the Dodgers, and hit a combined total of eight home runs in Game 2 to set the single game World Series record.  Houston George Springer was named the MVP after hitting five home runs in the series to tie a World Series record with Reggie Jackson in 1977 and Chase Utley in 2009.