Our first visitor in our home in Raleigh was our grandson who is now in the Navy and stationed near Charleston, SC. Last year we traveled with him and his brother to Costa Rica. A really great grandtrip! Jim & Dana 

We just heard from our friends at Tumbling River Ranch in Grant, Colorado. Scott and Megan offer a superb experience at their dude ranch, including horseback riding, swimming, hiking and white-water rafting. You will enjoy great food and a fantastic family experience.

They still have some space for the last two weeks of July, and at a discount. Visit them at www.tumblingriver.com.

A few years ago I created a Facebook page primarily so I could be Facebook-friends with my grandkids.  Social media is such a part of their world!  During this time I have experienced being ‘unfriended’ when I commented on postings of concern…but in each case, after time to reflect, I have been refriended.  Reading Facebook pages is such a window into the world of teenaged grandkids…I find it very important.  What about any of you reading this post?  Any thoughts or suggestions about social media as a connector with grandkids?  Would love to hear your thoughts.

We were out on the bikes on the Montour Trail, a beautiful 40 mile bike/hiking trail in Western PA. Hard to believe; so early this year. Jim & Dana 

“Grandparents are picking up the tab more during these tough economic times, treating the whole family to a vacation or just flying the grandkids in for a visit…. Some grandparents want to treat family members to vacations they may otherwise struggle to afford, or they simply want to spend more time with loved ones in the midst of so much uncertainty.” USAToday March 5, 2012

We have heard from Ann who has some helpful suggestions for taking grandkids on trips, so we are passing these along:

1) The age of eleven is perfect for taking a grandchild on a trip.  They are old enough to remember the trip and not so attached to their regular lives and friends that they would not want to be with their grandparents.

2) Provide the child with the opportunity to choose where to go…but retain a ‘veto’ vote, if necessary.  Ann used it once when a grandchild wanted to go to Disneyland…Ann wanted a location that the child would not be doing with her parents.

3) Make the trip both educational and fun..not a ‘project’ with reports.   Perhaps the grandchild could get a diary of what he/she did.

4) Don’t sweat the ‘small stuff’.  For example, don’t be concerned about the food selections..let them eat what they want  - it is only for a small period of time.

Hope these suggestions are helpful - would love to hear about your ‘lessons learned’ when taking a grandchild on a trip.  Drop us a note -

Weather here in Hilton Head Island is great. Was in the 70’s yesterday; the 60’s today. Great place for biking; lots of bike trails, plus the beach.

About two inches of new snow here in Pittsburgh. What a great time to play in the snow with grandkids. Too bad; no grandkids are around this weekend.

Congratulations on the launch of your new web site! I hope it’s a big success! You guys are the best..

Mark

Sig, Asking grandkids to take some responsibility for selecting the destination and creating a paper is a great idea. Thanks for sharing.