First the bad news… my dear friend Elizabeth Belcher lost both her parents just three weeks apart. Doug and I were visiting with Jim and Elizabeth at her parents’ home to watch the first game of the season (UGA) when her mother suddenly had what we believe was a stroke. She was unresponsive, just staring straight ahead and was having difficulty breathing. 911 was called. They took her to the hospital in the ambulance, and she died about two hours later. Needless to say, it was a traumatic day. Elizabeth and her parents, indeed her whole family, have always been very close. I knew it was going to be very hard on her and her dad. Then, three weeks later, Elizabeth was back at her dad’s house getting ready for her mom’s memorial service to be held the next day. Her dad collapsed and 911 was called again. The doctors told the family he had massive bleeding in his brain and there was no hope of recovery, that it was just a matter of hours. Elizabeth was simply devastated. She called us from the hospital, crying so hard it broke our hearts to hear her. The memorial service was held the next morning for her mom, but it turned into a celebration of both her parents’ lives. Her dad died later that same day. The following Wednesday, there was a double burial of their ashes.
Doug and I have known the McDowalls as long as we’ve known Jim and Elizabeth, since our college days. They were two of the sweetest people you could ever meet. They always made us feel so welcome, like we were part of the family. They were fortunate to have sharp minds right up till the end. While they both died easy deaths, the suddenness of it is terribly hard on the family they left behind. Please pray for Elizabeth.
The evening we got the call from Elizabeth about her dad was the evening before we left on our big vacation. We had plane tickets for early the next morning to fly to New York where we would board the Norwegian Dawn for a Canadian and New England cruise. We were already down at Mary Jane and Mike’s house, as they were going with us on the trip. So I was unable to even go to the hospital to be with Elizabeth. I am so sorry I could not be there for her, but Mary Jane and I prayed a long time for her that night, and we were in touch by phone. I’ve talked with her several times since then and hope to visit her soon. I bought a red and a pink rose bush for her to plant in memory of her parents and want to take them to her.
The day after Elizabeth’s tearful phone call, Mike, Mary Jane, Doug, and I got up early so we could leave for the airport by 6:30 AM. We were excited about our trip. On the way to Atlanta, however, I discovered that I had accidentally picked up Doug’s expired passport instead of his current one. (Don’t ask me why he kept the old one.) We hoped this would not cause problems, as it was too late to go home for it. We trucked on, and later had a very uneventful flight to NYC. I was not the least bit nervous, which was quite an accomplishment for someone who was terrified on my first plane trip – also to New York, but 24 years ago.
We arrived at LaGuardia only to discover that the shuttle bus we had booked in advance was not there, so after two phone calls and a thirty minute wait, we were finally taken to our hotel, the International, just a block off of Times Square. The hotel was very nice, and it should have been, as it cost us $391 a night – and that was with a discount! So the four of us decided we could share a room for a night. That worked out ok, but between Doug’s and Mike’s snoring, I didn’t get much sleep that night!
On our way to the hotel, we drove through Harlem. We noticed the van driver locked the doors as soon as we got into that part of the city!
We had not eaten lunch so after we settled in our hotel, we decided we would have a mid-afternoon meal to serve as both lunch and dinner. We started down the street towards Times Square and inquired about a good restaurant. Carmine’s was suggested. I had heard Regis and Kelly talk about this one, so I figured it must be good – and expensive. When we got there and looked at the menu, we thought it WAS too expensive. But then we found out that one dish would feed four people! We went on in and had an awesome Italian dinner.
We had a great time at Carmine’s. Then we walked around Times Square taking pictures. I am a country girl at heart, but I must admit it is exciting being in the heart of New York City – actually, the center of the world. So many people! So many taxis! Police presence was ubiquitous, so we felt quite secure. Everywhere, there were huge screens with all types of advertisements playing; even the whole side of a round building was a giant movie screen. There were street vendors on every corner selling I New York tee-shirts and mugs and other paraphernalia. It was a loud, bustling, and amazing place to visit, but you couldn’t pay me enough to live there!
That evening, we walked down the street to see “The Lion King” on Broadway. The show was amazing!
The next day we got up and walked to a New York deli to eat breakfast, figuring that was part of the whole NYC experience. Then we bought a few souvenirs. I got Hayden the cutest little onesie outfit with little yellow taxi cabs all over it. Next, we decided to ride the subway down to Ground Zero. This would have been easy if all the trains had been running, but the one we needed closed due to construction. After asking multiple people for help, we were able to make a transfer and then get on a shuttle that took us past our stop since no one told us where we were! We got off and walked back to Wall Street past the bull and on to Ground Zero, which is basically just a construction site surrounded by a fence right now. At least we could say we had been there. Then we maneuvered the subway system again to get back to our hotel and checked out. A taxi picked us up to take us to the port. We were still anxious about that passport situation, and sure enough, Doug and I had to wait a while for them to check everything out, but we finally got on board.
We were told there would be no problem getting into Canada, and there wasn’t. Thank goodness!
After boarding the ship, we had a lovely and relaxing lunch in the main dining room. Then we explored the ship, meeting lots of fellow southerners on board. As we set sail, I took multiple pictures of the Statue of Liberty from our room’s balcony. She was so beautiful! That statute embodies everything that is wonderful about America.
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| All aboard and ready to set sail in New York |
The next day we were at sea all day long. I was still thinking a lot about Elizabeth and feeling a bit sad. Mary Jane and I played double solitaire a lot in the game room. And of course, we ate. Boy, did we eat! The food on the ship was fantastic. We quickly discovered that the French toast, the chocolate croissants, and the hot wings were especially good, and went back for them often throughout the week. (Oh, and the chocolate macadamia nut cookies!) I gained four-and-half pound. Sigh.
On Tuesday, we arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The temperature was quite pleasant, but it was foggy! We had booked a private van tour there, which we enjoyed very much. He drove us out to Peggy’s Cove, where there is a lighthouse that is one of the most photographed in the world. Peggy’s Cove is a very small and quaint fishing village. Lobster trapping is the main industry. On the way there, we also stopped at a maple syrup processing store and sampled all kinds of food and drinks made from maple syrup. We bought souvenirs there as well. Then we got a tour of Halifax. We learned about the great Halifax explosion that killed over 2000 people in 1917 (?) and went to the graveyard where the bodies of those on the Titanic were buried. (the few that were recovered) All in all, it was an interesting day. I got some neat fog pictures!
Foggy in Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia Wednesday was probably my least favorite day of the trip. We were in St. John’s, New Brunswick, and the weather was not good at all. The fog was soupy, and we wore our rain jackets as we explored the town. We had not booked an excursion, which was just as well, as we wouldn’t have been able to see anything anyway.
Thursday we arrived in Bar Harbor, Maine, our favorite port! The weather was beautiful. Bar Harbor is a lovely, quaint seaport with interesting shops to explore. I would love to go back there and stay a few days. We took a tour up to the top of Cadillac Mountain, which is the highest point on the east coast of the US. That’s where we actually saw some nice fall color. For the most part, we were too early to see New England’s famous color season. The view from on top of the mountain was awesome, and we got lots of good photos. Then we went down to Thunder Hole on the rocky shoreline and got more good pictures. By this time, the fog had rolled in again, but once we were back in town, it had lifted. We ate lobster rolls and blueberry crumb cake in a little café. Later we got ice cream.
Eagle Lake, Bar Harbor, Maine
Friday we arrived in Newport, RI. The weather was perfect! Mary Jane and I probably walked 8 or 9 miles that day! (The guys pooped out on us and returned to the ship to eat hot wings!) We walked along the lovely cliff walk where the famous mansions overlook the sea. It was beautiful.
Saturday we arrived in Boston where we walked the Freedom Trail and took a lovely harbor cruise. The next morning we were back in New York. We took our shuttle back to the airport and had a nice flight back to Atlanta. While not everything was perfect, we really enjoyed our cruise and each other’s company. It was a great week!
The following weekend, we had our annual family reunion at our house, so there was not much rest after our trip. Unfortunately, my two cousins from KY were unable to come this year, so it was basically just our immediate family, spouses, and children, though we did add Blake's fiance and Brent's girlfriend - and, of course, Hayden! (She was here in utero last year.) Hayden entertained us all and was so much fun.
So it's been a busy few weeks. Fall has arrived, and the leaves are rapidly turning. The mountains are lovely this time of year. We've been to the Fall Festival at the GA Mtn. Fairgrounds and heard Percy Sledge in concert. We're going back today to hear the fiddling. Then we plan to drive over the Cherahala Skyway and get some good fall pictures. This is my favorite time of the year!
