Heading home...Got there

Note to self, no photography while driving.

The Rock formations, however, were amazing.

Switzerland, move over and give way to Utah

The long road home, just me, some SUV's and the truckers

Woke up in the morning in Evanston Wyoming, and like a horse heading home to the barn, I knew it was time to go home. There was no where I wanted to stop, or stay, and the idea of sleeping in my own bed was very enticing. So off I went, picked "U is for Undertow" from my playlist and hit the road. What a gorgeous drive it was the amazing mountains, topped with snow, the craggy rocks with a wide range of colors, from rusty red, coral pink to the palest of pink ribboned through the rock formations. It was never boring. What a great architect God is.

Silly me, I did not know that there really was a lake at Salt Lake City. In all the movies I have ever seen, it just shows the salt flats, so I had assumes the "lake" was in name only. on and on I drove, stopping only for gas fill-ups, and snacks. The miles just flew by and before I knew it I was in the Bay Area. Probably the most harrowing part of this entire journey was the last 30 minutes on 680. I thought that would be the true irony of this trip, getting into an accident in the last thirty minutes.

Anyway, at 7:15 on Saturday night I pulled into my parking, 7926 miles, 30 states and two provinces later, to be greeted by my wonderful neighbor Liz, who had stocked up my fridge, and Calvin who helped me unload the car. Quick snack and into bed, ten hours sleep. Went to church this morning, something I missed on the road, my fantastic community at South Hills. Will take a couple of days to assimilate the whole experience and will do a recap.

i-Podding Through Wyoming

I left North Platte, Nebraska this morning and headed west into Wyoming. Since I was in Montreal, I've been having trouble with my radio / CD player and have not been able to listen to any book on CD. Thanks to Cornelia, I now have the use of her extra i-pod and it make the drive and the time go by much better.


Western Nebraska reminded me of a time when I was sailing out of the Bahamas and was surrounded by water, only it was like a sea of green, rising and waning. Today I went by Boot Hill in Ogalala, and (this is for you David) the largest Cabela Store in the US...their headquarters is in Sidney, Nebraska then into Wyoming and once again I was blown away by the architecture of nature...buttes, craggy rock formations, snowy mountains, rolling hills. I had planned to stop in Cheyenne, however, when I got there, the air was rife with the stench of the local oil refinery, so I drove on, and on, past Laramie, also disappointing, I went by the smallest town in the US, Bufford, with a population of 1 and I simply got caught up in the beauty of the scenery and Michael Crichton's latest book, The State of Fear. As a result, I ended up making myself stop in Evanston, rather than give into the temptation to go onto Salt Lake... I know I would regret it and feel it tomorrow. I am torn though, between taking my time and pushing to get home.

So here I sit on the Utah border, enjoying a good beef meal...it is Wyoming... and planning an early night. Stay tuned.

From Des Moines to North Platte

Spent today driving through Iowa and Nebraska, and was pleasantly surprised. I always thought it would be like driving through Saskatchewan. It is very different. Iowa had gently green hills, and most of the trip trough Nebraska was along the Platte River, as it meandered from one side of the highway to the other. For years, I have read books that referenced the Platte (Lonesome Dove, Centennial, and several others) and now I have gotten to see it up close. I decided to stop in North Platte, after driving by the birthplaces of Ronald Regan and John Wayne as well as a Pony Express office, and went to see Buffalo Bill Cody's park and fort. This is really the heart of the old Wild West.

Walking across the Platte - it is very shallow

Buffalo Bill and his Fort

another view of the Fort

Buffalo Bill's buffalo

I must admit that I am starting to slow down and find I am limiting my self to 6 hours a day and more breaks..... just a few more days and I will be home.

On to Wyoming tomorrow

Back in the USA

After driving the back roads of Ontario, I got to the Bluewater Bridge in Sarnia and had to ace one of my great fears....heights. I do not like them, and do not like driving on the edge of anything. The Bluewater Bridge spans the river between Canada and the US and goes up VERY high:( As usual going over the border takes time and I was stuck on the bridge, while semis rumbled by in their special lane, shaking the bridges, and me in the process. At one point the front of my car was in the US and the back was in Canada. Finally, after about 45 minutes on the bridge, I made it down and through customs and was on my way to Lake Michigan and Benton Harbor where I stayed the night. then today, I made it to Des Moines.

My count to date is - 6200 miles and CA, AZ, NM, OK, TX, AR, TN, GA, SC, NC, VA, DC, MD, PN, DE, NJ, NY, CT, MA, VT, NH, QUE, ONT, MC, IN, IL, IW - 24 states, DC and 2 Canadian provinces. And now, I am headed home. It has been a great journey, and I will be glad to no longer live out of suitcases. I do have it down to a science, though. I developed what I consider my "one night stand" bag with essentials for the motel stops, so I get in and out lightly. I am still undecided where I will go tomorrow, through Nebraska, or up through South Dakota. I will let the weather decide for me.

Small Town Life in Ontario

Yes folks, to buy beer in Ontario, you go to The Beer Store

All other alcohol is sold at the LCBO-Liquor Control Board of Ontario

Canadians are very green.

Besides making good use of the wind, the water and the sun

they package without plastic.

Mike McDougal, my Brother Glenn, drink in hand,

and my friend and sister-in-law, Rosemary in orange

at the Thornbury Annual Lobster Fest. Yummy:)

For the last Week, I have been living my small town dream... the one where I live in a town so small, you can walk most places. So it has been early morning long walks, reading and napping outside in the gazebo, and lovely dinners , mostly prepared by Rosemary, who is a wonderful cook. On Glenn's 70th birthday we went to the Dam Pub, by the dam, and celebrated with authentic English pub food.

I was lucky to be in Thornbury for their annual Lobster Fest and was treated to a magnificent feast of not one, but two lobsters that we washed down with a good white wine. About 1500 hundred people show up for the town's annual fundraiser at the local arena/community center, and the party starts at 5pm and goes to the wee small hours of the morning. The next morning, many cars were still in the parking lot, one PT Cruiser was there for two whole days until someone picked it up at the end of the day. They obviously had a good time.

I was not able to get on the Internet much as the cable kept going out, so I just kicked back and rested up for the big trip home. Still undecided on my route.

Onwards into the Heart of Ontario

Just as Montreal was home to me for my adult years in Canada, Toronto was the city of my teen years. Montreal was a time to visit with friends, Toronto is a time to visit with family and friends from high school. Driving around Toronto was like driving around a clean, orderly US city, and driving around Montreal is a cross between a typical North American city with forages into the Europe culture. I love the architecture of both cities – old stone houses, brick mansions, Victorian houses with gingerbread balconies, and a canyon of new apartment and business buildings.

While in Toronto, I got to spend time with family, visit old haunts, and reconnect with nieces and their children who have grown into young adults themselves.

Christine and Donna - my Toronto hosts
Donna and I went to high school together

My niece Pat's son, Sean, and myself

relaxing at their pool

Then hitting the road again, I headed up to Thornbury on Georgian Bay, a part of Lake Huron. What fun it was to take back roads, through the Caledon Hills, and into Mennonite country. One has to drive very carefully here… at every hill I had to slow down (having seen sign that warned of horse driven vehicles) and sure enough, there I was toodling along, and then I realized that the car in front of me was not a car, but a horse driven buggy clopping along. Luckily he pulled over and I went on. Then as I came up and over a hill and Georgian Bay opened up in front of me, and, as Liam puts it, I knew I had reached my destination. Thornbury is a small town, with no McDonalds or any evidence of the chains and franchises that dominate the retail culture, just local businesses and lovely old homes. I went for a walk today and there is a dam and a fish spillway where the salmon can come to go up river to spawn. It is so rustic here.... you can walk to downtown, the harbor and up and down tree lined streets to see 200 year old houses with widow walks on them.

Canada in Bloom

Lilacs, they're everywhere

Bleeding hearts and lilies of the valley

Ever since I arrived in the North East, I have been surrounded by lilacs in bloom, lilies of the valley and bleeding hearts, all the flowers of my childhood that I have missed. As I was driving from the Laurentians to Toronto I passed fields of dandelion puffs, that made the fields look misty and huge hedges and gigantic bushes of lilacs. It is so very green here, as I look out the window of the apartment that I am staying at, all I see is the tops of trees. In the winter, you can see all the houses, but now, just trees.

Being back in Toronto, the city of my high school years, I have gotten to re-visit teen memories. My old house, my high school, my old neighborhood. I keep driving by streets and thinking "I had a friend, a boy friend, a cousin, who lived on this street", but sometimes I can't remember who exactly. Today, my youngest brother came to see me, and we went out to lunch, then went to visit my parents at the Mount Hope Cemetery. We stopped and got flowers and put them on their graves. I must admit to feeling a little sad at living so far away from them. Tomorrow I am having lunch with one of the dearest persons in my life, my godfather. Donley Mogan has been a big part of my life. When my father died, I was 21, Donley became my go-to person, and has been there for me through my divorce and other ups and downs that came my way.

Being Beyond Technology

Undermount - Somewhere in the Laurentians

North West of Montreal

Don and Pam, My hosts

On Monday, when I left Montreal, after the most wonderful time spent with dear friends, and my special hostess Cornelia, I headed off into the Laurentians (the oldest and most ground down of the mountain ranges in North America) to visit a friend who is a international business man, and imagine my surprise when I arrived at their farm and the only technology was the telephone. What a great escape from the modern world. They have created an oasis of hospitality, civility and good friendship. On Tuesday, we went into the Village of St. Sauveur, or what used to be a village, having grown since I was here, to once again have smoked meat for lunch. What a treat! I was very torn, because they also had poutine, but the smoked meat won out. then we walked around the village.... where years ago, we had rented a ski house for the winter. Francois went to Baby Bears ski school here.

Cousin Murray and Patsy

Now on Thursday, I am on the road again, having passed through Ottawa, the nation's capital, yesterday to visit a dear cousin and his wife that I had not seen for many years. (again, no wifi) We had a wonderful time, and as it starts to warm up, Canadian, being Canadians are all outside. I, for many years, lived in a country where the moment it gets warm, everyone goes outside and lifts their face to the sun.

Crevier, my name in Quebec

I took the above picture, mostly for Steph and Francois. This was my name when I lived in Quebec and I forget that no one here knows me as Donley. Next stop was Belleville, Ontario, just outside of Toronto visiting my neighbors who lived across the street when my children were born. The great bonus of this trip is and will be the reconnecting with friends and family that has taken place. Tomorrow I am off to Toronto to stay with a friend from high school.

Cornecopia of Blessings

Monique, and Habs Fever

Sam Keene once said that life is a series of beginnings without endings. This trip has really driven that home as I meet up with friends, some new, and some that go way back into the dark reaches of my life. I have had a lifetime of friendships with some truly wonderful people and am so grateful for the circumstance has brought them into my life.

Since I arrived in Montreal, I have been having a busy time just connecting with old friends. I had a lot of phone numbers, but in a couple of cases, I just rang doorbells and it was fun to see the surprised, then happy reaction. Lots of big hugs. Needless to say that after seventeen or more years, we have all changed some, and some more than others. I always wonder, if I am thinking that they have changed, aged, what are they thinking when they see me. We all say the same thing..... "You have hardly changed, I would have recognized you anywhere." What has changed is that we are all now grandparents and the children I knew years ago, are now themselves parents. Some of the children have changed so much, I would not recognize them.

Driving around Montreal has been an adventure. It is spring and the road repair from winter is well underway.... construction everywhere. Every time I set out on one of my well travelled routes, I get detoured and taken down all different side streets. The bonus of that is that I will go by a street and thing... "that's where Mon Oncle George lived" bringing back memories of many New Years day parties with the French side of the family, and I have seen all the houses that I lived in. I have driven by the schools my son and daughter went to, including the Marcelines, that was totally by accident...actually I was lost at the time.

Today we went shopping downtown to Ogilvys and Holt Renfrew, two establishments for Montreal retail therapy. They look the same from the outside, buy they are so chic and trendy inside I did not feel that I was in the same stores

I knew years ago. Fashion here is very European, and the shoes, though costly, are beautiful. Very tempted. I have to keep reminding myself of what I have at home, and the fashion differences between Montreal and San Jose. On thing I will be doing is raiding the grocery store for things I cannot get in California. Off to have dinner with more dear friends.

MONTREAL

Yesterday morning, we left Mansonville. as we drove away, I could see all the fields and hills, covered in snow looking absolutely gorgeous. The trails on the ski hills as we drove by the different ski centers were sparkling white. Coming into the city, I followed Cornelia in her car, I saw so many sites - some strange, some sentimental:

• a fence made entirely of old bicycles - quirky but novel
• first St. Hubert siting - yummy
• sign for the Granby Zoo - family outings
• the Montreal skyline - I almost cried..
• the Atwater Market - going strong

Once we settled in, I took Cornelia's dog, a little Australian Terrier - Jack, out for a walk and went over to my old neighborhood, just a few blocks from where she lives. Our house is still there, looking as cute as ever. I wanted to knock on the door, but not exactly a Canadian thing to do. Wandering around I saw that although some things had changes, a lot had not. what fun.

I have been getting through to old friends, and the reconnecting has started. Dinner tonight with a dear family friend, lots of catching up to do. I am properly armed for these encounters, thanks to Stephanie, who put together a "Brag Book" for me before I left San Jose.

To add icing to the cake, last night the Habs won their home game, and there was celebrating in the streets near by. Although I do like the San Jose Sharks, my heart will always belong to the Montreal Canadiens (the Habs) and it is very exciting to be in Montreal right now. Many are driving around with Mtl Cdn's flags flying from their car windows. Off to see more of Montreal.........

Snow on Mother's Day

Snow and blossoms in May

(click to enlarge and see the snow)

Well it has been four weeks on the road, and here I am on Mothers Day, happily watching it snow ,while we are inside, cosy with lovely classical music, hot tea and good books. Just another quiet country day.

I must admit, I do miss my San Jose family on Mother's Day. I miss getting a hug from those who still hug, which at the moment is everyone. I missed not going to church this morning and seeing many familiar faces and sharing in the worship. This year I did get to spend a pre-Mother's Day with the Connecticut branch and that was a treat.

That aside, I am having a great adventure that just gets better all the time. I have spent the last few days with people who have known me for a very long time, and it has been such fun catching up and sharing how our lives have been going. We have all, naturally, aged, but only a little, and everyone is, thankfully in reasonably good health. And now it is on to Montreal, and more reunions.

Mansonville and Surrounding Sites

Side by side - Canada & Quebec co-exist

Typical French Canadian house with painted tin roof,

Built 1850's, Mansonville, Que

Covered Bridge Road



As advertised, the Covered Bridge

Inside the Covered Bridge

I went into Mansonville today to get a smoked meat sandwich, unique to this area. It is delicacy introduced to this area by the Jewish delis, instead of corning the beef, they smoked it....yummy. The other big regional treat is poutine but that is so-o rich, I'll have to work up to it. http://electron.mit.edu/~gsteele/poutine/

After running errands and I took lots of pictures of Mansonville- with no hint that it is within miles of the US border, no fast food places, no US franchises, just a sleepy little French Canadian town, stuck somewhere in the last 150 years. Then I headed off onto some of the local country roads and found a covered bridge.

It is all very quaint and picturesque, everywhere I look it is so beautiful, and seems timeless. Mostly, I just love the greenery. After the big storm that blew in yesterday, things are so crisp and clear.

Notes from the border

The barrier for tighter security

Mementos of an active time

Years ago, I used to bring Francois and Stephanie to the country to visit Cornelia and they loved to go outside and play in the bushes. In those days it was wide open, not gated like in the picture. They would go beyond the bushes and when I would ask them where they were, they would yell back, "I'm in Vermont!" or "I'm nowhere!" .... if they were in the no-mans land between the borders.

Today, of course, with all that has happened security is tighter and one stays put on this side of the border. No more poking around or Homeland Security might show up. It is a lovely misty/rainy day in Quebec. A day designed for the road weary to do nothing but loll around and read and take a long soak in the tub.

Jay Peak in the distance with snow on the trails

When Stephanie (7-11 mos.) and Francois (almost 3) were very little we rented a house in the country near Jay Peak and went every weekend to ski. Every Friday I would pack up everyone, including a pre-made dinner for when we got there - a 2-3 hour drive depending on traffic and weather. One time we got caught in a storm and had to walk the last mile, going back a forth with a sled to bring the children and the food.

This trip to date has surpassed my expectations, and I am forever grateful that I took this time to fulfill what began as a day dream, and then became a "bucket list" item. To those who questioned the sanity of doing this alone, it has been a great experience and confirmed my belief that being over sixty, actually pushing seventy, and on one's own, should no be a limiting factor.

Arriving in Canada

Early Morning, Goose Pond NH

Tuesday morning, I got up early, the Wards still adjusting to US time from their recent China trip, and had the great pleasure of sitting quietly, and enjoying the stillness of Goose Pond. I cannot remember the last time I sat and looked at water that was perfectly still, and looked like a mirror. I t is so peaceful and rural here.

After a wonderful breakfast and wrapping up my visit to the Wards (Vickie and Steve) I set out for the Canadian border and Georgeville where I was to have lunch with dear friends from Montreal, Paul and Nancy Amos, who I have not seen since 1993.

Driving through Northern Vermont was such a treat. I love this part of the world. The greenery, the mountains, the meandering rivers and the highway that cuts right through it all. Sometimes they just cut through the hills and you go through this rock corridor that is 50-60 feet high on each side. Finally I crossed the border, said goodbye to the US and entered into Beebe, Que. Beebe is unique in that some of the houses, the local church and theatre are partly in Canada, and partly in the US. You park your car in one country, walk around the buildings into another country to enter, without going through any border control. They do hover though in case anyone wanders off.

As I arrived at the border crossing, I knew I had arrived in Quebec. A very cute, smiling border guard welcomed me with a big "Hello/Bonjour" and I knew I was home. We chatted in Franglais, that mixture of French and English that locals use and since I was the only one crossing we talked about California, my road trip, the places I had been etc. The whole time we were chatting he is looking at me, and then looking at my passport, the birth date right there in front of him. Finally he said, "All by yourself, you did this?" "Yup" I said, then he gave me a very flirty grin and said, "Wow, you are very adventurous." I agreed, and then off I went to Georgeville to have a wonderful lunch with the Amoses and got to catch up on news of friends etc.

Late in the afternoon, I took my leave and headed off to my next stop, a converted Canadian border crossing house on one of the back roads along the Quebec/ Vermont border.

The house at the end of the Cdn road

Years ago, Canada and the US decided to shut down the border crossing at many of the tiny back country roads for security purposes and economics. My friend Cornelia bought one of the border stations, and has converted it into her country hideaway. I was last here about thirty years ago and since then she has done updates and additions to the property that make it a uniquely special place.

My plans to go to Montreal got delayed a bit, as my friend that I will be staying with, had to go out of town on business, so she rerouted me to her country house. So here I am tucked away in the country surrounded by forest, rolling hills and Jay Peak off in the distance. There is still snow on the trails and I have had flashbacks to when the kids were small and we would ski there. It is so quiet here, I plan to take walks, read and just relax until Cornelia shows up.

To get there, I decided to take the scenic route, and needless to say, Liam (the GPS) got his knickers in a twist, constantly trying to reroute me onto the route he had planned. Finally he gave up and came on board with my plan. After that we got along just fine. He is doing extremely well with all the little country roads, including the unpaved ones. The weather alternates between sunny, with puffy clouds, and thunder storms. So it's naps and reading for me, for now.

More Family time in CT

Zach, first soccer game of the year

Zack & team on the job


Cooling off in eighties weather

Feeling the sting rays at the Mystic Aquarium

Still in Wethersfield where the weather has been in the eighties. Yesterday we watched Zack play soccer and have fun with the slip and slide, and today we went over to Mystic, CT to the Aquarium.

Tomorrow I am off the Goose Pond, NH, an off the beaten path spot in New Hampshire to visit with friends I have not seen in 25 years. I hope they don't notice that I am no longer in the first blush of my youth. Then on to Georgeville, Que, another bucolic rural hideaway in the Eastern Townships South East of Montreal, then nearby Mansonville, also, well off the grid, .

I will be going to New Hampshire to visit a couple I have not seen in a very long time. The last time I saw Vickie, I was living in Austin, TX... so twenty-five years ago. Amazing that I have been living in the US since 1985, and it only seems like yesterday. Same story with friends in Georgeville, Que.

Family Time

Walking at the Hartford Reservoir

with Francois, Terry and Zack

We went for a 5 K walk in the woods and around the reservoir.

Zack rode his bike. Nana brought up the rear.
This was a good change from sitting in the car.

One of my favorite things to do is hang out with family
... in California, and now in Wethersfield.

Merrin, Zoe & Liam - Mile 3985, and Going Strong

This morning as I was planning my next move, turned on the news ..... accidents everywhere .... near-by Newark, NYC, the Turnpike. So, Liam plotted a route around it all and off we went on the NJ Garden Parkway, a huge improvement over the turnpike. We completely by passed the City and took the very amazing Tappanzee Bridge over the Hudson River north of the city, then cut through Rye to the Greenwich area, all very beautiful, picturesque, and for the most part traffic free.
Liam was very patient with me today, as I decided to take to road less travelled in CT, and got off the highway and to the Old Boston Post Road that meandered along Long Island Sound through quaint little towns and villages. Everytime I would decide to turn off, he would quietly recalculate and give me new directions. What a guy :)
Had my first Tim Horton's sighting, and stopped at Lenny & Joe's Fish Tale in Madison for a delicious lobster role. Arrived in Wethersfield and spent the rest of the day visiting my grandson and his parents. Tomorrow will be a slow day in the morning while Zack is at School and Francois works, then more hanging out. Closing in on the Canadian border and getting excited to see friends and family north of the border

Wed - Last Day at the Mount

Mount St. Marys in Watchung, NJ

This is my last day at the Mount. As always, it has been both a privilege and a pleasure to be here.

I first met the Sisters of Mercy a little over three years ago when I got stranded in the Newark Airport during a blizzard. I was about to get into a line - a three hour wait, I had been told, to get my flight re-booked when a young man told me that if I followed him, he know where there was a bank of phone and no one was using them. I could rebook there.

As I was walking away, another woman ( Sister Brenda) joined the line, so I told her to follow us. As it turned out, she was going to a local convent to wait out the storm and asked me if I wanted to come along. My other alternative was sleep on the floor in the airport, so off I went. After waiting two and a half hours in the raging blizzard for a cab, we finally got to share one with a man going to nearby Plainfield. finally we turned up a long drive and there I was at Mount St Marys.

The nuns welcomed me with open arms and warm soup. they invited me to stay the three days until my flight left and extended the most loving and gracious hospitality, which, by the way, is their code. During my stay, Sister Brenda had to dash off for a family thing, I was befriended by Srs. Monica, Marlene and Diane.

Sr. Monica took me to a local shop to get the basics, my luggage being held hostage at the airport. These women are amazing, kind, generous and all have had very interesting career within education and parish life.

These last few days have been like a retreat as I have explored the nearby area and walked the grounds.. which are dotted by little prayer gardens. Tomorrow, I pack up again and hit the road to Connecticut to see my son and his family.

Taking a Break

Srs. Marlene & Monica and me
Sr. Marlene & Monica, My Nuns

Thanks to the wonderful women at Mount St. Marys, I am taking a break and doing almost nothing. My days have been really lazy, and I'm giving my body a rest from the road... I plan to stay here until Thursday , then it is on to Connecticut to visit my son, his wife and their son.

Arriving at the Mount

Today, I got to drive, in the misty rain, through Virginia, Maryland, DC, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. If it had not been for Liam, I would still be trying to figure out how to get through the nation’s capital. Liam has certainly solidified his worth on this trip by helping me navigate the maze of freeways, underpasses, overpasses and HOV lanes.
I was very grateful that I went through DC on a Sunday, because, even then, the traffic was heavy. I can only imagine how long and arduous it would have been on a week day.
My route took me right past the monuments and I could see the dome in the mist.

I chose to take the toll roads, because it took an hour and a half off of the travel time to New Jersey from Richmond. Toll roads took me through a tunnel under the river at Baltimore, over gigantic bridges and onto the New Jersey Parkway where I encountered the worse traffic since I left the Bay Area, going 5 – 20 miles an hour for over an hour and paying for the privilege.

It was all worth it, when I finally arrived safely at the Mount in Watchung the welcome mat was out, tea was waiting and “my nuns” were as hospitable as ever. After unpacking, Sr. Marlene and I went out or a nice quiet dinner and got to reconnect. It will be early to be and late to rise tomorrow then off shopping and lunching with a few wonderful women.

Zoe, is holding up very well, but has a small booboo. Now that I am safely on the other side of the continent, I can reveal that on my very first day, just after I got on Highway 5 a truck threw a stone into my window and cracked it. That night I found a PepBoys and got a resin epoxy, or something, and sealed the crack so that it would not grow any more. It worked and I was very proud of my self for fixing it. Just did not want the Stepher to worry. I have been faithfully checking the engine, the oil and water levels and Lil Car is great.

Fond farewell to Hilton Head & The Newtons

Shirley and I got to walk beaches with the dogs, and each day was such a wonderful treat. Miles of beautiful hard sand, I will miss her.

Dinner on the back patio in front of the newly installed fireplace, very cosy

Aerial view of Hilton Head, looks like a big sneaker!

The "A" is the area where the Newtons live.

"Ali Gattor" back to visit on my last day in Hilton Head.

He took a little sun bath for about 30 minutes

on the front lawn by the pool.

My last day in Hilton Head...

We went to the beach early in the day and walked and walked.......then last minute errands and time to pack up. At lunch, as we were eating an eagle swooped into the lagoon and caught a fish, then soared overhead showing off his catch. In the afternoon, "Ali Gattor" came back right up onto the Newtons lawn for a tanning session. We watched from the upstairs window and Joe got a couple of really good pics.

The whole week has been just wonderful and then at the last minute, my phone died....dead. So, mad dash to the Verizon store and lo and behold they gave me a new phone, no hassle. Jamie, the young man who took care of me was so helpful, however, sadly, I lost all my contact numbers. I am hoping that all my friends who have my cell number will send me a text so I can recapture the information

Saturday - 4/24 Today, I very sadly said my goodbyes to the Newtons and headed up highway 95 to Richmond VA where I am stopping for the night before getting to Watchung, NJ where I will be visiting for a couple of days with those wonderful nuns that took me in three years ago during a big blizzard an rescued me from having to sleep on the floor at the Newark airport.

As I was driving up here today, I realized that on this trip I have become a destination driver, focused on getting to my next stop where I will be seeing people I am looking forward to seeing. Usually when I take a vacation and spend time in one place, I'm more into site-seeing and side trips. While in Hilton Head I did that -Savannah & Beaufort, and local sites on HH. However, coming across the country I drove by signs that announced places that were places would have gone to if I was tourist-ing - like Boot Hill, Window Rock, Shiloh, Civil War Sites and the Shanandoah Valley. I'm making a list of places I will want to come back to with a friend and see in detail.

Photo Op for the Local Wildlife in Hilton Head

Newton's pool, patio and lagoon

Alligator in the lagoon

Gecko in the patio

Courtesy of Joe Newton, I now have some pictures to share of the Newtons' back yard, a visiting alligator that cruised by and checked out the perimeter of the lagoon, and a little visitor from the lizard kingdom that joined us for lunch the other day. As you can see the wildlife comes almost to the back door!

Several night we have gone out and sat in the hot tub before retiring, however, we have to keep a close eye on the dogs that they do not wander down to the edge of the lagoon.

Thank you Joe, for capturing all of that :)

Exploring Beaufort, NC

On the Deck at "Up The Creek"


After a quiet day of beach walking with the dogs, then hanging out at a local joint - Up The Creek - for Happy hour and Bar-B-Q, yesterday we went into Beaufort (pronounced Bew-Fert, rhymes with few) so as not to be confused with Beaufort, NC, pronounced the usual way.

Beaufort is a quaint little town on the inland waterway, about an hour from HH, that is very easy to walk around and well known for being the site of several films including Forrest Gump, Big Chill, The Great Santini, Something to Talk About. We had a really nice lunch on the inland waterway (Shrimp Po'Boys - my first) then walked around the downtown shopping area. They had an old 5 & Dime (Wollworths) store that had been renovated to accomodate a series of small boutiques.

Everyone is very friendly and we stopped in at a shop that was also the center for walking tours, and the woman just gave us her tour map so we could set out on our own. We saw so many lovely big old houses, built in the 1700 and 1800's, with big verandas and front balconies, as well as some original slave quarters. I recognized the Big Chill house, which is privately owned so you cannot get too close, as well as the house that was used for the movie Forces of Nature with B. Affleck and S. Bullock.

Today is my last day in Hilton Head, as I set out tomorrow for New Jersey. Joe helped me check the oil this morning, so I am good-to-go. I took long walk with Shirley and the dogs this morning, almost two hours, and now am getting ready to sort through my things and load up the car

Although I will be sad to leave, the Newtons have been so welcoming and fun to hang out with, great company, rich conversation, tasty food and wine, I am looking forward to the next part of the roadtrip, which will reunite me with the nuns who rescued me three years ago when I was almost stranded in the Newark Airport for three days.... That's a whole other story. Later.....

Exploring Savannah

Shirley and I spent yesterday walking around the "Squares" district of Savannah looking at all the big historic houses. The one house we wanted to see was the Mercer house that was features in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil".
When we got there we drove around a little, then decided to park and walk.

We found a pretty little square to park beside and immediately took off towards the big park that was used in the dog walking scene in the movie. We went around the entire park, looking at houses, then wandered from square to square until we found a cute little tea shop to have lunch.

After lunch we continued our quest to find Jim Mercer's house. Someone, who appeared to have great authority on the subject, told us to go to Lafayette Square for the Mercer House. So off we went. Within fifteen minutes we realized that we needed to get back to the car, the meter was running out. We could not remember where we parked and were all turned around. So we zeroed in on the big park and back tracked to the car from there. it turned out we had parked on Monterey Square ... you think I would remember that!At this point we were foot weary, so we decided to keep looking for the house by car.

After much circling of each little square in the area we had been told to look, a local pointed us to a set of squares two blocks over, and guess what - Monterey Square is where we found what we were looking for .... if we had turned around and looked over our shoulders when we got out of the car in the first place, we would have seen the house right away. All the walking and we had unwittingly arrive exactly where we wanted to be.

Back to Hilton Head and a little retail therapy, then home for dinner and the hot tub. Shirley is letting me cook and I'm having lots of fun.

Alligators, Alligators

Joe and Shirley Newton

Yesterday, Shirley and I had lunch at Sea Pines where the Heritage Tournament had just been played. We sat outside at the eighteenth hole, and could still see the scoreboard and some of the grandstands and tents. On the way into Sea Pines plantation we had passed an alligator sunning on the bank of a pond. Did not have a chance to get a picture and he was gone when we went by later.

After an afternoon of poking around shops, we came home and had drinks in the back room. As we were sitting there an alligator swam by in the pond behind the Newton's house. I ran and got my camera to take a picture. I had taken a quick one with my cell phone and sent it to the boys, but wanted to get a clearer shot. So outside I went, quietly crossing the lawn with the gator in my sights. Just as I lined up the picture, he vanished. When I looked carefully, he had stopped swimming and turned to face me. Needless to say, I beat a hasty retreat into the house. So no picture. Maybe tomorrow.

A Day Late.....

Shirley and Katie
Joe and Annie

Yesterday was another beautiful day in paradise. Hilton Head really is paradise. I have been taking it easy, sleeping in late and walking beaches. We never found the beach with shells, but we did find a long low beach that was great for the two dogs - Annie, a Golden Retriever and Katie, a Poodle/Bichon mix - to have a good run chasing balls.

In the evening, Shirley produces wonderful meals, and we eat at a leisurely pace. I am, needless to say, recuperating from my cross country dash, so I have been going to bed early and sleeping like a log. Joe very nicely gave Zoe a bath, and she looks all shiny bright and clean again. Off on another adventure today... more later