Wednesday 24th Sept - Homeward Bound!

After a morning spent packing and re-packing in order to get our luggage within the 50 lb limit we headed out with Marian for lunch at a pub/restaurant in the countryside out beyond Kennet Square (where we used to live) named'The Whip'! This reflects its location in horsey country where they are still allowed to hunt foxes with hounds! The pub is themed in the English style and had on the menu delicacies such as sausage and mash, and Welsh rarebit! All in all a beautiful location, good food and English beer! After a final meal with Marian and Bill they dropped us off at the airport for us to catch our 10.00 pm flight back to the UK. Needless to say we still had to decant stuff from one of our checked bags into a carry-on bag in order to get us under the 50lb limit - they're so strict! It was a good flight back on US Airways with a greaser of a landing at 10.00 am on Thursday 25th.

Tuesday 23rd Sept - Rest and Recuperation!

After breakfast we returned the hire car back to the airport with an extra 2,300 miles on the clock. Whilst Christine and Marian undertook some retail therapy I laid in the sun in the back yard. As the pool had been closed (emptied and covered) I was unable to cool off with a dip but enjoyed the relaxation nevertheless.

Monday 22nd Sept - Hallo again Philly!

We left our Fairfield Inn at 9.30 and resumed the journey north on the I95. It was a beautiful morning and the drive through Petersburg and Richmond was an easy one. The belt way around Washington was another matter as major roadworks were in progress but we eventually got through and arrived back at Marian and Bill's by 4.30 pm. I had driven around 1,000 miles in 3 days from Sandestin. On our arrival it was noticeable that the temperature had changed very little since the early morning at 72 deg F, a lot cooler than we had become used to. It was good to see Marian and Bill again but their welcome was moderated by a lack of power in their house. The electricity had been off all day and timing of a re-connection was uncertain. As we left to get a bite to eat at a restaurant the power crew turned up and by the time we returned power was restored! Christine would not have to use the bathroom by candlelight again!

Sunday 21st Sept - Bye bye Atlanta.

We said our fond farewells to Susan and left Atlanta in warm, sunny conditions. Once on the I85 it was just a matter of selecting cruise control and sitting back for the next 7 hours/450 miles! My pin in the map had located a town called Henderson just south of the Virginia border which we set ourselves as the target for the night. However when we got to Henderson it turned out to be a two-bit town with some fairly basic looking hotels/motels. In her inimitable way Christine made it clear that these were not up to the mark, so we pressed on! Needless to say they looked okay to me! We eventually stopped just over the border in Virginia at a newish hotel just off the interstate which met with Christine's exacting standards.

Saturday 20th Sept - Back to Atlanta.

Another overcast start to the day, but by 10.30 we were on the road after a brief stop to pick up some raw shrimps for our evening meal. Traffic again was relatively light so we managed the 320 odd miles in just over 6 hours. Temperatures throughout the day had hovered in the low 80s.

Friday 19th Sept - Quilt Shopping and A Trip to Destin.

With some rain overnight and overcast skies this was not the weather we expected for Florida! However things improved by mid morning so whilst Christine and Susan drove to Pensacola for some quilt retail therapy Mike spent morning swimming and exploring the area by bike. By early afternoon the sun was out and temperatures were once again in the high 80s. We drove out for lunch at the 'Front Porch', a restaurant on the beach just outside of Destin. This again was a unique experience with tables and deck directly overlooking the beach and Gulf. We sat inside but the windows hinged upwards so that the effect was that of eating outside. The seafood was also delicious! We completed our excursion with a drive through Destin and over the bridge towards Pensacola before turning around and returning. One remarkable sight was a 'sail-in' bar located on a sand bank in the middle of the waterway alongside the bridge. Boats sail up and order food/drinks from a floating barge. As we passed by there were a number of boats anchored close by enjoying bites in the afternoon sun - only in America!

Thursday 18th Sept - Exploring Sandestin

We awoke to gloriously sunny morning with temperatures in the low 80s. Mike had a dip in the nearby outdoor swimming pool before breakfast and we then started to explore the place on cycles. We visited the marina where a motor boats and sailing yachts were moored and then on to the beach side of the resort. Mike had a dip in the sea whilst Christine remained on the deck of the restaurant overlooking the beach, it being extremely hot! On our return to the cottage Jim and Susan took us out to see the resorts on the beach east of Sandestin and to have lunch at one of their favourite eateries, The Seagrove Village Market, where Grouper is their speciality. This was an intriguing place, the eating area being at the back of an inauspicious looking shop, but their seafood was excellent! On our return once more to the cottage Jim got his 4 person electric golf buggy out and we did a tour of the site, stopping to look inside one of the new builds. These golf buggys are a great form of transport and are used extensively on site which reduces the amount of motor traffic on the resort.

Wednesday 17th Sept - South to Florida

Our departure was delayed by the need for Susan to visit the Physiotherapist in the morning for some manipulation of her recently broken ankle. However the journey was pretty stress-free on mostly deserted freeway and dual carriageways. six hours to complete 320 miles is not a bad average! We arrived at Sandestin to a warm welcome from Jim at about 7.30 pm. What a place! The house is located on a private resort/community which comprises 3 golf courses, a hotel, two blocks of condominiums (apartments) and numerous small sub-division type communities set out in gorgeous parkland adjacent to a vast inland lake. Sandestin and Destin which it is close to are located on what is known as a barrier island being about half a mile wide and with the Gulf sea on the southern side and a vast inland lake linked to the sea on the northern side. The Sandestin Community is so large that it has it's own 'Towne' area with shops, bars, restaurants etc. and all areas are linked by cycle paths. After a meal of fresh shrimps and salad we registered to our 'master' bedroom suite on the 1st floor complete with balcony overlooking the salt marsh and inland 'lake'.

Tuesday 16th Sept - A Visit to Brenda and Jim's (another visit to the boondocks)!

After a late breakfast we headed out with Susan to Brenda and Jim's homestead in the country west of Atlanta, first calling in at the Cartersville Museum of Western Art. This was a complete surprise, being a new facility housed in downtown Cartersville - not really a place one would associate with culture and art! As with any oasis in a desert it came as a pleasant shock to discover such a wonderful building and exhibits in this unusual location. After spending more time than anticipated at the museum we arrived at Brenda and Jim's in mid afternoon. Whilst Brenda, Susan and Christine chatted about quilts, families etc. Jim and I examined his cars, new extended garage and then went for a run in his Westfield Seven which he brought back from the UK many years ago. As luck would have it we went through a short sharp downpour of rain whilst out in the car, so came back somewhat wet - never mind, it was an experience! On the way back to Susan's we stopped off for a bison burger at Ted's, one of a chain of restaurants apparently owned by Ted Turner.

Monday 15th Sept - A Visit to Gini and Karl's

In the late morning we drove up to Woodstock to visit our old friends Karl and Gini. Karl is a keen dingy sailor and I have sailed with him on numerous occasions in his little 'Y Flyer' on Lake Allatoona. Today however, we had the girls with us so it was to be a day on the lake aboard their motor powered pontoon type boat (a flat platform supported by two torpedo shaped floats powered by a large outboard motor)! As usual the actuality is far more luxurious than the bare description - this boat had comfortable covered seating for 16, was carpeted and had a full size barbecue on board! We took lunch with us so started with a short motor across the bay before stopping to enjoy sandwiches and beers, then we headed up the lake to find a waterfall which Gini and Karl had previously discovered. We were unable to locate it but had a wonderful motor up a narrow tributary off the lake in an effort to find it. The day was rounded off with a wonderful meal at a particularly nice restaurant in Woodstock - the Century Tavern, however I am told I must mention 3 happenings! Firstly we spotted a Bald Headed Eagle whilst on the lake - it swooped down to pick up a fish from the water and then perched on a nearby tree devouring its prey. We were able to watch from a very short distance away. Secondly, Karl reached across tha table in the restaurant knocking over a pint glass of beer which narrowly missed Christine's iPad but soaked her bag and thirdly we were stopped by a cop on the way from the restaurant. Karl had apparently missed stopping at one of three stop signs as we exited the car park! After a polite exchange of pleasantries we were allowed to proceed without a ticket!

Sunday 14th Sept - A Day of Rest (almost)!

With Jim setting off for the beach at some unheard of hour (6.00 am), Susan, Christine and self were left to chill out. Late morning we drove out to a new local shopping area and spent some time in Barnes and Noble. Then we visited a quilt shop in Marietta and finally snacked our way around Harry's. Christine cooked one of her 'signature' dishes in the evening and we finished off with the first episode of 'The Roosevelts' on TV!

Saturday 13th Sept - A visit to the boondocks!

In the morning we went our separate ways, Christine and Susan on a tour of quilt shops whilst Jim and I headed down to a local chandlery - West Marine, which was not too far away. The chandlery was a bit of a disappointment as it's stock was surprisingly much smaller than most in the UK and it catered for more for motor boats than yachts. Not really surprising considering we were about 250 miles from the nearest sea! In the afternoon we all headed off into the countryside north west of Atlanta to visit one of Christine's old quilting buddies, Joy Smith. She and Rick live by the river Etowa between Cartersville and Euharlee, way out in the country, but in a pleasant bungalow with a good size garden and deck overlooking the river. Rick demonstrated his kayak which had an inboard petrol engine driving a jet ski style water thruster - quite unique! After a country style meal of ribs and salad we headed back to civilisation!

Friday 12th Sept - The Museums

After a leisurely breakfast Christine and I headed downtown for our day at the museums. Christine was dropped off at the Atlanta History Center where she had worked as a docent when we lived out here and I carried on down to the Atlanta High Museum of Art where there was an exhibition named 'Dream Cars' was being held. This was absolutely fantastic, covering a display of mainly concept cars designed in the 1940s and 50s and featuring cars as disparate as L'Oeuf Electrique to the General Motors Firebird XP-21, a gas turbine powered single seater looking more like a jet aircraft than a car! Christine was a little disappointed with the AHC as they had done away with the docents in the Tully Smith house where she had worked and there were a lot of alterations going on in the main building which limited some of the exhibits. We had a meal and quiet evening in with Susan and Jim.

Thursday 11th September - The Quilt Show

Another early-ish start as we had a 2 hour drive to Chattanooga ahead of us and would lose an hour due to crossing back into the Eastern Time Zone. We arrived in Chattanooga around midday and headed for the Quilt Show which was conveniently downtown. We scrutinised the Show Quilts together, some of which were very good, and then Christine did a tour of the nick-nack stands whilst I spent some time updating the blog. We left Chattanooga late afternoon, without too much additional baggage, drove the one and a half hours to Kennesaw, Atlanta where we were heartily welcomed by Susan and Jim.

Wednesday 10th Sept - The Road to Nashville!

An earlyish start as we wanted to get to Nashville in good time. Perplexed by HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes which had signs stating "inherently low emission vehicles allowed" ?!! Arrived in Nashville earlier than expected as we had not taken account of the fact that we had crossed into the Central Time Zone so spent the afternoon at the Opryland Mills Mall and marvelling at the Opryland hotel. In the evening met up with Jay (Susan and Jim's son), Clare (his partner) and Julie and Jim (friends of Susan), at a BBQ restaurant. Good meal and good company. Jay has his mother's sense of humour and Clare a sweet intelligent girl. Jim works at Lockheed in Marietta and brews his own beer so he and Mike had plenty to talk about whilst Julie is a quilter, nuff said! After the meal Christine and I drove downtown to cruise past the live music bars including the famous Tootsie's bar, but did not stroll due to the difficulty of finding suitable parking.

Tuesday 9th Sept - The Blue Ridge Parkway, Peaks of Otter to Knoxville

The mountain view was significantly better in the morning, but swirling cloud still enveloped the top of the mountain. We left the motel which had slightly disappointed us as the fixtures and fittings were starting to look a little tired by now. After an expensive breakfast at the hotel we set off on a cloudy but warm morning on to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The character of the road had not changed: it was still a gentle drive through parkland at a max speed of 45 mph. Eventually the novelty started to wear off and we needed to make up time so we left the BRP after about 100 miles and 2 1/2 hours to join the I81 and head for Knoxville. As on a previous occasion we hit Knoxville during the rush hour and spent some time negotiating the traffic jams. Once out the other side things cleared and the I40 to Nashville was much calmer. It was 6 in the evening by this time so we knew we were not going to make Nashville and found a nice Holiday Inn just off the interstate in a place called Harriman. Our evening meal was at a Mexican restaurant - Los Palmos - where we enjoyed some great margaritas! One is not enough, two is too much!

Monday 8th Sept - Richmond to the Peaks of Otter

What was this, rain, in the US of A? We had been expecting wall to wall sunshine and temps in the high 80's! We set off after checking out a Barnes and Noble and buying a map for our travels. So far we had relied on the iPhone and a borrowed GPS which had limitations in viewing the overall picture. It rained on and off throughout the morning as we travelled west, only stopping as we enjoyed our first of many Crackerbarrel lunches. However there was still low cloud as we drove up from Bedford into the Blue Ridge Mountains arriving at the Peaks of Otter motel in late afternoon. The day was rounded off with a meal overlooking the lake in the restaurant. It was markedly cooler up in the mountains which came as quite a relief after the sizzling heat and humidity we had experienced over the previous days.

Sunday 7th Sept - Annapolis to Richmond

This was to be the day of the pong! We woke to a strong 'heads' aroma throughout the boat which suggested that the holding tanks had not been emptied by the previous charterers. In view of this we did not go for a sail before handing the boat back and had breakfast in the fresh air of the cockpit! A bonus for Mike was the appearance of several 'collectable' vehicles in the parking lot adjoining the dock for what was a apparently a weekly car show! The vehicles included not only old American cars and a couple of hot rods, but also Porsches, Ferraris a Maserati and a Lambourgini. By the look of them this was the only time they travelled outside of their garages. We certainly were not passed by any such exotic vehicles on our travels! Having said our farewells to Pamela and David, and Marian and Bill we then set off on our travels proper, initially heading for Richmond, Virginia. Our intention had been to find a hotel/motel just beyond Richmond but before we knew it we were into boom dock country with no sign of suitable accomodation. When we stopped for fuel and none of our bank cards would work we realised we had gone over the edge into no-man's land! By this time Christine was getting a little concerned about the quality of our overnight accomodation so we backtracked to Richmond (40 miles) and found not only a fuel station that would take our cards but a Holiday Inn and a Carraba's. What bliss!

Saturday 6th Sept - Racing on the Chesapeake!

An early breakfast was provided by the female members of the crew (Marian, Christine and Pamela) whilst the men (Bill, Mike and David) readied the boat for the day ahead. We motored round from our berth to the downtown quay where the other boats were moored in order to attend the Skipper's briefing. Then we were off to the start line which was way out in the Chesapeake Bay. With a good breeze blowing and a challenging course plus an eager crew we kept up with much of the fleet and surprised ourselves in coming 3rd in class. We didn't ask how many boats were in our class but there were 17 boats taking part which was a good turnout for the club. The day was really hot with temps in the low 90's which was fine whilst we were afloat with the breeze over the deck (the girls stayed below most of the time with the AC on) but when we got back to base it was stifling! In the evening we attended a dinner hosted by the Union League at which our skipper received a framed certificate acknowledging our 3rd place in the race! This was later given by David to Christine, so will no doubt find its way into a place of honour on Shamu!

Friday 5th Sept - Annapolis here we come

The day started with Marian informing us that Liam their Shetland Collie had been 'skunked' the night before whilst out for his bedtime 'walk'. He had come into contact with a skunk in the garden and had returned smelling somewhat! In order to neutralise the aroma Marian had had to bathe Liam in tomato soup?! At first we thought Marian was having us on, but apparently this is a little known remedy for neutralising the pong. So Tamsyn you'd better start getting the cans of Campbell's in! After breakfast we loaded up the cars and headed south the 120 odd miles to Annapolis where we were scheduled to join the Union League Yacht Club for their 'Fall' Regatta. We arrived mid-afternoon and settled in to our accomodation on a boat that seemed like an aircraft carrier in comparison to our little Shamu! - it was 53 feet long and had 3 double cabins (one a so called 'state room') each with en-suite bathrooms. This is definitely sailing in the lap of luxury! In the evening we met the rest of the club sailors at a pontoon buffet held on the pier next to the Annapolis Naval Academy. At this stage we were all beginning to suffer the temperature rise which at this stage had reached the low 90's! We were all very grateful for the air conditioning on the boat!

Thursday 4th Sept - A relaxing day in Media

With no specific activities planned, we had a slow start to the day before heading out late morning to Bill' Company's warehouse/office location at Marcus Hook beside the Delaware river. It was a beautiful morning and BJ, (Marian and Bill's eldest son) took us out on one of their supply motor boats for a cruise up river. The contrast between the industrial Philadelphia shore and the unspoilt Jersey shore was quite marked and it was interesting to note the conical 'ice breaker' piers installed over 100 years ago to break up the ice as the tide rose and fell. After a tour of the smart new office building we went our separate ways, Christine and Marian to buy provisions for the sailing weekend and Mike to just 'cruise' the area which we had known so well up to 11 years ago! We met back at the house and chilled away the remains of the day in the pool followed by a barbecue.

Wednesday 3rd Sept - Meeting the Amish!

The day started with a relaxed breakfast after a swim in the pool by the keener of the two travellers! Then it was off to pick up the hire car from the airport (it seemed a good idea at the time of booking to go a day later)! In stead of the little 2 door compact size car booked, we were offered the pick of their range for a measly 2 dollars a day extra, so came away with a Ford Explorer SUV! Mark, eat your heart out! Probably a bit too large for our needs, but what the hell, this is America! After lunch we headed out west to Lancaster County, home of the Amish. Initially we drove past our old place at Kennett Square which hadn't changed as much as expected, it was just a little more established. We travelled in Marian's car which has a system known as 'Drive Assist' which involves you phoning a a guy and telling him where you want to go and he then programmes your GPS remotely - just right for those who have problems with new technology! We were waiting for some sniggering on the other end of the phone when Marian told him she wanted Intercourse, PA, but he played it absolutely straight and in no time at all we reached Intercourse! Of course the attraction here was the quilt shops which Christine spent no small amount of time browsing. Fortunately the packages that accompanied our exit were not too numerous, apparently there will be plenty more opportunities for purchases later in our trip! In the evening Bill and Marian introduced us to a new experience - street eating! My preconception of this was a row of stalls selling burgers, hotdogs, pretzels, ice cream etc. but how wrong can you be. In the township called Media where they live, every Wednesday evening during the summer they close off the Main Street and all the restaurants an bars put tables out in the road for customers to sit and eat at. A great idea for the warm dry evenings of Pennsylvania but maybe not so suitable for the cool and wet summer evenings in Norfolk!

Tuesday 2nd Sep - The Flight Out

After a very quiet an comfortable night at the Hayes Premier Inn we left Brian (the Renault) to the mercy of 'Purple Parking' at Southall - a massive operation located on some old railway sidings, basic, but seemingly well organised. Our experience at the airport was surprisingly good, no hassles with unfriendly check-in or security staff, no long queues anywhere and easy stowage of carry-on luggage in an aircraft that was by no means full. The flight was smooth and uneventful with the best landing that Christine had experienced in a long time! At Philadelphia even the Immigration Officer was friendly and chatty and both our checked bags were waiting for us to pick up at baggage re-claim - a nice change from our previous long distance flights to NZ! Something just had to go wrong, and it did. Instead of the expected Marian waiting for us jumping up and down waving her Stars and Stripes and a 'Welcome to America' banner, nothing, no-one! Oh dear, what had gone wrong. After a quick call to Marian, at home, it turned out that she thought we were picking up our hire car at the airport and driving to their place. Ah well, mis-communication strikes again! As bill and Marian live not too far from the airport it wasn't long before we were comfortably settled in with a nice cup of tea and Mike enjoying a dip in the 80 plus degree swimming pool. Again we had been taken aback by the power of the heat and humidity when exiting the airport air conditioning and entering the 90 plus degree local conditions! Note the reversion to imperial units as the Americans have still not gone metric (and are not likely to)!

Still in the UK

Things did not start auspiciously as we got lost en route from the chattery (where we had left Wiggins to his three weeks of luxury) to Tamsyn and Mark's place. In order to avoid the A11/A14 Mike decided to use the phone app and take a shortcut across the fens! After travelling a couple of miles along dead straight, single track drove roads we came to a halt at a bridge over the Ouse which was gated, shut! So about turn and back to the cattery and start again. This time we made it, via a few obscure, isolated and desolate hamlets in darkest fen country with names such as Feltwell Anchor, Burnt Fen and Prickwillow, eventually emerging into civilisation again at Ely! From there the journey to Willingham was fairly straightforward.

Intro

As it is nine years since we last visited the 'States we decided it was about time we went to see what a mess those local natives have made of the place in the intervening period!