SUMMER USA 2004
We dubbed this the "Summer of Connections" as we made contact with so many Friends and Family members. Although the camera didn't get out to get pictures of everyone, we enjoyed seeing each and every person.
Our travels took us from Hong Kong to Seattle where jet-lagged we rented a car and drove (for the first time driving since we had left the states 11 months before) directly to a Mexican restaurant (yes - real Mexican food!!) and then up to Bellingham, WA to see Sharon. We really did experience 'culture shock' even after only 1 year out of the states - Americans are BIG people, the statistics about obesity are real, there are so many cars, there is so much open space, so many consumer goods, hey we understand this language, westerners are very outgoing - it took a couple of days until it all became 'normal' again. We meet Lorraine, a former Ross teacher in the Seattle airport - yes it's a small world after all.
We enjoyed beautiful Bellingham and visiting with Sharon and Gabriele for a couple of days. Yikes, beautiful blue skies and such clean, pure air - our lungs loved it!
Off to Phoenix where we visited with Jane, Wendy, Bruce, Nancy and Ian. Enchiladas - yum.
Leaving Phoenix we stopped at Jennifer and Mikes' house and had fun with Jennifer and the kids, ( Collin, Ian, Sydney, Devin) as well as the new pet rat 'Daisy.' Drove to Tucson where we got to stay with Liz & Andy and their 3 bunnies and guide dog - Tildy - in training. A drive out to North West Tucson led us to Dotty, Amanda, Andy and daughter Maddy. Back to central Tucson to see Judy, Linda and Cam.
Back to Phoenix to Jane's house for a few days and then a flight to Long Island.
Mom and Dad meet us at the airport and then back to the Southold house to see Greg and Mike. One day fishing with Greg and then a bus trip up to Milford to the lovely lake house and Chuck, Laura, Jane, Spencer and Uncle Dick. "Cousins Camp" brought lots of visitors from the east coast. We chopped down weeds to retrieve Nutmeg from her storage barn. She started right up and brought us to Liz and Bob's house just north of New York City on the way back to Long Island. We got to sleep in the 'Eyeore Suite' - Liz's daughter has a huge collection of Eyeore's in all shapes, sizes and colors. Back to Southold for Mike's birthday with Mom, Dad, Greg, Mike, Richard, Bob, Darice, Kelly, Mark, Roger, Colleen, Erin and Abbey.
Carol drives down to spend the day and we do lunch at the "Barge", tour the vineyards, and then a lasagne dinner and down to Greenport to play tourist and ride the carousel.
Mike gives Ann a book written by a former classmate, Carl, about growing up in Southold, which makes a great trip down memory lane. Carl is speaking at one of the local vineyards so I went to listen, say hi and had him sign the book.
Angela, (our adopted daughter teacher friend from Hong Kong) comes to visit for a couple of days. We kayak, bike and actually meet up with one our Hong Kong Academy families who have a home in Sag Harbor. We pop in on Roger and Meredith, our former landlords, and see Reggie's new radio station. Dinner with Jane (a former Ross teacher who is living in our previous lighthouse) was renewing. We connect with Diane, a Ross teacher, and she takes us out to breakfast. Another bike trip to the South Shore enables us to see Dan in his new school and grab a few precious moments with Cathy.
So, the catamaran get launched again, Nutmeg gets a beautiful new interior and dashboard, we get to go biking, and enjoy the beaches of eastern Long Island before we start our run back to the West Coast. Richard accompanies us in Nutmeg to Staten Island where the car stayed until Chuck collected her and took her back to Milford for fall usage and winter storage. We haul our luggage around NYC until the wheel on one of the suitcases breaks and we take a taxi to JFK.
We fly back to Seattle where we meet up with Sharon and Gabriele and collect Jon at the airport. A fabulous Mexican dinner is our last taste of Mexican food for awhile and the next morning allows us enough time for a wonderful walk around the lake and then it's off to the airport with Jon and Sharon to start the marathon journey back to Hong Kong. We fly from Seattle to VanCouver and are not sure if they will let Jon board the plane as there is an arrest warrant out for someone with the exact same name! I guess they decide he doesn't look too dangerous as they do let him board and return his passport to him.
Our travels took us from Hong Kong to Seattle where jet-lagged we rented a car and drove (for the first time driving since we had left the states 11 months before) directly to a Mexican restaurant (yes - real Mexican food!!) and then up to Bellingham, WA to see Sharon. We really did experience 'culture shock' even after only 1 year out of the states - Americans are BIG people, the statistics about obesity are real, there are so many cars, there is so much open space, so many consumer goods, hey we understand this language, westerners are very outgoing - it took a couple of days until it all became 'normal' again. We meet Lorraine, a former Ross teacher in the Seattle airport - yes it's a small world after all.
We enjoyed beautiful Bellingham and visiting with Sharon and Gabriele for a couple of days. Yikes, beautiful blue skies and such clean, pure air - our lungs loved it!
Off to Phoenix where we visited with Jane, Wendy, Bruce, Nancy and Ian. Enchiladas - yum.
Leaving Phoenix we stopped at Jennifer and Mikes' house and had fun with Jennifer and the kids, ( Collin, Ian, Sydney, Devin) as well as the new pet rat 'Daisy.' Drove to Tucson where we got to stay with Liz & Andy and their 3 bunnies and guide dog - Tildy - in training. A drive out to North West Tucson led us to Dotty, Amanda, Andy and daughter Maddy. Back to central Tucson to see Judy, Linda and Cam.
Back to Phoenix to Jane's house for a few days and then a flight to Long Island.
Mom and Dad meet us at the airport and then back to the Southold house to see Greg and Mike. One day fishing with Greg and then a bus trip up to Milford to the lovely lake house and Chuck, Laura, Jane, Spencer and Uncle Dick. "Cousins Camp" brought lots of visitors from the east coast. We chopped down weeds to retrieve Nutmeg from her storage barn. She started right up and brought us to Liz and Bob's house just north of New York City on the way back to Long Island. We got to sleep in the 'Eyeore Suite' - Liz's daughter has a huge collection of Eyeore's in all shapes, sizes and colors. Back to Southold for Mike's birthday with Mom, Dad, Greg, Mike, Richard, Bob, Darice, Kelly, Mark, Roger, Colleen, Erin and Abbey.
Carol drives down to spend the day and we do lunch at the "Barge", tour the vineyards, and then a lasagne dinner and down to Greenport to play tourist and ride the carousel.
Mike gives Ann a book written by a former classmate, Carl, about growing up in Southold, which makes a great trip down memory lane. Carl is speaking at one of the local vineyards so I went to listen, say hi and had him sign the book.
Angela, (our adopted daughter teacher friend from Hong Kong) comes to visit for a couple of days. We kayak, bike and actually meet up with one our Hong Kong Academy families who have a home in Sag Harbor. We pop in on Roger and Meredith, our former landlords, and see Reggie's new radio station. Dinner with Jane (a former Ross teacher who is living in our previous lighthouse) was renewing. We connect with Diane, a Ross teacher, and she takes us out to breakfast. Another bike trip to the South Shore enables us to see Dan in his new school and grab a few precious moments with Cathy.
So, the catamaran get launched again, Nutmeg gets a beautiful new interior and dashboard, we get to go biking, and enjoy the beaches of eastern Long Island before we start our run back to the West Coast. Richard accompanies us in Nutmeg to Staten Island where the car stayed until Chuck collected her and took her back to Milford for fall usage and winter storage. We haul our luggage around NYC until the wheel on one of the suitcases breaks and we take a taxi to JFK.
We fly back to Seattle where we meet up with Sharon and Gabriele and collect Jon at the airport. A fabulous Mexican dinner is our last taste of Mexican food for awhile and the next morning allows us enough time for a wonderful walk around the lake and then it's off to the airport with Jon and Sharon to start the marathon journey back to Hong Kong. We fly from Seattle to VanCouver and are not sure if they will let Jon board the plane as there is an arrest warrant out for someone with the exact same name! I guess they decide he doesn't look too dangerous as they do let him board and return his passport to him.
