Dorothy Was Right

There's no place like home.

Reconnecting

Back in Atlanta I got to reconnect with a friend of mine from my college days in Dallas. She and I both attended the same megachurch and met in a home cell group. I haven't seen Anita in 15 years (since my last road trip to Florida). I had to google her several months ago to find her in fact. Isn't Google convenient and scary?

We all met at P.F. Changs (hence the horse sculptures) and it was like NO time had transpired between us. I love that. I love you Anita; our lunch was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Everyone needs to think of someone they need to reconnect with RIGHT NOW....who is it?
Call them.

Lost in Harlem

Glory and I spent our last night in New York in a town called White Plains. I strategically suggested it because I new that the oldest pet cemetery in America was on the same road several exits up in the Hamlet of Hartsdale.

We had to get on the road and return the medical equipment, the rent car, see the Statue of Liberty and make a 3:00 p.m. train to Washington D.C. Glory demonstrated great patience in humoring me on my odd adventure. So while Glory sat in the car with the motor running, I ran around the cemetery like a girl "picking daisies" in a meadow. It was fun.

The last picture you see here is of the War Dog Memorial where heroic dogs of "the world war" are buried. When they made the tombstone, little did they know another world war was on it's way.

We continued our trek into the city and got lost in Harlem. Then we got locked down in traffic by Central Park. Then we got lost in Battery Park. Finally about 2 hours and 45 minutes later we could see our destinations with our eyes but didn't know how to get to them with the car (major road construction as it was Ground Zero).

We were able to return the equipment and rent car, but I never got to see Lady Liberty. I did however get to see Malto Mario in Penn Station. Those of you who watch Food TV will know of whom I am speaking.

For those of you who are interested, I added more pictures to the "Road Trip" album; click and see.

Why Would a Friend Do This?

I received this in an email WHILE I was on vacation. Doesn't Cookie look PITIFUL?

Divine Providence

When leaving Cape Cod I suggested (repeatedly) that we we drive through Providence, Rhode Island to get a picture of the First Baptist Church in America.

My history with the Baptist has been short, therefore I felt I could benefit from a "pilgrimage" of sorts. I met a lady named Diane and told her about joining my first Sunday School class. I told her we were studying Matthew and she said, "That's an undertaking." I could tell I was talking too much so I grabbed a brochure and got the hell out of there.

http://www.fbcia.org/

A Morning on the Beach

While we were driving to Cape Cod I got on the phone and called Amanda so I could say, "Glory and I are driving to Hyannis Port to get some seafood." I'm horrible, but think about it, when will I be able to say that again.

We ate seafood, but I've got news for all you Gulf Coast residence, New Englanders don't fry their seafood. There wasn't a Fried Seafood Platter on ANY menu. Glory had the steak and lobster. I ordered Halibut....... for the hell of it.....literally just so I could say that.

Now enjoy our pretty pictures (more in Cat's Photo Album).

Mark Twain Had Eleven Cats

Glory and I left Massachusetts and headed to Hartford, CT. It seemed like a nice place to stop for the evening. I noticed on the map, in microscopic print, the words: The Mark Twain House. So after finding a hotel we determined to visit the home of Samuel Clemens (his real name) in the morning. Sam's (as the tour guide referred to him) had a very swanky house. It was fitted with the most modern conveniences: electricity, indoor plumbing, a telephone, wall to wall carpet. Glory got reprimanded for touching the piano. She toured the rest of the house with her hands clasped behind her back. I had an uncontrollable urge to plop down in a chair.

After our tour I found out I wasn't the only Texan in Connecticut that day.

On the Road

Glory and I left NYC and headed north to the Adirondacks. We stayed with her friends Al and Nancy in Chestertown, NY. They took us on a tour of the area which is the same setting for the novel Last of the Mohicans. It was a place of winding roads and scenic views. After two days Glory, Al and Nancy plotted our path and we were off again.

Heading to the Birkshires our next stop was Stockbridge, Massachusetts to see the Norman Rockwell Museum and the Red Lion Inn (est. 1773).

In 1941 President Roosevelt gave his State of the Union Address and in it he declared Four Freedoms that all Americans were entitled to:

1. Freedom of Speech
2. Freedom of Worship
3. Freedom from Want
4. Freedom from Fear

Norman Rockwell was so inspired by this speech that he created four paintings illustrating each and all four were covers for the Saturday Evening Post. These four paintings were used to promote the purchase of war bonds. No other campaign did as well in the war effort.

Almost two hundred years earlier at the Red Lion Inn colonists/farmers met and organized a protest of British oppression and unfair taxation. Lead by Daniel Sheys, Stockbridge became know as the headquarters for "Sheys Rebellion".

You can see pictures of our road trip in Cat's Photo Album in the sidebar. I encourage you to google "The Four Freedoms". You can also read about the Red Lion Inn at http://www.redlioninn.com/.

Reluctant Tourist

I never intended to go to Ground Zero. I just don't think of it as a place for "tourism". That being said, when we arrived at our hotel, Glory called me over to the window .
There it was: Ground Zero. I couldn't believe it.

I knew that since we were there, then the church that served as a sanctuary for workers and volunteers during the aftermath of the disaster had to be near by.

St. Paul's Episcopal Chapel (est. 1766) answered the call to an unexpected ministry that lasted from September 11th until June 2nd.

Can you see in the picture on this sign how much debris is in the churchyard? It took them two years to clean up the fall out.

Below is a "monument" of patches from the service workers uniforms. It is displayed in the sanctuary.

You can see more pictures in Cat's Photo Albums (Ground Zero) or read more about the church at http://www.saintpaulschapel.org/.

The Big Apple

Arriving in NYC can be described as SUPERsizing life. I was overwhelmed with the magnitude of people and spaces. I just started taking pictures. When you look in my NYC photo album (found in Cat's Photo Albums in the sidebar) you may think the pictures are random....well they are, I was snapping from buses, cabs, windows, street corners, etc.

There is so much to do, so we started by taking a tour bus around a small section of the town. We got off the bus to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and found ourselves in the middle of a parade.

Turns out the parade was not for Glory and me, but instead it was the 50th German-American Steuben Parade. The Grand Marshal was Henry Kissenger (no picture...sorry Kissenger fans).

I forced my sister to take me to TWO quilt shops. She was very tolerant and suggested this photo op. I stood in the pink section for the picture as it is my favorite color.

It's hard to write about Jersey Boys. Know in advance that there is no way I can get the experience down in words. How can you describe something so sensory? But I want you to know how I came to be a fan, so here it goes.

It all started last year when I made a birthday CD for Glory. I got Bill, Sue and David to tell me songs she loved when she was in high school. One of the songs on the CD was "Can't Take My Eyes of of You" by Frankie Valli. I was intrigued and I ended up downloading more songs by him and the Four Seasons for myself.

When asked what play I wanted to see while in NYC, the first thing that came to my mind was Jersey Boys. Tickets of course were sold out, or cost $345.00 a seat, but as the boys say "Big Girls Don't Cry".

Glory managed to get "actor's seats" from someone, who knew someone ,who had a nephew who was a producer. We were 8th row, center and the whole thing was wondersful. I sat there and sang all the words to every song. I even got a little emotion when he sang "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You. I am happy that most of the songs are already on my iPod.

How much do you think these two bags of chips cost? Go ahead, guess. The answer is in Cat's Photo Album under NYC. I laughed out loud when the clerk told me.

Guardian Angels

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phil. 4:6 (NIV)

Last night as I was thinking about loading up all the luggage and dragging it to Union Station. I became apprehensive. So I decided to pray and make my petition known. After I prayed the thought came in my head, God could send us a guardian angel. Then I went to bed.

This morning I was able to CRAM all my new clothes in the already full suitcase (I bet it weighs more than 29 lbs now) and we were ready to go. The bellman took our bags to the lobby. The cab driver loaded our bags in the car and then took them out at the station. Then, as Glory and I were strategically dividing the bags between us, a man with a cart came up and hollered, “Red Cap Service!” So this nice fellow loaded our bags and escorted us to ticketing. Before we got there, he sent me to Starbucks (I had mentioned taking a cup on the train) and told me where to met him and Glory. He helped Glory buy the tickets and then he took us to the correct train and loaded our bags in the luggage compartment.

I told him, “I prayed for a guardian angel today.” And he said, “See what happens when you pray?” You’ve got to love it!

What is Your World Made Of?

The American History Museum at the Smithsonian Institute is being renovated, so they temporarily moved 150 items of Americana to the Air and Space Museum (BORING). I walked the expanse of the building ignoring all the space gadgetry and went straight to what it was I came to see....goofy stuff.

One of the first items I saw was Kermit the Frog. He sat right next to Lincoln's Top Hat and Edison's light bulb. I turned a corner and found the first artificial heart, created by Domingo Liotta and implanted by Denton Cooley. For those of you new to my life, Denton Cooley was a world renown thoracic surgeon that operated on me when I was a tot. Dr. Fernbach (pediatric oncologist) could get no other doctor to perform the surgery. They all thought he was crazy trying to save my life at a time when taking risks was not the norm. Denton Cooley was a risk taker....thank you very much....and now he is in the Smithsonian.

It didn't hit me until I saw this aluminum tray that they are a thing of the past. Seeing it made me think fondly of my childhood, sitting in front of the TV, with a TV dinner on a TV tray watching things like All in the Family and M*A*S*H.

I would officially like to state that IT IS a Barbie world....or at least it is for me.

Now, go to Cat's Photo Albums and look at the album titled, Smithsonian. I got a lot of really cool pictures and there are a few quizzes. Also, I would appreciate it if you would add thoughts or comments about the things you see. There is a place to add a comment right below each picture. Then it will be like we went there together.

Here's the Thing

Sue Laza told me she was mailing me my Christmas present BEFORE I went on vacation. I wondered what it could be and even thought things like: a scarf, gloves, something to wear in colder weather. When I got the package I was surprised to find inside a Mr. Monk Bobble Head. I was BAFFLED. Since she instructed me to call her as soon as I got it, I picked up the phone and gave her a call. She and I are both Mr. Monk fans, so I thanked her and then inquired as to why I needed this gift BEFORE I left town.

Well, it turns out, that the USA Network is have a little thing where people take their Mr. Monk Bobble Heads with them on their vacations and then send in pictures. On their website, you can see Mr. Monk at Mt. Rushmore, Old Faithful in Yosemite Park, and Lincoln Memorial. Hopefully, soon the world wide web will see my Mr. Monk at the Nation's Capital. I uploaded my picture last night and am waiting for the "moderator" to approve it. How could they not?

So here's the thing, when you see my photos, you may see Mr. Monk Bobble Head a few times. Blame Sue!


To see the Washington D.C. photo album, click on Cat's Photo Album in the sidebar.

Documentation

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The Declaration of Independance is housed in the National Archives (pictured above). I had a list of three things I wanted to see: Lincoln Memorial, The Smithsonian Institute, and the Declaration of Independance.

I could not take pictures, while inside, but even if I could, it wouldn't have mattered because the actual document is very faded. I could barely make out John Hancock's John Hancock.

Dinner on the Potomac.

They Aren't Playing Today

Yesterday Glory and I flew into Washington D.C. and yes, it was on September 11th. The day started at 4:30 in the morning Atlanta time. Keep in mind I operate on Texas time (one hour earlier). I learned a long time ago that since I was the person responsible for my own luggage that I should always pack light and always have suitcases with wheels. I had one 29 lb. bag on wheels (I know this because they weigh them at check in now). I also had my carry on which was nothing more than my Bi-Pap machine. Glory decided to put the Bi-Pap machine in a small suitcase with wheels (smart) and include her overflow items. We couldn’t zip her luggage up, so out came another suitcase (no wheels). Glory has not mastered the art of packing light. At this point we were now up to 4 suitcases and a carry-on that had magazines, books and a laptop in it. We were doomed.

We loaded into a cab at 5:30 a.m. (4:30 TX) and headed to the airport. When we get to the airport Glory asks, “Where’s my suitcase with all my clothes in it?” I said, “I thought you got it.” She said, “I THOUGHT YOU GOT IT!” MAN! It was horrible, but we had to release it to the Universe and move on. Glory started her vacation with only T-shirts, underwear, dress shoes, and the clothes on her back.

Moving in to check-in, the woman at security wearing a Bridgett Wig was checking everyone’s id and boarding pass. In line I could hear her mantra: “They’re not playing today.” I didn’t have my id ready when I got to her and she said, “They’re not playing today, have your stuff ready.” Glory apologized and told her we were “a mess” this morning. She said, “You can’t be a mess ‘cause they aren’t playing today.”

From there we proceeded to the scanning part of the process. I had to remove my shoes and jacket. They scanned and picked through everything. They took out my lip-gloss and perfume and travel sized face soap and put it all in a zip lock bag. You can only take 3 ounces of liquid on a plane now.

We made it on the plane and had a very uneventful flight. The pilot flew us up the Potomac and then banked left to the Ronald Reagan Airport. I looked out my window for something recognizable, when there it stood: The Pentagon. I was so amazed. It was real and right there in front of me, not a scratch on it. I was so happy to see it and so proud. I have been experiencing a lot of feelings here in this great place. Washington D.C. is only 6 square miles in size and every inch of it is packed with our history.

God Bless America!