Tripping off to America April - May 2011
I spent another few weeks in Atlanta, thoroughly enjoying some excellent shopping, the warm spring weather and the fine company of some great friends. I even caught up with two friends I used to work with when I lived in Atlanta. I found them on facebook!! Wow - so that was very good indeed. One works for Fedex and the other for one of the big hospitals in Atlanta so it was wonderful to catch up, have some laughs over 'the good old days' and renew those friendships.
After leaving Atlanta I headed down to Dallas, Texas to catch up with another old friend from the Atlanta days, Miss Angie. Angie has a wonderful family in Dallas and she does good work there, caring for stray animals - dogs and cats - finding homes for the unwanted ones, going on her rounds every day to feed and water animals that have made their homes in the wooded areas, and tending to those that are sick and need veterinary care. She has a website too called Angie's Friends - have a look at what she's up to.
Angie is also known as the 'Fairy Dogmother of Dallas.' The little animals know her routine and wait for her at the same time each day. She calls all the animals, cats or dogs, male or female, 'Mamma' and gives them a pat and some love. She has a way with them and can manage even those that are aggressive. I had to stay in the truck a few times while she went about the feeding.
After a long day in the heat she comes home and drinks a few beers so I joined her for a few of those sessions at her place. We sat outside, had beer and pizza and still more catch ups and laughs over days in Atlanta back in the mid-80's. A fine old time we had - then and now!
My Uncle Bob has lived in Dallas all his life and I used to visit there when I lived in Seattle, flying down to meet cousins and generally hang out for a bit. My Aunt has long since passed away but Uncle B. is still there. Dallas was just as hot and dusty as I remembered. The wind always seems to be blowing and it's hot as blazes - and this wasn't even summer (it was early May). I remember visiting my cousins and thinking it was just like being inside a clothes dryer ..
No visit to Dallas for me is complete without some real honest-to-goodness Mexican food and Angie knows right where to go. Always has. We washed up at a local cafe not far from her house, sat down there and enjoyed big glasses of iced tea and our fabulous dinners. I had my favourite, beef enchiladas, with Mexican rice and beans. Yowee.
My last stop was quite the treat - a wonderful few days in Davis, California with my old friend Deanne. I met Deanne when I was at Auckland University (about a hundred years ago now!) doing my degree. I stayed at her house in the city and in return for room and board I helped look after her two children who were quite young then. We go back a long way, Deanne and I.
She has a lovely home outside of Davis on a piece of land where her husband established a vineyard! I remember on one visit, several years ago, I mowed the paddock with a tractor - and got a few ticks. It was definitely tick season when I was there. Deanne has two dogs and has to check them very carefully for these pesky little blood-suckers ...
I had a wonderful visit with Deanne. We walked along the river in Davis, admiring the plantings and the trees; we went to the movies, out to lunch, walked the dogs in the morning before it became too hot. Visited the campus of UC Davis to buy a T shirt for a friend in New Zealand, had a vodka every evening and lovely healthy dinners with fresh ingredients from the very groovy co-op Deanne belongs to.
Yeah you know I could easily live in California. It's expensive, I'll say that, probably the most expensive of all the places I visited but I reckon you just can't beat it for lifestyle, weather, good food and plain old downright cool ...and of course it's one of those places where anything could happen .. earthquakes, floods, bush fires. Ah yes - life on the edge and living for the moment. And what moments they are!
Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park
When I was in Florida, I happened to mention that I'd always wanted to see a manatee.
Apparently it wasn't quite the right time of year to see them in their favourite hang-out spots in the wild so my brother suggested we take a ride down to Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park to see them there.
If you've never seen these gentle, large, absolutely wonderful creatures, grab the opportunity to do so if it ever 
comes your way. It's a delight to watch them eating cabbage ... and there is an 'underwater' viewing facility so you can see them swimming (we
ll, cruising is a better word) about.
There is quite a movement in Florida to protect the manatees. Because they are so large, slow moving and like to hang out near the surface of the water, they are often hit by power boats and also become entangled in nets and fishing gear. Their favoured habitat is amongst the crystal clear springs and inland waterways of Florida and of course this is a much loved place for boaties too. 
Many of the animals and wildlife in the Park have been rescued and are cared for here. I remember in particular a bald eagle who was unable to fly. I watched him for some time. He sat on a piece of wood in an open enclosure, out in the hot sun (and it was very hot indeed) with his wings spread as far as he could manage. Every now and then, he would look upwards into the sky at the other birds flying about above him.
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. There were alligators by the score, other extraordinary and colourful birds and of course the reptile house - all make for a fascinating and educational visit. Well worth it!
A visit to Cedar Key ... and the rolling hills of Virginia
While in Florida visiting my brother and his wife, I had the great pleasure of visiting Cedar Key - not once, but twice!
Cedar Key reminded me so much of the 'old Florida' that I remembered visiting back in the early 80's ... especially Fernandina before it boomed into the tourist mecca it is today.
My brother took a couple of days off work and we decided to head out for a day-trip, see what kind of mischief and mayhem we could get into. Our morning began with a very major breakfast at the local Denny's ( I know, those of you who know Denny's will probably go, 'no way, man!' but I like their Moon over my Hammy breakfast which one can only get in the USA, not in NZ) where, over mountains of food and copious cups of coffee, we exchanged stories, talked over old times and new, treasured the time together because my brother and I have always done this 'hanging out' thing very well.
He suggested we go out to Cedar Key so away we went. Cedar Key is about two hours north-west of Ocala, situated south of the mouth of the famous Suwanee River so it wasn't far. We arrived there most conveniently round lunch time so we rolled quite nicely into a 'let's start with a beer or two' mode. While we were pondering where to go, I happened to look down into the water and saw these amazing horseshoe crabs slowly going about their business ... apparently the Key is really well known for these critters. The boy crabs hang onto the back of the girls - needless to say, the girls are the bigger of the two.
Cedar Key is an historic old town and I felt an instant connection with it because it had that sleepy, small town, we-have-tourists-but-we're-not-booming-with-them type feel and it had a direct connection with Fernandina, Mom's home town, on the other coast. In 1860, Cedar Key became the western terminus for the Florida railroad, connected to Fernandina on the east so while I was there, I felt this comforting sense of Mom alongside us and I knew this sleepy little place was somewhere she would enjoy being.
Scott and I washed up at an old bar with a pier going out over the water. We set up there with our beer and watched the action on the hot, calm, blue Gulf of Mexico stretching out before us.
There were birds to look at and some dolphins passed by too. It was hot so we stayed beneath our old umbrella, drank two-for-one beers and then, a bit later, had our staple fare of fried shrimp and hushpuppies for lunch. The whole bar on the pier had a slight lean to it - at least I think
it did, or maybe that was all the beer. What a magic time we had.
I went back to Cedar Key, on my own, to spend the night. I stayed at some apartments right on the water and had a view of the Gulf from my balcony. I sat out there with my bottles of beer and wrote, "It's good to hear the sound of the waves again. I haven't heard it since leaving home. It's soothing, grounding and a real comfort."
That evening after dinner, I wandered about the town, listened to some blues music, chatted with some Australians who were visiting the US for the first time, then stood out on the big fishing pier to watch the sunset. It was quite the magic evening and one that I will remember for a long time to come. The air was warm, the sea calm. A few people walking around enjoying the evening, some people fishing and laughing.
I'd like to go back to Cedar Key, go kayaking, stay for a while, do some writing, meet the locals, drink beer, hang out. It's that kind of place and I loved it.
When Mom spoke of her dear childhood friends, she always referred to them as 'Aunt' and 'Uncle' so and so, as is customary in the South. Accordingly, I had several honourary Aunties and Uncles - there was Aunt Marion, Aunt Dottie, Uncle Carl and Aunt Betsy ... just to name a few.
Many of Mom's girlhood friends have passed away now but her best and oldest friend lives in a retirement facility with her husband in Roanoake Virginia, close to their daughter and her husband. Dad and I drove up from Florida to visit them and we had a great few days enjoying the beautiful countryside and of course some wonderful visits with our old friends.
When Mom was growing up in Fernandina Beach, Fla. she had a great bunch of mates and they called themselves The Crab Club because every so often they would get together, drive up the beach, throw out little baited lines and catch big sand crabs. Then they would boil the poor things up in a big pot and eat them with Saltine crackers and Coca-Cola. Above is a picture of Mom with a net over her shoulder and Dad with the big boiling pot in front of him.
It was an idyllic childhood that Mom spoke of so often and a big part of that for her was the enduring strength of the friendships that she made. The 'Aunt' we visited in Virginia had known Mom since their early teens so it was indeed a lifelong connection that they had shared.
Our visit was full of nostalgic rememberings and memories, sharing of funny stories and of course talking about Mom and her last years with us.
Dad has a keen interest in the Civil War and so one day, our host took us out to the Appomattox Courthouse National Park where Confederate commander General Robert E. Lee made his last sta
nd against the Union Army and its leader Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant before signing the surrender documents in the parlour of a house owned by Wilmer McLean (pictured at left) on 9 April 1865. It was quite a sobering experience, to be where such an historic event took place. We visited the excellent museum and then wandered about the buildings in the park area where we could see the battle lines, stand in the actual spots where significant events had taken place and walk along the old road where the Confederate troops had surrendered their arms before lines of Union soldiers.
After our visit, I returned to Atlanta. Dad rented a little car and took off to visit more old friends and to tour some of the Civil War battlefields. He went to Gettysburg and stayed there for two days, exploring. There was so much to see, he said, so much to understand and absorb. He found it one of the most moving experiences of his life.
Cruising in Ocala
My brother and his wife live in Ocala which is a lovely city in Central Florida. It was well known for its horse-raising facilities and John Travolta lives there with his jet (he can drive it right up to his house, I hear). Indeed the land around Ocala is green and rolling, beautifully landscaped with many horse farms.
I drove down from Atlanta to meet up with my brother and Dad. Dad had been staying with him for a few weeks and we were all going to take Mom's ashes up to Fernandina for burial in her family plot there. In the picture I'm with my Dad and brother on the day we laid Mom to her rest. Dad is holding Mom in her urn.
On my first night there, we went out for my much anticipated shrimp dinner, all-you-can-eat! How fortuitous!! Indeed my brother and I packed away a ton and a half between us. The shrimp always start to shiver when they know I'm in Florida. Shrimp, hushpuppies, baked potato with butter and sour cream ... washed down with iced tea. I tell you, it does not get much better than that.
My brother has a boat called Aqua-holic and he and his wife keep it at a small marina about an hour from their house in Ocala. The marina afford access to the might St John's River and associated waterways so there is no shortage of places to go for a relaxing cruise or over-nighter. Most weekends my brother and his wife would head out early Saturday morning, just as the sun is rising. He calls this 'the 
fresh' because all is still, the air is clear, there is no wind - to him it is heaven on earth.
They usually end up at a place called The Glen which is an absolutely beautiful haven accessed by crossing quite a large lake. The Glen is an inlet, carved out by a 
natural spring, of which there are many in Florida (essentially Florida is just sand perched on top of a huge water table). The water is fresh and perfectly clear when it bubbles up from below. My brother and his friends gather in their boats at The Glen for weekends of fun, taking their beer and food an dliving in bathing suits. They tie the boats together so party-goers can walk from one to the other and if someone falls down or overboard, they all shout, 'Man down!'
My brother took Dad and I to The Glen on a weekday so there weren't too many other boats there. The water is as clear as anything and we could just hop off the back of the boat and walk round to the spring. The water gets deeper there. Alot of people were snorkling over the spring, watching the water as it came up from the ground.
It was a perfect day, not too hot, just right. We drank beer, walked around, hung out, got sunburned, drank some more beer, went over to the spring, hung out, drank more beer until the sun was getting ready to go down and then we headed back to the marina. 
What a magic day. That's the Florida that I love - the waterways, the beer, the hanging out ... hopping in and out of the water, spending all day in my bathing suit. It's something that my brother and I have always done very well so it was like old times as we cranked up the blues music, tipped back the tinnies and laughed alot.
As we were heading back, Florida turned on one of those wondrous sunsets. I sat in the back of the boat, looking over the stern, feeling so content and very happy. It had been such a good day. I couldn't remember when I had spent more time with my brother and my Dad together - not since we were kids and had no choice!
I wished that I was kinda wealthy, so I could buy a house on the waterway and see those sunsets all the time. I doubt one would ever get tired of them.
Putting our feet up down South ...
In May I wrote about my visit to Seattle in April - where it was so cold, 'colder than a polar bear's paw' as Mom used to say. Gosh it was nippy - but I had a wonderful visit.
I wasn't sorry though to head for the warmer climes of the South, specifically Atlanta Ga. where I have a number of really good mates I've known for many years. And springtime in Atlanta is very pleasant - the calm and delightful before the muggy and the sweaty summer heat arrives.
I lived in Atlanta for a number of years - and every time I visit, I am always surprised by the volumes of traffic whizzing about on I-285, the perimeter highway that encircles the city. In places it's like a race track and 4,5, or 6 lanes, it might be 20, all full of cars travelling at 150 miles per hour (most travel 70 mph or so). Fantastic. It is a city that 
never sleeps - and that is why I 
was glad to be staying north of the city in the tranquil and truly beautiful countryside not too far from the famous Stone Mountain (my friend Carol and I climbed up Stone Mountain once. I will never forget it - I doubt she will either). It is a massive mountain rising out of the flat landscape and has this extraordinary carving of some Civil War notables on the side ...
I never quite adjusted to life in Atlanta although I was there a long time. I was often homesick for New Zealand. I did a Creative Writing class at Callanwolde Arts Centre once winter, just to keep my hand in and while everyone else was writing about southern hills, valleys, lakes I was scribbling down stories about the beaches round Murrays Bay where I grew up, the rocks we played on, the tracks we madein the bush, the dry heat and the crackle and pungent smell of the ti tree bushes, the blue water and the hot, bright sky. They all thought I was quite exotic but I was sad, felt landlocked in Atlanta, so far from the sea.
My two very dear friends Debbie and Joe live out near Stone Mountain. They have a lovely home in a quiet neighbourhood and a persistent woodpecker bird We spent alot of time hanging out round the back of the house with our feet up on the table, tinnies of beer and my favourite things, Frito chips, the dogs wandering about, or running about, or just hanging about. Most excellent. The photo up top is of the table and tinnies and that's Deb's foot. And here we are sitting out on a cool spring evening by the chiminea, with our beer and wearing our socks.
My friend Deb and I go back a long time, from my Seattle days. I met Deb when I went to work for Britannia Sportswear so we've known each other since about 1980 or so. 
Whenever we meet, which is not nearly often enough, we just pick right up again where we left off the time before - laughing, drinking beer, telling stories ...and shopping! Deb is one of the best bargain hunters in Atlanta, yes sir. If it's there, she can find it - and at the best possible price. Take the expedition to find some socks to match my purple Nikes - oh yeah, ain't they grand? Purchased, of course, in Atlanta. We searched for days, high and low, and finally found the perfect pair for about one dollar in the old stock bin in some enormous shop. Success! We like to shop.
It was in Atlanta that I met my new friend Maggie.
Deb has two dogs, Maggie and Patches. Maggie took a real shine to me as soon as I walked into the house from the airport. Every morning she'd snuffle around my bedroom door, encouraging me to get up so we could take our coffee outside into the back yard, run around and throw toys about.
One evening the weather was pretty rough, as it can be at that time of year down South. There were tornado warnings so it was a stormy night. I'd left my door ajar in case we all had to run out and hide somewhere.
Miss Maggie came into my room, lay down quietly on the floor beside the bed, and stayed there until the storm abated. Whan all was calm, she returned to her bed.
Springtime in Seattle
The first things I bought when I arrived in San Francisco (after the 11.5 hour haul from Auckland) were a bowl of soup, a bottle of water and some Ghirardelli chocolate for a friend. I had quite a wait in San Fran for my flight to Seattle so hung about, listened to the warnings about not leaving your bags unattended, do not smoke within 20 feet of the outside doors, and if I was serving in the armed forces, I could visit the special lounge set up for transiting service men and women - and I did see quite a few, in their army outfits and packs, hurrying to catch planes. I used my iPod, watched people, fell asleep in that awful way where you're just s
itting there and suddenly you're jerking awake like a marionette and everything you are holding goes flying...
Ah, spring in Seattle! I lived in Seattle for a number of years so took along some warm gear which I knew I could leave in the suitcase once I reached the warmer climes of the South. But gee wizz, it was nippy in the Pacific Northwest. They said it was the coldest spring since the 2nd World War or thereabouts and they weren't kidding. Man it was cold.
Our dear family friends collected me from the airport and whisked me off to Burien, more specifically Seahurst, about 20 minutes away from the airport where I was greeted with delightful warmth from the wood-
burner stove and delicious hot soup.The sign pictured on the left is just up the road from where I was staying and it has been there forever, indeed was probably there when we lived in Seahurst on SW 150th.
Seahurst has a little post office, a restaurant that is very good, a quickie-mart and the architect that Dad used to work with still has his office there. It is quiet, there are beautiful glimpses of deep blue Puget Sound through the tall trees, and I enjoyed several walks around the neighbourhood, including one down our old street SW 150th. Our old house is still there. It has been renovated since but the trees, the grounds and the street itself still have the deep-green quiet that I remember from childhood, the steep grade going down the hill where we used to sled in winter and pull our wooden hydroplane boats down in summertime.
I also walked up to the site of Burien Elementary School, the first educational facility I attended. The school is long gone and there is such a nice park and playground there now. I don't remember much about the school except it was very large, very old, and we had alot of earthquake drills (or 'duck and cover' I'm not sure which!), pushing our desks together and hiding underneath with coats over our heads. Here's an old picture that they have in an area at the park, remembering the old school that once stood there. It had been quite the landmark in Burien for many, many years.
The wood burner stove was fired up every day during my visit to Seattle. We watched that great summer sport, baseball, on the TV as the sleet came down outside. Even native Seattle-ites could not believe the bone-chilling cold.
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. I rode downtown on the new Light Rail train - great value at $2.50USA a one-way ticket from Tukwila Station (near the airport) - took me right downtown. I almost got hypothermic the first day in town and ran into the Pike Place Market to buy hot coffee and a sticky donut - mighty fine and starting off my eating tour of the USA in fine style - I do literally eat my way around when I visit. My wonderful host even found me a cherry pie at Trader Joe's, out of season too!. Absolutely delicious, served with vanilla bean ice cream. What could be better?
Highlights of the Seattle visit? Having dinner at How to Cook a Wolf with an old friend; plenty of good catching up, reminiscing and laughing with my family friends in Burien over gin and tonics by the fire; riding the way cool Light Rail; hot coffee and sticky buns at the Burien bakery, enjoying good conversation and fine company; a delightful 'ladies' lunch' in Des Moines at Anthony's Home Port; a fabulous dinner with friends served with sumptuous wines at a local restaurant; catching up with my good friend who works for Light in the Attic Records; having good walks and good chats around Burien and Seahurst; visiting Trader Joes (when are they coming to NZ?) .. and yes, there is so much more..
Seattle is so groovy, it's great and it is beautiful - and hopefully the weather will be a tad warmer when you visit. Don't miss it.
Departure Day - No April Foolin'
It was 1 April 2011 and my friend said, "Are you really going to the States on April Fool's Day or are you having us all on? That would be the ultimate joke eh?" I replied, "Yes I am going on the first of April and I am returning on Friday the 13th of May." "Oh heck," she said as we had another margarita to ward off the evils.
Actually, the dates proved to be fine for me - I both departed and arrived and departed and arrived without incident, so I won't bore you with those details here. I will say I was still running about in my underwear when my friend arrived to take me to the airport in Auckland for my flight to San Francisco. Fortunately my undies were clean but I was a bit crazed.