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June 26, 2002.... Graduation Day..... wow, I'm really a travel agent!
June 27, 2002.... Travel Day.... Destination: Anywhere but there! OK, that's a quote
from a song that Terry and I were singing all week! "Call it an early weekend; call it goin' off the deep end; call
it what you will but I've made up my mind!!" Hmmmm that's me huh?
Anyone who knows me has heard about the FAMOUS trip to Virginia! I still can't believe
that it has come and gone. And not only Virginia but Myrtle Beach too! Meeting all my friends has been an experience
I've never felt before. It was like we have been friends for years..only thing missing was the actual physical presence.
I wrote something in my journal as my bus was leaving Myrtle Beach. I was crying when I wrote it and even now, days
later, I still get tears when I read it. I tried to read it to Terry last week and couldn't.
Words - All we've had is words. That is how we all met. Now after
less than 48 hours, I've got a love and respect for 3 sweet southern girls... people I met all because...... Because of what?
I don't know. We chatters have all read the Reason, Season, and Lifetime poem. We've all received it at some time.
For some reason this came to my mind just now. All I know is the love they all share, as sisters and family, has filled
me with such a warm feeling that I've not had in a very long time. Their generosity was overwhelming; the laughter genuine;
and now my tears are very real too, just like the hugs we finely shared.-June 30, 2002 (for Linda, Bonnie, Pat and Terri
too)
| Arriving in Richmond - June 27, 2002 |
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The Arrival
I arrived in Richmond at 5 pm on June 27th. Terry and Tiff
met me with signs and balloons! Tiff is Terry's niece who lives in Texas now and who is visiting for a whole month.
She is a really sweet girl and Aunt Terry is very proud of her! I was soooo excited to be finally in Richmond!
We dropped my stuff at Terry's house and I met Lil Bit... the cutest poodle in the world **wink**. Terry had the WHOLE
house decorated for my arrival and birthday and graduation! I couldn't believe it! Lots of signs and balloons
and everything! What a girl, I tell ya! After I got settled a bit, we were off to Terry's mom's house for dinner.
Lucille and Dairl (Terry's mom, you know, campinnanny and dad) are great!!!!! I felt at home right away and omg, what a meal!
Terry said she was making me a good ole southern dinner but I couldn't believe the food! I also met Terry's nephew,
Drake. He is 5 1/2. He is shy. He was climbing all over me in five minutes. I have this magnitism
that attracts kids, animals, and bugs. Wish it worked on other things too (like money and men...sigh, lol!!) We
didn't stay late, because I was tired. Got to Terry's house and chatted for a few minutes on-line and then we were off
to bed. I met Bucky, Terry's husband (I didn't even get one picture of him this week, I'm a terrible person!!!)
My bus was leaving at 10 am the next morning, so we had to get up early.
| Tiff waits for Dawn to arrive |
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| Those were my balloons! OMG, they had balloons and a sign for me... it was soooooo cool! |
| Dawn and her man, Drake...sigh it's love... :-) |
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Myrtle Beach 2002 - June
28-30
OK, there are more Myrtle Beach pictures to follow but I needed
approval before I posted them. This picture was taken when we attended the Legends of Music show in Myrtle Beach.
Left to right is Bonnie, Linda, Dawn, Terri, and Pat.
I left for MB at 10 am on June 28 by Greyhound. Arrived around 6 pm after a long and
hot bus ride. Not my best experience with motorcoach travel. I was met by the whole bunch and after hugs and hi's
we went to Linda's place to cool off! We visited for a while and then went to the pier at the Springmaid Beach Hotel
(close to Linda's house). My first view of the Atlantic was in the dark but it was still memorable! We did a quick
cruise up the blvd before going to pick up Linda's grandson, who was working at her store in Barefoot Landing in N Myrtle
Beach! http://www.bflanding.com/index.html check it out.. what a cool place!
No chatting on Friday night because Saturday was SHOPPING DAY! Up early (6:15 I think
it was...sigh.. ok, I can sleep at home). Doug, Linda's husband made us a fabulous breakfast and quietly slipped into
the background again. Still not sure how he put up with us all! We went to the fleamarket by Linda's house and
then to a few other stores and spent...spent...spent!! I needed an extra bag to go back to Richmond with! After
eating a few more times, we went to see Legends in Concert http://www.carolinaopry.com/LegendsInConcert/LegendsInConcert.htm
What a spectacular show! Too bad Terry wasn't there, 'cause Rod Stewart opened the show!
The best in my eyes was Garth Brooks and the Blues Brothers.
After the concert, we picked up Brandon from work and took him home again (pictures of him
hard at work to follow, I promise). Then we were off to the Boulevard! http://www.discovermyrtlebeach.com/entertain.htm Linda has told me about cruising the blvd many times.... and it is fun! Just like at Mardi Gras, beads are given
out for, ummmm, special events. I'm still wondering why Linda had 2 strands in her van.... Pat and Bonnie tried to give
these away but only Pat succeeded! A little 10 yr old boy got hers and boy was he proud! I got to keep the other
strand but plan to give them away really soon (LOL)! The blvd actually closes down at 2 am. They close the street
until 6 am. This is how the police deal with crowd control. It was definitely an interesting experience!
After we got back to Linda's, it was time for a pj party and of course we had to share that
with all our other internet friends! So off to "Pets" we went! Five people on Linda's bed, around her lap top
and her typing anything (and I mean ANYTHING) we said! I don't have any of those pictures but I'm hoping that Bonnie
or Pat will share with me. Pat and Terri decided that sleep was important and that left the 3 of us to chat! What
a night.. I actually had a small asthma attack because I was laughing so hard! The term Pee My Pants Laughing almost
came true, lmao! I've been trying to get this term down too... "Crumbs n' cookies ala creme"... or something like that...
help us out Stealth, please?
Sadly, my trip had to end and my bus left at 12:30 on Sunday, June 30. I felt I was just
getting to know them better and I was leaving. I really did cry for the first 45 minutes I was on the bus. I still
can't bring to words the way I felt while I was there. It was so much fun and they are all such special people.
I'll never be able to thank them for such a good time. And I can't wait for my next trip to Myrtle Beach!
| Linda at her store! |
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| The (in)famous PJ party |
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| and yes girls, Stealth has a copy of this picture! |
| Linda and Pat admiring Rip |
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| Pat, Dawn, Linda, and Bonnie |
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| Bonnie, " Moi?" |
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| Pat, Terri, and Bonnie |
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| This was after many hours of shopping!!! |
| Doug and Rip |
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| Doug was great all weekend! He hates having his picture taken so we had to be fast! |
Virginia Touring....
We were anywhere but there....**pointing**
July 1 - Colonial Williamsburg
The place I couldn't wait to see was the roughest day. I was
tired and it was hot. OK, hot was an understatement.... 95F plus all week with a high humidex. I started out dehydrated
that day and it just got worse. Please understand, I still found it beautiful!!! My pictures do not do it justice
at all! But 30 minute line-ups to get into the best buildings (all air conditioned), such as the Governor's Palace,
was not something I wanted to do when I was hot and headachey. The price was reasonable ($33 for a day pass and the
deals got better from there). On the other hand, we could have paid nothing and enjoyed the shopping and the outside
of the buildings. I will definately be recommending this as a fall or spring excursion! I'd love to see it when
the trees are turning, I'm sure it is beautiful. We had lunch at a lovely restaurant called Seasons and it was delicious!
Next time, I want to visit more of the rest of the town. This is a two day or more trip. But... it was beautiful!!!!!!!
http://www.history.org/
| Governor's Palace...we had to walk all that way! |
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| Bucky liked this picture a lot!!!!!!! |
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July 2 - Water Country USA
NO PICTURES PLEASE!
The temperatures kept rising, so on Tuesday we decided that
a waterpark was the place to be! http://www.4adventure.com/watercountry/va/ We were there when the park opened. Things to remember here is that you might think your pass is
a good price but you have to pay for parking! $7 for regular parking but for $3 more, you can park close to the gate
and when it's 100F outside, that doesn't seem like a lot of money for a little less walking. We had a blast that day
and I even went on a slide 2 times! (LOL, I'm the unadventure lady.... give me the lazy river anyday)! Once again,
I noticed that the food is not over priced for your portions and you can bring in your own soda (pop for us Canadian folk)
or water to drink. A wonderful setting (all Anheuser-Busch parks are beautiful) but with a minimal amount of shade.
Terry got a little burnt but surprisingly, I didn't!!
July 3 - Busch Gardens
WOW! I can only agree with what I was taught in school this
winter. Busch Gardens Williamsburg is the most beautiful theme park in the USA. You don't even realize you
are in a theme park. You will be walking along, enjoying the flowers and trees or looking at the buildings and the details
and suddenly there is screaming and thunder-like sounds and you look up to see the Lock Ness Monster, one major rollercoaster!
It was another hot day in Virginia and I was a little apprehensive
about being outdoors all day. But there was so much to do indoors that we had no time to get hot until the end of the
day! We started out with a 4-D movie called Pirates and I tell ya, I closed my eyes when the spiders came out!
I liked the bats flying around my ears though. That was in England.
Then we moved to Scotland to see the Clydesdales and the famous Beer Wagon. Across a
beatiful bridge and we were in Ireland. We spent a lot of time in Ireland. We had lunch at a great restaurant
in Ireland and enjoyed a visit to the pub (for a bottle or 2 of water). We registered for Beer School and graduated
at the head of the class...ok, so we only just SAT at the head of the class... my mistake, lol!
We went to the Abbey Stone Theatre to see the Irish Thunder performance. What a great
show! For a 30 minute production, they really packed in the entertainment. Celtic dancing, music and singing.
Even a more modern sounding "Danny Boy". The scenery was breathtaking. And what else is great? All the shows in
the park are included in your admission price. I explained to Terry after the show about Winnipeg's Folklamara festival
in August. You can check my links for that in my "Where I live" page. We experienced shows and/or food from 6
countries that day. I was really impressed by it all.
There is an Eagle area where they house Bald Eagles that are unable to fly due to injury.
Beautiful birds. This leads into a larger bird sanctuary and also a wolf den. We missed the wolf show. From
Ireland we went to France and then to New France. Not one Canadian Flag in the New France area...kinda strange really.
We saw a wonderful music tribute show at the Canadian Paladium. This was outside and I have to tell you that the performers
must have just been cooking under the lights and in their costumes! The performance was in celebration of the American
Jukebox ... we even had a visit from the Village People, lol!
From here, we followed the path to France and Switzerland and then to Germany and of course,
Oktoberfest! We had dinner here in the Festhaus. And what a dinner...and of course, beer! We timed it just
right and enjoyed great Oktoberfest style entertainment with an ompah band and lots of singing!
The worst part was leaving. We only did just over half the park. We didn't do any
rides (about 30 minute waits for each ride). I wanted to do the Rhine River Cruise (next thing after Oktoberfest) and
the tram ride too. We also missed Italy and a ride on the European train!
There was so much to do and it was so much fun! I'll be back for sure to this lovely
place! We didn't get home until almost 8 ... our longest day yet!
| Ducks in the moat |
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| Wolf Den |
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| Irish Thunder |
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| Terry at the head of the class |
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| Beer = Water, Hops, Yeast, Malt, and Rice... woohoo, I get to keep my diploma! |
| Towers outside of Ireland (I think) |
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| I was impressed with the details and the scenery... so BEAUTIFUL! |
| Festhaus Oktoberfest |
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| Lock Ness Monster in Scotland |
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| A famous Clydesdale |
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| There was a 4 1/2 mo old colt.. he was bigger than the average horse. |
| Tribute to the Jukebox |
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| What a set! Spectacular show! |
| Alpine USA |
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| Terry tries on some new antennae..... |
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| she's doing her Corky impersonation (you know, the alien) |
| Terry in the pub... we're drinking water, lol |
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| Hot but oh so beautiful.. was over 100F |
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| Terry and Dawn as we entered the park! |
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| Terry goes for the beads (instead of the gold) |
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| Was a nice family goin by the truck when she decided to remove a restraining part of her clothing... |
OK, now most of us know PoolQueen... she is PQ#1. Terry's
friend, Tina, is PossumQueen.. she is PQ#2. Now I've discoverd PQ#3.... Terry as PictureQueen... see her now! LOL...
She had 14 disks of pictures from my visit!!
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July 6... Sigh... Going Home
Well all things must come to an end and today, I had to
return back to my home. So many memories in my mind that I can't keep them all straight. I had a fabulous time
and cemented some very special friendships.
Now I'm gonna tell you about my travelling experiences. My flight to Toronto,
on the 27th, was pretty normal. You have to keep in mind that I have never travelled (by plane) by myself before, so
this was a bit of an adventure. First time in Pearson was interesting. You have to walk lots even in the same
terminal. Construction seemed to have eliminated the AC in the international flights section, so it was hot. I
figured out the procedure for going thru customs and was finally at my gate. Looking around, I realized that I'd be
on the 18 pax plane with about 7 kids.. woohoo (tongue in cheek). First thing on the plane, I realized that there was
no flight attendant. Pilot, co-pilot and the passengers. I sat in the back close to the porta-potty type bathroom
with a mother who was traveling with a nine-mo old on her lap and a 3 year old across the aisle. I could see that we
would have a rough flight because there were thunderstorms all along the east coast. I was sitting back, discman on,
eyes closed when we hit the first major turbulance... suddenly, **sniff sniff** .. uh oh. Opened my eyes to see the
3 yr old had ummm thrown up. I helped her clean him up best we could in the turbulance. At one point, the plane
dropped ... FAST... and none of us were strapped in. Needless to say that right after that, we were. I was really
glad to land in Richmond (for more than one reason!!)
My bus experience was not too bad. The driver to Myrtle Beach had a bit of an
attitude but so did some of the passengers. It was a crowed bus with hardly any AC. The ride back to Richmond
was great though.. the bus was only half full .. so I had 2 seats all the way. It was a bigger, more modern bus too.
Now, I'll explain the picture of the empty plane! I was NOT looking forward to
the flight back to Toronto. Not at all. As I sat at the gate waiting for my flight (20 minutes late sigh), I happend
to look outside just as they were loading luggage. Hmmm 2 bags.. both mine.. that's it.. being loaded. No one
else was at the gate with me. Interesting.... 10 minutes before departure time, a United employee approached me and
said that I needed to go thru more security clearance before departure. Two security people came.. one went thru my
bags thoroughly and the other actually did a body check, similar to frisking... she even checked my feet and shoes.
I guess it was because .... I WAS THE ONLY PASSENGER ON THE PLANE! And we would be going thru/past DC air space on the
4th long weekend. So that explains the picture. My own personal plane.. it was not really weird either.. it was
kinda nice after the flight down.
Getting to Toronto, I walked into the Cdn Customs area to see a big empty room with
all the agents standing around talking. LOL, just me and a whole bank of customs officers... cool! I was through
customs in 10 minutes and they even checked my luggage because I had to declare the knife I had bought at Linda's store (a
gift for Stealth later in the month). I think that must be a record for Pearson.
The flight from YTO to YWG was on an Airbus A319...but it was only half full..so I
had 3 seats to myself. We arrived in YWG 15 minutes early, my luggage was almost first out and I was home by midnight..
not too bad at all!
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