Day 9 Sunday Sept. 30

It was an amazing day!!!  All the places I have wanted to see ... but never thought I would.  We are staying in the same place tonight ... so we didn't have to pack up our suitcases.  We left about 8:15 and met our step on tour guide.  We spent the next hour just talking and driving around NYC.  We stopped at Rockafeller Center.  I had always wondered about the ice skating rink, and I got to see it.  Nearly every morning when I am home I watch NBC.  And I was outside by the NBC plaza.  I have heard about Trump Tower.  In fact, we were planning on using the RR in the building (Many of the sky scrapers have a tax break when they let the public use their first floors, so many of the buildings are accessible.)  Alas, the officers outside TT said there was a broken glass/??/window and it was being repaired, so there was no access to the building today  About 11 we got on a ferry to Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty.  The weather was amazing!!!  And the place was impressive.  What a blessing to be there.  BUT of course herding 52 people creates its own challenges.  At the end of the day our tour guide said she was happy no one got run over, lost, or left.  It was a lot of waiting, but we didn't have to drive the busy roads.  We  boarded a ferry again and headed to Ellis Island and spent a couple of hours there.  I couldn't help but think of the passengers from many countries who waited at the island and how uncertain their futures were.  AND we see difficulty in meeting and loading our group of 50 at one place close to the same time.  When I looked on the computer and on the panels outside,I didn't find any family at Ellis Island.  Back on the bus we went to 9/11 memorial.  A beautiful sobering experience.  To top it off back at the motel we had a great meal of philly cheese steak and sweet potato fries.   It was an amazing day ... Thank you, Jesus.

Day 8 September 29 Saturday

Beautiful morning.  Devos in soft chair, near a lot of light, by front desk.  Bus left at 7:30.  It was a good day in Plimouth (that's the way it was originally spelled).  First we watched a DVD by Kirk Cameron.  (I bought it at the gift shop.)  It was a great documentary of the Mayflower and pilgrim history.  What an adventure of faith! We had a group picture taken at the statue.  The plantation/indian settlement was amazing.  Great tour/discussion at the Gristmill,  wonderful lunch near Plymouth Rock.  I had lobster bisque and Wachusett Blueberry to drink.  Great food!!  Now, in the bus and heading on four hour drive to NYC.  When we got there we had a supper provided: pasta, rosemary chicken, salad, steamed vegetables, and pumpkin pie.   More Downton Abbey before falling asleep.

Day 7 September 28 Friday

Well, rain, rain, rain,   Great breakfast at the hotel.  Eggs, ham, and good potato chunks.  Rain, Rain, Rain,  We got on the bus at 7:15 and headed to Boston.  Drove in much traffic, drove past Fenway Park, heading toward the famous "ducks".  We are all not sure what today will bring.  For sure I feel like I will be "singing in the rain".
It has been very interesting checking the airbnb saga.  We have one who doesn't like rain and so a cancellation is eminent.  They would not like Boston today.  And we have a wind turbine employee looking to book for the month of October.  (except for the 2 weekends we already have booked).  We'll see what happens ... who wants to put their money where their mouth is first.
Well, we made it to the duck tour.  It was very good.  The tour guide talked and talked and talked telling us about everything we drove by.  Cheers!!!!  The bus was enclosed in zipped plastic windows.  We are heading to Old north church now.  The traffic is head to tail light stop and go in the drizzling rain.  I guess the stop at the church is a walk 4 blocks uphill.  Glad I have my plastic green rain coat to wear as I walk.   Wow, are there lots of cars here!  And a lot of one way streets!  And we don't know exactly how to get where we are going.  Beautiful building.  And to think that the building has been there for almost 300 years  1732, I think it was built.  From there we went to Quincy Market and walked around to look at expensive shops.  I ate Boston Cream Cake and New England Clam Chowder. What a treat.  Back to the motel, stopped at Wholefoods, ate soup at Joe's, back to our room and to get ready for tomorrow and watch Downton Abbey.

Savannah Homecoming

Day 6 Thursday Sept 27

Coffee in am, breakfast at McD, leave at 8.   I loved today and it is not quite over.  The trip thru the north woods of Maine was very pretty.  I enjoyed seeing more colors and the trees really line both sides of the road.   The light house shoreline area at Portland head light was breathtaking.  SO beautiful!!!  I could have spent a couple days just sitting and watching the Atlantic Ocean.  Amazing!!!   I took so many cool pictures it will be hard to choose which ones to post on the blog.  Then we drove to the wharf area.  Denny encouraged me to go lobster "'cause this may be the only time I am there." So I went for it.  (but I did tell him that some time in the future I may go back again.)  :)   We went to DeMillos and sat outside on the deck of the boat and I ordered lazy lobster.  (I really just did not want to get all sticky and buttery by cracking the shells and legs.)  The meat was all picked out and soaking in butter.  Amazing!!!   We left there and headed south.  The time in Kennebunkport was great.  I would have liked to spend more time; there were lots of cute shops and the planter boxes and river area were beautiful.  But right now we are headed to south of Boston where we are spending 2 nights in the same motel.   The traffic was awful as expected, but driver Damen said he has seen worse, at least the cars were moving.  He lived 3 years in New York City.  At six the hotel fed us too well.  Very tender roast beef, steamed broccoli, green and yellow zucchini, carrots, garlic mashed potatoes, and gravy.  Plus cheese cake and blueberry topping. So good, Ate way too much.  Jean wondered if her top was feeling tight, did I think that she was eating too much????  Yes, we all are eating too much. 
We hear all types of conversations while riding with 52 others.  So I leaned over and told Jean I really appreciated that she was not a chitter chatterer.  Then I corrected myself and said that it maybe was not chitter chatter.  She added, "Yes, it is more like drivel that no one cares about."  Made me laugh.
After supper we watched more of Downton Abby.  Well, it was not on a 54 inch screen, but a 2 by 4 inch screen on the iphone.  We put in on 2 stacked ottomans between our 2 queen beds.  Oh, what a funny life we have.

Day 5 Wednesday September 26

It was so fun to wake up and see this post from Matt on facebook.  Congrats to Haley!!!!

We had suitcases out in hallway at 5:30 and after a great breakfast we boarded bus at 6:30.  Seven to eight hours of riding today.  It was beautiful.  We drove on a 2 lane road thru New York; trees were on either side and they were tall trees, some which were just starting to change color.  The houses were very close to the road.  I don't think you would want to tell your kids to play in the from yard.  There were not many rest areas for 52 people.  We stopped at a McD that was being remodeled.   Sure enough another hiccup.  Two stalls for the ladies and we were taking turns and waiting patiently.  After 15-20 flushings the floor drain backed up ... and kept rising with each flush, so we ladies were on to share the men's RR after they were done.  Needless to say the stop put us a little behind on schedule, still we arrived at the ferry at 11, right when the boat had unloaded and had room for our bus and about 5-6 cars and a motorcycle.   The weather was gray, but it was still good to get out on the deck and watch Lake Champlain and our trip to Vermont.   More pretty driving.  There were many bright green pastures among the trees and the houses were a little further back from the road.  The cider mill demonstration on cider making was interesting.  Nice taste tests.  Because the day was so gray and drizzling we didn't get out at 2 lookout posts, but just kept driving to our destination in New Hampshire.  Amazing travel, soft green covered mountains, and curvy roads.  The pictures don't do it justice.  After getting settled in our motel, Jean and I walked to the outlet mall and looked around, no purchases though.  I visited with Denny after Awana. 

The tower on the right was where we had lunch at Niagara Falls.  We were very high up with a pretty view of the falls.  

Niagara Falls Day 4 Sept 25 Tuesday

So good to hear from the Jensen family this morning!!!!

I stopped my visit just in time to put my suitcase out in the hallway at 7.  Our first bus ride was to the boat tour of Niagara Falls.   It was amazing.   It was drizzling and the mist off the falls was refreshing ... drenching.  I enjoyed each moment in God's beauty.  Wow!  I didn't even mind the rain during the boat ride.  So cool.  From the boat ride we took a bus tour to and stopped at the floral clock and Niagara River Whirlpool.  The meal on top of a high tower was great!!! It was a busy place.  From there we drove to a motel in New York.  It was close to a Denny's, but I had leftover steak and so I got mushrooms and microwaved them and my steak, and swiss cheese.  YUM!!! I ate it in the hotel breakfast nook with the travel guide, Mary and her daughter Michelle.  They had gotten salad at Aldi's and we ate together on the first floor of the motel.  Lots of cute pictures of my grands.  

Drive to Niagara Falls Day 3

We put suitcases out in the hall way at 6 and boarded the new bus (that hopefully will work) at 6:45.  It was a day spent in riding; we did stop for breaks and lunch and to go thru Canada customs.  Denny, thanks for downloading Downton Abbey.  It is a great time killer for a bus ride.  Jeanie and I share the head phones.  And thanks for the battery pack to recharge my phone.  I have needed it the past few days.  We got to Niagara Falls about 6, got situated in the motel and walked down to the look out to observe the falls after sunset.  They have changing lights on them.  So pretty, so relaxing to hear the distant roar of water.  It was a 5-8 block walk back up a hill to the hotel.  We ate at Chuck's grill.  Great meal ribeye steak for $15 with fries and sweet corn on the cob.  We ordered Coconut pie first as appetizer, 'cause we are old and we wanted to make sure we got dessert.  YUM!!  Hopefully nice leftovers.  No refrigerator, so I put it in the ice bucket.  Back to our room and we got ready for tomorrow.   

Chicago Day 2

Up for Devo and reading in the motel lobby.  We left for the city at 8:15.  I watched HGTV until 8.  Now that's a treat for me.  We had a tour guide to tell us about places as we drove around downtown.  The bean was really cool; I do love the look of stainless steel.  I took a lot of pictures at The Lincoln  Park Conservatory.  Great plants.  We ate Chicago pizza at Navy pier outside.   It was so good.  YUM!!!  Then down to the Willis Tower.  It seemed like there was a lot of waiting in lines there.  ALOT!!  Wait to get in, Wait to go thru security, Wait to get on elevator, Wait to get on a second elevator, Wait to use bathroom,  We almost didn't wait in line for the clear 104th story floor because we were to be back to the bus at 4:30.  That wait was worth it, but many from ouor bus just went to wait in line to take the elevator back down 103 floors.  We made it back in time BUT when we got there the bus was not starting.  So YES, we were there waiting until 8 pm.  Uffta!!! 52 people on a street corner  3 1/2 hours and waiting in a bus to take us on the 40 minute ride back to our motel.  Three and a half hours. People were in pretty good spirits.  I had said to Jeanie, "We should try to not say anything negative.  ('cause my mom used to say, if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all)."  We had nothing else planned for the day, no pressing deadlines to keep.  A McDonalds restroom was a couple blocks away.  It was warm and not windy, so the weather for spending time outside was perfect.  BUT right before we left, Jean said to me,"Faith, you need to give me that talk again."  That made me laugh right out loud.  Finally back to the motel and chill before heading to bed.   Denny is still having fun with Jack, who left about 5 to go home with his parents.