A Mixed Bag!

G'day everyone

It is nearly three weeks since I last posted on here. Doesn't time fly when you are having fun????

So much has happened and I started thinking about writing this yesterday and found I needed to go back to my photos to remember where we had been and what we had done. And that took me most of the day just sorting, editing and saving all the photos. Over a thousand of them on the camera! Well they are all safely put away on the external hard drive and I can now download them onto the blog really easily.

The last time I wrote we were heading off to Connecticut for a white Christmas. Well be careful what you wish for because, while we didn't get a white Christmas, our Boxing Day (26th December - my dear Dad's birthday RIP) was as white as they can be with about 40cm (16") of snow falling. It was the most beautiful and amazing time as we watched the snow completely cover everything and gradually the scene changed from one full of colour to just white. Some of the photos I took are just so lovely they could have been postcards.

There was a down side to the blizzard however as we were supposed to leave CT on the 28th, however the weather caused absolute havoc at the airports and as a result we were not able to leave until the 30th. It was really tough having to stay an extra two days - NOT.

However I am getting ahead of myself. We flew to CT via Cincinatti. When we left Houston the weather was a delightful 70F and Cincinatti was covered in snow with fog and freezing rain so it was just as well we didn't have to leave the comfort of the terminal building to change planes!

Our time in CT was really busy with the few days before Christmas given over to shopping for presents and food. The house was full of teenagers but the best thing was the tall Aussie kid that was there! It was so lovely to have our youngest son Bryce there with us for Christmas as we hadn't seen him since we left Australia in July. I have the utmost admiration for the Wright family who have filled their hearts and home with adopted children, foster children and exchange students and then have such a warm welcome three Aussie travellers. They are truly amazing people. And Greg is the best travel guide!!!

Christmas was so nice with all the kids, presents and a fabulous hot dinner. I did give some thought to our family back home in Perth who had sat down to a lovely cold Christmas dinner in temperatures around the 41C mark (105.8F).

Greg and Pam took us for a couple of drives over the next few days that were just gorgeous. For the life of me I can't remember the name of the first village we visited (an hour later - it was Litchfield) but it was beautiful with homes which were anywhere up to 300 years old. The houses had the year of their construction on a plaque on the house. In the snow, with the sun shining it was extraordinarily beautiful. I could probably put a hundred photos on here they were all so gorgeous.

The other drive we took saw us pass through some beautiful villages and I really loved Kent and New Preston. I told Norm I could live in Kent in the summer. We saw our first covered bridge and our first frozen waterfall - now that was interesting! Who would have thought you could grow wine grapes in an area where the ground is covered in snow for several months of the year? Yes they do have wineries in CT.

As we were leaving CT early Tuesday morning Pam and Greg took us out for a farewell dinner on Monday night and as we were sitting there enjoying ourselves the phone rings and Bryce tells us that the airline has rung and that our flight has been cancelled! Humph! Thursday is the earliest we can get a flight! But every dark cloud has a silver lining!

Tuesday, Greg took us down to New York City which was fabulous. We got a look at the Bronx where Greg grew up, we rode on the Staten Island Ferry and got fairly up close and personal with the Statue of Liberty, visited Wall Street and the site of the disaster of 9/11 where the building of the 'Freedom Tower' is well under way and even had a hot dog from one of the famous street vendors. We got to see the beautiful crystal star on Fifth Avenue and the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Centre as well as the Empire State Building. For such a quick visit we certainly got to see a great deal. Have a look at the photos with all the snow because NYC had a blizzard just prior to us going there and the streets were chaotic with snow, vehicles stuck and snow ploughs trying to get through! It was quite amusing. I love the snow but don't think I would want to live in it for a whole winter!

Thursday saw us return to Texas via Minneapolis where we were stuck in the airport for about four hours waiting for our delayed flight! I guess we were lucky to get back really although by the time we drove from Houston to Livingston (where we left the RV) it was about 8.00pm and we were both exhausted!

Since we have been back in Livingston we have had a great time. Karen and Rick, a couple that we met in Goshen, IN. back in September, are staying at the RV park. We spent New Year's Eve with them (although I didn't make it till 12.00) and have been out to lunch and dinner with them quite a few times over the last week or so. Their park neighbours, Pete and Judy, have also joined us and as we will be heading east in a couple of days and they are heading west it will be really sad to have to say goodbye as we have all got along so well and had so much fun.

The highlight of our return to Livingston was the other day when Rick and I went fishing in Lake Livingston in his boat. The six of us headed out to the lake early in the morning and Rick and I went fishing while the others sat on the grass and chatted. We returned empty handed for lunch and then went back out again. While Rick and I didn't catch anything it was a really lovely time - at least for me. Rick had to teach me how to fish - US style. It was just so peaceful and quiet out on the boat. A beautiful sunny day and no need to rush anywhere. It was wonderful.

My next blog will be coming to you from Louisiana as we will be leaving Texas in the middle of next week after Norm does a little bit of woodwork on the rig. No nothing serious he is just going to modify the pantry a bit!!!!!! Should be interesting!

In the meantime my dear family and friends, take care of yourselves and we think of you often. Lots of hugs from both of us.