Remembering for the Both of Us

After leaving Charleston we made our way down to Florida; our ultimate destination being the Tampa area.  It is here that my closest, dearest and oldest friend (nothing to do with age) lives.  Trish and I met 25+ years ago while working at Maine Yankee Atomic Power Plant.  We both applied for the same position, one she was working as a temp employee but since I was a regular "permanent" employee, I had a leg up and was hired for the position.  She had to train me.  Yup, all these years later we are as tight as can be; she never was very good at holding a grudge.  Being married to a Navy man, she transferred to Spain, then back to Maine, then to San Antonio, Texas, and finally settling in Florida - just 15 minutes from where my parents spent their winters.  I visited Trish at each place and saw her every chance I got when we were in Florida.  Now, I go especially to see her.

As with prior trips down to the Tampa area, we would be staying at Trish's house and visiting other family and friends who live in the area.  However, on our way down the coast, we couldn't resist stopping at one of our very favorite places to visit: St. Augustine.  Here I captured photos of the sunset and sunrise over the intracoastal waterway and the Bridge of Lions.

Here's one of the lions guarding the bridge.

It was quite breezy that night as we were walking round the city.  I loved how this flag was whipping in the wind.

Our stay in St. Augustine was brief; however, most enjoyable nonetheless.  In addition to walking the city, we enjoyed shopping in some of the unique shops and boutiques.

Finally, on October 30, we arrived in the Tampa area.  As always, Trish immediately made us feel at home and we spent the next few days being chauffeured by her as we played tourist in an area we visit frequently.  We enjoyed Downtown Disney and Cirque Du Soleil, some shopping in Tampa, just hanging out, and, of course, the beach.  Here is one of only a few pictures Trish would allow me to take of her (actually, I caught her off-guard):

Trish is the one person who knows my whole story; she's "my person" as they say on Grey's Anatomy and her reasons for coming into my life all those years ago are demonstrated every time we're together and more so the older we get.  She is to me as Blanche, Rose and Dorothy are to each other.  There's one exception: when she and Steve begin plotting, I am only in their way.  They are two peas in a pod and when they conspire, I tend to be the one in trouble.

We were able to visit only a few of our family and friends; however, I was able to connect with a friend who happened to be in the same area at the same time, (see my earlier post called "Crossing Paths").  We did not get to see our good friends Ralph and Diane Aponte as they were on a much deserved cruise while we were there.  Because we needed to cut our visit short by several days, we also missed seeing Steve's long time (and my new) friends Owen and Vasso Unks.  Owen and Vasso are to Steve as Trish is to me and I'm very sad we weren't able to get together.  We will make visiting with both these wonderful couples a priority the next time we are in the area.

On November 6 we headed North to Virginia, back to Lyndsay's house where we spent a week.  I'd like to say it was a wonderful end to the perfect extended vacation; however, with me under the weather, and with Olivia cutting four teeth at once, it was a bit stressful for Lyndsay.  Okay, "a bit" is an understatement but she was my superhero and took care of us all.  Thank you, Kitten, I owe you BIG TIME for that.

Finally, on November 16 - exactly 40 days after leaving - we arrived home.  What an amazing adventure it was in more ways than I could possibly explain.  Many of those days were spent with family and friends just as we had hoped.  The bonus is that we were able to do some serious bonding with Olivia, who is separated from us in miles.  Thanks to Facetime and Skype, however, she is never very far away.

Now, for my "Academy Award" speech: We could not have done it without the support and encouragement of our family and friends; and also of my employer who graciously allowed me to take such an extended leave.  We traveled with "high fives" from Heather and family,

along with a plethora of well wishes.  We were able to leave all our worries behind, act like carefree kids again, and create many precious memories.  With the help of my old friend, Jeffrey Simpson, this blog will be turned in to a printed document; one that we can add photos and that we will cherish for a lifetime.

To Steve: you, my wonderful husband, are an amazingly brave man.  I am sure every day of this journey brought new challenges for you but you never, ever let them get the best of you or get in our way of enjoying every minute of this adventure.  We laughed, we cried, we acted silly and we acted grown up when we had to.  We walked hand-in-hand along the beach and through the streets of historic cities.  We wined, dined and slept like royalty.  We talked some and listened a lot.   We even argued a time or two.  Simply put, we had the time of our lives.  You are, and always will be, my hero.  You have given me more in the few years we've been together than I ever could have imagined receiving in a life time.  I am ever reminded, especially now, of the words of Elizabeth Barrett Browning; the same words we spoke at our wedding: "How do I love thee?... I love thee with the breath, smiles, tears, of all my life! -- and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death."  When the day comes that you are struggling to remember, I promise you: I will remember for the both of us.  

                                                                                                 ~ forever yours, Penney

Destination: The Beach

Well, if it hasn't become obvious by now, our destination for this road trip has been the beach: this beach, that beach, any beach.  We started at the beach on a warm fall day in Maine and we have taken any and every opportunity to shed our shoes, wiggle our toes in the warm sand and dip them in the cool waters.  I think we have spent as many hours on some beach ~ any beach ~ as we have in the car.

I can't even imagine there being anything I enjoy more than a warm day at the beach.  Don't get me wrong, there are lots of things I enjoy but beach time, ahhh.  Just the thought of everything the beach has to offer: the warm sand, the cool surf, the smell of the salty air, the birds diving to catch fish, the people strolling or sunbathing, the children frolicking and the sound of the waves, whether gentle or crashing makes me very, very happy.

I took this next picture in Virginia Beach.  Steve and I were - what else - strolling along the beach and we came upon these three individuals huddled together.  They appeared to be praying and I tried very hard not to disturb them as we walked by; however, I couldn't resist capturing their intimate moment.

I just hope that whatever brought them together at this beach, whatever was intended for their "moment" was filled with happiness and rejoicing as opposed to pain and sorrow.

Most of the beaches we explored were fairly deserted; a few beach goers or fisherman here and there, but, for the most part, we found solitude.

We all have different ways of enjoying whatever free time we have.  As for me, this sign says it all...

Ahhh, Charleston, South Carolina!

On October 26th in the early evening we arrived in Charleston, SC.  I have been wanting to visit Charleston for years but had never made the time.  At my mother's insistence (she knows me so well), we added it to our itinerary.  We stayed at the Harbour View Inn which, in itself, was absolutely divine.  While the Valet was assisting us with our bags and "checking in" the car, he radioed that "Mr. and Mrs. Hughes are arriving for check in".  We proceeded to the desk whereupon they gave us our key, explained our breakfast would be delivered at a time we specified in a location of our choice: our room, the atrium, the main lobby or the roof-top terrace and that a gift bag was waiting in our room.  They also explained there was a wine reception every evening from 4:30-6:00 (it was 6:15 so we just missed that evening's), and hot cookies were served with milk every night at 9:00 p.m.  Turn-down service would be in anywhere between 7:00 and 8:30 (the had the radio playing soft music and, of course, chocolates on our pillows), and that fresh coffee, tea, lemonade, sweet ice tea and light snacks were available all day and night in the atrium and the main lobby.  Wow!  I have stayed at some very nice places but this one sets a new bar.

When we got to our room we soon found we hadn't missed the wine reception after all.  There were actually 2 of these but we finished one before I remembered to take a picture.

Here's our room:

And our view...

We stepped outside and caught this beautiful sunset.  My picture does not even begin to do it justice.



Originally, we planned to stay just Friday night and Saturday night but after an evening's stroll we reserved an additional night.










During our stay, we enjoyed only a few of the wonderful sights and attractions.  As always, my very favorite thing to do is simply stroll.  Here are a few interesting sights:

As suggested by a couple of friends, we had Brunch at Poogan's Porch.  I had the BEST crab cake Eggs Benedict

















And I can't resist a few more shots of the Inn:

During our stay we visited the Market Place, took a buggy ride, did a walking tour, toured a couple of the old homes, did a night time ghost tour of the old jail, ventured off on our own, ate, ate again, and ate some more.  Returning to Charleston for a longer stay is most definitely on my bucket list.  Perhaps we will plan a multiple week visit and rent one of the many efficiencies available in the old district.

Crossing Paths

I am continually amazed at how life will take you in directions that put you in the path of an individual who, but for simple common interests, has no yet explainable connection to you.  In February 2010 I enrolled and participated in a weekend photography course in order to get some tips and techniques for using our new Canon DSLR camera.  The course was in a quaint little tourist town in Maryland almost into Delaware.  I probably wouldn't have taken this course in February - it was cold and there was slushy snow on the ground - but we were going to Hawaii in March for a long awaited vacation and to meet our new granddaughter, Delanie.  I was hoping to learn enough to be able to capture some memorable moments.

The class had about 8 people enrolled.  The first half of the first day was spent in the "classroom", then we were to head out with our instructor to designated places to put our cameras to use.  It is here that I met Marta.  Now, there is no amazing story to tell about this meeting: we were just two people who had an interest in learning more about photography and who struck up a friendship based on that mutual interest.  Here are a few of my favorite photos taken by me that weekend:

Other than that interest in photography, Marta and I had very little in common, but at the end of two days, we were Facebook "friends".  We talked about keeping in touch but you know how that goes.  Well, Facebook is wonderful for actually keeping people connected and I am able to enjoy the beautiful photographs Marta takes during her frequent travels across the globe and Marta graciously pops in now and then with a comment or two about the events in my life.  We did talk about her possibly coming to Maine during the fall to capture the beautiful fall foliage and I would be her tour guide, we just haven't been able to make that happen yet.  But all is good, life goes on and we are connected through this wonderful thing called social networking.  I continue to enjoy reading about her traveling adventures and seeing the photos she takes along the way.  Yes, life goes on...

Two days ago (November 1st), Steve, Trish and I take a drive to Clearwater and enjoy the various beaches along Gulf Boulevard.  As always, I take photos to capture the memories of our adventure.  On this day, I take these shots at Sand Key Beach with my iPhone:

When we got home that evening, like most days, I logged into Facebook to see what everyone is up to.  As I scroll down through the posts of my "friends" I get to Marta's post from that same day.  As usual, she has included a couple of photographs.  Here they are:

Wait, is that the SAME lifeguard shack?  And, that picture of the sun's rays through the clouds over the water looks suspiciously familiar.  Here's the comment I made on her wall: " I was at Sand Key this afternoon. This looks exactly like a picture I took. Also, the lifeguard shack. Don't even tell me you were there today too?"

Yup, that's right.  Marta, who lives in Manhattan, was at the same beach we were on the same day in Clearwater, Florida.  Our paths barely crossed.  After a couple of private messages back and forth we arranged to get together tonight.  Marta joined us for a drink at the hotel we are staying in Clearwater.  It was great seeing her again and much like our previous path crossing, there is no amazing story to tell: just a couple of individuals connected through.... oh, I don't know.... Facebook???, enjoying meeting again, easy conversation, and a beautiful sunset over the water.  Thanks, Marta, for the pleasure of your company and for this amazing photo...

Until our paths cross again...