Feedback, please!

With all my other blogs, they had a lifespan and when the time came to end them, this is what happened.  This current blog is at that time now.  The trip has been documented and I am home. So now what?

I have enjoyed doing this blog more than all the others, but I think that is just the knowledge building up. Plus dealing with the frustration of attempting to do it a different way with the Ipad....and I don't really want to let this go.

Plus, I notice that there are people reading this from many amazing places all over the world!  The strange thing is, I only have 1 official follower!  So I am very curious about all these other readers!

So the question is: do I stop this now?  Should I start another one for everyday and not centered on one trip.....any suggestions would be gratefully recieved. 

Mainly I am just curious who is reading my blog and to thank you for following it, even if it is not officially shown on my stats!

I write journals and would recommend journal writing to anyone who wishes to pursue a writing career. You learn a lot. You also remember a lot... and memory is important.
Judy Collins
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/journal_2.html#lJVpvZtZPKzFXrFs.99

Good to the last drop

Tuesday was our last day in Atlanta and the United States.  But this did not mean we just got up and went to the airport, no!  We had a few stops along the way:

First stop, well maybe  detour - Dunkin Donuts! How could any trip be complete without this?  Ok, I guess this last donut stop makes this trip an official US donut tour.  First - "Hot Donuts Now" Krispy Kreme, then Beignets at the Cafe du Monde and last (and possibly least but still absolutely delicious) Dunkin Donuts!  I have been back in Scotland for over a month now, but have not been tempted to look at a donut!

Next stop - the Atlanta Aquarium.  Alan has been desperate to visit this aquarium ever since he learned that they housed Whale Sharks!  And we found out they actually have 4 whale sharks here, in a 6.2 million gallon tank.  What an amazing and magical sight!

When we first arrived, I realized I had messed up with my total lack of communication skills once again!  My niece, Candi, and her son, Payton, were going to meet us at the Aquarium and spend our last day together.  This was fantastic news and we were really looking forward to seeing them again.  And, as we left Roxanne's house for the last time this year, I reminded her (although I didn't need to) to phone Candi and let her know we were leaving so she would know what time to leave to meet us.  Fine. 

No, it was not fine......we had not arranged where to meet or how to meet and again, I did not have her phone number, or even access to a US line to try to call her. So I phoned my Mom in Scotland!  (I phoned her once when she lived in Alabama for directions when Alan and I were in Paris, she is a great source of information!)

Mom phoned Roxanne, but there was really nothing any of us could do.  I just had to hope that somewhere, somehow we would stumble upon Candi and Payton.  And THAT only took 2 hours!  What a disappointment!  but they enjoyed what they had seen and done during that time, and we had enjoyed what we had done, so at least we were able to get together for a very wonderful and abbreviated visit! 

Candi, Alan and Payton

The Atlanta Aquarium has to be seen to be appreciated.  I do not have the words to describe how interesting, educational or peaceful it is.  As we first entered, there are different avenues you can take to visit representations of parts of the world and habitats.  But of course, the most amazing part is the huge tank housing over 100,00 sea creatures!  And you can walk through a clear tunnel and let all the tank inhabitants swim over and around you.  I have done this before in the Sea Life Center in North Queensferry, but that is like saying I watched Gone with the Wind on a 6 inch TV screen, not the same feeling as a big cinema!

While we were wandering through the tunnel, I over heard a conversation about the last time a person visited the aquarium and she just sat for hours watching all the creatures in this huge tank swim by.  At that time, I had not seen the viewing part of this so did not really get how she did that.  The tunnel is rather busy.....

As usual, when Alan and I go somewhere; we end up doing our own thing.  He loves to move at a snail's pace and take a massive amount of pictures.  I am a bit busier, plus I just need to be on my own sometimes.  So, after meeting up with Candi and Payton, I stayed behind and Jim, Jennifer and Alan went their merry ways.  To squeeze as much of the visit as possible, I even walked Candi and Payton to the exit......then I thought Coffee!!

As I headed to the snack bar, I thought I would just check in with Alan, and that was the best thing I did that day.  That is where I discovered the tank viewing area and that is where I ended up sitting and enjoying the view for at least an hour - coffee? who needs that when something as wonderful as 4 whale sharks and all their thousands of companions are parading around their spacious home!  And it was feeding time!  What an amazing sight to see what was a regular size row boat dwarfed by the giant it was feeding.  There was a TV screen showing the 4 boats on the surface and how they fed each individual Whale Shark. Fascinating and so lucky that I decided not to have that coffee!

Dinner!  Not the boat, just what they were throwing out of the boat!  Plankton!

It took me awhile to figure out how this person had her hand on the manta ray.....it is the reflection on the glass!

I may have lived in Florida too long - when I saw this Giant Grouper,which has been fished almost to extinction,  my first thought was that there was alot of eating in that fish. Sorry!

I could have sat and watched these beautiful creatures all day!


This was our last activity in the city of Atlanta, apart from making the requisite stop at a Longhorn on the way home, where I got my last Marguerita of this trip!  I always hate to leave the States and it was especially difficult this time, because I had such quality family and "home" time. Yes, I have one huge regret about missing the Magnolia Grill and I hope and pray it is still open the next time we get there. 

And I have learned a valuable lesson about being more organized and not relying on everyone else to do the thinking!  I had a near miss with Dana and the Jersey Boys; I missed a precious 2 hours with Candi and Payton at the Aquarium and I never even mentioned the huge disappointment of missing Candi and Roxanne's dad, Bill Russell.  I "thought" that was all organized, but I never phoned him to double check, just wandered to Geneva assuming he would arrive according to plans I had in my head!  Obviously, this did not happen and we missed Bill completely.  And a trip to this area is just not complete without meeting up with Bill Russell......

Next time......!


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“No good fish goes anywhere without a porpoise”

Lewis Carroll quotes

Ach du lieber, it's Helen!

What fun!!   Monday was the Northeast Georgia day, with the main goal of visiting Helen, Georgia!

If you have not heard of Helen, it is a very unique little north Georgia town, settled in the Blue Ridge Mountains with the Chattahoochee River flowing through the middle of it, very picturesque.  And a little bit tacky!  But it is certainly worth at least one visit a lifetime, if not every decade or so.  It is cute and strange enough to be a place I really like! 

The first time I saw Helen (at least 30 years ago!), I was puzzled as to why a little town in Georgia would transform itself into a little darling German Alpine village.....at that time I was told it was due to President Johnson's Great Society program.  When I was planning this trip and wishing to explain the history of Helen, I could not find this information documented anywhere.  I feel almost certain that what I was told was true and now wonder if this background information has been lost, since it was such a long time ago?

On the way to Helen, we stopped by Dahlonega. This was an old gold mining village, in fact, this is where the saying "There's gold in them thar hills" originated.  It sounds more like it would have been from California or Alaska, but it was Georgia!!  I never came here the whole time I lived in Georgia, it was one of those places I always meant to visit, but drove by every time.  And I spent alot of time in the North Georgia mountains! 

Dahlonega Gold Museum

We spent a while walking around the square and looking at the shops.  Roxanne and Adarsh steered us to a music shop that was so perfect!  Not only was it absolutely loaded with stringed instruments, but there were two guys sitting and playing guitars.  Then they swapped the guitars for banjos. What an amazing experience, they were perfect!  And it was so cool none of us even thought to take a picture of them!

We ate lunch in Helen at a restaurant sitting right on the Chattahoochee River.  There was a chance for us to go tubing on the river, and it was very tempting!  But not everyone would have been able to do this, and the water was also a bit too cold.  Some people did go by while we were eating and it looked so fun.  I do hope possibly the next time I am over we are able to do this, maybe not in Helen but somewhere, ideally also with Roxanne, Adarsh and anyone else who would like to join us!

no photos of the folks on tubes going down, but this is where we saw them

Studying the menu and enjoying the view!!

I have driven by this restaurant many times, nice that we actually ate here! 

Bratwurst, sauerkraut, red cabbage, German potato salad and beer, yum!

a very tired and sweet boy!!!

After Helen, we stopped at Anna Ruby Falls.  I had been here before and it is a lovely walk. However, I never realized how fantastic these falls are!  As Alan and I were standing at the base of them, we started wondering just how high they were.  They seemed almost as high as Niagara Falls.  Honest!  So, when I got back to an Internet connection I looked it up and.....they are 12 feet shorter than Niagara Falls!  Fantastic! 

Might not have the power of Niagara, but is pretty impressive anyway!

After another fantastic dinner, complete with cornbread, Roxanne took us to Sheridan's for frozen custard!  I had only ever heard of Ted Drewes frozen custard in St. Louis, I didn't know they had this anywhere else.  And it was so much fun to do this.  Maybe not great on the weightwatcher diet, but so very worth it!

“My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy the ice cream while it's on your plate”

Thornton Wilder

Being a tourist in Atlanta!

Sunday was our day to spend with Adarsh while Roxanne stayed home with Russell.  (we did spend Monday with the whole family, he was not really left out, he is just 2 and would have been bored.)

Adarsh led us to the Aquarium parking lot since he will eventually leave us......later we met Dana, Danny and their daughter, Allison, at the fabulous Fox to see The Jersey Boys!

They have moved Coca-Cola World since Alan and I were last here.....it makes sense to have so many tourist attractions conveniently placed so you only have to park at one place.

 First Stop - CNN 

 It was just a bit early when we got there, so we were on the first tour.  Alan and I had done it once before and Adarsh has probably done it loads.  Jennifer used to work for a television company in Scotland so she was very interested in visiting CNN! 

Adarsh's magic tie

Next stop:  Coca-Cola World

The last time I was here was with Dana, Danny and Allison.  I only remember this because it was Allison's first time ever tasting Coca-Cola!  (and that was the previous location too.)

Alan and I hanging with Mr. Pemberton

(inventor of Coca-Cola)

Not sure if I like the new one any better, but I do have issues with change anyway!  We did have fun though, you can't help but have fun here!

This is the cheerleader from the commercial shown at the entrance.  I had never seen it, apparently it has been shown at the Superbowl halftime commercials, but I never get to see them.  At least the televison now allows us to see the halftime show!!

Too bad this was not a real soda fountain!

More characters from that commercial.

This is hard to see, but is a collection of Olympic torches.  Caught my eye and more interest than I would normally have had because in only 5 days Alan and I were going to be marshalls when the current Olympic torch came through Alloway! 

London 2012 Olympic torch relay

Alloway June 8

The very last thing you get to do in Coca-Cola World (ok, before the shop at the exit!) is taste all the Coke products from around the world. Although the original formula is also probably available, each continent is represented in this room with their unique formulas.  Some are good, some are not!  But they must be to the residents who buy them.  My nephew, Adarsh, steered me to Italy and suggested I try the Beverley, so I did.  And anyone reading this should try it too.   Nuff said!

After lunch:  Margaret Mitchell's home

We did not visit the Aquarium today although we parked there! That is Tuesday's activity!  After leaving this area, we drove to the Margaret Mitchell house.  But I must admit it was a bit of a non-event.  The apartment she lived in is about the only genuine thing there, none of the furniture is her's and it is more like a museum of the time, not of her.  The little shop and set up there has her desk and her things. but this could be anywhere.  I don't think I would recommend this to just any visitor to Atlanta.  I think they would have to be a die hard Gone With the Wind fans. And, of course, there are many of them! 

( I have thought a bit more about this visit.  It was really, really interesting and the tour guide was so knowledgable about Margaret Mitchell and could answer anything asked of her. So I did leave feeling as if I had actually met her.  So it must have been much better than I originally thought!)

Margaret Mitchell houseMargaret Mitchell lived on the ground floor.  I think they said they now own the whole building though.

                                                         

Actual portrait that hung in Rhett and Scarlett's home in the movie

Evening entertainment:  The Jersey Boys at the Fox Theatre

(and dinner at R Thomas afterwards!)

At this point, Adarsh went home and we went to the Fox Theatre to meet Dana and her family! 

We had planned this for months and it all worked out well, in the end.  It seems Dana and I didn't plan very well about how we were going to keep in touch, we communicate mainly by Facebook.  I also do not have a mobile phone that works easily in the US.  We had no way to get in touch and they were running late.....but they got there in plenty of time.  But only good friends can agree that "We are as stupid as each other!"

I feel a small note is required about the value of friendship here! Dana and I have known each other for over 30 years and been very close friends all that time. However, we realized at this visit, we only had 5 years together, sounds sort of like talking about a marriage! And it was such a meeting of the souls that it might have been closer than marriage. From the time we met, we were inseparable and almost all of my memories of Atlanta are tied in with her. After I moved away, we lost touch for a while, with life getting in the way of staying in touch. Yes, we saw each other once or twice but only real special times like meeting at Coca-Cola World......However, seeing her and talking to her either at Roxanne's in the early days of this visit, or meeting her for a dinner and a show just felt right and like we had never been apart. Isn't friendship the most wonderful gift in the world?

Jersey Boys was fantastic and I am so glad it all worked out and we got to share it with special friends. 

The Fox Theatre is also fantastic and I loved showing it off to Jim and Jennifer. Although I have put the link so you can easily access more information about the Fox, I am also going to copy a bit of what Wikipedia says because it is just not enough to say how wonderful the building is!

"The original architecture and décor of the Fox can be roughly divided into two architectural styles: Islamic architecture (building exterior, auditorium, Grand Salon, mezzanine Gentlemen’s Lounge and lower Ladies Lounge) and Egyptian architecture (Egyptian Ballroom, mezzanine Ladies Lounge and lower Gentlemen’s Lounge).
The 4,678-seat auditorium, which was designed for movies and live performances, replicates an Arabian courtyard complete with a night sky of 96 embedded crystal "stars" (a third of which flicker) and a projection of clouds that slowly drift across the "sky." A longstanding rumor that one of the stars was a piece of a Coca-Cola bottle was confirmed in June 2010 when two members of the theater's restoration staff conducted a search from within the attic above the auditorium ceiling.^[3]"

I wonder if Las Vegas architects got their ideas for starlit skies and other ways to bring the outdoors in from places like the Fox?

Jim, Pat, Dana, Danny, Allison and Jennifer

“I believe that in a great city, or even in a small city or a village, a great theater is the outward and visible sign of an inward and probable culture.”

Sir Laurence Olivier

 

But wait, there's more!

After spending 3 days in Atlanta, 3 days in New Orleans and a whole week in Florida, it would be assumed that we would be getting ready to go home now. But wait, there's more!

The icing on the cake this trip is returning to Roxanne and Adarsh's house to be spoiled and fussed over.  It was such a fantastic 3 days with them, and of course, Russell.  We must have been completely different people to them too, we were not stressed due to not having cases and we were all tanned and relaxed from our week in Florida! 

Thanks to my new found aversion to the satnav, we meandered north, stopping at Samson and Eufaula on the way.  It was a nice journey and we didn't get to Roxanne's house too late. (I don't mean to exclude Adarsh, but to say both of them every time will just get too wordy!) 

Flower on Kennesaw Mountain

Having lived in the Atlanta area (Marietta) for 8 years, I thought I knew the city fairly well, but I was also very aware that it had grown up quite a bit - even though I have visited a few times since moving to Scotland.  So I asked Roxanne, as the local expert, to plan an itinerary for us based on a huge list of things I wanted to see and do in 3 days.  She took up the challenge and did extremely well.

There was a bit of a sacrifice though:  to be a tourist in Atlanta for 3 days, I could not also factor in visiting any other friends or family. The schedule was too tight and I needed to be selfish about this. So if anyone wanted to see me, they had to fit into the itinerary!  So I had to decline an invitation to hang out at my friend Dana's pool for a BBQ, and also missed seeing other friends from Alabama, including an old "boyfriend" who was coming to see us with his wife.  I think that would have been a blast because David has such a good sense of humour and so does my husband, but it didn't work out as planned.  There is always next time though, possibly a sidetrip to Alabama to also see my best friend from high school, Hjordis.  What is it about northern Alabama that has attracted two of my closest high school friends to live so near to each other when we all went to school in Florida!

Saturday was Marietta day!  I lived in Marietta for 8 years and never looked at it like I did today.  The funny thing was that I lived on the Atlanta side and spent virtually all of my time, working and socializing, in Atlanta never looking over my shoulder to such a nice town.  The only thing I actually did in Marietta was get married! And that was a fluke, Alan was visiting from Scotland and I gave him the car keys while I went to work, his job that day was to find a church to get married in, and he was successful!  After driving all over, he discovered St James Episcopal Church in, of all places, Marietta!  The funny thing was that while we were eating lunch at Hemingway's with Roxanne, Jim and Jennifer, Alan and I started talking about where that church would be.  And for the first time in our married life, he remembered incorrectly!  (I didn't!)

St James Episcopal Church

We also discovered the place where we had our reception was right around the corner from where we were eating lunch. So this was a totally unexpected trip down memory lane!  Although it is called Kennesaw House and is a museum now, "back then" it was called The Brickworks.  And we were told one reason it was not destroyed during the Civil War was because it was General Sherman's headquarters.

Kennesaw House

Before lunch, we all walked up Kennesaw Mountain.  It is now part of the National Park system and has a bus service going up.  But, thankfully, the bus was not on time so we decided to walk.  It was a very pleasant walk.  Roxanne had also never done this so it was fantastic introducing her to something new in the area.  Russell was not with us, he was with his Daddy - who was very kindly staying at home and making us an amazing dinner, but more of that later!

I was told the Confederate soldiers had to leave the mountain so quickly they abandoned the cannons that are still there.  I believed that until this trip, then it seems like I read these were replicas....so who knows what is the truth?

there are lots more of these cannons higher up the mountain

A visit to Marietta is not complete without a trip to "The Big Chicken"!  I don't know the history of this landmark, but another story I vaguely remember is that, prior to my moving to the area in mid-1980's, the powers that be or someone wanted to tear it down and there was such an outcry that this never happened.  It is still there and still part of KFC!

After a wonderful day in Marietta, we went back to The Ginsu House for tapas! What a wonderful way to complete a perfect day.  Adarsh and Roxanne are the most amazing hosts, with the icing on the cake being their son, Russell.  He is precious and was good company while we were enjoying our dinner! 

Adarsh's Tapas Feast!

Russell

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story

I love a parade!

Our last full day in Fort Walton Beach was even more relaxed than the one I just wrote about!  Alan and I started the day, once again, at the beach.  I realized we had done very little on our own, so I decided to go with him on the pier rather than go on my own to the beach.  Am I glad I did too!  This was the best sealife viewing that I have ever seen on any pier!  How lucky were we? First, almost immediately, we spotted a black tip reef shark, too close to the shore for my liking. Then at the end of the pier was a pod of dolphins and the water was so clear I could see them almost as well as if we were in Sea World!  What a stroke of luck!

See what I mean!

The rest of the day was spent at the pool and a bit of packing.  The good thing was - this vacation was only half way done, we would be going back to Atlanta tomorrow to Roxanne and Adarsh's to see how Atlanta has changed (well, for me anyway).

One of the few pictures of Alan and me together on this trip

And to top it off - the Billy Bowlegs Parade!  This is the first time I have been able to enjoy a bit of Billy Bowlegs since moving away.  It used to start the day we left Steamboat Landing, but they must have realized they could stretch it out and get more people involved. Glad they did too, it was a fun parade - complete with Mardi Gras beads! 

Our Pirate loot!!

Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates. – Life on the Mississippi

Florida feeling - finally!

You would be right in thinking I am obsessed with the fact I cannot smell!  But I am not happy about it!  However, there are some benefits and one of them became apparent when we returned from our trip to Geneva......

First we stopped and ate at McGuire's. This is an Irish "pub" that is massive. The way I understand it, there are only two of them, one in Pensacola and one in Destin.  McGuire's Irish Pub  Just looked it up, the one in Destin was the original.  It was fun and tacky at the same time. Looking back, eating here prevented me from eating at my favourite restaurant of all time - the Magnolia Grill.  But Jim and Alan had spotted this and had to eat here.  I got a Reuben Sandwich.  Not the best meal when in Florida with all the great restaurants around, but like I have mentioned before - I was travelling with tourists, not folks coming home!

When we got back to Steamboat Landing, there were already people in the jacuzzi and we wanted to join them!  I could tell it looked foggy, but the fog was really smoke coming from a forest fire in Hurlburt Field, just a few miles up the road.  Alan and I spent 2 hours sitting there and enjoying meeting new people.  If anyone knew me there, they would have been amazed that I sat all that time enveloped in forest fire smoke. But I couldn't smell it, so it did not bother me!  The next morning, Alan and I had to go to Santa Rosa Mall to return something and he said the inside of the mall smelled smoky, but not the outside!  This is an exerpt from the next day's news:  http://www.hurlburt.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123304258

This day was more like actually being on vacation in Florida.  Alan and I got up early and walked across Brooks' Bridge to Okaloosa Island.  It is a very pleasant walk and I am surprised we never did that before! Apart from the quick trip to the mall, we just hung out at the beach and then the pool, perfect day.

view from Brooks Bridge

Steamboat Landing from Okaloosa Island

(the two story white building)

my seafood platter at Fishermans'  Wharf, Destin

For dinner, we returned to Fisherman's Wharf because Jim and Jennifer did not order seafood the first time we went there.

Another Bull Shark, "only" 350 lbs this time

On the way home, we stopped at the opposite side of the bridge going into Destin.  Alan wanted a picture of twilight with the lights going on across the water with the HarborWalk hotel, or whatever it is called.  I don't think he got what he was looking for, but I thoroughly enjoyed the detour!  We were on the Sound side of Okaloosa Island, not the Gulf side.  A little beach that people are usually on earlier in the day, but no one was there at this time.  I got out (Jim and Jennifer stayed in the car), took my sandals off to feel the sand between my toes, and then dipped them in the water....and the water was bathtub warm!  (the only way I like it!)  The Gulf was never warm enough for me to go in, but this water just called me like a siren.  Trouble was - no swim suit.  So I rolled up my long shorts and went as deep as possible.  It took all my will power not to just jump in!  Looking back, I wish I had!!

Destin just across the (warm) water!

 I never did get to eat decent Chinese food or go to the Magnolia Grill and I will continue to be disppointed about that for a very long time.  Here is the link so you can see how special the Magnolia Grill is:  http://www.magnoliagrillfwb.com/www.magnoliagrillfwb.com/Home_Page.html

However, I can only hope that we go back soon and I can do things I missed this time around.  I know we won't go so long between visits home too.  Alan seemed to enjoy the whole feeling of being there almost as much as I did and we are really trying to find ways to go more often!

"The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned."  Maya Angelou, American poet