Thursday, April 15, 2010

There and Back Again

We did it! And we loved it!

The 5-day honeymoon to England came and went like a breeze of fresh air...and SUN. All 5 days! I think it was a record for England to have that many days of sun, without rain, in a row. Our hostess, Tracy, kept saying "You deserve it!"

I have miles to go before I sleep on all those photos...from Chester, Chatsworth (a royal house!), Stratford and Liverpool. But I can at least show you the two collages of the Shutterchance meet-up on Saturday. (I sure am loving that picnik.com program!)


Since it was our honeymoon, everyone forgave me for making us center-stage in this collage. After all, you have to start somewhere, right? :)


There were 19 of us altogether: 15 Shutterchancers and 4 brave, tag-along spouses.
If you go to my SC site, you can put faces with names. But for you, you get the picture!

And now I get ready to fly out again, this time sans Astrid (boo hoo), for my first trip back to Atlanta since arriving here on 5 December. It's time to see my kids and grandson! We're still at temps under 50 F here in Gorinchem, even with the sun shining, so it will be a switch to hit the mid-high 70's while there. A switch but not to complain about, of course. :)

And speaking of meet-ups, Vagabonde and I will meet while I'm there, God willing and the creek don't rise. How cool is that!

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ADDENDUM

Sealed with a Kiss! That's what Mick (one of the Shutterchancers) said on his post from the meet-up in Stratford. How could I not add it to this post, thanks to his kind generosity! :)

And for those of you wondering, it appears that my flight today (Saturday) is one of the few flying out of Amsterdam because of flying west, away from the volcanic-ash stream. It's scheduled for only 35 minutes late, so I feel very lucky!

LATER: The plans of mice and men! Long story short...I was at the airport for 8 hours before finding out my flight was totally cancelled (they kept putting it later and later), at which point I contacted Astrid and she came back to pick me up. Delta has already rescheduled me to fly out on Wednesday, without added cost, assuming the skies are cleared. I'll keep you updated. What a mess all over the world, right?!

13 comments:

  1. Great photos, Ginnie! I see that you've got the camera I covet....

    So happy that you had such a wonderful time in England - very cool that it was a honeymoon mixed with meet-ups with others. I can pretty much imagine how you feel about going back to see your kids and wee one but having to leave Astrid behind. We did this for so long, my Belgian and I, but now he comes with me for part of the time.

    I'm thrilled that you and Vagabonde will meet (fingers crossed). She's so lovely, and it's such a small world despite the millions of us who blog. Maybe we should all just adopt each other, hmm??

    Really gorgeous photo of you and Astrid.

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  2. Well welcome back to the Continent and Bon Voyage all at the same time! You are one busy lady. Looking forward to seeing even more photos.

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  3. Why do I still have that big grin on my face, yes it was our Honeymoon.....it was wonderful to stay at Tracy's house with her family, it was more than perfect.
    ......than the meet-up with all the other Shutterchancers...pure delight, the pictures show how much fun and still pictures pop-up at Shutterchance of the meeting.
    I will miss you mijn lieve schat when you are in Atlanta, (thank you Skype) however I think it is good to see your children and grandson.....and your dear friends P&B
    A meeting with Vagabond will be great, have fun.
    .....and yes I will move my chess-piece....grin....
    Ik wacht op je, ik hou van jou, JLJA.
    A wonderful post (again)

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  4. Ohh, to see your honeymoon photos, your friends, the closeness and community, and then knowing you're leaving for a bit, it feels poignant. I can't believe you'll be on this continent! And how fantastic if you can meet sweet Vagabonde, wow. She is a treasure. And so are you, and I hope Astrid will stay cozy. You'll have to skype again! :|

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  5. Deborah: It's a great camera! I don't think I'll ever need another one as long as I live, as long as it keeps working, of course. :) Meet-ups are so important, especially the ones with the family, so I do look forward to going back, if the skies clear. Astrid and I will Skype every day, so that will help! Thanks for all your kind words!

    Christina: It kinda pours when it rains, right?! It's time and I do look forward to seeing everyone again, assuming the skies clear of the volcanic ash. Sigh.

    Astrid: You are my biggest fan of all, everywhere I go. Thank you, MLMAMV!

    Ruth: Yes, Skyping will be front and center while I'm gone. Thank God for it. We didn't expect to have these trips back-to-back but that's how it worked out, so we're just going with the flow! Thanks for your support.

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  6. You bring the sun where ever you go. I enjoyed looking at the photos and all the smiling faces.

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  7. I love it!!! I know it would have been so much fun to be on such a great honeymoon. We actually never went on one ourselves... Unless you count Switzerland before our marriage...

    I will be off to SC to see the names and place the faces on the photos...

    Good luck with the warm weather. I'm sure it's going to be so different to be back this time!

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  8. Good to read that you had a fun time in England. Can't wait to see more picts :)

    Have a safe trip back to the US! :)

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  9. So glad you posted that last picture of Michael's. It's stunning.

    And now we know you are sitting in the airport for who knows how long. Have fun, live it up, meet some nice people.

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  10. It sounded like you had a great time and all your friends too. Everyone looks happy and the group of photographer is impressive. I have been busy researching the web on copyright problems. A company here is using my photographs on their web site without my consent. I hope it can be worked out amiably without a hassle, but I know nothing on this subject. The weather is great here and I hope it will stay that way for your visit. I’m hoping everything will work out so we can meet

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  11. I hope you get on a flight to USA very soon. A friend of mine is stuck in Germany and trying to get home to Canada after a Rhine cruise, and another friend is stuck in Africa trying to come home to Canada via London and has been told it may be a week or more before she can resume her journey!

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  12. PC: You are such a sweetheart. You know how to make my day. Thank you!

    ET: I would count Switzerland as your honeymoon, Jen! :) And as you know by now, I'm still in Holland...waiting for the skies to clear! Hopefully I'll fly out tomorrow, Wednesday.

    CS: Thank you and thank you, Sandra. I'm still hoping for a safe trip... :)

    Ruth: Thank you, sweetie. I just had to include Mick's image. It says it all. :) Back to the airport tomorrow, I hope...but not to return back without flying!

    Vagabonde: As I've already said to you, I do hope and pray you're getting the copyright issue ironed out. UGH! What a mess. And yes, I still have my fingers crossed that we will indeed meet, once I get over the Pond!!

    Sham: What a global mess! It's taking it's emotional toll on all of us fliers. To say nothing of the financial toll it's taking on every aspect of the economy!

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  13. What a great idea to combine your Honeymoon with meeting other bloggers. Nice photos as well.

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