Monday, October 01, 2012

Bob and Peggy 2012 and Downtown Atlanta

Finally it's time to finish our 2012 American trip.  In between the time with the kids in Atlanta (last post), we spent Monday-Friday with Bob and Peggy south of the city.  This is becoming a tradition, as most of you know by now.  One we really look forward to!

Right off the bat we met Roscoe, their new child!
They basically rescued him from a previous neighbor who abandoned him 
and have now breathed life into him!

And speaking of additions, while we were there, Bob became a first-time g'pa.
G'daughter Harper was born on his and Peggy's 8th wedding anniversary.
What a nice way to remember important milestones by having them on the same day!
By now Peggy has finished the cross-stitched baby afghan she was making.

And speaking of anniversaries, we treated them to a celebratory meal at the nearby French Market.
Who would have guessed you'd find a French connection in the Deep South!

The food was fabulous...very New-Orleans style.

 And after our tummies were full, we were "short of eyes," looking at all of the wares for sale.
True story:  we met the lady owner who had just returned from a trip to Amsterdam!
It's a small world after all.

Each time we visit B&P out where they live in the boonies,
Astrid loves going off on her own to take pictures of everything she sees...
like this one-truck fire station not far from the house!
(her images, my collage)

This was her first time to see a real hummingbird ever.
She waited 45 minutes to get these shots!
(her images, my collage)

 And just to drive home the point of our American way of life, with all our over-the-top choices,
here's Astrid's impressions of some shopping times with Peggy.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

We could hang around the house the entire time, inside or out, and be happy campers.  But no, Bob and Peggy always want us to go somewhere...especially where Astrid hasn't yet been.  HER choice was to see downtown Atlanta.  And that's what the rest of this post is about!

To be honest, this was good for me, too, because even though I lived in the Atlanta area for 25 years, I had no real sense for what the downtown was like.  It's not a place you visit unless you have a conference there.
And the fun thing is you can park and then go everywhere on foot.  Which we did.

Look how much fun Astrid had!  Me, too, watching her.

What downtown Atlanta is known for to me is it's architecture...like most cig bities!
You see much of it when you pass through the city on the freeway, but THIS is up close and personal.
The one SURPRISE I discovered is that Atlanta has it's own flatiron building (left bottom pic above).
Yes, just like NYC.  I had no idea.

I stopped in my tracks when we passed through the Chick-fil-A arch at one point.
For one, I looked for and found Moody Bible Institute on its list of Institution Recipients.
I was a student there one year and brother Nelson taught at Monmouth College.
S. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, was recently in the news, as you may know....
because of his same-sex comments.  Talk about a controversy!

And as if that weren't enough, Bob got roped into an interview with an Associated Press man,
since we were in the middle of the Republican National Convention.
Bob and I don't see eye to eye on almost anything political, BUT we're still friends.
After all is said and done, that's what's most important!

And besides, by then it was time to eat!

 We hadn't planned on it but because we were at the CNN center, it was a no-brainer to eat there.
I had wanted Astrid to see that place because of all the times I had been there for concerts.
The Philips Arena (concerts, sports) is attached to this huge complex 
where the world feels at your doorstep.  Today I get most of my news from CNN!

After lunch, the biggest surprise of the day for me was finding out how close we were to the
 Centennial Olympic Park ...within easy walking distance...and how beautiful it is! 
 It was my first time to walk through it.

I remember the 1996 Summer Olympics as though it were yesterday.
I had purchased my own $35 brick back then and found it now in the walkway, thanks to the locator kiosk.
There was a bombing, remember?  And thus the Quilt of Remembrance was added later.

So many wonderful remembrances were added after the fact.  I had no clue.
I'd be proud to take anyone there to see the site.
And oh, that smiling fella?  He loved my camera and was such a gentleman.
I had to take his picture:  the man without a name but with a great smile.

From the park we were able to see the World of Coca Cola, the American Cancer Society headquarters,
 the GA Aquarium, buildings from Midtown...all for another day/year.
But that's how close everything was.  It really did surprise me.

And as we walked back to the car...

...we had a lovely serenade to end our day.

On that note, I'll also end our 2012 American trip.
Here's to next year and all the memories to come!

19 comments:

  1. If you are collecting "flatiron buildings", you should be aware that Toronto has one too!
    I have driven on the expressway thru Atlanta but never got the opportunity to stop. We were always in too much of a hurry to get to Florida, or to get home.

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    1. Aha. So there may be flatirons all over the world for all we know, Sham! How fun is that!

      In 25 years plus I have driven by/through downtown Atlanta hundreds of times, always admiring the skyline. To actually see those building up close and personal was something else altogether! You really don't stop unless you have a reason, of course!

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  2. what a great treat to tour the city of atlanta thru your blog. so glad that astrid suggested to see the downtown. i know locals don't go there unless there's business to be done.

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    1. Actually, it was a year ago that Astrid first mentioned touring downtown Atlanta, so we made sure we finally did it. And I am so glad we did! I really was pleasantly surprised. Thanks, Maria.

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  3. Goodness Ginnie, what a mega packed holiday you had!

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    1. You could say that again, Anne! Just the other day Astrid and I needed to find out what we did on our anniversary last February. Neither one of us could remember! HA! So you can imagine how nice and fun it was to go back to that post and be reminded. There's no way we could keep up on everything if we didn't keep this running commentary!

      We feel very lucky! :)

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  4. Everything is wonderful!

    I notice the Mason jar goblets, which I'd never seen before the wedding.

    The dolphins on the street, ha. I've seen cows and pigs. What is the significance of the dolphins, I wonder?

    So many great connections for you on these walks!

    Please tell Astrid that when we returned from Istanbul, we took the kids to Meijer and told them they could each pick out a box of breakfast cereal. In Turkey we ate Turkish breakfast (bread, olives, cheese), but when we traveled to Greece, we'd buy them Kellogg's cereals for a treat. So we began down the cereal aisle at Meijer and they immediately picked out a box. Then we walked a few feet and they found a different cereal they wanted, putting the other one back. And on they went down the endless aisle, with so many choices, in tears by the end! :(

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    1. Thank you, Sister. I laughed when I saw those mason jars because that's when I found out they're called Red-Neck Wine Goblets. HA!

      So I Googled and found out, as I suspected, the dolphins were a GA Aquarium art project in 2011. Apparently there are 47 of them around the city, and we found these two. I've seen turtles (Atlanta), cars (Detroit), water-carriers (Germany), cows, bears (Germany). So fun. I guess they are usually company-sponsored and bring in lots of revenue for whatever.

      I remember that story about the cereal boxes and your kids. Ohhhhh. Astrid will love it. We really have no clue how all these choices are...absurd?!

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  5. Cereal, I did not even know of the existence, before I came to the USA...1975, I really get a kick out of all the choices, (read...from very bad to dangerous for your health)...
    It was great to be in downtown Atlanta, I love big cities with nice architecture. Being in the city of the 1996 Olympics, is special, seeing that brick with your name, FABULOUS.... I don't know even were to start after seeing all those pictures. It was a grand day. Thank you Bob and Peggy for taking us.
    Atlanta-Hotlanta (we were lucky it was not too bad) a city alive.
    Thank you again for that joyful day!!

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    1. What a great memory in every way! I never once thought about "my" brick until I started seeing them in the walkway. Oh my. So many memories back to 1996. It was a great day, sharing it with Bob and Peggy. YES. I'd do it again. :)

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    2. Actually, it wasn't just that day. It was the entire time with them. THANK YOU, indeed.

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  6. About the dolphins... I've seen elephants and horses and ??? (memory is shot... I know you can relate) and have always enjoyed seeing the creative installations of this sort. Love the dolphins. Please tell Astrid that she needs to try Nature's Choice Organic Granola with dark chocolate... a healthy breakfast choice with bits of dark chocolate mixed in to give a BURST of wonderful flavor. I have mine with fresh (or dried organic if I haven't been to the store for fresh organic) fruit and almond milk. Breakfast is so much better these days!

    Meanwhile... I loved having a tour of Atlanta through your and Astrid's eyes. The sax player is my favorite of your collages this time around... great composition and that red color really draws one into the frame! About the Flatiron Building... my Swedish cousin Ludvig (first cousin, twice removed) had one special request when he and his father Örjan (first cousin, once removed) visited NYC recently... he wanted to see the Flatiron Building because for years he'd had a poster hanging in his bedroom and now he wanted a picture of himself standing in front of it! So we obliged him and took photos, all of which he now has. Must post one of mine one of these days. (will I ever catch up?) I do love your collages... I keep saying that because it's true! :-)

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    1. Awwww. You tickle me to no end, Victoria. I'll let Astrid know about your special granola. HA! We all have our favorites, don't we. And I love knowing there's more than one flatiron building in the world...and that your Swedish cousin got to finally stand in front of one of them! It's a small world after all! Thank you.

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  7. How wonderful to see my home town thru your lens! I spent my very young hippie days working/playing there when Underground Atlanta was new ... my large family all finds so much to do there.
    So cool to see your brick and I share Astrid's amazement at the overload of choices in the stores! This latest journey for you two must be at the top of the list for perfect times ~ thanks once again for sharing so much.

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    1. Ohhhh. Did I really forget Atlanta was your home town????? But of course you have so many memories there! Thank you, Susan, for sharing!

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  8. I only know the airport in Atlanta (terrible smells of unhealthy food) and so far I had no desire to go there. However, from what you wrote here it would be really interesting to visit.
    I LOVE the photo of Astrid and the dolphins - I like that she can be such a kid. It's wonderful.
    And also wonderful that you and Bob are still friends despite your political differences. That speaks for both of you.

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    1. Atlanta is one of those cities that offers much, Carola, but I would not want to live there again. The traffic alone would kill Astrid's spirit. And the lack of bike routes from getting here to there! We'd want to live nearby in the Blue Ridge Mtns.

      One of the things that still attracts me to Astrid is the great Child in her. She brings it out in me. And yes, with Bob, when it's not an election year, we do just fine. HA!

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  9. I love flatiron buildings - Petoskey, MI has one. I know Chick-fil-A is a southern favorite, but I have not been able to enjoy the food (and that was before the controversy) . Friends don't have to agree on politics as many of mine don't agree with me, but I suppose it helps when spouses agree :) I think we would hit it off splendidly and I get all my news from FOX ! :) Atlanta looks like a great "big" town to visit even thought I prefer small, quaint, historic towns.

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    1. It's funny how flatiron buildings are popping up everywhere all of a sudden, Margaret. HA! And yes, it does help when spouses agree on politics, though my daughter and SIL don't. As long as we can all get along and work together, that's what's important. Let's hope that happens during this next term regardless of who wins!

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