Thursday, November 09, 2017

AMERICA 2017: The Facebook Overview with Ted and Jane in CT


There and back again!  Don't you wonder how these annual trips--the pegs on which we hang the year--come and go so quickly.  Sliding right down into the New Year....

But I digress.

Our 3-week trip to America this year has 3 distinct parts, of which the one week at the beginning, with friends Ted and Jane, is the first.

It's actually a short story of how we met.  In my past life, Donica and I took a quick trip to Prague from Hannover, Germany, in May 2005, during which time we did a dinner cruise.  Back then, 12 years ago, I was just beginning to use a camera and had just started blogging here at In Soul!  (If you wanted, you could go back to my archives on the left sidebar to find those posts.)

During that cruise, we met Ted and Jane from Connecticut (but alas, no photos of them).
And because Ted is an avid photographer, we've stayed in touch all these years.
He is the very one, from Today's Photo, who often comments here on my blog!
It's a small world after all!

Here they are!
After Ted and Jane picked us up at the Bradley Int'l Airport near Hartford, CT,
we stopped to eat Reuben and pastrami sandwiches at one of their favorite Jewish cafes.
We were counting on this proposition for weeks, if not months, after Jane first suggested it! 

Every day on FB that week both Astrid and I showed photos of what we saw.

Ted knew we'd be interested in the Congregational churches dotting the CT landscape.
What was educational for me, however, was finding out how these churches,
dating back to the 1700-1800s, trace their origin to the Puritan settlers of colonial New England.

[And yes, we went inside a handful of these churches, which I hope to show later.]

All these vanes are from the Congregational churches we visited.
Don't you wonder if there's a "congregational code" for how similar they are?
Makes me want to know more....

You know I was excited also to see the other vanes during the week.  OMG.
The Dutch aren't the only ones, of course, who love their vanes.

We were in CT from October 11-18 and saw the beginning of the fall colors.
Can you imagine living there?

Another thing we planned before arriving was one of Ted's slide talks on his Brass Valley book.
Lucky for us, he was able to arrange a talk at the Warren library, 8 miles from home. 
With degrees in architecture and literature, he taught for 40 years in Connecticut's Northwest Hills.
We finally got to see/hear him in action!  A true teacher at heart.

Not to be outdone, we even had the chance to see/hear Jane rehearsing with bagpipers.
Funerals, weddings, graduations, celebrations...you name it and she'll be there, if you book her.
She also was a teacher before retiring.  What a talented couple!

It so happens that Ted and Jane were both sick when we arrived,
having caught something from friends while in Toronto earlier.
I caught it from them but, thankfully, Astrid was spared.
So off she went on her own walks without us...and shared her own photos on FB.

I did go on a couple walks with her, so you know I wasn't totally incapacitated.
The Shepaug River runs along the road near the house.

By that river Astrid captured some fabulous images, reminding me why I fell in love with her.
She even made her own rock pillar/shrine, adding it to the collection already there
[surely more on that later].

So, does that give you a taste of our first week?
Ted and Jane were fabulous hosts and made us feel like queens (which we are, of course).
And what's really special, I like them more NOW than what I remembered from back in 2005.

Don't you just love when this kind of serendipity happens!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

As an FYI, neither Astrid nor I took our laptops to America this time...only our iPads.
It meant that all our images had to be processed apart from our Photoshop and Paintshop tools.
We managed well enough with the LiveCollage app and will continue to not travel with our laptops.
The things we learn along the way!


16 comments:

  1. A beautiful interesting and varied series. Churches make for me thought a lot of those whom I was able to see in Quebec. Thank you for sharing Ginnie

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    1. We come back from these trips with so many memories, Marie. It's hard to synthesize them into these posts but FB seems to help.

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  2. Such a great first week. The weather vanes and skies stood out as did the food. I have grown to love bagpipes, in homage to my Scottish great grandfather. Great post, Ginnie. I look forward to the rest of your trip.

    Astrid did a great job too.

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    1. These are such great memories for us, Marie. We feel so blessed in our life together, with so many friends around the world.

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  3. Oh yes, it does, beautifully. There is something about New England, and you have captured that something here. I still mourn your illness while there, but at least you have these hearty photos to reminisce.

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    1. You know how we love to say that nothing rains on our parade, Ruth. Whatever was happening to all of us (well, minus Astrid), did not keep us from enjoying our time together. Maybe it helped to slow us down, which was probably good?!

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  4. These collages show all the variety things we did this one week with Ted and Jane. What a wonderful hosts and friends they are. I have to say that Ted, Jane and you Ginnie were all troopers to do as much as you were able to do even with that cold/cough/fever...... It was a great week to start our vacation. IHVJ

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    1. We all really were troopers, indeed, Astrid. And what beautiful country. I could spend a looooong time there, looking into every nook and cranny.

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  5. i just love the bird weathervanes! as if they are landing on top... but i have to say, my fave picture out of all of this is Astrid's wee rock shrine... there's something so endearing about it!! I'm sooo sorry you were sick!!

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    1. That may be my favorite image, too. I just wish I had been there to take a video of her making it!

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  6. I really enjoyed the regular update that Astrid put up on Facebook.

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    1. We both had fun every day on FB, making sure we put up something from both of us. It's a good way for family and friends to "taste" what we were up to. So glad you, too, followed along, Maria. Thank you.

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  7. Always enjoy your images from your annual pilgrimage to the USA! Now I've got some catching up to do with both of your postings! In NYC for the month of November with a week jaunt down to Virginia to visit my mom. This week we head to Mexico! Hope all is well with you and A! xo

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    1. I always marvel when you catch up on my/our postings, Robin, because of how busy you are elsewhere. Thank you. Travel mercies these next weeks during the holidays. And may your time with Mom be extra-special!

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  8. Oja, wat een leuke log en je steenmannetje ziet er erg goed uit

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