My Trip To Pennsylvania

In 1999 I took a trip to the lovely state of Pennsylvania, USA, to visit a friend named Marisoldue, whom I had met on the internet.
I met her cousin, OttoPHD in a chatroom (WBS Fortysomething), on March 7th, 1997 (my first day on a computer),
and a week later on March 14th, he introduced me to her. We started writing e-mails and have remained close friends since then.

I took 14 rolls of film in the week I was there. Here's just a small sample of those photos.

August 18th, 1999

Today I took my second ever trip on an airplane. When we got quite close to the airport and there were planes taking off overhead,
I looked up at a very large plane and thinking out loud said, "How DO they stay in the air?"
To which Bob remarked, "Sometimes they don't. But don't worry, you've got life insurance."
Comforting thought!

I was a little nervous that I'd miss my flight, but as soon as I got to the airport and checked in I felt very calm and
just wanted to board the plane and get going.

Take off was great! I booked a window seat for both the flight there and back. Since no one else seemed to have an interest
in looking out I took full advantange and kept my nose pressed against the window. Those windows are far too small!

It was pretty neat to see Toronto from the air. The plane banked steeply to the right once we levelled out and I was able to get
an excellent view of the city. Simply amazing! I caught a few seconds of the lake before we sliced up through the cloud bank
and there were nothing but big, white, fluffy clouds for most of the trip. Here and there the clouds would open up
and afford me a quick glimpse of some river or city or farmer's fields below.

I was watching the flaps on the wings move in the various positions as we took off and knew pretty much what to expect,
but was taken a little by surprise when a small flap along the front of the wing made a grinding noise and slid downward.
The old adrenelin started to flow, but I soon realized no one else was panicking, so the wing wasn't coming apart as I
had thought. We hit a few little pockets of turbulence, but nothing scarey. Actually, I quite enjoyed it.
A LITTLE excitement never hurts.

The landing in Philadelphia was great. It really is amazing how such a big heavy piece of metal, full of people, can float
so gracefully down to the earth. What an interesting feeling it gave me. I loved every minute of it.

As I walked up the passageway from the plane to the terminal, a million thoughts went through my head. I stepped out into
an open area and did a quick scan of the people waiting. There she stood, the woman I had talked to and seen pictures of for 2 1/2 years.
She was leaning casually against a post.

She was just as I had imagined. We smiled at each other and gave each other a big hug. It was so good to finally be there.
I knew instantly that my decision to take this trip was a good one.

We chatted on the drive home and I was surprised to find that as we left the city and neared her home, the surrounding countryside
was not unlike our Canadian Northland. She lives in a lovely, somewhat secluded woodland area where deer are a common sight
and the crickets and tree toads sing a loud chorus each night. And I mean LOUD!

The crickets were serenading us that evening as we sat out on her deck and enjoyed a lovely meal with her husband, whose name
also happens to be Bob. They both made me feel very much at home.

August 19th, 1999

Today the sun is shining. A perfect day for our trip to Cape May. I can't wait! When I saw pictures of it on Marisoldue's webpage,
I knew it was a place I HAD to see someday.

The three of us started the day by getting up at 5:30 to attend a stationary bike class. Unfortunately, I am short
and the bike seats are tall. Ouch! To add to the agony, my seat kept wanting to tilt forward and dump me off. I had to hold
myself on with my hands on the handle bars and every time the instructor said to sit up without using hands, my backside would
plummet off the front of the seat. The instructor was an enthusiastic, very pregnant, young woman. Oh well, I had lots of fun
and got a little exercise to boot and I guess I provided Marisoldue and Bob with their morning chuckle.

A quick stop at the local coffee shop for a tea and muffin and home for a quick shower. We said our goodbyes to Bob
and began our drive to the southern tip of New Jersey.

The drive was a pleasant one and we had a lot of laughs. I spotted a TEXACO sign and asked if Marisoldue remembered the
old song from the sixties. "You can trust your car to the man who wears the star, the big, bright, TEXACO, star!"
Yup! She remembered! For the rest of the week every time we spotted a sign we would burst into song and have a little chuckle.
Mighty silly, but fun.

We arrived in the quaint little town of Cape May, New Jersey at a little after noon. We dropped our stuff off at her sister's
summer home, then quickly jumped into our bathing suits, grabbed a couple of beach chairs and the sunblock and were off.
The beach was a short walk down the street and as we walked up the steps and crossed the small dunes area, I realized the beach
stretched on forever in both directions and was covered in people and colourful umbrellas.

The water was a glorious blue, as was the sky, and the sand was almost white. Behind us, across the road, lay a row of fabulous
old homes, painted in colourful hues. It really was quite lovely.

The view along the beach               The view towards the road.

Boy, were those three built well! The houses I mean!!!

We no sooner got our chairs set up and someone spotted a school of dolphins swimming quite close to the end of the jetty.
They were within a few hundred feet. What a thrill to see them jumping up out of the water as they passed. It looked like so much fun.
The waves threatened to pull us in, chairs and all anyway, so I decided to give it a shot myself later and played in the waves
for several hours.
Marisoldue sat in her chair and laughed at me. I guess I looked like a big kid but it felt great,
although the salt water was a little sticky.

Waiting for the next wave.

After the swim we returned to the house for a quick shower and then started our shopping/walking tour of the town. We had lunch
at a little outdoor pizza place that had the best pizza I've ever tasted. The shopping was great and so were the many beautiful homes
we encountered. Here are just a few examples.

In the evening we had dinner and a wonderful chat in a lovely old Victorian home that had been turned into a restaurant called Frescos.
We had a wonderful time and the conversation flowed as freely as the wine. We ended up being almost the last two people in the restaurant.

When we got home at around 11:30 I suggested a moonlight walk along the beach. We walked the 3 miles to the end of the boulevard
in an hour and again the conversation was good.

August 20, 1999

Today I woke up at 5:30 A.M. and just enjoyed looking out my window and collecting my thoughts until Marisoldue got up at 7:30.
We walked along the beach, collecting shells and stones for my son Kenny, and took a few more pictures. It was so quiet and peaceful.

The early morning sun on the water was beautiful as you can see. There were only two sets of footprints in the sand, mine and
Marisoldue's. We found out why the night before. There were large grating machines with lights on them, driving up and down
the miles of beach, raking the sand. They work at night so the beach will be free of debris in the morning.

After a wonderful fruit salad and homemade fruitbread breakfast with Marisoldue's niece, Kristen at a place called The Mad Batter,
we checked out a few more stores before heading back to the house. We stopped long enough to gather our things, and then headed for home,
not without a couple more pictures though. How's that for a sunburn?

When we returned home I spent a little time in Marisoldue's beautiful garden.

Even with the terrible drought they were having, there was beauty to be found in her quiet little oasis.

That evening after a quick pizza dinner with Marisoldue and Bob we hopped in the car and drove to her sister's home to pick up her
and her husband. After a short stop we were off to a Gato Barbieri concert in Glenside, Pennsylvania. What a wonderful evening that was.
The warm-up group were called Steve Reid's Bamboo Forest and they played a large selection of percussion instruments in their act,
as well as mixing in a little comedy here and there. The numbers were lively and had the audience in a great mood by the time they finished.

Then came the main event. Latin American, tenor saxophonist and bandleader, Gato Barbieri walked out dressed in a white summer suit and
felt hat, looking very dapper. From the first moment he picked up his instrument and began to blow, I knew I was going to like
what I heard. He made the sax do his bidding and kept the audience entertained until the end, when they rewarded him with an enthusiastic
round of applause.

We went home that night tired from our long day, but feeling good from the music. I don't remember how long it took me to fall asleep
when my head hit that pillow, but it wasn't long.

August 21st, 1999

Intercourse, Pennsylvania

Today we ventured out into the rolling hills of Pennsylvania to a little village called Intercourse, to visit the Amish marketplace.

Marisoldue knew from our many conversations that I love the Amish style of crafts and quilting and admire
the simplicity of their lifestyle.

While walking through the little square we came upon a small band playing polka music and I began singing along to
The Beer Barrel Polka, one of my favourites that I used to dance to with my Dad. Marisoldue got a laugh out of that.
I wish she had let me lead her in a polka. We ARE two old ladies after all, aren't we? She's probably thinking
I should speak for myself. Ha Ha!

After a little shopping we decided to stop for lunch in one of the cozy little restaurants in an old-fashioned house. The meal
was delicious, but the coconut cream pie was a mile high and to die for! Yummm! I've never had better and I doubt I ever will.
I gotta go back there some day, just for the pie, if nothing else. After lunch we browsed through a few more stores admiring
the beautiful handmade quilts. There were whole walls covered in every colour and pattern you could think of.
A crafter's paradise for sure.

Soon after, we headed for home. Our car trips always seemed to end up taking us a little off track. Marisoldue decided to take
a detour and stop for a little browse at her favourite TJMax store. You get the max for the minimum after all!

Somehow we ended up in a little out of the way town that had a mostly African American population. She wasn't quite sure where
she was, so we decided to stop for directions at a friendly looking gas station. The attendant was inside a small booth
and had a loud speaker through which he spoke to customers. Marisoldue got in line and when her turn came she asked directions to
our destination.

I can't even describe what happened when this young man began to explain to her where she should go. He sounded exactly like
Eddie Murphy and had a very heavy accent. The instructions he gave in two minutes could have been said in 30 seconds. How she
was able to stand there straight-faced and not only take directions, but have him repeat them, I'll never know. I was laughing so
hard I was crying and was nearly on the floor of the car. I asked her where we were going and she said she didn't have a clue because
she didn't understand a word he said. My sides hurt so bad when I got control of myself again, that I could hardly breathe.

After a quick turn around, half way down an up ramp for some highway (Ooops! That's freeway in the States, eh?) we were finally
back on track.

TJMax was full of bargains. I wanted to bring home a car load of towels, but was afraid I would exceed my weight requirements for
the plane. I ended up with two pewter picture frames for a mere five dollars each and a red silk blouse.

Dinner that night was delicious. We picked some Italian tomatoes and herbs from her garden and sauteed them in a frying pan,
adding some fresh pasta and enjoying a little white wine. This was one of the meals I enjoyed most on the entire trip. We relaxed
and talked late into the evening when we took our friend Shiitake for her nightly stroll, around midnight.

August 22nd, 1999

We woke up early this morning as usual and took Shiitake for her favourite breakfast at Starbuck's Coffee Shop after her
morning walk. She hasn't needed the muzzle since the second day of my visit. I guess she likes me after all. I suppose it's partly
because I've been bringing her home a doggy bag from the restaurants we've been visiting. Bribery will get me everywhere with this gal.

Today we were off to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, home of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Philly Cheese Steaks, The Liberty Bell and the
WORLD'S LARGEST CLOTHESPIN.

I figured it was some huge, monsterous, wooden structure out on the highway, beside some farmer's field. Little did I know it was
a tall iron structure, right in the heart of the city, nestled among the sky scrapers. It was pretty cool, as was the entire city.
Here's an interesting billboard we came across at a bus stop.

We checked out some small eclectic shops on some out of the way streets, in the artist's district. One was a shop with chandeliers
made out of household items, like coffee pots and glass vases. It was intriguing and as we looked in the window, the artist
rode up on his bicycle and invited us in to have a look around. I asked if I could take some pictures and he was gracious enough to
let me. Here is some of his work.

We checked out a few more places and ran into this store with the name of my favourite song. "And we were singing.......
Bye, bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy, but the levy was dry. And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
singing .......This will be the day that I die.....

Here's a few more interesting places we ran into. How's that for a cool McDonald's, eh?

After walking around for a while peeking in shop windows, we decided to stop and have lunch in a little pub we came across.
The decor was nothing special, but the pizza was delicious...and the wine wasn't bad either.

When we were finished, Marisoldue decided to take me to see the buildings done in mosaics by artist, Isaiah Zagar. He and some
other avante guard artists began renovating South Street, which was full of abandoned and run down houses. It's now one of
the more interesting tourist attractions in Philly. He uses broken glass and Mexican pottery with cement for his works. I was
struck by the mixture of colours and textures we saw there. What a uniquely creative way to recycle.

Again we lucked out and as we were parking the car Isaiah showed up and invited the crowd of people standing there to come
inside the fence and look around. We stopped to talk to him for a few minutes. Marisoldue knew him from her early days
as a budding artist and he remembered her.

When we had seen all we could see we hopped in the car to explore some more. We had just pulled around a corner and there
was a store with figurines outside. I hollered for Marisoldue to stop because they had a more than lifesize figure
of Charlie Chaplin on the front stoop, and I just had to get a picture of it for Kenny. He's been a fan since he was about
1 1/2 years old. He has a larger copy of this picture on his bulletin board now.

The next stop was an interesting street called Elfreth's Alley. It is the oldest, continuously inhabited street in America.
Created between 1702 and 1704, it is lined with 32 colonial and federal period homes, each no more than sixteen feet wide.

Walking it's length we got to see the lovely, little, enclosed private gardens tucked between some of the houses and visible only
through a small iron gate. What a quiet, cozy spot to stop and enjoy nature or read a book.

This was basically the end of my tour of Philadelphia. What a wonderfully interesting city. So much to see, so much to do.
I wish there had been more time. There were sections we never got to, where Marisoldue said there were tons of antique stores.
I love antiques and ties with our past. My Mom used to always say I was an old soul, born a hundred years too late.

Just before we were about to leave the city, Marisoldue took me for a drive down the boulevard to get a few shots out of her
sunroof of City Hall where the statue of William Penn sits atop the beautiful old building. By the way, just in case you're
wondering, that's a parchment scroll he's holding in his right hand that you see protruding out in front of his body.
I wonder if old Willy would have liked this profile?

August 23rd, 1999

Today was the day I got to go to Washington, D.C., capital of the United States of America. We got up early to catch the
train from Philly's 30th Street Station. Marisoldue figured she'd be asleep in five minutes, but she's never travelled with me.

We had a great time chatting, laughing and watching the scenery whiz past our window. The trip went surprisingly fast and we
hurried off the train to catch a subway to our destination. Our stop on the subway line was called "Foggy Bottom".

It was a beautiful sunny day. We asked directions to the Lincoln Memorial. All my life I have dreamed of one day standing at the
foot of this monument looking up at this great man, and here I was doing exactly that. There were a lot of people milling around,
but barely a sound. People quietly took pictures and just stood gazing at the 19 foot tall, marble statue that rests on a high
marble base. It's really very impressive and a wonderful tribute to a truly great President.

The first picture was taken on the wall at the foot of the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It shows the reflecting pool
in the back ground and the Washington Monument at the end of it. It was all dressed up in blue scaffolding when we were there,
being cleaned for the millenium celebrations. It's still hard to believe I was there.

The second picture is Marisoldue sitting
on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial reading the tourist map.

I had only two *must see* requests when Marisoldue asked what I would like to see in Washington. This being one of them and the
Vietnam Memorial Wall being the other, which was located in a small wooded area beside the reflecting pool.

After walking the length of this area we ventured out among the buildings again and headed for The Smithsonian Institute.
It is made up of many buildings, housing some of the finest art the world has to offer. We came across the African Art Exhibit first.
Marisoldue has a real passion for African art and owns many of their colourful wooden masks.

The interesting building below is the old Smithsonian, built in 1879.

The Smithsonian also had some pretty interesting sculpture gardens. Marisoldue and I found a use for their sculptures.
They made a good resting spot out of the sun and I found a good use for the water fountain.

The National Art Gallery was next on the agenda. The East building, which is the newer portion was built as an optical illusion.

After a lovely lunch in the Cascade Cafe we ventured into the West Building. I couldn't get enough of this place. I was like a kid
in a candy shop, dragging Marisoldue to room after room, whenever something amazing caught my eye. I even had the guards chuckling
at my exclamations. I'm so glad she was with me for my first art gallery experience. I can't think of anyone
I'd rather have shared it with.

I was lucky, or is that crazy enough to take a photograph of a Vincent Van Gogh painting, before Marisoldue told me I wasn't
allowed to take pictures or they might take my film from me. I've never been in an art gallery, so I had no idea. Fortunately,
I wasn't caught and the result was the photo below of the Vincent Van Gogh, Self Portrait, 1889, oil on canvas.

Marisoldue wanted to show me the Leonardo Da Vinci painting, Ginevra de' Benci painted circa 1474. I was in awe of the way this
was painted. Every inch of the underlying texture of the canvas could be seen in the painting, except for her face. That area
looked smooth and almost like lightly powdered fine porcelain. It's said that Da Vinci smoothed it with his fingertips to get the
right effect. I couldn't take my eyes off it and could have stayed there all day examining it. Marisoldue says that's why they
call them "Masters". They truly are. I will never look at art the same again. The back of the painting is almost as
beautiful as the front.

This ain't Elvis on velvet!

Time ran short all too quickly and we were soon on the road back to Union Station. Along the route we took a quick tour
of the outside of the Capital Building. What a beautiful piece of architecture that is.

After snapping nearly a whole roll of film on that building we set off down the avenue to catch our train home. The day
was sunny and warm, the walk pleasant and the company superb. We were nearly at the end of our walking tour of Washington, D.C.

Across the street from Union Station stands this interesting cluster of people. It's just one of the many beautiful
pieces of art to be found along the streets of this historical city.

In front of the station is yet another beautiful tall statue. It looked very impressive. The pigeons seemed to like it too.

Also in front of the station, tucked in behind the large white statue, stands this replica of the Liberty Bell, the original of
which can be found in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The train ride back to Philly was fun. We had very tired feet, but very high spirits. I was still so excited about all I had seen
and was laughing a little too hard at some of Marisoldue's comments when a loud snort escaped me. Marisoldue thought that was
pretty funny and began talking to me about something funny, snorting loudly in between. It took me a while to catch on to the fact
that she was trying to make it sound like I was snorting and she had everyone in the car laughing at the crazy redhead. Of course
that made me laugh so hard I started snorting again. Silly woman!

That night we had a relaxing dinner at Chili's where we joked with the bartender and had a (br) wonderful heartfelt chat about our lives. She may be a silly woman, but she's also a wise one, (br) or maybe it was just all those *Brown Cows*.

August 24th, 1999

This was my 47th birthday and one of the best I can ever remember. Marisoldue went out of her way to make it a very special day for me.

We woke up at 5AM and went to bike class. Jim, the instructor, was brutal, but it felt good to work the kinks out after all that
walking in Washington the day before. I asked him why he was walking around while we were working our butt's off during the hardest
part of the session and he got a laugh out of that. I was nicknamed "The Canadian Rookie, eh!"

I opted to skip breakfast today, because we were meeting Marisoldue's friend Roger, for lunch and then having dinner out, so I didn't
want to overdo. We met Roger at a lovely little restaurant made from an old farmhouse, set at the edge of a golf course, off a country road.
We sat outside in a huge white tent and there was a lovely breeze blowing. The food was delicious, so was the wine and the company was
fun and easy. I really enjoyed meeting Roger after having seen some of his lovely artwork. When Marisoldue realized it was 2PM, she said
we would have to hurry if we wanted to catch the fountain display at Longwood Gardens. We said our goodbyes and as we were leaving I snapped
this picture in the parking lot. Roger remarked that I was going to LOVE the fountain display.

We arrived at Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania shortly after 2PM. We entered the lobby and Marisoldue said something about
having to renew her membership, so I said I would keep myself busy browsing in the window of the gift shop there. I was doing just that,
when a man came up behind me and made a remark about all the nice things in the gift shop or something and I turned to find OttoPHD standing
behind me with a huge smile on his face. Boy, was I surprised! I think I hollered, "Oh my God!" before I grabbed him and gave him a
big hug. What a terrific birthday surprise!

It was a wonderful meeting and we walked around and enjoyed the gardens, despite the fact that the water fountains weren't working
because of the drought. So much for the fountain display.

It happened to start raining just as we went outside. I was soaked by the time we reached the greenhouse, but it didn't dampen
our spirits and we had fun. Marisoldue didn't waste any time recording the event with her camera.

I in turn took a few of the two of them.

Is that Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds behind those umbrellas?

Apparently, this little surpise had been planned long before I boarded the plane to Philadelphia. These two would make great
poker players. I didn't have a clue and had almost given up hope of meeting OttoPHD on this trip. I'll get you guys for this. Someday!!!

After the gardens, the three of us went back to Marisoldue's home and sat on the balcony, enjoying a bottle of wine and having a laugh
or two, before heading out to dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant called the Macaroni Grill. Dinner was delicious and I can't say
enough about my companions. What a wonderful birthday they planned for me. I'll never forget it.

After dinner, we returned to Marisoldue's where they gave me my birthday gifts. I was very touched by that. We said our goodbyes
to OttoPHD, who had a long trip back to his home, in another state. The day was full of surprises and I felt very special.
I'll remember it always.

August 25th, 1999

Today I woke up feeling a little sad because I knew it was my last day. We went to Starbucks and I picked up a little souvenir I had
seen earlier in the week at a nearby shop. Shiitake accompanied us, so afterward we took her for a nice long walk through a nearby
conservation area along the Brandywine River. She had a little swim because it was such a hot day.

The time passed far too quickly, and it was soon time to go back to Marisoldue's and collect my things. I stopped to snap a
few last minute pictures.

Everything was packed the night before, so it was just a matter of saying goodbye to all the pets and taking one last walk through
her beautiful gardens. I stood for a few minutes at the edge of it as I was leaving, trying to
somehow capture it all in my memory, for future reference, then we hopped in the car and headed for the airport in Philly. On the way
there I spotted this interesting license plate. I'm not sure I'd have the nerve to drive a car with this on it.

The drive there seemed all too short. My plane ended up being delayed because of weather in Toronto, so we got to spend
a few extra minutes saying our goodbyes before the announcement came to board.

Here's a shot I took out of the window of the airplane while we waited for an hour on the runway. The planes were lined up as far
as I could see.

and just after we took off and the plane banked to the left. Notice the wingtip at the bottom of the picture.

It was really hard saying goodbye. Frankly, I didn't want to go. It was the end of one of the most wonderful weeks I've ever
experienced, and I'll never forget one moment of it. It's locked in my heart and memory forever.

Thanks Marisoldue. Thanks OttoPHD. *HUGS*

Go HOME!!!