A lot of stuff has happened since the last post because of some pretty hectic travel.  Must admit I need to be settled and relaxed to wax lyrically about our adventures!

The day before we due to leave Mac my left ankle was severely swollen and giving me a serious amount of gyp.  Into to Mac’s A&E, who I must admit were impressive and extremely efficient.  Result?  Not really sure!  Thought it was gout brought on by an ankle strain? Anyway the result was basic pain killers as the uric acid levels were normal so no gout medication!  Luckily it was the left ankle so once I was in the truck I was good to go – walking was a different issue!!

So it was back across the US of A from Mac to Charleston with a layover in Alabama to see Bill and Beth for a few days.  Day 1 was to Hines, OR a dusty little town just down the road from where a bunch of rednecks had taken over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, and in a standoff with the FBI Robert ‘LaVoy’ Finicum was killed and his co-conspirators arrested. Nice and quite when we went through. Day 2 to Idaho Falls, ID where we stayed in the Rodeway Inn right on the river and went to sleep to sound of the waterfalls after a very good dinner at the Copper Rill Restaurant – hobbling distance from the hotel.  Day 3 it was Rawlins, WY where we stayed in a brand new Hampton Inn in the Wyoming waste land on the outskirts of town.  Did have a great Thai restaurant – Anong Thai – which made it a great layover. Day 4 was the Hotel Grand Conference in Grand Island, NE.  A huge conference centre that was basically empty, but made a good stopping spot, though I can’t say Grand Island had too much going for it.  Day 5 it was the Hampton Inn, Jefferson City, MO.  Once again picked as a convenient stopping spot – nothing else.  However, we lucked out as Domenico’s Italian Restaurant was 5 minutes drive from the hotel.  A great old school Italian spot where everyone seemed to know each other; complete with an old couple (way older than us) having her birthday dinner with a big cake for dessert!  I had one of the best clam pastas ever and Ann’s sea bream was large and cooked perfectly. Would you believe they even had a half decent wine list.  Good layover!  Day 5 was the Hilton Garden Inn, Jonesboro, AK.  Picked not only on the time/distance scale but because it supposedly had a very good restaurant – Omar’s Uptown.  Probably the only decent restaurant in Jonesboro – never seen so many jackets and ties on display for a long time! Food was good, not out standing, but good.  Couldn’t say the same for wine list, but then just about every man in the place was drinking mixed drinks – very country old school! Day 6 was Trussville, AL – a really good layover spot! Always fun with Bill & Beth and we celebrated with dinner at the Highland Bar & Grill which Bill had introduced us to many years ago.  Had an excellent meal and great wine – Chef Frank Stitt was still producing superb food – evidenced by the fact that the restaurant was packed.  Then it was on to Charleston, SC to abuse the hospitality of our good friends Scott & BB.  We drove in on I-26 in a major thunderstorm, a real frog strangler, with visibility down to a few yards.  Tried to get on 526 to Mt Pleasant only to find it gridlocked!  Back on 26 to downtown and across the Ravenel Bridge, by which time the rain had slacked off and we could see where we going.  Welcomed back with open arms and Scott’s renowned Margaritas – yes!!

We were scheduled to fly out to New York in 10 days to board the Queen Mary II for England, so it was a really hectic 10 days!  Met with Tom Morrison our lawyer to update wills and do a P of A for Mark  so he could handle stuff in our absence, Drs, dentists, accountant, and check storage, which included the Nissan Pathfinder.  Plus we put the house on the market with Lois Lane!  We just couldn’t see living in Charleston again and planned another 1-2 years of travel, so it was sell!  We had an amazing dinner at 492 thanks to Marky, did Bowen’s Island with Scott & BB, Charleston CC with Barbara & Arnie, and Scott’s awesome burgers on the grill after a round of golf at Rivertowne with Mark, Scott, and Remley.  A little stressful but we got everything done!

First class on Delta to NY where we had booked the Cunard meet & greet and an over night stay at the Crowne Plaza, with a transfer to the QM II the next day.  Mooched around Manhattan and then went for dinner at Hakkasan, a 1* Michelin spot, where the food was outstanding – some of the best Chinese we’ve had – and we have had a lot!   The next day it was coaches to the boat with our luggage having special QM II tags that ensured our bags went straight to our cabin. Total chaos!  Bags were not being brought down to meet the respective coaches so went and found ours and brought them out to the bus.  After that it all went quite smoothly and the actual Border Security check was relatively speedy considering the amount of people embarking. Our bags all arrived safely in our cabin, which had a balcony with a fabulous view of a Cunard life boat, but made for a light and airy cabin.  After a tour of the ship we headed to the top deck to see Lady Liberty slide past as we headed out to the Atlantic and the start of our 7 day crossing.