The Big Apple

                                                           

I have a lot of friends and family who’ve traveled to the bustling city of New York City on many occasions. They all come back praising the city and eager to share their adventures there. I can say honestly say that until this past Sunday, I was unable to give an honest opinion about the place...oh I’ve been there...or close to it...many times, but never dipped my toes, so to speak.

                                                      

                    

The first time I had the chance, ‘had’ being the operative word here, to visit NY was almost forty-seven years ago. I was newly married to husband #1. We decided to join his cousin and his wife one night for dinner and somehow the plan was hatched to take a quick ride to New York and check out the sights. This was before google maps and GPS devices. The car we rode up in was already exhibiting signs of an early death, but when you’re young...you’re adventurous and stupid.

                                                       

Did we take a map? Nope! Did we have enough gas? Yeah, right!  No, we just jumped into the car and headed north. We had been on the road for some time when cousin shouts out, “I think that’s the Brooklyn Bridge.”

Wow, the Brooklyn Bridge! I was so excited to see the bright lights and the fabled Times Square. Did I mention that we didn’t take a map? After the fourth time of driving over the Brooklyn Bridge and not knowing where the hell we were, or why we kept winding up at that stupid bridge, we gave up and headed home.

Big Apple Part 2

My second husband had no desire to visit New York, ever. He was a Philadelphia Fire Fighter until he retired and also had a side job as a truck driver. His experience with traffic, as a truck driver, had turned him off to ever visiting the place. Luckily, I was working at the Academy of Natural Sciences and our volunteers were treated to a yearly outing. One of the outings was to New York’s Museum of Natural Sciences. I had finally made it to the city, but because we were on a schedule, did not get to see the city itself.

Big Apple Part 3

Would I ever get to see the city? I had another opportunity to go to New York a couple of years ago, when my granddaughter, Allie Gilbert, was attending Moore College of Art and Design. She was part of their big yearly fashion show and needed some swatches. She wanted me to keep her company. I was so excited to be asked to go with her, but while on the Mega Bus, it began to rain...let me rephrase this...it was a monsoon! Luckily I had an umbrella, but that was lost quickly in the crowd. My velour jumpsuit was soaking wet and hanging from my body as my granddaughter dragged me from one fabric store to another.

                                 Camden Comic Con                             

We were on a tight schedule as the bus did not wait for anyone and Allie had to be back in time for a class. At one point, I asked, “Allie, are we near Time’s Square?”

Her reply, “It’s that way, Grandmom, but we don’t have the time to visit.” She took hold of my hand and continued pulling me from one street to the next. Big sigh...I arrived back in Philly, soggy, cold, and doomed, so I thought, to never enjoy New York.

Big Apple Part 4

My friend, Jean, and her husband Rich travel to New York all the time. Rich was born and raised there and, Jean had worked and lived in the city for many years. Traffic did not bother them; they were experts at dodging crazy drivers. Jean needed to visit two big beads shops in order to make charms for dog and cat collars. This is something she is planning on selling. I'll let you know when.

                                                                 

Jean asked me if I would like to come spend the day with them. “Will we actually be able to walk around and visit some of the tourist spots,” I asked, as flashbacks of the ‘swatch’ collecting debacle flashed through my mind.

                                     Jean & Marie at the Grand Central Station                     

Jean’s assurance that we would see as much as possible sealed the deal and I went with her. I had a ball! We did visit the two stores and then visited Grand Central Station, Rockefeller Plaza, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and finally had drinks at the Tavern on the Green in Grand Central Park. We even met the very hospitable Proprietor of the Tavern, Jim Caiola.

                                                             

                          

I finally got to see the Big Apple in style and, I’m going back with Jean to visit even more places once this heat wave passes. I loved New York City, but guess what? NYC reminded me a lot of my own home town, Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love has pretty much all the razzle and dazzle that the Big Apple offers, only smaller and less congested.

                                                                 

 

I’m going to visit the Big Apple again, but you can bet that I’ll be encouraging the people of New York to come visit our Little Apple.

                                                           

                    

Road Trip Home, Part Two: From Here to Eternity

                                                                     

After, Jimmy’s graduation from Parris Island, my daughter and her family with me riding shotgun began our long ride, 700 miles, home to New Jersey.  Although the van was a nice size, after we packed it up with our suitcases, Jimmy’s marine bags, three adults and three teens, the van seemed to mysteriously shrink in size. We were tired from all the activities of Family Day and Graduation Day at Parris Island and I was anxious to get home to my husband, who was too sick to make the trip.

                                                                          

My daughter and I were squeezed into a little section of the van as the boys either fell asleep or played a board game. To play the board game one of the seats had to be folded down and used as a table. I told my daughter that I felt like one of those poor cows that were warehoused at industrial farms. MOO!

                                                                     

We stopped for lunch after being on the road for several hours. After a quick bite, we loaded back into the car only to learn after driving for an hour that we had to turn back. One of the boys forgot their cell phone behind.
                                                                                   

I'm not mentioning any names, and none of us were happy about the extra time on the road, but shit happens. My son-in-law was anxious to get me home to hubby and figured that we would make it home by 10 p.m. on Friday night if he kept the pedal to the metal. Wrong!

Young Jimmy has a childhood friend (also a new marine) who is being transferred overseas and he wanted to visit him at the Fort Lee base. We made the detour and after entering the base, got lost a few times before finding his friend. Happy reunion between friends accomplished, we headed to a restaurant before continuing the trip.

                                                                 

The newest estimated arrival time to New Jersey was now closer to 1:30 Saturday morning, which I wouldn’t have minded except my daughter and I were exhausted and still squished in-between three growing or grown teens. Help!

                                                                    

Someone got the bright idea to put on a movie called Dragon Ball Z. I had no freaking idea who or what Dragon Ball Z was about. Why were all the characters in that movie screaming at each other? What was the background story on Dragon Ball Z? Nathan, the youngest, took his time explaining to me and my daughter who each character was. I wasn’t impressed.

                                                                   

Maybe it was because my daughter and I were so exhausted or maybe it was because we were giddy from the lack of oxygen due to being squished in the van, all I know is that we began to laugh hysterically while Nathan explained who and what Goku, Chi-Chi, Gohan, Broly and Oolong the pig were doing in this movie.  I don’t know about you, but Oolong is a very strange pig.

                                                                          

Like I said, it was a long ride home and my poor son-in-law drove it all by himself. When we did arrive back home, we all tumbled out of the car and began unpacking. I arrived home a little past two in the morning. That night, I had a nightmare that I was a character on Dragon Ball Z.

                                                                           

 

Road Trip to Parris Island, Part One

                                                                      

The Proud Mom and Dad of James R. Reid the 3rd.

        

                                                               

This past month has been a flurry of excitement with all the families of the Parris Island recruits preparing for the big day…the day their sons, daughters, grandchild, sibling, husband or wife was graduating boot camp and becoming a full-fledged Marine.

                                                                        

                                                            
Everyone, who was connected to a recruit in 3rd Battalion Kilo Company was able to check in on their recruit because of the Kilo Facebook page and a very special person who ran the site, Tammy Opel. This amazing woman kept many parents and grandparents calm while explaining exactly what would be happening to the daily. We can’t thank you enough, Tammy. I’m sorry that we didn’t get to meet you on Graduating day, but I will keep in touch through Facebook.

                                                                           

Whenever a picture was posted to the Kilo page, my daughter and I would scour through the photos trying to find a picture of Jimmy. There were several pictures that I even posted to my Facebook page swearing that they were of my grandson. Ha! We weren’t even close, but for some reason; they all look the same. Kind of makes me wonder how good of a job I would do picking someone out of a police line-up.

                                                                     

But luckily for us, Michele Breland Gauthreaux found a picture of Jimmy and the article saying that, yes indeed, this was our recruit. Michele was also the person assigned to getting the news out about the SAM BAGS. I wrote a blog about this event …more on this later.

                                                                      

Wednesday Morning

The plans were for my husband Dan and me to ride in a rental van with my daughter and her family all the way to Parris Island, but as we all know, the best laid plans of mice and men often get screwed up. My husband, who was hit with several major health issues this past month,  had to stay home, while I went with my daughter and her family on the road trip.


The van although huge, seemed to shrink with each passing mile; 700 miles to be exact. At one point, it was suggested that I ride on the roof of the van, just like in a certain movie...only kidding, but it was a long trip.
                                                                     

We arrived at our hotel, the Detreville House, which is part of the Marine Corp Community, late Wednesday night. The hotel was awesome and we were protected by armed marines; cool!

                                                                

Family Day and a Freezing Thursday Morning

                                                                                

                                                             

 We were at the base by 6 a.m. to line up and cheer for our brand new marines at the Family Day Race. It was so stinking cold on that Island, and my daughter and I were bundled up like Polar explorers, but it didn’t help at all. We couldn't wait until Jimmy and the other marines were dismissed for a few hours of liberty

                                                                         

 Nathan and Joshua were in their glory and couldn’t get enough of their big brother. I found this really funny since they did nothing but fight before he left for basic training, but absence does make the heart grow fonder, especially when you can raid big brother’s X-box games.

                                                                          

My son-in-law and my daughter were so very proud of their son. They were pleased to know that contrary to how he kept his room at home, Jimmy was quite capable of making a bed. Thank you Drill Instructors!

                                                                            

Thursday night we headed over to Gilligan’s Seafood Restaurant for dinner…they have the best food, ever, followed by Gilligan’s manager, Kelly telling us the history of how the Sam Bags Project was started. Sam Bags stand for Stand Alone Marines. These are marines whose families, for a number of reasons, are unable to attend the graduation ceremony. This site explains everything and how you can participate even if you don't have any family members at Parris Island.

                                                                       

                                                                        

I was able to get a picture of three kilo moms, starting with Michele Breland Gauthreaux on the left, Candy in the middle and Patty on the right. We all pitched in and packed the blue bags with goodies  for the big day. I’m going to support and blog about this event every year from now on because I really think this is such a worthwhile cause.

Friday: Graduation Ceremony

This was the big day and all the Kilo families were in the bleachers waiting for their marines to go through the graduation ceremony. It was all so very impressive, but for four families even more so because four marines from the Kilo Company received awards.

                                                                           

Jimmy was one of the four and he received a plaque

                                                                          

 Pvt. James R. Reid III, Kilo Company high shooter of Platoon 3018, earned a rifle score of 335 out of 350. I guess it does pay to play war games on X-Box.

                                                                          

After the ceremony, we all loaded into the van for the long and wayward ride home. Stay tuned for part two or as I like to call it, “From Here to Eternity.”

Update from Marie of Gilbert Curiosities

                                                                   

Hi my little zombie snacks!! Just a heads up that I won't be blogging as much as usual for the next week.

I'm heading out on Friday morning for another adventure. Got my bags packed; my equipment safely stored; and my rosary beads, holy water and bible in my backpack.

                                                                     

Heading out for some serious ghost investigations with my friends. Don't know what we'll find, but a looking we will go.

                                                                  

I'll catch up on my Sleepy Hollow Reviews on my return and post them on www.biffbampop.com

I'll catch up on my News from the Dark Side and my Lilith Returns as soon as I return, as well as any interviews in my in-box.

Hold the fort until I return; look out for the shuffling dead. Yes! I'm talking about Congress! But also look out for zombies.

I'll post on Facebook and Twitter when possible.

Gettysburg: History and Ghosts. Oh My!

    After cancelling our trip, once before because of bad weather, our team leader, Jean decided it was now or never to make our way to Gettysburg to take in the historical sites and to do a bit of ghost hunting.
    The already cloudy day, when we began our drive, had turned into a "chance for showers" by the time we had reached our hotel, but armed with umbrellas we headed out Friday night to our first ghost tour. Having picked out a company which offers the needed equipment to search for spirits, we headed for the bridge.
    Sach's bridge is a covered bridge, and we were informed by our guide, it is known for paranormal activity. After spending some time on the bridge, we then headed up the trail, towards an old house which was used as a makeshift hospital during the three day battle at Gettysburg.
    It was late at night, cold, and the air heavy with the promise of heavy rain. Left alone to explore at our own pace, I headed towards the hill, not far from the house, with my ghost buddies, Jean and Rita.
    I was scanning the area with my flashlight, when I passed over a shape at the top of the hill. My reactions slow because my hand was cold from the chill of the night, I aimed the flashlight at the spot where I had seen the shape, but it was no longer there.
   Wanting to make certain, I had seen what I did, I turned to ask my comrades to shine their lights on the hill, but I was alone because everyone in the group had moved back towards the  house. After finding my friends, I asked Jean to take several photos of the hill in hopes she would catch something on film, but nothing showed in the photos taken.
    We finally called it a night and returned to our hotel to get some much needed sleep fot the next day's activities, but I was unable to close my eyes, because the memory of the confederate soldier kneeling on one knee, rife in hand, kept me awake and curious.
     Saturday, we decided to visit the Gettysburg National Military Park, surrounding ourselves in the history of the Civil War, and the 1863 battle of Gettysburg. The Museum and Visitor Center was worth the trip, and we had the chance to view the Cyclorama, a state of the art light and sound show depicting Pickett's Charge.
    Jean had purchased an audio CD and map for us to find our way around the many points of interest at the park, but unfortunately she gave the map to me. As my family knows from experience, never give the map to Marie, my sense of direction so challenged, I'm amazed I was even able to find my way through the birth canal.
   After several episodes of driving around in circles, we finally found Oak Ridge and from there
big round top.
   We braved the cold air and climbed to the top of big round only to be forced back to the car because of the heavy rains. The parking lot was deserted as it was closing time for the park and after climbing into our van, we were upset to find the battery dead.
    Girlscout that I am, I announced to my friends, "We'll be okay. We have snacks, water, and look over there, an outhouse. We can survive until help comes."
    My friend, Rita, not one to panic, calmly pointed out, "We have cellphones. We can call for help."
Lucky for us, two very nice gentlemen came to our aid and jump started the battery, and off we went to sign up for two late night ghost hunts, one at the Jennie Wade House and one at a former orphanage.
    Sunday was spent at the Soldier's National Cemetary, where Lincoln gave his speech at the dedication of the cemetary. Quite solemn, when you see all the unknown markers at the gravesites
    All in all, we had a great time, although a soggy one, and we'll be doing this again next year. This Saturday coming up, I'll  be attending a Witche's Ball, and will post about this soon.