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The McPenguin5 say Au Revoir
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mcpenguin5
- Posts: 114
- Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2006 8:05 am
- Location: Maryland
The McPenguin5 say Au Revoir
Saturday morning. We must leave. How can it feel so awful to leave a place that is not your home? And yet, that is how it feels. Like leaving home for a long time. I know I am going to miss all this, and I am listening to JJ plan what we will have to do on our next trip. He is so happy and cheerful, he just knows we will be coming back. He is not one to dwell on the sadness of the moment, but to be excited that another adventure is going to come.
I woke early, as usual, and started in on the packing again. It was finished in no time, as I had done most of it last night. Jim and I go through all the drawers and cabinets to make sure we are not forgetting something, and start to bring our luggage upstairs.
So much has happened here in the last week, we have shared so many happy and exciting times. I give thanks under my breathe for the blessing that I have such wonderful people in my life to enjoy these delightful things with. We have so many pictures we have taken, but I won't need any of them to remember each golden moment. God has blessed us.
Helene and I decide that we should clean as much as we can, and John is taking a run in the car to the dumpsters. We have so much trash, it is too much to take with us in the car on the way out with the luggage in the car.
We have eaten all the leftovers we can, packed some of the less perishable things (PB&J, Ham and Cheese sandwiches, bottled water, snacks) in our carry ons so we can take advantage of them as the day goes on. We manage to get everything cleaned up, the car loaded, and all our goodbyes to the house in time to just beat the cleaning ladies. We pass them on the road coming in as we are going out.
When we arrive in Cruz Bay to turn the car in, they are kind enough to let us leave our luggage in their office while we take our last cruise about the town. Jim and I take JJ, as we have to exchange the T-Shirts we got him for a larger size. He keeps growing, and I can't keep up with him. John and Helene head out to do some last minute shopping of their own.
JJ smells cheeseburgers, and after we take care of the shirts, we head over to JJ's Texas Coast to get him a cheeseburger. Unfortunately, they were just switching over to lunch menues and wouldn't be able to get him one for 20 to 30 minutes, but the waitress was good enough to point us over to the Beach Bar. She said they had a good Cheeseburger.
I was a little nervous - after all, I had read a lot about the Beach Bar on this forum, none of which sounded like the sort of place to take an 11 year old boy. However, they seem to keep the mayhem to a minimum during the day, and we found ourselves a nice table and settled in.
When JJ's cheeseburger arrived, it was indeed beautiful. He chowed down, and it was quickly gone. A 7 oz. burger. He is a notoriously picky and slow eater, so we were amazed. He is starting to grow, edging in on his 12th birthday, and his food consumption is increasing.
We started to browse some more, but we saw the time and realized we had to go back to pick up our luggage. We needed to get ourselves to the ferry dock in time for the CA ferry. John and Helene showed up shortly after we did, and we walked over to the dock together. After finding a nice bit of bench for us to sit on and park our luggage at, JJ and I headed over to the sand by the dock to write in it.
I had tried to leave SandScript a couple of times earlier in the week, but the tide was too high. It still was, but I was determined to give it a try. JJ found a stick and was writing and drawing off to the left while I was busy trying to write McPenguin5 with a sad face. I looked up, and I saw that the group was queing up for the ferry, so I called to JJ and we scurried on back up.
The CA ferry was loading sooner that I had thought, so we grabbed our luggage and all got in line. Helene had just been getting ready to come fetch us. We snagged some of the last above-deck seats on the ferry. It was a much smaller boat than the Red Hook Ferry we had come in on a week before. I recall that the last time we came down to St. John, the CA Ferry was larger then, too. Times change I guess.
The ride back was uneventful except for the occasional light sprinkle. We arrived in CA and were able to snag a Taxi to the airport right away. When we were pulling up to the airport, I almost fainted when I saw the lines, but it wound up they were all for Continental Airlines. American, which we were flying, was empty. I knew that it shouldn't matter, as we had printed out our boarding passes last night at the villa, but still...
We got our customs declaration forms and filled them out, went through and got in line for security. I was not prepared for how fast we were going to go through, and hadn't had time to get the laptop out, open up my CPAP machine for inspection, and I had long forgotten the bottle of water I had tucked into my carryon at the house. I had meant to drink it while walkin around, but hadn't gotten to it.
As we were taking off shoes and sandals, etc. I found my larger carryon being pulled off the line and a supervisor called over. She looked overworked and short on patience. She literally dumped out my case, pulled everything apart (Thank goodness I had my dirty underwear in a separate plastic bag!) and grabbed my water bottle. She held it up like it was an explosive device and asked me if I didn't know I was not allowed to bring this through security. I just mumbled in embarrassment, and she threw the water bottle into the bin under the table, stuffed all my stuff at random back into my bag, and shoved it on down the line for me to grab. I was hopping with one sandal on and one off, carrying my lopsided and unfastened bag over to the side where I could straighten it all out. When we got all the way through, John asked what all the commotion was about, and I told him about the water bottle. He was surprised, as he had forgotten his, too, but all they did was take it out and give him his bag back. I guess a little old lady looks more suspicious than a middle-aged man. Hmph.
We headed into the waiting area, listening to all the announcements for planes ready for boarding. We watched all the happy people just arriving for their stay in this paradise. Jim wandered around to find me a bottle of water (I could have used that one that got thrown away!) and we sat down to wait.
Before we knew it, we were being called to board. As we got out on the tarmac, John grabbed my large carryon and said he would carry it up the steps for me. I was surprised, I thought I could do it myself, but I guess he had seen how tired I was and he knew how I struggled on some of the climbs on the Reef Bay Trail. He wasn't going to even ask. He knew I wasn't up to it. He is a sweet guy. He takes after his dad.
We boarded, settled in and waited for takeoff. It didn't take long, and we were on our way. I watched out the window for the last glimpse I could get of the beautiful turquoise waters I love. I will miss this.
When we arrived in Miami, we trudged through the terminal to get to our departure gate, and I think we could have all fallen asleep if we had found an even half comfortable place. Except JJ. I don't know where he gets his energy. He was still having fun.
He found a phone book and decided to look up Dave Barry, the humor columnist. He loves to read Dave Barry's books, and he wanted to call him. We told him that the real Dave Barry was probably unlisted and this was probably a different one, but he was happy. He wrote down all the information. I don't know what he will do with it, but it made him happy.
When they finally called our flight, I was starting to nod off even in those uncomfortable seats. I settled in very quickly, dug out a deck of cards for John, Helene and JJ, and proceded to fall asleep. I didn't wake up until we were taxiing in at BWI.
We all got off the plane, and Jim and I said our goodbyes to the rest of our little group. They were parked at the airport, and we had a driver coming for us.
When we arrived home, I didn't unpack anything but the basic necessities, climbed into my nightgown, and collapsed. We had enjoyed a wonderful trip, I don't think there was anything I would have changed about it. I had all of it still rolling around in my head, replaying all the sweet memories as I drifted off to sleep.
It was like it had all been a beautiful dream.
I woke early, as usual, and started in on the packing again. It was finished in no time, as I had done most of it last night. Jim and I go through all the drawers and cabinets to make sure we are not forgetting something, and start to bring our luggage upstairs.
So much has happened here in the last week, we have shared so many happy and exciting times. I give thanks under my breathe for the blessing that I have such wonderful people in my life to enjoy these delightful things with. We have so many pictures we have taken, but I won't need any of them to remember each golden moment. God has blessed us.
Helene and I decide that we should clean as much as we can, and John is taking a run in the car to the dumpsters. We have so much trash, it is too much to take with us in the car on the way out with the luggage in the car.
We have eaten all the leftovers we can, packed some of the less perishable things (PB&J, Ham and Cheese sandwiches, bottled water, snacks) in our carry ons so we can take advantage of them as the day goes on. We manage to get everything cleaned up, the car loaded, and all our goodbyes to the house in time to just beat the cleaning ladies. We pass them on the road coming in as we are going out.
When we arrive in Cruz Bay to turn the car in, they are kind enough to let us leave our luggage in their office while we take our last cruise about the town. Jim and I take JJ, as we have to exchange the T-Shirts we got him for a larger size. He keeps growing, and I can't keep up with him. John and Helene head out to do some last minute shopping of their own.
JJ smells cheeseburgers, and after we take care of the shirts, we head over to JJ's Texas Coast to get him a cheeseburger. Unfortunately, they were just switching over to lunch menues and wouldn't be able to get him one for 20 to 30 minutes, but the waitress was good enough to point us over to the Beach Bar. She said they had a good Cheeseburger.
I was a little nervous - after all, I had read a lot about the Beach Bar on this forum, none of which sounded like the sort of place to take an 11 year old boy. However, they seem to keep the mayhem to a minimum during the day, and we found ourselves a nice table and settled in.
When JJ's cheeseburger arrived, it was indeed beautiful. He chowed down, and it was quickly gone. A 7 oz. burger. He is a notoriously picky and slow eater, so we were amazed. He is starting to grow, edging in on his 12th birthday, and his food consumption is increasing.
We started to browse some more, but we saw the time and realized we had to go back to pick up our luggage. We needed to get ourselves to the ferry dock in time for the CA ferry. John and Helene showed up shortly after we did, and we walked over to the dock together. After finding a nice bit of bench for us to sit on and park our luggage at, JJ and I headed over to the sand by the dock to write in it.
I had tried to leave SandScript a couple of times earlier in the week, but the tide was too high. It still was, but I was determined to give it a try. JJ found a stick and was writing and drawing off to the left while I was busy trying to write McPenguin5 with a sad face. I looked up, and I saw that the group was queing up for the ferry, so I called to JJ and we scurried on back up.
The CA ferry was loading sooner that I had thought, so we grabbed our luggage and all got in line. Helene had just been getting ready to come fetch us. We snagged some of the last above-deck seats on the ferry. It was a much smaller boat than the Red Hook Ferry we had come in on a week before. I recall that the last time we came down to St. John, the CA Ferry was larger then, too. Times change I guess.
The ride back was uneventful except for the occasional light sprinkle. We arrived in CA and were able to snag a Taxi to the airport right away. When we were pulling up to the airport, I almost fainted when I saw the lines, but it wound up they were all for Continental Airlines. American, which we were flying, was empty. I knew that it shouldn't matter, as we had printed out our boarding passes last night at the villa, but still...
We got our customs declaration forms and filled them out, went through and got in line for security. I was not prepared for how fast we were going to go through, and hadn't had time to get the laptop out, open up my CPAP machine for inspection, and I had long forgotten the bottle of water I had tucked into my carryon at the house. I had meant to drink it while walkin around, but hadn't gotten to it.
As we were taking off shoes and sandals, etc. I found my larger carryon being pulled off the line and a supervisor called over. She looked overworked and short on patience. She literally dumped out my case, pulled everything apart (Thank goodness I had my dirty underwear in a separate plastic bag!) and grabbed my water bottle. She held it up like it was an explosive device and asked me if I didn't know I was not allowed to bring this through security. I just mumbled in embarrassment, and she threw the water bottle into the bin under the table, stuffed all my stuff at random back into my bag, and shoved it on down the line for me to grab. I was hopping with one sandal on and one off, carrying my lopsided and unfastened bag over to the side where I could straighten it all out. When we got all the way through, John asked what all the commotion was about, and I told him about the water bottle. He was surprised, as he had forgotten his, too, but all they did was take it out and give him his bag back. I guess a little old lady looks more suspicious than a middle-aged man. Hmph.
We headed into the waiting area, listening to all the announcements for planes ready for boarding. We watched all the happy people just arriving for their stay in this paradise. Jim wandered around to find me a bottle of water (I could have used that one that got thrown away!) and we sat down to wait.
Before we knew it, we were being called to board. As we got out on the tarmac, John grabbed my large carryon and said he would carry it up the steps for me. I was surprised, I thought I could do it myself, but I guess he had seen how tired I was and he knew how I struggled on some of the climbs on the Reef Bay Trail. He wasn't going to even ask. He knew I wasn't up to it. He is a sweet guy. He takes after his dad.
We boarded, settled in and waited for takeoff. It didn't take long, and we were on our way. I watched out the window for the last glimpse I could get of the beautiful turquoise waters I love. I will miss this.
When we arrived in Miami, we trudged through the terminal to get to our departure gate, and I think we could have all fallen asleep if we had found an even half comfortable place. Except JJ. I don't know where he gets his energy. He was still having fun.
He found a phone book and decided to look up Dave Barry, the humor columnist. He loves to read Dave Barry's books, and he wanted to call him. We told him that the real Dave Barry was probably unlisted and this was probably a different one, but he was happy. He wrote down all the information. I don't know what he will do with it, but it made him happy.
When they finally called our flight, I was starting to nod off even in those uncomfortable seats. I settled in very quickly, dug out a deck of cards for John, Helene and JJ, and proceded to fall asleep. I didn't wake up until we were taxiing in at BWI.
We all got off the plane, and Jim and I said our goodbyes to the rest of our little group. They were parked at the airport, and we had a driver coming for us.
When we arrived home, I didn't unpack anything but the basic necessities, climbed into my nightgown, and collapsed. We had enjoyed a wonderful trip, I don't think there was anything I would have changed about it. I had all of it still rolling around in my head, replaying all the sweet memories as I drifted off to sleep.
It was like it had all been a beautiful dream.
[/url]
"How can it feel so awful to leave a place that is not your home? And yet, that is how it feels. Like leaving home for a long time."
i love that line--it is perfect.
I really enjoyed your reports--you have a warm and wonderful way of describing events and people--you sound like an awesome mom and grandma.
i love that line--it is perfect.
I really enjoyed your reports--you have a warm and wonderful way of describing events and people--you sound like an awesome mom and grandma.
< leaving on the 22nd of march...but too lame to figure out the ticker thing again!>
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mcpenguin5
- Posts: 114
- Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2006 8:05 am
- Location: Maryland
Thank you! I do love my trips to St. John, and it brings out the emotional side to me.
I hope I am a good mom and grandmom, but I think I am really more of a kid myself most of the time! I love my son, his wife and my grandson, but I think they watch out for me more than I take care of them. Bless their hearts, they don't seem to mind, either.
Thank you.
It's good to know you enjoyed my memories.
I hope I am a good mom and grandmom, but I think I am really more of a kid myself most of the time! I love my son, his wife and my grandson, but I think they watch out for me more than I take care of them. Bless their hearts, they don't seem to mind, either.
Thank you.
It's good to know you enjoyed my memories.
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mcpenguin5
- Posts: 114
- Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2006 8:05 am
- Location: Maryland
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Sun4MySoul
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- Joined: Sun May 06, 2007 1:37 pm
- Location: NC
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mcpenguin5
- Posts: 114
- Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2006 8:05 am
- Location: Maryland
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Jan&MikeVa
- Posts: 1084
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 5:32 pm
- Location: The Chesapeake Bay
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mcpenguin5
- Posts: 114
- Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2006 8:05 am
- Location: Maryland
I have one picture I would like to share with all of you now. I have an underwater picture of JJ snorkeling, taken by his dad at Salt Pond Beach. I love this and have it for my computer's desktop now.
Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to get the picture from my computer into this forum. Any help out there?
Kris
Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to get the picture from my computer into this forum. Any help out there?
Kris
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mcpenguin5
- Posts: 114
- Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2006 8:05 am
- Location: Maryland
Okay, Helene was good enough to post her pictures to Photobucket, and gave me the link:
http://s487.photobucket.com/albums/rr23 ... trip_2008/
Of course, I would be happier if we could delete some of the pictures of me, but there I am, in all my fluffiness. Ah, to be the "10" that Helene is!
I hope you like these. There are some really cute ones of a frog we found living on the deck at the Villa. He was a good bug-catcher. One picture on the deck near the pool, another on the outside of the dining room window when we were playing cards one night.
http://s487.photobucket.com/albums/rr23 ... trip_2008/
Of course, I would be happier if we could delete some of the pictures of me, but there I am, in all my fluffiness. Ah, to be the "10" that Helene is!
I hope you like these. There are some really cute ones of a frog we found living on the deck at the Villa. He was a good bug-catcher. One picture on the deck near the pool, another on the outside of the dining room window when we were playing cards one night.
