On the road again....Al and I are off on another road trip. This time we are going south to look up those beauties named Savannah and Charleston. I have long wanted to visit these two cities and now this is becoming a reality for us.

On this trip we will be visiting many friends of ours that we have not seen in many years. How I look forward to renewing these friendships.

Our first stop is for lunch at my friend Jane's house in Bernardsville, NJ. Jane is truly a life long friend. My memories of her stretch way back to my elementary school days in Leonia, NJ. Always my mind takes me back to the basement of her house where two little girls are playing dress up. Jane's mother has given us a big trunk from which we pull out long dresses to try on. My favorite is the bright blue dress with the silver sparkles. Let's see how I look in it...

Jane's dog Jade lets her know we have arrived and soon we are in her lovely home. Mary Lynne arrives and we sit down to a delicious lunch. Mary Lynn is my friend from high school days and good that she lives one town over in Basking Ridge. I silently admire the pansy pin she is wearing.

Jane loves to cook and a wonderful cook she is! Looking like there is nothing to it, Jane dishes up marinated chicken, portabello mushrooms, risotto and salad. Coffee with homemade oatmeal cookies follow.

"Let's take the cardiac test", Jane says after lunch.

"Huh?"

"Let's walk down the driveway and back up and see if we can make it."

I see what she means. It is straight down and then all the way back up. Thankfully we pass the test and life goes on!

All too soon Al and I say our good byes. Mary Lynne looks at me and unclasps her pansy pin. Taking it off and holding it out to me she says, "Here. Take it. This is for you." A gift from the heart. Lord, thank You for these dear friends!

We are off to Pennsylvania to visit Treesa and her husband Andy in Pennsburg.

Treesa and I were good friends at our church St. David's. After she moved away we corresponded now and then.

When we arrive at her house Treesa comes out and greets me with a long and strong hug. What a gift. To be loved like that...it brings tears to my eyes and hers as well.

Tree shows us around her lovely home. She is a talented gal and her flair for home decor shows in every room. I love the framed picture in her downstairs bathroom showing witches dancing around under the moon on Halloween night. "Girls Night Out" is the title of the picture. I love it.

Andy comes home from work and we are introduced to him. Together we sit on their outside deck admiring the country view and then inside Treesa serves us a delicious dinner.

After dinner we sit in the family room looking at reruns of the TV series "Welcome Back Kotter". I am amazed at how the "sweat hog" students visit Mr. Kotter in his apt. in Brooklyn by climbing in and out of the long windows! Finally Gabe Kotter himself climbs out the window and says good by to his wife Julie. I laugh so hard...

This has been a long wonderful day. It is hard to get to sleep thinking about my friends and being in a strange bed.

Walking through the downstairs of Treesa's house in the morning I find little slogan signs in the rooms.

"The witch is in and she is casting spells" quips the little sign over her stovetop. In the front room I find, "The earth delights to feel your barefeet". I like that one too.

Tree and Andy go off to work and Al and I let ourselves out a short time later.

"I'll drive," I announce as I get in behind the wheel. I back our car down the driveway failing to notice it has a big S curve in it. I am too busy looking out the window admiring the pleasant neighboring houses....

"Crunch!" What the...

I stop the car and with horror watch Treesa's beautiful handpainted mail box tilt down and away from the post. I am too shocked to say anything. Al climbs out of the car and somehow restores the mailbox to its perch. The post is damaged a little and a large patch of yellow paint sits on the outside panel of the passenger door. I am embarrassed and angry at myself for not paying attention.

Al gets behind the wheel as I move over. We are off on another adventure. This morning we drive to Longwood Gardens in Kennet Square, PA. Before our tour, we use the bathrooms. Outside the men's room Al converges on an oriental man entering the bathroom at the same time. The man bows politely to Al as if to say,

Everyone who loves flowers has got to see this place. Both inside and out there are acres and acres of the most beautiful flower displays of every kind of imaginable flower. Al and I begin our walking tour at 10:30 a.m. and we are so enthralled by what we are seeing that we just keep going hour after hour. Hunger? Lunch? What is that? One display leads to another and stopping to eat never enters our minds!

"This is better than lunch," Al comments. I agree.

We go straight through to 3 pm without a break!

Tired but happy we climb into our car and drive on to Gem's house in Upperco, MD.

Gem who has always loved animals and especially horses is blessed to live in an old 1800's stone farmhouse on acres of green pasture and meadow land. Plenty of room for horses. Her horses are grazing peacefully as we approach the farmhouse and the whole scene is absolutely bucolic. Peace comes down like rain and I could stay here a long time and go nowhere. Just look and take long walks appreciating God's good green earth.

Gem. We look like "Mutt and Jeff" together but we have a strong friendship going back to our high school days. I love her smile and her laugh and the way her face lights up.

Gem is preceded out of the house by her two large Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs named Tory and Radar. I hold my ground while I am charged and say a prayer. They are friendly and race around me in their excitement. They chase each other, tearing around the place and my fear of becoming "dead meat" disappears.

Gem offers us an appetizer of cheese and crackers and Al and I practically devour the dish on the spot. Now we are finally hungry!

After a delicious dinner casserole cooked by Gem, Grete arrives and the four of us sit down to play bridge in the dining room.

One round of bidding goes like this.

"Pass. Pass. 3 Diamonds. 5 Spades. Pass. Pass. Pass."

It is a grand slam hand. Wow.

The time passes quickly and very enjoyably. We go upstairs and fall into bed for a good night's sleep.

The next morning I wander from window to window looking out at the grazing horses. I have to see what the scene looks like from each window. I don't want to leave here. This is too good. Al helps Gem secure a birdhouse and then we are off again in our car. Goodbye, Gem. You are a treasured friend. I love you.

We drive to Annapolis to visit our niece, Pamela, and to have lunch with her and our two little great nieces, Ember and Anna, ages ages 4 and 2. "I am going to pick Ember up at nursery school," Pam tells us. "Anna is upstairs taking a nap. If she wakes up before I get home, tell her I will be right back." And Pam is out the door.

Sure enough before long we hear a noise upstairs and Anna appears outside her bedroom door. "Hi, Anna," Al calls to her. "It's your Uncle Al and Aunt Maren."

Anna takes one look at us and goes right back to bed! I softly climb the stairs and check in on her. She is lying flat on her tummy in bed with her head turned to the wall. Not a muscle is moving. She is as still as a wooden board. Is she asleep? I don't think so. Just a bit scared and unsure of us.

I understand her and leave her alone. I think both Al and I are saying to ourselves, "That's fine Anna. You stay where you are. Just don't cry and have a fit. Just don't cry and have a fit!"

As soon as Pam comes home she brings Anna downstairs and now Anna is all smiles for us safe in her mother's arms. We play with Mr. Potato Head for awhile and then some puzzles. Pam serves lunch and we sit down to a really good chicken salad sandwich, sweet potato chips, mixed fresh fruit and a slice of banana cream pie for dessert. We are very grateful for this busy young mother and the chance to visit with our nieces.

After hugs and kisses we continue our driving to Wilmington, Delaware. I am eagerly looking forward to visiting with my high school pal, Marilynn. We call each other "Tweep" and "Twerp". (Don't ask any questions.)

"Tweep" lives in a new apartment and it is our first time here.

I walk confidently up to the door and knock. I knock and knock again. "That's strange," I think to myself. "I know she is expecting us."

Wonderingly I take a peek at the mail in her box. "That's odd," I ponder. "This letter is addressed to a Madeline." Oops! We are at the wrong apartment.!

I call Marilynn from my cell phone and she quickly finds us and leads us up two flights of stairs to her apt. "This is 'Honey'," Marilynn says as she introduces us to her little shitzsu dog. She is so cute!

We go out to eat at an Italian restaurant and I enjoy a plate full of mussels and clams over linguini. After dinner, Marilynn takes us to a waterfront park arriving after closing hour. "That's all right," Marilynn says. "We can drive around here."

Soon a man in a security car is closely following us! "The park is closed. Please exit the park! " says Security in the SUV through his speaker system. He is on our tail the whole time until we "exit the park".

"Meet us under the rose window," Janet told me.

Today we are meeting our friends Pete and Janet at the Washington National Cathedral! We have remained close to Pete and Janet ever since they moved out of Connecticut.

We are finally going to see this great Cathedral we have only seen on television so far.

This is another place of interest one must see. Just to stand back and try to see it all from the outside is difficult. It is huge and that is an understatement!

One does not just enter the Cathedral. One has to study the door and doorway before he even enters. Stone sculptures surround the high doorways...prophets and scenes from the Old Testament. The curved iron grills..the massive doors themselves..

Finally we step in. A holy awe fills the inside and one is speechless. When I find my voice I whisper. Anything else seems inappropriate.

We are in a house of God. Let us keep silence before Him.

"My house shall be called a place of prayer", Jesus said. You can feel it. You can touch it.

Under the rose window...there they are, Pete and Janet! We take a short guided tour and then we wander around on our own.

As we enter the Cathedral at 10 a.m. , a long colorful Episcopal procession is beginning. This is the start of a Confirmation service and we are told about 200 confirmands are present. This will be a very looooong service! We are not allowed to enter the sanctuary during the procession.

There is so much to see inside and to feel. The huge color filled stained glass windows in the sanctuary are striking! I can not take my eyes away and all else falls away as I slowly take in each one. The moon stone window is a favorite with a piece of moonstone (stone from the moon!) imbedded in the middle. Walking the length of the cavernous sanctuary one comes upon smaller chapels and altars off to the side. Downstairs are more chapels and windows...We spend a long time looking and contemplating at the Biblical images.

An elevator ride to the top of one of the towers affords us good views of the surrounding area through leaded windows. We are high up and looking down.

We take our time. Inside the bookstore we buy some sandwiches and sit down for a lunch break. Then we wander across outside to the garden area. The feeling of holiness is everywhere.

We are blessed to be able to share this experience with Pete and Janet.

Leaving the Cathedral Al and I drive through Georgetown. Crowds of shoppers and onlookers fill the sidewalks and we inch along in a long row of cars.

"Why do people live like this?" Al asks. Who can answer that question? Some people just like to shop in crowds and look at each other. That doesn't make it bad, just different from what Al and I like to do.

We drive to Winchester, VA getting stuck in a lot of traffic and a tremendous downpour of rain. In the motel that night Al starts to download the pictures in my camera into our laptop computer. "Your pictures are jamming the computer", Al declares. Small wonder. I am taking a lot of pictures daily.

This morning Al and I drive to the home of our dear friends from St. David's Church now living in Winchester. Doris and Joe Magdich greet us warmly. Doris and I stand back from each other surveying each other closely. We have not seen them in over thirty years! Memories come flooding back, but we have no time to talk now. Doris and Joe drive us to their church. This morning we are worshipping with them in the Charismatic Episcopal Church of Stevens City. We enjoy this experience very much with them and after the service we are greeted by the priests and members.

Doris drives us to the restaurant she has picked out for our midday meal. That is she tries to drive us there. She and I get to talking in the car about past experiences and we just go and go!

Suddenly Doris gives a start. "Oh my, I have gone way past my turn!" She does a U turn, we retrace our route a couple of miles and then turn for the rest of the ride to Perkins Restaurant.

More talking leads to more memories and so it goes. It is wonderful to reconnect with these wonderful friends!

Back at their house, no missed turns this time, we say our goodbyes.

Al and I drive on to Front Royal and the start of Skyline Drive through the Shenendoah National Park. This is a drive not to be missed. The mountain vistas are very beautiful and we pull over to many parking areas for the view. Green and blue. Those are the colors we see...the green grass and green leaf trees giving way to the long distanced bluish hills and mountains. Who says blue and green do not go together? All you have to do is look at nature. They are a grand color combination. These mountain vistas can not be described. You just have to see it for yourself.

The speed limit is 35 mph the whole Skyline Drive and for good reason! This route is very curvy. It takes a long time to drive it, but the drive is well worth it.

We get off at Luray, VA and find a room at the Best Western.

Dinner tonight is downtown at the "Artisan Grill." We sit upstairs and look down on the town below. Al orders the Whistler Beef Sandwich with horseradish and caramel cheese cake for dessert. I forget what I order but my dessert is a brownie with mint chocolate chip ice cream on top. Yum.

Looking down from the window I can see a river walk and people out enjoying the walk. I make a mental note to check it out in the morning.

Breakfast at the motel is unusual. We find the place filled with businessmen and one elderly waitress trying to keep all the orders straight! She comes out of the kitchen with the orders and then looks around confused. She can't remember who ordered what at which table! The businessmen just smile and don't seem to mind. They walk over to her and help her out.

It is the same when the waitress tries to hand out the bills. General confusion. We all help her.

Remembering the river walk, Al and I take the inviting walk that winds through picturesque countryside. "What is the name of this body of water?" I ask a walker passing me in the opposite direction.

"Yes, ma'am," she replies politely, "This is the Hawksbill Crik!"

"The whaat?" I reply.

"This is the Hawksbill Crik."

"Oh, the Creeeek!" Duh!

It is a lovely walk and along comes a couple with an 8 week old pug dog with them. This is a tiny dog that looks lost when it is on the ground. We had fun petting this cute puppy.

Al and I take the opportunity to visit the famous underground Luray Caverns! We have never experienced anything like this before.

It is seventy steps down into the cavern and seventy back up. It is well worth the hike. Once down below a headset with tape guides you walk along the dark mysterious passage ways winding past fastastic and irregular rock formations. We learn that the stalagtites are the long narrow rock formations shaped by dripping water from the top down, and the stalagmites are formed by the water that hits the bottom and the bounces back up forming rock cones from the bottom up. Something like that. Sometimes the "kites" and the "mites" meet each other.

It is a fantastic walk in the dark observing the unusual rock formations and colors. A great experience.

Back in the car we eat the delicious lemon blueberry cake Treesa gave to us. We continue on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Elkton, VA where we visit the Blue Ridge Pottery. Then we continue on to Staunton, VA where we find a room for the night.

This morning at breakfast in the motel we meet a man who has a sailboat and loves to sail. However, his wife..... "My wife doesn't really like sailing," he tells us. "She tells me not to come about in the boat until she has finished the chapter she is reading!"

This is a long day of driving through the rest of Virginia on the interstate to Asheville where we find a motel and drive over to the Biltmore Mansion. My friend Dave Steegar lives in NC and he highly recommends we visit this place.

In Asheville I walk up to the receptionist at a motel and ask about room availability and room rates. When I look disappointed at the price and start to walk out, she says to me, "What do you usually pay?" I tell her and she then drops the price to just over that amount. I take the room! Al calls this the "Front Desk Discount". I don't think it would work if you already had a reservation, or if there was someone behind you in line!

The Biltmore Mansion was built by George Vanderbilt and it rests on 800 acres of land. It is a vast estate and indeed the mansion and grounds are well worth seeing. The mansion rooms are beyond huge. Beyond imagination. I think there are a total of five stories in the house. The family story, the story for the guests, the story for the servants, etc. Down in the basement are the kitchen and laundry room, swimming pool and exercise rooms. The rooms of the mansion are filled with one of a kind antique pieces of furniture. The furnishings are massive. It is hard to imagine what it would be like to live here. Al says "They should have stopped at 'Biltenough'".

Al and I tour the rooms walking up and down the grand, graceful curving staircases and at the end of the tour I go outside, miss the bottom step and fall flat on my face! This is no joke! Thank God it was a graceful fall and I was not hurt! Just ruffled in my feelings.

Tomorrow we will come back and just visit the grounds.

This morning Al and I drive back to the Biltmore to walk the beautiful grounds. We find the Mansion shining in the morning sun. Leisurely we stroll the garden walks, visit the rose garden and small animal farm. The Vanderbilts grew vegetables in their gardens for their home and for the community. The grounds, walkways and gardens are so very beautiful.

In the afternoon we drive on to Louisville, Tennessee where we visit our friends Paul and Jeannine, friends of ours from St. David's. Paul and Jeannine live half the year in this very beautiful retirement home which actually is a home Paul remembers as a child. It is a home in a beautiful location overlooking the Tennessee River and was built by Paul's father, an architect. Paul and Jeannine had the home renovated and updated to their liking and what a beautiful modern looking and airy place this is. Lots of ceiling to floor windows providing much light and sweeping views of the river. The main dinner table faces the water where they can see the awesome sunsets at days end.

The guest room where we stay for the night is actually a guest house separate from the main house, but connected by a covered walkway.

Paul proudly encourages me to go upstairs in the main house to see the gallery of Jeannine's icon paintings. I admire the icon work on the wall...so very lovely.

The dogs Jessica and Zadok and bounding around outside by the water.

"Come on, " says Paul, "Let go for a ride on the river."

We walk down to where their motor boat is resting in an open boat house. Soon Paul behind the wheel is whipping us up and down the river past the mega mansions build alongside the river. Jessica and Zadok are with us in the boat loving every minute. Paul and Jeannine are truly blessed to live in the beautiful place.

Back at the house Paul has barbequed some ribs for us. Jeannine complements the ribs with wonderful artichoke, bread and carmelized onions. After dinner we play bridge before turning in.

As we are taking our leave from Paul and Jeannine, Jeannine asks, "What route are you taking to Helen, Georgia?"

When we tell her she says, "That is a very pretty route, but it is very curvy. I don't drive there because I get tired of turning the wheel all the time on the curves. There are about 300 curves! There are a lot of motorcyclists on that road," Paul comments. "It is a big motorcycle route."

Not knowing the extent of what they were talking about, we wave gaily good-bye and we are off. Little do we know. We drive along the scenic parkway, the Foothills Parkway in Tennessee crossing into North Carolina at 11:00 a.m. We drive through the Memorial Forest and then along the Little Tennessee River. It is in the Memorial Forest things begin to happen fast.

Curvy! That is an understatement! Jeannine is absolutely right. It is one curve after another and they seem endless. There is no mercy. When we pass a sign that reads, "Last stop for beer for 70 miles", I think 'oh, no. We are in motorcycle territory.

We start passing groups of motorcyclists parked alongside the road chatting amiably. No problem. We stop in at a convenience type store and find it filled with motorcyle jackets, shirts, etc. No problem. I start to feel uneasy.

Innocently we drive on into that section of road through the forest known in motorcycle land as the "Tail Of The Dragon." Before long we hear the familiar sound of a cyclist behind us and this is just the start. Mile after mile on the curving, twisting road motorcyclists roar up behind us and pass us at high speed. Al is behind the wheel and he is gripping the wheel, something he never does! I am tense and yes, praying for our safety. This seems to go on forever until we cross over into the northern mountains of Georgia being greeted by the road sign, "We're Glad Georgia Is On Your Mind!" I'm just glad to be alive.

Leaving the mad men behind we have a peace filled ride to Helen, Georgia in the mountains.

When we drive down the main street of Helen we think we have been transported to Germany! All the shops and homes along that stretch are German style. Years ago some German people living in the area decided to make the town look like a German village. The buildings are very picturesque and one can take a horse and carriage around around the block.

We rent a room in a motel and take a walk through town and into the shops.

The merchandise in the shops is a big disappointment. The things for sale are just the usual American tourist shop items we always see and the whole feeling is very touristy.

We take a walk along the Chattahoochie River which runs through town and this is a nice area. The woman at the motel office recommends we have a German dinner at the Old Bavarian Inn. We take her up on this and this turns out to be the best part of our visit.

That night we have a delicious German meal. For dinner I have a glass of Warsteiner Dunkel Bier, Sauerbraten, spatzel, Rot Kohlen, Kartoffel Pfannenkuchen and Dunkel Brot. Life is good.

Today we are driving to Marietta to visit Dave and Diane, friends we knew living in New London, CT many years ago. I can hardly wait to see them.

The first part of the day we take a scenic loop through the Georgia Mountains often passing the Chattahoochie River alongside the road. We pass a road sign advertising "Boiled peanuts, BBQ." We lots of signs for boiled peanuts! Road signs such as "Booger Hollow Rd.", "Dancing Rabbits Lane" and "Lumpkin County" keep me laughing.

It is a misty morning and we decide to drive up "Brasstown Bald" which is the highest mountain in the area. It is hairpin curves all the way. On the top of the mountain we look down over the valley and can't see a thing. The fog is too thick up here. Going back down the mountain and braking for all those curves, our Chevy sent up a howl of protest by means of a strong smell. "What's that smell??! It smells like something burning!" Al comes to a crossroads and tries to turn left. No luck. The Chevy is not feeling well and we pray the brakes hold out. Fortunately they work fine after they cool off, and we make it to Marietta just fine.

We have time to drive up Kennesaw Mountain which is not as high as Brasstown Bald. Visibility is still poor. We drive back down and find a parking place in town. It is fun browse through the streets and shops of Marietta. "Hey, look at this, Maren," Al calls. He is at the train station and next to the train tracks he reads the sign which says, "Marietta, sister city to Linz/Rhein, Germany."

Linz/Rhein! This is the little German Rhine town where my pen pal Irmtrud lives!! Al and I have been there. When I have more time I will try to find out how this connection was made!

Soon we arrive at Dave and Diane's house and it is wonderful to greet them and talk with them! Diane is a great cook and she serves us chicken topped with sauce, spaghetti and asparagus. For dessert we have key lime pie.

"I cook using the Great American Favorite Name Brand Cookbook, " Diane tells me. " Both my children have them. I made sure of that."

Diane and I were members of the New London Chapter of Sweet Adelines back in 1970. She has stayed in Sweet Adelines all these years and enjoys singing in her award winning chorus in Atlanta.

Patti Truslow is a dear cousin of mine and this morning we meet her and John at their home in Atlanta. Together we drive to the Botanical Gardens in Atlanta and spend the most delightful morning walking through the Japanese Garden, Orchid Garden, Tropical Rain Forest section, rose garden, flower garden and desert cactus garden! Although not as large a place as the Longwood Gardens, I find it just as beautiful and I enjoy it just as much. In addition I discover that I like the lush green vegetations of the tropical rain forest as much as any flower display. I could gaze a long time at the plants in the rain forest, but I have to move on.

Do you ever encounter surprise "precious moments" in your days? I do this morning. While walking through the gardens with Al, Patti and John, we come upon a wedding about to take place in a small outside cloister garden. They are all there taking their places for the procession: bride, groom, parents, friends and....the little flower girl. It is this little child that entrances me and makes me lock in that moment to remember.

There she stands so solemnly gazing at the garden walkway she will soon enter. She seems too young to know the full meaning of what is about to take place but she is just old enough to sense the importance of this ceremony. She stands there pondering what is about to happen, and I have caught her in a precious moment.

Life is full of precious moments taking place all around me every day, but I rarely catch and hold one. This time I got it! Thank You, Lord.

After lunch Al and I relax in Patti and John's home and this is a rare treat on our busy traveling days. I actually lie down and take a little nap!

Later Patti serves us a delicious spaghetti dinner and Al and I take our leave to visit our friends Doug and Carolyn Coil in Lilburn.

We met Doug and Carolyn in the early seventies when they were at our church St. David's in Gales Ferry, Conn. Doug was a semininary student at that time and now he is a full fledged Episcopal priest! We have not seen them in over thirty years!

We sit in their lovely living room and chat and chat and chat! Carolyn also has a successful career as an author of educational resource books. She often goes on business trips where she is sought after as a lecturer.

This Sunday morning we are eager to attend Doug's church. This is St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Snellville...just minutes away from their home.

We are proud of Doug and can see how God has blessed him in his ministry! Doug's church has undergone a big growth in membership and not long ago the church building was greatly enlarged to accommodate the increase.

During the worship service the altar area is alive with acolytes! We find out later that there are no less than 59 acolyte members in that church! They are on a rotation schedule and many serve at one time during a worship service. It is heart warming to see these young people serving God in this way.

I feel especially at home during Communion when the people all sing, "Let Us Break Bread Together". "I made sure we sang that hymn thinking of St. David's Church," Doug tells me after the service.

After church Doug and Carolyn introduce us to several members and Doug presents me with a St. Matthew's coffee mug. "Now you can tell everyone in your church that you got mugged at St. Matthew's!" Doug laughs.

There is a large group of African Americans in traditional dress at this service. "Our church has a lot of people from different ethnic backgrounds," Carolyn shares with me. "We like that."

Following a tour of the church building we say our good-byes with promises to stay in touch. Al and I take to the highway for a four-hour drive to Savannah. Savannah, here I come at last!

The drive is uneventful except for the time we exit to find some gas. We drive up and down the country roads past miles of peanut field farms, but no gas. Fortunately we find a gas station not long after we get back on the highway.

We arrive in Savannah at 3:30 p.m. and check into the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel where we have a reservation. I am very happy to be in one place for two nights! This is a luxury on our car trip.

Our hotel has a concierge and through her we are able to take a trolley car tour of Savannah soon after we arrive and settle. This is an open air trolley and unfortunately due to the noise of the motor and general talking, we miss a lot of what the driver/tour guide tells us. But we do see the beautiful row houses I long to see and make a mental note to walk the area the next day.

Our hotel is downtown and close to the action. After the tour Al and I walk the sidewalks and choose an inviting bistro for our dinner. There are crowds of people on the streets.

After our dinner we walk along the riverfront and up ahead we see a large group of people staring at something. What is it? We join the group and find a man entertaining the crowds by juggling sticks while riding high on a tall unicycle!

Savannah. That beautiful romantic city of the South full of history. It is a city made known to many through the epic "Gone With The Wind" movie and also the book Midnight In The Garden of Good And Evil. Statues of the bird girl as shown on the cover of the book are spread out in the city. You can even buy a smaller copy of the statue for a few hundred dollars! Savannah is a city filled with cobblestone streets, stones that were used as ballast on ships coming into port years ago. It is a city of quaint shops, Spanish Moss trees, lovely row houses with flowered balconies and brightly painted doorways, ghost stories, young lovers, pubs, houses to tour, Cathedral of St. John the Baptist among many churches and an old burial ground. Something for everyone. What is neat about walking the city streets is that every few block you come to a tree'd square...a true oasis of green with benches on which to rest tired feet. It is a town filled with friendly inhabitants always smiling and wanting to chat. It is also a town with no public rest rooms! Do you have to go "shi shi"? You will have to walk to the back of a restaurant to find a rest room".

Today we walk the streets and walk some more. We rest on benches. We learn that Juliet Low, founder of the Girl Scouts, lived here. We turn in at the gate to the Andrew Low home which is open for a tour. A smiling lady tending to the front flower garden holds out her hand to detain us.

"When you go upstairs," she shares, " look inside the children's room for my china doll. I didn't want my children to play with it and break it, so I gave it for the children's room here." We think she might be paid help, but later during the tour our guide declares, "Outside you will find a woman who you might think is our gardener. She is not a gardener! She is a rich woman, one of the grand old dames of Savannah. A native of the city from an old fine family. She volunteers her time to come here each day and work in the garden. Her childhood china doll sits in this children's room. When you leave here go and talk with her. She loves to meet our visitors."

There is something very special about this "grand old dame of Savannah" outside. I try to figure out what that is. Then I have it! The light dawns. This sweet lady, beaming and radiating joy, is putting her whole heart into her "work". It is not work to her. She is giving service in a place that she loves and that service is filling her with joy. She has found the secret to joy filled living and it is service! I am going to remember her smiling face when I remember my days in Savannah.

The rooms of the Andrew Low home are filled with one of a kind antique furniture pieces. A grand piano sits in the front parlor room with the piano strings standing up straight in a vertical position behind a bright gold cloth covering!

"You should go across the square and visit the Cathedral of John the Baptist" our guide encourages. Even if you never go to church, you should see this one!" We do cross the square, climb the church steps and enter into and most awe inspiring sanctuary I have ever been in! It is almost heart stopping. It is more than the beauty of the stained glass windows, Stations of the Cross, two side altars, marble flooring, rose windows, and huge pipe organ. It is the feeling; the feeling of holiness and Presence. You can't explain such a thing. You have to feel this yourself.

Around lunch time, Al and I stroll back to the waterfront area where we find a good meal in the "Moon River Brewery" where they brew their own beer. We have delicious sandwiches and house brewed porter beer. On the wall in the room next to us hangs a sign,

"Alcohol is known to be man's worst enemy, but the Bible says to love your enemy." This sounds like an excuse to drink to me! I do not feel at all guilty about drinking one glass of porter beer.

I make the necessary visit to the rest room and inside I find a woman locked in her stall banging on the door to get out!! Another woman is there and she helps her get the door open. Can you imagine being locked inside a bathroom stall??!!

With our dinner awaits yet one more adventure that is a ride on the riverboat "Savannah Queen". It is a sunset dinner cruise and on the boat we are entertained by a small group of gospel singers. The keyboard player introduces himself as Earl and then names his wife, daughter and cousin who are singing with him. They are small in number but great in voice! They are loud and filled with the Spirit! They are praising God in song and soon they have all the guests clapping and foot stomping and praising God. When it is all over the lady next to me confides, "I was so disappointed Sunday when the church I wanted to visit was closed. Now I feel like I have been to church after all!"

Today I will see my "little sister" Tina all grown up, married and with a home of her own! Miracles do happen.

I met Tina when she was seven years old and living with her family in Taftville, CT. I was introduced to her as her "big sister", Maren. This was a friendship match made by Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Southeastern Conn. and eighteen years later we are still friends and sticking close to each other! Tina is now Mrs. Matt Miller. Matt is in the Navy and together with Tina's five year old son Tyler they are happy to be in their first home.

On our way to visit Tina we stop at Fort Pulaski on Cockspur Island in Georgia and also Tybee Island. Fort Pulaski was a fort used in the Civil War. It is worth seeing and we have a good walk around the fort. A guide tells us there are three alligators living in the outside moat." I have seen all three of them. One is about 4' long, one 6' and one 8' long. They crawled in over the land," a guide explains to us.

We drive on to Tybee Island and easily find the Tybee Lighthouse. It is closed Tuesdays and today is Tuesday. I take a walk to the shore and admire the coastline.

We drive on to Monck's Corner near Charleston, South Carolina.

Tina's housing neighborhood is so new it is not available for Mapquest or our Tom Tom unit yet. We find Monck's Corner which is a small suburb of Charleston, but how to find Tina? I call her using my cell phone. "You are very near my house. I will give you directions as you drive."

This is not as easy as it sounds! We drive and drive, turn here, turn there and wind up making a complete circle coming back to where we started. "I'll come get you!" Tina assures us. This works and soon we are following Tina home.

That night we talk together, and play with Tyler who loves the animal floor puzzle we give him as a gift.

Al gets up and dressed this morning and goes outside to greet the new day. In opening the front door he sets off a shrill alarm cry which wakes up everyone in the house! Tina rushes around and sets things right and apologizes for not telling us the alarm code system. "The alarm goes right to the police. The police called, but I told them it's all right," Tina assures us. Matt got home late last night from his Navy shift and this morning we drive about ten miles to I Hop where we have breakfast. Tyler is crying because this "I Hop" does not have the promised action toys for children. He finally calms down and we have a good breakfast.

We say good-bye to Matt and drive with Tina to the Charleston Tourist Information Center. We decide to take the horse and carriage tour of Charleston and the guide gives us a map and directions on where to find the carriage. It is a walk of several blocks but it is a pleasant walk. We are soon seated in a horse drawn carriage along with a group of other tourists and off we go. Clip clop. Clip clop. We slowly pass expensive looking row houses and a beautiful tree lined waterfront park with fountains. Tyler is enjoying the ride. Al and I will come back alone tomorrow to look around more closely.

The carriage ride lasts an hour. We take the city bus back to the information center and drive out to Magnolia Plantation. Just as we get there it begins to pour rain. The rain never lets up the rest of the afternoon which is a disappointment to us. We have a nice tour of the inside of the Plantation house but the outdoor gardens and slave cabins we are not able to see.

Instead we drive to Walmarts and puchase a bread making machine for Matt and Tina as a new house gift. Al promises to send Tina his famous recipe for cinnamon raisin bread. After supper at Ruby Tuesdays we go home, watch some TV, and go to bed.

We pack up and sadly say our good-byes to Tina, Matt and Tyler. We have a free morning in Charleston. "No more flower gardens," Al says softly. "I've seen more than enough."

Agreeing to go on a walking tour of Charleston, I enjoy reading the interesting signs as we drive to the city.

"KFC Livers and Gizzards Here"

"The Hump Bar- Get Over It!"

"God is bigger than any problem you will ever have."

It is a very hot day in Charleston and we take it slowly walking through the narrow streets. I discover that Charleston although said to be a "sister city" of Savannah has a very different feeling to it. Charleston has a genteel and affluent feel to it. Many houses have for sale signs and the neighborhoods are much quieter than in Savannah. I am fascinated by the windows and doorways of the row houses and the narrow alley ways. One section of houses are painted in pink, yellow and green. Small flower gardens accentuate the houses and most of all the black iron balcony grill work. No two iron grills look exactly the same. We walk on the shaded side of the streets admiring the many homes. Midday finds us standing outside a French Cafe and we decide to go in. This is a family style restaurant...tight and crowded. We are seated on high stools with small tables in front of us. I choose the special of the day: slice mellon, lox on a crossant with salmon mousse on top. I also have Gazpacho soup. Really delicious.

After some more walking and visiting in old churches Al and I walk down to the large, lovely Waterfront Park where we can sit in the shade of leafy trees, gaze out over the river and rest our tired feet.

What a peace filled place this is! This park has two working fountains of water in it and my attention is drawn to them by the laughter of children. It is one in particular I am drawn to. This fountain stands at the south end. Young children run through this fountain in utter abandon and joy with shrieks of laughter which is catching! Yes, joy can be caught! Remembering my own childhood I feel young again. In my spirit I join the children and how refreshing the water feels.

The older children try to stand in the middle of the center water spout which shoots straight upward in a strong gush. A young boy stands there now pushed by the force of the water. Can he hold his own? Can he withstand the force and stand erect? It is difficult, he is trying and yes! He does it! A broad grin on his face shows the exhilaration he feels as he gives the victory sign! He has mastered the challenge.

I am weary no longer. The water and the children work their miracle on me and I am refreshed and ready to move on.

North Charlestown is where Tom Gasser and his family waits for us. Along the way we stop at a Sports Bar for supper. We are the only "white" customers and actually the only customers. The owner is friendly with us and apologetic because everything on the menu seems to be not available. They are not prepared for serving a meal. We do have hamburgers and a nice chat with the owner who used to live in New York City. He mentioned "Queens" and Al asked "Astoria?" and it was like we were family.

We drive on to Tom's house where his wife Renae and little Thomas and Gabrielle greet us. Tom was a frequent guest in our house in Conn. when he was a cadet at the Coast Guard Academy in New London. It is wonderful to see him again and meet his family.

Little Thomas and Gabrielle are full of energy and love to play.

Al helps Renae get the children ready for school by brushing Gabrielle's hair this morning. Renae goes back to bed with a headache while we go to I Hop with Tom for breakfast. Before we leave Tom he shows us the wildlife sanctuary behind his home. Although quite pretty, it has it's drawbacks - Tom has to put up a fence to keep the alligators out of his yard.

Today we drive up the coast to Morehead City, NC. First we visit Palms Island and the beautiful beaches there.

It is a long car ride to Morehead but Garrison Keillor keeps us company in the car with his tales from Lake Woebegone. Only Garrison can wind out a story about a high school teacher trying to pick a long booger out of his nose during a graduation ceremony. This is one of his best stories and keeps us both laughing.

Down south they have store names that are different from up here in New England. Everyone shops at "Food Lyon" for groceries for example. And did you run out of milk? For that you run to "Piggly Wiggly".

We come upon a Baptist Church it seems every couple of miles. Some are "First Free Will Baptist Church".

We eat at the "Captain's Table" for dinner tonight in Morehead City. The menu items sound unfamiliar to me. For supper I have a chicken salad sandwich, fried oysters, hush puppies and fried cornmeal finger bread.

With a feeling of excitement Al and I get up early and drive an hour and a half to the ferryboat on Pamlico Sound. We are looking forward to the ride across the Sound and the beautiful drive up the North Carolina coast along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore which we have never seen before. However it is not to be. Great is our disappointment to learn that the ferry boat across the Sound is booked full until the five o'clock run. That is too late for us. We didn't know advance car reservations were needed. We have to put that trip off for another time.

Back we drive to Morehead City to continue our road trip to Virginia inland via New Bern.

Alongside the road we come to an auto repair shop. In front a sign tells it like it is:

"Drag 'Em In, Drive 'Em Out!"

This is a clever sign for an auto repair shop.

Before we reach Morehead City we stop at a country store which is having a sale on crafts made by local craft artists. It is nice to chat with these nice people and I walk away with a handpainted "Welcome Friends" slate for our house and a wooden mermaid puzzle. We are told to stop at the New Bern craft fair on our way through which we do. We find this craft fair on the waterfront and take some minutes to walk around and observe the goings on.

"Maren, come on over and try one of these chairs out," Al calls to me. What is he talking about?

Al has discovered the man who makes the "Carolina Easy Chairs". These are wood chairs for the back yard and I am willing to try one out. I am surprised at how comfortable it feels and the ease in which I can get out of it. The chairs are just the right distance from the ground. We are going to think about this before purchasing a couple of them and we take the literature with us.

New Bern is a lovely old town and for lunch we walk into the "Morgan Tavern & Grill " on Front Street. It is perfect; cozy, dark and atmospheric. My chef's salad is oh so good.

Back on the road we come to a sign for "The Great Dismal Swamp" just before we cross over into Virginia. We make a stop here and the gal at information urges us to take the walk along the creek and also the woodland boardwalk. I start along the waterway but am stopped by the sign, "Beware of snakes along the way."

I do an about face and we try the boardwalk until we have to continue our journey. I love the walk in the woods listening to the birds and sounds of little scurrying things invisible to me.

Arriving at Virginia Beach we find the home of Larry and Johan. These wonderful Christian friends moved out of Conn. many years ago and it is "the best!" to see them again. I also appreciate being able to use their washer and dryer to clean our dirty clothes! Johan serves us a delicious pork dinner and afterwards Larry gives us a car tour of their area.

Today is Pentecost Sunday. Larry and Johan take us to their church which is the "New Life Providence Church". After about 20 minutes in the car I ask, "Are we still in Virginia Beach?"

"Oh, yes, " answers Johan. "Virginia Beach is very large in territory. Our son Stephen lives in Virginia Beach it takes us about 30 min. to get to his house!"

The minister at the New Life Providence Church doesn't have to talk about Pentecost because they just live it! About 400 church members are present and they are worshiping in the Spirit just like the disciples did that first Pentecost! This worship service starts out with a full 30 minutes of praise to the Lord led by musicians and song leaders. Words to the hymns are displayed overhead for all to read. The young children are singing and praising just like the rest of us and it is a very joy filled worship time full or hand clapping, hand raising and Alleluia's. We also enjoy the sermon by the guest speaker, who shows us Bible verses supporting his sermon topic, "How To Be A Father."

After church we drive downtown and have brunch at a restaurant overlooking the ocean at Virginia Beach. The boardwalk here is a busy place and many people, walk by and ride all manner of cycles. It is a pleasure to eat at such a nice spot by the sea. We know that in summer the area will be jammed with summer folk.

At 2:00 p.m. we say good-bye to Larry and Johan and drive to Pohatan. Along the way we pass such signs as:

"Virginia, peanuts capitol of the world."

"Virginia Diner...Go Nuts!"

"Stomach growling? Southern Fried Chicken 4 mi. ahead at Virginia Diner".

In Pohatan we arrive at the home of Bob and Ruth, also from St. David's years ago! This car trip we are on is more about renewing friendships than sight seeing! It is sooo good to see so many long time friends and reconnect with them.

Bob was in the Navy when we knew this couple in Conn. and since that time both Bob and Honey have become ordained as Episcopal Priests! They have served both separate episcopal parishes and also as a married team in single parishes. Now they are retired and living in a lovely home in the Virginia countryside.

After dinner, Bob gives us a little country drive around the area. We stop in at the little parish they most recently served. I am fascinated at what looks like pure country.

"Where is Walmarts?" "We don't have one."

"Home Depot?" We don't have one."

"Any stores?" "Just a gas station and convenience store in town. That's the way we like it."

Their dog "Molly" keeps them company and they take the dog on walks every day.

In our conversations Ruth and I discover that we are both active in the Kairos prison ministry! That is I am just entering in the ministry and she has been on several Kairos week-ends in Virginia already. Bob has also been on men's Kairos week-ends. I look forward to sharing my Kairos experiences with them in the future.

We move on this morning to the town of St. Michaels on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

First though Al and I drive to the horse farm in the Partlow's neighborhood. The horses are all out being fed and grazing on the hills. I can not take my eyes off the country scene spread out before me.

"If I lived here I would take a walk every morning to this horse farm," I tell Al. And I would, too. I think Ruth would take Molly with her and walk with me. Probably I would volunteer to do horse chores....it is nice to imagine it.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is 21 miles long! We are sure to fill our car with gas before crossing over.

Our AAA guide book tells us about a Victorian Bed & Breakfast in St. Michaels named "The Parsonage Inn" and we decide to try it.

We go inside and like the looks of the place. We can have the front room with the big brass bed! "A past owner of the house was married in that front room" we are told. How romantic. I am fascinated by the big brass bed...gleaming and golden looking. I have never slept on such a bed.

St. Michaels is a charming main street town on the Chesapeake Bay. Al and I have dinner at the "Seafood House" on the harbor. My crab sandwich roll is delicious.

During the night I find it hard to get to sleep in this brass bed. Over and over again I reach up and trace the graceful curves of the brass grill with my finger until I fall asleep!

Breakfast is served in the dining room and I am surrounded by antique furniture. We we eating breakfast with the 9 other guests. The manager has made the breakfast herself and she serves us eggs, ham, mixed fruit cup, pomegranate & raspberry juice and pan fried potatoes. It is delicious and it is especially nice to meet the other guests and find out what they do.

Al heads for the maritime museum after breakfast and I walk through town taking pictures of the old houses and doing some browsing and gift shopping in town.

We eat lunch in "Eva's" on the main street. They have taken out the front window panes and you can reach right outside the window and shake hands with a passerby if you have a window seat!

We are sorry to leave this quaint little town but we are happy to make the drive to Delran, NJ where we stay the night with Wayne and Paula. Paula is Al's sister. A big bonus is seeing our great nieces Ember and Anna again! They are staying overnight also with Paula and Wayne.

Breakfast sitting next to Anna in her high chair is an experience. Anna discovers what fun it is to play with her oatmeal. She picks it up in her little fist and moves it from from her bowl to her tray...over and over again. I move my chair further away from her just in case!

It is fun playing games with Ember and Anna before we have to leave. Ember is always full of imagination. "We'll be the audience and you be the dancer," she tells me. We play guessing games and then Ember serves me a cup of tea with her play set. I sit outside with them and we sing some songs. Soon it is time to leave.

Al and I stop in at St. Stephens Cemetery in Millburn to visit the Schober gravesite. We remember with love Al's mother and father and brother now passed on to glory. How we miss them, but we will be seeing them again someday.

Driving on to Maplewood we take Alice out to lunch. After my mother died, my dad remarried. Alice is like a mother to me and we have a good talk while sitting in the Irish pub.

Al orders the mussel platter. Being an engineer, Al does not simply make a messy pile of the mussel shells when he is finished eating. As he eats each mussel, he carefully arranges the empty shell in the dish next to him. When he is all finished the shells have been evenly arranged in a very neat kind of a snail pattern. It is very arty looking and perfect looking.

The waitress returns and stares at his plate. She looks so surprised. "I've never seen anything like that," she says. " It is so neat looking. I have served many mussel platters to customers and they all just heap them up...but this...this is fantastic." I think Al put this poor waitress into shock.

We bring Alice back to where she lives at Winchester Gardens and we talk an outside walk with her. Alice works hard on the Garden Committee where she lives and we are proud of her flower arrangements in the outside gardens. They are beautiful.

We take our leave and walk in our front door at home in Uncasville at 6:15 p.m. It has been three wonderful weeks on the road. Over four thousand miles. So many friends, flowers, brooks, creeks, flowers, rivers, ocean, towns, flowers, houses and more flowers we have seen! But we have not seen anything as good as home where our heart is! Home where we put our feet up, see our children and grandchildren and love our two cats.

Thank You, Lord, for another wonderful trip with You!

Amen and Amen.