While most of my family still resides in southern New Jersey, one of my four sisters, Judi, age 50, lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. My next in line sister, Betty, age 70, and I decided to finally visit her instead of waiting for her visits up north. I started this blog when I was 64 and I definitely slowed down in the number of posts but I have not given up. Even though this one won't be posted until 2020, the date for this adventure was Thanksgiving week 2019. My sister Betty had a slow recovery from her knee replacement surgery but she was now ready to tackle a 13 hour train trip. The ride first started in Hammonton at 6 am on the New Jersey Transit train that took us to the Thirtieth Street station in Philadelphia where we soon boarded the Amtrak Carolinian train around 9 am. The train stopped at several points along the corridor: Baltimore, Washington, DC, Raleigh, and about 18 other stops. We arrived in Charlotte around nine. I will be making two more blogs that will feature our time in Charlotte and our visit to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.
Thirtieth Street Station Info:
Amtrak ride to Charlotte (click off the ads :) ) :
When you are in the train you get used to a certain rhythm and movement of the passenger cabin but nothing too jarring and the seats are roomier than airplane seats. There was a food car with minimal choices and plenty of liquor. I had water, fruit and peanut butter and jelly crackers so I found no need to purchase anything. Please forgive me for the poor quality of the photos. Most of them were taken through a dirty train window while we were moving. Also, it was mostly a very gray day. I share them but I am really not sure the exact location for each photo. The photos were taken between Philly and maybe Rocky Mount by which time it had gotten dark at the end of our trip to Charlotte.
This is the one photo that is not mine:
Passenger Betty, my sister:
Not sure of what this building this is, but it is obscuring the view of the nation's capitol!
I still spy the Capitol!
Probably a little more than half-way through our 13 hour train ride, train hosts or ambassadors came onto to train near Rocky Mount, North Carolina. They greeted the passengers and answered general information questions. When the man (photo below) got to our seats, he started to share stories about his past in the military. I think we were the lucky ones because I am quite sure he did not share these fantastic stories with the previous passengers that he visited. I guess we were so engrossed with his stories that there were so many unanswered questions. What branch of the military? What years did he serve? Even his name...? I later caught a glimpse of his name badge when we got off at the station and I believe his name was John Simmons. Later online, I tried to see if there might be a way to reconnect with the man to thank him and tie up some loose ends of his stories. I was able to contact another ambassador and she said his name might be Chuck Simmons. He said he was a military pilot and had transported atomic bombs and explained so many details of the nuclear device. He explained how the charges worked to detonate the bomb and upon release how the bomb would explode before it hit the ground and the reason for that but I have forgotten many of the details and I feel the need to research that information. He also had a story about how he had to ditch an airplane and had to parachute to the Atlantic Ocean and all the harrowing details. He told us about the design of the life raft that enabled the man to haul himself into the raft. He said one edge on the raft had a place that was flush with the water that enabled him to slide into the raft and had to use a mirror to make signals all around the horizon. He was saved but didn't make a career of the military because his family needed him on his dairy farm upon the death of his father. What a memorable man! Again, I apologize for the blurry photo but it was the only one I took.
We are in the last few weeks of winter and the cold dreary days continue in the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic States. To hurry the spring, we went to the Flower Show in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Flower Show is an annual event produced by The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and held in early March. It is the largest indoor flower show in the world, attracting more than 250,000 people. There are gardens displays, florist creations, floral specimens entered for prizes, featured presenters and a whole host of vendors selling their plants, flowers and wares. The theme for 2019 was inspired by the 60's Woodstock Concert and the associated "Flower Power" theme. I liked it because it featured a lot of pop art culture of the 60's. Also, I am all about flowers----- indoors and out in the summer.
First, my son, his fiance, and I went to the Mishulu for a "Meowshulu" Brunch. The old time sailing ship is anchored at 401 South Columbus Boulevard along the Delaware River and operates as a restaurant. Proceeds were used to promote a group that supports nonlethal options for animals in shelters. The moderator and the top supporter for the campaign was Lucy Noland, the news anchor at Fox channel 29 where my son works. Nearby we stopped at a Vietnam Veterans Memorial and a Farmers Market.
Farm Market Pea Man
Farmers Market
Sean's favorite childhood character
Vietnam Memorial
Old Philadelphia Neighborhood
Neighborhood House Number
Mishulu Old Sailing Ship....Restaurant
View of the city from the Mishulu
A view of the dreary day at the top of the parking garage.
Wanted to contrast this from the flower explosion before we got to the flower show.
We made the most of the day. Even visited the butterfly exhibit before viewing the flower show. Then it was onto the the spectacular flower show.
There were plenty of real tulips but these
were painted wood.
The purple spikes are liatris. They always had a special meaning to me because my grandfather grew these on his small farm in Hammonton, NJ for sale in the New York City flower market. I would help him often to get the flowers ready for market. His funeral had floral arrangements featuring this flower.
Usually I think of orange to be a mundane color for flowers ...thinking marigolds, but when the flower is an orchid .....pink becomes the mundane and I just adore orange orchids.
I guess most would be a bit puzzled to see this display but I liked it. It had a vacant lot scene and I think so many towns are enforcing codes that force people to clean up. To me there is something very appealing about abandoned dilapidated houses that have overgrown shrubbery. I am not totally sure I would like it if it were next door to me.
This artwork was submitted by a student from a third to fifth grade category....LOVE IT
