We were able to spend a day with Damian and Tandy (part of one, at least) after they came home on Thursday evening. We found the airport, circled around once in the parking/in/out area, found them. Only got honked at once, managed to finish a call or text and get them loaded up and home, safe and sound. They were SOOOooo tired after being up for something like 24 hours or more. Ugh. Damian had to work the next night. They did have a nice trip to Croatia and shared photos with us that evening when the kids got home from Band (and THEY were almost just as tired and beat, poor things.) But Mike and I got a little sleep after packing and saying our goodbyes to the kids.
Poor Tandy had to get up with us at 4 am , we left the house at 4:30 or so to head to the airport for our 6:30 am flight to Charlotte to Montreal, CA. What an adventure! San Antonio was our first "surprise" event.
We were at out gate, going down the jet way to board our plane when someone up at the top where they'd just scanned our boarding pass called my name. "Linda!" I heard them, but wondered, "Me?" Because they didn't say Linda Liebhardt. Or "Traveller Linda" or "Passenger Linda" . I just thought they might mean an employee. Nope. It was me. So I headed back UP the jet way to the lady and told Mike , "You'd better come with me," and he did. They apparently forgot to scan our passports. So, they scanned them and we were back on our way. Whew! But it was a bit scary.
The trip was only a couple of ours to Charlotte. The sunrise was lovely. I nodded off and snoozed a LOT of the way. Mike and I didn't have seats together, but I never talk to strangers or seat mates if not necessary. He was on the isle on the left side (3 seats each side) and I was on the window on the right. Same row. And he even had a seat next to him -- empty. I think it was about the only empty seat on the plane! I didn't even move over. I figured he would enjoy the extra room to stretch out and read, and I wasn't needing to visit. The gal next to me was quiet and small and I had a window if I wanted to look out. So I was good.
What WASN'T as good was the delay that we had upon arrival at Charlotte. Very long line-ups to get in at the terminal. Like 30 minutes of waiting in line. People were quite antsy and at the end, so were we because we had a connecting flight that left in 30 minutes. Well, that's not a big deal in a small airport, but it sure is in a BIG one, and Charolotte was big when traveling from Terminal A to Terminal E. Yikes. That was a fast hike. About killed poor Mike. His legs were sore that night. At least there were no stairs this time like there was in Munich and that other airport we raced through a few years ago. (we really need to walk more and exercise). But we made it to the gate while there were boarding the last seating areas.
The only problem was, we wanted to get there early because when I'd checked in the night before online, it only printed out boarding passes for flight one, but not for flight two. And it didn't allow me to choose a seat for us. It did say we were checked in successfully, so that was good. But we were supposed to check in at the gate or somehwere for our seat assignment. As we stood breathlessly in line (well, Mike was out of breath. I was not. But I was a bit nervous), we could see our names were NOT on the standby list, so I guess that was a good thing. There wer people still behind us as we got to the checking-in/boarding Pass scan aread right as you enter the jetway. I wondered, "How are they going to let us go down there with no boarding passes? Will we have a seat?" So I just handed over our passports and told her we weren't assigned seats yet. No sweat. She just asked if we were willing to sit by emergency seating and operate equipment if needed, so we said,"Sure," and she printed a pass and on we went. What a relief!
There is a lot of leg room in those seats, but mine was by the door and was significantly colder than the seat I was in by the window in previous plane. I think the seat was slightly narrower, too. AND, because of the distance between you and the seat ahead, stowing a bag under the seat in front of me means that I cannot reach my bag (with out unbucling my seat belt) to grab a drink, a snack, a pencil, my glasses...so I tucked it under my legs instead. I did a word-find. Mike read.
We arrived in Montreal, trekked to baggage claim and customs and got through with no problem--and there were the Burnetts! We were so glad to see them. They wondered why we chose Montreal's airport. But it is the closes major airport. Syracuse is smaller. Oh well. It worked out okay. So far.
It rained all the way home to their house in Hopkinton. Winthrop/Brasher Falls. Close to Potsdam, NY. We did stop for a Wendy's Fast Food meal on the way back from airport on Saturday. We were at their house by about 5 pm or so. We got settled in, and did a lot of visiting.
Sunday was Church in the Potsdam branch. Lots of visiting there, too. Dale and Irene do have many callings, but he's not branch president or counsellor right now, and Irene teaches Sunbeams. The branch is small, but close. Several people there are because of the Burnett's. It was Fast and Testimony meeting and Mike bore his testimony and shared stories and memories and testimony of the Book of Mormon. Dale also bore his testimony, among others.
After Church, we had a crock pot meal (Chicken salsa bean wraps) that was good. They took us on a drive after dinner after a little nap to see where Dale grew up near by and to see property that they'd purchased. We also go to see where the Bunett's were baptized in the St. Regis River. Dale was baptized by Mike and Elder David Saline baptized Irene. Dale had a photo album he showed me with pictures of their baptisms.
Later in the evening, the Burnett's generally have family and/or friends over for popcorn. Other food is sometimes thrown in. Like a couple of apple pies their son, Brian, made. It's apple season in New England and there were plenty around. The Burnetts have a farm with a pony (and pony cart for grandkids), sheep, chickens, a garden. And a neat old farm house that is always in a state of being finished. It's old and quaint and homey and comfy and full of memories and antiques and family furniture pieces of old and new stuff made by local Amish farmers. The Burnett's children (about threee) and siblings (2) live nearby and we got to spend time with all of them. Their youngest daughter, Chrissy, is 41 and has Downs Syndrome, so between her and a farm with chores, there's much they have to see to in order to leave town for any lenght of time. Oh, there's also a grand-daughter next door in the end of a high-risk pregnancy who Irene has been helping out a LOT lately with meals and dishes, etc. for the past month. Their plates are full.
But we dragged them away anyway. Four days of crazy busy travel with the Liebhardt's.
And we proved to be crazy, indeed. I only planned out the trip for the first day of travel. Truly. Just one day. Just to get from their home in Hopkinton to Sharon VT, Athena's in NH, to our hotel in Maine. About 6 to 8 hours of drive time and a picnic lunch in Sharon VT. It was cold there. It was hard to get there! First we couldn't find the ferry near Lake Champlaine and had to ask directions. My maps failed us time and time again. My phone failed. My maps failed. Good thing they had out - dated GPS unit named Susan. She's who finally got us to our hotel tonight. Sheesh. What an adventure. We did see Sharon, the Prophet Joseph Smith's birthdplace, and had our picnic. We did find Athena and Tom in New Hampshire and had a lovely dinner with them in Ossipee area. We did make it to Brunswick, Maine before 9:30 pm. But not without about 8 wrong turns, several turn-arounds, many consultations with different maps and computerized devices. Some good laughs, and we didn't hit any deer or moose, thankfully. The last 2 hours were in the dark. The drive during the day had just barely turning leaves over the hills, but it was a GORGEOUS day and we loved seeing the pretty country side. I would have liked to have lingered longer, taken more photos, recorded the gees on the fields, admired the old inns and huge farm houses longer. What we did did not see was covered bridges. That was on my agenda after Sharon Vermont. But at the rate we were going, I didn't want us to spend an extra hour wandering around lost in the woods. Which is what would have happened since I didn't have any specific instruction on how to get to one. I just ran out of prep time and the service is spotty.
It was all so lovely. I'm glad we came. I hope we get lost LESS tomorrow. Here's to better times to come!!
The leaves are just starting to change.
We passed a lot of wind farms on our way to Sharon, VT. These are in upstate New York.
Trees changing colors AND wind turbines.
There are a number of Amish people in the area of Upstate New York. Dale spends a lot of his time serving them by driving them places. (I think they hire him and do pay.) They are good neighbors and good people. The ones down the street from him are organic dairy farmers.
Mike, Irene and Dale Burnett on the Burnett's front porch at the beginning of our big adventure in New England. We had an ambitious first day of driving ahead of us. And that's about all I've planned. Just the first day. And the others are "rough drafts." We will see which works best.
On the way to church on Sunday, Dale and Irene drove us to the cemetary where Joseph Smith's grand father, Asael Smith, was buried.
Mike and Dale
Our cute little room upstairs in the Burnett's home. We spent Saturday and Sunday evening here.
Mike, Linda, Athena, Tom (Holtey)
Athena is a beekeeper and she was showing me how (in her kitchen upstairs from the shops) she infuses bees wax into cotton fabric.
Back in Sharon.
Our picnic in Sharon, VT. It was about 65 degrees. A bit cool in the shade, but not terrible.
You can see the moment in the center of the window. Brother and Sister Myers from Sandy, Utah, were delightful to talk with. We enjoyed walking to the monument and photographing the brilliant flowers. Those photos, and more from our day, are on my camera. I'll add those at a later time when I return home and have computer access and a bit of time.
Tomorrow we move up north in Main, enjoying the coast along the way and Acadia National Park. Wish us well! :-)
This is a quilt covering a car in the parking lot and advertising a quilt show.
