Tag Archives: travel

Oct17

summertime….when the sleeping is uneasy.

Posted on October 17, 2013 by beth

just as they had many times before, p and her husband s, hit the road and made the journey from detroit to chicago to visit their grown children. they decided to take their time and spend the night along the way, as they were taking their older beloved dog with them, and wanted to make it an easy trip for him.

it was the long easter weekend, and they booked the only ‘dog-friendly lodging’ available, a chain motel, at their target stopping point – michigan city, indiana. this town, once known as ‘the coho capital of the world,‘ is now best known for its outlet malls, casino, and state prison. nyc it is not, but it happened to be located in just the right spot, the halfway point of the trip. they were fine with all this as it was just for a night, and in the morning they’d be off and on the road once again, headed for the windy city.

upon arriving at the motel, they checked in at the little front office, and made their way around the back to find their room and settle for the night. once in back, the first thing they noticed was the location of their room, and the second thing they noticed were the police officers, guns drawn, in defensive stance, aiming their weapons towards the room right next to theirs, involved in a standoff with the current resident. as p’s blood pressure quickly began to rise, s calmly put down his window to ask one of the officers if there was a problem, and if could they come through to get into their room. the dog now had his head out the window too, checking out the action and trying to figure out what was going on. while the officer was dumbfounded, by this request, p’s reaction was swift and strong -‘are you &^%$#@ kidding me?!?! put those windows up and let’s get the %$*& out of here and back to that office!’

s and the dog knew better than to mess with p when she started using symbols in her sentences, and they quickly backed out and returned to the office. when they asked the desk clerk what was going on, he looked at them calmly, saying,’i can’t tell you that.’ knowing there was nothing else available, they had no choice but to take a room, ‘as far away from the guns as possible.’ they didn’t sleep real well that night, but they never heard shots, and there is always something to be said for that. the next morning, they awoke early and headed out towards chicago, happy to be away from whatever had been going on.

chicago was great, the family visit was a good one, and all worries were behind them, as they headed for home. it was late afternoon when a light on their dash suddenly lit up, signaling a problem with the tire pressure. they pulled into the closest gas station and as they checked the tire that looked a bit low, it quickly went completely flat. a guy at the station replaced it with the donut tire and advised them not to drive more than 20 miles on it. it was easter sunday and nothing was open, so once again they ended up at their favorite motel, and requested their ‘usual room’ from the other night. the clerk seemed as surprised to see them as they were to see him.

they got the key and drove to their room, happy no standoffs were in play, and no swat vehicles were parked in the lot next to them. once inside, p went to take a shower, and noticed the shower curtain was missing. now, they’d been in this same room just 2 nights before, and the curtain had been in its place on the rod, so they wondered what possibly could have happened to it, as it was not the usual thing that someone would steal from a hotel room to take home with them.

s and the dog returned to the office, explained the situation to the clerk, who responded in his usual stoic manner, ‘hmm, i can’t say where it might be, but just take the one from the room next to you, the door’s unlocked.’ he truly is a corporate policy man and problem solver who can think on his toes. they trudged back to the room next to theirs, took down the curtain and installed it in their room’s shower. p was at her limit at this point, took her shower and they didn’t discuss it after that. later that night, when all were about to drift off into another restless sleep, they had to wonder if the missing shower curtain was somehow connected to the standoff, and perhaps even wondered what could have been wrapped in it? as for me, i wonder if they’ll return for their anniversary each year, though i think not.

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This is an elegant hotel! Room service has an unlisted number.

Henny Youngman

Aug24

belinda – this one’s for you (the travel project)

Posted on August 24, 2013 by beth

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bringing my world to you – ann arbor, mi, usa

a little bit friendly city, a little bit beautiful country

Aug5

a horse, a horse! my kingdom for a horse!

Posted on August 5, 2013 by beth

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a human adventure of the finest sort brought to life from my recent time down under. i was so taken by this, i’ve decided to share it even though i’ve since returned. while i was there, an extraordinary woman passed away. this is her story.

Not what I have, but what I do is my kingdom. Thomas Carlyle

tributes poured in from around the world with the news that princess shirley casley, of hutt river, age 84, had passed away, surrounded by family and friends. shirley was the wife of self-proclaimed prince leonard casley, and matriarch of the principality of hutt river, a 75sqkm micro-nation north of perth.

prince richard casley, one of her seven children, said the family ‘was reeling from the loss of their rock, a woman who lived for her family, and a true matriarch.’ a fine familial tribute if i’ve ever heard one.

the casleys, a farming family, made history in 1970, when they declared their property to be a separate country apart from all of australia, in protest to the government’s imposition of low wheat production quotas. under australian law, the government had two years to respond to the declaration, and their failure to do so resulted in the official birth of the principality in 1972.

shirley and her prince leonard, the love of her life, bought their wheat farm in the 1960s, were married for 66 years, and raised seven children, twenty grandchildren, and thirty + grandchildren there. once the principality came into being, they introduced their own currency, postage, and visa requirements.

prince richard said his mother preferred to stay out of the spotlight, but was the behind the scenes driving force behind the principality – hosting dignitaries, media, and the 40,000 tourists who visited each year. ‘we’ve had messages from people all over the world who knew her. she was a very special woman to so many people – she enjoyed life,” he said. an understatement i’m sure.

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Our ambition should be to rule ourselves, the true kingdom for each one of us; and true progress is to know more, and be more, and to do more. Oscar Wilde

Jul24

Looking back in my rearview mirror to see Australia – objects may appear smaller than they actually are

Posted on July 24, 2013 by beth

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What may be the world’s smallest golf course – less than 1 meter square – freemantle

A friendly creature with a great approach – balingup

Hard to resist this taste sensation – Margaret river

The Aussie version of snow, sea foam – bunbury

Stark beauty – Wellington dam

Maze where I hooked up with a random family to help me find my way out – yallingup

Evening walk around the estuary – found my way with the help of a homeless man and 2 teens with nothing better to do

Found myself in the ancient mangrove

Found my way out again

‘Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia.’

Charles Schulz

Jul22

Do you ever wonder?

Posted on July 22, 2013 by beth

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Finally back on American soil after a long and crazy journey home. One last layover and one last flight and I will be home. Along the way, I realized it was my wonder and amazement with people and their choices that kept me smiling. A random sampling for your reading pleasure:

A. My Aussie seat-mate of many hours and ultimate gentleman, who jumped over the back of our seats, so as not to wake me when he got up.

B. The woman who chose to wear a cow costume without a head, but with a pretty blue hair bow instead, who shared the line with me in customs.

C. The mysterious woman who left her ample bra hanging in my airport restroom. I long to know her story.

My sincere thanks to all above, and many more, who made my travel adventure so much more entertaining.

Jul21

I’m leaving now. No, I’m not.

Posted on July 21, 2013 by beth

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Called airline to confirm my flight for this evening. airline told me it had been rebooked 13 hours earlier for this morning and it had already left. They had contacted my travel agent in the states who is 12 hours behind and sleeping or dancing away her weekend night. they did not think to also contact me. next possible flight to make my 3 connections, is actually too soon for me to arrive at the airport in time. Next option: add in one more flight, spend the night in an airport somewhere, continue on. No rebooking for the next day as one leg of the trip falls within the 24 hour no rebooking rule, which I think she made up while talking to me, because at some point it’s less than 24 hours away and I’ll be losing or gaining a day somewhere in the process. Next option: leave at midnight tonight, check bags through all airports, until i hit customs again in the states. Possible glitches: airline called this option ‘dangerous,’ as far as all flights must be on time, allowing for a very small window for transfers and connections, customs has to not consider me an enemy combatant or mule, and they said they ‘would pray for me.’ This sounds like the perfect fit and of course, the option I chose. After hours on the phone and computer, and many teas, coffees, and cookies, and an emu beer, I am ready to go.