Tuesday, August 10, 2010

More Vacation Pictures and Info

I did come back in less than a month, more than a week, but less than a month.

While we were at the Vietnam wall visiting and looking for names of individuals that we knew, there were several people mourning at the wall.  It was so sad to see this.   After all of the time that has passed, people still mourn there. This was the most solemn of all of the memorials and there was just an air about it.  It gives you the shivers to be there.  There were others that left notes, flowers and gifts.  All of these items are gathered up and never thrown away.  They are kept.  I would like to see the area where these items are kept.

Here are a few more photos of various places.  I will try and not bore you.

During the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, we were asked to be quiet and turn off all cell phones and this was to honor and respect those that were entombed here. This was a very moving ceremony.  It was so hot during this ceremony, I felt sorry for the guards in their wool uniforms.

We didn’t know that our church had planned to place a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier.  When they announced who it was from, I about fell over. It was such an honor to be there that day to see this happen.

We had lunch at Grand Central Station and that is the most beautiful place.  There were wedding pictures being taken when we were there.  The chandeliers are out of this world.  We had a great lunch too but boy the prices were not so beautiful.  My husband had 2 enchiladas and it was $20.00. They were good though.

I must say, the Canadian side is much more beautiful than the American side.  I think everyone that I spoke with said the same thing.  There is a magical feeling to the Canadian side.

We went to the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, Indiana. This was a really interesting place to visit.

On a lighter note, on the way home, it was decided we would have a legs contest that was with the guys.  Here they are posing.

We had one gentleman who refused to wear shorts so this is what he came up with.

Needless to say, he was the talk of the town.  He wore that all day long and everywhere we stopped people had something to say.  Some people thought he was a rodeo barrel clown, some thought he was our mascot and I won’t tell you what others thought he was.  He was a good sport about it.

This is a great way to take a trip and I would recommend it for anyone.  I normally do all of the driving when we go places and this is so much better and you meet so many wonderful people.

I hope you enjoyed the quickie version of our vacation.  It is a once in a lifetime trip for us and I hope that someday many of you can do this.  I know there are some reading this that probably live there and see this everyday.

Y’all have a great week and I’ll be back.

Blessings♥

Maxine

8 comments:

Janet - underthewillow said...

what an absolutely fabulous trip Maxine!...definitely some of the places I want most to visit too!...I also do the driving and would love a break from it because it just plain wears me out!...what a great way to travel!

Janet

Oklahoma Granny said...

18 years ago this Sept my husband & I visited the VietNam Memorial. It was very early on a Saturday morning and there were only a handful of people there. Among them was a homeless veteran with an army blanket around his shoulders. It was so sad!

The Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns is most impressive. I've been told that the soldiers that have that duty are very honored to have it regardless of the weather conditions.

What a wonderful trip. I so enjoyed your photos!

Birgit said...

It sounds like such a wonderful time and what a great way to meet new people too. What a hoot about your friend with the "shorts".
Everything sounds amazing and memorable. I'd love to go to Niagra Falls someday as well. Now I want to include the Canadian side too.
I hope you keep sharing.
Blessings~ Birgit

carolyn@simple~primitive~devotion said...

Maxine, how special to be there when the wreath from your church was placed!
I ahve seen the "Traveling Wall" several times, and I get the same mournful feeling as you did every time. When you see all of those names, it is an overwhelming feeling of loss. That's how it felt for me. I felt a similar feeling when we visitied the battlefield of Horseshoe Bend. It is very eerie and I felt like crying the whole tme we were there.
Your trip really sounds nice. Your photos are great! And how wonderful to be able to leave the driving to someone else! That's the way to go! I hope we can do that sometime.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.
~Carolyn

Marla said...

What a wonderful vacation. Great pictures.

When I saw my cousins name on the wall last year, it was the first time for me. I cried for a very long time.

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

Oh sweetie, I'm so happy ya got to do this, it is most certainly a trip to remember. Your photos are magnificent!

God bless ya and have yourself the most beautiful day sweetie!!!

Farmchick said...

Just stoppping by to say hi. What an amazing trip you took...what fun! :) Come say hi.

Janean said...

maxine, great photos....and touching.