Ashville

The NC mountains are cool and beautiful. I can see why Vanderbuilt built a mansion here and F. Scott and Zelda F came to play and live.

I've had enough of beach life and am driving back to No. Va today.

Thanks to my wonderful nephew Mike and his beautiful new bride Mikie for letting me stay at their condo.

The boiled shrimp is good , crab is out of season and frozen and mushy as are crawdads and I must get away from everything fried.

It is so humid.

I walked off and left my purse at the library for about ten minutes a few days ago. I was fortunate and it was still there.

I'm going to see my cousin Walter and his wife Lynn and daughter in MD.

Charleston

Well I hear you have to boil that nasty ham so I did, then it's tasteless and still yucka.

Charleston is beautiful and the River plantations great. Went for a tour through town. The humidity is getting to be and even at 79 I know I wouldn't last. Michael tells me the rain is coming though.

I went to Myrtle beach last night land of the Volcanoes and Gator farms and mini Disney and gold Land and could not stand it. There are some beautiful properties and McMansions on Ocean Dr but I'm glad to be in N. Myrtle Beach land of calmer people.

The swelling of my feet may have gone down. It still hurts to put in my tennis shoes but they are new.

VA Ham

God is it salty! Yuck!

My cousin Bev said she used to see mom soaking hers and rinsing. I only remember a John Morrill.

After arriving in Myrtle Beach I look a brief look at the beach, and drove to meet a friend from Annapolis June week days who went to Sweet Brian and Married a lawyer and is also a librarian in Columbia. After lunch with Patti I dropped Clare's package off on their porch and drove back. I should have stayed at Patti's. It took close to 8 hrs round trip. I was exhaused.

The next day I got an early start and headed for Beaufort and toured. A lovely town, historic and charming.
I really liked a house on Lady islady. Screened in porch 2 car garage. Guest apt. over the garage, lovely kitchen, fireplace lovely oak floors and 3 bedrooms all with custom closets. All the homes have steps up and they kill me. Even with 6 steps it's a lot to lug groceries. This has a club house with pool, bar and so forth for 650 plus assn fees. I'd melt in the heat. Even in April it was getting on 84. It does not really cool down at night either. There was one house that backed up to a swamp down yonder...if I let Lacey out a croc could eat her! I don't think so!
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My poor feet in flip flops are all swollen up and ache. I need to elevate and ice them. Even after resting for 7 hrs they were still swollen.

I ate seafood in Port Royal, decided I don't like their crabcakes, maybe just my own and shrimp is out of season but I ate it and the she crab soup and hushpuppies and clam chowder I can pass on.

Then I drove to see Hilton Head I'll pass All clear cut and the same.

From there I went to Savannah and took a trolly tour . I likes Water street and the city market and might have taken a tour of a house or two but my feet hurt. So I headed out.

I stopped for lunch and got a shrimp salad. Finally something not fried! Thshrimp were grilled and not those tiny salad shrimp either but nice ones, an inch or so.

There I discovered the frozen daiquires in every flavor from white Russian to Cherry blast look promising at 4.50 for a small. I may try one tonight. I decided I didn't need one for my long drive back. I had to stop 2x for short naps since I was up at 4. I got in at 8 or so and was horrified to find the lower lock locked and couldn't get. I called the locksmith who sprayed a bit of gunk on it and the same key for the upper opened the lower and I was in. I gave the poor man a hug I was so relieved.

Today I'm resting, doing laundry and maybe driving on the beach. I don't sit out in the sun. I may get a few groceries and find some fish.

Virginia

I arrived and drive an hour to get to my friends house in 4:00 traffic on the back roads! Yuck. It was so good to see my friend Karen and we ordered in Chinese and crashed at 9.

The next morning up my 9 and to the library to stock up on book tapes for me.
I left by 11 or so driving towards Richmond for Williamsburg. I got in about 3:30 and got a corn beef sandwich on rye from the NY Deli NOT! After checking in I ran aroung Williamsburg a bit and found a beautiful bed and breakfast accross from campus on Jamestown Rd. and changed to that the 2nd night. I love all the wreaths on the doors and the white lights like mom used to put in the windows for Christmas on in so many windows.

The reception where I met the bride to be Mike was lovely at the hospitality house.We had dessert, wine, water with their names,date and Williamsburg Va label. then 20 or so or my realtives from MD, VA, NT, CT, NJ. It was so nice to see all the babies.

Mimi Arnold and her husband and son came down on Sat.

The wedding was lovely. The bride had a dress strapless, scrunched in the back and a veil in her hair.

Clare was the flower girl and walked down with her dad holding a basket. She saw her mom at the alter as the pregnant attedant of honour. Clare wanted to go to her and cried Mommy when her dad wisked her out.

The music was lovely the old organ and a guitar and singer and Pachabel as an entrance hym and Ode to Joy as a ressisional.

The reception was lovely and I got to meet Clare for a moment.
Gwen ran at every opportunity to talk to me although she was 3 feet away talking to my aunt for almost 10 min.

I'm heading to Columbia from lovely Myrtle beach today to drop off a present for Clare. The I will leave her alone.

Tomarrow Beauford and Port Royal.

The gardens and Colonial Williamsburg were lovely filled with tullips, azaleas of every hue and dogwood in bloom the state flower.

My grand niece Abby danced my feel off and it was good to meet her and t



Clare was the flower girl walked down the aisle by her dad.

it was good to meet her and Ethan my grand nephew.

A good time was had my all.

Hats off to all good teachers

I do not have the patience or aptitude.

I'm packing but need more time.

The sin came out this afternoon and despite a brisk breeze and despite my hat and a turtleneck I think my face may have gotten sunburned.

I was totally frustrated at a 6 y.o. today. I feel so guilty. I snapped at him. Bad teacher. I needed to motivate him while 20 others were playing.

It was still cold here tonight.

I need a digital camera.

I cleaned out the car,
Still didn't find my sunglasses.

To top things off, Richard came over for more tutoring. He is unable to look up a term in the glossary and put it on the paper and even if he knows how to spell a word he asks me 3 or 4 times. He can't tell me where his papers are either.

It drives me crazy.

I need a bath and a book and sleep. 5 will come early and we leave for the airport at 5:15.

No. Va here I come ready or not.

My suitcase weighs a ton, filled with books. I'm glad it has wheels. I still can't find one of my sandals.

Lessons

Tutoring Richard who can't find his papers or tell me where they are and is unable to provide information on when something is due is a lesson in patience. When he comes over and had left his papers at home I want to scream.

Today I learned to trace templats of clouds, butterflies. bumblebees, sunflowers and planting seeds on egg shells in kinder. Ouch, it hurts the back to run the sissors over the paper then trace the pattern.
Then I taught p.m. kindergarten.

The word of the day is patience.
I am not equiped. What do you do when a girl skips the first 4 mo. of school and now can't write her letters even wjen they are on the wall and you write the sentence for her to copy; or the boy who sits so long doing nothing drspite sitting next to him constantly prompting him?

Then I interviewed at San Jose H.S. Academy for a teaching job. They always have these panels and set questions.

My l ear is still filled w/ water. Tonight I shampooed with cotton in and a pan to dump water over my head. Hope it clears by Thurs.

My phone 5/1 in Newport is 401-369-0243.

Hope it warms up. It was freezing here today; sweater weather.

Yesterday was beautiful.

One more day of work...

Voodoo

I'm off to teach kindergarten.

Tomorrow I have an interview for a h.s. English teaching job for next year.

Picked most of the oranges off my 2 trees and squeezed most this a.m. in a try in get vitamin c in me.

The E. coast...Northeasterners...shootings yikes!


Last night I finished the papers tutoring Richard in 11th grade history. I would fail.

His mom tried a Bolivian folk remedy to clear my ears. She made a cone of newspaper, cut it to about 6 inches and had me insert it in my ear and hold it while she lit it. The idea is that the heat draws the moisture out. My l ear is still hurting but we may have helped the r one. We did this 3 times. I heat did feel good, I can still feel the fluid in my r ear though and I still can't clear it. Hopefully I will be able to to by Thursday. At least my hair didn't catch on fire.

It does smell of smoke though.

The luggage came out. Lacey is sitting on the suitcase as if to say "You can't go."

Looks like I'll be in do IAD dullus on Thurs, 3:30 drive to my friend Ksren
's for the night
The next day, 4/20 off to Williamsburg and the reception
4/21 the wedding
4/22 off to Myrtle Beach where my dear nephew Michael has offered me the use of his condo.
4/23 lunch with my friend Patti in Columbia
24th...Beufort and Port Royal and Charleston
25th Savannah
26th St Simeons
28 Va Beach for dinner with my friends Adm. Jay and Mimi Donnely who were in my wedding
hopefully in No VA to visit relatives in MD if they can make time to see me
4/30 PA Ironmasters mansion Gettysburg
5/1 Rhode Island Newport
Hamptons
5-4 Greenwich dinner and services
5/5 Greenwich Pamelas barmit... 5:45 and reception
rtn to ca 5/6

More kinder tomorrow. Jack to this once a month teaching paycheck. I thought I lost one since the city pays twice a month.

Williamsburg has lots of events listed for this weekend in the newspaper including a tour of the campus and the Farmers market.

Travelers Checks

Did you know AAA doesn't sell or issue travelers checks any more?

Apparently they aren't used much any more.

I'm starting to pack.

I got wedding wrapping paper today since my gift is extremely fragile I chose not to send it. Cash is easier.

I think I may have an ear infection now that I have my voice back.

I hope I can clear my ears to fly. Tonight I couldn't. Once before I couldn't and had to take the train overnight to Portland.

5 days to go....

My itinerary has changed and I've deleted Galax,VA.

Property taxes

are in

Easter

I taught the kids the song
here comes peter cottontail hoping down the bunny trail
they were so cute

Measure of a Man

Im reading Sidney Poitier's The Measure of a Man.

You can make money in the stock market and the tax rate on capital gains in lower than taxable income but it's still taxed. I think it should be exempt.

Maybe if you make less when you cash in stock the tax penalty would be less.

Banking

Why is it that transfering money takes a week between two banks?

Just finished my taxes wrote the checks and will mail them on sat....painful.

Spring break is here Happy Easter