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Meet Marie and Glen, whose story with Howe began in 1969. The funny thing is, they never actually went into the cave! It took them 57 years to finally make it underground, and the story of why is just too amazing not to share. Glen and Marie have been together since the seventh grade! In 1969, they were high school seniors living in Riverdale, New Jersey. Like most teenagers, they wanted a little freedom, a little adventure, and a day away from their parents and everyday life. So, they hopped in the car and spontaneously headed to Howe Caverns! There was just one little problem. They hadn’t exactly figured out whether they could afford the trip. When they arrived, they were captivated by the property. They remember the big letters on the front lawn, the beautiful green grass, and how the entire estate looked more like a country resort than a tourist attraction. Marie remembers it as a beautiful fall day. The air was crisp, the weather was perfect, and they were two young people madly in love, enjoying what felt like a little vacation from the real world.

However, there was still that pesky issue of money. Gas was about 39 cents a gallon, and Glen wasn’t entirely sure they had enough to get back to New Jersey! So, instead of purchasing tickets and heading underground, they decided to stay outside and toss a football around. They didn’t even set foot inside the Main Lodge! That was their first visit to Howe Caverns. Fast-forward 57 YEARS…Glen and Marie are now retired and enjoying some time traveling around New York. One of the beautiful things about this chapter of their lives is having the opportunity to go back and experience some of the things they couldn’t afford to do when they were young- including a cave tour that they missed in 1969. This time, there was no worrying about gas money, no football on the lawn, and no skipping the tour. There’s something incredibly touching about two people who have loved each other since seventh grade, returning to a place they visited as teenagers and finishing an adventure they started nearly six decades ago! In 1969, all they needed was each other, a football, and enough gas to get home. Today, they have a lifetime of memories together and one more to treasure. Glen and Marie, thank you for coming back and sharing your wonderful story with us. We’re so happy you finally made it into the cave! Some adventures are worth waiting 57 years for!

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 ... funeral, Braves eliminated... updates coming soon... 

Mad Hatter Day

It's Mad Hatter Day!  Time to visit Wonderland again, and this was the first stop there, a new installment in the "Descendants" series called "Wicked Wonderland."  It's a fun trip back with the VK's next generation, the fifth full movie of the series.  I actually enjoyed it - this was fun to watch while marching along on the treadmill for a bit.  

Later on, the three of us watched Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" by request - Maddie wanted to see that one again.  Hard to believe that movie premiered sixteen years ago now, but here we are.  It seems as if this is the season of Tim Burton movies, doesn't it?  Not a bad thing at all.  

We didn't have time for the tea tonight - it was a long day at work, and a lot going on.  I finished the Christmas book, and now just need to proof it.  The design is largely based on the cover, so many of the pages feature stained glass artwork.  Back to work, right?  Funny thing is always the thought that we woke up on a cruise ship yesterday morning.

Tonight the Braves lost a big game, and things don't look great for the home team.  It was a bit of a let-down, but baseball has those ebbs and flows, and we've still got one more game to catch up on tomorrow.  Either way, it seems apparent that this season was much improved from last, as they've won twenty more seasonal games or so and clinched the division.   It's been fun watching.

To close out the Mad Hatter Day theme, let's talk about peppers.  We have three Mad Hatter Peppers growing now, and I had to research to see what exactly is a ripe pepper - I think we have a little more time for these to grow.  But not much.  They're coming along nicely, although I don't think they grow too much larger.

Tonight we read again, and we said our prayers.  Things seem to be settling down a bit, and with no big Christmas production there seems to be a little more time for us to spend together doing other things perhaps.  We'll see how this season goes, but it's been fun so far.  

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... Castaway

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Good morning aboard the Disney Wish!  One of my absolute favorite things to do is go up to the deck each morning, because it's so quiet up there as the sun is rising, and there I go to prepare Mom a cup of hot tea.  This morning was a special morning though, because as I was walking around the top of the deck, I got to see something special.

Okay, it's not Partysaurus Rex.  Although he does look very cool up there on the deck.  It's what's behind Partysaurus Rex...

You can see the sun rising there just beyond Castaway Cay, which we're of course slowly approaching.

The ship's horns were sounding off - they're located in that Mickey Mouse shape up there.

A few of us were up there at the front of the ship, looking due east of course.

I had to get back to Mom and bring her some tea.  But I snapped a few pictures of the deck before doing so, all nice and quiet before the big day on the private island.

Here's a picture of the sun just before it rose, and below you can see it heading upwards to say Good Morning!

After this, I made my way down the stairs with the hot tea, past the wall decor in the stairway, which is always nice.

And by that point we were pulling in to "port" at Castaway Cay.  These moments are the best, just quiet and peacefully gliding along the calm seas as we watch the sun rise over the island.  All with a nice cup of tea!

Very nice.  Well, after a quick shower and getting dressed, it was time for our first order of business:  breakfast!