Busy Time at Hotel Americain

It has been a busy time at the old homestead.

Last week we had our relatives Janet, Michael and their daughter Rhianonn stay with us for a couple of days.  Janet is my first cousin once removed.
It was Rhianonn's 16th birthday whilst they were here so a trip to Hollyweird was in order.
Mostly it was to visit the shops around Rodeo Drive and Melrose!
Of course Madame was in full flow as the tour guide. Where does that woman get the energy?

 

After a busy day shopping they all came back for a little barbecue with the neighbors.

Then on Saturday we had our niece Susan arrive for a few days.

On Saturday afternoon we had the gang all get together for a party.

 

 

 

 

On Sunday it was back to Hollywood for a tour with Susan.

 



 

 

Followed by a trip to Neptune's for the girls.

 

Here is Susan helping out the band!

I went home for a well deserved rest.

On Wednesday morning, I dropped Anne and Susan off at Long Beach airport for the flight to Vegas.

Now I get to have a couple of days in decompression.

 

 

Wrap Up

Here are a few pictures and comments that did not make the regular BLOG entries but are worthy of some attention.

Anybody recognize this guy?
NAH! couldn't be






He was playing with a group called City Swing at the 4th of July celebrations in Washington Old Hall.

 

The Mallard at York Railway Museum, fastest steam locomotive ever 126 MPH south of Grantham in 1938.

 

Every school boy's dream to have this number in his train spotting book. OK we did not have XBOX back in the day.

 

This was the Dynamometer car used to  authenticate the record breaking run.

All important features were measured in addition to speed.

Boiler pressure.

Drawbar load.

Brake system steam pressure.

The car was equipped with an array of recording equipment.

However if you look closely though the window in this picture it is possible to see what was probably the most important piece of equipment used in any English endeavor.

See if you can recognize it!

 

At the top of Penshaw Monument on a sunny day, two rare occurrences!

 

 

As viewed from the bottom of the hill.

 

 
 
 

We got to see art work before we even made it to the Rijks Museum.
Here we were at the HD store in Amsterdam, see the picture on the truck.

OH! a John Deere Harley, now that presses all the right buttons.

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps one of the most famous works in the Museum.

Not a very good photo, but it was tough to get close.

 

 

Red Hat ladies on tour!

 

 

 

Entrance to the Museum.

 

 

 

My good buddy Erik, we met up in Amsterdam for a couple of days and had a great time.
More train and tram rides on this trip than all of the last ten years combined.

I hope that you have all enjoyed the trip as much as I did.

All the best,
Norm

 

 

 

 

On the plane

The breakfast of champions!
Pizza and beer.
KLM knows how to spoil you.



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Ready to go home.

I'm in the airport through security and ready to board.
El has been frisked as he looked a bit suspicious, but his passport is on order so he was cleared to go!




When you wander around the airport, it's amazing what some people leave lying around.




Hey! Jeff,
Check this out this is the laundry bag to have your needs taken care of.
You hand it in with the ticket, they wash and iron, then deliver it back to your room.
This is the procedure in real hotels!




More soon from home.
Norm.
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Rijks Museum

This is a stupendous museum with a vast array of art work.




This picture is entited
"Lady after a visit to the vet"

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At the museum

Well we had to make a fuel stop first.



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On the train

On the train.



Crowded!

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Heineken

Ice cold in Amsterdam!

Nothing better.


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Location:Ams

Ready for flight

Yesterday afternoon I spent at an out door lunch Janet & Michaels house.
Lot's of others from multiple generations there.
Steven, my cousin Elizabeth's son prepared some of the food and her husband Jim did his share.
A good time was had by all.




Last night we went to the Monument in Penshaw for a meeting with several of the group including Ron and Steven Ross, Eileen and Neil, Stephanie and Diane, Jose and Diane Garcia Mirrales not forgetting Barry.

And a supporting cast too numerous to name.





I am in Newcastle airport right now ready for the flight to Amsterdam.
Looks like perfect flying weather...




You can't even see the runway.

More from Amsterdam.

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Friday Night

On Friday night I got to meet up with a big contingent of the family.

Mike and Mary
Teresa and Ron
Eileen and Neil
not forgetting of course

Miss Stephanie the recent graduate
Well done young lady, we are so proud of you.

Now go out in to the world and knock 'em dead!




Oh!
I forgot to mention that as we were at the Royal County, I decided to wear my Regalia.
It's good to be the King.

See that, I'm the only dude wearing a tie.
I think that all men in the UK have forgotten their dress sense.








This post is out of date order because I had to rearrange the pictures.

Tomorrow I will post the Sunday night experience at the Monument.

More from Amsterdam.



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The Answer to The Road Trip

I started my trip in Durham, could have been Durham, NC.




I then continued to Washington, could have been Washington, DC.







Next stop, the Big Apple






New York, New York, it was never quite like this!!!!!


Final stop Philadelphia, could have been Philadelphia, PA






You can just see Penshaw monument in the back ground.

It has been a great trip so far and thanks to all of the really wonderful people I've met up with.

Normally you expect to meet a couple of these.





But not on this trip.

This afternoon I am meeting up with more relatives and tonight a final Hussar at the Monument in Penshaw.
(It's a pub name too)


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A Monumental Day!

Today was the big day to cross one more thing off the bucket list.

I went to the top of Penshaw monument with my brother in law Neil.
Until recently, I would have said that this was Anne's brother in law.
However she has recently convinced me that my understanding of canon law is incorrect.

At $7.50 it is probably one of the cheapest things to cross of the list.
Of course as with all "EVENTS" air fare is not included.

The spiral staircase is not for the faint hearted or those suffering from claustrophobia...





The view from the top was as good if not better than I thought it would be.









No, that is not a David Beckham headband Neil is sporting, it's the mandatory
head mounted flashlight.




A view of the whole structure.



In the afternoon, I went back to Durham and took a walk around town.
There was a brass band event going on, there were bands form all over the country taking part.




These guys are called The Dead Victorians, one of there efforts was about a guy from Cromer was the Son of a Beach-------Comber!




This was an Evangelical band from London, very much under the control of their music director, with his back to the camera.

My favorites were a band called Bad Ass Brass, but that's just my sense of humor.

I think that tomorrow I will give out the information about the trip that would have been 500 miles in the USA and is about 50 miles here.

All four places in the USA are back east.

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York

I took the train from Durham to York which is about 70 miles, a very pleasant 43 minute trip.

Frank Allison was waiting at the station to meet up with me and off we went to the railway museum.

They had a special event there with 6 class A4 locomotives the world speed record holder for a steam powered locomotive, The Mallard.








Of course the exhibition hall was crowded, there were hundreds of more old steam queers like me.
Most of these guys knew the names of the riveters who put the boiler together, let alone how everything worked.

There was a lot of pointing at bits of valve gear and push me pull you links




Here I am leaning on the running gear of the Sir Nigel Gresley, he was the dude who designed the class A4 locomotives.

Thirsty work this inspecting steam locos.

So Frank and I retired to the pub to reflect and contemplate what we had just seen.




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On the way to York

Blogging from the train on the way to York.








Norm

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