Another Quilt Retreat at Sea

Jacquelyn and I set sail again with our Quilt Retreat at Sea group - this time with Grandma Morris in tow.  We flew to Newark and stayed at a hotel for 2 nights.  We drove to Pennsylvania to host a Cruise Night for a 2012 Quilt Retreat at Sea.  It was cool driving through that part of the country and seeing the fall colors just starting as well as the old buildings and bridges from the time when the country began.  Very interesting.

We cruised from Newark up the coast of New England and into Canada.  We visited Portland, Maine; Bar Harbor, Maine; Boston, Massachusetts; St. Johns, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia.  We had a good time with all the quilters and our quilt artist as well as spending some quality time with Grandma.

What a great way to spend my birthday - New York City

When we arrived back in Newark, we put Grandma on the plane to Missouri to see Aunt Bettye Kay.  Jacquelyn and I stayed another 2 nights and spent time sightseeing in New York City.  We took the train to the city and then headed to Battery Park, where we caught the ferry to Liberty Island where we saw the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  We tried to see Ground Zero (9/11 Memorial), but it was closed off, so we could only see it above the fenceline.  We did get to see the Fire Station right next to it, which was really neat.

Next, we headed to the Empire State Building.  We took the elevator up to the 84th floor (I think) where we could go outside and see all 4 directions from there.  It was really cool to see how big New York City really is and we could see New Jersey also.  Finally, we headed to Times Square, where we had dinner and celebrated my birthday.  It was a good day.  We were completely exhausted, but so glad we did it.  We flew home the next day.