Smith's Away

 Home sweet home. So good to be home again, but what a wonderful trip away. Everything went soo well and my case made it home safely. My early start in Chicago was not required as the plane ended up being delayed by 2 hours. After negotiating security, finding my gate, not bring allowed into business class lounge with United Airlines as I was travelling domestic!!! Then my gate was changed and back the way I'd come!! Not overly impressed with United. Landed in LA with plenty of time. Picked up case and negotiated my way to a different terminal. Unable to check in for over 4 hours!!! Finally in to business  lounge. Shower, dinner and ready to board. Ohhh I love business class, and Qantas was really out of the box. Complimentary pjs, leather bag of toiletries and my own overhead locker. I changed, put do not disturb sign on, made my bed flat and went to sleep  for 7 hours, ahhh. When I woke they brought me a cuppa!! It really is very indulgent but soo worth it. Landed, got ...

 All packed and organised again. The twins are delightful I could spend ages with them. The whole family is a delight and they so look after me. We went out for an early lunch and I had a melt with fries and we all had a go of tabs...a bit like scratches. I didn't win anything but was fun trying. After lunch we walked down to check out another nearby lake. The weather was warm and sunny. Then sad goodbyes as Tom and Paula drove me to the airport.  American Airlines was running on time again so all good. Had to wait ages for my luggage at Chicago mainly cos most people put them in overhead luggage.  Thought I'd check out United for tomorrow's early flight. No early check in so I'm staying overnight in the Hilton right beside departures. I'm going to get there about 4am as the flight leaves at 7.15 am for LA then onto Melbourne later that day. I'm ready for home now and am in my pjs writing this blog. 

 A leisurely start to the day and although I woke early I went back to sleep. We had delicious breaky of biscuits and gravy. Then we played lots with the twins and did wirdle, waffle and quordle.  We then headed to Greg(husband of Heather,  father of twins and co owner of this lovely home I'm staying  in) parents who have a beautiful  house on Lake Sarah. Minnesota is home to 10000 Lakes!! We went for a ride on the lake in his motor  boat. Ahh a beautiful  day and wonderful checking out the lake and houses around it. Great as it's a fresh water lake so no salt maintenance to worry about. We had a BBQ played some more with the children and chatted. A lovely day. Oh and in winter the lake is frozen to at least 28inches thick and they take little houses out and fish in them. Cutting holes in the ice. Some houses are very snazzy!!

Weird  I woke early again!! Tho I did have an early night!! Perhaps my sleeping in pattern is changing!! After breaky we headed further up north. Cold again but warm in the car. We first stopped at 2 Harbour and walked out on the breakwater and literally froze. A beautiful blue sunny day but the wind!!! It's known as the lake effect. Back in the car to Gooseberry Falls. Got a bit hot walking as more protected from the wind. Then onto lunch where we had meat and gravy!!  Then onto Split rock where they built a lighthouse and fog horn to save the freighters from running aground  like the Edmund Fitzgerald.  Having seen Lake Superior  close up I can attest to the sudden change in weather and conditions.  After the lighthouse and foghorn were built/ installed no more crashed. We then went back to Penny and Brad's to drop them off and headed home via the bridge that goes up fir the freighters. We had a lovely stay with Penny who looked after us all so well. Back...

 Up early for our road trip to Duluth on Lake Superior, the biggest of the lakes. A 2 hour drive on the great US roads. Good ol Eisenhower made a good decisions making these roads after the 2nd WW. However each state doesn't always look after the roads so different conditions.  We stopped at Penny's, a friend of Tom and Paula's. She is a lovely kind person who has made me very welcome. After lunch we headed to a house called Glen Sheen, built in 1904 for the Congdon family. He made his fortune as a lawyer for a mining company. They had 8 children and the boys continued in the business while the girls were real go getters. One never married but adopted 2 chn as a single mum, another married and worked tirelessly for the anti segregation movement.  The house has been donated to the state. It was right on Lake Seperior and sooo cold. Waves and cold wind. Hard to believe it was hot yesterday!!! We stay here tonight and then head back tomorrow.  Below I tried to catch a p...

 A lovely  sleep in. I was very tired after my full day travelling.  In fact I got quite twitchy on the flight to Minneapolis airport, especially as I was sitting between 2 guys and no business  class!!! Tom and Paula picked me up and drove back to their daughters house. This is there new house. 5 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms.  It's beautiful and I have my own room and ensuite so very well looked after. Finally, the next morning I met their twins, who are about to turn 4. Soo good to finally meet them as I missed them due to covid no travel.  Had a lovely  time with the family and they kindly took me shopping to get new knickers and some black sketcher shoes. Tomorrow Tom and Paula will drive us to Duluth  to visit one of their friends. .

 I seem to be waking up a tad early, most unlike me. I think it's cos I'm travelling.  Delightful hotel in Vienna and a short walk across to departures. Austrian business lounge not opened till 7.30. I got there at 7. An OK lounge and had scrabbled eggs for breaky. Went down to the gate a bit early. It's nice to walk around, and just as well as it appeared I needed special security clearance to board. Then they decided to randomly check me so everything out of my bag and cold feel myself getting a bit flustered. I mean to say!! Finally allowed in and complained to the Austrian airline girls that I should have been alerted to this process when in the lounge. She agreed.  Up to this point I was very unimpressed with Austrian airlines. However once boarded my seat was great. Plenty of room, lovely food and could lay right out flat. Very nice and watched a few films.  Once we landed all good going thru customs etc and then waited for my case. Took awhile and was getting ...

 I had a lovely leisurely breaky and chatted to some Aussies from Sydney. I rejigged my case and zipped it up. I then rang my boys and Aunty Mavis while I had good internet and time. They brought my case down the 3 flights of stairs and I walked to the Shuttle bus. An easy walk by the water and downhill. Got the bus straight  away and soon arrived at the Split airport.  Very new and modern and young students helping to point you in the right direction.  I could check in early and head to the business lounge.  Nice and big but not much food. Waited to board and a couple from the bike and boat trip came over for a hug. Short flight so no big deal going business,  but lovely food. Off in Vienna after seeing beautiful fields of green coming in. And cos my lay over is a long one, overnight I couldn't stay in the business  lounge!! Girl was helpful so walked over to nearby NH hotel and another lovely girl gave me a very good rate, some fruit and a lovely roo...