St. Augustine, 1st Florida city with Mom & Dad in 1987

On May 08, 1987 we both drove with Mom & Dad to Florida as Pieter had taken some days off at Campbell's Soup.

Here we are in St. Augustine, Florida on one of the old walls at Castillo De San Marcos.
Staying one night at the Oldest City in USA...
On August 4, 1999 my youngest brother and his wife went there with me.

The day before on May 8, 1987 we entered for Mom & Dad their 4th State within the United States of America; Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.

I'm wearing the perfectly fitting cream colored jeans that Pieter bought for me while in China the previous month.

Mom & Dad and both of us had each a room at the Days Inn in St. Augustine, FL

Now it is called Days Inn by Wyndham St Augustine/Historic Downtown (click the link).

This is where Mom & Dad stayed with us...

We were very close to Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine, Florida

We sit on the wall, shown at the bottom right in this photo and the fort is behind us, also the little building seen above my head in photo, is seen here above in the lower right section.

Behind Mom & Dad's heads in the top photo you can see this kind of turret with the openings for firing the canons. Click for going to website for more views of this star shaped 17th century fort.

This photo from HISTORIC ST. AUGUSTINE, FL — PART 1 by Stan Paregien, comes the closest by the one Pieter took form Mom & Dad and me, more or less from the same spot, except that we were on the wall to the left near the water!
We took Mom & Dad also to Gatorland and the show with the snakes was at 10:00 and we left for Kennedy Space Center by 10:30.

Mom, Dad and me at Kennedy Space Center on May 9, 1987.
On Mother's Day, May 10, we did visit Epcot.

This is a photo of me at our hotel in Kissimmee, Florida where I'm feeding a squirrel.

On Monday, May 11, we did visit Sea World and here we are near our car, picnicking on our blanket.
Yep, we had to live off a budget and there was no time for going to a restaurant as well.

This is a photo I did scan from Dad's collection that he showed me in May when he was fondly remembering this trip from 1987.

We enjoyed the show of Baby Shamu the Orka and the walrus, sea lion and otter-shows.
The dolphins and the sharks with the glass tunnel.
By 15:00 we drove home to Georgia and arrived there by 21.45 as Pieter had to start at work next day and he had to catch up on a lot!

Hope you enjoyed this fond memory and thanks for your visit and comment!

Related links:
Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad with Mom & Dad and again with Pieter | previous post by me
Taking Husband Pieter back to Knoxville, TN in Mom & Dad's Footsteps | previous post by me
{Mom Lived 16 Days Short of Her 91st Birthday} | previous post by me with Mom & Dad's words in guest book
{MEMORIES of HAPPY TIMES} | previous post by me
{Do YOU all know Our Nations Oldest City - St. Augustine, Florida?} | previous post by me

Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad with Mom & Dad and again with Pieter

Pieter had gone to China and Taiwan as a People to People Citizen Ambassador and meanwhile I went to The Netherlands.

After three weeks, Pieter briefly got reunited with me in The Netherlands and did some business for Campbell Soup in Europe that included traveling to England,  Switzerland and Austria... (see post below).
We flew back home on April 20, 1987, to Atlanta, USA, with Mom & Dad in tow for their very first flight and visit with us the coming 4 weeks.
On May 16, I would fly back to The Netherlands with Mom & Dad and did consulting work in Germany for 2 weeks before returning to the USA.
Pieter meanwhile was in Australia and in Christchurch, New Zealand for Campbell.
~ 
But on April 28, while Pieter was working for Campbell Soup, I took Mom & Dad to Atlanta for riding the Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad with them.

Mom & Dad are standing in the center in front of the train that we rode around Stone Mountain.

Stone Mountain Park Georgia's No 1 tourist attraction:  click the link

Summit Skyride at present time, just click it.
This picture also shows best the Confederate Memorial. You can read more when you click on the pink.

Mom & Dad standing now before the Stone Mountain Rail Road Station and with the Confederate Memorial visible above them as I stepped far enough back.

It is HUGE, the top of the summit is 1,686 feet (514 m) above sea level and 825 feet (251 m) above the surrounding area.
To the right you see Dad pointing out something to Mom...

It was a lovely day!
Was wishing then that Pieter could have joined us...
~

On Saturday, August 8, 1987 the same year, we both went with our friend Griffin to Stone Mountain!

So happy that Pieter got to see it now as well!

So this time Pieter too got to ride the train around Stone Mountain and we hiked the 2.5 km to the summit!

Yep we dared to hike up to the summit!
Pieter wearing his Burberry polo shirt with Ghurka shorts.

What a view!

We made it back down, just in time before a thunder storm!

Pieter in the center, behind that boy...

It sure felt like being on top of the world...

We even stayed for the Laser Show!

Miss those two director chairs that Pieter got from Campbell Soup.
We had them in our front porch and a friend who watered the plants while we were abroad, had used the sprinklers and left them on without removing the chairs; they got ugly rust stains...
At least I got this photo!

Laser Show at Stone Mountain Georgia click for more info...
We spent the night in Atlanta and next day we started with breakfast at 7:30 AM and went to the Cyclorama and to the Zoo in Atlanta... Yes, a city with LOTS to see and do!

Hope you enjoyed these fond memories and thanks for your visit and comment!

Related links:
Taking Husband Pieter back to Knoxville, TN in Mom & Dad's Footsteps | previous post
{Part XVI of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Taipei, Taiwan} | previous post by me
{Mom Lived 16 Days Short of Her 91st Birthday} | previous post by me with Mom & Dad's words in guest book

Passing Through Waynesville, NC Where Our Speckie Came From

For the very first time since January of 2010, we drove exactly past Waynesville, North Carolina on our way home from the Smoky Mountains on July 30.

This is our tiny Speckie on January 15, 2010... 
We had picked her up on January 8, and Pieter showed me this photo of her, while I still was in the hospital. Got home on Saturday, January 16.
Got paralyzed the night after we came home with this tiny baby.
A look alike of the missing (kidnapped ?) Mama cat that we lost.
But this was a 2 month kitten so impossible it would be her.
We drove a long distance to go look at her...
Actually, Pieter did all the driving from Atlanta where we spent the night at the hotel before making it to Waynesville, North Carolina.

Pieter said, shall we bring her home, we have come such a long way... and so we did!

Now I was traveling on Great Smoky Mountain Expy 74 and very close to where our Speckie girl came from, see red marker!
She sure came from a beautiful area and also close to Lake Janaluska.

Here we are with the sign from Waynesville to the right...

Lake Janaluska must be to the left here...

Such a beautiful area...

Where was our Speckie girl born? Somewhere in this region...

Roads in the USA are always great!

Bye bye Smoky Mountains...

When we had breakfast that morning in Tennessee, I noticed that we were rather close to my youngest brother who was with his wife and daughter in Iceland on vacation.
ONLY 5,405 km or 3,359 mi away now!

Instead of the usual 7,190 km 

Or usual 4,468 mi

Got home after this total trip of 1075 mi or 1730 km that is including drive up to the Creeper Trail in Virginia and then to Tennessee...

Thanks for your visit and comment!

Related links:

Gatlinburg Sky Lift Park Walking the Longest Pedestrian Suspension Bridge in the U.S. | previous post by me
Our Cabin Stay at The Hill by Cherokee Lake in Tennessee | previous post by me
Our Bike Ride from Whitetop to Damascus - Virginia Creeper Trail | previous post by me