Paul and Janet's Travel Story

Friday 6th June - The Final Chapter ......for now

paulfirman — Fri, 6 Jun 2008 14:30:00 GMT

We had kept in touch with Valda via email since meeting her on our train journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles, promising that we owed her a meal for her taxi service from LA Union Station to our hotel in Beverly Hills. Our chance to repay this kindness came on Friday 6^th June when we travelled to Downham Market in Norfolk, where Valda’s parents live and where she was spending a few weeks with them. See www.downhammarkettowncouncil.org.uk

It was quite surreal meeting Valda again. Instead of the 6 lane highways of Los Angeles, we travelled on the hedge lined, single lane Norfolk roads. Instead of the sky scrapers of downtown LA, we were in the sleepy Norfolk town – such big differences, but it was still the same Valda!! Her parents were charming and welcomed us into their home with a lovely cup of coffee. They had arranged for us to have lunch at Arbuckles, very appropriately an American Diner, which had recently opened in Downham Market, and we all enjoyed a very typical American lunch - plates piled high with food! It was great to be back in America if only for an hour or so. If you looked out of the window you would soon know you were back in UK- rain pouring out of the skies and the local petrol station advertising fuel at £1.17 a litre ($10.64 a gallon)!!!!

We returned to their bungalow for a cup of tea and to watch the DVD of our American Holiday and to reminisce about the good journey we shared, all those miles away.

It was with great sadness that we said goodbye to Valda, knowing it will probably be at least 2010 before we see her again, but promising to keep in touch.

What a great friendship we have built with Valda since that chance meeting on Amtrak - how strange and wonderful life is.

It feels as if this meeting completed our whole American adventure.

The Journey Ends Friday 9th May Charlotte to Saturday 10th May Martlesham Heath

paulfirman — Sun, 11 May 2008 01:26:00 GMT

Our flight from Charlotte to O’Hare airport in Chicago left on time. We were in a fantastic jet aircraft called an Embraer Regional Jet operated by American Eagle, part of American Airlines. It was like a little rocket and seemed to go so fast through the air. It was only 3 seats wide and had one air hostess who served us complimentary drinks. When we arrived at Chicago we managed to get ourselves from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5 via their internal train system. We checked in with Air India and Paul tried his best to get us an upgrade, using the fact that our London – Chicago flight had been cancelled, but to no avail. So we took our seats in Row 70, but we did have all three seats to ourselves as the plane was only ½ full. All was going well until the air hostess tried to pour Coke into Paul’s glass – she missed and poured it into his lap. Not content with that, when she had refilled his glass, she then spilt that all over him, so he spent the entire journey with a sticky shirt and trousers. Again he uttered the word “upgrade”, but again to no avail.

We managed to sleep a bit on the flight and were awoken with a continental breakfast an hour before landing at Heathrow. We collected our cases and went through Customs and could see Christopher waiting for us. Suddenly there were two little girls by our side. What a lovely surprise, Jade and Yasmin had come with Chris to collect us. The journey home went very quickly in lovely sunshine. We passed Nicola, Steve, Holly and Daniel on the M25 as they were going for a weeks holiday to Somerset. It was good to see Lucy and Ethan and we had a quick lunch with them before Chris took us home, exactly 6 weeks to the hour since we left.

Facts, Figures and Observations

We travelled 9,000 miles by air

We travelled 6,000 miles by train

We travelled 1,000 miles by car

We travelled in many different types of transport – Plane, train, car, underground train, taxi, bicycle, cable car, street car, local bus, luxury coach, river boat, paddle steamer, the longest escalator in the world, roller coaster, open top bus, walking and Valda's Pick up truck (sorry Valda)

We slept in 14 different beds

We dined out at 37 different restaurants

We travelled through all 4 time zones in the USA

We visited or passed through 16 different states in the USA

We noticed several differences between USA and UK. They are much more patriotic than we are. Their National Anthem is played at every event, however large or small. Whenever it is played or the American flag passes, they ALL stand, sing at the top of their voices and have their hand on their heart. This should be a lesson to us all.

Their public toilets (restrooms) are immaculately clean, no matter where you visit.

There is no litter, chewing gum or dog fouling anywhere

All their beds are king or queen size (except on the train!!)

Restaurants in California have to display, in the window, their certificate of cleanliness. Also in California you can take one bottle of wine per couple to any restaurant and most do not charge any corkage.

Food is piled mountain high on plates and free refills of coffee and soft drinks (sodas) are given

Money off coupons for accommodation, meals and shows are readily available mostly at petrol (gas) stations, supermarkets and restaurants.

Everywhere we visited we noticed that people are so friendly and have respect for each other

Some things we had a problem in understanding – in restaurants they clear away the plate as people finish their food, not wait until everyone has finished

They take food orders around the table, not ladies first

They use their mobile (cell) phones whilst driving

In some states they do not have to wear crash helmets on motor bikes

They have the thinnest toilet paper ever invented!!

Their petrol has just risen to £2.00 per gallon and they are all complaining!!!

Finally, what a great holiday and adventure we have had and we would especially like to thank our three hosts for making our time with them so fantastic. To Diane and Steve we say “It was LOVELY”, to Frank and Linda we say “Ooh Aah Brilliant Ping” and to Carolyn, Joe, John and Sam we say “Thank you for our three centre holiday”. You are all very special to us and you all played a great part in our adventure. We THANK YOU for your hospitality and generosity from the bottoms of our hearts and we miss you all.

To the new found friends we made, both on and off the train, we say thank you for your friendship, for all the useful information you gave us and for all the laughter and fun we had. Some of you we only knew for a few hours before we had to say goodbye but to all of you THANK YOU and please keep in touch with us.

Thank you to our family and friends who have read and commented on our journal. You made it all worthwhile.

This is our last entry for this journal, but all being well, we will be travelling again next year……………….watch this space

THE END

Friday 9th May Charlotte Airport

paulfirman — Thu, 8 May 2008 16:52:00 GMT

Just a quick note to let you all know that we have arrived safely at Charlotte Airport after a 4 hour, very safely driven by John, car journey. We stopped for a meal at Cracker Barrell which was very good. It was very sad to leave Joe and Carolyn. They have shown us such lovely, gentle kindness and generosity beyond belief, both in their own home and the two holiday destinations they took us to. Saying goodbye to John is always difficult, especially this time when we had to say goodbye to Sam as well. John will never change and will always be the best friend anyone could wish for. Sam is very excited as he will be four tomorrow (Saturday).

Our flight to Chicago should leave on time so we are hoping that our connection to Heathrow should cause no problems.

Please keep looking at our journal as we shall update it as soon as possible recounting the story of our journey home.

Thursday 8th May Tennessee

paulfirman — Thu, 8 May 2008 04:54:00 GMT

We awoke to an empty house this morning as Joe and Carolyn had an early meeting with the estate managers and John took Sam to the Leisure Centre opposite for a game of ping pong/table tennis. When everyone eventually arrived home, Paul cooked breakfast for everyone, with a little help from ‘Janet Just’.

When breakfast was eaten and cleared away we set off for The Smoky Mountains. We went through Pigeon Forge and on to the Visitor Centre at Sugarland Mountain, to get some information and a map of the Mountains. It took us about 90 minutes in total, and a very picturesque journey through heavily wooded, lush green, mountains like we have never seen before, to reach the car park of Clingmans Dome, the summit of the mountain. We then had a 30 minute up hill walk to reach The Top of Old Smoky, where there is a specially constructed observation tower, which gives brilliant views in each direction. Luckily it was quite a clear day so we could see for miles and miles. On our way back down the mountain we walked part of the Appalachian Trail. See www.nps.gov/grsm

Returning to the cars, we then set off for Cades Cove, where there is an 11 mile one way track which takes you all around the area which was once a settlement and is now part of The Smoky Mountain National Park. We saw many wild turkeys and deer, but, in spite of 12 eyes constantly on the surrounding woodland, we did not see any bears, which the Rangers assured us were in the area and had been seen earlier today. See www.cadescove.net

Our return journey was interrupted by a very good meal at The Applewood Restaurant, where we all enjoyed different cuts of pork, with their signature dish of variation of apples and apple sauce. After our meal Paul could not resist visiting the wine tasting at a Winery next door, where he tried the worst apple wine he has ever tasted (serves him right for going without me!) Paul has now done wine tasting in 4 different states!. See www.applewoodfarmhouserestaurant.com

It was then on to last minute shopping at Wal Mart before a quick trip home to get ready for our evening out.

Carolyn and Joe very kindly treated us to seats at Country Tonite which was voted the Best Live Country Music Show in America. (AG eat your heart out!!) This is a live family entertainment show containing great country music, gospel music, comedy and a finale of patriotic songs. We learnt that Sevierville is the birth place of Dolly Parton and many of her songs were featured in the show. Sevierville is a Mecca for Country fans. The 18 members of the cast, including musicians, gave a very entertaining and energetic performance, which we all thoroughly enjoyed. It was quite fitting that one of their last songs was Route 66, as our journey started 6 weeks ago in Chicago at the start of Route 66, and we also stood at the end of it in Santa Monica. See www.countrytonitepf.com

We returned home to have Birthday Cake and presents for Sam who will be 4 on Saturday. He was pleased with his Dog cake with 4 candles and loved his balloons and all his presents, especially his baseball and baseball glove.

At about midnight Carolyn asked if we would like a final game of Rummikub. One game turned into three and Carolyn won each time, but we all enjoyed it and it was a good way to finish off another evening of good fun and friendship.

Sadly, tomorrow we leave to start our long journey home. We hope it will not be quite so eventful as our journey to the USA, but we shall update you as soon as possible. Many thanks to all of you who have commented on our journey so far and for your good wishes for our journey home.

Wednesday 7th May Tennessee

paulfirman — Wed, 7 May 2008 03:34:00 GMT

We were up early on Wednesday morning as we were going out for the day with John. Sam stayed with Carolyn and Joe as we set off just after 8.00am towards Biltmore in North Carolina. We traveled for about an hour before we stopped for a Denny’s Breakfast, which Paul had been wanting all our holiday. It certainly lived up to its reputation and what is more – Wednesday is 20% off for ‘senior citizens’ (there are some benefits of getting old!!). We also took the opportunity to go to a Bi Lo to stock up on our wine, which we could not buy in Tennessee yesterday.

We arrived at the Biltmore House grounds and purchased our tickets for the House with an audio tour, the Gardens and the Winery. The six dollars extra which we paid for the audio tour proved to be invaluable as they gave us all the extra details, which you cannot get from just walking round and reading the brochures. We traveled along the magnificent woodland road towards the house and parked the car. Our first view of the house took our breath away. It is an enormous, magnificent house which John told us had been used in the film ‘Hannibal’. We entered the main door and found the place where we picked up our cassettes and earphones for the audio tour.

The house was opened in 1895, having been commissioned by George Washington Vanderbilt. His family is still in residence there and his grandson William Cecil now owns and runs Biltmore. He has undertaken many restoration projects to ensure the preservation of this national treasure.

Our tour began on the ground floor visiting many of the magnificently furnished reception rooms, we then went to the first floor where the two bedrooms of Mr and Mrs Vanderbilt are displayed with their original furnishings fully restored. On the third floor are many of the guest bedrooms and bathrooms, every guest bedroom had its own ‘bathroom’ with a toilet and bath, but no washbasin as there was originally no running water. These, and the guest sitting rooms have been fully restored to their original beauty. The forth floor houses many of the servants’ bedrooms and servants’ hall. Also we saw the Architectural Model Room housing a model of the house, and the observatory. It was then down to the basement which held many surprises for us – The Halloween Room has scenes painted on the walls by some house guests many years ago, there is a two lane bowling alley, installed in 1895, a swimming pool which boasts underwater lighting and a gymnasium containing what was once state of the art fitness equipment. Also in the basement are the pantries for keeping all the food in, the servants’ dining room, sitting room and work room and the laundry room containing a belt driven barrel washing machine, spinner and hanging area for drying clothes.

We toured the magnificent gardens including the shrub garden, where the azaleas were very colourful, the walled garden, where the pansies were beautiful and the Conservatory with both hot and cold areas. The orchids were wonderful.

It was then on to the Biltmore Winery where we saw a film introducing the art of winemaking. It was then on to the bottling area and the wine cellars. These were followed by a wine tasting session which was very enjoyable. We have now sampled wines from three different regions in the USA – Nappa Valley, Texas and North Carolina. They have all been very good but we feel that the Californian wines take a lot of beating. We finished with a visit to the shop with a few more treats to taste. Please look at the web site you will be amazed www.biltmore.com

Our journey home soon passed and we crossed the State Line with our wine without any problems!!! We were greeted by Joe, Carolyn and Sam with the news that they had had a good day and had been swimming and to a play park.

We had a swim and hot tub at the Leisure Center in the complex before heading off to The Outback Steakhouse nearby for a good steak meal which was enjoyed by everyone. See www.outback.com

Tuesday 6th May Atlanta to Smoky Mountains Tennessee

paulfirman — Tue, 6 May 2008 04:09:00 GMT

Tuesday morning began with us opening our bedroom doors overlooking the lake to find it like a millpond, another beautiful morning. John then arrived with the laptop, on which he had both our daughters on Skype. It was good to talk to Lucy and Ethan, and Nicola and Holly, and to see Daniel, and to know that they are all well and everything is OK at home. It was then all hands on deck to get breakfast, get it cleared away, our cases packed, all kitchen items packed away, the house left tidy and everything in the car ready for our long journey to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.

We were sorry to leave our ‘lake house’ it was such a beautiful setting with outstanding views, in an area of natural beauty, full of sumptuous houses both by the lake and in the woodland. We had enjoyed our time there, and enjoyed meeting Mel, Jody and Rachel next door, as always it is sad to leave new found friends. But leave we had to and we were on the road by 10.30am

We covered almost 250 miles in 7 hours with frequent stops, including one at the Tennessee Border Information Office where the people were very helpful and gave us leaflets and advice for our journey and our stay in Tennessee. Just as we crossed into Tennessee we stopped at the Chickamauga Dam which is a hydro electric dam on the Tennessee River, which is part of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Some fisherman were on the banks of the river pulling fish out as fast as they could cast their lines, with lots of Great Blue Herons (Paul counted over 20) on standby for any easy pickings. We also stopped at Hardees for our lunch (armed with some money off vouchers which Carolyn had acquired).

We arrived at Wyndham Resort at Sevierville and were checked into our three bedroom, two bathroom apartment on the third floor of one of the many apartment blocks in this area. We have wonderful views overlooking the Smoky Mountains, and a very well appointed apartment. See www.wyndhamvacationresorts.com/ffr/resort/details.do?id=0044er After getting the apartment in order, found homes for all the kitchen items and unpacked our cases, we were all ready for a glass of wine and some popcorn which Carolyn cooked. We were all pleased to have a relaxing time after our long journey and took the opportunity to discuss our plans for the next few days. We also checked our flights on Friday both from Charlotte to Chicago and on to Heathrow. The boys all went off to get some Buffalo Wings for supper, which they successfully came home with. But the trip to Wal-Mart for wine was again unsuccessful – they are not allowed by State Law to sell wine. Under Tennessee law you have to go to an ABC Store (Alcoholic Beverage Control) to purchase wine. Tomorrow we shall have to go boot legging across the State Line as there are different laws in North Carolina!! More about this tomorrow.

The evening was rounded off with a game of Rummikub, which we all enjoyed – a win for the girls this time.

Great Fun, Great Friendship.

Monday 5th May Atlanta

paulfirman — Mon, 5 May 2008 04:48:00 GMT

We woke up again to a lovely sunny day and again we threw open the doors from our bedroom to admire the wonderful view of the lake from our bed. It is such a joy to be here in Villa Rica.

We had a great breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast prepared by all of us together.

It was then off in the car to visit Zoo Atlanta. This is one of the nine largest zoos in the USA and is set in the magnificent surroundings of Grant Park. We were able to use another of the vouchers in our City Pass so no money changed hands as we entered the zoo. Sam had set his heart on seeing the elephants so we made straight for their enclosure, but they were nowhere to be seen, so we set off around the rest of the African Plains and saw zebras, rhinos, giraffes, and gorillas as well as many other animals from Africa. We went into the Tree House and watched the Lemur and Monkeys in their natural habitat. We then went on to the Asian Forest where we saw animals such as a tiger, orangutan and giant pandas, where Paul and Sam got their hands stamped with a panda tattoo. The Kidzone included an area where children could pet the animals and the children’s zoo. We returned to the elephants to find that it was feeding time for them, so Sam was very pleased to see 3 huge African elephants.

We all enjoyed our visit to the zoo. It was a very clean and tidy place and the animals appeared to be very well cared for, in good health and in such ideal surroundings. See www.zooatlanta.org

We had hoped to visit Cyclorama next door to the Zoo, a museum showing Atlanta’s part in the American Civil War, only to find that it is closed on Mondays – hints of New Orleans comes to mind.

We returned home via WalMart to buy the wine which we were not allowed to purchase yesterday. We were all pleased to have the chance to relax when we got home, and it was wonderful to contact Nicola by Skype and be able to see and talk to her and Steve.

Around 6.00pm we left the house again for a visit to Ryans, a Steak Buffet restaurant nearby. There is every possible edible dish that was ever invented – salads, soups, fruit, meat, fish, vegetables and sweets to die for! and you can help yourself to as much as you like, as many times as you like!! We now realize that this restaurant contributes to the expanding American Waistline – Dieters beware!! See www.ryans.com

We all had the problem that our “eyes were larger than our bellies” and struggled back to the car and home, to be offered a Margarita by Mel next door as May 5^th (Cinco de Mayo) is another example of how Americans will use any excuse to celebrate and drink alcohol. Mel told us she was amused by Sam yesterday who arrived out to speak to Rachel, Mel’s daughter, who was fishing in the lake. She reeled her line in, with no fish on it, only the bait, to which Sam said in amazement “Did you catch that worm?”

Our evening finished with a very lively game of Trivial Pursuit into the small hours of the morning, in which John and Paul defeated Carolyn and Janet by the smallest of margins. Tomorrow we pack our cases once again and head off to the Smoky Mountains – Dolly Parton Country!!

Sunday 4th May Atlanta

paulfirman — Sun, 4 May 2008 03:17:00 GMT

We awoke to a beautiful morning. We opened the doors leading from our bedroom to our deck, and laid in bed and watched the lake rippling as the morning sun was rising. We decided to make use of the Jacuzzi which was fantastic. Carolyn produced a breakfast out of what was in the refrigerator, as we had not yet been shopping. The representative from the Wyndham Group arrived to see Joe and Carolyn as a courtesy welcome to the resort.

We left the house to go to The Midway Baptist Church for the 10.45am service. John took Sam to the pre school Sunday School at the Church, which he enjoyed very much and informed us when he got home that he was a giraffe for the morning. As we entered the Church building we realized that this was a completely different Church from anything we had ever visited before. The reception area was like a hotel reception, there was a coffee shop, the pre school Sunday School and, upstairs, the older children’s Sunday School. The service had just started as we entered the dark, windowless auditorium, which was triangular in shape, with a stage in the corner, and theatre like seating. The full set of lights was on the Lead Pastor as he was talking to the congregation, and the lighting continued for the rest of the service, which included singers, a choir, a band (comprising 3 guitars, 2 sets of drums and 3 keyboards), a sermon by another Pastor, and the baptism of many members of the Church family. Members of the congregation were encouraged to take part in the service, and many did so. This is a thriving Church community which is obviously very well supported. The number of people present, which must have been at least 1000, and this was the third service of the weekend, were of all ages, from older children, right up to the elderly. It is certainly a totally different type of service from our Church of England.

We then returned to the house for a super salad lunch, followed by a relaxing hour before our trip to Wal-Mart for necessary supplies, and some other bits and pieces. Paul was very pleased to have Joe and John’s expertise to help him to finally choose a Digital Photo Frame, which he has been wanting to buy here to take home. Our biggest disappointment was that we could not purchase any wine as it is Sunday!!!.

We returned home and spent the rest of the day relaxing by the lake in this fabulous resort. We met our next door neighbours, Mel, Jody and Rachel who are staying here at the moment as their house caught fire. This could happen to anybody, but Jody’s job? – he is a fireman!! but their house did get struck by lightning. What lovely people we are meeting on our travels and here in Villa Rica is no exception.

We all spent a very enjoyable hour playing Apples to Apples on the deck. As the sun went down we moved indoors and enjoyed a stir fry which Carolyn and Janet cooked for us. We relaxed after dinner but it was not long before all the fresh air and busy few days took their toll and our comfortable beds were calling us, ready for another busy day tomorrow.

Saturday 3rd May Atlanta

paulfirman — Sat, 3 May 2008 03:05:00 GMT

We had a good continental breakfast at the hotel and then prepared to leave for a day out in Atlanta. We decided that a City Pass would be a good idea for us all as we wanted to visit four of the six places which this pass serves.

Our first visit was to Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta., the worlds largest Aquarium. If you do not have time to visit anywhere else in Atlanta, you must visit this. The Aquarium is fantastic and has over 100,000 marine animals in it. Housed in a very large, spacious building consisting of nine acres, there is plenty of room for all the visitors. We visited all the different rooms including the ‘touch and feel’ area, the overhead river, where you walk underneath and next to all the different species of fish, the coldwater area, where the sea lions and penguins enjoy their life and the whale sharks and beluga whales. But the best of all was Deepo’s Underwater 3D Wondershow. Deepo had an uncanny likeness to Nemo and was the star of this fantastic movie. We were all given 3D glasses as we entered the theatre and proceeded to almost ‘take part’ in the movie as the 3D effect brought all the fish to within touching distance – unbelievable. See www.georgiaaquarium.org

It was then on to The World of Coca Cola in the building next door. We learnt that Coca Cola was first developed by a pharmacist who had been experimenting for years to try to make a ‘different’ drink. We saw lots of memorabilia of old Coke items, many of them over 100 years old. We saw many of the original bottles and adverts which were used in olden times, and a modern bottling plant. Here we enjoyed a 4D movie, with our special glasses and our moving chairs allowing us to take part in the special effects. The tour finished with us being able to sample many of the different drinks currently being produced by the company, and a complimentary bottle of Coca Cola. See www.woccatlanta.com

Our final tour was around CNN. We began by having our lunch in the foyer, which consisted of 17 food outlets and other shops, and we were spoilt for choice in this amazing area. We then took the inside CNN (Cable News Network) tour which started with us taking the longest free standing escalator up 8 floors of the building. We visited various studios – the weather studio, the main newsroom, where we saw the live programme which was being transmitted worldwide and learnt that if a ‘breaking news’ item comes in, the details can be broadcast within 3 minutes. We also saw the Headline News Studio. This was a very informative insight into the background of CNN. See www.cnn.com/tour/atlanta

Our walk back to the car crossed the Centennial Olympic Park which was developed from waste ground to commemorate the 1996 Olympic Games which were held in Atlanta.

It was then off to find Fairfield Plantation in Villa Rica, and what a pleasant shock we were in for. Joe and Carolyn had very kindly invited us to stay at one of the resorts in which they have an interest. When we eventually found our house it is MAGNIFICENT. It is on the side of a huge lake with 2 decks overlooking the lake. Our bedroom has its own deck, and Jacuzzi, as well as a huge king size bed. The house has everything you could wish for and in great luxury.

Our very busy but very enjoyable day was rounded off by us all enjoying a meal at the Marina Restaurant quite close to our house. See www.extraholidays.com/eh/resorts/Wyndham_Resort_at_Fairfield_Plantation/index.go

Friday 2nd May Charlotte to Atlanta

paulfirman — Fri, 2 May 2008 03:02:00 GMT

We were up in good time this morning, had our breakfast and packed our cases, which were loaded into the car together with Carolyn and Joe's, ready for our trip to Atlanta. We said goodbye to Bridget the dog and left on our journey. After about an hour and half way on our journey, we stopped at a Hardees Diner for a welcome coffee and then continued to John's house at Six Mile, just outside Greenville. We met John and Sam and went to look at a plot of 15 acres of woodland, with spectacular views, where John is hoping to build a new house.

It was then back into the 2 cars and off to Atlanta, approximately 2 hours away, with the journey broken by a visit to a Cacker Barrell Diner where we had an excellent meal. See www.crackerbarrel.com

As we approached Atlanta, the skyline was very impressive. Luckily Joe and Carolyn had some coupons for Hotels and chose Baymont Inn and Suites, which is in an ideal location in the centre of Atlanta. The coupons, which are readily available from most petrol stations, gave us a 50% reduction on the price of the hotel. See www.baymontinns.com We checked in and left our cases unopened in our room while we headed off to Turner Field for the Baseball Game between Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds. It was a very enjoyable and exciting game which the Braves won by 2 runs to nil. The game was followed by a spectacular firework display which we all enjoyed except Sam, who did not like to loud bangs. see www.braves.com

Sam is a lovely little blonde 3 year old boy (4 next week!) who we have taken to immediately. He calls us "Mr Paul" and "Miss Janet", which is how he is taught to address all friends. It is an endearing term which we like very much. He is very good and did not once complain on the long car journey, except to ask "Are we at the ball game yet?". John bought him a Braves Bat and Ball which he has not put down since it was purchased and may well end up in bed with him tonight!!