Tubing Down the Shenandoah

I'm hard pushed to think of anything more relaxing than floating down a gently moving river on a hot day, within reach of a buoyant cooler filled with ice-cold cans! This was a trip organised by Ros's daughter Vicki for her church social group; she very kindly invited me along. Another 'first' for me, and for several of the 44 people who joined in, including Lily, aged 6 I believe, and Mary-Lou, who is over eighty. I enjoyed it so much that it was suggested as my new career that I should introduce tubing to the Thames - 'grey water rafting', someone suggested! We decided on the Thames rather than the Cam, as I felt that the punters might be a bit sniffy about a load of inner tubes encroaching on their space... It was a wonderful day out with lovely people, ending with drinks at Mary-Lou's house and a very American dinner out - most of us went for the breakfast menu (pancakes for me - mmmmmmmm!).
I had travelled up to Washington D.C. with Ros the previous day; we embarked rather foolishly on a city tour. The day was far too hot for this - walking was totally exhausting - we staggered from one patch of shade to the next without much relief from the steamy atmosphere, and when on the non-air-conditioned trolley we both nearly passed out... But I did get to see the sights of D.C. and learn a lot from the commentary, and got up close to the Lincoln Memorial, and all in excellent company, so I was content.
The next day I said a fond farewell to Ros and Vicki, promising myself that I shall not let 19 years go by before we meet again! I have 2 other daughters to renew acquaintance with, and 3 - soon to be 4 - grandchildren to meet, and of course I'm keen for Ros to see Katye and Alex again and meet my own granddaughter Emma.
So, on to my first train trip in the USA, from D.C. to New York. I was nicely settled in, backpack safely stowed, enjoying watching the scenery rush past ... wait, not rushing any more... ah, not actually moving any more... yes, the engine had broken down, taking the air conditioning with it. But hey, it got everyone in the carriage talking to each other, so all was not in vain. We were just outside Philadelphia, a city I've missed on my travels, so I wondered aloud whether I should hop off for a quick tour, and was told it was well worth a visit! Eventually, though, a 'rescue engine' chugged up and towed us into the station where we picked up our bags and walked.. to another train, and I finally arrived in the Big Apple only an hour or so later than planned; found my way via the subway with some advice from a friendly stranger, to the welcome sight of John's smiling face. Plenty of time to spare to get ready for the event to which I'd been looking forward with great excitement ever since I realised I would be able to attend - Taylor's gig. But that's another story - watch this space!

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