27/28-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 25/26... Were back!

Home again - it's now just over 32 hours since waking in Tacoma for our last day with Steve & Kristi, spending some time at a local farmers market and then they took us into Seattle for sight-seeing and to experience the vibrant market and street musician scene there before we packed our cases into the rental car and headed off to SEA-TAC (Seattle-Tacoma International Airport). The GPS Sat Nav system let us down just as we were approaching the airport and it was a little bit scary negotiating our way through roads and turms that seemed to come every which way in very quick succession. Once through security we were able to enjoy a picturesque sunset glinting on planes coming and going while we waited for our flight. The connecting flight from Heathrow to Newcastle was delayed, and so we spent time aimlessly wandering around Terminal 5 until boarding eventually started. We got back home not long after 9:00 pm local time, and the tiredness is really kicking in.

What a trip it has been - certainly one that we will never forget. The generosity and hospitality that we have been given both before and during the trip has been wonderful... Publishing our daily diary/journal in our blog has enabled us to share it with those who asked to be kept up to date - and the emails, phone calls and messages have warmed our hearts... and for those who might feel that our trip journal is just TMI (too much information), thanks for the heads up - normal service will be resumed as soon as we're rested and back into more performing again.

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace

26-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 24

Steve & Kristi took us over to Gig Harbor, stopping off briefly in a National Park and spending some time on the shore before heading off for a gig... it was great to watch them perform a full set as the duo whose music we immediately took a liking to back in 2004 when we first saw them at the Bluestone Folk Club during their UK tour.

On the way back we stopped off to do a little bit of shopping and - would you believe it - at the first place we actually found two purple gilets! Amazing! We have searched in the UK for years without success, and here in Tacoma we found them at last. What amazing serendipity or happenstance.

Denny, a friend of Steve & Kristi, came over in the evening to record in Steve's studio and we shared dinner together - while the recording was in progress Val set about packing the suitcases for our journey home the following day. We then booked our seats and boarding passes online before turning in for the night... a strange sort of evening where our minds were turning towards home as we checked and double-checked that everything was organised and in its place.

21 photos today

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace
Steve & Kristi Nebel website

25-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 23

Val's Birthday! A great start to the day was Steve & Kristi (with Jimmy too) singing 'Happy birthday to you'... Steve & Kristi had a private gig today so after breakfast we made plans to check out a music store and a few other shops too.

We drove to Guitar Center where we had decided to check out the Bose L1 Compact system with some Taylor guitars. Wow! It was huge... different sections for acoustic guitars, electric guitars, basses, keyboards, drums, PA, recording, accessories - all pretty well stocked. We made a bee-line for the acoustic guitar section... temperature and humidity controlled behind closed doors, nice touch. Although there was a sticker on the door advertising 'Play your guitar through a Bose L1 system' there were no Bose systems in the acoustic guitars section - we saw a Fishmann SoloAmp and a few dedicated guitar amps, but didn't play through them. The staff left us to our own devices, and we were able to pick up any gutars and play (at least, the ones we could reach) - it was good to play some Taylors again!

We then explored the rest of the store, and found three L1 systems with pride of place in the middle of the floor space - the wall areas were crammed with all manner of amps and mixers and rack units and speakers, but the L1s stood out as imposing, modern, sleek, and unique among all the other much bulkier items. The systems (ready to play) were Model 1, Model 2 with single T1 and single B1, and a Compact. The salesman invited us to pick up a guitar from the acoustics room and bring it back and plug in... again there was no hassle from any of the staff, they were accommodating without being intrusive. We played for a short while using a Taylor 614CE through the compact and it sounded spacious and warm... very pleasing. We can see how this system would be ideal for a solo performer and would be a great way to get the wonderful Bose clarity in a simple plug-and-play unit that's so portable - but for us with 4 guitars between us the Model 2 with 2 T1s and 2 B1s is exactly right.

After wandering around a few more stores we made our way back to Steve & Kristi's to find a card and present on the table - they'd left them there before heading off for their afternoon gig. We took the opportunity to shower again (shopping can be hot and tiring) and started to get ready for the evening. Before setting off we met with Marc who had loaned us his Martin D28 guitar - he has a large collection of instruments including some very nice guitars and a mind-boggling selection of banjos... he played us a banjo tune and we played him our self-penned 'Some Way Home' (borrowing two more guitars to do so). We thanked him again for his generosity and re-joined Steve & Kristi to head out on the town. Kristi had booked a table at Harbor Lights, a waterside restaurant, ensuring we had a window table with a smashing view across Puget Sound... and we enjoyed a lovely meal before driving to the Antique Sandwich for an open mic night of music.

We got there nice and early to register for a performing spot and to sign the release form (required because the evening is broadcast live on the radio!), then settled down to take in the atmosphere and chat with other musicians and friends. There were 34 acts registered for the evening, and they all had to be squeezed into 3 hours (7:00 pm to 10:00 pm), so the MC informed everyone that they had a maximum of 6 minutes including setting up time. We were act 14 and Steve & Kristi were number 24. There was a great variety of styles, abilities and genres on the bill - most people did only one song, and kept to their allotted time slot... but some did stray beyond it and by the time we were on stage the MC announced that we were running behind schedule, and he asked if people could do maybe 4 or 5 minutes each. So we kept within that by playing only 'Some Way Home'. The sound was good, and we sensed that the audience were listening intently - and we got great applause with lots of positive comments, one of them smiled broadly telling us it was a heck of a long way to come for one song! The flow of acts continued relentlessy and we were impressed with many of them (although Jimmy was disappointed that one of the acts swallowed up 9 minutes, eating badly into the time left for the remaining performers)... Steve & Kristi brought the house down with their 'Angels Of The Road'.

Then it was off to a bar for a drink or two to finish Val's birthday celebrations. We were joined by Marilyn, a longtime friend of Steve and Kristi.

1 photo today

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace
Steve & Kristi Nebel website

24-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 22

Today was a day for resting, re-charging our physical and emotional batteries, and returning to some semblance of normal routine for Steve & Kristi - shopping, going to the bank, collecting and sending mail, catching up on meetings and visiting the hospital again. We swapped some videos and photos, generally just hung out together and relaxed with no pressure on entertaining or being anywhere specific at any particular time.

It also gave us time to catch up on blogs and emails and MySpace and the Folk Show ning community and Facebook and do some guitar playing in preparation for appearing at the local open mic the following night. It's really kind of Marc (a friend of Steve & Kristi) to let us borrow his Martin D18, and also Steve kindly lets us play his Garrison and/or Washburn - but we're missing our Taylors tremendously... and to get the absolute signature sound of jiva we need Val playing 12-string and all the guitars we've played (apart from a couple of super guitars in the Taylor factory) have been 6-strings... so it is certainly an interesting challenge for us.

In the evening we rented a DVD, popped some popcorn and drank a few beers while watching 'Frost & Nixon' - an appropriate way to wind down a chill-out day.

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace
Steve & Kristi Nebel website

23-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 21

We slept a little later, making our way down to the house by 9:00 am for breakfast - we're constantly surprised by the differences in meals here... Elizabeth laid on a fruit starter with peaches and blueberries followed by eggs and Canadian Ham (we've never had salsa with scrambled eggs at breakfast, but it made a tasty and spicy change - very nice, maybe we should try that at home some time... food for thought).

Our itinerary for the day began with a drive down to Twin Bridges Marina where we boarded Tom's boat and headed off for La Conner, a leisurely 20-minute trip. Safely moored, we walked into town to explore and found lots of antique shops and arts & crafts shops and galleries as the sun climbed high above us and the temperatue increased accordingly as we snacked and drank and took in the sights. Then it was back to the boat for the reverse trip back to our starting point. At the marina we saw a multi-storey boat park, yes that's right - boats are lifted out of the water, fork lift trucks then carry them and safely deposit them in place inside the building (we counted at least three floors, but there may have been four).

During the drive back Kristi took a phone call and learned that a relative had been taken into hospital - so we cut our stay short, packed the car and headed back to Tacoma so Steve & Kristi could visit while we walked a few blocks to have a meal at a local Chinese restaurant.

When they returned we talked a while and shared some wine before tiredness finally overcame us and we decided to turn in.

193 photos today

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace
Steve & Kristi Nebel website

22-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 20

We woke early, enjoying the tranquility of this delightful location - the sun was streaming in, the scene outside our windows was picturesque... while Jimmy showered Val wandered out onto the patio overlooking the lawn and the pond... it was the kind of scene that would seem too perfect to be real - but real it was. Sunrise and Jessica prepared us a super breakfast, setting us up well for the long trip back north. Instruments and cases were brought upstairs from where we'd played the previous night, and the car was duly packed. As we said our goodbyes and thankyous with lots of hugs Sunrise suggested that we share a musical moment together... he sang a note, and each of us in turn added another note either in harmony or unison and we held that acapella chord for a while - an exhilarating 'friends together' experience.

Steve & Kristi had a long drive north via Tacoma, past Seattle, making for Anacortes on the west coast. We visited Steve's sister (Elizabeth) and her husband (Tom), spending the night at their home overlooking the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Since arriving in the USA we hadn't stopped to enjoy a single sunset over the ocean... but, wow, this one was worth waiting for! After a brief dip in the pool and time relaxing in the adjoining hot tub we witnessed a glorious sun setting behind occasional clouds as it sank large and orange towards the water, re-appearing below the clouds before finally disappearing behind the hills on the islands just a few miles to our west. And then, an al fresco dinner as the light gradually faded... the stuff of dreams that many aspire to.

Music next! We retired downstairs and took turns with Steve & Kristi to play songs for our hosts. The jiva contribution to the evening's entertainment was:

• Back Home To You (Allan Taylor)
• Different Dreams (jiva)
• Love At The Five & Dime (Nanci Griffith)
• Best Friends (jiva)
• Louise (Paul Siebel)
• One More Song (jiva)
• Two Old Friends (Chris Simpson)
• When (jiva)

We even had Elizabeth and Tom joining in on 'One More Song'! Again there was much chat beyond the midnight hour and we walked outside to our guest apartment, taking a long look at the ocean and up into the pitch black sky peppered with stars that shone brighter than we could ever recollect having seen before, the Milky Way forming a glittering ribbon across the sky. A short walk up the hill and we were back inside - we resisted the temptation to 'pump iron' with the weights or jog on the treadmill or practice on the ski-machine or excercise bike... sleep was calling to us.

193 photos today

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace
Steve & Kristi Nebel website

21-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 19

Up prompt this morning as we were all going away for the weekend. The Celluloid Cowboys (Steve and Kristi and their friends Bill and Lynne) were booked to play at the Wahkiakum County Fair - about a 3 hour drive south of Tacoma. The traffic was heavy but we made it to the County Fair ground by 5:00pm so they could check in (due to play at 7:00pm) and then we made our way to the Bed and Breakfast - The Inn at Lucky Mud... in Skamokawa... a wonderful house set in magnificent grounds... the scenery was just breathtaking.

The Lucky Mud is run by long time friends of Steve and Kristi called Jessica and Sunrise. We were made very welcome, quickly shown our rooms (wow! more of that later) and then all sat down to creamed broccolli soup and homemade bread - yum. We then made our way back to the fair ground in good time for The Celluloid Cowboys to get their gear set up and to have a sound check.

This gave us a chance to take a look around the fair... there were the usual stands and we popped our head into one of the tents and were handed free spin tickets by two girls who asked 'Do you want free spin the wheel tickets?' We weren't sure what to expect but went along and Val won a bright green necklace and Jimmy some football stickers!

Then we made our way back to the bleachers in front of the music stage. The Celluloid Cowboys gave a good performance encompassing American classics, swing, Hawaiian, contemporary, and self-penned numbers. The fair organisers immediately booked them for next year's event.

After the fair closed we drove back to the Lucky Mud where we had a singaround, eating, drinking and playing session that went on into the night with evryone singing/playing together and individually with ad hoc accompaniments being added to many songs. Songs from the jiva repertoire were:

• Different Dreams (jiva)
• Louise (Paul Siebel)
• Some Way Home (jiva)
• Two Old Friends (Chris Simpson)
• Yorkshire Romance (CJ Rowe)

A great way to end a great evening in the company of great friends and great hosts.

63 photos today

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace
Steve & Kristi Nebel website

20-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 18

After a breakfast of omelette and toast Steve & Kristi took us on a drive to Mount Rainier - we'd seen the impressive snow-capped peak on our journey north from Springfield to Tacoma, but today we were driven up there through the National Park. There were masses of trees lining the steep winding roads and covering the mountainsides. Our first stop was at Paradise and we managed to get some great pictures and then it was on to Sunrise (yes, these really are names of real places) where we took some more. We also walked the trail for a while but it was very hot so that didn't last too long. The mountain is spectacular and the scenery breathtaking... and big, very big.

We made our way back down the mountain and went to visit friends Bill and Lynne (music friends of Steve and Kristi) who had invited us all round for dinner. We had a beer, a lovely mexican dish, wine and then all played music together for a while. A new experience for us to have people joining in playing mandolin, slide guitar and washboard! Songs from the jiva repertoire were:

• Back Home To You (Allan Taylor)
• One More Song (jiva)
• Different Dreams (jiva)
• Love At The Five & Dime (Nanci Griffith)
• Some Way Home (jiva)

After ice cream we headed home with Steve & Kristi - many thanks to Bill & Lynne for making us so welcome. Naturally the conversation turned again to music and we swapped anecdotes about places that we/they had played, and about some of the characters met along the way, and about performing and songwriting, and audiences and venues (good and bad). We then listened to some CD tracks, copied photos and videos onto the netbook, backed up the netbook to our portable USB-powered 500 GBdrive, checked our emails and updated the blogs as the time ticked remorselessly on and we were all ready to turn in with a busy weekend ahead of us!

165 photos today

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace
Steve & Kristi Nebel website

19-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 17

Steve & Kristi decided that, as we'd missed out on breakfast waffles during the drive north, they would make us some waffles for our first breakfast in their home - great fun and great taste. They had a rehearsal that morning prior to an afternoon performance in Seattle with the Celluloid Cowboys, so we got to meet Bill and Lynne who also tucked into waffles before the band rehearsed.

This gave us a good opportunity to catch up on the domestics and we drove a few blocks to a local laundromat - the few folks there were mostly reading books or magazines while the machines did their stuff, but not jiva... we had the netbook with us, so we had time to catch up on some of our blog drafts.

We explored the area for a few blocks, eventually finding a pharmacy where we sought advice regarding what appeared to be a couple of bites - Val always ends up being bitten wherever we go, the major drawback of hot and sunny climes for us. And boy is it hot, reminiscent of Florida with the temperature in the 80s.

In the evening we decided to go see a movie and we came away having learned a lot of distressing things about farming and food production and large corporations - we'll certainly look at burgers differently from now on, thinking twice about what we eat and where it came from.

Back at Steve & Kristi's we talked until the early hours before getting some shut-eye before the next day's trip to Mount Rainier.

11 photos today

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace
Steve & Kristi Nebel website

18-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 16

We slept a little longer than usual and made our way for breakfast at around 08:30 - and this again was a further step up - there was a waffle machine, but no-one used it while we we were watching, so we still didn't chance it! Ah well, we made up for it with fruit juice and coffee and eggs and pancakes (for Jimmy) and cereal, and cookies and a Danish pastry each.

The drive to Tacoma was all on the I-5 highway - varying between 2 and 5 lanes and very very straight (it can be quite tiring to drive over 60 miles with hardly moving the steering wheel except for the very occasional lane change). We didn't detour much as we were keen to get to Tacoma at a reasonable time. Driving through/around Portland was incredible... bridges over water, flyovers, underpasses, 5 lanes, 4, 3, 2, lots of lights and exit ramps and joining lanes (a shock to the system after driving for so long without having to think much about direction and other traffic).

After a short break for a Big Mac and a milk shake we set off again for more and more miles of straight highway - this very last leg seemed to be getting more difficult to concentrate as Tacoma was getting tantalisingly closer and closer.

And then, we were there - turning off the main highway, negotiating roadworks and then some gentle driving through some suburbs to the street where Steve & Kristi live... we'd be staying with friends and musicians Steve and Kristi Nebel for a few days and were mighty relieved to ring the doorbell and find we'd reached our destination after some 1500 miles of driving... phew! Time to relax and chat and make ourselves at home in a house among good friends! (Great after B&B inns and anonymous motels for so long...)

After sampling Kristi's delicious home cooking we were driven down to the shore of Puget Sound and, as well as some lovely views over the water (and two great bridges) we saw some raccoons. Next we called in to a local open mic club to listen to some of the local talent - we'd hardly played and sang (apart from our wedding) since arriving in America so decided not to play... but we may get back there next week. There was a good cross section of performers ranging from fiddle tunes on autoharp and mandolin through to singer/songwriters old and young and some cover songs... all well organised with a very quick turnaround by the resident MC. The audience were attentive and appreciative and the place had a positive, warm and friendly listening feel to it.

We headed back home to Steve & Kristi's for a relatively early night.

202 photos today.

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace

17-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 15

Breakfast was a much more pleasant affair than our previous two Rodeway Inn stays - actually having a breakfast room was a step back to civilisation... and there was a much better selection of hot and cold foods on offer. We saw people making waffles with the ease of knowledge gained through much experience... but, not knowing how it worked, we didn't try it out.

The drive north to Springfield (the home of the Simpsons cartoon family?) started with a filling station pump that refused to work either for us or for the attendant, but a switch of pumps soon got us filled up and underway. There was more beautiful coastline, and spectacular views, and scary sharp curves on mountain roads, and beautiful cooling drives through more Redwoods. This drive took us inland and we spent a fair amount of time on wider highways travelling at a comfortable 65 mph.

The accommodation at Springfield was a Comfort Suite - a further step up from Eureka's Comfort Inn... bedroom, lounge/office with corner spa bath and then a separate bathroom too. It seemed that the further north we were, the better the accommodation and the better the prices too. We took our customary walk to the nearest shopping mall, checking out the wide variety of eating places along the way. We finally settled on an iHop restaurant where the waitress immediately spotted that we were 'senior citizens' and therefore eligible for special discount (did we really look so travel worn and weary?)... Jimmy had spotted Hawaiian pancakes and was determined to giove it a go. So we ordered what we thought would be a relatively small main course (barbequed ribs for Jimmy and chicken salad for Val) and a couple of tropical twist coolers to gently wash it down. Well... the spare ribs were somewhat large, and Val's salad was a veritable mountain! So we took our time, were treated to free refills and ice water while making our way through it all (maybe not quite all, but a fair amount), and somehow found room for the pancake and a free ice cream too!

Then it was an easy stroll back and we just had to have a go at the corner spa bathtub in our room - so we luxuriated in a mass of bubbles - if we were the idle rich types we'd have had champagne and candles on the side, but we were absolutely fine without those additional trappings. More computer stuff and then a reasonably early night in readiness for the final driving stretch the following morning.

296 photos today

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace

16-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 14

We woke early and showered. It was an interesting affair getting breakfast as we were on the first floor. We took our tray to the reception room to find the only food on offer was sticky buns... so we had two each!

We set off about 8:00 am (yes on a Sunday morning - no lie in for us this holiday) and made our way to the 101 North which was to take us over the Golden Gate Bridge. Woah! The roads down to the bridge were way steep... you've seen them on the cops and robber shows on tv and they're true! And the bridge itself, well, it was great. We travelled over and then parked at a vista point to take photos. Alcatraz was rising out of the mist.

Then it was on our way for the long drive to Eureka along some beautiful coastline. There was some breathtaking views and a lot of hairpin bends to manoeuvre around as we travelled up and down the mountains. We passed by some magnicent Redwood trees - so tall and the trunks so wide! We stopped off for a rest and a bite to eat in Mendocino - Mendocino county was wonderful... at moments serene and gentle scenic vistas, the next moment sharp bends and panoramic views over the Pacific. This felt like the best part of our drive so far.

The Comfort Inn at Eureka was like a breath of fresh air after our San Francisco ordeal - so much space and comfort and attention to detail. We walked along to a local shopping mall and called in at a Chinese restaurant on the way back - the notice said Sunday closing was at 9:05 pm and we got there at 8:55 wondering if perhaps we were too late, but they were happy for us to sit right down and enjoy a delicious meal. Suitably refreshed we walked back to the Inn and relaxed in our spa bath tub testing out Archimedes' Principle [in Eureka of all places!] before the final round of emails, MySpace, Facebook, Folk Show, etc and then turning in for the night.

428 photos today

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace

15-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 13

It was a kinda help yourself breakfast at the Rodeway Inn... we had to go to reception and choose what we wanted to eat, put it on a tray and take it back to the room! So it was fruit, toasted bagel (for Jimmy), sticky bun (for Val) and a cup of coffee and tea. By 8:15 am we were on our way for leg 2 of our journey north.

We got a good start up the west coast of California passing by such places as Carmel and Monterey. We stopped off in Monterey, and found ourselves at another McDonalds so we fortified ourselves with a burger and milkshake each. We didn't have time to explore Monterey but it seems like a very popular seaside resort with losts of water sports. There were lots of fabulous views (some a little like Scotland) as we drove along the Big Sur - wow! The road was often very winding and perilously close to the cliff edge but fortunately we were on the inside with the sheer drops mostly to our left on the other side of the road.

We made it to Santa Cruz without problem, but spent a frustratingly long time trying to re-connect to the Highway number 1. We went around the city a few times trying different routes pointing to Highway 1 North... but we discovered that in Santa Cruz roadsign arrows pointing left don't necessarily mean turn left... they can also mean go straight on!

Thankful to have successfully managed our way out of Santa Cruz we drove for a while before seeing a few helicopters swarming around - in fact they were scooping up water and dropping it on the forest fires which have been raging through the area. Luckily, the firest hadn't reached far enough west to close Highway 1 although we did see some blackened tree trunks not very far too our right.

We stopped in Half Moon Bay at a most delightful watering hole which was a combination of wine bar, deli and cafe set back from the road in a newly built one street shopping mall modelled on the typical main street in old American western films (it even had an old railway caboose in the yard, but no engineer... and no cowboys).

Then came the hard bit as our destination was a Rodeway Inn in downtown San Francisco. From what had been mostly two way traffic we suddenly found ourselves on a three lane highway which quickly became seven lanes splitting off in all directions. The sat nav coped reasonably well and, with only a couple of missed turns we made it through... phew!

We had booked this particular motel as it seemed reasonably close to the main highways and it has guaranteed parking for guests. It turns out that we've ended up in a pretty undesirable part of the city. Richard was staying with a friend in San Francisco, so we met up for a brief chat and she told us of a few OK places nearby - but she also warned us not to talk to anyone on our way back later, and to keep tight hold of each other... ooh err... it was a no-brainer that we just grab a quick bite to eat and head on back before dark.

Then we worked our way through emails, blogs (including this one!), MySpace, Facebook... all the usual stuff as the high speed wifi internet connection was working well. Jimmy was feeling particularly uneasy as we could hear police sirens on a regular basis, subway trains rumbling and shaking the building, a fair amount of traffic and quite a few voices as the city went about its business as day turned into night. Ho hum - early start tomorrow - he can't wait to be outta here!

168 photos today

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace

14-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 12

We woke bright and early as we wanted to get a good start. We had pre-arranged to have breakfast at 7:30 and they especially made us scrambled egg and we also had a bowl of fruit and some toast and jam - just the stuff to fortify us for morning traffic. We had packed just about everything the night before so we had a last minute check around the room, opening cupboards and drawers to make sure we hadn't missed anything - checked out - and then we were on our way.

It was a long drive today - planned to be 7 hours but this turned into nearly 12 as the traffic coming up to and getting through the outskirts of Los Angeles was... to put it mildly... very slow. It was nose to bumper as everyone seemed to be making their way to the coast. As we drove we passed through places that had only been names before but which now became a reality, and we stopped for a well earned break, pizza and beer at Malibu beach.

We reached our destination of Morro Bay at around 8:30 pm - just missing the sun setting behind the rocks as we drove into the car park. So, after a quick walk (it was dark by now), picking up some milk and Liptons tea bags from a local store on the way (Val's first proper cup of tea since arriving in the USA) and a frustrating check of the emails (the internet connection was very poor) we turned in for a much needed sleep.

309 photos today

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace

13-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 11

After all the excitement of the wedding day we awoke refreshed and happy and went down for breakfast. Today's fare was mushroom omelette with feta cheese, and the usual fruit, and also some toast and jam.

We went off to meet up with Richard to spend some time with him before he jetted off to San Francisco for 8 days. He is staying with friends he met 5 years ago in Cambridge (where he lives) and they have promised to show him the sights and sounds of the city.

After he left there was just enough time for us to check our emails and My Space etc before setting off for a hot air balloon ride! We had pre-arranged this before leaving England and after ringing the company 3 times to check the flight was on (unsettled weather had prevented them operating for the past 3 days) we were told it was all systems to go and were given directions where to meet in Del Mar - a coastal resort about 10 miles north of La Jolla. Neither of us had done a hot air balloon flight before and so we were both excited and a little apprehensive as we made our way to the rendezvous. We arrived a little early and so took advantage of the nearby McDonald's where we each had a milk shake (yummy) before meeting with Panorama Balloons.

The other six participants turned up and we all jumped into the van and drove to the take-off point. It was great fun watching the balloon and basket being prepared and once the balloon was inflated it was a mad and ungainly scramble as we all had to clamber into the basket quickly before it took off without us! The rope holding us to the ground was untied and then we were up and slowly rising into the sky - it was wonderful and so serene.

Apart from the occasional sound of the burner (we had to keep swapping places in the basket as our ears and head were becoming very warm - in fact Jimmy's ears were burned a bit), it was incredibly peaceful and serene. We sailed and soared over fields and houses and even talked to people on the ground as they waved to us as we passed by. And then all too soon (but it had been a 45-minutes flight) it was time to land. We had been warned by our pilot that the landing might be bumpy and he had explained to us how we had to turn our backs to the direction of travel, hold on to the ropes in the basket, bend our knees and brace ourselves. But, when it came to it, the landing itself was smooth (although he did manage to clip the top of a fence) and immediately 4 faces appeared over the rim of the basket as burly men desperately held it down as the balloon was keen to go up up and away again. Eventually the basket tipped over on its side and we we had to hold on really tight with no support for our heads. Photos were quickly taken by the pilot and then we were allowed to struggle and squirm our way out.

Time for a little champagne before being driven back to the meeting point.

By now it was nearly 9 pm and so we ate our first McDonalds burgers since arriving in the USA - great stuff.

Then it was back to the hotel to pack - tomorrow we head off for the next part of our adventure... a 5 day drive up the west coast to Tacoma, Seattle.

260 photos today

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace

12-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 10... WEDDING DAY

It will come as no surprise that we woke really early, and found it impossible to get back to sleep - so, before showering, we donned the thick and cozy dressing gowns/robes and tiptoed downstairs for freshly baked cookies and coffee. Then we double checked everything that we had already double checked the previous night - clothes, vows, rings, music, marriage licence, cameras... next it was scout through emails, MySpace and Facebook to see if anything needed attending to. Then it was shower, shave for Jimmy, get dressed and then downstairs for breakfast - fruit juice, fresh fruit, coffee, and mushroom and spinach quiche.

We had arranged to spend part of the morning with Val's son, Richard, and so we wandered along Prospect Avenue and down to the beach to see the seals, and squirrels, and seagulls, and pelicans... and people by the hundreds.

It was a hot and sticky morning, so we showered again (and Jimmy shaved again - yes, twice in one day!), and took our time getting ready for the big occasion. So we treble checked everything again and made our way to the car, waited a few minutes for Richard to return from his hotel... and then off we drove, Jimmy driving extra carefully today.

We got to Taylor Guitars at El Cajon 10 minutes ahead of schedule, unpacked the bits from the boot (trunk) of the car and made our way just a few yards to Customer Services/Reception... almost overcome by the heat already. Once inside we met our photographers and videographers (Jessica and Nathan), and the receptionist phoned Chalise to let her know that we had arrived.

There was time for a few pre-wedding shots outside (phew... it was sweltering) and also in the Taylor store before the officiant (Reverend Christopher Tuttle) and our friend Timi from Texas arrived. Then we walked over to the 2000 room (Marketing Suite) - we could have driven, but wanted to savour the walk. Chalise had told us on our previous visit that we should feel free to pick up and play any of the guitars that day and also on the wedding day too... so we changed our original plan of two pieces of pre-recorded music during the ceremony to be one song played live by us and one pre-recorded song.

The Reverend brought us together for the ceremony - dispensing with the traditional groom to his left and bride to his right... we swapped sides so as to be in jiva performance position... nice touch, and so typical of how the Reverend handled things, individual and accommodating and fun. We can't recall every word that was said (however, that will be available for us to treasure in high definition video), but we remember the points about friends and family, and love and trust, and fun and imagination, and the exchange of rings, and the speaking of our own self-written personal vows to each other, the holding hands, the pronouncement of man and wife, the kiss, the applause (yes, really, applause!), the occasional tear being dabbed away, the music... ah yes... the music...

Val played the gorgeous Custom Build Jumbo 12-string that we both fell in love with on our previous visit, and Jimmy chose a beautiful 814CE 6-string... we sang 'Back Home To You' by Allan Taylor... and the pre-recorded song was 'Dancing On A Saturday Night' (written esecially for us by Allan Taylor as a wedding present)... the Taylor Guitar Factory... we played Taylor guitars... and the music was all by Allan Taylor... a bit of a theme there!

The happy couple...
mid-ceremony - not quite Mr and Mrs yet

Timi and Richard were our official witnesses, and they duly signed the official documentation - many thanks to you both for sharing and taking an active part in this special day... we were honoured to have some of the Taylor staff present throughout the ceremony, and there were even some photos taken by the Taylor photographer which might even find their way into a company publication... who knows?

The happy couple...
Mr and Mrs Jimmy and Val Monteith-Towler

Next we were invited to take more of our own personal shots throughout the factory (Chalise acting as resident camera-person for this part) before making our way back to reception where we picked up cards and gifts that resourceful friends had made available to us as a surprise at Taylor Guitars on the actual wedding day. We are indeed humbled and grateful to have such people in our lives.

And so, having said our farewells to Chalise and Co, we left drove back to La Jolla where we enjoyed champagne in the garden of the B&B with Timi and Richard... a lovely touch. Then the four of us strolled along the ocean front before enjoying a Mexican meal at Alfonso's (finishing with fried ice cream and cheesecake... absolutely delicious).

And then it was goodnight to Timi (hugs all round) as she had to drive back to her hotel in San Diego (without a sat nav too), and goodnight to Richard as he made his way back to his hotel.

Finally - 40 years and 17 days after we first met - we got married... Mr and Mrs Monteith-Towler... at last!

We wholehertedly thank everyone who has wished us well and all at Taylor Guitars, and especially Chalise, for making this dream day possible for us.

And the answer to the question that lots of people ask? Yes, we were indeed tempted... watch this space!

186 photos today, with more to come from our official wedding photographers and from Taylor too!.

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace
Taylor Guitars website

11-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 9

Breakfast today was a delicious pumpkin toast with cinnamon, cloves, ginger and maple syrup topped off with cream (with bacon on the side too), preceded by fresh melon - and the usual orange juice and coffee.

We met Richard at his hotel where he told us that his luggage arrived safely... at 4 in the morning! We sauntered along the beach, stopping to enjoy the seals lazing on the rocks and we watched birds and squirrels too. There were lots of kayaks and swimmers, everyone wanting to be close to the seals... and the beach was crowded even though it was a muggy, overcast morning.

We walked quite a way north along the waterfront (probably about 3 miles or thereabouts), alternately passing grand mansions on the right overlooking the ocean and coves and beaches on the left - at one stage we found ourselves walking by yet another crowded beach... thousands of people, and lots of noise! Eventually we made it to Scripps pier... only to find it closed to public access! Ah well, the lengthy walk would certainly have burned off a few pounds (or, at least, ounces).

Then it was back to the B&B to put our feet up, help ourselves to complimentary cookies and coffee before settling down to check and double check arrangements for tomorrow... paperwork, photographer/videographer, officiant, final check on the all important wedding outfits etc. By the time we'd fired off a couple of emails it was time for the cheese and wine (could become quite habit forming)... and then off we toddled to meet up with Richard again to head off in search of today's evening meal.

Big day tomorrow, so an early night tonight - lights out by 10:45 pm.

251 photos today

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace

10-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 8

We had our best sleep yet at this B&B - not waking up once in the night, despite the slightly noisy air conditioning... even though we have the vent shut it's a little like hearing the wind gently whirling outside - we must be getting used to it. And we woke excited for what the day ahead held in store. An earlier breakfast found us eating a spinach and mushroom omelette with saute potatoes (the chef had called them roast potatoes and we had been wondering what to expect!).

First on the agenda for today was a trip to the county clerk's office to obtain our Marriage Licence. We had arranged an appointment for 10:00 am and arrived there in good time... at 9:30 am. We decided to go straight in and we were warmly welcomed and expected. They couldn't have been nicer and we even got to take a photo of the very helpful clerk (Roberta) and then we had our picture taken with her as well. Wow! It was great.

Then it was straight over to the Taylor Guitar Factory to meet with Chalise, the Public Relations Manager, our Taylor contact. Nothing was too much trouble - she took us on a personal up close tour, and our jaws dropped as we saw the commitment, the quality, the craftsmanship, and the sheer awesome beauty as woods combined with frets and machine heads and purfling and inlays in a precise laser acuuracy with human handiwork and dedication to produce guitars which are not only a joy to play and to hear, but which are also incredibly beautiful to behold. It was heaven to witness this incredibly special process - and everyone was so friendly and ready to explain things and answer whatever questions we had.

Chalise escorted us across to the Marketing Suite where we had a sharp intake of breath as we stepped into a room with a complete wall of Taylor guitars - custom BTO (build to order) models, R Taylors, different finishes, different tonewoods, different appointments, solid body, acoustic, 6-string, 12-string, semi acoustic T3s and T5s and (hush hush projects)... even a Bose L1 sytem that they use for demonstrating amplified and on roadshows. It was awesome, totally mind blowing.

Here's Val playing a guitar that we both fell in love with,
a custom built Jumbo 12-string...
Photo by Chalise Zolezzi, Taylor Guitars

So, the drive back to La Jolla was becoming natural and easy - as if we've been doing it for years. We parked up, then celebrated our fabulous day by having sumptuous ice creams and sorbets before checking out more shops and heading back to the B&B for cheese and wine and grapes and strawberries... well, somene has to do these things.

Tonight Val's son, Richard, flew in from the UK - he's going to spend a few days here in La Jolla, come to the wedding, and then jet off to San Francisco for a week or so before heading back to Cambridge (UK). Unfortunately his luggage got left in Denver with a promise of it being sent on to his hotel by 11:00 pm. We left him at 10:00 pm after dining out at a local Italian restaurant followed by a slow walk back to his hotel - then a 400 yard stroll to our B&B for a relatively early night.

186 photos today.

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace
Taylor Guitars website

09-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 7

A lazy day - got up later than yesterday, popped downstairs for coffee and cookies to help us wake up. Breakfast today was apple & cinnamon strada with crispy crunchy bacon on the side (Jimmy really likes cinnamon - a lot).

We had reserved today for a practice run at driving to the county clerk's office and then on to the Taylor factory. We managed it all without getting lost once - thanks to GPS sat nav for getting us there and to Google Maps for ensuring we knew what things should look like. Then we drove back to La Jolla, had more coffee and cookies... then drove back again to El Cajon so we'd be fully rehearsed for the marriage licence appointment on Monday and the wedding on Wednesday...

Eeeek! It's all happening - these places really do exist - bricks and mortar, not just images on the screen.

Needless to say we took photos of the outside of the Taylor factory... and there'll be lots to see inside tomorrow when we have a pre-wedding visit. Back at La Jolla, after the wine and cheese session in the garden, we had an evening stroll around the shops - purple seems to be coming into fashion again, although none of the designs really caught our eyes. We had a nice Mexican meal at Alfonso's (highly recommended by guests and also local guide publications), and then wandered down to the cove where we wached seals swimming and lazing on the rocks, barking and snorting to each other. The beach path was littered with people, even after sunset there were lots of people out walking and swimming and fishing and watching the waves... it was very much a fun, family and friends atmosphere.

Although it was only 09:30 pm by the time we got back to the B&B, we were both whacked... so, after a brief sojourn into cyberspace to check emails and messages, we turned in for an early night.

37 photos today.

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace

08-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 6

Got up at 06:30 (yes, honestly!) - showered dressed, and then popped downstairs for complimentary coffee and home baked cookies... scrummy! We weren't due at breaksast until 09:00 so we meandered down to the beach where we saw lots of seals basking on the sand in the early morning sunlight as waves gently lapped about them. Then we had to avoid literally hundreds of joggers of all shapes and sizes as they pounded by - don't yet know whether it's organised groups and/or weekend only or every day... time will tell. Further along an archway festooned with flowers was being put up in readiness for a wedding overlooking the ocean.

After a slow stroll back to the B&B we had a Tex Mex breakfast with lots of fresh orange juice and fruit and as much coffee as we could take. Suitably fed and watered we went off to explore the shops, including a music store where we checked out the Taylor guitars on display. By mid afternoon we were feeling a little peckish so treated ourselves to a couple of Haagen Dazs mint and chocolate biscuit 'Dazzlers'... even the small/standard size cones/dishes are huge!

Back at the B&B we noticed rows of chairs being set out on an adjacent lawn and we joked that they must be preparing for a wedding - yep, sure enough, out came the bride in a long white dress and four or five bridesmaids in blue closely followed by the groom and other men in dark suits, shirts and ties and white floral buttonholes. In close proximity was a photographer who seemed to race around being everywhere at once - stopping the wedding party here and there, posing them, taking loads of shots.

After a glass of iced water we set off to explore the area further and walked down to the beach, turning south along a path that was thronged with sunseekers and barbeques and another wedding party. We decided to walk along the sand - and, there, coming up the steps from the beach was the bride we'd seen earlier and the bridesmaids and the indefategible photographer with two cameras slung around her neck. On the beach there were people of all shapes and sizes, with varying amounts of tan in varying degrees of near nakedness - we did feel somewhat overdressed in our jiva-esque black tee shirts and purple caps! Walking back along La Jolla Boulevard we were reminded that this place is known as one of the most affluent places in the USA - there were dealerships for Rolls Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Mercedes, BMW, Maserati, Lotus, Bugatti, Lamborghini and various other expensive marques. The houses are huge, and individually designed so no two are quite the same... and at almost every corner there's another sight to behold.

We got back to the B&B just as the wedding next door was about to officially start - a hundred or so guests were seated and the music was playing (a very kitsch bouncy treatment of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow') as the bridesmaids and groomsmen took up position. Then, after a few bars of Pachelbel's Canon the photographer bounded out of the building just in front of the bride... and almost the whole congrgration stood up to take their own snapshots too. We watched a while as the minister said a few words (he really should invest in a Bose L1, or at least a Bose L1 Compact), We made our way inside and found we were just in time for the complimentary wine and cheese session, so poured a couple of glasses of white wine to wash down some crackers and a selection of cheeses and headed out to the terrace to enjoy it in the early evening sunshine while watching the delightful hummingbirds hovering and flitting about.

Refreshed, we then walked back along the boulevard to a nice Chinese restaurant for our evening meal (the diet will just have to wait until we get home). Then it was a pleasant moonlit stroll back to the B&B - as we approached we could hear the wedding disco in full swing... it was still going strong when we decided to turn in for the night, but we were so tired that we were asleep in moments.

140 photos today.

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace
The Bed & Breakfast Inn at La Jolla website

07-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 5

We checked out of the Casa relatively early to allow plenty of time to get to Orlando Airport, return the hire car and get ourselves checked in for the flights to San Diego. It's just as well we did - even with a GPS sat nav system it's not always easy to get to exactly where you need to be... and, typically, it wasn't easy to find where to check in... and when we did, the self service boarding pass system would't work for us... so what had started as over an hour in reserve rapidly became no spare time at all!

Changing at Los Angeles was relatively easy and the small local/regional jet plane service was much smoother than we'd anticipated. We arrived at San Diego in good time, but couldn't work out how to get to the National car rental bus stop - so having seen one flash by earlier we managed to flag down the second one and were soon whisked off to pick up our car (yes, after a fairly lengthy wait in a queue). Then we drove to La Jolla (pronounced 'La Hoya') where we'd be staying for seven nights - thank goodness for sat nav - it would have been a difficult drive had we been relying on maps and written instructions.

The La Jolla Bed and Breakfast was very different to the Casa Coquina (Florida)... but just as nice in a different sort of way, and they even laid on champagne to our room to welcome us. By the time we had checked in, unpacked and read our emails it was going on 10:00 pm. We walked through the streets to get the lie of the land and possibly have a snack... the place was heaving, lots of people young and old (but mostly young) in bars and grilles and restaurants and galleries and crowding the pavements... and so much noise and conversation... obviously a very happening, chic and trendy place to be.

Almost midnight local time, and we've been up for 20 hours... so time to sign off another day - see y'all tomorrow!

99 photos today.

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace
The Bed & Breakfast Inn at La Jolla website

06-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 4

Our second day at the Kennedy Space Center was as enjoyable as the first - the iMax films were awesome, and the Shuttle Launch simulator was great fun (although some of the children were determined to show off and scream louder than the thunderous roar from the 'rocket engines' as we were buffeted and rocked and subjected to some interesting G-force effects).

We had chosen the 'Then And Now' tour for today and we were given a history of space activities at the cape from very early military launches/projects, through to the present day - highlights of the tour included visiting the block house (control room) and the actual launch site of America's first manned space flight and also a somewhat more sobering visit to the site of the Apollo 1 disaster where three astronauts were burned alive as their capsule turned into a blazing inferno during a test countdown on the launch pad.

All too soon it was time to go, and we both felt very sad at leaving such a wonderful place - it felt new and exciting but somehow familiar and friendly as if we'd lived there for years.

312 photos today.

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace
Kennedy Space Center website

05-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 3

We woke bright and early and in good time breakfast at 8:30. The Innkeeper was off today so we got to meet the owner, Linda, before she set off for her day job! We were keen to eat up and be out because today we were to visit the Kennedy Space Center! As we drove the short distance (about 8 miles) to get there we were excited, we didn't know what to expect or what the day would bring but we were keen to get there. And boy were we not disappointed.

The Space Center Visitor Complex is big and beautiful. The garden is full of space rockets from the small (and that was big) to the huge and we mean huge! And, also on exhibit was the actual walkway that Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins walked along before entering Apollo 11 and setting off on their historic journey to the moon... we walked along it, trying to imagine that day, those men, the eyes of the world on their epic journey. We wanted to see and do everything at once but we took our time and looked at everything - we had pre-booked the 'Nasa Up Close' tour and that was mind boggling and we go to see the Saturn V rocket - it was gigantic. There was also opportunity to see modules for the International Space Station (ISS) undergoing tests... and we even glimpsed alligators and lots of vultures too!

Here we are in front of the Vertical Assembly Building
Photo taken by our wonderful tour guide, Ann.

After an exhausting but exhilarating day we walked the 100 yards or so from the Casa to the local restaurant (Mexican and Cuban). The main courses were good, but the dessert was exceptional - luckily Stephanie, our waitress, warned us that the Fried Ice Cream Dessert was rather large... and we might be advised to share one, with the option of a second if we could manage it. Well, no, we most certainly didn't manage to find room for another one!

691 photos today.

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace
Kennedy Space Center website

04-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 2

Surprisingly we were up in good time for a shower and to check emails before breakfast. We met Siobhan, the innkeeper - full of smiles and good nature, nothing was too much trouble.

Today was a day for exploring, and we decided to go for a walk to check out the neighbourhood - there weren't many people walking... everywhere is designed to be accessible to motorists... but the few people we met were friendly, as were shop assistants in the couple of places we visited. The route we took was about five miles - the weather was hot and muggy, and we were somewhat tired by the time we got back to the Casa. Then we took a drive downtown and sampled the delights of the Caffe Chocolat Cafe before heading back for a rest and some advice from Siobhan about where to eat out that evening. We settled on Paul's Smokehouse where we had a lovely meal while looking out over the Indian river... we could see just a few miles across the water was the Kennedy Space Center where we'd be visiting for the next two days.

114 photos today.

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace

03-Aug-09 USA Trip - Day 1

03:58 The alarm went off.
04:00 The next alarm went off.
04:02 And then the next alarm.
04:04 And the next!
04:06 Last alarm!

Got up, checked emails, got ready, quick breakfast, packed the car...set off for the airport at 04:50. We promised each other when we moved to Blyth seven years ago that we'd share sunrise over our new home town, and this morning we did... there was a surreal quality to the relative stillness of the streets, the lack of traffic, and the gold and red clouds as the sun started its climb into the sky.

On checking in we found that the small suitcase we'd taken as carry-on luggage in the past was now too big, and had to be checked in as normal checked hold baggage. Ah well, so be it - we just hoped that it didn't get lost en route as it held all manner of chargers, adapters, extension leads, connecting cables etc... without those we'd be stumped. Other than that the Newcastle end all went to plan.

At Heathrow we found that our connecting flight to Miami had been delayed by almost an hour, so we wandered aimlessly milling around the shops, killing time. So at 10:30 our 747 Jumbo lifted off on the long stretch over the Atlantic. The on board food was surprisingly good, and we were plied with copious supplies of various liquids - some hot (very!), some cold, some alcoholic, some not. Not a great deal of legroom though, and Val's in flight entertainment system was playing up and had to be re-set twice by the cabin crew.

We made the acquaintance of a delightful young chap (Samuel) who enjoyed playing hide and seek, making faces and catching each other's hands as they sneaked around, above and under the seats. It was very touching when he stretched his arms out so we could hold his hands as we landed in Miami.

The customs guy was really sweet when Val told him our story and how we were to be married in El Cajon. Then we had a half mile trek to the (un-signposted) baggage reclaim area... we then had to get our baggage checked in again before we could get our boarding passes. Check in was simple - hand the cases over and that was it. We then tried unsuccessfully to print our boarding passes using the self-service system and were refused entry to the boarding area, so were referred back to the American Airlines check-in desk only to be told that the flight was now closed and we'd have to wait three hours for another one. In the meantime our baggage had gone on ahead of us on the flight we had missed. So we trailed around the airport shops and food places before settling down to a hot chocolate at Starbucks.

We wandered outside thinking to get a breath of fresh air to clear our heads a little - we'd been awake for 17 hours by this time... oof! The warmth was incredible, intimidating, so we made our way back into the air conditioned airport mall to meander around the shops again ubtil it was time to make our way through security and on to the departure lounge. And there we met Samuel again - his family had also missed their connection to Orlando.

Once seated on the plane we were taken back by the announcement that the weather en-route was forecast to be severe and that we should keep our seatbelts on all the way, and even the cabin crew should do the same... and... and... and... there was only a 75% chance that we'd be able to make it to Orlando - we might have to divert, or even turn back if the conditions were really bad. But it was an uneventful flight and we touched down early at Orlando... and the heavens opened, rain poured down... and were kept waiting for a further 15 minutes while a ground crew could be mustered to guide the plane the last 200 yards to the terminal.

Then we had to find the baggage services area as we couldn't just pick up from baggage reclaim as our cases weren't on the same flight as us! Next we trooped off the car rental area - four people in front of us, all of whom seemed incapable of just picking up their car... it seemed everyone wanted to haggle about insurance and rates and damage waiver and liability and deposits. At last someone took pity on us and beckoned us to an adjacent desk of a different rental company who shared bookings with ours - 5 minutes later we were back out in the steamy heat (the rain had slowed to a moderate drizzle) heading for the car park to pick up our compact Nissan Versa.

A quick bit of familiarisation with the controls of the automatic - plug in the sat nav, and off into the night... but wait, the sat nav wasn't doing its thing... it wasn't updating... it wasn't talking to us. So, after some inspired guesswork we managed to get onto the correct highway heading east to the coast... Val got the sat nav to co-operate and we managed to find our accommodation - the Casa Coquina Bed & Breakfast. Not a B&B in the British sense, more a hotel with our own 3-room suite and large balcony. Upon letting ourselves in we found the place entirely empty as the staff had gone home after we'd phoned and explained the delay in Miami.

Just imagine...
late at night... thunder and lightning...
the place is desrted... you let yourselves in...
there's a juke box playing...
and THIS is what you see...
EEEK!!!

This place is a veritable cornucopia of delights and oddities, too much and too many to explain in detail - it is a place of such character... more on this later... we've been up for 23 hours now, so have to get some shut-eye.

175 photos today.

Links
jiva website
jiva MySpace
Casa Coquina website