Sunday/Monday 8/9 June 2025

It’s overcast but still warm here at our lake front house. We made a magnificent Thai beef salad last night, which met the desire for fresh, green, leafy food. Today is one of washing and trying to book a car for the drive to New Jersey in 10 days time but the internet and phone signal has gone crazy and Chat GPT won’t give us any more free time. I see DT has deployed the National Guard to LA as the protests continue. CNN has some decent coverage of the burning cars and such.

A drive to the nearest Enterprise Car Hire and a conversation with a human, establishes why we couldn’t book a vehicle. Their system is not allowing a one way hire to New Jersey. Not to worry. The nice woman on the counter manually enters all the details and we have a booking. Let’s see what happens when we front up on the 18th.

Next and the last of the US bookings, is a night at JFK before we depart for Europe on 30 June. One of us on a tablet in the lounge and the other on the laptop in the kitchen, lots of shouting and questions, cat and dog in hiding! We do manage to get a booking with all the necessary requirements. The Major has just reminded me that I should add Alaskan Snow Crabs to the list of American foods yet to be consumed. NYC is looking good for that.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Thursday – Friday 25 & 26 September 2025 Thursday, we took the excellent Baltic Express train to Wroclaw. About four hours in a first class cabin. It was a bit 007’ish. Sean Connery era. Then in the light rain, an Uber to our very large two bedroom apartment in the old town side of Worclaw. After stuffing about with communications, or rather lack thereof from the 30 something, IT nerd owner living in Amsterdam, we got access by some stupid app on the phone. Flashy was clearly not amused and to boot, the friggin apartment was on the third floor 60 stairs up! Friday, after a nice poached egg breakfast, we trammed into town and joined a free walking tour. This was an excellent 2.5 hour, informative insight into Polish history. We discovered a lot about Poland and its people over the ages and took many photos of the little brass gnomes that are all over the city. Then, of course, the guide hangs about for a tip. So much for a free tour. The Americans over tipped as expected....
Read more
Image
 Saturday 1 March 2025 After an delayed flight to Christchurch, which saw us arrive at 1.30 am and a short sleep at the Airport Hotel, we picked up our hire car - a little hybrid Toyota Aqua and checked out our pet sit for the end of the trip. This involved a short drive to Lincoln to meet the owners, then on to visit Angel and Vienna, Lady P's niece and grand niece.  Then in the afternoon, a 2.5 hr drive to Hanmer Springs, a spa town in the mountains. Our little Alpine Motel is very pleasant and the town of 700 (swells to 10,000 in the season), is treelined and full of little coffee  shops and restaurants. However, it is expensive. And I expect NZ will be expensive all over. 500g of butter and I understand they do make some here! is $12. Petrol is $2.69 a litre. Dinner at the local restaurant, No 31 was very good. Tuna tartare and smoked duck and Orange Roughy with a good Sauvignon Blanc and two Pinot Noirs also quite acceptable. However, much wine research is still requ...
Read more
Image
Saturday 14/ Sunday 15 / Mon 16 June 2025 Saturday, the locals put on a band, a food truck and a brewery pop-up in the little garden at the historic house of Jason Russell. This was attacked by the British in 1775 as part of the Lexington/Concord battles – the first in the War of Independence. He was killed (good old British bayonet they say), along with 30 others. The Brits lost about the same. The house is in the main street of Arlington and still has some bullet holes from the skirmishes. Lt John Baker, King’s Own Muskets 1775, recorded,  “We were now obliged to force almost every house on the road, for the rebels had taken possession of them and galled us most exceedingly but they suffered for their temerity, for all that we found in the houses were put to death.” Paul Revere’s midnight ride was along this road and he whispered, not shouted, “the Regulars are about.” So, they say. Sunday was a catch up day. Although, Lady P took Masie for an 8km walk around the lake. Flashy...
Read more