Hey Man, look at me rocking out. I’m on the radio

TT and RG rockin' on the radio in New York state

View Larger Map

Good evening from the Holiday Inn Express, Webster, New York.

TT and I have just returned from Calvary Chapel Webster where the 5th performance of this tour is now under our belts. Another good performance and a great bunch of people.

We arrived in this area yesterday and did a Radio Interview for “WZXV, The Word”. Patrick, The Production Manager had interviewed TT by phone several times but wanted me to join him at the microphone in the studio. Oo my whatever next?

Anyway I wasn’t too nervous as it wasn’t live and I had my hot honey and lemon to sip and dear Patrick was so friendly and helpful. He put me entirely at ease. He even said I could cough and sneeze if I wanted to and it wouldn’t matter.

The radio station was on the campus of Finger Lakes Calvary Chapel which seems to have acres of land. There is a Bible college and school as well as the church and radio station on the complex. Loads of parking spaces and play grounds. O if only some of this parking and play ground space could be shared by our churches in the U.K. where space is a real problem!

After the interview I checked out the bookstore and sat in the café drinking coffee and using their free wifi.

We then followed Patrick back to his house for supper. 3 of their 5 children gave us a fantastic welcome calling out to us from the upstairs window.

Addie, age 3 introduced us to her two brothers, Elijah 10 and Ben 8. She explained later that her two big sisters were out.

Judy, Patrick’s wife is delightful and they cooked us the most amazing supper of Cornish hens with stuffing, double baked potatoes, green beans and salad. Bread pudding was the dessert and they made tea with PG tips in a tea pot served with digestive biscuits. They had gone to a lot of trouble to find out what an English couple abroad would like to eat. It was scrumptious.

We arrived at the hotel here in Webster after the lovely supper and will stay here until Monday morning. Deep joy. 6 nights in one hotel is wonderful and cuts down on the packing and unpacking.

We have got 6 shows in 5 days here. Most of them are in this area with 2 at Calvary chapel Rochester N.Y. on Sunday. The two churches have got together and arranged that we can stay in this same hotel for all this time.

Tomorrow we are going to Williamsport Pennsylvania. It is a 3.5hr run and some people we met today said it will be a lovely journey but we may loose our GPS connection in the mountains. Dear George, we will miss his voice, ROADIE TIP  Remember to check the route before hand and have the good old fashioned Rand McNaly US road map to hand.

We had a brilliant journey here from Massachusetts, driving on I 90 through New Hampshire and into New York. Lovely coastal route with little harbour towns, lots with English names. We turned round at one point when we saw an elderly lady setting out some things on a table to sell at the side of the road.

We were attracted by a pair of antlers. On closer inspection the only things she was selling were hand made wooden decoy ducks and these fabulous antlers. I asked how she came to have them. She said she had 6 sons and they were all hunters and she was trying to cull her antler collection. These were covered in soft fur and were from a caraboo that her son Michael had shot in Nova Scotia.

We bought them for $20 and may well fix them on to the front of BB. Don’t tell our son Jonathan, but we are going to try and get Santa to deliver them down the Old Mill chimney at Christmas. They will not fit in his stocking so and getting them down the chimney may prove difficult but I’m sure Rudolph and the other reindeers can come up with a solution as they are expert in antler maneuvering.

Today I felt much better cough wise. Thank you all for your prayers and the folks at Ellsworth Calvary Chapel prayed especially for me after the service. We stayed with Pat, in her log home for two days. She is a retired physician as well as a wonderful gardener who has a great knowledge of “green pharmacy” using herbs and plants to provide healthy nutrients. Anyway she gave me some homeopathic bits and bobs.

These helped I’m sure, as well as spending Monday with her. I did our laundry and we hung out washing together, wandered around her garden feeding the chickens and picking green leaves for our tea and supper. She also too me to a great homesteading little supply shop where she bought some feed for the chickens and I bought some Gardeners Hand cream at 50% off.

The hotel has a fitness centre, indoor swimming pool and hot spa. I used all three today. Didn’t stay long in the spa as it was too hot.
Outside our hotel window is a lovely pond and walking trail. I thought it was Lake Ontario. That is quite near but about 7 miles away. We are very far north here. The weather is lovely, about 60F. Sunny today with just the occasional tree changing colour.

I’m off to bed now. TT is still asking me what’s to eat. He is always hungry after a performance. The Pastor and his wife took us out for supper earlier at Panera Bread. I love this place. David had French onion soup but saved his sandwich until now. He is still asking for “something nice”. I have just given him strawberry yoghurt that we squirreled away from our complimentary breakfast this morning. Maybe a final cup of tea is what he needs.

Talking about tea, I made a terrible faux pas this evening. Instead of using his fav. Tea brought from England to make the tea he has on stage,  I used my red bush S. African Tea bags. What a Roadie ruinous moment. I discovered the mistake just before he went on stage. TT was NOT a happy man. I offered to make another pot quickly, but the star of the show said it was too late and he would just have to drink this. After one sip tonight, I noticed he never really took another swig only pretended too. ROADIE TIP. Check T bags are Yorkshire Decaff in the Props box before leaving hotel.

I have some wonderful photos to put on the blog, but at the moment have lost the power to add posts so am having to get son Jonathan to do this and give me the password. I am not a roadie/blogger of the 21st  century. However, today,  my sister Maggie and I Skyped each other with video for the first time ever from one side of the Atlantic Ocean to the other. She is 70 today and I am only a few years behind, so that not bad for a couple of OAP’s with a free English bus pass. Happy birthday Maggie dear. You are the BEST sister any body could have. I love you.
Night all.

Police escort Big Blue into Ellsworth Maine USA……..

View Larger Map

After 7.5hrs driving from New York state to Maine, we arrived at the coastal town of Ellsworth after dark just now.  TT saw a flashing blue light in his rear view mirror. What was he doing wrong?  Not speeding or drinking. Maybe they were sent to welcome visiting actors into town. This proved NOT to be the case. We turned into a car park/parking lot and were immediately surrounded by 2 police cars and a state trouper car complete with barking dog! All armed these fierce looking cops and a sheriff shone their torches into our windows. O no were they going to confiscate the tea bags to pay us Brits back for the Boston Harbour Tea party debarckle? No. The problem proved to be that someone had reported my dear hubby swerving a bit on the Interstate.  There was hardly any other traffic on the road and he had sometimes asked our  SatNav/GPS “George” about an alternate route by tapping his chest repeatly that might have caused the odd wobble of BB. The officers of the law,  obviously thought TT might be drunk and disorderly, hense the whole of Ellsworth law enforcement seemed surrounding us. They seemed a bit disapointed when all our documents were in order and they had nothing to charge us with. Actually I do them a dis-service, because they cheered up considerably when I got out of the car and explained that I was TT’s roadie, offered them a cough drop and asked to take their picture. I also asked for permission to go to the grocery store  and get some honey and lemons for my bad cough. I had to wait until they had completed running  a check on our vehicle via computer or something. THey asked TT why we were in their town and when he said he was doing a play in the Grand Theatre tomorrow, the big sheriff with THE  HAT said, “is that the one they have been advertising on the radio”. We assured him it was. They declined to have their picture taken but smiled nicely and promised to come and see TT in action.  Even the fierce looking canine had stopped barking and looked quite friendly as they drove off wagging his tail at us.

A few minutes later we were in our lovely comfy hotel room at The Ramada Ellsworth. The welcome here was grand. Troy cheerfully carried our stuff up the stairs to our room. We are on the 1st floor sans elevator/lift. There to greet us on the desk was a lovely bag with “MAINE” written on the front. Inside was fruit drink and other edibles, a welcome gift from the church here.

I HAVE A NEW CAMERA AND AM VERY EXCITED. SOON SOON I WILL POST PICS.

Night night from the Ramada Inn and not the jail house Ellsworth Maine USA.

blesssings. xx