LINDA REDFERN

Linda and Fred Redfern were married in 1963, and came to the Osceola area in 1970, where Fred was employed as the manager of the meat market in what was then the new Fareway store. We were founding members of the TLC Sunday School class along with the Rileys, the Ticknors, and the Wilsons, who were all new to the community. We also were members of a Supper Club, an extension of the Sunday School class. Both groups became exceptionally close fiends and supporters of one another through good times and trials.

Fred left Fareway in 1977, and we bought the building at 141 South Main establishing Redfern Home Furnishings. In time it became Osceola's first mall accommodating several businesses: Bob Snyder's sewing machine shop, Jan Van Gorp's quilt shop, Carol Saddoris' toy store, Rod Clark's used furniture, Vicky Chaney's used clothing, and Bethphage's workshop and outlet store (now Mosaic and Expressions). We took on Sears Catalog store in 1983 and phased out the furniture line in 1985. Fred contracted cancer for which he had chemo treatments but continued to work until May 23, 1990. He died on July 5, and I went back to work immediately until June 1992, when Sears closed all their catalog stores.

Fred and I raised a family here. Melissa, Fritz, Shawn, and Megan. At the time of this writing, Melissa is married to Myron Freeman and they live between Osceola and St. Charles where she is manager of Kum and Go in St. Charles. Fritz worked at Osceola Foods and passed away in February 2005. Shawn married Jeff Joseph. They live in South Carolina. Megan lives south of Woodburn. She is a legal secretary and works for a law firm. She married Michael Spalding, farm manager with Iowa Select Farms Weldon Facility. He was from Oklahoma. They met when they were in Iowa State and Oklahoma State respectively. They met at an FFA exchange.

The first piece of land Fred and I bought was from Marvin Gray, 45 acres south of town, with the original intention of building a house, but instead we bought another piece of land and built a house there. In about 1979, we leased 25 acres to the Clarke County Conservation Board, promoted primarily by John Klein, their director from 1978 to 1991, and it became Redfern Timber. We first leased it for 25 years and later for an additional 10 years. They built a big two-tiered tower for visitors to go up and look over the area. They maintained it to some degree, adding walking paths. In these days various elementary school children go on field trips to the Redfern Timber. It is listed as a Timber Reserve.

After closing Sears, I worked in the kitchen for a couple years at the school and for 2 1/2 years at the nursing home. After Osceola Foods opened in February 1996, I started working there in July. I was there 9 years and decided to retire in May 2005. I decided there were more important things in life than money and I wanted to see some of the places I hadn't thought I had time or money to go. I must give credit for much of my traveling to my cousin Mary Beth. She has done lots of traveling and is wonderful because she hones everything down to a minimum. She knows how to do this for the least amount of money. We don't sleep much but we see a lot.

I took my first trip in May 2002, to Alaska — a 7-day cruise on the Norwegian Wind. We went up the Inside Passage, to Ketchikan, Juneau and Haines. When we were at Skagway, we took the narrow gauge train, which is how the miners traveled during the Alaska Gold Rush. It was beautiful. I think that was the beginning of my love of traveling, especially of cruising. You unpack once, you have all your meals without having to scout around to find a place. There are always tours to go on and granted, there is some cost, but I'll never go to those places again, so I soak up all I can while I am there. We sat on the deck and saw sea lions and porpoises, and were told we should see the eagles, but they hadn't come because it was a late spring, and the salmon weren't spawning yet. We rafted down the river on the Eagle Preserve Float trip in hopes of seeing many eagles one evening. The Norwegian Wind crew treated us to a Midnight Chocolate Buffet. My notes and photos remind me of the Mendenhall and Herbert Glacier and Glacier Bay.

We stayed in Vancouver a couple days, where we took a three or four hour ferry ride over to Victoria to see the Butchart Gardens. The Gardens are acres and acres of beautiful flowers and it was a gorgeous sight! In Vancouver we also visited Stanley Park and toured the city. Looking back on all my travels, I think Alaska is probably my favorite place — maybe being first in my travel ventures makes it outstanding, but I was most impressed.

The next trip was in June 2006, to Hawaii. But before we left, Mary Beth and another friend and I spent a couple days in L.A. with her brother, my cousin, who is a Methodist minister. He had his seminary training in Boston, then he went to Eugene, Oregon, to serve his first church, then to Alaska, then to Hawaii where he served a Hawaian parish, before he took retirement in California. He took us to the Reagan Library, the Gene Autry and Getty Museums where we took pictures. I have LOTS of pictures of all my trips.

The Hawaii trip was not a cruise. I had a friend who had a time-share in Maui, so that was our hub and we took day-trips. I've noted as places we saw and visited: Road to Hana, Waikiki. Beach, Diamond Head in Honolulu, Iolani Palace. There were lots of flowers — Bouganvilla, Anthurium, Pulmaria; and Punch Bowl National Cemetery, and King Kaamehameha Parade as places we saw and visited,.,

Mary flew home and left me there alone because she needed to go back to work and I wanted to go to Pearl Harbor. So I did the Polynesian Cultural Center, and Pearl Harbor on my own and managed to get there and back, got to the airport and came home on my own.

In July in 2006, she was given an award in Washington, D.C. for her volunteer projects so I went with her and again she had a list of all the things we were to see and do. It was hotter than hot and we walked because neither of us wanted to spend money to take cabs or subways. We didn't see everything but a lot of good things. Probably the highlight, in my opinion, was the World War II Memorial. I thought that was outstanding, but we also saw the Capital, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Korean Memorial, the Vietnam War Wall, the National Cathedral, Arlington Cemetery and watching the changing of the guards — very moving!

Lava Beach

Then, in December 2006 — we really did ourselves proud in 2006 — we went on a Regal Princess cruise to the Panama Canal. Mary Beth lives in Dallas, so we went from Dallas to Acapulco, where we boarded the ship. We went from Acapulco to Guatemala, to Costa Rica and we actually went through the Panama Canal on the cruise ship. We waited and waited and waited because there are so many ships and each has to take its turn. It takes 8 minutes for each of the locks to fill up once the ship gets into them and there is 86 feet of water that raises the ship to the next level. And since it took so long to actually pass through the canal, we didn't have much time to spend in Panama — like 20 minutes.

Probably the only concern for our safety on this trip was in Guatemala. There were armed guards in front of most businesses. Our tour bus was escorted by armed security vans, one ahead of us and one behind us. Of course, there were beggars all around. Children — little children —trying to sell us things. It was not a good situation there even then. Guatemala is a very poor country, probably the worst we saw.

At any rate, we got through the canal and then to Aruba. I got off and did some things but Mary would not because she is still so upset about the situation where the American girl disappeared and they still haven't found her. Mary said, "I am not spending one penny in Aruba! They need to find this girl!" They still have not found her body or know anything about her. They arrested a suspect because he had committed another murder. I did get off the ship because I knew this would be the only chance I would ever have to see Aruba.

We also went to Costa Rica and saw where they made the brightly decorated pull-carts they are known for. Then we went on to San Juan, Puerto Rico. We got off the ship and spent a couple days there on our own again. We toured Old San Juan with the city walls and forts for protecting themselves.

We returned to Texas from there and Mary Beth showed me the Norman Rockwell Museum; we went to Texas Stadium where the Cowboys played. We also went to the stockyards in Fort Worth. We saw the statues of the Mustangs of Las Calinas. Robert Glenn was the sculptor of 9 horses that are 1 1/2 times natural size. They seem to be moving down through the valley into the water that splashes up around their feet. It was the wish of the Las Calinas developers to have the statues in place first and then build around them. It is in Irving, a suburb of Dallas, which at one time was reputed to be the fastest growing city in the world. Mary is the museum guide telling about the process of building the Mustang display.

In September 2007, we flew to Salt Lake City, and drove through Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. The red sandstone formations in Bryce Canyon especially are more beautiful than words can describe. Throw in a sunset or a rainbow and it is truly God's best work of art. Mary is four years older than I am but she can just jump in the car and drive anywhere. It doesn't bother her in the least. I suppose it is because she has lived in Dallas all these years. We did over 1000 miles and she drove every inch of it in and around Salt Lake City and the parks. We saw about everything there was to see there. We then went to Salt Lake City amd spent a day in Temple Square. We toured the Mormon Tabernacle and saw many of their other buildings. Of course, we could not go inside the Temple. They have beautiful grounds and the flowers were gorgeous. There was no trash to be seen on their church property.

While in the Tabernacle, we heard an organ recital. There is no sound system involved, but the acoustics are unbelievable. There were many sculptures and fountains there, too. It is interesting how barren everything is around the lake. About sundown we were at the Great Salt Lake and saw a beautiful sunset.

In November that year, we went to China. That was a 12-day land tour, not a cruise. We flew out of L.A. We were about 13 hours in the air, a long trip. Our first landing was in Seoul, Korea; but it was just down and back up again. We went first to Bejing and there was lots and lots to see there. They were preparing for the Olympics in 2008, so everyone was getting ready for that. We thought it was a good time to go because they needed somebody to practice on. But this was in November and they were just starting to dig some of the subways. I was so surprised the historic buildings were not in very good shape. These buildings were very poorly maintained but they were busy painting and repairing them.

When we visited the Great Wall of China, I was determined to walk on it. However, to reach it we had to climb up many steps, and they were BIG steps, probably 15 inches high with only one set of handrails and lots of people trying to walk up the steps. I only made it about 1/3 of the way up, and coming back down was just as difficult. I could not do it now because of my knees — another reason to travel when you can and have the opportunity.

We also visited Tiananmen Square, which is huge! It covers over 100 acres; the Olympic Stadium; Forbidden City, the home of some of the emperors; the Beijing Zoo and the pandas; the Ming Tombs; the Summer Palace, etc. while in Beijing.

It was early December by then and really quite cold. We went to the Peking Opera and ate Peking Duck.We did the rickshaw rides in the Hutong area. The homes were very small, with narrow alleyways. We visited a fresh water pearl farm, a place where they had many forms of

sculptured jade and we could watch them carve the articles. We also saw them painting the famous Chinese laquered furniture. They were always willing to sell us something. The people are very poor there, too, and there were many street vendors begging us to buy from them.

After we left Bejing we went to Xian where the terra cotta soldiers were found. At the time we were there, they had found 8,000 men and 500 horses. Every one was different, had different facial expressions, different poses, different uniforms. They were originally brightly painted but the colors were pretty faded because of having been exposed to the elements, and they still had many more to uncover. Some were damaged and they were putting them back together. It was amazing that they were found so few feet underground and nobody seemed to realize they were there. The story goes that three local farmers were digging a well and they found these figures. It is a big drawing point for tourists. It was just out in the open, in a farm field, but now they are stored in metal buildings. It is an ongoing operation. They don't know how many there were originally. It is thought the emperor wanted to be protected in death just as he was when he was alive, and buried them with him.

Then we went to a little old city north of Shanghai — Suzhou, a city of canals — all the buildings and homes are right along the canals. The women were out doing their laundry in the canals. We went back to Shanghai and some people rode on a very rapid train — 270 miles an hour to the airport. The train floats on air just above the tracks.

All the people on this trip were from the U.S. Maggie and Marty, Jan, Ginny, Mary and I totally enjoyed the trip. I would love to go back to see what changes were made for the Olympics.

That was in November 2007. The next trip was in 2008, when Mary and I went to London for a couple of days, and then we met friends in Norway, where we took a cruise. After that we went

to Germany to see friends Mary and her husband had lived with. In London we saw only part of the many things to see there. We saw the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. We were lucky that we got to tour Buckingham Palace and the Royal Mews where the horses and carriages are kept. We saw the Horse Guard Parade, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, London Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and the Thames River.

Our cruise to Norway was on a ship named the Kong Harald on the Hurtigruten line. It was very different from normal cruise lines. We had a buffet breakfast, a buffet lunch and were served dinner, but we didn't get to choose what we wanted. There was no entertainment other than in the lounge they had a guy playing a guitar and a lady singing. It was a combination cruise ship, a ferry, and they hauled freight. They only had 691 passengers and we stopped at 34 different ports from Bergen in the south to Kirkenes, the very northern point. If we stopped at a port at night, we didn't have a chance to get off, but in the daytime we were allowed to get off and tour the area. It was in October and cooler — pretty much the same season that we have here.

It was fall and we saw beautiful fall colors around the fjords. There were small fishing villages along the coastline. This ship also carried passengers from one port to another. They might be onboard for just a few hours. Plus, we saw lots of various shapes and sizes of light houses

They had a contest to guess when we would cross the Arctic Circle. The next day they had a little ceremony if you wanted to participate. King Neptune came in and you were initiated for crossing the Arctic Circle; they poured ice cubes down your back. I didn't do that but some did. One evening they had Russian fishermen come on board with King Crabs. They must have been at least a foot across — huge, huge things. We saw a few northern lights. We weren't there at the right time to see them at their best.

We went to North Cape, which is the furthest north point in Europe, north of the Arctic Circle, of course. It was terribly cold and windy, sleeting, but we walked the area. They had a marker and you could have your photo taken to prove you were there. We saw Nomad families who lived in tents and herd reindeer, . It was not as primitive as they would like you to think. It was modern enough that they had tents with souvenirs and we could use our Mastercards. It was an interesting trip — totally different from other cruise ships which are very luxurious and where you are pampered. But it was a good trip.

We left the ship at Kirkenes — you could either go up and come back down to Bergen or just go one way. We went into the fjords, and that was the beautiful part. We got off in Kirkenes and

Mrs. Sami and Mastercard ............ Mr. Sami and Reindeer

went to the Russian border. Of course we could not go across without a visa. We could have reached across. There were no gates, nothing to stop us, although I am sure they were watching. That was as close as we came to Russia. Norway was severely damaged during the war and we saw caves where 2500 people hid for two months and babies were born during their stay. Another interesting thing about Kirkenes, when we were about to leave we noticed they were driving up and down the runway. We asked what they were doing. They were attempting to keep the reindeer off the runway so the planes don't hit them.

Then we flew from Kirkenes to Oslo and spent a day. Oslo was really interesting and we could have spent lots of time there. The Nobel Peace Prize is given there. They had a beautiful City Hall that had gorgeous wooden carvings. We went to the Vigeland Sculpture Park that had over 220 bronze sculptures all done by one person. We saw the Changing of the Guard at the Palace, and we rode the funicular, which is like a cable car on rails, to see a big ski jump that was used in the Olympics. They had gorgeous roses when we were there in the sculture park. I'm sure there were other flowers in other seasons.

We started our trip in Bergen, which is a fishing village in the very southwest corner of Norway. It was a typical fishing village and they had restored a portion of it as it originally was. We took the funicular to the top of Mt. Floyen, where we could look out over the harbor and it was beautiful.

There were 34 stops between Bergen and Kirkenes. There were lots of lighthouses along the way and little fishing villages. We probably got off the ship about a dozen times in the seven days it took us to go to Kirkenes. There were lots of interesting things to see but I think the fjords in Norway were what the trip was all about. They were our entertainment. It was fall and we saw beautiful fall colors in the fjords.

After we left Oslo we flew into Frankfurt. We went to the old city of Limburg. It was a walled city with half-timbered houses. We had dinner there and I had to have weiner snitzel while we were in such a classic German City. We went to visit the Kelbling family who Mary and her husband lived with for two years when the family was young. Valentine and Monika lived in Weilberg, a small city. We went to see the Schloss Weilberg castle there. We got to take our time because there were just two of us on the tour. The Kelblings were very accommodating and took us lots of places. They are both doctors. Valentine is a highly thought of doctor, and travels with dignitaries on foreign trips or when foreign visitors come to Germany. Monika's medical practice is the homeopathic style. She is from Romania and they met while in medical school. They spoke English very well so we had no problem with the language.

Valentine is a doctor who works with an ambulance company. They have a different medical service than we do. People very seldom go to the hospital. The ambulance doctors go to them and examine them and decide if the patient is sick enough to go to the hospital. So it isn't going to the hospital first and then see the doctors as we do here, but it is the other way around.

In these older cities there is so much to see and you think you will take it all in and remember it, but you can't do that. There is just too much. I pick up pamphlets hoping that will remind me of what I've seen. It helps me to identify my photos and the stories that go with them.

When we came back, of course we went through customs, where you have to declare what you purchased. On this trip I probably had only spent $100 and they questioned me about such a small amount. At that time our dollar wasn't worth much in comparison to the Euro, and being allowed only 33 pounds on our flights really discouraged us about shopping much.

We flew from Frankfurt back to Dallas. It was a good time of year for a trip. The fall leaves we saw were just gorgeous. They were just as beautiful in Germany as in Norway.

In 2008, I flew to Phoenix Arizona, to spend some time with Sharon Ticknor. Keith had passed away in October 2007, shortly after they had completed their new winter home there. He was only able to spend about 3 weeks there before going back to the Mayo Clinic. It was his request that I go to be with Sharon. We had kept in contact with them after they left Osceola in 1978, and moved to Lincoln. They were there for many years before Keith was sent to Washington D.C. about 5 years before he retired. During those years, they spent time at the Lake of the Ozarks, and some time in the Phoenix area each winter.

Sharon is always busy and we did a lot of sightseeing while I was there. We went to the Casa Grande National Monument. It is the ruins of the Hohokams Indians and was built prior to 1350. They vanished and there is no knowledge of why. Parts of this area were damaged or carried off as a result of its being a stagecoach stop. Of course, this area is covered with Saguaro cactus, which are hundreds of years old, and many other types of cactus and Agave. We watched the motorcycles run past the prison in Florence. The story is that a group of men where trying to keep in touch with a member of their gang that had been put in prison. On his birthday they rode past throwing letters over the fence to him. This has continued each February and has grown to include hundreds of participants in all kinds of attire. One unit consisted of a motorcycle pulling a coffin. People guess that it may contain beer.

We also visited Sabino Canyon which is near Tucson. It contains Coronado National Forest, which seems to be a forest of cactus. The desert was quite green that year because of more rain than normal and we saw the beautiful Mexican poppies blooming. We also drove to Fountain Hill to see the largest fountain in the world. It goes 560 feet in the air. This area had many sculptures, including one of a horse made out of scrap metal. From a distance it appeared to be a shiny chrome horse, about double life size.

We visited Tortilla Flat, an old mining area known for it's unique cafe. The walls and ceiling were covered with $1 bills. It is the custom for customers to sign a bill and they would post it for all to see. While we were where there, we saw Long Horn Sheep along the road. We visited and traveled through Tonto National Forest, the Apache Trail, Canyon Lake, the Superstition Mountains, etc.

On our way to the Grand Canyon, we stopped at Sedona to see the beautiful red rock formations. The Chapel of the Holy Cross was carved out of the rocks. What a beautiful place!

We went to Williams, to meet the Petersons and Rileys. We had purchased a trip to the Grand Canyon, which included a night at Williams and the trip by train to the Canyon. We left Williams the next morning in the rain. We traveled through the high desert, through prairies and forest before arriving at the Grand Canyon. It was a cold windy day with snow on the ground, but what a gorgeous sight! It was a cloudy and I am sure the colors would have been much brighter if the sun had been shining. On the way back, the train was held up by "thieves" with the proceeds going to charity.

The following January 2009, found me returning to Arizona to spend more time with Sharon, Peterson's and Riley's. Sharon and I were on the run again, this year we went to the Globe area, visited Roosevelt Lake and Dam, and the cliff dwellings inhabited by the Salado Indians. We ladies spent a day in Phoenix visiting the State Capital and Museum, visiting the Rosson House, a Vietnam memorial, and other sites.

On another day Sharon and I visited the Peterson House in Tempe, Papago Park in Phoenix, the Desert Botanical Park where we viewed a beautiful display of Chehuly Glass Sculptures. Of course, we always managed to sneak in at least one visit to the Mesa Flea Market and a shopping trip to Ikea.

November 2009, we (Mary, friends Marty and Maggie) and I started out for another very memorable travel adventure. I flew out of Des Moines and met the group in Washington DC. As I landed I was able to see the iconic landmarks, the Washington Memorial, the Capital and White House. This brought back memories of our trip to Washington in 2006.

mountains. We saw the Black Madonna in the Basilica, and heard the various theories about it. We also heard the Boys' Choir which happened to be performing. They had a funicular for the climb to a higher level to view the monastery and surrounding area.

There are so many things to see in Barcelona — Park Guell which is another project of Gaudi. It covered many acres and there were tons of people there. We saw the Bull Fighting Ring, the Olympic area, the Port Vell harbor area, where the monument to Columbus is located. We traveled by bus throughout the city, caught a glimpse of many of the well-known sites. One evening we attended the Tablao Flaming. The dancing was amazing. We wondered how they could make their feet move so rapidly.

We have found in our travels, by purchasing a ticket on the "hop and ride" buses, we can stop and see what interests us, and not waste time seeing things that do not. You can buy a ticket for one or two days usually, and they have earphones with commentary telling about each point of interest in many different languages.

We enjoyed walking down the La Rambla, which goes on for blocks, looking at the various things happening on the street.. There are numerous people dressed in every imaginable costume, counting on your donations in return for the privilege of taking their pictures. There are all kind of booths selling everything from tropical fish and other critters, to snack foods, jewelry, post cards, etc, On this street there is a huge market and again, every possible thing you can think of, someone has. Fruits, vegetables, meats, breads and bakery items, wine, etc. It would take hours for a "garage sale junkie" like me to check everything out. I did this while Mary was in an "internet cafe" satisfying her passion.

We boarded the Norwegian Cruise Line ship Jade on Thanksgiving eve for our 12-day cruise of the Mediterranean.

Our first stop was in Rome where history is everywhere. We visited the Vatican. We visited St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square, and also the Vatican Museum. We were fortunate to be able to tour the Basilica — our tour was the last one of the day due to some unplanned special ceremony going on that evening. It is HUGE, and so many people were there. The tour took a couple of hours and we never stopped walking, if we had, we would have lost our tour group.

It was so beautiful. I made the comment that I should have been a Catholic to really appreciate all the beautiful cathedrals I have seen during my travels. Of course, we all know that Michelangelo designed the dome of St. Peter's and his Pieta is there. We were all in awe when we visited the Sistine Chapel, another work of Michelangelo. We were told there was no photography allowed in the Sistine Chapel and no talking. I could not believe how some people were so disrespectful as to use their cameras and cell phone and to be talking while were there. They reminded the tours a couple of times of this rule, but I did not see them remove anyone.

We then went on to the area of the Colosseum. We saw the Trojan Market, the Roman Forum, Circus Maximus, the Arch of Constantine, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument. Such an interesting city and so little time to see it !!

Greece was our next stop and a short city tour of Athens. We were at the Acropolis for several hours and the surrounding buildings; the Arch of Hadrian .The Erechtheion (with statues of the maidens), the Parthenon, the Temple of Zeus; the Olympic stadium. We went by bus to the Temple of Poseidon along the sea. We were there just as the sun was setting and it was just beautiful. Our bus driver made an unexpected stop just to let us take more pictures of the sunset.

The next port was Izmir, Turkey. We drove through an agricultural area getting to Ephesus. They raised vegetables, cotton, sheep and oranges in that area. Ephesus is known as the 7th Wonder of the Ancient World, and rightfully so. It was amazing what they were able to do all those hundreds of years ago without the aid of calculators and computers they need now. These ruins were really interesting. They claim there are more ruins in Turkey than in Greece. We saw the Library of Celsius; a theater that had 25,000 seats; Hadrian's Gate; and homes of the common people; the public baths; etc. There was a pageant performed for us by local actors that told the story of that ancient time.

We went to the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx which are near Alexandria, Egypt. The three pyramids were built for the Grandfather, Son and Grandson. These pyramids are lined up exactly north and south, east and west. They are constructed of 2 million limestone blocks that weigh 5 tons each. While we were there we rode the camels. It was a little scary when the camels got up or went down for you to get on and off. It was probably my first and last time to ride a camel. There were a lot of children here, like in China and Mexico, selling to the tourists.

Of course, we crossed the Nile River, and were told that it provides enough moisture for about a mile on each side of the river to be green with vegetation, but then the desert takes over. In the city, we saw all types of transportation for the local people. We saw the typical little white donkey pulling a two wheel cart, right out of the pages of National Geographic magazine. There were cars, trucks, motor scooters, and of course, the camel. We saw mostly the old section of the city, with small businesses lining the street, and found it to be "dirtier" than any other area we visited. There seemed to be just two levels of economic status, poor or rich. There were more modem areas in the city; however, we came to see what tourists come to see.

We went to a Catacomb site several miles out in the desert. These were discovered when a man and donkey fell through, due to the always changing and blowing of the sand. The security personnel in this area were on camels. This was more elaborate than some of the other catacombs we visited, with writing and pictures on the walls. It was probably for a higher class of people.

In Cairo, as well as other cities, the call to prayer at the mosque are common. We saw the summer palace of King Farouk and the surrounding gardens. At the museum there we saw a mummy, among other items of Egyptian history. We were shown how papyrus was made.

Valletta, Malta was our final port on the cruise. We arrived there on Sunday and the walled city was very interesting and beautiful. We did a city tour by bus and also did a walking tour of the city, although we didn't get to do much shopping. We saw the cliffs of Dingli, and a beautiful view of the sea from there; Fort Rinella and also some catacombs there. In the agricultural area they had stone fences, which were also used for flood control. The city streets were very narrow, most not wide enough for vehicles. We toured St. Paul's Cathedral, and of course, it was just beautiful. Malta is known for its silver filigree jewelry and glass blowing. We all agreed we would love to return and spend more time there.

Back to Barcelona, our cruise of the Mediterranean was over. Of course, there are many things to do on the days at sea on a cruise ship. There is Trivia to play at least twice a day, there was a spelling bee in which our friend Marty won second place; there was the most beautiful legs contest, Marty didn't do so well there; and of course all the wonderful food and entertainment. The sun shone most of the time so we photographed many beautiful sunsets. Marty and Maggie left from Barcelona to go back to Texas, but Mary had more planned for us.

We rushed to the airport as soon as possible and headed for Paris. When we arrived, the taxi drivers at the airport were on strike. Here we were, not speaking any French and trying to get to the center of Paris with our luggage. We were finally able to get on a bus and get to the Arch de Triumph. At that point we were able to get a taxi and had hopes of getting to our hotel. However, since the hotel was quite small, and we had a driver who didn't seem to know where it was, it seemed that it took us forever to get to our destination. I think now, we should have known what was in store for us.

We checked into our hotel, I climbed the stairs to our room and Mary took the "lift" as it was only big enough for one person at a time. Our rooms were clean but small, and at that point, we didn't much care about anything else. We decided we would walk down by the Seine River and see the Louve and the Pyramid and whatever other sights we found. We got so LOST in Paris, I was ready to come home. The streets were very confusing, each block had its own name, not like we have here when a street can run for miles using the same name. We soon learned to purchase a "hop and ride" bus ticket as we had done many other places in Europe. We fmally found our way back to our hotel. The beautiful bridges that span the Seine River are lighted at night and were so beautiful, and the Louve and Pyramid were lighted also. Our "evening in Paris" ended with crepes for dinner.

The next morning we hurried to catch the bus and attempted to see as much as possible of Paris. We quickly viewed the interior of Notre Dame, traveled down the ChampsElysees and saw the decorations for the Christmas season. It was raining lightly, but since we didn't melt, we made the best of it. We got off the bus at the Eiffel Tower and spent a little time there. I climbed to the first landing, 327 steps and the view was spectacular! But soon it was time to get to the airport to catch our flight to New York. We had spent only about 24 hours there, but now I've been to Paris.

On the evening of December 10, we landed in New York. We went straight to our hotel, in the heart of the city, because the next day would be a very busy day for us. We walked a few blocks the next morning to the subway that would take us to the Statue of Liberty. On the way we saw Madison Square Garden, Macy's, Delmonico; Radio City Music Hall. We got to Battery Park and bought our tickets for the ferry to Liberty Island. The wind was blowing and it was COLD. We were glad we had brought scarves and gloves. As those of you who have seen and been to the Statue of Liberty, there just aren't adequate words to describe it. I again climbed as far as we were allowed to go in the Statue. The view was amazing. We left the Statue and went by ferry to Ellis Island. I wish we could have spent several hours there, as there is so much history of our forefathers there. But back to Battery Park we went to meet a cousin who lived in NY City to give us a very quick tour. We ate a bite of lunch and proceeded to Manhattan to see what we could see.

Of course we walked past the Ground Zero site and the area was fenced in so we couldn't see much of it. However, there was a small 9-11 Memorial Park we walked through. On to see the New York Stock Exchange building, Trump Tower, Tiffany's, Christy's Auction House, etc. We did go into the Empire State Building and saw how beautiful Rockerfeller Center was decorated for the Christmas season and the ice skating rink.

We left our cousin and tour guide and hopped on a bus to return to the hotel, to collect our bags and head for the airport for our 9 p.m. flight back to Dallas. We had called and asked to have a taxi pick us up but it didn't come, we called again, still no taxi an hour later. So we went out to the street hopefully to flag down a cab. Finally one came and we almost had a 'knock down and drag off' conflict with a couple of much younger, prettier ladies. However, the cabbie started loading our bags and away we went. I am sure those ladies were not happy!

It was quite a drive to the airport and we could hear the driver talking with someone on his radio, saying he was having trouble with the transmission of his cab. But we finally got to the airport and just as we got in front of the terminal, in the middle of 4 lanes of traffic, his transmission was gone. We grabbed our bags and ran into the terminal, with only about 1/2 hour before our flight was scheduled to leave. We were concerned that our checked bags would not be loaded on our flight as they require you be there at least 40 minutes ahead of departure. When we got through security and to our gate, they were announcing that because of the high winds our flight was delayed about 45 minutes. What a day we had, and again we saw many things but didn't spend much time at any one point. It was my first time in NY; Mary had been there many times and she is so good to get us to the most places in the shortest time.

We were glad to board the plane for our trip back to Dallas and we both had a nap on the way. We arrived in Dallas about midnight, greeted by Maggie. They had been home a few days. Mary's house is only about 10 minutes from the airport and Maggie and Marty live across the street. We had seen so much of the world in the span of about 2 1/2 weeks, and like always, it is good to be back on our home soil. We will be ready to go again - -

I have also made several trips to see our girls. Melissa moved to the Cincinnati area 5 years ago. Shawn and Jeff have lived in SC since he joined the Navy in 1988, with the exception of about 3 years in CT. In June of 2007,we went to Greenville SC area to visit Shawn and Jeff. We drove to Charleston SC to visit the Navy Museum and to enjoy a day on the beach. I rode with Megan and her family and we stopped in St. Louis to climb the Arch, and in Alabama we stopped to see their friends for 2-3 days. While we were in Nashville we toured the Opry Land Hotel. It was beautiful. We stopped in Ohio for a couple days with Melissa on the way home. On that trip we traveled through 11 states. We took the kids to the zoo in Cincinnati on that trip. It was a wonderful zoo.

In August 2008, we made another trip to Cincinnati for granddaughter Heather's wedding and spent several days with Melissa's family and Shawn and family came from SC. It was the first chance I had to meet our great-grandson, Will. My entire family, with the exception of two grand-daughters, we were together for the first time in many years at the wedding.

I made two trips to SC in 2010. In May, I went for a week to get acquainted with new granddaughter Samantha. She is our "special" little angel. She has Down's syndrome so will require some special attention, but seems to be in good health so that's what is most important. In June we went again to Ohio and meet up with Melissa and we all went to celebrate Nicole's graduation from High School in S.C.

I did not spend any time in the warmer climate of Arizona in 2010. I was saving up for our trip to Australia and New Zealand in January of 2011. Sharon and I had talked of taking this trip for several years and finally "bit the bullet" and booked the trip to leave on January 1st. We would be gone about 3 weeks.

I left home about 6:30 am for my 10:00 a.m. flight to Phoenix via Dallas on Christmas Eve morning .. The interstate was very snowy, and not plowed, I was glad my grandson was doing the driving. I was flying standby and hoping for no delays. I boarded the plane in DM without trouble, only to be delayed 1/2 hour for them to clear the runway. So I missed the 2:10 flight in DFW and also the next one, but I was VERY lucky to get the last seat on the last flight into Phoenix. My Christmas gift. I arrived at 6:30 in Phoenix and Sharon was there to meet me. It was about 70° degrees and sunny on Christmas Day. That evening we went to Tempe to see the Christmas display at the Moulton Temple. It was so beautiful, there were crowds of people walking through the huge lighted display.

We left Jan. 1 on the 6:30 p.m. flight to Auckland and arrived 13 hours later on Jan 3, due to crossing the International Date Line. We were able to get a little sleep on the plane. Arriving about 7 a.m. we were able to take a city tour of Auckland before we boarded the ship about 12:30 p.m. Auckland is known as "the city of sails" we saw the Harbor Bridge, the Sky Tower, Mt. Eden, the volcano crater, and the War Memorial.

Our first port was Tarunga on the Bay of Plenty, named by Captain James Cook. New Zealand has become famous for their kiwi fruit, known as the Chinese gooseberry, exporting 1.5 billion of them. We visited Rotorua, a thermal area, heated by lava, there is mud bubbling areas and geysers in the area. This land is owned by the Maori tribe and we were treated to a performance by them. The kiwi bird is the national bird; however, they are a nocturnal bird and have become very scarce. We did see a pair of them in a dark enclosure.

We were sailing on a 12 day cruise on board the Diamond Princess. She carried 3,078 passengers and a crew of 1240. Of course, like all cruise ships, the food is wonderful and very plentiful as well. There is always something to do when we are sailing and each night there is entertainment in the various lounges and on stage. There is a casino on board, along with a computer center. However, the prices for using the internet is very expensive and slow, in comparison to what most people are used to on land. You can buy packages of "minutes" or pay a flat rate for the minutes you use. The speed is comparable to "dial-up" here.

The second port was Lyttelton or Christchurch, which is on the east side of the south island of NZ. We took a city tour and learned a little about the earthquake that had taken place on September 4, 2010. There were many buildings propped up with poles and lots that we could see where it had been cleared of the rubble. The guide told us 20,000 chimneys had been lost. Needless to say we were saddened when we heard of the earthquake on February 21, 2011, in which much more damage was done.

We saw the Gothic Cathedral with the lacey sculpture in the center of the city and other buildings which we understand are totally destroyed. While in Christchurch we rode an antique tram and were served High Tea. It is known as the "most English" city. We also went "punting on the Avon" river. A punt is a canoe-like boat that is guided by men standing with a long pole like the gondolas are in the canals of Italy.

in 1860. We visited Larnach Castle, which is on the highest point of the Otago peninsula. It was a beautiful drive up to it, with the Tasman Sea below us and small farms with many sheep. We saw Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world, which climbs vertically to a height of 156 feet and is home to the Baldwin Street Gutbuster, an annual race held on the hill. The Cadbury Chocolate Factory is located here as well.

We did not get off the ship in order to visit the Fjordland National Park. It consists of 3.1 million acres. We traveled through Dusky Sound and Thompson Sound in the Tasman Sea and Doubtful and Milford Sound where we saw many beautiful waterfalls. It rains 200 days a year and they receive 20 feet of rain each year. The mountain tops were 6,000 to 7,000 feet high and the water in this area was 2,000 feet deep. There are 14 fjords or sounds in the park. This area was also discovered by Captain Cook in 1773. Our ship went down Milford Sound and somehow managed to turn around to get back to our scheduled route. This fjord was quite narrow and we could hardly believe we were in motion when the captain was turning the ship around.

On January 9th, while we were at sea, we heard of the terrible shooting that occurred in Tuscon. We heard all the reports on our televisions in our cabin . Of course, we were getting news of the flooding in Australia as well. A high percent of the guests on this cruise were either from NZ or Australia. One couple we shared meal with had received news that their house had been flooded and they considered the selves as living on "high ground." We didn't see them again and wondered if they got off the ship at the next port to go back home.

On January 11, we docked at Hobart, Tasmania. We chose to tour Port Arthur, a penal colony in 1804. It held 1200 inmates, 800 boys at Point Pier and 900 administrative and military personnel. This area is in ruins now. The penitentiary was originally a flour mill and granary. To grind flour 56 men were put on a treadmill. Th individual cells were five feet wide. One in six prisoners were flogged, an average of 36 lashes of the cat-o-nine tails. It was closed 1877.

We also took a short cruise in the harbor to see the island cemetery, Isle of the Dead, for the prisoners and staff who died there. There was also an island that had a penitentiary for young men, Point Pier Boys Prison. We saw Eagle Hawk Neck, near the penal colony where guard dogs were tied to prevent prisoners from escaping. The prisoners made bricks, had large gardens for food; a church and also a ship and furniture building business. We also viewed the Tasman Arch, a sea cave, and the Devils Kitchen along the rugged Tasman Sea coast. The Tasman Devil is only found on the island of Tasmania. We found that this was also a nocturnal animal and is on the endangered species list.

close to the water, and at the time we were there, we had to duck our heads to go under them. Sandridge Bridge depicted the emigrants with sculptures in motion crossing the bridge. The world's largest gold nugget was discovered in 1869, in Melbourne. It was also the first capital of Australia. In 1956, it hosted the Olympics, the only Australian city to do this. We visited Cooks Cottage and Fitzroy Garden in the rain, but still beautiful. They have a large sports complex for soccer, rugby and cricket matches. A moving Shrine of Remembrance honored the troops in WWI. There were more NZ and Australian soldiers than any other country involved in the conflict.

It was a wonderful cruise and we both agreed it would be a wonderful trip to tour the NZ islands by car and see more of that beautiful country. The day at Tarunga was very warm and humid, but other than that, it had been cool. It seemed strange that the further south we went, the cooler it was, until we remembered we were south of the equator so the weather was the opposite from ours. We would soon find out that it gets very HOT in Australia.

When we landed at Cairns we had the choice of a tour to Kurunda and riding the Sky Rail over the rainforest to reach Kurunda. It was raining lightly and very hot and humid. A big surprise since we were in the rainforest?? The Sky Rail is 4.7 miles long with 36 towers which opened in 1995. It took one year to build and 7 years to complete the paperwork. Sharon went to our hotel and settled in while I took the tour. It was very interesting to see the rainforest from above, and the main attraction was the large and impressive Barron Falls waterfall in the Barron Gorge National Park. It is used for generating power. One of their main crops in this area was sugar cane. At the end of the Sky Rail was a small "tourist trap" with all kinds of souvenirs and over-priced items, and very little air conditioning.

Back in Cairns, Sharon had walked and scouted out the area for us. There was a casino across the street from the hotel with a wild life area/zoo on the 5th floor. We were told we could go there to see and to be photographed with a koala. We decided to do that and paid our $20 each and snuggled up with Quigley. That was the first and only time we saw a koala. They, too, are nocturnal and hide out during the day to stay cool in the heat. We had the opportunity in NZ to go to animal parks to see the native animals, but we assumed we would see them in the wild.

The next morning we left on a high speed catamaran for the Great Barrier Reef. It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It took about 1 1/2 hours to reach it. Once there, you had the opportunity to go snorkeling or scuba diving, but since I don't swim, I declined. They had suits you could rent in case the sting rays would be in the area. Most people rented them, an extra $6 for the tour company. We were able to observe the fish from the glass front of the barge, and they also had a submarine which went just a short way under water, and a glass bottom boat. I did them both and thought we could see the coral better with the glass bottom boat.

There were 400 species of coral, 1500 of fish, and 4000 of mollusks. It was beautiful. We saw sea turtles, sharks, barracudas, many colorful fish and corals, a giant clam. They went snorkeling right off the barge and many spent hours in the water. They served a buffet lunch and we returned to the hotel that evening ready for a good nights sleep.

Our flight was at 8:45 the next morning to Ayers Rock. At the airport we saw volunteers leaving to help with the flooding. We arrived at Ayers Rock and had to walk into the small airport from the talmac. We were told at the meeting when we first arrived in Cairns that we might be interested in purchasing a face net to keep the pesky flies off us: These flies do not seem to bite, they are searching for any bit of moisture. They gather around your eyes, ears, nose and mouth. We again thought to ourselves, another $5 in the tour company's bank account, but we soon found out it was one of the best $5 we spent. Walking from the plane to the airport, we got acquainted with the flies and with the 115° temperature in the Outback of Australia. There were signs at the airport to be on the watch for the Dingos.

We dropped off our luggage at the hotel after a short drive from the airport and proceeded to Uluru, the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock. This is a huge red rock in the middle of the Outback. It is 5.5 miles in circumference. We stopped at the information center and were told of some of the legends and ways of the aboriginal people. There is "men's business" which includes making tools and how to make and use fire. "Women's business" is to collect and process the food they need and to care for the children. The children's classrooms are in the bush, among the rocks and sand hills. Taught by their family, they learn to find water and food, and how to follow tracks, they learn tjukurpa (native songs, dances, ceremonies, etc.) We took a walking tour of the Rock to see the proof of their stories by the marks on the rock. We learned how they survived on the scarce vegetation of the land. This part of Australia is enjoying the press they received when Oprah visited just a week or so before we were there. Of course they depend on the tourist. The land was taken from the Aboriginal people in a very similar way we took native land from our American Indians. It has been returned to them and they are working with the government to have control over it. That evening we were taken to an area to watch the sunset change the colors of Uluru.

It was suggested we take photographs at five minute intervals and then we could see the different colors. While we watched this, we were served champagne and snacks, along with several other busloads of tourists. This park is a World Heritage Site. If the temperature goes over 95 degrees Fahrenheit the park is closed. They tell you to drink at least 1 liter of water per hour. The temperature range in the summer is 64 at night to 118° F in the summer, and 32 at night to 86 in the winter. All children are required to wear a hat and have a bottle of water if they are walking the streets in Australia. We also saw the Olgas, which are a group of 36 mounds which are actually higher than Ayers Rock. Olgas mean many heads. There are many legends of this area also.

The next morning we were on our way to Alice Springs by bus. It was about a 6 hour bus ride through the heart of the Outback on the Stuart Highway. W stopped for lunch at Mt. Ebenezer Roadhouse. A very primitive café, but the only choice we had. We were in the Northwest Territory and scenery changed very little. We did happen upon some wild (feral) camels that had originally been brought to the area as pack animals from Iraq, but as more modem means of transportation arrived, they were simply released into the desert and there are 700,000 of them now. We passed through some of the large cattle stations in the area, one being the Curtain Springs Cattle station. We could see Mt. Conner which is estimated to be 700 million years old and three times the size of Uluru. There were many salt lakes in this area. We stopped at a Camel Farm where you were able to ride a camel. They had a small display of some native birds, a few wallabies and a dingo.

When we reached Alice Springs that afternoon we had a short tour of the city. We saw the dry river bed of the Todd and Charles rivers, that occasionally floods when they have rain and the large red gum trees that grown in the dry river bed. Of course there are many eucalyptus trees, the natural food of the koalas. The McDonald Mountain range circled the city. This area is a sacred part for the Aboriginal people. The Aboriginal people have lived in this area for 20,000 years. Alice Springs is considered the center of the continent, 750 miles from the ocean.

The view from the ANZAC Memorial overlooking the city was amazing. The Australian and New Zealand people are very proud of the fact that more Australians gave their lives during the wars than any other country.

When we were settled in our hotel and had a shower, we walked to a casino just down the street for our dinner. There are many flowering bushes and trees, and the birds are also very beautiful in this semi desert area. After a good nights sleep we were up and going early to the Desert Park. This was our last chance to see the local wild life. We only had 1 1/2 hours to tour this Park which covered 3200 acres. They had an area of nocturnal animals that was quite interesting. There are more species of lizards in Australia than any other place in the world. We did see kangaroos, mommas, daddies and babies. There are 50 members of the kangaroo family, with the red kangaroo being the largest. We could be within 10 feet of the kangaroos. I am sure they were accustomed to people watching them.

After leaving the Park, we had a very short tour of the Royal Flying Doctor Service that serves Australia. It was started in 1939. It provides medical aid in emergencies and comprehensive primary health care service in remote areas. In the beginning, the radio contact was provided by cranking to charge generators to provide power for the radio. The Doctors would prescribe medication for them and it was contained in a chest holding 100+ drugs and medications for each family. Today they have 7 bases with a staff of 964; 53 aircrafts making 40,000 flights a year and they evacuate 37,000 people to clinics and hospitals. They have a budget of $50 million a year.

With only 20 minutes to shop before we left for the airport, we all scattered. We really hadn't had a chance to do any shopping only in Cairns during the evening hours when we were there. I was thrilled to fmd the Aboriginal Fabric Shop, and quickly chose fabrics to bring back home. It was a very small shop with perhaps 100 or so bolts of fabric. I was thrilled to find these original Aboriginal designs. After returning home, I started searching the internet to see if I could find them. I found the exact same fabrics at almost half the price I paid, but I am glad I have them and they are from Australia. When I complete my quilt with these fabrics, I will know it is an original Australian Quilt.

After 6 days doing a land tour of Australia, we were returning to Sydney and would spend a couple of days there. Our hotel window looked out on the harbor with a beautiful view of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. This harbor was discovered in 1788, and was called "the finest harbor in the world." We did a city bus tour and had glimpses of interesting and historical landmarks. Among them was Mrs. Macquaries Road and Chair, near the Royal Botanical Garden and the Domain. The chair was carved out of a large stone along the harbor, for a very homesick lady. We had a spectacular view of the harbor and city from this point.

We saw the Rose Bay Convent School perched above the harbor. We spent a few minutes at the famous Bondi Beach area. We were within walking distance of the Circular Quay where the ferries and tour boats dock, and we were able to walk to the Sydney Opera House, which we did one evening and with all the lights in the harbor, it was beautiful. I even found Redfern Street when we were on the city tour. We had a cruise on the harbor for lunch and saw the multi-million dollar water front homes and other interesting sites. After departing from that cruise, we walked to our hotel through China Town and the King Street Wharf. My granddaughter told me before we left she wanted me to bring her a kimono because the one I got her in China was too small. Much to my surprise, I was able to find her one at a flea market that afternoon. Our hotel was in the area know as' The Rocks," the first penal settlement.

We had a wonderful guide throughout our tour of Australia. She was born in Scotland, and married an "Aussie." She was full of information and had great stories to tell during our tour. I wish she had a written transcription of all the interesting things she told us. I know I probably have forgotten more than I remember.

Now we are on our way to the airport and a dream trip is quickly coming to an end. We leave Sydney at 3:30 and 13 hours later we are back in the US. We arrived back in Phoenix about 5:15 and Sharon and I were both in bed by 8 and were awakened at 8:30 the next morning by good friend Joan, checking to see if we had a good time. What a silly question!! I stayed in the Phoenix area, dividing my time between Sharon and the Petersons and the Rileys. During that time Joan and I attended the Gourd Festival, amazing decorated gourds to be sold and judged. That's another story. I came home on February 9th with memories that will last a lifetime. I haven't any future trips planned, but hope to do more traveling if I get the chance. It has been a wonderful experience to see all I have seen. I have been on six of the seven continents, who would guessed?! First on my "bucket list" is a safari in Africa!!

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