Love
of Travel
Lake Placid, NY, USA
We lived in Ottawa for 19 years, from 1965 until retirement in
1984. While there we made many week-end trips to Lake Placid in the State
of New York. It was only a three hour drive. In addition we traveled upper
New York State, especially visiting Albany. There they had a theater in
the round. A round hole was dug into the ground and the bottom portion
was a stage area. The circle was lined with seats, rising from the center
to the back. The upper part was a wooden fence with a tent attached. We
saw many good shows there and actors that we knew from movies. One summer
Chuck Connors, of the Rifleman series, narrated a musical of the early
west. He stayed in our hotel and we saw him there a few times. He spoke
to me while getting some pop from the lobby machine one evening. His height
was more obvious in the flesh and close up. While we were having breakfast
he had to duck to come through the dining room door, and then again to
pass under a chandelier.
One time, on the way to Lake Placid, we decided to make a side trip to
Bombay. They have a little railroad stations. It is a village situated
in Upper New York State. One of the beautiful sites in the Lake Placid
area is Whiteface Mountain (not equal to the Himalayas). In the center
picture I am at the peak. The Autumns in the mountains are very beautiful.
We went down every Thanksgiving week-end. A couple of times a storm the
night before cleared off the trees.
The Keene Valley highway is a beautiful drive. There are a number of small
lakes that look like mirrors most of the time. The first picture above
was taken on a bridge in the village of Keene. The center one is a few
miles from Lake Placid, a real mirror effect. The third was taken from
the same spot after I turned 180 degrees.
Since Lake Placid is primarily a winter resort we decided one year to go
down in February. Wore our warmest clothes and when we got there the temperature
was a least 40 degrees F. Everything was melting. They had a beautiful
ice palace in ?????, about 10 miles from Placid. There are a lot of birch
trees in the area, as well as maples. The water was coming down from the
hills and freezing as it poured down near the road. The road was slippery.
Lake Placid and Keane Valley
The first picture above is the same scene as the one I turned 180 degrees
for, but taken from a little further away. More of the ice forming beside
the road. The third picture shows Whiteface Mountain in the background,
from Lake Placid.
Tenerife, Canary Islands
In 1967 we made our
first big trip. It was to the Canary Islands. We boarded a plane at Montreal,
landing at Madrid. We changed planes and made two further stops in Spain
before landing at Santa Cruz de Tenerife on Tenerife Island. While there
we made a side trip to Spanish Sahara on the Sahara Desert in Africa. We
left at 6:00 am, flew over in a Fokker aircraft, toured in a bus the city
of El Aaiun, the sand desert and the stone desert. In El Aaiun is a fort
manned by the Foreign Legion. We had two meals in town and then flew back
arriving at our hotel at 6:00 pm. That trip cost us $37.50 Cdn each, a
remarkable figure even for those days.
Tenerife, Cayman Islands
Miami, Florida
In 1968 we drove to Miami Beach, Florida with our son, Wayne. After four
days we moved to a Motel in Miami for another ten days. The following year
Marge and I went to Key West. Barbed wire protection was still in place
on some beaches because of the problem with Cuba. We made many more trips
to Florida staying a number of times at Daytona Beach, Tampa Bay area and
Lauderdale By The Sea (just north of Fort Lauderdale).
The first picture was in Miami Beach. Just as this wave hit our legs
a fish caught Marge on the shin and then landed on the beach. The centre
picture shows our son Wayne at the motel. The third is of Marge across
from a beautiful building after we moved to a motel in Miami. This was
taken during the period that a rich girl was kidnapped and buried in a
home built grave. The police set up a trap about a block from this scene
to catch the bad guy, but a policeman who was not in on the deal checked
on a van which took off and got away. It was the kidnapper. The ransom
was paid and the girl was found just before her air ran out. The kidnapper
bought a boat and made his way to the West Coast via Lake Okeechobee and
was caught as he arrived at the Gulf of Mexico.
On the way home we stopped at Daytona Beach for a couple of days. That
is our first new car in the background, a 1968 Malibu. We bought our last
new car a year and a half ago, a Malibu.
Key West, Florida
Key West is a very nice place. It is the most south west area in
the United States. There are beautiful trees in the beach areas and all
over the island. The centre picture is of a couple that we met. They asked
if we would like to go to a very nice restaurant a couple of keys away,
with them. Neither of them liked to drive at night so we agreed to drive
their great big Cadilac, as we did once or twice again. Those were the
only times I have ever driven one.
Barbados
One year we went to Barbados, and followed
up with a second visit a few years later.
First Trip
| Grounds From Room |
Me On Beach |
Jolly Roger |
|
 |
 |
The first shot shows our hotel grounds, taken from our room. I'm standing
on the beach. I was usually there too. The beach bar is shown behind me.
The right picture is aboard the Jolly Roger, a pirate ship that takes passengers
out for an afternoon of fun. Shown is a sign that says 'The Pirate's Den'.
It is the bar. If you have a seat and get up you might not sit down for
a half hour or so.
| Marge on the Beach Again |
More Flowers |
Coconut Tree |
 |
 |
 |
Lots of pictures of Marge on the Beach. And with flowers. We both love
flowers and the most beautiful of all are down south. The right picture
is a coconut tree, a common palm. For years we went south over the Christmas
and New Years period. I used to tell my co-staff that my favourite Christmas
tree was the Palm.
| Coastal Street |
 |
A street follows the coast. It leads past our hotel into Bridgetown,
the main city in Barbados.
Second Trip
| Marge Back on Beach |
I'm Resting on Palm Tree |
Downtown Area |
|
 |
 |
The beach at this hotel was very nice but at high
tide it was not very wide. I'm taking a rest on a Palm Tree. Not really
a pleasant place to take a rest. The right shot is in the center area of
Bridgetown. There is a bridge at this point crossing a small river. The
sailing vessel shown is the Jolly Roger, the Pirate Ship.
| More Downtown |
Hibiscus |
Marge |
 |
 |
 |
Another picture taken downtown. The area is the center of town. Nearby
is a policeman in the old British uniform. He is not shown here. The hibiscus
is a beautiful and large flower. Bushes are usually covered with them.
Marge is on another beach, our favorite place when down south.
Antigua
There was a visit to the Caribbean island
of Antigua, where Lord Admiral Nelson had a home in the distant past.
We picked up a couple of chocolate bars in a small store. That evening
we started to eat them. Marge didn't like the taste and threw hers away.
I didn't like mine either but was hungry for candy and ate most of it.
We both got sick, Marge for a few hours and me for a few days, including
New Years Eve.
| Marge on the Beach |
Beach From Pool |
Beach Bar by Pool |
|
 |
 |
Nice beach and warm water. Marge enjoyed the water very much. The second
picture shows a scene from near the pool. The beach bar was by the pool.
I was standing at the edge of it when this picture was taken.
| Marina |
RN Dockyard |
Dockyard From Hill |
 |
 |
 |
One day we rented a car and drove around the island. Near the south
west coast we saw a village with a marina and some beautiful sailing boats.
There is a Royal Navy Dockyard in that area. Lord Nelson had a home there.
The center picture is of a building in the dockyard.
The right hand shot is of the dockyard taken after we left to go to
a restaurant up the side of a long hill.
| Restaurant on Hill |
Marge Top of Hill |
Marge and Donkey |
|
 |
 |
The restaurant was very nice. It was in the afternoon and there were
not many people there at the time. After we finished our lunch we continued
on up the hill. I took the second shot including Marge and an old local
building. At the top we saw a little boy and a donkey. I cuddled with the
donkey but Marge refused to go near him until the boy and I both convinced
her that the donkey would not hurt her. Even then she only got close enough
to reach out and touch him with her fingertips.
| Pool and Sea |
 |
The pool was very nice. There was not much distance between it and
the sea. The restaurant was on the same side as I was. Just behind me was
where the Calypso Band played their oil drums. Very good at it. The meals
were very good and most were served outside by the pool. Like many of the
islands little birds would come down and stand on the table and look for
food. They were about sparrow size but much more beautiful. Anything that
was spilled onto the table was fair game for them. If you turned your backs
on them they would enjoy your plates also.
Jamaica
Jamaica was another beautiful island.
We saw some areas where Bond, James Bond did his first 007 picture, Dr.
No. Also the home of the western singer, Johnny Cash. A friend of Johnny's
came to our hotel one evening with some crocodiles. He wrestled with them,
the friend that is. Johnny sat in the audience and during a break a lot
of couples came up and took pictures of each other with him.
| Goat Race on Beach |
Falls from Dr. No |
Shot of Hotel |
|
 |
 |
| Another Shot of Hotel |
Marge & Flowers |
Poolside Limbo |
 |
 |
 |
| Train and Kids |
Marge at Train Station |
Guide on Trip |
|
 |
 |
Goat Race on Beach The
hotel staff often set pastimes up for guests. One day they had a race on
the beach -- guests and goats. Each volunteer for the race was given a
rope tied to a goat. At the go they ran down the beach. It didn't matter
how fast the guest was, but how the goat re-acted.
Falls from Dr. No One
day while being driven by a taxi driver he took us to the stream where
there was a waterfalls. The scene was used in the first James Bond picture,
Dr. No. He then took us up the hill a piece to show us the home of Johnny
Cash and his wife.
Shot of Hotel This
is a picture of our hotel showing the right sides and the crossover. The
elevator is on the right so if your room is on the left and you are afraid
of heights it is a problem.
Another Shot of Hotel This
shot shows both sides and the crossover. A distinctive building.
Marge & Flowers
Marge is standing by a very large Hibiscus plant. The tallest that
I have seen.
Poolside Limbo One
of the staff kept pushing everyone sunning themselves around the pool to
join the Limbo party. Preferred the sun.
Train and Kids We
took a train trip one day. As we left the station two children were dancing
off to the side of the tracks, hoping for coins.
Marge at Train Station
We stopped at a train station where there was a very nice gift shop and
coffee shop. Nice looking train car on the tracks.
Guide on Trip At
another stop our guide showed us a cocoa tree and a nut from it. He warned
that they should not be eaten as is because they are poisonous. Further
on we stopped at a huge cave. Marge suffers from claustophobia and would
not go in but I did. It is the only large cave that I have ever been in.
Cayman
Islands
We did two trips to The Cayman Islands.
This area and Barbados were our two favorite spots in the caribbean. You
had to be careful with car rentals. They were right hand drive and lanes.
Our last trip before leaving Ottawa was to the
Bahamas, the first time that we got to see the inside of a Casino
Then there was the trip to London, England. We did
a two day side trip to Edinburgh, Scotland by train. I also rented a car
and we visited Stonehenge.
We did two weeks in California, spending most of
it in Laguna Hills, just up from Laguna Beach.
Shortly after retiring to Yarmouth we went to
Tuscan, Arizona. The weather there is beautiful. We had heard so much about
the dry air and how good it was for your health. On arrival we picked up
our car rental at the airport in the south west area. Our motel was in
the north west of the city. The rain was coming down so heavily I could
hardly see over the hood. I told Marge that I would not be able to see
our turn off because of it. Luckily I did spot it and we made it to the
motel.
More to follow.
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