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If you want to go straight to Vol 12, you may do so now!
...
Apart from the extreme length, the late posting and other peculiarities, Vol 10 also did not fully cover the month of April. Right at the end Paul Mulcahy and Helena Torpinski came to stay. This chapter is a special edition that covers the time that they were here.
Tim had a rather stressful day on Friday the 25th. It was the last day that he could get things done before he was going to be away from the office for a period of three weeks. He was getting a handover from Glenn Curran (the Assistant Naval Attaché), he was trying to tie up the loose ends from his involvement in the Review of the Defence Presence and he was sorting out a week's travel for mid-May (two days after he would get back from a week and a half leave). If it weren't for some people's sensitivity to the issue, you could say that he was tearing his hair out.
The next day was the big arrival. Unfortunately Julia had troubles getting back from a day out (traffic was bad) and Tim had to go and pick up Paul and Helena alone (and a bit late). Partly because of the last minute rush and because of Tim's confidence that he knew what air-line they were coming in on, Tim did not check and make sure. So, when he got to the airport, exactly on time if it weren't for the need to park and get to the terminal, he madly dashed off to the SouthWest terminal. He got there just as everyone was disembarking from the plane. Great. Except for one minor detail. Paul and Helena flew in with Continental. Tim finally found them at the luggage carousel.
When we got home we had a few celebratory drinks and Paul proudly showed off the stash he and Helena had brought us - packets and packets and packets of TimTams, half a dozen XLR8s, Panadeine, children's paracetamol, chocolate. Then they collapsed exhausted into bed.
The next day was quiet with just local walks and a drive around the area. The travellers were well out of synch and woke up around four so they were pretty tired. In the afternoon we went to look at Great Falls, both the suburb (houses) and the park (trees and a river). In the evening Paul and Helena went with Julia to Tyson's Corner. Julia to go to the gym and Paul and Helena to check out the shops.
Having visitors is a great excuse to do some sight-seeing yourself. Kajsa has had a few opportunities to look at what is around and has seen the White House, the Capitol Building and the monuments and memorials a few times. Tim has only seen the White House and looked at the rest from afar. Monday was an opportunity to rectify that omission. We took Paul and Helena into town and parked at the Embassy (so they got to see that) and then did the big tourist walk. We wandered past the White House (no President or interns visible), then up The Mall past all the museums towards the Capitol Building. We checked out the grounds in front of the Capitol but did not go in (not really worth it with so many tourists around!) Then we looked at a very small botanical garden (laughable compared to the ones in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra) and had hot dogs for lunch amongst the squirrels.
The next stop was going to be either the National Aviation and Space Museum (NASM) or the Jefferson Memorial. After much discussion we decided on the Jefferson Memorial and, totally without the assistance of a map, set off toward it. You should understand that the Jefferson Memorial is big, it can be seen easily from a distance. You see it, you walk towards it. A fine idea, except that Americans do not cater well for pedestrians and the roads are all over the place.
Our little trek took us, in a zigzag sort of fashion, through parts of town that we didn't even know existed. There was a beautiful little car park that was quite memorable, lots of potholes and rough looking cars. We found where the fish markets are (although getting back there might be difficult). We went under and over a number of bridges and dodged cars as we raced across in areas where we were sworn at by drivers (but not shot at). Finally, though, we did find the Jefferson Memorial. It is very nice.
We then took the loop around the Tidal Basin, through the FDR Memorial, past the Korean War Memorial up to the Lincoln Memorial. Then it was time to go so we went back to the Embassy via the Vietnam War Memorial, a statue of Einstein, a little old historical building that used to serve some purpose but just what I cannot recall and the White House again. We did a little tour of the Embassy area (not as beautiful as the Canberra regions but I may be biased) and then drove home.
Helena had a fixation with going to a bottle shop so we stopped at Total Beverage (a superstore for alcohol). She was able to find what she was after which is a pre-prepared creamy cocktail drink called "Mudslide". Many of these were drunk over the next week.
In the evening our neighbours, Jill and David came over for dinner. It was an excellent night and there was a lot of Catholic bonding going on. David was in fine form after a few Australian beers and was the life of the party. When it came to seating arrangements, he was placed next to Kajsa to which he said "Ah, I get to sit next to Heidi!" Later in the evening he made a few references to Switzerland, along with impersonations of yelling "Heidi" in the mountains and blowing the great big trumpet thingy that the Swiss seem fond of. We found it very amusing. Fortunately Jill and David are better educated than most Americans when it comes to geography so we're pretty sure that he was aware that he made an error earlier and was making fun of himself.
The next day was the beginning of the big trip to New York. We started a bit later than we should have so, rather than struggle through the workday traffic, we took the back way and drove up through Dutch Country. This is an area in Pennsylvania where the Amish live. It is called Dutch Country because the people who lived there spoke "deutsch". So really it is very German but that's the way it is.
We stopped in a lovely little village called Intercourse (an old meaning of the word) and had lunch. It was quite nice although not everyone was that adventurous. Tim had some sausages which were served on some stuff that, while nice, was totally unidentifiable. We asked what it was and were told that it was bread mixed with milk and egg and some other stuff. Sort of like a bread based stuffing.
After lunch we had a quick look around and then made a dash for New York. We got to the Navy Lodge on Statten Island (a very nice establishment) in good time and then set off to the Big Apple. The Statten Island Ferry drops you off on the bottom of the island of Manhattan (I guess south-ish) neat Battery Park, the World Trade Center and Wall Street. It was Wall Street that we headed off to. The first thing that we saw was the big (anatomically correct) bull statue. Helena refused to pose in a fondling position for some reason but they did get a rear end photo! Paul also got himself photographed on Wall Street, although none of us looked like locals (no pager, no cell phone, no suit and tie).
By this time dinner was necessary and we wandered towards Little Italy (where the first Gremlin came from if you recall). We picked a nice looking restaurant and went in. The meal was very good, even if the slightly dwarfed waiter was a bit nervous. Our suspicions that he was afraid of Paul were confirmed towards the end of the evening when he (the waiter) came to fill up our water glasses. Paul just lent a little bit forward and asked in a loud clear voice "Excuse me could you ... ". By this time the terrified waiter had jumped a foot. Not a good thing to do when pouring water. On the way down he managed to knock over Tim's water glass all over the table. The poor man was dragged aside by the Maitre D' later on and, from what we could work out, he was told that if he did that again he'd be out the door. Despite the devastating effect that he had on the poor waiter's life, and Tim's lap, Paul did not seem to feel guilty at all.
After dinner, we wandered back towards the Ferry and tried to go up the World Trade Center building. With the excellent timing that we are famous for, we managed to get there on a day that the observation floor was being used for a private function. We did get half price tickets for our next visit so it wasn't all bad!
That night was a bit strange, it was the first night that both Tim and Kajsa have been alone away from both Kalle and Taltarni - and this time they weren't even in the same state, let alone in the same city, they were five hours drive away. It did give us the opportunity to sleep in though! (and we did.)
Paul and Helena got up ridiculously early and went to see uptown (which we had done earlier). We planned to meet up at the Soup Nazi's shop in the mid afternoon. After a wonderful sleep in together, Tim and Kajsa took the Ferry and wandered around Greenwich Village looking for clothes for a 70s party that was coming up. We found a great antique clothes shop which had almost all that we needed. Tim got a pair of old navy pants with bell bottoms that went really well with a sailing patterned polyester shirt. Kajsa got a blue and white dress that can (with different hair and shoes etc) also pass as a 20s dress.
We got to the Soup Nazi's kitchen exactly on time (amazingly). Although this is a famous little place and the place to say that you've been to, we didn't actually eat anything there. From memory it had something to do with the fact that they sell nothing but soup. We went to a Chinese restaurant around the corner instead. Nice noodles.
In the late afternoon we just sort of meandered back down town, stopping in Greenwich Village for some coffee. We took the Ferry back to Statten Island, got freshened up and went in search of a restaurant. We didn't find one that suited enough tastes so we ended up getting a pizza (which the store owner insisted on calling a pie). On the way back we checked out the old fort that was built on the island to defend the New Yorkers against whoever it was (the French I think).
Friday was a new month and Tim and Kajsa needed to get back home because there was the Coral Sea Dinner in the evening. Paul and Helena decided not to stay in New York (which was one of the options) but came back with us. While we went out and did our diplomatic duty, our guests became the guests of our neighbours (Jill and David). A good evening was had by all.
Tim had to make the ultimate (well not quite ultimate) sacrifice the next day. He took Helena and Paul to Potomac Mills (a huge huge conglomeration of outlet stores). It was ghastly. A short while after we got there we split up, Helena went off and the boys went to see if there were boys things to do. Tim got cornered by a marketer who asked if he had a few minutes to spare. Seeing an opportunity to skew their research he agreed to answer some questions. He got to see some shorts of a movie to star Julia Roberts and a couple of good actors (Susan Sarandon and Bill Pullman(?)) and say what he reads. Paul just wandered around from what I can tell. Helena did some major shopping, including a leather jacket for her mother.
As well as hosting Swedish School, Kajsa spent the day preparing for dinner that evening. We had Doug Greenlaw and Anne Potter over (notice that all three couples have their original names!) While we were all tired it was a very enjoyable evening. Luckily it didn't go well into the night (as some dinners tend to do) because we had another big day ahead.
Late in April, Tim bought a family season pass for Paramount Kings Dominion, an adventure theme park. We took Paul and Helena (and our other family member, Julia) there. The park is huge. You would really have to rush around to ride on all the roller coasters and so on and there is also a couple of kids special areas and a big water park. Kalle loved it. The first thing we did was split into two groups, the one that stayed with the kids and the other that was dedicated to riding roller coasters. Tim, Helena and Julia were in the second group, Paul and Kajsa in the first.
The first ride we went on was the Avalanche. This is like a luge or big bobsled, you aren't actually on tracks for most of the ride and Tim kept recalling that when he was on the sleds at Corin Forest, he came off at one point. If the sled comes off on this ride, you die. The next ride was the Anaconda. This is an excellent ride. It is long and built around a lake. First you climb up then, as you start to go down, there is a sharp left turn followed by a drop below the level of the lake (into a tunnel), into two vertical loops followed by some horizontal loops and then finished off with some corkscrewing. It was amazing and, as it was still early and there were no queues, we just jumped back on and went for another ride.
After a quick checking with the children watchers we went to the Rebel Yell. This is a long straight up and down wooden roller coaster. There are two tracks however, one that goes forward and one that goes backward. We did both and the backward one, being different, is better. We then met up together again and split into two different groups, the Wevel-Pyatts and the others. The others grabbed something quick to eat and went off to do the rest of the roller coasters (the ones that were open at least) and the 007 Licenced the Thrill ride. We had a more leisurely lunch and did the Antique cars plus a water ride that allowed kids with chaperones. Taltarni was a little concerned at first while on the ride but seemed to enjoy it when she realised that she wasn't going to die!
We all met up again and the more adventurous of us (Tim, Helena and Julia) decided to tackle one more ride. I can't remember the name of it but it is a roller coaster on which you stand up (you are strapped in). It does some vertical loops and some quick turns and when you get off you legs are a bit jelly like. It is a good ride I suppose but so far the Anaconda is the best. Later visits will lead to the conquering of the rest of the rides!
The next day was another touristy one, this time made a little easier by Julia's taking care of the kids. We went to visit Mount Vernon, the property once owned by George Washington. It is very well maintained and is a great bit of history, well worth a visit. For lunch we went to Old Town Alexandria. We found a Mexican restaurant very close to the water. Tim has been out to lunch in America a few times and is aware that the servings are ridiculously huge. He had a plan. First was to order one serve of serious nachos, to be shared between all of us (it is supposed to be an appetizer for one person remember) and then order another appetizer as the main. The others didn't follow suit and ordered mains. Ha ha ha ha ha. This was all well and good except that when the nachos came out Tim realised that he had still underestimated. The serving was enough for five to have a full meal. We were all on the verge of stuffed before the mains came out. Tim had ordered soup, thinking that a cup worth of soup could be achievable. When the meals were brought out, he was amazed to see that the soup was also ridiculously huge. Fortunately it was also absolutely delicious, and they were able to wrap up the leftovers for us. There were a lot of leftovers.
Tuesday the 5th was Paul and Helena's last day. They were to fly out in the late afternoon so they had a bit of time for a last splash of shopping followed by a frenzy of last minute packing. Then off to the airport. Because Paul is so tall he likes to have a seat with plenty of leg room so we needed to get them to the airport very early. Baltimore Washington International, the airport that Tim picked them up at, is normally a little under an hour's drive away. Because we had to leave during working hours and the traffic was likely to be bad we left extremely early. This was fortunate.
The first problem that we had was the weather. There was a huge thunderstorm and the rain was coming down so hard that you could only see a few metres in front of the car. On the Beltway we were only able to crawl along. Eventually we got out of the storm and we able to make good time to the airport. We dropped Paul and Helena off with their bags and Tim went to park the car. In the middle of the day the carpark is packed so about 15-20 minutes later Tim got back to where he dropped everyone off. Helena and Kajsa were standing there with their bags.
"What are you doing?" Tim asked.
"We are at the wrong airport! We need to fly out of Dulles." Helena explained.
"Oh great." said Tim enthusiastically, "Dulles is less than a quarter hour drive from our place!"
Rush back, get the car, drive to pick up the bags and passengers and rush off towards home (which we basically have to drive past to get to Dulles). Mr Organisation, "Now have you checked everything?" Mulcahy was rather subdued for the trip, apart from the "Drive fast, I'll pay for the speeding fines."
When we got to Dulles we were in time for them to check in and then they had to go through to their terminal. After a bit of a teary farewell (Kajsa and Helena only) they departed and we went home.
Paul didn't get his seat with extra leg room.