Hello from England!
Hello from jolly olde England! Were you worried because you didn't hear from us sooner? Well - I've been trying to connect to the internet since we got here & when I finally got connected, it took me about an hour to get to the place where I could write on the blog. Karen & I have washed 2 loads of clothes in the bathtub waiting for this screen on the computer.
Now, let's see what I can remember! We had a great trip over. Tonya & her coach, Mary F., drove to my house from Kentucky to go to the airport, Danny flew in a couple of days early from NY. Emily & her mom, Mary B., drove to the airport from Ala. So we have lots of friends travelling with us. Katie B. & her family came to England several days early & her dad drove them many miles for sightseeing. I don't think her mom liked riding shotgun when everybody was driving on the wrong side of the road. Jessie has been here a couple of weeks visiting family & travelling to Paris & Dublin. She & the Benders are the only ones not jetlagged right now. Our friends from Canada - Christina, her mom & dad & her friend Meagan, who is a swimmer, met us at the hotel. What a great group we have!!!!!
At the airport, we were talking about allergies & Robin was worried about the mold in England - because she was thinking it's such an old country! The plane ride was long but OK. True to form, Katie K. was asleep almost before we took off. Karen was zooming in her seat on take-off. Kiki (on her first plane ride) dug holes in Charlotte's arm holding on so tight.
We arrived in Manchester to CHILLY WEATHER!!!!! Are you jealous or what? We met our guide, Mark, who kept making jokes that we were too tired to appreciate. He was almost the only one laughing & he snorts when he laughs. Our driver for the first 2 days is Raymond & as they say Everybody Loves Raymond. We had about an hour drive from the airport & since our rooms wouldn't be ready until the afternoon, we went to Chester to do some sightseeing. It's the rhino capital right now - there were painted rhinos everywhere! We walked on the ancient wall around the city. It's mind boggling how old everything is here. We went to the refectory at the cathedral for lunch - in a beautiful old room with stained glass windows. We discovered that Robin & Stephanie had euros instead of English pounds. We didn't let them go hungry. As usual, Danny had 2 lunches! After lunch, we did some shopping & then dragged our sleep selves back onto the bus for more of Mark's jokes on the way to the hotel.
We are staying at the Crewe Arms in the city of Crewe. It's an old brick hotel with lots of character & lots of hidden rooms. We've been trying to find our way around for 2 days and Jessie & Ali are still rescuing people wandering around in the halls & leading them to whatever room they are looking for. We are right next to the railway station. Katie B's mom made her dad go buy a big fan to drown out the noise so she could sleep. I think there are a few others who might want to borrow that fan! We were all rested when we came down to our very English breakfast of baked beans & tomatoes. YUM - really!
I'm jumping ahead a little - I didn't tell you about dinner last night. Our whole group, plus 6 from the British Disabilities Team, went to the Italian restaurant down the street. We were taken to 2 rooms on the top floor, where we rearranged the furniture (as usual) to fit us all in. We ordered & waited & waited & waited & finally the appetizers came - the waitresses carrying 2 plates at a time up the stairs. More waiting & the food came. Even more waiting & finally dessert (for those who didn't fall asleep first). By the end of the meal, we were scraping & stacking the plates to speed things up & Tia was bussing the table & carrying dishes downstairs. But - the food was delicious & the company was even better! Mark ate with us & we tried to convince him to perform in one of the dances at our exhibition. John was going to teach him the steps & one of the gymnasts on the British team was going to lend him a leotard. Needless to say, we were all in hysterics from lack of sleep. I had warned Mark that we weren't like most groups he led & he scoffed at that. Well - after dinner, he believed us! Of course, we did discuss our itinerary & added a trip to the monkey forest that he knew nothing about!
We all got our second wind & went back to the hotel to practice for our exhibition. Our friends from Kentucky, Ala. & Canada had learned the routines from YouTube, so we thought it would be best to practice at least once all together - especially since we hadn't finished the ball routine when we did the video so they had no idea what the ending was. 30 people in a room about the size of the gym bathroom is not ideal, but we got the job done.
OK - now back to today. What an incredibly wonderful day we have had!!!!! After breakfast, Ana set up her salon in the lobby to French braid everybody's hair for our exhibition. We couldn't convince Gretchen & Emily to grow their hair really quickly so they could be braided, too. We boarded the bus & headed to Doddlespool Hall - an assisted living facility in a 17th century brick mansion. Everybody truly loved Raymond this AM when he navigated our big bus in their parking lot without causing any damage! There wasn't a big room in the house, so we performed in the beautiful back yard. Did I mention that it was overcast & very chilly? AHHHH - are you still jealous? Everybody wore the red jackets for most of the routines. Now - we did have a few difficulties. Have you ever tried to bounce a rhythmic ball on a lush lawn? Doesn't happen easily. And what about rolling on the grass in the long white skirts? No green stains, thank goodness! The CD player was so quiet that only the people on the front row could hear it. But the real challenge was convincing the girls doing rhythmic routines that it really didn't matter that there were little pellets of some animal's poop all over the lawn & it wouldn't permanently dirty their bare feet! Professionals that they are - everyone performed GREAT! (Although, Mark declined to join in.) Christina & Ali did their ball routines. Kiki did rope. Stephanie did hoop & Charlotte did clubs. 5 gymnasts from the British team joined us. The residents from the home sat on the patio to watch - some slept & some danced along. It was great fun! Afterwards, we got to visit. The girls were wonderful. Katie B. was visiting even before the show & already knew most everybody. Tonya got one of the ladies to talk to her & the staff said she hardly ever talks. Jennifer made so many friends she hardly had time to eat at the garden tea party they prepared for us. We took fans & US flag pins to give away. The girls came back & said the residents had refused the pins. It turns out they all thought they had to pay for them. We finally convinced them they were presents & pinned them to their collars. What a great experience for all of us!!!
Back on the bus for our trip to the monkey forest. And you thought I was kidding! I don't have the brochure so I can't give you full details about the monkeys, but I do know they are an endangered species native to Morocco. There were 140 of them living in the forest. We hiked on a path & really - there were monkeys everywhere! You should have seen the tiny babies! And the monkeys jumping from tree to tree with the babies on their backs. Tia was so excited she started crying! And Lindsay wants to move & live there. It was a beautiful day to hike through the forest & then around the lake. Did I mention that it was cool & we had to wear jackets? After our hike, we were starving. There was a shopping village so we all went in search of food. Stephanie, Kiki, & Karen got such beautiful desserts they took pictures. After lunch, we went on a walk through the English garden. WOW! You have never seen such a beautiful place - flowers, fountains, pathways, all beautifully maintained. Very English! Mary F. & Tonya met a young girl who is blind & deaf. They signed into her hand & she was so excited to be able to "talk" to people from the US.
Back on the bus for our trip to the hotel. I announced that we were leaving for the gym at 5:45 & somebody told me it wa already 5:51. Time surely flies when you're having fun! So - a quick trip to pick up gymbags & we were off. It was about a 15 minute walk to the gym (5 minutes back because Ana found short cuts). The gym is on the top floor of a really old building. Too bad we're not counting the stairs we've had to climb. I think I forgot to tell you that there are no elevators in our hotel & I have to go up 3 flights of stairs to get to my room on the 2nd floor - figure that out?? At practice, the girls just stretched & did some skills with their apparatus. We watched the British team work out. Dean, who stayed at my farm when they visited our team, couldn't wait to show us his front flip oiff the mini tramp! ANNOUNCEMENT!!! Lindsay walked on the balance beam for the first time since her accident 2 years ago!!!! On a beam 2 feet off the floor & sometimes by herself - forward, sideways, backwards, marching, an arabesque. & the 2nd time, SHE JUMPED OFF!!! With help, but she did it. Just so you know - she jumped on the floor for the first time a couple of weeks ago. After training, they brought in real English fish & chips with salt & vinegar, wrapped in butcher paper - what a treat! Katie B. thought the fries were greasy so she wrapped them up & took them back to the hotel for her dad.he was thrilled. Everyone is having a hard time adjusting to drinking room temperature soft drinks here. Most places don't have ice & don't refrigerate drinks. Now, we're all tucked in for a well earned good nights sleep.
Can you even imagine a more wonderful day than the one we had today?
My apologies if I forgot to tell you some things. As usual, our gym trips are non-stop adventures & missing a whole day of writing makes it hard to catch up. Tomorrow, we're going to Wales! Then, working out at the gym & going to dinner at the marina with the British team. Sweet dreams of monkeys, flowers, & delicious greasy fries! Cindy
PS - Did I mention that I had to go buy Danny a new jacket because he's freezing in this cool weather?
Now, let's see what I can remember! We had a great trip over. Tonya & her coach, Mary F., drove to my house from Kentucky to go to the airport, Danny flew in a couple of days early from NY. Emily & her mom, Mary B., drove to the airport from Ala. So we have lots of friends travelling with us. Katie B. & her family came to England several days early & her dad drove them many miles for sightseeing. I don't think her mom liked riding shotgun when everybody was driving on the wrong side of the road. Jessie has been here a couple of weeks visiting family & travelling to Paris & Dublin. She & the Benders are the only ones not jetlagged right now. Our friends from Canada - Christina, her mom & dad & her friend Meagan, who is a swimmer, met us at the hotel. What a great group we have!!!!!
At the airport, we were talking about allergies & Robin was worried about the mold in England - because she was thinking it's such an old country! The plane ride was long but OK. True to form, Katie K. was asleep almost before we took off. Karen was zooming in her seat on take-off. Kiki (on her first plane ride) dug holes in Charlotte's arm holding on so tight.
We arrived in Manchester to CHILLY WEATHER!!!!! Are you jealous or what? We met our guide, Mark, who kept making jokes that we were too tired to appreciate. He was almost the only one laughing & he snorts when he laughs. Our driver for the first 2 days is Raymond & as they say Everybody Loves Raymond. We had about an hour drive from the airport & since our rooms wouldn't be ready until the afternoon, we went to Chester to do some sightseeing. It's the rhino capital right now - there were painted rhinos everywhere! We walked on the ancient wall around the city. It's mind boggling how old everything is here. We went to the refectory at the cathedral for lunch - in a beautiful old room with stained glass windows. We discovered that Robin & Stephanie had euros instead of English pounds. We didn't let them go hungry. As usual, Danny had 2 lunches! After lunch, we did some shopping & then dragged our sleep selves back onto the bus for more of Mark's jokes on the way to the hotel.
We are staying at the Crewe Arms in the city of Crewe. It's an old brick hotel with lots of character & lots of hidden rooms. We've been trying to find our way around for 2 days and Jessie & Ali are still rescuing people wandering around in the halls & leading them to whatever room they are looking for. We are right next to the railway station. Katie B's mom made her dad go buy a big fan to drown out the noise so she could sleep. I think there are a few others who might want to borrow that fan! We were all rested when we came down to our very English breakfast of baked beans & tomatoes. YUM - really!
I'm jumping ahead a little - I didn't tell you about dinner last night. Our whole group, plus 6 from the British Disabilities Team, went to the Italian restaurant down the street. We were taken to 2 rooms on the top floor, where we rearranged the furniture (as usual) to fit us all in. We ordered & waited & waited & waited & finally the appetizers came - the waitresses carrying 2 plates at a time up the stairs. More waiting & the food came. Even more waiting & finally dessert (for those who didn't fall asleep first). By the end of the meal, we were scraping & stacking the plates to speed things up & Tia was bussing the table & carrying dishes downstairs. But - the food was delicious & the company was even better! Mark ate with us & we tried to convince him to perform in one of the dances at our exhibition. John was going to teach him the steps & one of the gymnasts on the British team was going to lend him a leotard. Needless to say, we were all in hysterics from lack of sleep. I had warned Mark that we weren't like most groups he led & he scoffed at that. Well - after dinner, he believed us! Of course, we did discuss our itinerary & added a trip to the monkey forest that he knew nothing about!
We all got our second wind & went back to the hotel to practice for our exhibition. Our friends from Kentucky, Ala. & Canada had learned the routines from YouTube, so we thought it would be best to practice at least once all together - especially since we hadn't finished the ball routine when we did the video so they had no idea what the ending was. 30 people in a room about the size of the gym bathroom is not ideal, but we got the job done.
OK - now back to today. What an incredibly wonderful day we have had!!!!! After breakfast, Ana set up her salon in the lobby to French braid everybody's hair for our exhibition. We couldn't convince Gretchen & Emily to grow their hair really quickly so they could be braided, too. We boarded the bus & headed to Doddlespool Hall - an assisted living facility in a 17th century brick mansion. Everybody truly loved Raymond this AM when he navigated our big bus in their parking lot without causing any damage! There wasn't a big room in the house, so we performed in the beautiful back yard. Did I mention that it was overcast & very chilly? AHHHH - are you still jealous? Everybody wore the red jackets for most of the routines. Now - we did have a few difficulties. Have you ever tried to bounce a rhythmic ball on a lush lawn? Doesn't happen easily. And what about rolling on the grass in the long white skirts? No green stains, thank goodness! The CD player was so quiet that only the people on the front row could hear it. But the real challenge was convincing the girls doing rhythmic routines that it really didn't matter that there were little pellets of some animal's poop all over the lawn & it wouldn't permanently dirty their bare feet! Professionals that they are - everyone performed GREAT! (Although, Mark declined to join in.) Christina & Ali did their ball routines. Kiki did rope. Stephanie did hoop & Charlotte did clubs. 5 gymnasts from the British team joined us. The residents from the home sat on the patio to watch - some slept & some danced along. It was great fun! Afterwards, we got to visit. The girls were wonderful. Katie B. was visiting even before the show & already knew most everybody. Tonya got one of the ladies to talk to her & the staff said she hardly ever talks. Jennifer made so many friends she hardly had time to eat at the garden tea party they prepared for us. We took fans & US flag pins to give away. The girls came back & said the residents had refused the pins. It turns out they all thought they had to pay for them. We finally convinced them they were presents & pinned them to their collars. What a great experience for all of us!!!
Back on the bus for our trip to the monkey forest. And you thought I was kidding! I don't have the brochure so I can't give you full details about the monkeys, but I do know they are an endangered species native to Morocco. There were 140 of them living in the forest. We hiked on a path & really - there were monkeys everywhere! You should have seen the tiny babies! And the monkeys jumping from tree to tree with the babies on their backs. Tia was so excited she started crying! And Lindsay wants to move & live there. It was a beautiful day to hike through the forest & then around the lake. Did I mention that it was cool & we had to wear jackets? After our hike, we were starving. There was a shopping village so we all went in search of food. Stephanie, Kiki, & Karen got such beautiful desserts they took pictures. After lunch, we went on a walk through the English garden. WOW! You have never seen such a beautiful place - flowers, fountains, pathways, all beautifully maintained. Very English! Mary F. & Tonya met a young girl who is blind & deaf. They signed into her hand & she was so excited to be able to "talk" to people from the US.
Back on the bus for our trip to the hotel. I announced that we were leaving for the gym at 5:45 & somebody told me it wa already 5:51. Time surely flies when you're having fun! So - a quick trip to pick up gymbags & we were off. It was about a 15 minute walk to the gym (5 minutes back because Ana found short cuts). The gym is on the top floor of a really old building. Too bad we're not counting the stairs we've had to climb. I think I forgot to tell you that there are no elevators in our hotel & I have to go up 3 flights of stairs to get to my room on the 2nd floor - figure that out?? At practice, the girls just stretched & did some skills with their apparatus. We watched the British team work out. Dean, who stayed at my farm when they visited our team, couldn't wait to show us his front flip oiff the mini tramp! ANNOUNCEMENT!!! Lindsay walked on the balance beam for the first time since her accident 2 years ago!!!! On a beam 2 feet off the floor & sometimes by herself - forward, sideways, backwards, marching, an arabesque. & the 2nd time, SHE JUMPED OFF!!! With help, but she did it. Just so you know - she jumped on the floor for the first time a couple of weeks ago. After training, they brought in real English fish & chips with salt & vinegar, wrapped in butcher paper - what a treat! Katie B. thought the fries were greasy so she wrapped them up & took them back to the hotel for her dad.he was thrilled. Everyone is having a hard time adjusting to drinking room temperature soft drinks here. Most places don't have ice & don't refrigerate drinks. Now, we're all tucked in for a well earned good nights sleep.
Can you even imagine a more wonderful day than the one we had today?
My apologies if I forgot to tell you some things. As usual, our gym trips are non-stop adventures & missing a whole day of writing makes it hard to catch up. Tomorrow, we're going to Wales! Then, working out at the gym & going to dinner at the marina with the British team. Sweet dreams of monkeys, flowers, & delicious greasy fries! Cindy
PS - Did I mention that I had to go buy Danny a new jacket because he's freezing in this cool weather?
It sounds like you are having a wonderful time. Wish we could be there with you!
Janet and Dana
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hi everyone... We (8) of us had a Hard Rock Stay at home party yesterday, We had the brownie sundae with all he trimmings... WOW!! But we still wish we were there. Sounds like yiu guys are having loads of fun!!! Way to go Chattooga. Will send pics as soon as I figure how to do it.. Ana ain't here... UGH that makes it hard....
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