Tag: Christmas lights

A November American Sojourn – American Thanksgiving: Arkansas, Texas and New Mexico.

Southern US friends, food and sights!

Headed to Shreveport….Louisiana That Is….

Leaving Nanaimo between storms is the smart thing. I dodged the high winds and bucketing rain of the last few days and the predicted Cyclone Bomb of tomorrow. Once known as rain and wind we now have Atmospheric Rivers and Cyclone Bombs. My first time on the HULLO high speed passenger boat from my hometown Nanaimo to downtown Vancouver and we are sailing along at a great speed. Evidence of the recent storms is all around the boat in the form of floating dead heads, a marine hazard of the worst sort. But the HULLO is dodging around them at a great clip and we will be in downtown Vancouver in no time.

I am in Vancouver, positioning myself for a next day flight to the USA to visit a friend who has moved from Nanaimo to Arkansas. Even though I land in Louisiana my destination is Lake Erling in Arkansas where my friend and her husband have a “fish camp”. When I first heard the term I pictured them engaged in a commercial enterprise that catered to sports fishermen, but in fact it is what all homes on a lake are called, like we would say “cabin.”

Lake Country South West Corner Arkansas

If you’re headed to the SW corner of Arkansas the best airport to fly into is Shreveport which is in the NW corner of Louisiana. It is small and easily accessible for the friends, who if you’re lucky enough will drive the 1.5 hours to fetch you.

Arriving in the dark there wasn’t much to see but waking in the morning gave the picture of why my friends live where they live. Nestled in a pine forest down a private but shared road they look westward over Lake Erling. Their private dock affords them the luxury of fishing and wildlife viewing when they are not out on their boat catching catfish and other local fish species. Spotting the occasional crocodile in the water, eagles soaring overhead, herons squawking in early flight and red skied sunsets are daily events for the folks who call the lake-side fish camps home. Some camps are occupied by full-time residents while others are used on weekends or holidays.

Fish Camp

Since we were tucked up into the corner of Arkansas it meant that we could easily visit the neighbouring corners of Louisiana and Texas. Our first day was spent crossing these state lines into Louisiana and then Texas to visit a tourist town called Jefferson. Full of antique shops, quaint stores and southern food restaurants we wandered the streets, visiting stores and eventually heading to a barbecue restaurant for smoked brisket sandwiches, hot water corn bread and sweet sauced beans. Not a veg or a leaf of lettuce in sight, but as a nod to nutrition we were able to mix our “sweet cold tea” with non-sweet to cut down on the sugar intake. Very authentic barbecue, and as proof, just outside the restaurant was the stack of wood used to fire up the smokers. The decor was definitely southern and American with flags and memorabilia on every wall. Styrofoam cups, plastic straws and a roll of paper towel for napkins along with plastic cutlery and paper plates all headed for the bin after we ate.

Real Southern Smoked Brisket and Beans

Trying southern food is a real experience but I would not want to be a vegetarian that’s for sure.

Menu from the South
Chicken Fried Steak, White Gravy, Fries, Beans and Garlic Toast…chicken friend steak being beef battered like chicken and deep friend…no actual chickens died in the preparation of this meal.
Southern Memorabilia

Visiting the shops along the Main Street was fun to see the Christmas Season starting up with decorations and gift ideas amongst the usual collection of antiques, clothing and gift stores. Such a huge array of stock in every store and I even spotted the Red Ryder BB Gun made famous in The Christmas Story movie.

Red Ryder.. You’ll shoot your eye out…..
Southern Berries and Jellies
An Array of State Licence
Country Life
Patriotic Skeleton

Having little or knowledge of Arkansas before traveling there I was surprised at the number of lakes, small towns and rural life style that pervaded, at least in this corner of Arkansas.

Lake Country
Cypress Swamps
Spanish Moss

Next Up – Road Trip Clear Across Texas to New Mexico with a night in Amarillo. Long drive for sure and very grateful to my friends who were willing participants. The highway was fraught with truck traffic and really not much to see, pretty flat and prairie like when you could see around the semi-trucks.

New Mexico

But arriving in New Mexico the terrain changed to mountains and we were able to stop at a Puebla not far out of Santa Fe. The Puebla situated in the Pecos National Park housed the remains of a once thriving community that was located on the Santa Fe Trail a famous trade route between indigenous communities. Preservation work is ongoing and the park has a really great museum that outlines the history of the people that called the Pueblo home before contact.

Santa Fe & Albuquerque

After my Arkansas friends left to return home I was fortunate to revisit my friend Loni-Jo Dunham in Placitas, just south of Santa Fe and my friends the Reeves in Albuquerque. Beautiful landscapes, arty communities and American thanksgiving along with the on-set of Christmas filled the air.

Loni-Jo
Battle Rock
Santa Fe Pueblo Style
Santa Fe with the Reeves
Albuquerque from Above
A Gondola Ride Later
American Thanksgiving
Christmas Is Coming

London

London at Christmas…..a great time to visit.

For me, there is no place like a big city before Christmas kicks off, and London is no slouch when it comes to lighting up for the festive season. Everywhere you turn there are trees, streets, buildings and anything else that doesn’t move, festooned with bright lights, making even the usual things to do all the more enjoyable.

  • Sights and Sounds of London with Christmas Flair

Luckily, I spent the first few nights in Kensington at the Holiday Inn. I say luckily because this was a complimentary upgrade from Hotels.com as my original hotel (not nearly as swank), was overbooked. A lovely predicament….my room was big by London standards, indeed I could have swung a cat by the tail in a complete circle without touching a wall. It even had a comfortable queen size bed and was in a great location. Shops, restaurants, the underground and great wandering, all right out side my door. I’m oddly happy that it gets dark in pre-Christmas London, because the holiday lights are fantastic.

Staying in Kensington I was close to Hyde Park so I took in the Queen Victoria exhibits celebrating the 200th anniversary of her birth in Kensington Palace. There were exhibits of her toys including a huge dollhouse and puppet theatre. Of course it sounds lovely to have it all and live in a palace but at what cost to personal freedom. Her history as a grownup was covered in the the crown exhibition including jewels (pretty ornate) and her story as a woman (apparently she opposed the franchise for women), mother (lots of children), wife (adored Albert by all accounts) and monarch (long did she reign).

Using both the internet and TKTS ticket both in Leicester Square (best place to get discounted same day tickets), I was able to see a number of productions. In a small theatre just off Leicester Square I saw Miss Kiddy and the Cads, the ultimate in vintage sophistication but with a modern twist giving a jazz beat to contemporary hit tunes. The audience included a couple of avid fans that never miss a Miss Kiddy show, one of whom came miles to see her. Lots of fun.

In contrast, the next night I ventured out to the Royal Albert Hall for the BT Christmas Concert featuring the Royal Symphony Orchestra with the BT choir and the London Community Gospel choir which rocked the house. People were on their feet singing, dancing and clapping, “taken to church” by the great vocals.

Seeing Hamilton in the Victoria Palace Theatre, was a highlight. Had great seats 4 rows from the stage so could see the details of the action. A real homage to the long forgotten roll of Blacks in gaining independence from England and in the writing of the US constitution.

A new musical called & Juliet was playing at the Shaftesbury and I got to witness William Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway attempting to sort out their flagging marriage by cowriting a very different ending to the Romeo and Juliet. Lots of fun and quirky twists and best of all the music was chosen from contemporary hits sung to complement the story line which caused lots of laughter in the audience. Picture Juliet (not dead) singing I’m On Fire. And to cap off a perfect evening, just wandering my way through the West End, China Town and surrounding streets to and from the theatre was pleasure in itself.

Prior to heading to St. Martin’s in the Field, I was given a personal tour of the palatial Foreign Office, built to impress, by a young friend who works there. A lovely young woman, Liz and I even had a peek at No. 10 Downing as we exited the Foreign Office before heading to dine in the Crypt of St. Marin’s. St. Martin’s is another personal favourite thing to do, the acoustics are fantastic and the world class Academy of St. Martin’s performed Vivaldi’s “Winter” and were joined by a children’s choir for Christmas Carols. As at Royal Albert Hall the audience was invited to sing-along at least part of the time. London audiences love this participation element and you’d never know they had just experienced a terrorist attack on London bridge or that the UK was on the brink of a national election that might see them exit the EU. (We all know the results as I edit)

Close to St. Martin’s is Covent Garden with the Royal Opera House, Christmas markets and restaurants and where opera singers are the buskers. Cold but relatively clear, it was a good night to wander the streets all the way from Covent Garden, through Trafalgar Square, Up Regent Street and along to Oxford Circus.

Last accommodation was a tube ride away from Kensington on the Piccadilly Line to Finsbury Park where I met up with friends Dawn & Craig in a rented air BnB. Not the fanciest digs but a basic two bedroom flat with a kitchen was fine as we spent most of our time out and about. A trip to the Christmas Market on the Southbank, Harrods and Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park were great fun.

No trip to London is complete without visiting the zebra cross-walk where the Beatles famously strode their way to the Abbey Road Recording Studio. Close by is the Regent Canal and Little Venice where you can take a longboat to Camden Locks and the market and shops that were home to punk rockers but are now mainly touristy. Packed with Christmas shoppers it was cheek to jowl on the tube back to the flat.

Saying goodbye to Dawn and Craig (they left for Scotland) and I headed out to a hotel close to Heathrow for a couple of nights before I fly off to Bangkok. Another London chapter concludes!