I'm Back . . .

I've just returned from a fabulous cruise.  We flew to New York, and sailed up the east coast to Portland, Maine; Bar Harbor, Maine; St. John, New Brunswick; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and back to Boston, MA.

We sailed on the Explorer of the Seas.  A floating city, with every amenity.  I even managed to site two whales one afternoon, when I was on the treadmill.  It pays to exercise in front of a window.

The fall colors were beautiful, but the only thing orange that I took a picture of . . . was me.  Here we are, in front of the oldest working lighthouse in the country (Portland, Maine).  This is truly a place where I would love to live.  Old, victorian style homes with great views of the harbor and many lighthouses.

This lighthouse is in Peggy's Cove, Halifax, Nova Scotia.  I was surrounded by these huge, granite bolders, all set in a quaint little fishing village.

I did find some time to knit.  Here I am on the tender boat, on the way to St. John.  I had to take a project that was small enough to ride in my purse, along with all of the needed yarn.  I decided to try and finish the sleeves of a sweater I started back in the Spring.  Not the most flattering picture.

It was a bit cold and windy.  Steve decided to take along his favorite sweater.  It was knit  years ago, but he continues to drag it out, whenever he is cold.  Oh, and he is standing in the public garden in Halifax.  This is wear many of the dead were burried after the sinking of the Titanic.

"One if by land . . two if by sea".  This is the Old North Church, in Boston, wear laterns were hung in the bellfree to warn of the direction the British would be coming during the Revolutionary War.  We also saw the original home of Paul Revere.

On our way home, we spent a day in New York City.  It was a real treat for me, as I had never been there before.  I've never seen more taxis, people, or fabulous fabric stores.  We ran like crazy, but managed to see everything we hoped to.

We took a harbor cruise, where I was able to see the original Brooklyn Bridge.

But this was my ultimate goal.  Seeing the Statue of Liberty.  The night we sailed out of the New York Habor, it was too foggy to see her at all, and I was afraid I might return home having come so close and never actually being able to take a picture.  But . . . mission accomplished.  Here she is.

This was a trip of a lifetime, that I'll never forget.  Truly the best birthday ever, which I celebrated on the ship.  Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes!

Now that I'm back to reality, the crush of Christmas has fallen upon me.  I will be knitting up a storm in the next few weeks, and hope to have some things to share with all of you knitters out there, soon.  Happy knitting!