Niagra Falls

Well our company has seen fit to rotate us out to the central part of these United States, so we are working our way over to Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and where ever else they want to send us.  This is a good thing.  The traffic on the east coast is brutal and my favorite husband has just about had all the fun he can take.  We have enjoyed the east coast as you can see from the blog but it will be nice to slow the pace a bit.  So for the next week or so we worked around the state of New York.  One of the places was Tonawanda, NY.  That is about 30 minutes from Niagra Falls.  For those of you that have never been to the falls let me tell you.  It's beautiful, is amazing, it wonderful....but after about a half hour of that you realize its alot of water falling over a cliff.  So someone else figured this out well a bunch of someones and on the Canadian side of the falls (best view of the falls) they have built up the city that is in walking distance of the falls.  There is shopping, wax museum, Hard Rock Cafe and lots lots more.  James and I only had a couple of hours so we just checked out the "main attraction" and then headed back to the US.  All went very well crossing the boarder into Canada but then on the way back.... not so much.  James' drivers license flagged the border patrol that his name was also the same name of a fugitive.  Now the bad guy was older than James (ten years) the birthdates were different, the names were close (different middle initial) but most of all the bad guy was BLACK!!! Ok I am not a genius but my husband is about as hill billy as you can get not to mention....HE IS WHITE!!!! and in James' case very very white.  Anyway it took them 1 1/2 hours to decide that he was not the bad guy and they sent us on our way.  It is funny... now... hahah.  Enjoy the pics.

 

Space Shuttle

Sorry for the delay in continuing our visit on the Intrepid, we have had a couple of hotels with wifi problems.  So not much to say it is HUGE!!! they have housed it on the flight deck of the Intrepid until the permanent home is made the photo looks like Central park to me.  Anyway the pics are not very good because you are in an tent like place and there is no light except the artifical that they have on it.  But hopefully you can get the idea.

USS Intrepid

So the USS Intrepid was commissioned in WW11 and also in Vietnam.  Later in the days following 9-11 it was commissioned again for the investorgators in the bombing.  There are so many different aircraft on the flight deck and also in the body of the ship.  It is amazing to me how big this place is.  On the flight deck of the Intrepid is where they have the Space Shuttle until it's new home is completed.  Here are a few shots of the Intrepid.  Enjoy.

Growler Submarine

So James and I had a huge day in NYC.  We caught a cab and headed to mid-town to the USS Intrepid.  On the way to the carrier they have  the Growler submarine alot of the pics are not so great because of the lighting but here are a few.  We did stand in line with a very nice lady from New Zealand. 

9-11 Memorial

So the first thing on my adgenda was to go to the 9-11 memorial site.  I knew it would be very emotional for me because, well, if you know anything about me at all you know I can cry on command or if anything comes to my mind at any time, anywhere...  When you go over into the city you actually have to get a ticket to go over to the site.  It is free but you have a specific time to go over because there is so many people that want to visit it.  So they have you get your free ticket and then about 2 blocks away is the temporary entrance.  You of course have to go thru check points and are screened.  Then after all of the lines and not being able to see anything (other than UP) because of the panels they have up for the construction workers that are working on the Freedom Towers.  It opens up to a park that has beautiful trees and grass and a short concrete wall that is perfectly square.  There are 2 perfectly identical squares in the ground.  As you walk up to them you realize there is water that is spilling over the sides, all 4 sides.  then as you get closer you see names that are cut out in the concrete/mable sides of the people that died in that particular tower.  WTC1 and WTC2.  As you look over the side and see the bottom of the square there is another smaller square in the bottom where the water is going from the sides and then as the bottom fills with water then it spills over again into the bottom square.  This is the infinity pools.  That's when I started crying.  To think about all that has lost their lives there, all the families that have had to figure out a way to say, "Good-bye" to no one they can touch or see.  It completely stoppes me in my tracks.  I have lost, my brother and my sister, but I was able to at least have a body, a casket something tangable to hold and to cry over.  So many children could never have that final good-bye.  To anyone who knew someone that died there, my heart goes out to you and your entire family.  To say that it is hard on a parent, a spouse is true but to think that they are the only ones that hurt is crazy.  Nieces, nephews, siblings, church members, grandchildren that have part of their own history taken from them.  For all that have lost, even if you are a 47 year old woman who just watched it on TV and is now standing on hollowed ground, a woman who never met a one of them.  A woman who never spoke a word or shook hands with anyone that died that day...   I will get my chance.  I will meet these people.  I will hug their necks, and I will be able to speak to them, but I won't say... Good-bye... I will say..."HELLO!!!!"

Ferry to Manhattan for another day trip!

Our hotel was on the New Jersey side in the same one that we stayed in when we visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  So I finally talked James into going into the city for the day.  So we drove down to the Liberty Landing Ferry on the Jersey side and hopped a ferry. ( I always wanted to say that and it mean something...hahah)

On the way to New York.

So we started down to do a few more jobs on the way to New York, but here are some pics of the road trip.