A time to remember...

So there we were, settling back into home life, school life and the fresh autumnal English country air - memories of our America trip fading - when the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 regathers our thoughts to the other side of the Atlantic and our time in New York in particular. Time's a weird thing - sometimes it's hard to believe that only 10 years have passed since watching horror-struck as the twin towers came crashing down, but then I look at my family and see how time has flown - I was at CACI, Jemima was still a baby, Rosie a mere toddler, Iain was just about to start his MBA at Kingston and Ted was not even a twinkle in his Daddy's eye. Ten years was just yesterday - and also a lifetime ago. If there's anything to be learnt from such hideous events, it must be 'carpe diem' - you only get one shot at life, make the most of it.

Even as I wrote our blog around America, detailing the trivial - but fun! - exploits of the 5 Collinses, I was hugely aware of the 'big stuff' that didn't even get mentioned. On the day we arrived, the stock markets went into freefall as America's credit status was downgraded and global recession loomed larger than ever. While we were in Pennsylvania, eating ice-creams on Amish farms and avoiding the downpour in the huge farmers market, London was in a state of siege from the riots and looting (or so CNN had us believe - I suspect there may have been some hyperbole, but it was shocking and shameful nevertheless). Throughout the summer there's been fighting and killing in Libya, Syria and Afghanistan, and our trip ended while Washington was recovering from a minor earthquake and the East Coast was being battered by Hurricane Irene. But like Jane Austen writing exclusively about what was happening in the drawing rooms of middle England while Wellington and Napoleon slugged it out at the Battle of Waterloo, I consciously kept my focus on the minutiae - things that mattered to us rather than the big wide world.

To which end, let me add a post-script as a final sign off to the blog. Ignoring all the troubles of the world around us, (heaven knows, it's been on the brink of collapse since the beginning of time and we seem to have limped on so far...) here are some much less prosaic musings on the positives (+) and negatives (-) of the Collins family trip to the USA.

+ blue skies, sunshine, warm/hot weather (All)

- the black raincloud that kept finding us! (All)

+ discovering new games to hook up and play together on the DS (R, J, T)

- the constant squawks over winning and losing on the DS (E, I)

+ listening to David Walliams read 'Billionnaire Boy' on the ipod in the car (All)

- journeys that took much longer than they ought because of pesky slow speed limits (I)

+ getting away from TV / Internet / Phones except for small bursts (E/I)

- almost no TV at all (R, J, T)

+ exploring new places, enjoying the feeling of space and admiring the gorgeous views (E, I)

- rubbish satnav which was nearly hurled out the window on several occasions (E, I)

+ eating heartily and still looking skinny compared to the locals (E)

- the dearth of fresh vegetables on offer when eating out - scurvy loomed! (All - incl. T!)

+ the wonderful friendliness of all the Americans we met who loved our accents - and our children! (E, I)

- the way all the dollar bills look the same: I looked like a tourist the whole time, scrabbling around trying to tell a one-dollar from a fifty-dollar (E)

+ the good health we all enjoyed throughout - no need to discover how good/bad our insurance was (E, I)

- unless monster mozzie bites and wasp/bee stings count in which case... (E, R, J)

+ being together and going on adventures (E, I)

- being together (J)

- going on adventures (T)

+ The complete works of Jane Austen (E)

- 'Freedom' by Jonathan Frantzen (E)

+ Finding a scenic seat after walking miles through town/city/country/woodland (E, R, J, T)

- Finding that you have in fact been 'parked' in said scenic seat while Iain wanders off for half an hour to take more photographs (E, R, J, T)

- The adventure being over and real life kicking back in

+ Getting home again, seeing loved ones and settling back in.

So you see, with every negative there are still plenty more positives... let's hope that's true of the big world wide too. In the words of George Dubya - God Bless America!

Life's a beach... and now we're home

It's true what they say about the traffic in and around LA - nightmare! All of Iain's carefully honed Dubai skills were required to navigate the impossible junctions and unforgiving local drivers. But it was soooo worth it! Our hotel was thankfully a very short hop and a skip from the Walk of Fame, so we managed to squeeze in a visit there and to Graumans theatre ON FOOT to see all the names and handprints of the superstars. Was great fun spotting our favourites. George Clooney's hands are big and Marilyn Monroe's feet are small, but hey we hardly expected it to be the other way round! My avid Harry Potter fan Rosie loved the Daniel / Emma / Rupert handprints and wandprints, Ted just thought it was hot and boring! We ventured out on the metro later to check out Chinatown - there was a fun summer festival going on with a stage, the customary dragon and some live music, but it meant the place was packed and actually finding somewhere to eat was challenging (but we managed of course!)

The next day - our last full one - we took a drive around Beverley Hills to admire the swanky houses before heading off to be grockles on the beach which was just fabulous and relaxing after all our rushing about. We sunbathed and splashed in the waves (well I didn't - too spoilt by Dubai hot sea to venture into the fresh Pacific - Lord help me next summer in Cornwall!!) and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Wandered up the Venice Boardwalk with all the skaters, artists, musicians, weirdos (think we may have stood out for looking so ordinary, but that was probably a good thing). Watched the locals playing basketball, paddle tennis, working out on muscle beach and generally chilling out on a sunday afternoon. With shoulders already smarting from too much sun, we then headed off to Santa Monica, end-point of the famous Route 66, for some different beach vibes. The pier and beach were very familiar to the children through the Disney Channel and we couldn't get that close and not go on the Pacific Wheel for a view of it all from up on high! Were fortunate enough to be at the top of the big wheel as the sun set over the hills towards Malibu and we toasted our last US sunset from up high with a big cheer and then rounded it off with some popcorn afterwards.

Wouldn't dream of boring you with the rest as it involves a long flight where the children only managed to doze off for an hour and a half before we landed and Iain and I didn't manage to sleep a wink at all - which feels just great on top of the jet lag! We arrived back for a late lunch at Billingshurst today and very pleased to be finally arrived, though still can't bear to tackle the suitcases - manana. We're all desperately trying to stay awake until a semblance of proper bed-time (7 is ok right?!) so that we can try and get quickly back to UK time.

Look forward to catching up with everyone properly now we're back - normal facebook activity resumes shortly, and more pics to come too I promise.

Love y'all xxxx

Back to black...

with acknowledgements to the late, sometimes great Amy w for the blog title, which refers not just to our trip to vegas but also the fact that we're only 3 sleeps away from the biggest holiday blues ever... but we're living in the moment for now, so what's new?

Well, what to say about Vegas that hasn't already been said? It is absolutely jaw-dropping - a bit like Dubai on steroids, with all inhibitions gone, dish-dashas thrown to one side and moral rectitude ditched forever - but what fun! Neither Iain nor I can understand what anyone gets from the flashing machines and one-armed bandits that take up so much space, but judging from from the amount of space them lined up like soldiers and the number of people that throng around, they clearly hold some sway. The tables looked more fun, but with 3 impressionable children in tow, we were there to spectate not speculate, so were content with just soaking up the atmosphere in the betting mecca of the world. What we attempted instead was to do as much of 'free' Vegas as we could, and to that end we definitely came out winners! We watched some great circus acts in 'Circus Circus', visited the ducks, swans and flamingos at 'Flamingo', watched the Greek animatronic show at Caesar's Palace, and enjoyed the wonderful music & fountain display at Bellagios. (Can't think where the Dubai Mall got it's inspiration from!) From the indoor 'Ibn Battuta'-style shopping malls designed to part you from your pennies while you escape the searing heat outside, to the shiny, chandeliered reception areas with their fountains and high ceilings, we could almost think ourselves back 'home' in Dubai - except of course for the drinking & gambling! A very late night for us all, demonstrating a shameful lack of responsible parenting, but it's some sort of education I suppose...!

Then it was back on the road again and through some major landscape changes to get from Nevada's desert heat, past the breath-takingly hot but spectacular Hoover Dam and on to Arizona and the Grand Canyon. We went from sand and rocks, through the soft, dry yellow grasslands, to the tufty rocks and joshua trees, past the thickening grey clouds and the rainbow, until we reached the hot but green, pine-clad environs of the Grand Canyon Village.

We enjoyed an action-packed day at what is undisputedly one of the greatest wonders of the natural world. From different angles and at different times of day, the canyon took on many varied hues and tones, but not once did it fail to take your breath away. We managed to fit in a bus ride, a hike, a walk through the village, a brilliantly and enthusiastically presented geology presentation (that even held the attention of the least scientific minded amongst us!) The children then got involved in a really fun Ranger-led session on the birds that live in the area. I now have two Junior Rangers with the badge to prove it! (Rosie was 'too cool for school' but helped Ted and teased Jemima instead). The highlight of the trip must have been the Sunset tour that took us to a few prime locations to watch the sun go down. Truly amazing. And hopefully Iain has finally managed to take that elusive 'sunset' pic!

Packed up early next day - Iain was up at 5.30 to watch the sun rise over the canyon - and then set off for the last of our major roadtrips to where we are now - Twentynine Palms, a stop-off to break up the journey on the way to our last destination tomorrow - Los Angeles. Not quite the 'luxury / lazy' stop-off we'd envisaged because the pool is being re-filled but managed to entertain the kids with the in-room jacuzzi and disney channel instead (how spoilt have we become!)

Had a fabulous supper this evening - one of the best we've had since we've got here! - and sooooo looking forward to LA tomorrow. So can't be glum about the fact that it's now our last w/e in the States. Plenty more to cram in to our last few days and lots more 'California dreaming' before Monday afternoon's flight back to nametape sewing and London commute! Til then it's beddies for me - sweet dreams all xxx

A tale of many contrasts!

Lack of Internet connection over the last couple of stops means that this is a bit of a long one as I catch up on where we are. The following was written on old-fashioned pen and paper about 36 housr ago - and what a difference a day makes!

Well this blog takes us from the heart of the city to the middle of nowhere - downtown San Francisco to the Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon via the glorious west coast and Big Sur. SF seems like a lifetime away and I'll hardly do it justice now, but Ted's souvenir coin (he's gaining quite a collection!) says it for all of us: "I left my heart in San Francisco". A day and a half was barely sufficient and we kicked ourselves for leaving so little time in the itinerary, but we did get around a bit and thoroughly loved what we saw. A very friendly, fun, continental vibe but more relaxed and inclusive - anything goes. Mooching through Chinatown and somehow alluring the cheap tat on offer; a quck haircut for me - it was driving me nuts! - so now I can say I left my heart AND my hair in SF! Lunch on Pier 39 with the Ladds and a wander through Fisherman's Wharf to admire the sealions and dip our toes in the freeeeeeezing Pacific before heading back downtown over those famous hilly streets via Cablecar. Then a little retail therapy and sups with the surviving Ladds and then to bed. Was so wonderful to catch up with Cathy and the gang - but horrid to have to say goodbye all over again!

Picked up the car the next day and then took it out on it's maiden voyage (with us at least) over the Golden Gate bridge and back. Ted disappointed because there was not much evidence of gold, Iain even more so because of the thick banks of mist and fog swirling in to ruin his chance to capture it all on camera. Emma Rosie and Jemima enjoyed it but boy is it chilly in SF when the wind blows!

Then onwards down Route 1, the Pacific Highway and apparently (I can believe it) one of the most beautiful routes in the US. Absurdly, couldn't resist stopping off at the English pub and restuarant for lunch with its double decker bus, union jacks everywhere, and a life-size cardboard cut-out of Wills and Kate right next to our table! Spectacular coastal views all the way to Big Sur Ldoge, our next abode for a couple of nights. Could have stayed there for ages, it was so beautiful.... rugged wind-swept beaches, seals, sea lions, cormorants... and a pleasant one mile (uphill and sweaty!) climb from our lodge to the lovely Pfeiffer falls through gorgeous woodland. Very Cornwall in places, but sandier - and windier! Was very grateful for the shelter fo the rocks! Last evening we did the inevitable - bumped into a family we knew, though not well, from Kings Dubai! Well we did in both Syria and Jordan, so why not here?! A great recommendation from them of a restaurant with spectacular plunging sea views for sunset. Inevitably Iain forgot his camera but at least we could all eat in peace together, even if that perfect sunset shot still eludes him.

Then epic drive (5 hours) to where we are now - the land of the big trees! Yesterday and today have been spent hiking to see the two most enormous trees in the world - General Sherman and General Grant - but actually the sheer quantity of beautiful giant trees is more impressive than the individuals. 2,000+ years of growth and survival is simply awe-inspiring. We really are in the middle of nowhere here - getting petrol is problematic, fresh fruit even more so (what is it with the yanks and vitamin c?!) We're cut off from the Internet and have no phone reception too, though Iain wandered off with his lap-top up the hill to try his luck and wish his mother a happy birthday, so fingers crossed.

Our cabin here is basic but warm - we're effectively 'glamping' but without any means to self-cater, so we're all a bit scuzzy and unwashed - but happy. As I write, the sun is setting on the trees, the deep blue sky is turning paler and there is a chill inthe air which is making me very grateful for the jersey I'm wearing. I'm sipping on a beer and ready to go and refuel soon. No point burning off all those calories on long, mountainous treks (some longer than others when you get lost as we did yesterday!) if you can't enjoy putting it all back on again at the dinner table! Have the marshmallows and toasting sticks for our fire when we get back, so that's pudding sorted too!

We have one more day here to chill out, hang loose and hug trees before we head back to the bright city lights - this time Las Vegas! It's a 7.5 hour journey so if I haven't killed the children by then, Iain may well try bartering his offspring for betting chips so he can literally put everything we own on black!

All that's left to say is Happy Belated birthdays ot Heledd, Henry and Jill and we hope you enjoyed plenty of cake! Love to you all xxxxx

POST SCRIPT - WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES!

As mentioned at the very top, this was written 2 nights ago. Yesterday we discovered we'd got the days wrong, and instead of having a day to catch up on ourselves - and the laundry - we were in fact supposed to be on our way to Vegas already! We packed up in 10 minutes and at 3.30pm started the daunting drive to Vegas, arriving last night at around 10.30 after only 1 small 15 minute stop to pick up sups to eat on the hoof. Have arrived to the total opposite of what we left. Eco-friendly does not really come into it and the lights as we arrived last night were amazing! Staying in the swankiest stop-over so far so feeling very chipper indeed (and much cleaner!) Off now for brekkie and to go see Vegas baby!

Slowing down ... the collins crew 'countrify' it!

Easy trip to Mount Joy near Lancaster in the heart of Amish country. Our wonderful B&B at 'Green Acres Farm' is run by a wonderfully warm and welcoming couple - Yvonne and Wayne! - who must be in their 80s but seemed indefatigable, and only happy when you'd eaten your body weight for breakfast. A reasonable sized farmhouse, it nevertheless seemed Tardis-like with 5 or 6 other families crawling out of the woodwork for breakfast, (eggs, potatoes, casserole, sausage, waffles, tomatoes, french toast, coffee...) all served at the vast kitchen table altogether, once Wayne had given Grace. Oh, and I forgot that once you'd waded through that lot they brought out 'dessert' - home made cake, cookies and freshly chopped peaches and blueberries. That this complete food overload did not once dissuade us from having lunch a few hours later is much to our shame. If we don't add to the Dubai stone with a US one, I'll be damned!

The children absolutely loved the farm, with the hayrides on the tractor, chatting to the goats, sheep and donkey, collecting the eggs, bouncing on the trampoline, making friends with the other children staying including a family of girls from Tennessee, but mostly stroking and playing with the many farm cats and kittens that hung around the kitchen door. In fact they loved it so much, they grudged leaving to go and explore elsewhere, but we ignored the grumbles and thoroughly enjoyed the oxymoron of the commercialised attractions of Amish country!

We got soaked (again!) at the big local market where we bought Shoofly pie and freshly made iced mint tea and pink lemonade, but the sun reappeared as we saw the farms and towns around Letitz, Bird-in-Hand, Intercourse (yes, really!) and Strasburg. We enjoyed fresh icecream from an Amish dairy farm once we'd watched the cows being milked and even manaded to squeeze in a traditional horse and buggy ride with a lovely Amish girl called Rachel (see what I mean about the Oxymoron!) It was all very 'Witness' and I think Iain fancied himself a little bit of a rugged Harrison Ford figure!

We then headed south for a fairly epic 5 hour journey to the top of the Blue Ridge Highway and our first night of Kamping (KOA - Kampsites of America!) Our log cabin included a/c, kitchen facilities, shower, loo and sink, 2 separate little bedrooms, and wif-fi access which enabled the last blog to be sent. Not exactly roughing it - our first impression was that Kamping US-style is a great deal more civilised that the camping we Collinses have been used to in the deserts of the UAE! Alas we were only there one night, as we then continued our journey, this time avoiding the highway and taking in some spectacular scenery across the Blue Ridge highway to get to our current spot where we're staying for FOUR WHOLE SLEEPS! Our picnic lunch stop in teh forest in the mountains was stunning and unforgettable, though not for all the right reasons - some little critter (we think a bee) got struck on the edge of Rosie's shorts and didn't give up until the fourth sting, poor love. Iain happened to catch the moment of impact on his camera and it's much to Rosie's credit that she managed to laugh at the picture only two minutes later.

The 'Kampsite' here at Lexington / Natural Bridge in Virginia is in the most beautiful spot and while our accommodation is much more basic than the last one (beds and a/c only, with electric hook-up and a tap outside, but we've very grateful for it all!) The Kabin (that 'K' is beginning to grate already isn't it?!) is in amongst lots of trees, right near the Blue Ridge Parkway and the facilities at the site are good, with swimming pool, games room, outdoor play area, clean washrooms and very welcome washers / dryers for the clothes, so we're thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Yesterday we took a trip to Natural Bridge which is pretty much what it says it is, an amazing, enormous limestone arch created from a mixture of plate movements millions of years ago and the river / stream that runs through it. A lovely walk too. Today we went for a fabulous 4 1/2 mile hike along the James river and Otter Creek, marred only in the children's eyes by the superfluity of insect life! Tomorrow we may try some kayaking but indolence may take over... well, must make the most of the slow life while we can because on Monday evening we fly to San Francisco. Aah, this is the life!

Water Water Everywhere...

(due to lack of internet connectivity in Pennsylvania, I'm now 'behind' schedule on the blogs! This entry takes us from NY to Washington, with news as written from the hardcopy a few days ago. Another update tomorrow to cover the last few days!)

Another whirlwind few days... I left our account last time just about to leave for dinner at Times Square. Quite a way to leave New York - all lights and flashy hyperactivity! Train from Penn Station to DC only of interest to 6 year old boys but painless and fairly simple. DC station itself utterly amazing - a taste of the solid and impressive-looking buildings all over the city. Dinner in a very pleasant Italian in Dupont Circle then bed.

Hot sticky day spent trying to find water to drink, fountains to bathe our feet in and any other methods of keeping cool as we wended our way down the very famous 'Mall' between The Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. (soooo not Mall of the Emirates!) Trip to the amazing Air & Space Museum and the Capitol in the morning (Jemima and Ted doing roly polys down Capitol Hill while Iain went to take photographs of the Supreme Court). Then more Smithsonian delights at the Natural History Museum for the afternoon. By the time we left, the skies had opened and we leapt through (and sometimes in!) puddles to get home. Tapas supper at a very noisy bistro round the corner before sinking gratefully into comfy beds.

More fountains and pools to mock us the next day as we sweated in 90 degrees of sultry DC weather. ('Mock' because for obvious reasons we thought it best not to let the children dangle their feet in the impressive WW2 Memorial fountains). While in the vicinity, we also checked out the Washington Monument, The Korean War and Vietnam War memorial and of course the Lincoln Memorial. We all loved this: "I have a dream"; Forrest Gump, Nights at the Museum... a great jumble of various cultural references! No water in the reflecting lake though as it's being renovated! More moving experiences in the afternoon as we visited the Holocaust museum - brilliantly done, and chilling in more ways than one - which made the blasting heat outside and the subsequent dramatic rainstorm with thunder and lightning even more of a suprise. Drenched to the skin, it was time to recuperate back at base, get some washing done and then head out for a very nice sups with a LARGE glass of wine for me and a beer for Iain (and plenty more water for everyone - despite the rain, it still felt hot and humid enough to be Dubai in April / May, so we all felt permanently thirsty!

As I write (wrote!) the map of America on SatNav is being reloaded (don't ask - much cursing!), the kids are playing top trumps and Iain in on his way to us from picking up the car that will take us on to the next part of our journey. The bags are packed and by the door, car snacks are ready - and I've remembered plenty of water for the journey! Pennsylvania, here we come...

A bite of the Big Apple

I write this from our hotel room in NY with a Budweiser at my side and life feels good. We're all completely wiped out from pretty much walking the streets of Manhattan for the last two days - after all, there's nothing like wearing out the shoe leather to get under the skin of a place!

New York's an amazing city. If you'd asked me yesterday, I'd have said I could happily live here for a while, but now I'm not so sure. It's exhausting... even sticking as we have to exploring Manhattan, the place is enormous, confusing and noisy (or is that just because we're here with three children?!) As far as the youngest of these is concerned, we've been on a metro, in a yellow cab and on a boat... not difficult to see where his priorities lie!

So what have we been up to? Well, we've managed to cram in a whole load in a short space of time, thanks to the above-mentioned transportation methods and much walking. I've loved the friendly chats of dog-owners, fellow-queuers and cab-drivers; walking along Fifth Avenue with the girls while the boys went camera-lens shopping; the amazing view from the top of the Empire State Building; even getting caught in the rain and sheltering for early supper in Little Italy! (We raised our glasses to wish you happy birthday mother!) Our hotel is reasonably close to the Met so we walked through Central Park to get there this morning and we've promised the children another trip there tomorrow morning. We all really enjoyed the boat trip to see the Statue of Liberty though I think Jemima's favourite thing so far has been the obligatory tour of the American Girl store next to Saks - 3 floors of girly retail nirvana.

Despite literally queuing around the block to get in - no thanks to an Alexandra McQueen exhibition that the whole of New York turned out to see - we all really enjoyed the Met this morning, but as a marketer and a recent visitor to the National Gallery in London, couldn't help feeling that they'd missed a trick. It seemed infinitely harder to navigate around and the childrens' audio guides lacked the sparkle and humour of their UK counterpart, but grimble grumble ... still an amazing place full of treasures. I particularly enjoyed the Warhols and Liechensteins we saw, Iain dithered around the Van Goghs while Rosie remained unimpressed with some of the very abstract modern paintings ("I could do better than that" - actually in many cases she was right, clever girl). Most impressively, Ted recognised a Rothko and a Jackson Pollock from Kings' Dubai Art Weeks so hats off to Debbie Watson!

Meals have been a good mixture, and none of them dull. Had lunch near the World Trade Centre building site today - what a vast empty space, gives you goosebumps - and eggs, fresh orange juice and coffee for breakfast this morning in a 'proper' American diner. Off any minute now to Times Square now we've rested a bit to see what we can find and enjoy 'the lights'.

Just about getting over the jet-lag now I think... was horrid yesterday when we were all up and raring to go by 5.30am and then seriously flagging by 7pm! Still, we shouldn't push our luck and hang out here 'resting' too long or we'll never summon up the energy - can't waste our last night in the Big Apple, especially when it's time to eat - again!

Bon appetit and will be in touch in Washington. Watch this space for some NY pics from Iain first...
Emma x