April 8

It's now Easter Sunday in Ireland and we are shortly to leave for the family assembly at Mass in Silvermines, a small town near Nenagh.
Yesterday was terrific - we all met at the Eagles Nest Pub at Dolla, 9 Kms from Nenagh, where we were given name tags, maps and a book on the story of the descendants of Cornelius Kennedy. Was great to met up with everyone, family members came from Australia, the US, England and Scotland. Some we had met before & others we didn't know existed!!! We checked out a couple of cemeteries and a church with family connections and visited the original house where my ancestors lived. Hard to imagine how a family with 6 children all crammed into such a small cottage. It is opposite the pub, conveniently!!!! I had been there before as Molly & I came to Ireland in 1970 and had lunch with Noni who was living there at the time with her family. Too involved to explain all the history but lets just say there were Kennedys everywhere!
John & Joan hosted dinner last night at the pub, I guess they catered for at least 70 of us - a fabulous buffet and a huge cake with the letter K.
Lots of stories, some will get even better with time, and my dear niece, Jacinta, spoke on behalf of our side of the family. Was a great night.
More happening today so stay tuned for the next instalment. Sorry I can't publish photos on this blog.

Melbourne Thursday

Well, what goes up must come down and so our return flight home was the same as the route we took to the US - Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Sydney Melbourne. Because we had a 5 hour stopover in Chicago George had arranged for us to have lunch with a lawyer from there. On arrival it was a beautiful clear sunny day, temperature of 1 degree! David picked us up and we went to a very nice steak restaurant about 7 miles from the airport.
I was very impressed with United Airlines, they were on time for every flight which is a miracle these days. But when we boarded in LA I noticed that all the crew in our area were fairly old, like really fairly old! After take-off George was allocated a different seat as the power wasn't available for his sleep machine in his original seat. When the Purser got him settled she came back and sat with me for a little while & I thought 'you've been around for a while'. During the flight I had a little chat with another stewardess & she mentioned she had flown with Pan Am so I said I had worked with Ansett and she said 'I'm an old lady, Im 64!' Well, I had to confess that I, too, am 64 and then she told me that another of the stews had been working 47 years so would have to be close to 70! She also told me that they think the Purser might have a bit of dementia as she had repeated herself so many times. Hello. Anyway, we all arrived safely and those 'girls' did a sterling job.
Really nice to be home. Long distance travel, with all the security issues, isn't a cup of tea anymore! But am very grateful for the chance to see new places and meet up with old friends.

Atlanta Monday

Took it easy this morning. George finished all his Overseas Christmas cards, ready for posting before we leave the US. Decided to use our 2 day train pass & go to the Lennox Mall at Buckhead. Like we needed to do more shopping as no room in the suitcase. But let a girl loose in a shopping mall and sure as eggs she'll buy a dress! Ah well it just fitted in.
Had dinner with Dean & Katie Booth who we have known from IBA days. They took us to Bones, an absolutely beautiful restaurant in Buckhead, specializing in steak.
Took the car back to the rental place at midnight and ready now for the marathon tomorrow.

Atlanta Sunday

Drove down to the airport this morning and were able check into our hotel early. Traffic was lighter than usual, being Sunday, but I doubt it is ever really quiet on the roads. With 6-7 lanes in some parts you need to keep an eye on every mirror and every signpost.
Took the train to CNN and Coca Cola Museum, which took about 30 mins. CNN was interesting, our tour was for an hour but a bit quieter from a news point of view than during the week apparently. Coca Cola Museum was also good, plenty of memorabilia to see plus films and art work. At the end we were invited to taste over 60 different Coke sponsored drinks from around the world. Most very forgettable as awfully sweet and incredible flavors. In the end I think water is a better option! We were all given a small bottle of coke before we exited through the gift shop. No need to tell you how much cr...p was in there. But people were spending like there is no tomorrow. Back at the hotel we had a glass of wine and a blackened Tybee Island Fish sandwich for dinner. Of course that came with a truckload of chips so another kg added today!
Looking forward to going home.

Atlanta Sunday

Another glorious day in Atlanta, Georga. We are so lucky with the weather but the leaves are now starting to fall and I guess any day now it will start to get cold. George and Scott went off to see the Southern Railway Museum which featured trains in the civil war. Apparently it was fantastic and George had trouble deciding on whether to buy a confederate or a Yankee hat - fortunately decided on neither!
Kelly and I went shopping to a lovely little village on the outskirts of Atlanta. Cute shops all selling Christmas stuff and the area reminded me of New England. Then met the guys for lunch at Poe's which sell ribs etc.
Had a break then met again for dinner at a very nice Mexican restaurant. Expect not to recognize us when we come home - each day I gain another few kilos I think!
Moving to a hotel near the airport today and will go to the Coca Cola Museum and hopefully CNN if we have time. otherwise will do that tomorrow.

Savanna to Atlanta Friday

After another plastic breakfast we packed up and headed for Atlanta. Planned to go via Augusta but changed our minds as would have been another 100 or so miles and meant arriving in Atlanta in peak traffic. We manage very well with me driving and George navigating but enough is enough. Kelly & Scott Burleson picked us up from our hotel in Marietta. Fantastic to see them and we talked over dinner for hours. We are going sightseeing with them tomorrow.

Savannah Thursday

Up and about early again not to miss that plastic breakfast. Actually my bagel and tea was very nice. George tackled a waffle, followed by turkey and egg patties along with turkey bacon. As I said yesterday, we don't have to eat it. Walked it off then took a trolley ride around the area and ended up at Mrs Wilkes restaurant for lunch. This is famous in Savannah, named after Mrs Wilkes in Gone With The Wind. Lines of people queue for ages and are seated in tables of 10. The food is typical southern fare and I counted 22 different dishes on the table. Everyone helps themselves and the food consisted of such things as fried chicken, beef stew, sliced beef in sauce, corn bread, sweetcorn, cabbage, potato salad, okra, beans, baked beans, noodles, spinach, and many more, followed by dessert of cherry or banana cobbler. Good value for $16 per head.
George took himself off to the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum in the afternoon while I meandered around the beautiful houses and shops. I ended up back in River St and took a ride on the streetcar - a very old very well preserved 1930's Melbourne tram. Not much to buy here other than delicious fudge and taffy and lots of food items produced by Paula Deene (who is famous in this area for her food and produce etc). Back to the hotel to do some mundane chores such as a load of washing and to check email etc. Went out for a light dinner at the local Thai restaurant. Oh for a real poached egg on real toast!!