Larry, you were brilliant

Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
Aldous Huxley (1894 - 1963)

I have been having great fun exploring the world of blogging. As you may have noticed there are frequent additions and/or alterations to my layout and design. I am sometimes like the little girl in a candy store who wants a little bit of everything she can see, and still wonders if there is anything else she may have missed. Heck, who am I trying to kid, I'm always like that! I so badly want to make my blog interesting, not just for me but, for all the visitors who may stop by, that I need to try everything out and see for myself what works, what doesnt etc. Exploring the different sites that give you the opportunity to have site counters, photographs montages and other fun stuff is for me, just like being let loose in the sweety store, sometimes I get carried away and have far more than is good for me.

I currently have photos here from my holiday last year to the USA. What a fantastic country, and contrary to the sometimes misconceived idea the British people have that Americans are obnoxious, loud and rude, I would like to set the record straight. DON'T believe everything you see and hear on T.V. My husband and I travelled to Boston, MA and took an anticlockwise tour to Lake Placid, Niagara, Washington DC and New York. We found, almost without exception, that the American people are in fact extremely warm, friendly, inviting and very hospitable, and you have the most fantastical breakfasts, my husband thought he had died and gone to heaven every morning! The other thing that was obvious is that Americans are totally passionate about their country. We brits have a tendancy to 'always look on the dark side' of the governments failures, to always point out what's wrong with the way the country is run, or how this policy or that amendment does not go far enough to deal with a certain problem. Americans on the other hand, although blatantly aware of the shortfalls in their systems, are only too pleased to tell you about the great and the wonderful too.

Whilst in Washington, we were lucky enough to take part in a guided tour of the cities most historic landmarks, monuments and buildings. I will never forget the man who headed the tour. His name was Larry, and I have never before or since met a man who was so passionate about his job. This man could list every single Amendment in the Constitution, maybe not that incredible, but he could also tell you how it came to be a part of the Constitution. He could tell you the name of every single man, in order, that had ever been elected to President. Nothing strange for a considerable number of Americans I'm sure, but could you also tell us which college they attended, what they studied and when and how they entered into politics. How about the exact date they were elected, and how long they served, or the names of each and every one of their wives. Larry gave incredibly detailed information and descriptions of the many and varied statues, monuments and buildings that we drove past or stopped at, way beyond what was necessary to meet the requirements of his job. But do you know the most amazing thing? Not one person on that tour went back to their hotels that night without having gained an unexplicable infectious interest in America's rich politics and History. Not one.

So, Larry, thank you, it was an honour to ride on "Dolly" with you as our guide.