LETTER FROM AMERICA #14

The weather has been pretty awful again, today it has just stopped raining, everybody is moaning about it but it doesn’t bother me, I’m used to it! It seems that the jetstream is stalled right over us and as a result we have had rain for over a month now.

It was my birthday, May 28th, Joanie had got me a cake and then took me up to a Glen Miller concert at Hazelton, about 30 miles away to the north east. The concert was great, before the main event the local high school jazz band performed with a most polished and professional performance. The Glen Miller band is a direct descendant of the original, the last time I saw them was some years ago at White Rock. Then Glen’s younger brother, Herb, was leading it. When the show ended at around 10.30 and we returned to the car park, it was pouring down. Now neither of us had been to Hazelton before with the result that, after driving round and round the town, we finally rejoined Interstate 81 about ten miles beyond where we had turned off earlier! We eventually arrived home shortly before midnight.

Following the Veterans Day parade, the City has installed floodlights at the war memorial in Garfield Square. This makes the Square look very pleasant after nightfall, actually this memorial is for the Civil War, the one for the later conflicts is located right on the edge of the City limits.

Talking of nightfall, the long dusky evenings do not happen here and that is one thing that I miss. We are at the same latitude as the Mediterranean so sunset now is just before 8.30pm (anyone who has been on holiday on the Med will have noticed this) and darkness falls relatively quickly and so is complete by 9pm. Of course in midwinter we do not have the very early sunsets as in the UK.

Anyway, I seem to be rambling on a bit this time. Not very much had been happening in this neck of the woods. The only real bit of excitement has been the arrival of my Greencard. Now I am no longer an immigrant but a lawful permanent resident. Most importantly I can now leave and reenter the country at will.

Despite the weather the cookout season has started. Everybody seems to be either having or planning one. We are going to one at Linda’s on Sunday, I think it is too early in the season for the pool to have warmed up so won’t bother with the goggles and flippers this time.

The schools have a very long summer break over here. They close in early June and go back early September, but of course there are no long Christmas and Easter holidays, just a few days some of which are used to make up lost time during any adverse winter weather. During the summer there are summer camps and schools and the local communities organize various activities for the students. But this awful weather has put a damper on them all so far.

Sorry not to have anything really interesting to report this time, but for your entertainment (as I hear you are having good weather there) here is a photo of Sharp Mountain which I have just taken. This is about the lowest the clouds get!!

Until next time.

BFN

H