[Magdalen] Homeward Bound

[ROGER STOKES]

There's only one of me and I though y'all was plural.  I didn't quite triple the starting mileage on the rental car but I did drive 3,462 miles in total and have safely delivered the car back to the Rental Car Center in Atlanta.  Having plenty of time today I put in a slight diversion to McDonough GA in honour of Joan's family and then a trip to Dekalb county whhich is pretty as promised.

Currently I am waiting for check-in to open so I can check in my case and head for security so I can relax properly ahead of my flight being called.  just as when I arrived in America the incoming flight left late but it appears it is encountering better winds as it looks currently as it it might arrive early.

On my drive I encountered something I had not seen before in the USA - a roundabout which I remembered to go round counter-clockwise. Tomorrow I will find out if I can still drive a car with a stick-shift, and remember to drive on the left :-) Slight pausen there to recover my car and apartment keys from my case so I don't need to do that tomorrow.

This morning's weather reminded me of England, apart from still being warm, overcase and a rain shower but now the clouds have blown away. Tomorrow I am being offered about 52 degrees and showers :-(

Roger




________________________________
 From: Ginga Wilder <gingawilder at gmail.com>
To: Magdalen <magdalen at herberthouse.org> 
Sent: Thursday, November 6, 2014 4:58 PM
Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Homeward Bound
 

Roger, I agree with Grace.  Your words are lovely.  I enjoyed meeting you
and having you preside at Eucharist and preach at The Episcopal Church of
the Good Shepherd, Summerville.  I do apologize for and am still mortified
by two of our normally polite and appropriate parishioners three cornbread
down the table when we dined.  I've never been to a dinner party where that
happened. Of course, I don't get out much.  Anyway, it's a story for you to
tell your cronies in UK.

Safe travels and happy landing in your retirement.  And, y'all come back,
y'hear.

Ginga

On Wed, Nov 5, 2014 at 9:57 PM, ROGER STOKES <roger.stokes65 at btinternet.com>
wrote:

> A few minutes ago I checked in, via the internet, for my flight back to
> the UK tomorrow evening. Two years ago I came to the USA on my "trip of a
> lifetime".  (Hollow laugh)  On three trips I have met a number of you face
> to face and been in 21 states, plus DC.  On this trip a couple of people
> have said I have seen more of their country than they have and I have
> certainly done some driving (a bit over 2,900 miles so far). If travel
> broadens the mind then I may have difficulty getting my hats on when I get
> home :-)
>
> On this trip I have been asked how I am enjoying retirement, a question I
> cannot answer because I had precisely one day between my last service and
> heading to the airport for this trip. I have also spent nearly as much time
> over here as I have in my retirement apartment (18 nights there and this is
> night 16 of my trip).  There are many wonderful places in this world, not
> all of them well-known or famous.  Those less familiar places are where
> most of us live and the marvel of this medium of communication is that we
> ordinary folk can chat, share and laugh about life as we see and experience
> it.
>
> I thank God that the wit of mankind has provided us with this means of
> individuals communicating directly with others rather than relying on "the
> great and the good" to say what they think should be said.  I have long
> thought that there is more understanding of what really matters at the
> grass-roots of society than there is among the leaders of our nations.
> Perhaps we need a real democracy where the demos, the people, rule the
> roost.
>
> God alone knows why I have written this stream of consciousness.  If you
> are still reading, thank you. I am profoundly grateful for the way that we
> can share our ideas without then being coloured by our personal appearance
> so that mind can speak to mind. For those I have met another dimension has
> been added to our knowledge of each other.  May God grant us all the grace
> and the time to continue to learn form and with each other.
>
> Roger
>
>