Making some strides with my blog!

I am getting close to my final stop in America - Sunny Florida! I should be heading off for Florida tomorrow evening, but before I do, I must mentioned about my stay in NY and Delaware.

NY: September 30 - October 6

I arrived in NY about 6:00pm on Sunday September 30. It took approximately 2 hours to fly from Detroit to NY. I waited for about 4o minites before Claudette and her friend Heather came to pick me up from LaGuardia Airpot. When we arrived at Claudette's apartment, there was a group of friends there waiting for us. Some of them were old friends from Jamaica whom I hadn't seen for decades. It was a real surprise to see these friends again after so many years. There was also a spread of Jamaican cuisine, the kind of food for which I had a yearning for many years, and how delicious it was! Here are a few photos of the welcoming party in NY:

I bought a pass for a week to travel around NY via bus/train, this was quite helpful, as I could get off easily at any stop to explore and then jump on the next bus/train to my next destination. The weather was exceptionally warm for October, but I didn't mind this at all. One of the difference I noticed in NY is the number of police officers walking the streets and positioned at the various bus stops. This seem to give you a sense a security, but also makes you wonder if there is some kind of danger lurking around why such a strong police presence is necessary.

On Tuesday 2nd, I took the train to Newark New Jersey to meet my cousin Wendy, who lives in Newton New Jersey about an hour drive from Newark. The Town of Newton is located in the Northwest Skylands region of the State of New Jersey in rural Sussex County. Newton is located approximately 60 miles Northwest of New York City and 70 miles North of Trenton, New Jersey. The Newton area is very tranquil and pleasant. I could only spend a night with Wendy and her husband Kelly as I had to be back in NY the next day. I accompanied Wendy and Kelly to their book study then afterwards a few freinds came over their palce and I showed them a DVD about "life in Australia". I was so involved in showing the DVD that I forgot to take picture of Kelly and the other friends who came over. However here is a picture of Wendy and me before she took me back to Newark to get the train to NY:

After returning from New Jersey on Wednesday evening, I accompanied Claudette to her meeting (School and Service Meeting) and met many of the friends there. Their congregation is called Hook Creek. Here are some photos of the friends fromHook Creek Cong.

Its now Thursday and time to say goodby to Claudette and Mama Rose (Claudette's mother),

I had promised to stay a few nights with Leticia and her son Peter before I move on to Delaware. Peter lives in Buffalo NY, but was travelling down to NY - A journey 7 hours long so that I could catch up with him and his family. Leticia lives in Jamaica Queens, the same borrow as Claudette and Mama Rose, only about 15 minutes apart. Peter arrived around 2:30 am, while everyone else was asleep, so we talked until sometimes after 3 am. I stayed at Leticia's place until Saturday morning, when I was dropped off at Madison Square Garden to wait for a bus (which never turned up) to Delaware. Instead I caught the Amtark (train) to Wilmington Delaware. Here are some photos of Leticia, Peter's daughter, her mother and me. Some how I didn't get Peter in any of the photos, as he was somewhat elusive at photo taking times.