Welcome Home Boss, hope the wedding(s) went well pp ----- Original Message ----- From: "Denise" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, October 28, 2005 1:03 PM Subject: Re: [HC] Interests - > Hi all > > Hope not too late to add my interests. Arrived home from USA two hours ago, > trying to stay away for another 10 hours or so, and think the 700 emails > will help with that. > > Crawford - Hiram, Martha, Martha Anna, Emma, Walter, Susan of Beechworth, > CHiltern & Everton (Brookfield) > Haeffner - Christian, Mary, Jessie of Beechworth & Wooragee AND associated > families. > > Crawford & Co coach lines, > Brookfield - property in Everton > > Any Americans or Canadians in the northeast. > > Denise > >

Hi Mary and Dianne. It is fantastic to be home., After many overseas trips, I have to admit, this time I am delighted to be back in OZ for many reasons which I won't go into (g). Wedding #1 was in New York two weeks ago today. You may have all have heard how wet it was in the northeast of USA. It was! WET and cold and windy. The wedding which was to be in Shakespeare's Garden, Central Park amongst the autumn leaves ended up being held in a nearby castle in the park, but thankfully we were there at least, dry. The reception venue turned out to be unable to cater for the 20 of us - it seems that was not the case from Australia; only when we arrived. The leaves were green and WET, not autumn colours. The limo which was booked for 4 pm to carry myself, Neil, our daughter, the bridesmaid and the bride, did not turn up. It apparently shot past our hotel and got stuck in the traffic but even after assurances that we were to be picked up in 10 minutes, it didn't arrive at all. We had to find two taxis at 4.45 pm on a Friday in New York city for a 5 pm wedding at the other end of the city. HA! that's a joke. Finally flagged down one for the bride and bridesmaid, sent them on their way with a request not to marry my son without my being there! In the panic I forgot to give the bride her large umbrella! The remaining 3 of us had to find another taxi, which took another half an hour. The driver sensed the urgency of our situation and zapped thru and around New York at great speed. We were dropped on the edge of Central Park in the rain, the driver didn't know where S. gardens were! We only knew the approximate vicinity - had no need to know for the bride was supposed to be with us. A local, a lovely lady who loves Australians and Australia happened to be strolling in the rain, as one does in New York, with a dog and took great delight in leading us with great speed to the castle, all the time telling us about her travels down under. About 15 minutes later we arrived (this is a case of the parents, not the bride, being late) and the wedding went ahead, a Naval Chaplin marrying them. We all then wandered with our large umbrellas thru Central Park to the Boat Shed which kindly had found 20 seats for us the day before, after being let down by that other restaurant. The bride looked beautiful. The groom (and here I am biased) looked so wonderful in his Tux. A week later wedding #2 went off without a hitch in Las Vegas. The limo turned up on time, Elvis managed to 'marry' them, sing his 3 songs, have videos taken with himself in all of them! But it was great fun, laughs and singing all the way thru the ceremony. It appears a celebrant had married the couple legit, in another room before Elvis did his 'version'. We then had lunch at Bellargio on the Strip. The bridal group and guests dressed in their Hawaiian outfits. (ug) However, I saw stranger sights in Las Vegas than a bunch of Aussies in bright shirts. So the twice married bride and groom are now roaming around Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Texas etc on their hired Harleys. Phone calls let me know how much they are enjoying the superb scenery. Our stay in Washington DC between the two weddings was a fantastic time, we were ruined totally by family who live there (thank you genealogy research!). They took the bride, groom, two sets of parents, our daughter and her husband out to dinner at the Navy & Army club, had arranged a wedding cake and gifts for us during dinner, and like all good establishments, ports and cigars in the library after dinner. (girls - the women were allowed to join the ports and cigars session, but we did not partake of cigars, thank you). So the bride and groom have had a fantastic series of events for their marriage/s, topped by a couple of bucks nights - one at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas and another watching an ice hockey match at Madison Sq Gardens in New York followed by dinner. Girls' nights out included shows. The Grand Canyon is awesome. Washington DC is a fantastic city, so attractive, clean and interesting. Las Vegas is loud and bright. New York busy and crowded. Sadly because of the howling wind and rain we did not see much of this city. Father and mother are glad it's over, we have seen a lot, travelled many states and miles, walked so far and long, but are glad to be home. I do believe that Hiram Crawford, who late in his life during the depression years of the 1890s/early 1900s, wrote that there was no place like his old home town in USA, and how he believed Australia was being ruined by this and that, would today should he be alive, be proud he became Australian. Denise