The goal of setting sail for France seemed so far away, even impossible, as we traveled 3,500+ miles in our CRV, packed to the rooftop, to reach the Queen Mary 2. France seemed like a dream from some other era, and only the day-to-day realities of travel and family reunions. Yet despite all anxieties, our long months of preparations paid off and we successfully received SweetPea’s health certificate and boarded the QM2 at 2pm on Aug. 28th!! The ship sailed from Brooklyn harbor at 5pm, and SweetPea met all six of her kennel mates, had supper and bedded down for the night. We had our first dinner on board and met our four table mates from Australia and the UK, and settled happily into a stateroom with view of the open ocean. The ship is HUGE. There’s only a light chance that I’ll find my way around in the 7 days we’ll be on board.
Already Ken has played golf on a simulator, was pegged as a “ringer” and will enter a competition in coming days. Hunter and Irene Lott had prepared us well by taking to to play the beautiful & difficult course at the Wilmington Country Club last Thursday, and we were also able to play twice in Connecticut, once with Todd & Jack Armstrong, Karen’s nephew and great nephew.
With any luck, I’ll be able to upload some great photos from this past week, but right now it’s a little difficult. So this will suffice for now to say WE MADE IT! to the ship, anyway, and are headed for Southampton and on to France.
