New Baby Time in Boston!

I don't have much time, but just thought I'd put a few pix up here of little Catherine Adelaide Mayo!  We'll be bringing her home tomorrow!

Enjoy!

Travels to Knoxville, Tennessee to meet family!

Although I've mostly stayed home this holiday, I did make a quick trip down to Knoxville last week-end to meet up with my mother and sister from S.C. We had a wonderful 20 hours or so together and exchanged gifts and caught up on family news as well as family history. Unfortunately, a huge winter storm blew up and we both came through quite a bit of snow...luckily it was mostly on the ground.

This picture is of my 84 y.o. mother, Tumpy who is still going strong.  I took 5 or 6 short videos of her telling me some of our family history.  I can never keep all the great-grandparents straight!   Stay tuned for more travels!

Back from Sarasota and Siesta Key!

Wow! I had a great vacation in Florida and got a great time and read an entire huge novel!! I'm so happy and feeling rested and excited about the rest of the year! If you ever want to go to a gorgeous beach that has nearly perfect weather year-round, I highly recommend Siesta Key, Florida and the Siesta Key Suites! Check it out!

Chantdoc cooling off in the mountains

Wow! I thought I had already posted about my trip to Lake Junaluska, but guess I didnt. It's been over three weeks since I met my mother and two oldest daughters at Lake Junaluska, a beautiful United Methodist retreat center in the mountains of Western North Carolina. It's in the Smoky Mountains and is a very popular vacation area of the South.

Anyway, my parents built a summer home there in the summer of 1956 and I've been every summer since then! My three daughters also went there every summer growing up so it's a real family tradition! Here are just a few of our pictures from that week-end!

If you're interested in renting the place in the Fall or Spring, or Summer, let me know! It is very reasonable!

Summer of 1961

I've always loved to go to the beach! Probably because I knew that for sure, my family would be going to the mountains and to me it just wasn't as special, even though we had our own summer home in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I think what sealed the deal for me was when my parents took all five of us kids plus my grandmother to the Bahamas in the summer of 1961. We were there for 3 weeks and I was an early teen, just feeling the surge of teen emotions for boyfriends and getting away from parents.

After that, I always associated the beach, palm trees, sunburn and tropical flowers with fun, love and excitement! Here are a few of the pictures from that summer of 1961! The first picture is our family on the cruise ship "Emerald Sease." We left out of Miami and arrived in Nassau the next morning. I'll never forget the sight of Bahamian boys swimming out to the ship and diving for coins that we would throw out into the ocean!

Chantdoc goes to Washington, D.C.

I'm in the middle of a very exciting adventure in Washington, D.C. The official reason is to do research at the Library of Congress on Wanda Landowska and the Revival of the Harpsichord. Wanda was the topic of my Ph.D. dissertation back in 1990 and at that time I was aware that a lot more material existed on this topic.

In 2004, Landowska's lifelong companion died and finally in 2008, 110 boxes of archival materials about Wanda arrived at the Library of Congress. Today I was there for 8 hours and only got through two of them! Tomorrow I'll go back and hope to get through at least two more. If there is something in particular you'd like for me to take a peek at, please let me know ASAP.

The pictures are from some tourist activites I did yesterday with my daughter and son-in-law. You'll recognize the Lincoln Memorial in the background.

Travel around the world with music, "Stand By Me"

One of the great parts of my job---speading word of the healing power of music--- is that people send me awesome videos all the time! Recently this one was sent to me and I have watched it over and over!

I hope that YOU'LL enjoy it and leave me a comment on it! It brings tears to my eyes every time i watch it!

We made it to Dublin...and Rock of Cashel!

This past week-end we had a wonderful Irish adventure! We flew from Paris Beauvais airport to Dublin, Ireland and beyond. This picture is of Allison and Liz outside of Christ Church in Dublin where we went to a beautiful Evensong service on Saturday, the day we arrived.

The next day we rented a car and set out to see Cashel, where the Cash family alledgedly started! We were amazed to see a huge castle on a mammoth rock, rising into the sky there. We met many friendly and helpful townsfolk but there don't seem to be many Cashes there today? However they treated us as family and that was nice! We were a little nervous about driving on the other side of the highway, but brave little Liz was willing to give it a try and Allison navigated. I sat in the back seat, enjoying the scenery. There are truly loads of sheep, emerald green grasses, and tulips, daffodils, and tiny daisies everywhere!

Sorry about the picture I can't rotate for now. Will fix that when I get back home!

Have you been to Dublin?

My children and I are looking for tips on travel in Ireland. Have you been there? Did you rent a car and try driving on the left side? We will be traveling from Dublin to Cashel on the week-end and are considering renting a car but don't know how dangerous or scary it might be for 3 American women who are ingrained with driving on the right side.

Comments and suggestions welcomed!

Thanks,

Alice

Chantdoc plans trip to Ireland!

My children and I have always wanted to go to Ireland to see not only the beautiful Emerald Isle, but also to go to Cashel where our family name began. Of course, Cash is my married name, but it has been my name for nearly 38 years and I do love it!

Cashel has a very ancient history, albeit only documented since the 4th Century. The Rock of Cashel, with its well preserved ecclesiastical remains, is one of Ireland's most spectacular landmarks, rising above the surrounding plain and dominating the land route southward.The large Cathedral, ancient round tower and the very early Romanesque Cormac's Chapel , perched on a dramatic outcrop of rock, were silent witnesses to many of the stirring events of Irish History; St.Patrick converted the local King Aenghus, here in the 5th century; Brian Boru was crowned King of Ireland on this spot in the early 11th Century. The Vicar's Choral has been restored and the site, one of the most visited in Ireland, now provides an interpretative centre, (multi lingual) an interesting museum, guided tours and superb views over the extensive and beautiful plains of Tipperary.

Chantdoc preparing to go to Paris

It seems as though it's been a very long time since I was in Paris for more than just to transfer planes. I spent six weeks there in the summer fo 1987 doing my Ph.D. dissertation research. My dissertation was on "Wanda Landowska and the Revival of the Harpsichord: a Reassessment." I've included a brief clip from the documentary that was later made from my dissertation. . I am hoping to do a presentation at the American Church of Paris, but now it looks as though I might also be able to do a presentation on Landowska to a group of harpisichord afficionados. If you know anyone or any group in Paris that would like to sponsor a lecture or a seminar, let me know ASAP!

Thanks,

Alice

Do you like cruising?

The cruise that my children took me on last August was one of the best vacation experiences that I've had! I have to especially recommend Carnival cruises too because they do such as excellent job of preparing you for the journey, making sure that everyone has a good time and being creative and flexible! For example, the cruise that my children and I went on was originally supposd to go to Key West and Cozumel. At the last minute, Hurricane Faye came our way and when we went to the pier we though the cruise would surely be cancelled. To our surprise and delight, we were informed that we would now be going to Grand Turk, Bahamas and we did and had a great time!
If you're interested, please go to www.CashFamilyTravel.com and book your Carnival Cruise today! You won't regret it!

Stay at Chantdoc's condo in Orlando for Christmas

Hello everybody! You KNOW how much I love Florida an traveling to tropical places, right? Well, it turns out that I have a brad-new timeshare condo in Orlando, fives minutes from Disney World. It's reserved from Dec. 21-28 and I'm not going to be able to use it!! Boo-hoo! It is a very large condo and sleeps eight people comfortably. It's a brand new community-Vacation Village at Parkway and I'm offering it to the highest bidder. Get back to me quickly though because you'll need to get your travel plans in order! I'd like to get $2000.00 for that prime week in a prime location but again, will let it go to the highest bidder. Just Google the location and take a peek at it!

Alice-419-1698

Per your request for Pix of Capri and Anacapri (Italy!)

The trip to Italy is now more than two weeks behind me but I'm still thinking of it on an hourly basis and reliving it through my pictures and videos that I took.

Quite a few people have asked to see pictures of Capri and Anacapri. They are the two towns on the tiny Isle of Capri, a vacation spot for kings, queens, literati, and movie stars for centuries and even millenia! We thoroughly enjoyed our day there although it turned out to be more expensive than I originally thought. Part of that dilemma was that I gave a man a 20 euro bill and didn't get the right change, but didn't notice it till too late!! Also, Crystal and I each got a cappucino at the fancy outdoor restaurant and made the mistake of not asking in advance how much they would be. They turned out to be about $8.00 apiece and it was the end of out trip so we were not happy about that!

Anyway, enjoy these beautiful pix that I took!

Chantdoc Returns from Fabulous Italian Sojourn!

The trip to Italy is over and what a glorious trip it was! We started in Rome and were there for four days, then we moved on to Florence for three days. The final five days were spent in the Sorrento (Naples) area which is very tropical---my favorite! While in Sorrento we made day trips to Positano, Capri, Anacapri and Pompeii. Over the next few days (or weeks) I'll send you some of my best photos with commentary. If there is something particular you'd like to know about it, just email me or put a comment on the blog. The picture on the left is from the magical isle of Capri. The picture on the left is from the amazing Trevi fountain in Rome, the one about which "Three Coins in the Fountain" was written. We walked all over Rome to find this famous fountain and it was well worth it! More tomorrow!

Have you been to Harbour Island, Bahamas?

In both 1986 and 1990 my husband and I had the great pleasure of visiting Harbour Island, Bahamas because we had a friend who had a vacation home there. The picture to the left does not convey the peace and soliture we found there, but I guess a few more people have discovered the island now.
Harbour Island Bahamas is located off the northeast coast of Eleuthera Island. The largest city in Harbour Island Bahamas is Dunmore Town, and the island still maintains much of the old time charm of the Bahamas that has been obscured by resorts and casinos on larger islands like Paradise or New Providence. That isn’t to say, however, that Harbour Islands Bahamas doesn’t have some excellent resorts of its own. The island also features the famous three mile stretch of pink sand beach, which is the perfect place for swimming, diving, and snorkeling.
Harbour Island is one of the oldest settlements in the Bahamas, and to reach you will need to either take a boat or plane from the island’s neighbor, Eleuthera Island. As one of the oldest settlements, there are some excellent historical sites that are worth seeing. A walk through Dunmore Town will take only about 30 minutes, but the relaxed atmosphere of the town and the old buildings will make it a pleasant stroll. Along the way, you can check out Loyalist Cottage (so named for the loyalist who built it in 1797 when he left America after the Revolutionary War to hold his allegiance to the crown), St. John’s church and the Wesley Methodist church. Both buildings are quite old and still in use.

Report two on our fabulous cruise!

If you haven't already read th report on Cash Family Travel, be sure to read that first! Day two was much, much calmer and when we got to Grand Turk, the weather could not have been more beautiful! In the picture to the left you see me on the beach with the cruise ship in the background! This was taken when my three daughters and I were on a bike and hike tour of the island which was just gorgeous! Of course we thought we were going to Key West and Cozumel so we had to re-book and re-choose all of our shore excursions. My two sons-in-law did "Power Snorkeling" and loved it! You'll see more pix from our shore excursions on "Boomeropia" in just a few minutes!

Chantdoc prepares for Carribbean Cruise

I'm soooo excited!!! In just a little over a week I'm leaving on a Carribbean cruise with my three daughters and two husbands! The kids are taking me on this wonderful trip as a 60th birthday present and I can't think of anything better!

We'll leave out of the Port of Miami on Monday, August 18 and arrive in Key West on Tuesday morning. We'll spend the better part of the day there and then leave late afternoon for Cozumel! We'll wake up Wednesday a.m. in Cozumel and have all day there until pulling out about midnight. We spend all day Thursday at sea and then wake up Friday morning pulling into the Port of Miami! I'll keep you posted about our activities while on the cruise!

Team Colavita returns to Louisville. KY!

Today I went over to Cherokee Park to watch the National Masters bike race. This included the men age 40-44. Liz' bike coach was racing and did well. Look for the gree Team Colavita jersey near the front!! Hope to go back this afternoon for tandem races!

Let's go to a race in Greenville, S.C.

Well, you all have seen a lot of footage in this blog of my youngest daughter and her bike racing triumphs. Now I want to swing the camera around to my little sister Nonie, a babyboomer like myself.

When we were growing up, she was the athlete and I was the musician. After a long and award-winning career in track and field, marathons, tennis, and fencing, she (more or less) retired from sports. Then, all of a sudden last week-end she got a bee in her bonnet to go try being in a race in Greenville, S.C. With little or no training, she went to the race and won the gold in both of them!!! I am amazed, impressed, and proud of her!! Please everone, give her a round of applause. Will keep you posted on her future endeavors! GO NONIE!!!