Raleigh, North Carolina, yes all work, and a little play:
A shuttle Sonic Boom,and
Helping at a homeless Shelter:
The lead up to Christmas a mixture of events and memories.
Working in North Carolina Triangle Park.
I always try to see something of the area I work around. I dont like to miss an opportunity to see places as to just go to somewhere and work and see only the airports the inside of offices and hotel rooms is to me such a waste.
I read about places and see something of them.
Already I have such a better understanding of the variety of places, peoples and history in the USA as a result.



Outside the Raleigh Museum of History opposite the North Carolina Natural History and Science Museum.







A Saturday afternoon wander around the City of Raleigh.











In a way a typical mid west kind of city.
Was clean and the days warm like the beginning of autumn except is was only a few days before Christmas.





A fully functiojnal original Krispy Cremes donut shop. Donuts being made as I popped in for a coffee and a little indulgence on my walk around the city.






The Capital Building
















































Proof of the winter as the evening chill sets in once the sun set.

A Sunday afternoon discovering the local State Park

The countryside around Raleigh was very like the Surrey countryside back in the UK.

It reminded me a lot of the Common Lands around Epsom and Walton. However, North Carolina does have a varied countryside with Mountains and a large coastal area. Neither of which I have seen........yet.

The hotel as the sun sets on yet another warm day.

The Space Shuttle:

Once back in Houston I was working at home and on the news I heard that the Space Shuttle was coming into land in Florida and flying over Texas for the first time since the tragic crash over Texas.

The Shuttle was coming in overhead on its return about 35 miles North of Houston.

I made sure the kids were notified at Tennis as they were outside and would have heard it and one of the Mums who lived around the corner from Klugie Tennis ranch went around there to tell them.

At 4.16pm I went and stood outside the back of the house, and although I could not see any streaks in the sky, I heard, and felt the sonic boom.

The sound went right through me. Two short deep booms. Tim at tennis at the time heard and felt it also.

Was incredible then 15 minutes or so later the Shuttle landed safetly in Florida.

Although only a relatively small thing in a way, and over in seconds, it was a fantastic thing to experience knowing I had experienced just a little moment in the journey of a vehicle gliding safetly back to Earth from Space.

Helping the Homeless Open Door Mission Houston:

Christmas being about giving I have always felt pretty selfish in recent years and a little useless when you see people having given up time to help others really in need.

When I heard of a couple of friends going to volunteer as a Houston Shelter the day before Christmas, I asked to go along.

Never sure how to help or what to do, this was an opportunity to do something even if only a small gesture.

I used to help out at the Local Mental hospitals in Epsom years ago before they closed them down and sis much when I was actively involved in the Church in the UK in my mid 20's.

How we get so tied up in our own little lives.

We arrived at the place in East Houston and were soon put to work in the kitchens. I started with cutting cakes up and moved onto cutting and dicing 100's of onions. Tearfully, I may say.

Sprouts were a little easier, not so many fumes from uncooked sprouts. (that comes later).

After the prep of the food my stomach was rumbling as I chatted to many of the kitchen staff, a number who stayed in the shelter.

They were cooking 100's of chicken legs, potatoes, veg and gravy . It was a busy kitchen for sure, and hot.

I then helped serve the meals and drinks , feeling a total novice. The people we were serving knew the routine well and I needed their guidance as to the pecking order of serving the fruit juice and waters to the tables.

Everyone was so friendly and willing to talk about their experiences and how they ended up there and what they were doing to get back on their feet again.

I found my little contribution opened up a door for me inside, and I'm sure I received more from the experience, and the 200 or so people there, than they could have gotten from me.

It is all too easy, maybe moreso than we realise to fall into hard times and need I think.

Life is also too short to not do things and miss out on enjoying all we have around us and long to experience whilst we can.