Autumn Colours

It has not been this warm here at this time of year for years, so I keep being told. We spent one day with Polly who gave us a tour of Buffalo and surrounding area. We visited Niagara Falls and looked across at Canada. We have also been out and about cycling and hiking, taking it all in. The Autumn colours here are just amazing. The photos do not do it justice!

Sorting out our lives in Lakewood

Well, the past week has been all about trying to work out what is next. I have been visiting the chiropractor who is working miracles on my back. He rolls me up, cracks my bones, puts all of his weight on me and pulls my legs out of their sockets! It works, afterwards I cannot walk properly, but the pain is definitely decreasing.

Zac and I are looking into visa options which is just a maze of confusion. We have a few different options, most of then involve a long wait (6 months) in England before they let me back in! We are speaking to an immigration lawyer this week to get some advice about the right way to do things.

I am also investigating job opportunities so that when I am allowed to live over here I will have some idea of a job. I am thinking about teaching in a school in New York City, possibly in areas where there are Gambian families. I am also looking into doing some voluntary work with the street children in the city. Andrea and Michael, who I used to live with in Maryland, are also helping me make contacts with people who work for international development agencies because that is what I really want to do. Andrea is going to set me up with a few meetings when I go to D.C at the end of this month.

It is mostly frustrating work, lots of effort but no immediate results. Whilst all of this is going on we are having a great time with Zac's family and friends. We spent the weekend with the Hampton family. We had a lovely meal with them on Friday night and then spent Saturday with Polly and Kenny walking around Chautauqua Institute which is not too far from Lakewood.

From my understanding, The Chautauqua Institute is a beautiful residential area on Lake Chautauqua where a few locals live. Most of the houses, apartments and hotels are for relatively wealthy holiday makers who will go there for the whole of the summer. People go there from all over the country as it is such a wonderful place to visit. During the summer the place is extremely busy and they hold many events which attract the locals; They have plays, operas, lectures, shows, classes, children's camps and much more here, so it really benefits the surrounding area.

We had fun walking around. It was a beautiful Autumn day, crispy leaves on the ground and a chill in the air. Afterwards we warmed ourselves up with a quick trip to the local brewery, Southern Tier. We sampled some of their delicious 9% beer and instantly felt tipsy!

Closing up the cottage

I have just got back from my second weekend at Henderson Harbour. The weather was surprisingly warm for this time of year (so I was told). It was a wonderful weekend spent working on projects and getting to know Zac's parents and his Aunt Julie and Uncle Henry. Zac, Julie and Henry spent most of their time building a stone wall at the edge of the lake. I worked on the outside of the cottage where I scraped off old paint and replaced it with new. David was very busy making sure the cottage would be okay for the winter and basically Betsy kept us all alive with non-stop delicious food and drinks!

The sun and sailing

The weekend was so much fun. Kenny taught me how to fish, Zac taught me how to sail, we swam in the lake, ate good food and laughed so much. The weather was perfect; sunny and windy.

A Gambian night

Amongst the other friends were John (who Zac also grew up with), his wife Liz and their two dogs Leo and Tucker. Toby, Zac's brother, also joined us along with two of his friends from Outwood Bound, Christie and Geoff. We all celebrateed our engagement together in a true Gambian style. We made a huge bowl of rice and chicken domoda which is a peanut sauce. Everyone ate out the same bowl using spoons except Kenny who wanted to try with his hand. Gambian music played all night and we shared many stories of our African experience. It was a huge success. We cooked so much that we had the same meal for the following two days!

Fun with friends

The rest of the weekend was spent with some of Zac's longest and closest friends. Polly (who Zac grew up with in Lakewood) and her husband Kenny arrived first. To make me feel very welcome they had brought me a rucksack full of products made in New York. A brilliant gift and most of the contents of the bag got used over the weekend.

Fixing the path

On Friday morning, before anyone else arrived, we spent some time fixing the stone path at the back of the cottage where the steps had become very slippery.

The big question!

As soon as we arrived at the cottage Zac showed me around and we jumped into the lake for a very cold swim. We went inside for a hot shower and as I came out of the shower, dripping wet in my towel, Zac asked me to come over to him. He looked very nervous as he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was shocked but so delighted. Of course I said "YES!"

Zac then presented me with the ring which came with its own wonderful story. The ring was Zac's mum and dad's engagement ring (Betsy and David's). Zac's dad was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Columbia a good few years ago. He bought the emerald over there at the end of his service but at the time the stone was twice as big. David gave the stone to Betsy when he asked her to marry him. They took it to the jewellers in Miami and made a ring. About ten years later the emerald fell out of the setting but was luckily found in the hoover bag. Unfortunately the emerald had suffered a severe scraping. They took the stone to another jeweller in New York city where the stone was refacited, polished and reduced. It was then that David had the two diamonds added.

Zac slid the ring on to my finger and it fit perfectly.

It was a wonderful first day at Henderson Harbour. The first of many!

Henderson Harbour

Last week on Thursday Zac and I drove from Connecticut to Henderson Harbour which is on Lake Ontario, New York. Kimber let us borrow their mini van so off we went and in eight hours we arrived!

This is the cottage on Henderson Harbour where Zac spent much of his childhood. The house belongs to Zac's mum family and it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. Zac had told me many stories and memories of this place and he had missed it for two whole years.