Elaine Matthews

Welcome 2013! I hope you had a year full of adventures and, if not, you resolve to travel more this year. On a trip to Los Angeles, I found the “Travel Angel” at the Farmer’s Market at 13th and Fairfax. Here’s wishing you a year full of safe adventures!

Here’s to a year full of fantastic travels!

Okay, fine, I’ll admit it’s Christmas time. I’ve been in denial. Maybe it’s the new home or even a new state adding to my sense of holiday humbugs. Now that it’s less than a week before Santa tries to pile up a million breaking and entering charges, I’ll acknowledge the holiday.

What should’ve gotten me into the holiday spirit was the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I had the opportunity to be a tour leader for the Wyoming All-State Marching Band as they marched in the parade. What an opportunity for these students! They did a fantastic job. I had a bus full of their parents, and they couldn’t have been prouder.

And, what an historic parade in which to participate. Initially, many of the Macy’s store employees were immigrants and they longed for the parades and celebrations that were common in Europe. The first parade in the 1920s included animals from the Central Park Zoo. Soon thereafter balloon animals were used, then filled with helium and let go at the end of the parade. When someone found the balloon, they were asked to send the balloon back (there was a tag with the address attached to the balloon) and for their effort, they received a gift from Macy’s.  To this day, the Macy’s employees play a large role in the parade as the handlers of the balloons.

Being in New York City at the start of the Christmas season isn’t a bad place to be. You get to see the parade, enjoy Central Park, experience the bustle of folks clambering for the latest gadget on Black Friday and see the city decked out in its finest.

It is the most wonderful time of the year. Enjoy this holiday with the friends and family you hold most dear.

Hello Kitty welcomes the Christmas season to New York City.

What would the Macy’s Parade be without Charlie Brown? The most surprising part for me was how close the balloons are to the ground. The scale made me feel like I was part of the parade. A once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Kermie! This is one of my favorites since the Muppets were a staple in my childhood.

Stars like Whoopi Goldberg are a staple in the parade. I was incredibly excited to see the Olympic Gymnastics team. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize it was them until it was too late for a photo. Where are those T.V. commentators when you need them?

Is it wrong to pine for fall? It’s a time of year that goes by much too fast. School starts, halloween comes and then Christmas is pushed upon us. I appreciate winter, but the crispness of the autumn air and its brevity makes me wish it were around longer.

As everyone is prepping for Christmas, I will celebrate fall until December 21, the official start of winter.

In an effort to remind you of fall’s beauty, here’s a spot John and I found shortly after moving to Pennsylvania. This is Buttermilk Falls, a favorite spot for a young Fred Rogers, in New Florence, Penn. That’s right, kids, Mr. Rogers. And it’s beauty is apparent.

The moral of this story is soak up the seasons as they come. I’ll relish winter when it comes.

The colors this year in western Pennsylvania were spectacular. We had perfect temperatures to bring the colors to full potential.

Buttermilk Falls was a trickle on this fall day. I’m told the spring brings the fall’s strength.

Where did I go? The short answer is Pennsylvania.

This summer has been a whirlwind. I had a full tour schedule (I promise more on that later), John was promoted, we sold a house, we bought a house and we moved 1,800 miles across the country. This is a wonderful change for our little family. We said goodbye to the gorgeous red rock vistas and hello to the green rolling hills of western Pennsylvania.

One of my favorite sayings is, “Life is a Journey.” That is the truth. You never know where your life may go; just hold on and enjoy the ride.

The new home base in Pennsylvania. I’ll still tour and we’ll still have grand travel adventures. The only difference is grass and trees are included.

That’s right, folks. I’ve made one more trip around the sun. (Eek!) It’s not surprising the world keeps changing and getting smaller as I get older.

My world is changing quite a bit as of late. John has accepted a new and fabulous position in western Pennsylvania. So we are packing our bags, boxes and cars and heading east. No longer may I be the Wicked Witch of the West, but I must become the Good Witch of the East.

As I made this announcement on Facebook, one of my guests from a tour back in 2007 commented she went to the local university and she has relatives in the community, with a population of 3,500, in which we plan to buy a home. Does this constitute as a small world? I think it does.

What can you expect from me in the coming months? Hopefully updates on our move, the trek and our new and exciting locale. A goodbye will be said to the red rocks of western Colorado and a hardy hello to our new adventure in the green hills of western Pennsylvania.

Now, I can go explore Amish country, covered bridges, Hershey, Pittsburgh and more. New adventures to come!

I’m coming up for air. I had my training trip out West, three weeks of Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. madness, a week off and then I just returned from leading my first over-the-road 16-day tour.

The sixteen-day tour has been the most challenging. Leading a group of 40 through 3,800 miles of the American West means you need a lot of fodder to kill the time. Every day was a challenge. Besides the pressure of being an authority about all the destinations, its culture and the other randomness you see along the way, I had to be everyone’s mother, friend, referee and counselor. Some of the highlights and low lights:

Cute kids: The average passenger age for a motor coach tour is 55-plus. This tour I had two 14 year olds and an eight year old. The eight year old was my little helper. She was so excited to be my shadow and help pass out national park maps. She livened up the group. Kids have a special presence that lightens up the hardest of hearts.

Grumpy old guys: I should say it was one grumpy old guy. Sixteen days shot this guy over the edge. He was always grumpy, but after day seven, he was done. Everyone he sat by was subjected to his venom. Even when he made his way up front, his mood about sent me over the edge. I didn’t feel like a confident adult when he was up front. Everything I did or said was returned with a snide remark or a roll of the eyes. From that day on, I banished him to the seats in the back. I don’t need him to bring the entire tour down. I wash my hands of grumpiness.

Beautiful couples: The wonderful thing about touring with a mature crowd is you meet a lot of neat people that have been married for 40 and 50 years. This tour had one particular couple that has been married more than 50 years. The wife had a stroke a couple years ago, and is doing well, but she’s somewhat forgetful. The husband was so patient and kind. Everywhere we went they both had such enthusiasm. They were excited to see each place and they always did it holding each hands. I told them they were such a cute couple. He told me with a sly grin, “She used to hold my hand because she loved me, now it’s so she doesn’t fall over.” The love was so evident. In sickness and in health.

Nurse duty: Every pharmacy along the trail was visited by our guests, and even the hospital in Custer, SD. One guest’s asthma started acting up. We were able to get her to the doctor at the hospital on July 4 and then pick up prescriptions at the hospital in Deadwood, SD, the following day. She was very grateful for the help.

Personality conflicts: On this tour we had a couple of friends that talked a ton. They annoyed all the people around them, so I was creative with the seat rotation so everyone could “enjoy” their conversation.

Big game: We saw a mamma bear and two cubs at Yellowstone! They were playing in a tree and it was the cutest thing. Also I saw the most massive elk. His antlers were still in velvet and he was having trouble going through the trees. I can’t imagine how big he’ll be when the antlers are done growing. Unfortunately I couldn’t get a good picture through the coach windows.

Lack of sleep: This is my own fault. I didn’t feel prepared enough or comfortable with all my commentary so I got four to five hours of sleep a night. Sometimes less. However, I’m now more prepared, and I know what I need to do to improve on the tour and my performance.

I say all this, and I still love it. You have the challenges and little sleep, but there aren’t many who get the chance to see these sights once, much less work in them. This particular tour started in Scottsdale and went to Sedona, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Billings, Custer, Deadwood, Cheyenne and Denver. See what I mean? Who wouldn’t love having challenges in these locales?

It’s all for the love of travel.