I took this shot back in April 2012. I had decided to visit America, and I got the piggy from Amazon to save up my coins for spending money. The USA had never really been on my ‘go to’ destinations, I’d seen enough of it on TV and it didn’t float my boat at all. Egypt, Japan, Thailand, Cook Islands, Raratonga, these were the exotic destinations I’d travel to in my head.  Not America where everyone shoots and asks questions later. 🙂 But back in ’07 I joined Flickr, and found many contacts from various parts of USA, and saw their wonderful photo’s of an amazingly visual treat of a place. And I got to know them over a period of time, as much as anyone can know anyone on a virtual platform. And then bit by bit I found myself connecting more and more with a contact, FRPTlady, who drove a school bus in Rochester NY. The bus was yellow and immediately I thought of Otto from the Simpsons (my definitive imagination of America). FRPTlady is actually Kathy Salvatore, but she is Mrs.O for Otto to me. We’ve been chatting on Flickr, Facebook, Ipernity, for a long while now, and back in 2012 I decided I was going to go and visit Mrs.O and have a holiday in the US of A.

2 years on now, and I had to invest in a second piggy to hoard my coins. Today I counted up, £265, $445.266 and went shopping for holiday clothes 🙂

I am so excited to be visiting the USA. I’m old enough now to appreciate our national connections. My chap Phil is a history buff, and I now understand WW1 & WW2 gave our nations a bond that I don’t think should ever be broken. I can’t wait to experience the landscapes, the people, the food and the history. I am beside myself that I’ll be visiting Niagara Falls, Columbia and Nashville. I am so looking forward to seeing Kathy & her Hubby Dave.

I got some spends 🙂