MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON ANNIVERSARY

A REAL FLIGHT DELAY

Sully

Lately VFH has suffered a rash of travel delays. Between energy outages and inclement weather, we’ve endured nearly a week’s worth of wasted days, but who are we to complain? Inconvenient? Yes, but not life-threatening.

Today is the anniversary of a serious life-threatening travel delay and it puts everything into perspective.

On January 15, 2009, US Airways flight 1549 left LaGuardia Airport in New York City bound for Charlotte, North Carolina. Piloted by Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger the plane stuck a flock of Canadian geese almost immediately at an extremely low altitude. Losing power Sully decided to ditch the plane in the Hudson River as the safest alternative. He couldn’t make it back to LaGuardia or reach Teteboro, an airport in New Jersey. It wasn’t a “crash” it was a forced landing.

With the help of the Circle Line tour boats (and the Coast Guard) all passengers and crew were saved and though Sully was deemed a hero by some his decision to land in the Hudson rather than try to glide his crippled plane to an airport was scrutinized by the NTSB.

A sobering tale, retold in the 2016 Clint Eastwood film “Sully” starring Tom Hanks in the titular role. Remember this when you want to grouse at the passenger service agents about being inconvenienced in your travels.

Thanks for reading

Love Janet and greg

LIVE  (SAFE) TRAVELS  LOVE

© 2025 by Gregory Dunaj

STORY ABOUT CIRCLE LINE CAPTAIN SAVING PASSENGERS 

"SULLY" TRAILER 

CIRCLE LINE TOURS NYC

SULLY SULLENBERGER WEBSITE

WANDERLUST ON HOLD

PUTTING THE FEET UP

Since Thanksgiving, Vacations From Home has NOT been home.

A trip to St. Lucia that began in late November turned difficult because of travel delays. When we finally returned in mid-December, we had just five days at home before a quick turnaround and a 20-day trip to England. Weather travel delays made the trip even longer!  We didn’t even bother decorating for Christmas and the joy of wanderlust has dimmed for a while.

All I want to do is lock the front door, lower the blinds and laze about on the couch.  

Sadly, Janet had a prior commitment to travel to Florida with college chums that a hurricane postponed in October. We finally got home last Tuesday late and on Wednesday several college friends were rendezvousing at our middle-class garret in Collegeville for the eventual flight to Ft. Myers. When they finally left, I locked the front door and lowered the blinds, put my feet up and nursed a malingering cold with whisky. Save for the twice daily dog walks I haven’t left the house.

Don't worry Janet will be back soon and after her own stretch of down time we will start gearing up for our next trip in mid-February.

I know, I know....1st world problems.

© 2025 by Gregory Dunaj

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HOME AFTER DELAYS, FINALLY

72 or 3 we stay

Our trip to England was supposed to last just 20 days, enough time with the family over the holidays. We left early Sunday morning, but because of weather delays we didn't get home until nearly midnight on Tuesday, a full three days later. 

The whole experience felt like a frenetic song by Chicago: 

26 or 5 to 4. 

See the video after my feeble attempt at writing prose.

It will be good to home for a while.

Stuck here for another day

Sitting through a plane delay

Snow flurries against the sky

Giving up, I close my eyes

Sitting cross-legged on the bed

72 or 3 to dread

Staring at the computer screen

So many cancels it’s just mean

Wanting to just go home

Instead, I’m in this hotel room

Could have tried to do some more?

72 or 3 is what I’m for

Feeling like I ought to sleep

Spinning room is sinking deep

Searching for another way

But it’s gonna take a few more days

72 hours or 3 days

72 hours or 3 days

(apologies to Robert Lamm and Chicago et al)

I LOVE ENGLAND… BUT

STILL NOT HOME

This was already a long trip away from home. We were slated to be in Nantwich for 20 days total over the Christmas and New Year’s Eve holidays.

We certainly enjoyed spending plenty of time with the family in Nantwich, but it was time to leave. We have only been home for five days since November and Janet is traveling to Florida on Thursday. There was no time to dawdle.

Except we are not leaving England. We should have left yesterday, Sunday, but we won't get home until late Tuesday night. What can best be described as a meager snowstorm closed Manchester airport for a while, delaying our flight to London Heathrow, enough to miss our connecting flight to Philadelphia. England is always a far better choice than Philadelphia, but we needed to get home.

The next two days of American airline flights to Philadelphia out of LHR are filled. So British Airlines (who operated the flight out of Manchester) placed us on a Virgin Atlantic flight on TUESDAY. We were supposed to be home Sunday. We will first fly to Boston on Virgin Atlantic before connecting with a flight to Philadelphia, arriving TUESDAY evening.

We are staying for two-days in a hotel near the airport that British Air arranged for us.  

This is a persistent theme with us lately. Instead of hours of traveling, it has been days of traveling to reach our destination.  We managed to fly to both Vietnam and Fiji in less time.  

UGH.

This morning on the BBC there’s talk of flooding from more rain and snow melt, with the correspondent addressing this issue in front of green grass dotted with snow. Overreaction?

Well, they are closing schools in Nantwich: NANTWICH NEWS

UGH Thankfully the destinations make up for the aggravation.

I love traveling.

Love Janet and greg

© 2025 by Gregory Dunaj

BRIGHT OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW YEAR

2025        

January 1 2025 Nantwich FC match

At the beginning of every new year comes a wealth of hope and optimism. With a new year everything seems possible, all the horizons are bright. One can hopefully shrug off the past, because everything has started anew.

For us the new year brings us a whole slew of new places to visit and in 2025 we have already planned a trip in February to Thailand. In May we’re off to the big island of Hawaii. In December we travel to the Caribbean Island nation of St. Vincent. And, we are still in Nantwich where we were graced by a rainbow during the Dabbers football match.

So, it seems we have a good start this year.

Resolutions to fix things that need to be addressed also receive attention. Lots of people may endeavor to improve their health and plan to really frequent a gym. Here’s the best advice I can offer: “Remember, It’s not what you weigh, but what the weight looks like.”™

Happy New Year from Team VFH

Love Janet and greg

© 2025 by Gregory Dunaj

VACATIONS FROM HOME 2024 RECAP

OH, THE PLACES WE’VE GONE AND THE PLACES WE’LL BE 

Apologies to Theodor Geisel

 

With our heads filled with brains and our shoes filled with feet

And our hearts all swollen because the world is a treat 

There are so many places so many to choose

Team VFH has no time to lose

Is it best to go here, or over to there?

Should we see this or just have a beer?

Whether to swim in tropical climes

Or to clamber up mountainous climbs

There are all these choices because the big world is a treat

With our heads filled with brains and our shoes filled with feet

Now’s not the time to just sit and to wait

For things to happen or a sign that is great

There’s too much to see too much to do

Cause by now you know about our brains and our shoes

We’ve been plenty of places so far, this is true

But what’s on the horizon we will always pursue

The places we’ll go, we’ll give you a clue

Because well you know those feet and those shoes

The new year awaits there’s destinations anew

But where we’ve been is quite marvelous too

We traveled to far and exotic lands

Where people speak and you can’t understand

But love is the same wherever you walk

And the smiles melt the incoherent squawks

We were in Vietnam and Cambodia too

As different a world than we ever knew

But smiles still brimmed and it was quite a show

And we were forgiven for mispronouncing “Pho”.

In Vietnam we saw lanterns and beaches and trains in the street

In Cambodia we dodged monkeys and monks and crickets to eat

There were tunnels in Vietnam to explore

And so many temples in Cambodia, “wait there’s more?”

Closer to home was Nashville in June

And my heart swelled then like an enormous balloon 

It was in Tennessee I finally saw my daughter again

After years between hugs and pandemic caused strains

Despite all the years the love was still there

And I have to admit a fought back a tear

Vegas was next and a Rat Pack show

Of a faux Frank and Davis and the crooner named Deano

We were there for a wedding, but something was amiss

Because the officiant was not a midget Elvis  

With all of these travels you would think we’d be done

But the brains are still working and there’s still so much more fun

And you see our shoes are still filled with our feet

And to see more of this world is always a treat

St. Lucia was next, all beaches and sand 

Paradise and rum on this tropical island 

We saw turtles and rays when we dove and "got wet" 

And every day ended with a brilliant sunset

Now the year is ending and we're still on the road 

But traveling for us never gets old  

Christmas in England is always so sweet  

And seeing the kids is the biggest treat

But remember! There’s no time to wait

Time slips past and it will always be too late

It’s a big world out there, someone’s got to see it

Especially when our heads are still filled with brains and our shoes filled with feet

Happy New Year

Love Janet and greg

© 2024 by Gregory Dunaj

CHRISTMAS IN NANTWICH

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

DABBER PARADISE

Team VFH is back in Nantwich, England for Christmas. We consider it our second home, at least until we’ve overstayed our welcome.

We’ve been traveling to this historical and charming little town in Chesire since 2011 when Janet’s daughter married an English lad who was born and raised here and have since made their home in Nantwich. We come here to visit them and the grandchildren of course, and over the years Nantwich has become as familiar to us as our hometown of Collegeville, PA.

There are so many points of interest for us here that it would be too unwieldly to put it in one article, but here’s a few:

DABBERS

Their wedding was held at the wattle and daub Crown Hotel which dates from the late 1500s. There are a number of these types of structures throughout Nantwich, bulging and leaning haphazardly. The Crown has a very posh pub on the ground floor and a fine restaurant. On that wedding night we ran up quite the tab at the pub.

THE CROWN HOTEL NANTWICH

Dabbers is the nickname for Nantwich citizens as well as the local town’s Football Club. 

We like to take in a game when we’re here. Usually they play on Boxing Day, December 26^th, but they are away this year, so we went to a game last weekend.

NANTWICH TOWN FC 

THE BELLS OF ST MARY’S

Set in the middle of town presiding over a picture-card square is the Anglican church of St. Mary’s. She dates from the mid-13^th Century and each time we visit Nantwich we light votive candles for our dearly departed family members.

Monk's Lane with
St. Mary's

The bell ringers of the church practice on Thursday nights, but throughout the days the peal of their craft reports off the surrounding buildings. It is a majestic sound and at midnight of the New Year the square brims with people to literally “ring in the new year”. 

If you are interested in tapping into your inner Quasimodo, they invite the curious to come by: 

BELL RINGING AT ST MARY'S NANTWICH 

PUB CRAWLS

The pub culture in England thrives in Nantwich and there are several we like to visit while here. The previously mentioned Crown Hotel is expensive, or posh. The Nantwich Club is not, but you do need to be invited. We have an “in” there with the father-in-law who is a member. Other notables are The Vine, The Leopard and The Red Cow.

Speaking of dearly departed, the first pub we frequented in Nantwich, The Rifleman, affectionately called “The Gun” has closed and is now a funeral parlor.

FESTIVALS

Again, too many to mention in one sitting, but here are a few:

The Nantwich Food Festival, September - We attended this in 2023. A great excuse to drink craft beer and eat a lot of food.

Nantwich Show, July – We attended this as well in 2019 at nearby Reaseheath College. Basically a massive 4-H event UK style.

Jazz and Blues Festival, Easter weekend – We have to get to this one eventually.

The Battle of Nantwich, - January – A reenactment of a major 1644 battle during the English Civil War.

Words and Music Festival, - October – Shakespeare wannabees and musical acts descend on the town for a week of performances.

WALK ABOUTS

Janet once fretted that I would get bored in Nantwich, but there’s lots of walking to do through town. Stopping for coffee, or the library or a pub is always on the agenda and finding new ways through town via back alleys and snickets, public cut-throughs, is always a fun way to wile away the afternoon.

WELSH ROW

On this current trip I crossed the River Weaver up Welsh Row to walk the towpath along the Shropshire Union Canal, part of the vast network of canals in England. The border with Wales has changed a lot over the years and used to edge up to the river

Speaking of Wales, we have made several day trips to places like Llangollen and Llandudno. Other places in England we’ve visited on day trips or overnighters have been Chester, Liverpool, Lake Windermere in the Lake District (where Beatrix Potter of Peter Rabbit fame lived) and York. We’ve also used Nantwich as a jumping off point for several mini vacations in Europe. Cheap flights are routinely available from Ryan Air. We’ve traveled to Bruges, Budapest, Tenerife and Seville.

CHRISTMAS LOGISTICS

Managing the logistics of a holiday gathering can be harrowing, especially when everyone hails from far-flung locales, but Nantwich is a precious gathering place.

This is our third time to be here for Christmas, and perhaps this is the best time to visit.

The grandchildren are always excited to see us, but they do keep their eyes on the growing cache of presents underneath the tree. We always bargain with them about the time for a Christmas morning wake-up and I think we’ve got it to 6:00 am, and I’m sure the pounding on our bedroom door will begin RIGHT AT THAT TIME and not a moment later.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

SHROPSHIRE UNION CANAL

Love Janet and greg

© 2024 by Gregory Dunaj