Celebrating Fifty Trips Around The Sun With A Transatlantic Cruise – In Memoriam

It is a bit unusual to start a trip report at the end rather than at the beginning. Sadly, there is a good reason for this. While Graham and I were sitting at New York JFK airport waiting for our flight home, a dear friend and her husband were involved in a serious car accident coming back from a night out. As a result of this, both of them lost their lives. This is the news I woke up to after I got some sleep when we got home.

Sandra was the kindest and most supportive person you could imagine. She had followed my trip reports ever since my first cautious attempts all the way back in 2008. We had met through an Orlando focused online forum, which was also where I posted my trips report. Initially those trip reports were heavily focused on Orlando and Disney, but she continued following along when our travels took us to more exotic places. She was always happy to provide some gentle encouragement whether I was suffering from a bit of writer’s blog or when I was considering going back to writing trip reports after the pandemic following a career change. 

Indeed, this blog may not exist without her encouragement. About a year before this trip, it was announced that the forum that had been the home for my trip reports from day one would close down.  I was disappointed as it had been less than a year since I had started on doing trip reports again and I was rather enjoying it.  I posted something along the lines of that my trip reporting days are over. She responded straightaway that she could understand if this had run its course for me, but if I still enjoyed doing it, maybe I should explore other options. She also reassured me that she would follow my trip reports wherever I choose to post them. This and similar feedback from other people encouraged me to look around for other options and this ultimately led me to WordPress. Still, very nearly this blog did not see the light of day as I got very frustrated with some teething problems with setting up the blog. Again, Sandra  was the voice of reason and provided some gentle encouragement. I am very glad she did.

Because of all these reasons, I have decided to dedicate this trip report to their memory. The timing is also very fitting as we said our final goodbyes on Friday. Rest in peace, Sandra and Brian Spinks. You will forever live on in our hearts.