Mom on the Road!  Yes, I picked up Mom at four am and we made our way to St. John’s Airport.  She confessed that she could not sleep as the excitement kept her awake all night.  It was not her first time on a plane as she’s flown a half dozen times before, but this her first time on a trip with the band.  

I used my AC Upgrade Certificates and got Mom her first jaunt in Business Class.  She asked if she had to pay for the tea and was thrilled to find out that she could have all she wanted for nothing.  

We dashed trough US Customs at Pearson Airport and made it just in time to catch our flight to Albany.  We boarded the Beechcraft 10-seater plane and I saw my Mom’s eyes bulge.  I had taken her from first class on one of Air Canada’s biggest planes to what I suspect is the smallest aircraft in the airline’s fleet.  We both settled in and enjoyed the rattle and hum, the swaying and bouncing of the chirper little flight across the border.

Mom’s sister Maude lives in Saratoga, near Albany and we surprised her with an early visit.  Aunt Maude is a grand gal who loves a song and a laugh and despite her decades away from the Rock has not lost her Newfoundland accent or attitude.

Quite a thrill to re-unite two sisters for the first time in a few years, I must say.

Last nights crowd did not fill the theatre but at 700 strong, was over triple the attendance of our last visit to Albany a few years back.  It was a bit of a feat of memory, but I think I remembered all the words.  The room was filled with enthusiastic singers, so I probably would have got away with a few more mistakes.

Grand review in the local paper to boot.

Not a bad start.

Cheers for now.

Alan