“Aussie Bill” Visits U.S. Roots (2006)

For the first time in five years, I returned to the U.S. to visit family and friends, and it was great to see everyone again. Ann and Roger were wonderful hosts during my 18-day homecoming and the gorgeous weather that I brought from Melbourne stimulated us to do a lot of sailing--about six days’ worth—plus a nighttime dash on the Long Island Sound from Darien to Norwalk with brother Dave in his speedy runabout for a fantastic dinner with Ginny and nephew Derek and nieice Danielle at the Harbor Lights restaurant.

Ann and I had fun revisiting some of our Manhattan childhood haunts around 14 E. 90^th St., most notably across the street in Central Park, which was our playground in the early 1940s. It was amusing to see again the second floor corner apartment window of our apartment through which our Daddy watched us to make sure we went inside the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest next door on Sunday mornings, as instructed, each of us four kids clutching dimes in our hot little hands that were intended for the offering plate. Instead we would go in one church door and out another and slip around the corner on Fifth Avenue to the neighborhood convenience store to buy candy and comic books with the money.

We met up with sister Ginny after our nostalgia walk and had a nice lunch at a waterside restaurant on the Hudson River. Ginny came out to Connecticut for one of two family reunion parties held at Nancy and Andy’s house next door to Ann and Roger’s little horse farm in Cos Cob. It was great to see everybody and also to give all of the great-nephews and great-nieces a look at the long lost great-uncle from Down Under.

I took the high-speed Acela train down to Washington for a brief visit and, after returning to Melbourne, I flew off with Alma and friends Dennis and Pat for an 18-day visit to Bali.

Following are some of the many photos which I took or which great-nephew 13-year-old Tyler Chapin took during a photo op frenzy with my digital camera in Connecticut.