In 1967 my Grandparents James and Louisa Jupp decided to visit there Eldest daughter and her family in America,(their first over-seas holiday).They arrived on the Queen Elizabeth, docking in New York on June 6th.
They were met by the Grindle’s and travelled the remainder of the journey to Indiana by car. The cruise provided a chance to get acquainted with many Canadian and American tourists. The auto trip was one of fascination for them as they passed through the mountains of Pennsylvania and into the mid western farmland, which reminded them of their own farm lands, with the many grain crops along the way. One of the first things that impressed them was the great width and breadth of the US. Coming from the small island country, the vastness of space here was almost inconceivable.
My Grandfather was a retired London bus driver, spending 15 years at the wheel. He would often tell stories about the famed London Fog, he reminisced that many times when he drove a bus, the fog would be so thick by 5:30 p.m., that the only way he could finish his route was to follow along behind the conductor as he walked along the edge of the road carrying a lantern. He said it was much better now, since no coal was used for fuel anymore to cause the smog condition, though they do still have the fog rolling in at times.
They then resided about 50 miles from London, near Royston, Hertfordshire, on an acre of ground where they raised a large garden, chickens, and rabbits. They were not used to the heat of the American summer and they had tried to grow some of their corn without much success because of the cool climate.
My Grandparents both had a marvellous sense of humour and enjoyed telling of the problems they had in understanding the money, speech and customs. They weren’t always sure of what their young grandsons, Mike and Steve, were talking about, and often had to get their daughter to clear up the confusion. She said they had been tempted to really send a waitress into shock by asking for “Steak and Kidney pie” or “Yorkshire Pudding with Roast Beef;” and laughingly stated that iced tea was an absolute sacrilege! “Tea should always be very hot!”
They commented particularly on the friendliness of everyone and the much kindness shown them. They were very pleasantly surprised when the people who had worked with Mrs Grindle at Owens – Illinois, invited them to the club house for a party in their honour, where they were presented with several nice gifts and then taken on a guided tour of the factory. They would treasure the lovely tea set gifts even more, because they were so unexpected and given in such warm friendship. My Aunt also mentioned that she felt it was particularly thoughtful of the group, since she hadn’t worked with them for several months.
They returned home to England on August 23rd aboard the Queen Mary and were glad to get back to their normal routine, but they would long remember the vastness of the U.S. and the friendliness of its people.
