Maeve was a neighbor of ours in Boston living in the penthouse of the brownstone next to ours in Boston. We don’t really remember exactly when we met her as she kind of snuck into our lives, first as the girlfriend of our next door neighbor John Greene and then as his wife. We have definitely known her less than ten years though. She loves to travel and is very well traveled starting at a very young age. She has come to stay with us previously in San Miguel de Allende Mexico in 2022. Maeve comes to San Diego with a full agenda as she wants to visit with her 90+ year old uncle in Laguna and she wants to spend a night in Palm Springs and see Joshua Tree National Monument.
Our friend and former Boston neighbor Maeve looking out over San Diego Harbor from the convention center after we climbed 100 stairs. Maeve likes to stay very active.We took the ferry to Coronado and walked to the Hotel Del Coronado. Known here as just The Del.This gorgeous victorian home is known as the Baby Del house and was originally located in the Sherman Heights neighborhood of San Diego. It was moved by barge in 1983 to Coronado. Built in 1887 at a cost of $5,000 it was the home of Mrs Harriett Livingston. In 2021 the listing price was $24,000,000MLK Day at Coronado Beach.The Crown room was considered an architectural achievement spanning 160 feet by 60 feet without any pillars to interrupt the view.In 1920 an enormous banquet was held here for England’s Prince of Wales. Wallis Simpson, the woman he later married and abdicated the throne for lived in Coronado in a place called Windsor Cottage which is now a private club at the hotel. In 1927 Charles Lindbergh was honored with his own celebration after his successful solo trans-Atlantic flight. Unfortunately because of current restoration we were unable to take a tour of it.The kissing couple were perfect strangers. The woman was Greta Friedman, a dental assistant from New York City wearing a nurses uniform. “It wasn’t my choice to be kissed” she reported. The sailor who grabbed her was George Mendonsa from Newport, Rhode Island. “It was the moment” he said “you come back from the Pacific and the war ends. I had a few drinks so when I saw the nurse I grabbed and kissed her.” Interestingly he had a date with him at the time who he later married. She actually is seen in the background of the famous photo. Many have claimed it was them but facial recognition photography has confirmed the pairs identities. Greta was an Austrian born American who died at the age of 92 (2016) and George at the age of 93 (2019). What long lives they led, such is the power of a kiss and gratitude for coming home alive from a war.This Memorial in San Diego near the Midway aircraft carrier museum and Kiss/Embrace statue is a tribute to Bob Hope. The name Bob Hope is synonymous with USO. The comedian participated in 57 USO tours, visiting military members during World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and the first Gulf War.The USS Midway was the longest serving aircraft carrier in the 20th century. Named after the battle of Midway of June 1942 it was built in only 17 months but missed WW ll by one week. The Midway’s first combat deployment came in 1965 flying strikes against North Vietnam. Midway aircraft shot down three MiGs, including the first air kill of the war. However 17 Midway aircraft were lost to enemy fire during this deployment.We highly recommend taking a tour of this ship which is now a Museum.Jim developed a persistent cough just before our last visitors (Tom and Donna) left and it developed into a high fever shortly after Maeve’s arrival. Within a short time he became sick enough to go to the Emergency Department. Sandy was so grateful to have Maeve here who aborted her San Diego sightseeing and drove Jim and Sandy to Mercy Scripps hospital where he was found to be septic and in kidney failure from Influenza A. Within 24 hours they had him cured and back home. We can’t say enough about the amazing care he received and we are so grateful to dodge another medical emergency bullet during our Nomad life.
Maeve took our rental car to Laguna and Palm Springs by herself. None of Jim’s contacts which included Tom and Donna Quirk in the same car with him when he started coughing, his bedmate Sandy or houseguest Maeve came down with any illness.
So relieved Jim is recovered from another scary occurance. Angel on his shoulder. Enjoyed the blog. ( Sandy, tell Jim that’s enough for a while. Stay healthy.) 🙂
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