The "My Friend Sue …… Just Sue" Story

LDub, Carol, Just Sue and Jerry with our luggage.

It was an ordinary day.  For years you have been reading about vacations and trips that Carol and I have taken with our friends Jerry and Just Sue.  Guess I should tell you one more time why we call her Just Sue rather than …. well, just Sue.  Goes back to a vacation when the travel agent thought her name was Susan and we got our airline tickets and her tickets said Susan on them.  Wouldn't match her passport so they had to be changed.  She reminded the travel agent that it was just Sue and not Susan.  So, she then became known to us as Just Sue.  Anyway, Sue has some rather neat collections and hobbies and the last time Carol and I visited with her and Jerry in State College, I took a few photos to show you her collections.  I enjoy looking at them, since it brings back memories of past trips we had taken together, but I'm sure you will enjoy seeing what other travelers find interesting to collect.  The first few photos are the beer bottle collection she has from the Caribbean islands as well as the island of Hawaii.  

Presidente is from Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, Banks beer is from Barbados and Turks Head was from Provinciales in the Turks and Caicos island chain.

Wadadli beer is from Antigua, Red Stripe is the beer of Jamaica and Medalla is from Puerto Rico.

Imperial beer is from Costa Rico, Amstel beer is from Curacao and the Pacificio is from Caba.

Last four are Longboard beer from Hawaii, Carib which is from St. Martin and the last two, Sands and Kalik, were both from the Bahamas.  Many of the beers are found on other island than what I listed, but they were the beers that Sue was told were the local beers and the ones that she had to drink in order to add them to her collection.  Some beers she had to have multiple samples of to make sure she the bottle didn't break while in her suitcase in transit.

Sue's plate collection features dishes that carry the name of the island where it was made, the flags of the Caribbean islands and a map of the entire Caribbean.  Click on the image to enlarge it so you can view it better.

This seems to be a popular souvenir for many travels.  The magnets are inexpensive and usually easy to find when traveling to new locations.  

The last of Sue's collection is more than just a collection.  The notebooks feature stories, photos, prices of items, food of the island, money used in the island and histories of the islands that she has traveled to over the years.  Her notebook collection features 22 travel books.  Pretty impressive!!  When we talk about returning to an island where we have traveled to before, we can count of using her notebooks to give us information on places we wish to visit one more time.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Just a few of her 22 notebooks that feature the places Sue has visited.