Our Wedding Journey, Part III

December 20, 1969

As I wrote last time, we arrived in New Orleans, our honeymoon destination, late, late, late at night. We were headed for a nice set of rooms in the French Quarter, a place I'd reserved after finding a description in one of those AAA Travel Guides (sacred texts in the Dyer household!). It sounded perfect.

When we got there, I had to pound on the door/ring the bell for a while before an attendant arrived. His message was brief--and cold: "You're late. We gave your room to someone else."

"But ... it's our honeymoon ...."

"I'm so sorry."

Not.

Now what? This--recall--was well before the era of cell phones and Internet.

I checked our AAA Guide again and saw there was a Ramada Inn right downtown, so there we headed, and (whew!) they had a room. We dragged our things upstairs, fell into bed, exhausted ... and grateful.

We were in New Orleans for several days, and here are a few of the things we did:

• Went to a jazz club (can't remember the name--but it was great)
• Took a cruise up into bayou country--Joyce was already ensnared by the writings of Kate Chopin (on whom she would write her dissertation, on whom she would publish her first book--link to book on Amazon)
• walked around the French Quarter--looking at old cemeteries, etc.
• ate food we'd never eaten before (including an incredible seafood gumbo)
• celebrated Christmas in our hotel room, employing a little faux Christmas tree (the ornaments looked like gumdrops), a gift my mom had sent along with us; we both were a bit sad, I remember--our first Christmas away from our home; we both called our homes ... very emotional

Then we decided to go to a movie on Christmas night--there was one not far away. And showing that night? A new James Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. It was the only Bond, by the way, that would star George Lazenby, who (let's be kind) did not convince critics (and many (most?) viewers) that he was 007. (Link to some video.)

I'd loved all the previous Bond films--and had seen the first, Dr. No, at the old Hiram College Cinema back in 1963 (it had been released in May, so it was probably a few months later; it was the summer after my first year at Hiram College).

Joyce was not much of a Bond fan then, and this film did not do a lot to endear her to the series. And here's why: Bond gets married near the end to Tracy (played by Diana Rigg), and as they are driving off on their honeymoon, their car is attacked, and Tracy is shot dead.

How's that for a movie to go see on your own honeymoon!?! Let's just say that Joyce had a few ... questions ... afterward. (I would guess that she was already wondering what in the hell she had done!)

After a few days it was time to head home. I had to return to teaching 7th graders at the Aurora Middle School; Joyce had to return to her grad school classes at Kent State--and to her teaching assistantship.

But as we were driving north, I got an idea. Let's go home a different way!

TO BE CONTINUED ...