Thursday, June 30, 2016

I’m sitting here at dusk looking at the tiny Exeter River (maybe 30’ across) flow by.  All I see are trees, bushes and water.  Some of the bushes across the way have white blooms on them.  It’s a peaceful ending to what was unexpectedly a hectic day.

We left our campground south of Boston and drove around Boston on I-495, staying out of the city.   Technically our next campground was 2 hours away.  I’m just glad that we got a fairly early start, as traffic was horrible.  There was also construction, which really slows things down.

We’re spending the night near Exeter, New Hampshire, where we have a lovely riverside site.  But somehow we managed to miss our exit from the interstate (and the phone didn’t correct us!).  We got off an exit or two later, where there was a sign indicating a TA gas station.  Since they typically service semi trucks, we knew they would have diesel and we also needed DEF (which I can’t explain but our diesel engine needs periodically).

There must be major anti signage laws in New England, as we’ve noticed this before.  There was one sign indicating TA to the left, and all we could see was a Sunoco station.  And the trees are dense here and the roads aren’t straight, so we couldn’t see ahead.  Finally we pulled into a Lowes to check online and we still had a mile or so to go.  When we go to the intersection, we still couldn’t see the station (mind you, this is a large truck stop) and there’s one small sign, slightly larger than your normal Exit sign, indicating we should turn left.  Finally we saw the entrance and pulled in.  Whew!

Except trouble was just beginning.  The DEF goes into the engine compartment, so Steve had pulled up short so he could put the DEF in.  But at this station, before you can buy DEF you have to buy diesel, which we didn’t know until we went inside.  By this time, it’s well past noon (we should have been parked by about 11), so I’m scrounging in the truck stop for something for lunch, while Steve’s maneuvering the truck and filling it in the appropriate order.  But at least we have the DEF we’ll need to get through Canada.  It’s hard to get in the states but even harder in Canada.  

So we’re off, back down the interstate to the correct exit and get off.  Then we have to drive through Exeter to get to the campground.  The town was established in 1639 and a lot of the roads seem to follow the paths and trails from those days – narrow and twisting.  It’s actually quite a lovely town with many older homes that have been well taken care of.  But it can be nerve racking to drive a trailer through.

We finally pull in and our spot is lovely!  Tranquil and peaceful.  Just what we needed.  We relax for a bit and then head into town for dinner.  We usually use TripAdvisor to help us find a good place to eat and it didn’t let us down.  They sent us to a place called the Lobster Boat (which was in a strip mall).  Steve had “lazy lobster” (lobster meat out of the shell and broiled) and I had swordfish.  It was a casual place with good food.

Down the way was a Great Clips, so we stopped in and got our hair cut before we headed home to relax and watch the river.

I’ll try and get some details of our recent stops posted in the next few days, but wanted to share my lazy river view with you.

Take care,
Deb

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

We are camped near Hyde Park, NY, which is where the home and presidential library of our 32nd president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), are located.

The house, Springwood, dates to 1800 and was purchased by Roosevelt’s father in 1866.

Both his father and FDR made many changes and the house today stands as it was when FDR died.  He left it to the country.  His family removed what they wanted, which wasn’t a lot since they all had other homes.  Eleanor, Franklin’s wife, had had her own “hide-a-way” on the estate for many years, and that’s where she resided after Franklin’s death.

FDR was the president during most of the depression and World War 2.  He is remembered for his “new deal” for the American people, which, along with other things, brought us Social Security.  He also made jobs for people with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  As we travel around this country, we are frequently reminded of the work of these groups, especially in state and national parks, where trails were blazed, and lodges and shelters built.

He was also the president who oversaw the development of the atom bomb.

He was our only president elected to 4 terms, but he only served a little over 12 years.  He died only months after his 4th inauguration.  Harry Truman was his 3rd vice president and the evidence now shows that Roosevelt expected to resign as soon as the war was over and that Truman would become president.  Unfortunately, he died before he had brought Truman into the workings of the White House and Truman had a rough beginning.

FDR originally only planned on two terms and started building his presidential library in 1938.  He had been disturbed to find that papers from most previous presidencies had not been kept.  His second term would have been up in 1940 and he proposed to have his library ready.   It was, and he used the office in it throughout his 3rd term, the only president to use his library during his term in office.  It sits out of sight of the home, but close by.

In 1921, Franklin contracted polio and lived the rest of his life paralyzed from the waist down.  Through great perseverance, he could stand with the help of leg braces and someone’s supporting arm.  He even managed to “walk” a few steps, with support, by twisting his upper torso to move his legs in braces.  At the time, physical disability was equated with mental disability and he knew if he wanted to continue his political career, he needed to appear to be “cured”.  There are only 4 known photos of him in a wheel chair.  Amazingly, the press supported this deception and never wrote about him being disabled.   I have often wondered what difference it might have made for other disabled people if he had been open about his disability.

Eleanor and Franklin had a very unusual partnership.  After she found out about an affair in 1918, she offered to divorce him.  Both Franklin’s mother, who said she would disinherit him, and his political advisors, vetoed the idea.  After that, there was no romantic relationship, but Eleanor continued to be one of his best political supporters and was often his eyes and ears in places he could not go.  She was one of our most active First Ladies.  On the grounds was this statue, which I quite like.

Another interesting art piece is one done by Winston Churchill’s granddaughter, Edwina Sandys.  The figures were cut out of sections of the Berlin wall and the work is called Break Free.  Near by are the busts of Winston and Franklin.

“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough to those who have too little.”  Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

As we were going through the museum, there were many items of interest.  One was Eleanor Roosevelt’s suitcase.  This was how she traveled.  One suitcase, smaller than most of today’s carry-ons.  It reminded us very much of Charley’s Grandma Clara’s suitcase, which he showed us recently.

If only we could all travel so lightly!

I also think I found the inspiration for Darth Vader.  There were many world war posters and this one caught my eye.

Looks like Darth Vader to me!

Deb

Monday, June 20, 2016

We are at Liberty Harbor RV Park, which advertises itself as the closest RV park to New York City.  It’s actually in Jersey City, NJ, across the river from Manhattan.

And while the view out the back window is nothing to write home about:

you can see Lady Liberty from the front of our rig if you try hard enough.

The view does get better in the evening.

The park is a paved parking lot with water and electricity available.  It serves its purpose well and has a prime location.  I was all for avoiding New York City but Steve wanted to see the Statue of Liberty.  This park is near the ferries to Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and Castle Clinton (which preceded Ellis Island as an immigration center).

Named after an early governor of New York, Castle Clinton originally protected the city.  Until the 1850s, there was no regulation of immigrants.  Castle Clinton became the first immigration center.  Steve has ancestors who came through Castle Clinton.

Steve figured out all the ferries and explored Castle Clinton on Sunday after we arrived.

Monday our first stop was Ellis Island.  This is where your ancestors were processed if they came through New York between 1892 and 1954.

This is the hall where the immigrants were evaluated physically, mentally and legally.

On most days, they processed 3000 immigrants.  Their biggest day was about 12,000.  Most immigrants were processed the same day they arrived and were on their way.

Our next stop was Liberty Island, the home of the Statue of Liberty.  I hadn’t been here since I was 3, and Steve hadn’t ever been.  She’s a beautiful lady, who welcomed millions of immigrants, many of them refugees, to this country.

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

- Emma Lazarus

Most left bad conditions in their homeland – police and religious persecution, conscription of young boys into the army, and famine, among others.  Others fled for their very lives.  They gave up everything and everyone they knew for a chance at a better life.  Many traveled hundreds, even thousands of miles to get to a port to catch a boat.  They came with the clothes on their backs and, maybe, one satchel, bag or basket.  For most, whatever future was ahead would be better than what they left behind.

They saw the lady with the lamp and knew they had made it to America.  They had reached their goal.  And many had no idea what would come next.  But at Ellis Island they were processed quickly, fed, and given a bed if they could not be processed that day.  It was quite a change from a harrowing 15-day sea voyage with little to eat.

They gave up everything to come to this land, as millions before and since have done.

Steve and I both have ancestors who came through either Castle Clinton or Ellis Island.  They ended up in Wisconsin and Indiana.  Other ancestors came even earlier, on even more harrowing journeys.

Most people haven’t come to this country lightly.  They come for a better life.  We had a Russian student (who is now our daughter) staying with us when 9/11 happened.  As we watched the twin towers burn, she turned to me and said, “I still feel safer here.”

Deb

Saturday, June 18, 2016

We are at a KOA campground somewhere between Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.  It’s as close as we can get to Steve’s dad’s place.

But the campground is quite nice. Here’s the view out our window:

After Charlottesville and Montpelier, we headed towards Williamsburg.  It was a short drive, so we got the trailer settled and went into Colonial Williamsburg for lunch at one of the taverns.

Colonial Williamsburg is part of the modern city of Williamsburg, VA.  There are a few people who actually live in the colonial area and the church still has an active congregation.  No motorized traffic is allowed between 8 am and 10 pm, but there are parking lots on the perimeter to park if you want to eat at one of the taverns.  I had looked at the menus on line and chose Chowning’s Tavern, which is housed in an 18th century building.

It’s always fun to walk through Williamsburg.  It’s a step back in time, with boardwalks instead of sidewalks and streets that appear to be dirt, but aren’t.  I’m sure it’s much cleaner and neater than during revolutionary times.  Characters in historic costume stroll through, engaging the tourists.  They tend to make a special point with kids.  There were several engaging the kids in games in an open area.  And there are reminders of how different life was.  This is how goods were moved in the 18th century.

We had stopped at Williamsburg for a few days on our honeymoon 43 years ago and had eaten at Chowning’s tavern.  We had Brunswick stew and I bought the Williamsburg cookbook so I could make it.  I still make it once or twice a year.

We also decided on our silverware at Williamsburg.  We hadn’t found anything we liked before we got married and were going to use what Steve had from his apartment.  The taverns in Williamsburg all use a Queen Anne pattern silverware – pistol grip knives and 3 tined forks.  We liked them and were able to find them later.

So – lots of memories at Williamsburg!  We hadn’t bought tickets to any of the historical sites, but the church is open to all.  It’s still an active parish. Bruton Parish Episcopal Church was built in 1714 and has seen a lot of history.  Williamsburg was the capital of Virginia during the revolutionary period, so this was the church that the elected officials attended when they were in town.  Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Patrick Henry all attended this church.

The next day, we went to Jamestown Settlement.  This site is run by the state of Virginia and is next to Historical Jamestown, which was the actual site of Jamestown.  The Settlement has a reconstructed fort, a Powhatan Indian Village, and reconstruction of the 3 ships that brought the settler’s in 1607.

We had stopped at Jamestown before and my memory of the ships was that they were TINY.  They weren’t as small as I remembered.  This is a replica of the largest ship, the Susan Constant.  It was 116’ by 25’ and carried 71 people and supplies for a year.

Only one of the smaller ships was there, the Discovery.  It was 66’ by 14’ and carried 21 people and supplies.

Neither one is large enough for me to cross the ocean in!

Our next stop was Chelsea Plantation, the home where Steve’s 6-times-great-grandfather, George Seaton, grew up.  His mother married the owner of Chelsea when George was about 2.  The house was built in 1709.

We had tried to visit about 18 months ago, but hadn’t managed to make a firm reservation.  Although they accept visitors, it’s still a private home.  The current owner is a descendant of Augustine Moore who built the house, although the house had been sold several time and the owner’s father had purchased it back.  So Steve and Billy, the current owner, are distant cousins and share a relative in Steve’s 7-times-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Todd Seaton Moore, George’s mother.

The public rooms still have the original paneling, including at least one in walnut.  The stairway is lovely and original.  Billy has decorated the house with his collection of antiques and 18th century paintings.  The house is amazing and we are glad we were able to see it.

We then headed for Delaware for a few days and found some great seafood before heading back to Maryland to visit Steve’s family.  We were able to celebrate Steve’s dad’s 93rd birthday with him and Steve was able to get some chores done for his dad and his sister.

Tomorrow we head for New York.  We’ll actually be staying in New Jersey, but just across the river from New York, where we have plans to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

So long for now!

Deb

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

We are in Charlottesville, Virginia, home of 3 of the first 5 presidents of the United States: Jefferson, Madison and Monroe.  Washington was also from Virginia, but from the eastern part.  Adams, who was the second president, was from Massachusetts. 

We visited Montpelier, the home of James and Dolley Madison.  James was the fourth president of the United States.  He’s known as the father of the Constitution.  He deeply researched self-governance while the country struggled under the Articles of Confederation and then championed the idea of a constitutional convention, even persuading George Washington to attend.  The convention adopted many of his ideas. 

James was raised and died at Montpelier.  Dolley had to sell the home after James’ death and it passed through several hands before it was purchased by one of the DuPonts in the early 1900’s.  The DuPonts massively remodeled the estate, but their daughter, who lived there until she died, left it to the National Trust to be restored to how it was during James and Dolley’s retirement from Washington.

Behind the house was a touching statue of James and Dolley Madison.  

The pictures show the dense forestation of the area.  Much of the area is cleared for fields and buildings, but this is a forested area of the country.  We are continually driving down roads that are tree tunnels.  With all the twists and turns, it’s easy to suppose that many roads follow the trails and footpaths that preceded actual roads.  From the highway, the mountains and hills are covered in trees, with the valleys sheltering towns and farms.  

The area around Montpelier is filled with large horse and cattle farms and small homes.  We passed several other homes that probably date back to the same period as Montpelier, notable for the number of chimneys they had.

When I last posted, we were in Ohio, traveling the hills of southern Ohio.  We crossed the Ohio River into West Virginia and the mountains.

This is when we thank our farmer friends for strongly suggesting a 1-ton diesel pickup.  Steve’s big blue truck (our granddaughter Maria’s name for it) pulls the trailer nicely.

We stayed Monday night at Little Beaver State Park in West Virginia.  The view out the back was quite pleasant, mainly because there weren’t many other campers.

The next morning we got up and drove about 1.5 hours to Lost World Caverns.  I’m not terribly fond of caves, but Steve is and this one had some good reviews.  They had a couple of llamas (I think) out front who had interesting haircuts.

The cave had a 45-minute self-guided tour and I thought I could manage that, so I joined Steve.  It had a lot of interesting formations; I was most intrigued by the ones that looked like folds of fabric and not the normal stalactites.  

I’ll probably skip the next few caves we visit, but Steve will take lots of pictures.

We’re headed next to Williamsburg and hope to visit the plantation on which Steve’s six-times-great-grandfather grew up.

Deb

Sunday, June 5, 2016

“On the road again, just can’t wait to get on the road again!”

We are just outside of Chillicothe, Ohio.  After tentatively planning to leave June 1, I had pushed it back to June 2 in my mind.  Then Sunday, May 29, I managed to trip on the sidewalk and scrape up my left knee, arm and hand.  Nothing was broken, but it was fairly painful and certainly slowed me down.

So now we were planning on Friday, June 3.  Then my back/hip pain that I had been having for a while got worse and since it was on my left side, where I fell, x-rays were taken.  Again, nothing was broken but I have some issues with some disks.  The treatment is anti-inflammatory drugs and ice and heat.  I slept in on Friday and we moved leaving until Saturday.  We worked hard Friday afternoon and most of Saturday morning, in the rain.  Leigh was a tremendous help.  But we were more organized than ever inside the trailer.  We finished before noon on Saturday and expected to leave after lunch.

Then we looked at the forecast, which was rain and thunderstorms all Saturday into the night, clear across the state.  Since it is no fun setting up in the rain and we don’t HAVE to be anywhere until the 14th, we decided to stay home one more night.  As we were watching the evening news, the Indianapolis station broke in with tornado warnings near where we would have been camped!

So we left early Sunday morning and had a nice drive to Chillicothe.  Steve found us a nice campground and while we don’t have a terrific view out the back window, I’ve been watching a swan swim around the lake out our side window.  You can’t see the swan in this picture.  I’ve had to use the binoculars to really see him.  He ducks down in the water occasionally, looking for dinner.

We are now in southern Ohio, so we have some hills and everything is very green.  When we were headed home in March, we kept driving through spring, it seemed and most of the trees hadn’t leafed out yet.  Although we did get to drive through several areas lined with what we were told were Bradford pear trees.  Whatever they were, they were lovely.

Shortly before we left Indiana, we both noticed something in the sky.  It was a line/change of color clear across the sky.  I’ve enlarged this picture hoping you can see it.

I don’t know what would create that.  Hope it shows up.  If you have a clue, please let me know.

We’re headed to New England and eastern Canada via Virginia and Maryland.  I’ll try to keep up with my posting, but the easiest way to follow me is to sign up for email.  Then, when I do post, it shows up in your inbox.

Deb

P.S.  Last year at this time we were throwing snowballs and catching sight of our first bear in the wild.