Thursday, July 7, 2016

It was a cold and foggy day in Acadia National Park.  So first we went looking for sustenance.

Actually, we stayed in the trailer until Steve had picked his seats for Purdue basketball this winter.  He had a time this morning when he was allowed to sign in and pick his seats.

Once that was done, we did go looking for food.  We were going to explore the “quiet” or east side of the island and headed for Southwest Harbor to find a restaurant.

We found Beal’s Lobster Pier.   We like to use Trip Advisor to find restaurants but it doesn’t really like this island and wasn’t being too helpful until we were actually in Southwest Harbor.  It had a good rating for Beal’s, so we went.  And once again we lucked out!  Here’s Beal’s from the parking lot.

Beal’s is an active seafood market and has lots of outdoor seating.  Luckily for us, they have an enclosed area heated with outdoor heaters.  It wasn’t a good day for outdoor dining.

And luckily for me, they had gluten free rolls for their lobster rolls.  Lobster rolls are a big deal in New England.  Basically, they are large pieces of lobster stuffed in a bun similar to a hotdog bun.  Sometimes there is also mayonnaise, sometimes butter, sometimes who knows what.

So I had my first lobster roll today.  I hadn’t had lobster in a long time; I prefer crab.  And my first bite of lobster today didn’t change my mind.  Lobster’s okay, but I still prefer crab.  The sandwich was really good, though.  The bread and lobster work well together.

As we were leaving we noticed this:

Dog lovers can dine outside and their dogs can even get a drink.

After our lunch, we headed for the Bass Harbor lighthouse.  It’s perched on a rocky ledge and has always had a red light.  Each lighthouse is different to help a ship determine where they are, as well as avoid disasters.  A Coast Guard family still lives in the lighthouse, although the light is automated.

There is an easy path to the lighthouse and a rocky one, which has better views.

The rocks are indicative of Maine’s rocky coast.  Here’s the view in the opposite direction.

All over the island we have found this wild rose.  At least I think that’s what it is.  This is the best chance of a picture.

There have been lots of small flowers to be found on the island; they’re just hard to photograph!

Tomorrow we head to Canada and the Maritime Provinces!  It’s always an adventure.

Deb

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

We are at Acadia National Park in Maine.  And the scenery is amazing!
Acadia covers most of Mount Desert Island and several other islands.  It became the playground of the rich in the late 1800’s and there used to be large “cottage” summer homes for the Rockefeller's and the Vanderbilt’s.  Several of the wealthy joined with the locals in an effort to protect some of the land.  They bought up available land and eventually gave it to the US for a national park.  It was established in 1916 and was the first national park in the east.  It was mostly made up of land donated by the people.

In terms of national parks, Acadia is not large, but it is diverse.  Meadows, marshes, lakes, ponds, a beach and mountains all share this island.  Bar Harbor is also on this island, along with summer homes, permanent homes and lots of tourists.

Today there are only a few large “cottages” left and they have mostly been turned into other things.  The rest were destroyed by a fire in 1947 that lasted a month.  The result of the fire was added diversity of plant life on the island.

We usually travel at non-peak times of the year or in more isolated places, so the crowds in northeast seem large to us.  Acadia was crowded; we passed up a stop at the only beach on the island as the roadway and parking lots were packed.  We took the suggested loop drive and had to wait at several stops for a parking spot.

But it was worth it.  Here are the pictures.

The fog was moving in at a fast pace, but never climbed.     We had sunshine above the fog all day.

This gull landed right beside our truck and posed carefully while Steve took several shots.

Mountain laurel in full bloom in the wild garden in Acadia.

One tradition from the gilded age is afternoon tea overlooking Jordan Pond.  Today there is a full service restaurant, but afternoon tea on the lawn persists.

It was a beautiful day!

Deb

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