Iowa to Coeur d’Alene

We headed west across Nebraska towards the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Our plan was to look up friends we haven’t seen in years, while enjoying the high altitude air.

Boulder rocks, Lyons park

We parked the Airstream at a lovely city park in Lyons, Colorado, complete with river running through it, and stunning red rock cliffs. We met Brad and Susie Hendrix at the Laverne M Johnson RV park and spent time walking around the town of Lyons enjoying the local microbrews.

They pulled out of the campground the following morning and we made plans to meet up in a few days to attend the Rocks and Rails music festival.

On Tuesday, we headed towards Boulder to hook up with Ed Terrell and Johanne Gaudreau.

Red Rocks with Johanne and Ed

They were headed out the next day to complete an 800 mile bike ride through the Rockies out of Breckinridge. We hiked up to Red Rocks, just west of Boulder, and were wined and dined in their great house.

We visited the tourist town of Estes Park the next day, and before we left the Boulder area, we reunited with Brad and Susie to attend the Rock and Rails with the Sammy Mayfield Blues Band in Niwot, CO.

Sammy Mayfield Blues Band

The boys at Rocks and Rails

Rocks & Rails train

We enjoyed a fabulous time, and reluctantly hit the road across Wyoming the next morning.

We crossed through the Wind River Range of Wyoming, before arriving in West Yellowstone to camp at the Henry’s Lake State Park in Idaho. We enjoyed great vistas of the lake and surrounding snowcapped peaks with long-time friends Marilyn and Steve Holland, whom we’d traveled with across the South during the winter months.

Steve patiently guided my fly-fishing efforts on the Madison River in very windy weather. Nary a bite, but the scenery was amazing and we at least got to explore Yellowstone a bit.

Fire hole

Mesa Falls, ID

Bridger Wilderness hike

Marilyn & Steve

We walked up into the Fire Hole and skirted the mud pots, being very careful where we put our feet! We’ve been dogged with wet windy weather during our time in the West Yellowstone area and even as we departed to head to Coeur d’Alene, ID through Missoula, MT. Who knew June weather could be so dicey?

Arriving Pleasantville

We left the gorgeous town of Asheville and spent a week traveling to some notable sites on our way to Iowa. The first day, leaving North Carolina, we took mostly back roads and ended up traveling through 3 states that first day (Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri). We picked out some fun events and venues to break the trip up, including taking the shuttle from our campground to a St. Louis Cardinals game across the Mississippi River, and visiting the Mark Twain historical site in Hannibal, MO.

Once we reached our acreage in Iowa on Thursday, April 12, we were tired of moving constantly and anxious to park and stay with an active routine over the next several weeks.

Triplets signing letter of intent

The day after we arrived, we learned that the triplets, Kelsee, Kylee and Gauge, would be signing a formal agreement with their respective coaching staff at each of their universities. Needless to say, there were a lot of proud parents and grandparents.

 

By Sunday, we woke up to 3” of snow on the ground and felt little desire to venture out of the warmth of our little Airstream!

Snow on the pond

Joe was happy for the wet ground cover, predicting good news for morel mushrooms. John and Joe headed out for several days and managed to bring in a few for Joe and Maiga, and a few for our gnoche pasta.

Joe frying morel mushrooms

Days have been focused on family activities: Joe’s graduation with his Master’s degree, triplets attending senior prom, regional track meets, and finally, high school graduation.

Joe’s graduation

 

Gauge at Drake Relays

Triplets at graduation

Teresa and Tamara

My sister, Tamara, flew out from Washington state to spend a few days with us, enjoying the grandkids, as she always does. And RVing friends, Gordon and Susie Hilaski stopped at a nearby RV park, and we had some fun showing them around.

After graduation, we treated Joe and Maiga, and her parents, Pam and Tom Mohr, to an evening with Jimmy Buffet, playing at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Jimmy Buffet

Our last week or so, we spent time winding up some family commitments, and generally hiding in air conditioning to avoid the first heat wave to hit the Midwest.  On to the mountains of Colorado to visit friends in Boulder, and then to West Yellowstone to rendezvous with friends Marilyn and Steve Holland again.

 

 

Asheville, NC

As we pulled out of the Bear Creek Campground in Asheville, NC after our 2 week visit, I felt as though we still had “unfinished business” in that remarkable community. There’s a lot of hype right now about the perks of living in that little berg, populated by musicians, artists, writers and all sorts of creative types. The downtown is cute, vibrant and a great walking venue. Days are mostly sunny (albeit, a bit cool when we were there), and the area is surrounded by the beautiful Smokey Mountains.

With the Johns at Enka Lake

We arrived on a Friday and immediately connected with our old Texas friends, Jan and John Johns, who had recently moved to Asheville from Florida. We headed over to the community center, in the neighborhood where they live, on Enka Lake, to listen to a fantastic trio headed by guitarist Anne Coombs. The community sponsors entertainment every other Friday afternoon, and residents come in with their wine and snacks and enjoy before moving on to dinner. What a welcome!

March for our Lives, Asheville

The next morning we participated in the Asheville March for Life, protesting the lack of common sense gun regulation in this country. Over 6,000 residents showed up from a community not much larger than Bellingham. We met some new friends of the Johns’ that day and we later escaped the cold weather (coldest day of our visit!) in one of Asheville’s 4 star restaurants for a bite of lunch.

During our visit to Asheville, we visited the Southern Highland Craft Guild Folk Art Center, featuring juried examples of fiber arts of all types, forged iron works, baskets, and blown glass, to name a few. The center was a great introduction to the handiwork of Appalachian artists.

Next, we visited the impressive North Carolina Arboretum.

North Carolina Arboretum

Hiking trails are abundant throughout the arboretum grounds, and Cisco and the Johns’ dogs, Coco and Chewy, played and romped on the hillsides. I was surprised at the number of species that also inhabit our Pacific Northwest, including azalea, rhododendron, English laurel, dogwood, etc. The mild, but not hot summertime climate provides a great environment for these plantings.

John and I spent afternoons exploring the campus of the University of North Carolina at Asheville, the developing River Arts District, with refurbished old buildings housing artists of all ilk, and the Western North Carolina farmers market. We even attended the Unitarian church on Easter Sunday!

Lover’s Leap

Our last day in the region we spent traveling into the Smokey Mountains where the Appalachian trail intersects the little town of Hot Springs. It was so cool to talk to mostly “kids” who dropped into town to provision as they hiked all or part of the 2,200-mile trail. The town sits on the French Broad River that runs through most of Western North Carolina, and we headed up a 2+ mile climb to Lover’s Leap. So we can say we hiked part of the trail!!

So as I said in the beginning, it was with a bit of misty eye that we departed this beautiful part of our great country. Now we’re heading west, on our way to the Mississippi River!

 

 

The Music Highway

 

We left our Texas friends, Marilyn and Steve in Hillsboro, TX, and headed to a wonderful city park campground in Little Rock, Arkansas for a week. The 1,700 acre park sits on the Arkansas River and boasts miles of hiking trails, bicycle paths along the river.

Little Rock bike bridge

We enjoyed a spate of sunny weather that was perfect for joining one of John’s old school mates for bike rides, and taking Cisco on hikes. Our wooded campground was a perfect spot to chill, practice my guitar and generally catch up, after weeks of being on the go. John reconnected with school buddy, Vernon,

John and Vernon

and they spent a few hours catching up, and he showed us into Little Rock along one of the bike paths that skirt the Arkansas River.

 

We headed from Little Rock to Memphis so that we could enjoy all things Elvis, and of course Graceland.

Elvis’ mansion

Elvis was born in 1935, and although he had huge charisma and talent, I was just enough younger that I was more the Rolling Stones generation. Nevertheless, it was so fun to visit his home (surprisingly, a rather small “mansion”) and see how he spent his time away from recording and tours.

Sun Studios

We also got to visit Sun Studios where Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, among others, began their recording careers.

Perkins, JL Lewis, Elvis, Cash

It was St. Paddy’s Day, so after we toured the studio, we walked to Beale Street to wander in and out of the blues bars lining the street.  Speaking of streets, we were quite happy to take a shuttle everywhere we went, as the streets and drivers in Memphis were crazy. We found ourselves wondering what the city leaders are spending their 9% sales tax on, because it sure isn’t getting spent on infrastructure!

Nashville icons

Nashville on the other hand, was a completely different experience. Great downtown, easy to walk around and FREE (except for drinks and tipping the musicians). We had such a blast popping in and out of bars, hearing some over the top (and not so) music. Our favorite bar was the Legends Corner, where we got to hear Kinsey Rose and her awesome band one afternoon. Nashville is coming into it’s own as being a place to live.

We stopped in Crossville, TN to have lunch with the sister of a good friend of mine from Bellingham, Marci Harris. Nettie, who drove up from Chattanooga to visit, grew up in Crossville with many siblings and was cheerleader at the local high school, with the Jets moniker. She drove us around after lunch and showed us the mothballed military jet she acquired for her school team.

“Miss Nettie”, Teresa and Nettie

“Miss Nettie” still hovers over the football field today!

Finally, as we wound ourselves into North Carolina, we spent a great afternoon with our old friends, Don and Mary Lynne Derrington.

Derringtons and Van Haalens

Mary Lynne and I were Fulbrights together in Argentina, and we’ve kept in contact ever since! During our visit she gave us a great tour of Knoxville, and the University of Tennessee where she works as associate professor.

 

On to North Carolina!

 

 

 

 

T is for Texas!

TEXAS

“Sun is riz, sun has set and here I is in Texas yet”!   An old saying that communicates the challenges of moving through Texas to elsewhere. I remember driving west to move to the Northwest, and having those same thoughts. Now were moving northeast into Arkansas and Tennessee, and Texas is still as huge!

Travels took us from our Louisiana adventures to visit a great old-time friend on the shores of Galveston Bay.  Karl treated us with gourmet dinners from Cajun, Indian and Italian cuisine! He’s turning into a gourmet chef. He kept us in cigars and vodka the entire time!! Not to mention that Karl let us use his car while we got the brakes on the truck fixed in Houston.   Kudos, Karl!!

Karl’s dinner friends

Fredericksburg Boot

Next, we moved away from the steamy Gulf coast to the hill country of Texas. Think, San Marcos, Austin, New Braunfels.  And even better, think Gruene Hall and the great music we took in with Hal Kethchum, the shopping in Fredericksburg, and our great campground at Canyon Lake.

Luckenbach kissing booth

Salt Lick BBQ pit

Oh, and don’t let me forget the obligatory visit to Luckenbach, TX to peer into the dance hall and have a beer while we looked at photos of Waylon, Willie and the boys! If I were to move from the northwest, I think this hill country and it’s dry, sunny country (minus valley fever for Cisco), might be an option.

Crawfish in Waco

Our stay in Marilyn and Steve’s carport in an Airstream community in Hillsboro, was an added benefit to our trip. They were the consummate hosts, giving us a bicycle tour of Baylor U, (Steve’s alma mater), awesome local fried catfish, and visits to Homestead Heritage.

Heritage Homestead Grist Mill

 

Fishing Trip on Lake Whitney

Our last day was enjoyed out on Whitney Lake. We cruised around for hours with a frustrated fishing guide. Finally in the last hour of our trip, we happened on a mess of stripped bass, and hauled in 8 keepers at 18+ inches each.

 

Keep reading friends as we move into Arkansas and Tennessee!

Rounding the corner: Mississippi and Louisiana

We headed west out of Carrabelle, FL, and after a quick stop at an Alabama Ford service department for needed maintenance, headed to the Gulf Islands National Seashore in Mississippi. We had reservations at the Davis Bayou campground, just outside of Ocean Springs, MS. The National seashore stretches 160 miles along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida and Mississippi. Long narrow barrier islands protect the marshlands on the coastline of the mainland. In the middle of a quite busy Gulf Coast scene sits a respite of calm and nature.

Gator in Davis Bayou

We camped quite close to an alligator pond where several alligators live in their natural habitat.

 

Our weather was hit and miss, as it had been in Florida. All the locals were exclaiming that this winter has been much “harder” than it was last year, although we had some 70+ degree days.

Our first Marti Gras experience occurred in Ocean Springs, MS, a quaint little town on the Mississippi coastline.

John and Teresa at Ocean Springs Marti gras parade

We trekked into town the Friday before Fat Tuesday and cauptured more than our share of beads!

We took a couple of afternoons to explore the art scene in Ocean Springs and nearby Biloxi. Several rather well-known artists have decided to call this area of Mississippi home. The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art was wonderful with construction underway, but many wonderful installations in place. Another small and wonderful exhibit amongst this enclave of artists, was the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. He was probably the equivalent of John Muir in the art world. We biked the town, our friends the Hollands put in their kayaks in the bayous, and we

Mississippi Sandhill Cranes

took an incredible trip out to the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Wildlife Refuge.

 

These gorgeous cranes had been decimated to about 30 or 35 due to feather harvesting and farming. Now the numbers are hundreds more, amazing since they only lay one or two eggs every 3 to 4 years. This management on the part of the state and federal government has been a concerted effort to improve the native habitat of their savannah breeding grounds.

 

Steve and John at 100 Men Music Hall, Gulfport, MS

After a week or so, we left Ocean Springs and traveled down the gulf coast through Gulfport, Pass Christian, and Bay Saint Louis. OMG, if I had another pass at the gulf coast, I’d be spending it here. Sparsely populated, miles of white sand beaches, and very dog friendly. I’m jealous that Marilyn and Steve are so close to this coast and plan to come back soon!

On Fat Tuesday, we skirted New Orleans (been there, done that!) and headed to Morgan City and the Lake’s End RV Park. We chose the location because it is easy driving distance to a couple of notable sights, and a day’s drive from our first stop in Texas to visit friends in the Houston area.

We trekked to Avery Island with companions, Steve and Marilyn Holland, to tour the Tabasco factory and learn about the amazing McIlhenny family who started the production of this pepper sauce. The son of the founder also was a botanist and created

Teresa at Tabasco factory

Jungle Gardens, Avery Island

a phenomenal nature garden that we toured, and helped to save the snowy egret from extinction.

A day well-spent!

The following day we toured the Whitney Museum, a former plantation that used thousands of slaves to harvest and refine sugar cane, one of the most difficult labors the South could impose on human beings. The property was purchased by John Cummings in 1990 as a real estate investment.

Black slave girl statue

Whitney Museum oaks

Slave cabin at Whitney Museum

The more he learned of the history of the plantation, the more he invested in restoration of the property, including stunning sculptures of the slave children who actually lived there, slave quarters, and the slave owners home. The museum is a tribute to those enslaved individuals who played a huge part in building the wealth of the United States.

 

I, for one, am happy to escape the heat and humidity in this part of the country. My guess is, that Cisco feels the same way. We’ve been hanging out in the air conditioning for 2 days now, and hardly want to escape. Once we visit friends in Houston next week, we’ll head north to the hill country of Texas, which is cooler and drier at this time of year.

 

 

Florida’s Forgotten Coastline

John and I traveled through Tallahassee, FL, south to the gulf coast of the Florida Panhandle. The coast is called the “forgotten coast” because it has none of the hype of the Atlantic coastline, or the massive winter tourism of the lower gulf coast. We arrived early January, giving us time to explore on our own before the arrival of long-time friends, Marilyn and Steve Holland. We arrived at the Ho Hum RV Campground on Hwy 98 with the campground located right on the white sand beach of the gulf. Cisco was in dog heaven, being able to run on the beach several times a day and hang with all the other dogs at the park.

Campground sunrise

Playing on the Beach

Carrabelle Beach

The closest town to our campsite was Carrabelle, FL, a sleepy little fishing village located 4 miles away. From our campsite in Carrabelle, we traveled either east or west for our adventures. West, we went to Apalachicola, famous for regional oysters. We heard they are in serious trouble due to over harvesting, and lack of needed fresh water from the Apalachicola River as larger cities like Atlanta, siphon off drinking water.

Oysters at Up the Creek

However, as our stay in the area continued, we were privy to oysters brought directly to our campground from local fishermen.

Boys cooking Apalachicola oysters

St. Georges Island from the Kayak

Biking St. Georges Island

We enjoyed St. George Island several times during our visit, crossing a massive, 9-mile bridge to ride bikes on the extensive bike path, kayak in the bay with our fishing rods, and to run Cisco on the white sand beaches.

 

Kayaking Wakulla River

When we ventured eastward, from Franklin County to Wakulla County, we were treated with the deep, Spanish moss forests on the Wakulla River (Wakulla, derived from an Indian word for “mysterious waters”) and the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. We enjoyed a guided kayaking tour of the Wakulla River with a guide, taking in alligators, manatees and the vastness of the wildlife in that area. Later, in reading about the Wakulla County wildlife opportunities, I find

Manatee in Wakulla River

there are 1500 miles of saltwater paddling trails that meander up and down this “forgotten” coastline of Florida.  If you go, talk to Jacqui at T n T Guided services in Wakulla.  Our guide Tommy, is a science teacher and guide on the side, so to speak, and has lived in the area as an outdoorsman his entire life.

This is a very pristine area of Florida, with lots of clean gulf coastline, minimal population, and an active marine fishery.

Carrabelle sunrise

Surprisingly, our campground (the Ho Hum Park), is in the middle of bear country. There are bear signs along the road, as well as many alligator warning signs! John actually saw a bear crossing the road as he traveled east one afternoon to Alligator Point!

Friday nights, we visited the Rio Carrabelle venue to listen to musicians who travel to this

Rio Carrabelle

coastline to perform. Our favorite was a trio from Florida State University Music Department. One professor on drums, one on stand-up bass, and student Mason Margut on piano. You will see more of Mason, my friends, and I’d love to see more of this World Trio!  http://www.wfsu.org/local-routes/articles/blue-rondo-a-la-turk–bmh-world-music-trio/

Our final night in the region, we drove to St. George’s Island lighthouse to

Super blue moon on St. George Island

view the Blue Super Moon!

St. George Lighthouse

This coastline, while definitely off the beaten track, is worth the time to explore! I’d say it’s one of the highlights of our trip.

Heading South: The Carolinas through Georgia

November 14, we left Virginia (the DC area and Gettysburg), and headed south through the Carolinas, looking over our shoulders at the cooler weather coming in behind us. We took a day trip from Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and the North River campground, to the outer banks along the Atlantic coastline. Few people strolled the beaches, so we had the lovely stretch of sand to ourselves.

On November 17, we arrived to spend 4 days in Hollywood, South Carolina, at the Lake Aire, RV Park. We spent a day in Charleston, learning about the culture and touring the 1700 era homes that line the streets downtown. While we’ve been traveling, we’ve been listening to the local National Public Radio stations, and that’s helped us understand local culture and some of the priorities of the people who live in these locales.

Gullah sweet grass basket weaver in Charleston, SC

The Gullah people living in South Carolina and Georgia are descendants of enslaved Africans who have developed their own lexicon, music and art, including lovely, intricate sweetgrass baskets that they sell in markets, gift shops and even along the road. John and I had never heard of this group of people before, but the more we learn, the more interesting the culture becomes to us. A GREAT music group called Ranky Tanky (“work it” in Gullah) was interviewed by Terry Gross on Fresh Air, while we were in Georgia, and the vocals and music on their recent album are outstanding.

I just finished a great new read, Michele Moore’s The Cigar Factory, a story of two women from Charleston, which takes place between 1890 and World War II. Moore gives us a realistic depiction of Charleston and the cigar-making process, which was brutally difficult, white women earning $10 a week, while black women working in the basement earned $4. The novel depicts the food, entertainment and lifestyle of Gullah culture. It’s a remarkable piece of historical fiction!

The Van Haalens and the Johns at Thanksgiving

We arrived at the Coastal Georgia RV Park in Brunswick, Georgia on November 21, a few days before Thanksgiving. Our friends, Jan and John (of 30+ years from Texas) joined us for Thanksgiving dinner on their way to the mountains of North Carolina to buy a new house. By this time, we’d put 10,000 miles and 100 days on the road trip, and it was time to play catch up with cleaning the rig and exploring the area.

Teresa and Cisco on the beach in Georgia

Lovely Lane Chapel, St. Simons Island

St. Simon Island was our favorite place to hang out on the beach, in the restaurants, and watching sunsets. Fifteen miles from our campground, the history of the island includes plantations, one of five surviving lighthouses in Georgia and the beautiful grounds of the Lovely Lane Chapel, an 1880’s era Methodist church.

On December 23, we drove an hour north to Savannah to spend Christmas eve in that lovely southern city. On every other city block there are small squares, or plazas, that people stroll, relax, talk or listen to music. We spent 2 nights at the Staybridge Suites, a dog-friendly hotel, just a block from the Savannah River. Spanish moss drips from the old oak trees, and historic buildings catch your eye around every corner.

Old tavern on River St., Savannah, GA

Savannah played a huge role as one of thirty defense locations up and down the Atlantic coast, established by the Federal government after the Revolutionary war. For much of the 19th century, masonry fortifications were the United States’ main defense against overseas enemies. However, during the Civil War, new technology proved its superiority to these forts. The Union army used rifled cannon and compelled the Confederate garrison inside Fort Pulaski to surrender. The siege was a landmark experiment in the history of military science and invention.

Georgia Queen on the Savannah River

John at Ft. Pulaski, Savannah. GA

Before heading back to our rig in Brunswick on Christmas day, we took a river boat dinner cruise on the Savannah River on Christmas eve. The river is a shipping lifeline with huge tankers coming and going in and out of the port of Savannah. In all, this trip has been so interesting and we’ve learned much about the southeastern seaboard of our Untied States.

Gettysburg to Washington D.C.

All I can say is Jerry Jeff Walker’s song, “If I can just get off this LA freeway without getting killed or caught, down the road in a cloud of smoke for some land I ain’t bought, bought, bought…” resonated with me as we exited the New Jersey Turnpike for the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. I swear if we can drive this rig on the NJ Turnpike and the George Washington Bridge (the one Chris Cristie shut down, remember?), well we can take this thing to South America!

Anyhow, Pennsylvania was gorgeous, colors, easy driving, and rural parts for us, headed to Gettysburg and the Artillery Ridge Campground.

Gettysburg, PA countryside

We spent the next couple of days touring the Gettysburg National Military Park, and can I say, it stands out as one of the best museums I have toured. They did such a thorough job of helping non-historians like me understand the importance of that 3-day battle back in 1863. The highlight for me was a 400 ft., circular cyclorama painted in 1883 (20 years after that decisive battle) by Paul Philippoteaux. It was there that Union forces drove back Confederate forces and prevailed in the Civil War.

Cyclorama of the battle at Gettysburg

Very emotional and lifelike. Lincoln’s leadership, of course has been apparent to any who have read much of his life, and he wasted no time after the battle in arriving to present his Gettysburg address.

Locals were still celebrating Halloween in the campground, and the weekend of Nov. 4 was no exception. Kids were dressed up, campfires glowing, and great weather provided a festive scene. The campground was a haven for horse lovers, and paddocks and riding trails surrounded us. Cisco even made a few friends! As we departed the last morning (as was everyone else), I was surprised to see a confederate flag flying over the roof of a rig that had just been to the Gettysburg battlegrounds. Did all those boys die in vain? NO!

We then moved down to Manassas, Virginia, and we thought, oh, boy, have we dodged a bullet, weather-wise! Pretty much great all through the northeast, except for one rainy (Scrabble) day in NYC. We hit 70 degree weather, leaves still turning and camping at the Greenville Farm Family Campground. Hardly anyone here, and Cisco having his usual romp through the trees.  But two days later, the temps had dropped to freezing at night!

Stone house, used as hospital by Union forces

The Manassas battleground was one of the first of the civil war, and it is awe-inspiring to stand looking out over the field with the same stone fences, some of the same stone homes and wooden fences that are constructed much as they were in the 1800’s. I recently discovered that Lincoln wanted to recruit Robert E. Lee because of his battlefield skills, but Lee couldn’t bear to turn his back on his fellow Virginians, so he fought for the Confederates.

We left on our second day to tour Washington D.C. (a mere 35 miles but 1 1/2 hours away round trip). We bought commuter passes and thoroughly enjoyed our tour of the National Gallery of Art, with a superb Vermeer exhibit.

WWII memorial

We toured Arlington Cemetery and the Mall, watching a Veteran’s Day ceremony on the WWII memorial that honored military units from allied forces that fought with us during that war. Aside from the politicians that frequently give a bad name to “inside the beltway”, D.C. pays beautiful homage to our past and all those who have helped create a wonderful country, as imperfect as it may sometimes seem.

Mount Vernon

Our last day, Veteran’s Day, we visited Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home. We signed up for a “special tour”, which meant we didn’t have to wait in line and there were only 12 of us walking through his home. It was an interesting insight into the life of the self-educated man, his family and his “all are welcome” approach to friends and family (and others he did not even know) to stay as long as they liked in his home in Mount Vernon. John was so pleased that to enter the tour and during an Air Force Strings Orchestra performance, he was acknowledged as a Veteran!

New York, New York!

I was going to wrap New York into our next adventures going south, but guess what? NYC is it’s own city, it’s own space, and it’s own time. We’d always heard how cold New Yorkers, and New Englanders could be, but it’s been just the exact opposite with us. Lost in a subway? Let me help you. Need to get to the Museum of Modern Art? Just go two blocks and turn left.

It’s Halloween time in New York City. Walking around town during the day, watching the kids dressed up as Superwoman, vampires, etc, isn’t too much different than walking down the streets of Bellingham. The weather was cool and dry and kids were excited. I think there’s more of a “mystique”, if you will, surrounding the Halloween preparations in New England. In New England, I could see Ichabod Crane around every hollow we passed (they are even called Hollows). So the Legend of Sleepy Hollow lives on!

We’ve OD’d on New York from Broadway shows to lunches in the Chelesa Market. Our wonderful friends, Marilyn and daughter, Maggie (awesome graphic artist), and Deb and daughter, Rachel (aspiring actress) have given us the inside scoop on where to visit.

Broadway theater

Marilyn, Maggie and Teresa

Twenty somethings, Rachel and Maggie live in NYC, and it’s so fun to get a glimpse into their lives and interests. We enjoyed a Broadway show (Miss Saigon), dinner in the theater district, and Penn station to get around.

Museum of Modern Art

October 30, one day before the terrorist attacks on the pedestrians and cyclists in lower Manhattan, John and I were mesmerized by the amazing dedication to our country’s history as we wandered the 9/11 Museum. I thought I wouldn’t last there very long, given the emotional and personal (for all of us) memory of that horrific event. But the displays were so well conceived, and interspersed the emotional with the practical (who knew those towers were built in 1970’s and how they were constructed and how they impacted small business around the site). The voices of the lost and the survivors were also heard, along with stories of first responders and the gargantuan effort of clean up and rebuilding, which is still happening.

South Tower Strut

Ladder 3

Survivors stairs to Vesey St.

All in all, it was an emotional an exhausting exhibit, for me at least.   Then the next afternoon, a senseless and devastating attack was once again hurled on this vibrant city. We are still trying to make “sense out of nonsense” with this insanity.