We arrive at Eppley Airfield, having been picked up by our travel mates, Howie and Lee Needelman
for a short hop from chilly, snowy Omaha to colorful Colorado. A quick and uneventful flight in our
economy (steerage) seats. Upon arrival at Stapleton Airport, we walk for miles to the baggage claim area. One good thing about the long walk is that, when we arrive at the
carousel, our luggage has also arrived.
Next we head to the train stop for our senior price tickets and the train ride into
downtown Denver, headed for Union Station. A pleasant but not speedy ride
and we disembark. From there we walk a few blocks and pick up the free Mall
transit bus to take us a few miles down the 16th Street Mall to the civic Center
station. Alighting, we walk the four blocks to our hotel for the stay - The Art Hotel.
This property, adjacent to the Art Museum, near the State Capitol Building and the Library, is smack
in the middle of central Denver. The hotel is a smallish (165 room) modern hotel with very acceptable rooms and a restaurant.lobby.bar on the fourth floor. We drop our luggage and head to
the bar for an afternoon cocktail and a bite of hors d’oevres.
We decide to go see a movie and land a Lyft ride to the nearby movie theatre, settling in for the
movie 1917. We all recommend this Oscar nominated film to any. Truly a mind opening look at
World War I.
Next, we walk to the nearby Brown Place Hotel, Denver’s iconic hotel, founded in 1892. It’s stunning
lobby and chandelier are amazing. We dine in the Ships Tavern Pub on sandwiches and chips with
accompanying wine and beer.
We then head back for the 15 minute walk back to our Hotel and are down for the count by 10:00.
Showing posts with label america. Show all posts
Showing posts with label america. Show all posts
Friday, January 24, 2020
Joslyn Castle to Detroit - Thursday, October 10, 2019
Up early and down to breakfast followed by a load up of our luggage onto the bus. We then
motored a scant two blocks to the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA) for a relatively short tour. Our guide
sped us through the museum, pointing out some highlights and beautiful works of art, culminating
with a stop in the huge gallery holding the Diego
Rivera frescoed murals. This work is a
stunning site in itself, and when coupled with a
lecture explanation of all the panels and the
various themes that Rivera was
communicating, you come away with a much
better understanding of this artist and his
times. The DIA encompasses over 650,000
square feet with over 100 galleries and a
collection of over 65,000 pieces of art. The
scope of the institute is mind boggling. The real
treat is that, due to non-stop flights from
Detroit, one could fly to detroit, take a cab from
the airport to the museum, spend a few hours
enjoying and tasting its offerings, and then
back to the airport and on to your ultimate
destination. A great day trip with non-stops to cities all over the world.
We then lunched at the DIA cafeteria and boarded our bus for our last home of the trip - The Edsel and Elaine Ford home, in Gross Pointe, a mere ten miles from the city. This home, set on over 175 acres along the Lake St. Clare waterfront, is a superb example of Alfred Kahn’s Cotswold cottage architecture and the vision of the Fords. This is a true family home with a subdued scale, especially considering the wealth of the owners. The home is designed to be lived in by a family, this one which had 4 lively and engaged children, all of whom went on to some renown. The grounds are particularly stunning, designed by Jens Jensen, the same landscape architect that is reputed to have lent his design hand to parts of our own Joslyn Castle. After a walk of the grounds and a stop in the gift shop, we loaded up the coach for our final stop of the day.
We headed back into downtown Detroit, along the Detroit River to the Pewabic Ceramics studio.
The building built in 1906, is the home of the world famous Pewabic Pottery works. The name Pewabic is from the northern Michigan copper mine area and was picked by its founder, Mary Chase Perry Stratton. Ms. Perry Stratton became a world famous potter and eventual leader of architectural ceramics use throughout the world. We toured the facility, learning of its history, its workings and the way in which the tiles are created, formed, fired and glazed. There was time for shopping in the retail area and a number of pieces are now in Omaha homes.
At 6:00, we left for our drive to the airport, sorting out of the bags, travails with boarding passes and TSA, quick meals, and finally, at 8:45, our flight leaves for Omaha. We arrive home at 9:40 Omaha time and head home, educated about Detroit, our appetites whetted for another trip to this amazing gem of a City with Architecture, Museums and 300 years of history embedded. It was not what we thought it would be and also more than we though it would be. Well worth a future visit.
We then lunched at the DIA cafeteria and boarded our bus for our last home of the trip - The Edsel and Elaine Ford home, in Gross Pointe, a mere ten miles from the city. This home, set on over 175 acres along the Lake St. Clare waterfront, is a superb example of Alfred Kahn’s Cotswold cottage architecture and the vision of the Fords. This is a true family home with a subdued scale, especially considering the wealth of the owners. The home is designed to be lived in by a family, this one which had 4 lively and engaged children, all of whom went on to some renown. The grounds are particularly stunning, designed by Jens Jensen, the same landscape architect that is reputed to have lent his design hand to parts of our own Joslyn Castle. After a walk of the grounds and a stop in the gift shop, we loaded up the coach for our final stop of the day.
We headed back into downtown Detroit, along the Detroit River to the Pewabic Ceramics studio.
The building built in 1906, is the home of the world famous Pewabic Pottery works. The name Pewabic is from the northern Michigan copper mine area and was picked by its founder, Mary Chase Perry Stratton. Ms. Perry Stratton became a world famous potter and eventual leader of architectural ceramics use throughout the world. We toured the facility, learning of its history, its workings and the way in which the tiles are created, formed, fired and glazed. There was time for shopping in the retail area and a number of pieces are now in Omaha homes.
At 6:00, we left for our drive to the airport, sorting out of the bags, travails with boarding passes and TSA, quick meals, and finally, at 8:45, our flight leaves for Omaha. We arrive home at 9:40 Omaha time and head home, educated about Detroit, our appetites whetted for another trip to this amazing gem of a City with Architecture, Museums and 300 years of history embedded. It was not what we thought it would be and also more than we though it would be. Well worth a future visit.
Joslyn Castle to Detroit, Wednesday, October 9, 2019
We awake today to clear skies and temperatures in the upper 50’s - boding for a great day. Our
group meets in the lobby breakfast room for coffee, scrambled eggs, toast, pastries, juices and
other goodies. All were well satisfied with the breaking of the fast. Most slept well, although one
claimed to have fallen from a great height out of bed!
(No witnesses, but she is a credible person!)
We mount our coach at 9:30 for our drive north to Bloomfield Hills and our day’s visit to Cranbrook Art Academy. This 300-acre campus includes elementary, middle and high schools currently enrolling approximately 1,600 students. In addition it enrolls college graduates in its world famous arts disciplines, leading to post-graduate degrees in painting, metal-smithing, fabrics, ceramics, woodworking and architecture. The Cranbrook Institute of Science features exhibitions, planetarium, observatory and native plant garden.
There are also the Cranbrook Art Museum, Christ Church and historic houses and gardens. Easily a multi-day destination which we are going to skim in a mere 8 hours. Cranbrook is the creation of Elaine and George Booth. The Booths were the scions of the Detroit Free Press paper and the Booth Newspaper chain. They were fabulously wealthy and very intent on giving back to their community. They purchased the original 175 acres as a retreat from the city for their family and enlisted architect Alfred Kahn to create the Cranbrook Booth home. Soon they decided to add some schools and asked Kahn to design more structures. Kahn demurred as he was busy designing factories for Henry Ford so he recommended Eliel Saarinen, Finnish architect who was lecturing at Michigan University. Saarinen accepted, moved to the property and began designing, teaching and building. Thus begun one of the great partnerships in art history. Saarinen, together with his wife, Textile Artist Kjola Saarinen began teaching and training. They created a campus of buildings, museums and workshops unmatched in the U.S. We started with a stroll from the peristyle of the Museum building, through the gardens and eventually to the Saarinen House, which he created to serve as the home of he and his wife and, as he served as the President of Cranbrook Academy until his death in 1950, the home also served as the home of the president. You might recall that Eliel and Kiola’s son Aero Saarinen was himself a famous architect, designing the St. Louis Arch and the TWA terminal at LaGuardia airport among other commissions.
Following Saarinen House, we traveled further to the Booth Cranbrook House and Garden. This original home of the Booth family is modeled on a Cotswold Tudor style home. Booth ancestors were from England, and originally from a small village called Cranbrook, which means field of the crane. Hence the name of the estate. Our group toured the house and then sat down in the huge dining area (formerly the library) for an afternoon “high tea” of sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, jam and petit-four desert treats. Following lunch we strolled the gardens of the home and took a quick look at the gift shop (underwhelming.)
We then headed to the Inn on Ferry Street and back to our rooms for a slight rest before reconvening in the lounge for a cocktail and then onto the bus for a drive to our evening restaurant, Rock City Eatery, only a short drive away. We were joined at dinner by our son and daughterin-law, Jake and Audrey Covert, who live in the Detroit suburb of Pleasant Ridge. We enjoyed our hamburgers, mac & cheese, salads and other typical pub fair. Plus conversation and review of the days sites and activities. We were back in our beds, safely tucked in by 10:00, preparing for our final day tomorrow.
We mount our coach at 9:30 for our drive north to Bloomfield Hills and our day’s visit to Cranbrook Art Academy. This 300-acre campus includes elementary, middle and high schools currently enrolling approximately 1,600 students. In addition it enrolls college graduates in its world famous arts disciplines, leading to post-graduate degrees in painting, metal-smithing, fabrics, ceramics, woodworking and architecture. The Cranbrook Institute of Science features exhibitions, planetarium, observatory and native plant garden.
There are also the Cranbrook Art Museum, Christ Church and historic houses and gardens. Easily a multi-day destination which we are going to skim in a mere 8 hours. Cranbrook is the creation of Elaine and George Booth. The Booths were the scions of the Detroit Free Press paper and the Booth Newspaper chain. They were fabulously wealthy and very intent on giving back to their community. They purchased the original 175 acres as a retreat from the city for their family and enlisted architect Alfred Kahn to create the Cranbrook Booth home. Soon they decided to add some schools and asked Kahn to design more structures. Kahn demurred as he was busy designing factories for Henry Ford so he recommended Eliel Saarinen, Finnish architect who was lecturing at Michigan University. Saarinen accepted, moved to the property and began designing, teaching and building. Thus begun one of the great partnerships in art history. Saarinen, together with his wife, Textile Artist Kjola Saarinen began teaching and training. They created a campus of buildings, museums and workshops unmatched in the U.S. We started with a stroll from the peristyle of the Museum building, through the gardens and eventually to the Saarinen House, which he created to serve as the home of he and his wife and, as he served as the President of Cranbrook Academy until his death in 1950, the home also served as the home of the president. You might recall that Eliel and Kiola’s son Aero Saarinen was himself a famous architect, designing the St. Louis Arch and the TWA terminal at LaGuardia airport among other commissions.
Following Saarinen House, we traveled further to the Booth Cranbrook House and Garden. This original home of the Booth family is modeled on a Cotswold Tudor style home. Booth ancestors were from England, and originally from a small village called Cranbrook, which means field of the crane. Hence the name of the estate. Our group toured the house and then sat down in the huge dining area (formerly the library) for an afternoon “high tea” of sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, jam and petit-four desert treats. Following lunch we strolled the gardens of the home and took a quick look at the gift shop (underwhelming.)
We then headed to the Inn on Ferry Street and back to our rooms for a slight rest before reconvening in the lounge for a cocktail and then onto the bus for a drive to our evening restaurant, Rock City Eatery, only a short drive away. We were joined at dinner by our son and daughterin-law, Jake and Audrey Covert, who live in the Detroit suburb of Pleasant Ridge. We enjoyed our hamburgers, mac & cheese, salads and other typical pub fair. Plus conversation and review of the days sites and activities. We were back in our beds, safely tucked in by 10:00, preparing for our final day tomorrow.
JCT Detroit October 8, 2019
Our group of 15 friends and acquaintances, all supporters of Joslyn Castle Trust of Omaha, gather
at 8:30 AM at Omaha Eppley Airfield for their Delta Airlines flight to Detroit. Bags are checked or
not, boarding passes are distributed and we depart at 10:30 for Detroit. The flight is smooth with
clear skies. We arrive about 5 minutes ahead of
schedule, collect our 16th member arriving from
Houston 3 minutes after our arrival and head to the
carousel to pick up the checked bags. All bags arrive
intact and we traipse out to the parking area to meet
our bus.
We motor into downtown Detroit and stop at Jimmy John’s to pick up our preordered sandwiches and collect our Detroit City Tour Guide, Karen, and proceed on a tour of the city while we wolf down our sandwiches, chips, cookies and bottles of water.
Our first stop is at GM Renaissance Center and riding the elevator to the top of a garage where we viewed a rooftop garden and beekeeping facility. This gave us an overview of this 300 year old city and a glimpse of the buildings that populate this area. We stared across the Detroit River to the City of Windsor, Ontario, looking directly south to our Northern neighbor Canada.
Leaving the interior and winter garden courtyard (right) of the Renaissance Center, we head for a unique structure, The Z Garage, one of a number of buildings owned by Dan Gilbert, the CEO of Quicken Loans and the initial driver of the current Detroit Renaissance. This garage has artwork on every floor, and from the the 10 floor level, we could see all around the area, including a recent painting of Stevie Wonder on the side of one of the buildings.
We leave the garage and walk through an adjoining pedestrian alley whose adjoining walls are covered in art and graffiti. The area is lined by small shops, bars and restaurants. At the end we reboard our motor coach.
Next we head towards the Guardian Building, constructed in 1928 as the headquarters of the Guardian Bank. This phenomenal structure has the entire former first floor retail banking floor now converted to shops and stores. The 5 story tall lobby area is topped by a faux tile ceiling actually made of canvas and horsehair padding to reduce sound. There is no echo here.
On next to the Fisher Building. This 28 storey building was built by the Fisher Brothers, as headquarters for the Fisher Coachworks corporation. It is across the street from the former GM headquarters, now the Cadillac Place building, housing government offices. The Fisher Building is a work of art, designed by the architect Alfred Kahn. The lower exterior of the structure is granite, and then the upper storeys are marble. Inside, the lobby is polished brass, marble and art work everywhere.
From here we drive to MoTown for a look at the houses that formed the original Motown record label founded here in Detroit by Barry Gordy. We did not tour the museum, but did step out to listen to the music being played and for photo ops on the front porch.
From here we headed to our hotel for the rest of the trip, the Inn on Ferry Street. This collection of early 20th century mansions located a block from the Detroit Institute of Art. We take over one entire mansion and its adjoining arraign house. After a quick curt case drop, we convene in the lobby of the mansion which serves as the restaurant and office for a cocktail. We then walk a block to our restaurant, Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails. Meals included Scallops, Merguez Sausge hors d’oevres, potato dumplings, chopped salad, twice cooked egg salad, basil ricotta tortellini with shrimp, short rib and Babette Steak. A few desserts followed.
We walked back to our mansions to rest and recuperate from our busy first day in Detroit, retiring around 10:00 and looking for an exciting second day.
We motor into downtown Detroit and stop at Jimmy John’s to pick up our preordered sandwiches and collect our Detroit City Tour Guide, Karen, and proceed on a tour of the city while we wolf down our sandwiches, chips, cookies and bottles of water.
Our first stop is at GM Renaissance Center and riding the elevator to the top of a garage where we viewed a rooftop garden and beekeeping facility. This gave us an overview of this 300 year old city and a glimpse of the buildings that populate this area. We stared across the Detroit River to the City of Windsor, Ontario, looking directly south to our Northern neighbor Canada.
Leaving the interior and winter garden courtyard (right) of the Renaissance Center, we head for a unique structure, The Z Garage, one of a number of buildings owned by Dan Gilbert, the CEO of Quicken Loans and the initial driver of the current Detroit Renaissance. This garage has artwork on every floor, and from the the 10 floor level, we could see all around the area, including a recent painting of Stevie Wonder on the side of one of the buildings.
We leave the garage and walk through an adjoining pedestrian alley whose adjoining walls are covered in art and graffiti. The area is lined by small shops, bars and restaurants. At the end we reboard our motor coach.
Next we head towards the Guardian Building, constructed in 1928 as the headquarters of the Guardian Bank. This phenomenal structure has the entire former first floor retail banking floor now converted to shops and stores. The 5 story tall lobby area is topped by a faux tile ceiling actually made of canvas and horsehair padding to reduce sound. There is no echo here.
On next to the Fisher Building. This 28 storey building was built by the Fisher Brothers, as headquarters for the Fisher Coachworks corporation. It is across the street from the former GM headquarters, now the Cadillac Place building, housing government offices. The Fisher Building is a work of art, designed by the architect Alfred Kahn. The lower exterior of the structure is granite, and then the upper storeys are marble. Inside, the lobby is polished brass, marble and art work everywhere.
From here we drive to MoTown for a look at the houses that formed the original Motown record label founded here in Detroit by Barry Gordy. We did not tour the museum, but did step out to listen to the music being played and for photo ops on the front porch.
From here we headed to our hotel for the rest of the trip, the Inn on Ferry Street. This collection of early 20th century mansions located a block from the Detroit Institute of Art. We take over one entire mansion and its adjoining arraign house. After a quick curt case drop, we convene in the lobby of the mansion which serves as the restaurant and office for a cocktail. We then walk a block to our restaurant, Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails. Meals included Scallops, Merguez Sausge hors d’oevres, potato dumplings, chopped salad, twice cooked egg salad, basil ricotta tortellini with shrimp, short rib and Babette Steak. A few desserts followed.
We walked back to our mansions to rest and recuperate from our busy first day in Detroit, retiring around 10:00 and looking for an exciting second day.
Boston to Montreal, Monday, September 2, 2019
Today is Labor Day in both the U.S. and Canada. It is also our first stop in Canada, Halifax, largest
city in the Province of Nova Scotia. We dock around 7:30 AM, but are delayed as the ship has to
clear Canadian immigration. Previously, each passenger was required to fill out a Canadian
immigration form, but there were errors on some, which necessitated delays. As an example, at
around 8:00, Deb and Tim were called from their stateroom to the “interrogation room” with their
passports in hand to meet the inquisitors. It seems that Deb neglected to put the date at which
they were intending to depart Canada on their form. Don’t want those heathen southern immigrants
staying illegally in the country and sucking up all the good paying jobs and living off the largess of
the hardworking taxpayers, eh?
Finally, by 9:00 the ship was declared docked and passengers were allowed to disembark. Deb and Abigail have booked a thee hour coach tour to the destination of Peggy’s Cove, while the other three of us remain on board for a few hours to relax, read, and hang out. At 11:30, Deb Duggan and Mark venture off the ship to meet Deb and Abigail while Tim sticks on board to continue reading. Mark and Deb wander the shore side boardwalk, looking at the craft shops and taking advantage of the WI-FI to catch up on emails and such.
The tour to Peggy’s Cove and the iconic lighthouse showed Deb and Abigail some of the loveliest parts of Nova Scotia. Even though Nova Scotia is one of the smallest provinces in Canada, it has over 4000 miles of coastline with beautiful forests and the rocky granite that is only a few feet under the soil of the entire area. The tour guide pictured below (who reminded Deb of our friend Kevin,) provided detailed information on the area. For such a beautiful but small area, this has been involved in three major tragedies in the last 107 years, two which occurred in the Province.
The first was their acceptance of over 190 of the dead from the Titanic tragedy of April 15, 1912. Most were buried in three cemeteries in Halifax, one created in the form of a ship’s bow just for Titanic casualties. Many could not be identified and were buried with only their date of death and the number that they were tagged with corresponding to the order they were pulled from the water.
The worst tragedy was in 1917 when a French ship carrying armaments and fuel caught fire in Halifax Harbor. Thousands gathered in the harbor to watch the ship burn (the crew had jumped ship when the fire started), only to lose their lives when the ship exploded with the power and consequent devastation only eclipsed when Hiroshima was bombed. It changed the face of Halifax city forever. Thousands lost their lives and over 1000 people were blinded by flying glass. Boston was the first city to send medical help. Haligonians were so thankful that, to this day, they cut a large Christmas tree and send to Boston; it is installed in Boston Commons each year.
The third tragedy was again not of the making of Nova Scotia. 21 years ago, an Air France plane had a total electronic failure and nose-dived directly into St. Margaret’s Bay, near Peggy’s Cove. All aboard died but the people in the area pulled together to help with the retrieval of bodies and putting up relatives of the dead in their homes, as there were very few commercial inns at the time (this was pre AirBnB). There is a lovely monument dedicated to the people of Nova Scotia who helped comfort and aid those who had lost loved ones. It is also complete with the names of every passenger and their histories.
Abigail and Deb returned to the pier area at 12:30. They quickly made the stay-at-home troops feel remiss in skipping this tour. Halifax is a city of around 350,000 in the Nova Scotia Province of 1.1 million Canadian souls. The economy is based upon the sea: fishing, lobster fishing, shipping, military port and shipbuilding are among the largest industries.
We walked the boardwalk and shopped the craft stores open in the pier complex. Due to the Labor Day holiday, none of the stores in the Historic City area were open, hence, no yarn from Halifax!
We returned to the ship and located Tim. Then up to the 8th level Lido deck pool area for late lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos and burritos, washed down with soda and wine. A return to the staterooms for a refresh while Tim went to the duplicate bridge group meeting (amazingly not located on the ship’s bridge.) We later determined that his team won and now he has a date for Thursday afternoon for some rematch play.
At 7:15 we all met up at the Lido Market cafeteria for a late, light, dinner. If you can imagine this group of grazers eating a “light” dinner you would conjure salmon, rice pasta and roast beef sandwiches. There was one salad in sight. We then embarked on a hilarious search to find a Titanic style prow of the ship to view the stars, trouping up and down the passageways, stairs and elevators, finding dead ends and Staff Only labeled doors. We finally gave up and tried to just go out on deck. Strong winds and rain forced us laughingly back in side. We browsed the shops, found a quiet library area, and finally headed to our staterooms for the end of another vacation day off the northeast coast at sea.
Finally, by 9:00 the ship was declared docked and passengers were allowed to disembark. Deb and Abigail have booked a thee hour coach tour to the destination of Peggy’s Cove, while the other three of us remain on board for a few hours to relax, read, and hang out. At 11:30, Deb Duggan and Mark venture off the ship to meet Deb and Abigail while Tim sticks on board to continue reading. Mark and Deb wander the shore side boardwalk, looking at the craft shops and taking advantage of the WI-FI to catch up on emails and such.
The tour to Peggy’s Cove and the iconic lighthouse showed Deb and Abigail some of the loveliest parts of Nova Scotia. Even though Nova Scotia is one of the smallest provinces in Canada, it has over 4000 miles of coastline with beautiful forests and the rocky granite that is only a few feet under the soil of the entire area. The tour guide pictured below (who reminded Deb of our friend Kevin,) provided detailed information on the area. For such a beautiful but small area, this has been involved in three major tragedies in the last 107 years, two which occurred in the Province.
The first was their acceptance of over 190 of the dead from the Titanic tragedy of April 15, 1912. Most were buried in three cemeteries in Halifax, one created in the form of a ship’s bow just for Titanic casualties. Many could not be identified and were buried with only their date of death and the number that they were tagged with corresponding to the order they were pulled from the water.
The worst tragedy was in 1917 when a French ship carrying armaments and fuel caught fire in Halifax Harbor. Thousands gathered in the harbor to watch the ship burn (the crew had jumped ship when the fire started), only to lose their lives when the ship exploded with the power and consequent devastation only eclipsed when Hiroshima was bombed. It changed the face of Halifax city forever. Thousands lost their lives and over 1000 people were blinded by flying glass. Boston was the first city to send medical help. Haligonians were so thankful that, to this day, they cut a large Christmas tree and send to Boston; it is installed in Boston Commons each year.
The third tragedy was again not of the making of Nova Scotia. 21 years ago, an Air France plane had a total electronic failure and nose-dived directly into St. Margaret’s Bay, near Peggy’s Cove. All aboard died but the people in the area pulled together to help with the retrieval of bodies and putting up relatives of the dead in their homes, as there were very few commercial inns at the time (this was pre AirBnB). There is a lovely monument dedicated to the people of Nova Scotia who helped comfort and aid those who had lost loved ones. It is also complete with the names of every passenger and their histories.
Abigail and Deb returned to the pier area at 12:30. They quickly made the stay-at-home troops feel remiss in skipping this tour. Halifax is a city of around 350,000 in the Nova Scotia Province of 1.1 million Canadian souls. The economy is based upon the sea: fishing, lobster fishing, shipping, military port and shipbuilding are among the largest industries.
We walked the boardwalk and shopped the craft stores open in the pier complex. Due to the Labor Day holiday, none of the stores in the Historic City area were open, hence, no yarn from Halifax!
We returned to the ship and located Tim. Then up to the 8th level Lido deck pool area for late lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos and burritos, washed down with soda and wine. A return to the staterooms for a refresh while Tim went to the duplicate bridge group meeting (amazingly not located on the ship’s bridge.) We later determined that his team won and now he has a date for Thursday afternoon for some rematch play.
At 7:15 we all met up at the Lido Market cafeteria for a late, light, dinner. If you can imagine this group of grazers eating a “light” dinner you would conjure salmon, rice pasta and roast beef sandwiches. There was one salad in sight. We then embarked on a hilarious search to find a Titanic style prow of the ship to view the stars, trouping up and down the passageways, stairs and elevators, finding dead ends and Staff Only labeled doors. We finally gave up and tried to just go out on deck. Strong winds and rain forced us laughingly back in side. We browsed the shops, found a quiet library area, and finally headed to our staterooms for the end of another vacation day off the northeast coast at sea.
Boston to Montreal, Sunday, September 1, 2019
It is worth noting that September 1 is an auspicious day to our travellers. It is the birth date of both
Deb Duggan’s mother Virginia Kaplan, born 1919, and Ann Covert, born 1922 (although she always
claimed 1923.) If not for them, this trip would not be occurring. Thanks and Happy birthday!
Awoke this morning at 6:00 AM for our in-cabin breakfast. Deb and Mark ordered a full breakfast for 6:00 AM delivery as our tour departs at 7:30 this morning. The Steward knocked on the door at 6:10 with our tray, I thank him, close the door and juggle the tray into an increasingly crowded space. First crisis of the day - no coffee on the tray! This is definitely a problem. A quick call to room service and the pot is delivered to save the day. We later find that Abigail’s breakfast included a pot of coffee - which she does not drink! So that’s where it went!
The three of us make our way down to the lower deck to meet our tender boat to be taken into Bar Harbor. Deb & Tim opt for a leisurely morning and we will meet them in town later. The three Covert crew board our van for a two and one-half hour tour of Acadia National Park and Desert Island. First thing we learn is that Bar Harbor is on an Island. Second thing we learn is that natives refer to it as Dessert Island and non-natives refer to is as Desert Island - either pronunciation is acceptable. Third thing we learn is that Acadia National Park is the only national park in which all of the land was donated for the park. It also is the smallest National Park in the system, only 44,000 acres. As our tour guide noted, that is one-half the size of Yellowstone Lake!
To understate - this park is crowded. The busy season is July through August. This is Labor Day weekend; the park is easily accessible for all of New England, less than a day’s drive from the busy metropolitan northeastern cities. That fact however, should not deter anyone who wants to see a unique environment. Situated on the Atlantic coast on a huge pile of granite, this island is an eye-opener. Originally settled over 12,000 years ago by the group of native peoples collectively called the Wabanaki, they sailed to the island in birch-bark canoes, fished, hunted and traded with each other. In 1604, French explorers “discovered” the island. During the next century and a half, the French and the British fought for control of the territory and in 1761 the British established the first European settlement on the island; the settlers fished, farmed and quarried granite.
In the mid 1800’s, Hudson Valley School painters began bringing back paintings of the area, and soon tourism reared its head inspiring wealthy city dwellers to build “cottages” as summer residences, transforming the quiet fishing and farming villages. Beginning in 1801, Harvard University President Charles Elliot, George Dorr and other conservation minded philanthropists began acquiring over 5,000 acres of land that they eventually donated to the federal government. In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the area a national monument, and in 1919 Congress designated it the first eastern national park.
The town of Bar Harbor is now chiefly fueled by tourism. Population year round of approximately 5,000 swells with over 4 million visitors per year to the park and surrounding area. With bitter winters and an average of 5 1/2 feet of snowfall per year, it is a seasonal business, with the successful merchants fleeing to Florida for the winter months.
We finished our tour and met Deb and Tim in town, shopped for some yarn (of course) and then staked out an outside table away from the bulk of the crowd for a lunch of clam chowder and lobster rolls. Wine, beer, and a blueberry infused cocktail were also consumed. A great lunch. The blueberry pie, made from wild picked blueberries was sublime - no sugar added and sweeter than any cultivated blueberry ever grown. The “whoopie” pie sandwich was also out of this world. Unfortunately, as we forged our way downhill and back towards the dock, there were multiple shop stops. The Coverts will now feature the only $50.00, Santa painted- lobster claw ornament in the Midwest this coming December. We found our way back to the tenders, boarded them in fine fashion and sailed back to the Zaandam by 3:00. The ship pulled anchor at 4:00 and we set sail for tomorrow’s destination of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Abigail spent the balance of the afternoon on the top deck, swaddled in a wool blanket while she knitted, watching the ship depart and talking with people she met who wandered by. Tim went in search of a bridge game, found the assigned meeting room, only to have no one show up to play; he was forced to sit in the library and read a book - such a hardship for him. Deb and Deb each took a power nap in their rooms and I went up on deck to join Abigail and read for a while. We all then retreated to our staterooms to dress for dinner.
We first joined in the senior Coverts’ room for a cocktail and then at 7:00 headed to the dining room for our first formal shipboard dinner. This was billed as a “Gala” dinner evening; many of our fellow passengers were dressed in formal wear, but jeans and tee-shirts wee also in evidence. The evening’s meal included escargot, shrimp cocktails, peppered beef tenderloin, risotto, rack of lamb, sole fillet and other choices. While perfectly edible, there was nothing about the cuisine this night to do more than fill the void - the rolls and bread were commendable, the desserts passable, and the wine a nice Toscana.
Abigail retired after dinner while the four seniors found their way to a small concert of show tunes by a violin/piano duo. Lively music enjoyed while we let the meal settle. Back to our staterooms by 9:45 to prepare for bed. Tonight we lose an hour as the clocks are moved forward to Atlantic time zone. A nice day with good sightseeing., shopping and vacationing.
Awoke this morning at 6:00 AM for our in-cabin breakfast. Deb and Mark ordered a full breakfast for 6:00 AM delivery as our tour departs at 7:30 this morning. The Steward knocked on the door at 6:10 with our tray, I thank him, close the door and juggle the tray into an increasingly crowded space. First crisis of the day - no coffee on the tray! This is definitely a problem. A quick call to room service and the pot is delivered to save the day. We later find that Abigail’s breakfast included a pot of coffee - which she does not drink! So that’s where it went!
The three of us make our way down to the lower deck to meet our tender boat to be taken into Bar Harbor. Deb & Tim opt for a leisurely morning and we will meet them in town later. The three Covert crew board our van for a two and one-half hour tour of Acadia National Park and Desert Island. First thing we learn is that Bar Harbor is on an Island. Second thing we learn is that natives refer to it as Dessert Island and non-natives refer to is as Desert Island - either pronunciation is acceptable. Third thing we learn is that Acadia National Park is the only national park in which all of the land was donated for the park. It also is the smallest National Park in the system, only 44,000 acres. As our tour guide noted, that is one-half the size of Yellowstone Lake!
To understate - this park is crowded. The busy season is July through August. This is Labor Day weekend; the park is easily accessible for all of New England, less than a day’s drive from the busy metropolitan northeastern cities. That fact however, should not deter anyone who wants to see a unique environment. Situated on the Atlantic coast on a huge pile of granite, this island is an eye-opener. Originally settled over 12,000 years ago by the group of native peoples collectively called the Wabanaki, they sailed to the island in birch-bark canoes, fished, hunted and traded with each other. In 1604, French explorers “discovered” the island. During the next century and a half, the French and the British fought for control of the territory and in 1761 the British established the first European settlement on the island; the settlers fished, farmed and quarried granite.
In the mid 1800’s, Hudson Valley School painters began bringing back paintings of the area, and soon tourism reared its head inspiring wealthy city dwellers to build “cottages” as summer residences, transforming the quiet fishing and farming villages. Beginning in 1801, Harvard University President Charles Elliot, George Dorr and other conservation minded philanthropists began acquiring over 5,000 acres of land that they eventually donated to the federal government. In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the area a national monument, and in 1919 Congress designated it the first eastern national park.
The town of Bar Harbor is now chiefly fueled by tourism. Population year round of approximately 5,000 swells with over 4 million visitors per year to the park and surrounding area. With bitter winters and an average of 5 1/2 feet of snowfall per year, it is a seasonal business, with the successful merchants fleeing to Florida for the winter months.
We finished our tour and met Deb and Tim in town, shopped for some yarn (of course) and then staked out an outside table away from the bulk of the crowd for a lunch of clam chowder and lobster rolls. Wine, beer, and a blueberry infused cocktail were also consumed. A great lunch. The blueberry pie, made from wild picked blueberries was sublime - no sugar added and sweeter than any cultivated blueberry ever grown. The “whoopie” pie sandwich was also out of this world. Unfortunately, as we forged our way downhill and back towards the dock, there were multiple shop stops. The Coverts will now feature the only $50.00, Santa painted- lobster claw ornament in the Midwest this coming December. We found our way back to the tenders, boarded them in fine fashion and sailed back to the Zaandam by 3:00. The ship pulled anchor at 4:00 and we set sail for tomorrow’s destination of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Abigail spent the balance of the afternoon on the top deck, swaddled in a wool blanket while she knitted, watching the ship depart and talking with people she met who wandered by. Tim went in search of a bridge game, found the assigned meeting room, only to have no one show up to play; he was forced to sit in the library and read a book - such a hardship for him. Deb and Deb each took a power nap in their rooms and I went up on deck to join Abigail and read for a while. We all then retreated to our staterooms to dress for dinner.
We first joined in the senior Coverts’ room for a cocktail and then at 7:00 headed to the dining room for our first formal shipboard dinner. This was billed as a “Gala” dinner evening; many of our fellow passengers were dressed in formal wear, but jeans and tee-shirts wee also in evidence. The evening’s meal included escargot, shrimp cocktails, peppered beef tenderloin, risotto, rack of lamb, sole fillet and other choices. While perfectly edible, there was nothing about the cuisine this night to do more than fill the void - the rolls and bread were commendable, the desserts passable, and the wine a nice Toscana.
Abigail retired after dinner while the four seniors found their way to a small concert of show tunes by a violin/piano duo. Lively music enjoyed while we let the meal settle. Back to our staterooms by 9:45 to prepare for bed. Tonight we lose an hour as the clocks are moved forward to Atlantic time zone. A nice day with good sightseeing., shopping and vacationing.
Boston to Montreal, Saturday, August 31, 2019
The morning broke beautifully clear, sunshine and quiet. Abigail and Mark walked around the block
to the McDonald’s facing Boston Commons to secure breakfast and caffeine. We returned, ate and
then began the big pack up. While working away, we noticed increasingly a loud and constant
noise. We looked out the window to discover two helicopters hovering above the area, evidently
over Boston Commons. Abigail, ever the techno-warrior, logged on to discover that there was a
parade scheduled, beginning at Boston Commons. The street in front of our hotel was blocked off
from traffic. To add insult to injury, it was an anti-Pride parade - Heteros are Upseteros! Really???
We checked out and dragged our bags a block and a half to meet our 12:45 Uber ride to the dock; lovely driver who got us to the pier in 20 minutes. There was heavy security all along the way where the parade was to occur, due to the possibility of anti-hetero activity. One can only hope. We made it easily through ship security, each of us with our allotted one bottle of wine in our carry on luggage. You are allowed more, but are then subject to an $18.00 per bottle corkage charge. Since most prices of the wine they were to be selling on board was $18.00 or more, it seemed foolish to bring additional. Deb was able to distract them with her re-built knee, so they forgot to check her carry-on for her extra bottles of soda. Ha!
We dutifully attended the mandatory life boat drill (attendance is taken) and then strolled the decks, acquainting ourselves with the amenities and areas to play, knit, gamble or look at the stars. We cast off shortly before 5:00 PM, and slowly made our way out of Boston harbor, bidding farewell to this clearly historic American city. We all promised one another that we would be back to really tour the city and not be distracted by visiting relatives, shopping or meetings.
First order of business was to stop at Guest Services to figure out how to access the Wi-Fi package we purchased, how to add the shipboard “navigator” to our cell phones, and other general information that somehow missed our grasp. The line was short (and filled with Baby-boomers.)
We returned to our “staterooms” for a quick refresher and then headed up to the Lido Deck for dinner, foregoing the dining room sit down this first night. As usually, for the novice among us, the food buffet was an eye-opener. We dined and learned how to take advantage of the wine or soda packages we had pre-purchased (not as easy as it seems,) and then headed out for more exploration. Abigail descended to her room for a little knitting, Deb, Deb, Tim and I found a bar to have a night cap in and we all returned for a sleep around 9:30. A tiring but fun first day on the water.
We checked out and dragged our bags a block and a half to meet our 12:45 Uber ride to the dock; lovely driver who got us to the pier in 20 minutes. There was heavy security all along the way where the parade was to occur, due to the possibility of anti-hetero activity. One can only hope. We made it easily through ship security, each of us with our allotted one bottle of wine in our carry on luggage. You are allowed more, but are then subject to an $18.00 per bottle corkage charge. Since most prices of the wine they were to be selling on board was $18.00 or more, it seemed foolish to bring additional. Deb was able to distract them with her re-built knee, so they forgot to check her carry-on for her extra bottles of soda. Ha!
We dutifully attended the mandatory life boat drill (attendance is taken) and then strolled the decks, acquainting ourselves with the amenities and areas to play, knit, gamble or look at the stars. We cast off shortly before 5:00 PM, and slowly made our way out of Boston harbor, bidding farewell to this clearly historic American city. We all promised one another that we would be back to really tour the city and not be distracted by visiting relatives, shopping or meetings.
First order of business was to stop at Guest Services to figure out how to access the Wi-Fi package we purchased, how to add the shipboard “navigator” to our cell phones, and other general information that somehow missed our grasp. The line was short (and filled with Baby-boomers.)
We returned to our “staterooms” for a quick refresher and then headed up to the Lido Deck for dinner, foregoing the dining room sit down this first night. As usually, for the novice among us, the food buffet was an eye-opener. We dined and learned how to take advantage of the wine or soda packages we had pre-purchased (not as easy as it seems,) and then headed out for more exploration. Abigail descended to her room for a little knitting, Deb, Deb, Tim and I found a bar to have a night cap in and we all returned for a sleep around 9:30. A tiring but fun first day on the water.
Boston to Montreal, August 30, 2019
Rising this morning to a sunshiny day in Boston. We slept in until after 7:00 AM after our day of
travel and walking. After a coffee in the room and a nice shower, we levitated down to the lobby
and into the attached Coffee Spot. We ordered a pair of coffees, an egg, cheddar cheese and
bacon sandwich, and settled in to discuss our day. As we were finishing up, Deb’s phone rang for
the first time in the day, and her workday started with client calls. She finished up and we walked
around the corner to look at a book store we had spotted around the corner the night before.
Brattle Book Shop was one of the most unique stores we have ever experienced. It is comprised of two narrow, deep city lots on West Street. One, a building filled with four floors of books, mostly used, but some new. The adjacent lot was free of a building, but crammed with rolling book shelves. All the books on the rolling shelves in the open air book spot were marked down to either $3.00 or $1.00. We walked away with four books to add to our suitcases and our already over flowing book shelves at home.
We hauled our prizes back to the hotel and Deb set up her computer in the room to work for a few hours and I took the current installment of the Maisie Dobbs book series I am reading and went to the lobby to while away a few hours.
We finished up around 1:00 PM and waited for a text message from Abigail who was scheduled to arrive on the same flights today that we used yesterday. She phoned her arrival some 20 minutes early but then spent 45 minutes waiting for her luggage. I fear Logan Airport needs to work on their baggage claim system. Abby arrived at the hotel round 2:30 and we dropped her bags and headed out to find some sustenance. Around the corner, in another direction, we discovered Stoddard’s Fine Food and Ale. This building was built in 1868 and remains one of the few intact buildings to survive the huge Boston fire of 1872, which destroyed some 800 buildings between Boston Commons and the waterfront. Originally a corset factory, it has been restored to a bar and restaurant. An American flag flies on the front of the building, not the current flag but a 37 star flag known as the “Nebraska Flag” as it was the official U.S. flag flown from July 4, 1867 until July 3, 1877.
Food was very good, including fish and chips, clam chowder, another huge hamburger, and some wine and a local beer. All very enjoyable. We then walked a few blocks closer into the Downtown Crossing district to the Old South Meeting House. This building was where the meeting was held in 1773 to rally and discuss the English tax burden, which resulted in the tossing of some English product into the Boston Harbour. Perhaps you recall the story from your childhood studies! This is now a museum, but our reason to visit was because Abigail, the yarn researcher, found that there is the Newbury Yarns store in the basement of the building. They offer their own dyed yarn, and of course we had to stop, look and purchase. Now with our purchases of yarn and book in hand, we trekked back to the Hotel for a rest and clothing change prior to dinner.
We changed and Uber rode to meet Deb and Tim Duggan for dinner at Stephanie’s on Newbury Street. Newbury Street is blocks and blocks of typical brownstones (think New York City) that has becoming an upscale shopping and dining district. Packed with stores and people walking shopping and as the evening wore on, carousing, although tastefully. We had a wonderful dinner of seafood or pasta, or combinations thereof. Two outstanding entrees sampled were a sea scallops on a bed of basmati rice and a lobster pie. Wine, beer and cocktails accompanied.
We finished up and were back in our rooms by 9:30, ready to pack it in and look forward to our cruise departure tomorrow. Good food, good walking and minor sightseeing, a very satisfactory day of vacation.
Brattle Book Shop was one of the most unique stores we have ever experienced. It is comprised of two narrow, deep city lots on West Street. One, a building filled with four floors of books, mostly used, but some new. The adjacent lot was free of a building, but crammed with rolling book shelves. All the books on the rolling shelves in the open air book spot were marked down to either $3.00 or $1.00. We walked away with four books to add to our suitcases and our already over flowing book shelves at home.
We hauled our prizes back to the hotel and Deb set up her computer in the room to work for a few hours and I took the current installment of the Maisie Dobbs book series I am reading and went to the lobby to while away a few hours.
We finished up around 1:00 PM and waited for a text message from Abigail who was scheduled to arrive on the same flights today that we used yesterday. She phoned her arrival some 20 minutes early but then spent 45 minutes waiting for her luggage. I fear Logan Airport needs to work on their baggage claim system. Abby arrived at the hotel round 2:30 and we dropped her bags and headed out to find some sustenance. Around the corner, in another direction, we discovered Stoddard’s Fine Food and Ale. This building was built in 1868 and remains one of the few intact buildings to survive the huge Boston fire of 1872, which destroyed some 800 buildings between Boston Commons and the waterfront. Originally a corset factory, it has been restored to a bar and restaurant. An American flag flies on the front of the building, not the current flag but a 37 star flag known as the “Nebraska Flag” as it was the official U.S. flag flown from July 4, 1867 until July 3, 1877.
Food was very good, including fish and chips, clam chowder, another huge hamburger, and some wine and a local beer. All very enjoyable. We then walked a few blocks closer into the Downtown Crossing district to the Old South Meeting House. This building was where the meeting was held in 1773 to rally and discuss the English tax burden, which resulted in the tossing of some English product into the Boston Harbour. Perhaps you recall the story from your childhood studies! This is now a museum, but our reason to visit was because Abigail, the yarn researcher, found that there is the Newbury Yarns store in the basement of the building. They offer their own dyed yarn, and of course we had to stop, look and purchase. Now with our purchases of yarn and book in hand, we trekked back to the Hotel for a rest and clothing change prior to dinner.
We changed and Uber rode to meet Deb and Tim Duggan for dinner at Stephanie’s on Newbury Street. Newbury Street is blocks and blocks of typical brownstones (think New York City) that has becoming an upscale shopping and dining district. Packed with stores and people walking shopping and as the evening wore on, carousing, although tastefully. We had a wonderful dinner of seafood or pasta, or combinations thereof. Two outstanding entrees sampled were a sea scallops on a bed of basmati rice and a lobster pie. Wine, beer and cocktails accompanied.
We finished up and were back in our rooms by 9:30, ready to pack it in and look forward to our cruise departure tomorrow. Good food, good walking and minor sightseeing, a very satisfactory day of vacation.
Boston to Montreal, August 29, 2019
Departing Omaha
We are up super early - 3:30 AM, for our scheduled 4:45 AM pickup from our wonderful friend and neighbor, Zoe Highland. She must have been anxious to get us out of town as she arrived in our driveway at 4:30! A quick drive to good old Eppley Airfield, and we gave our “driver” a hug for a tip. Check-in was easy, one checked bag and one carry-on each.
Even though there was lightning in the sky as we left home, by the time our departure time of 6:10 arrived, it was clear sailing as we headed to St. Louis on our first leg. We arrived in St.Louis ahead of schedule and were on the ground and in the terminal by 7:30. We walked down the E terminal, looking for a restaurant and landed at a bar/pasta house that was serving breakfast. The menu was limited so we ordered biscuits & gravy and an omelette. The place was horribly understaffed - a bartender/hostess and one waitress. Obviously there must have been a cook in the rear.
It soon turned out that they were all out of gravy, so we ended with two omelettes and two cups of coffee. Luckily we had plenty of time as the service was really slow, although our waitress was very kind.
We pushed off from the St. Louis gate at 9:40 and landed at Logan Airport in Boston at 1:03 PM EDT. Only a 2-hour in the air flight, not too bad. After 40 minutes waiting for baggage, we struggled out to meet our limousine and driver Anton Fisher (that really was his name) for the trip from the airport. Anton was a very cheery, intelligent and helpful guy, reminding us of our eldest son in his demeanor, bald head and full beard. We reached our destination - The Godfrey Hotel after a pleasant 30 minute drive through Boston traffic. Arriving in our room, we dropped bags on the floor and bodies into the beds. Around 4:30 we popped up and headed out for a walk, a drink and dinner, in that order.
There are two safe ways to get around Boston, the underground MTA, riding forever, or walking. We chose walking. Our hotel is in the Center of the city and we strolled over to the area known as The Commons, a large park area set up in 1634. We walked around the Frog Pond, where dozens of toddlers were walking in a huge one foot deep pond, attended by parents, grandparents, nannies and a number of life guards. As we walked through the park, in weather that was clear, 80F and with a slight breeze, we gazed on all the people out to enjoy the day. The huge number of gray squirrels being chased by toddlers, and the homeless wandering or dozing on the lawn. Although we are not anti-canine, it was refreshing to be in a large public space that was off limits to dogs. No chasing, no bring, no hassles, and no waste!
After a two mile trek around the park, we headed back to our hotel room in search of a liquor store to stock up on wine for our cruise (we are allowed to bring one bottle per passenger on board) and found an excellent wine shop just a block away. Securing our purchases at our hotel room, we passed a few restaurants that looked promising. We stepped into one or two until we found one with decent looking food and a noise level that allowed conversation.
We took our seat at a table at 49 Social Restaurant and ordered a beer and a dirty martini. We struck up what turned out to be a very enjoyable conversation with the couple at the next table, stretching our short dinner hour into 90 minutes of fun and laughing conversation. This is what traveling is all about, meeting people and seeing places. We enjoyed our Hamburger and Lambburger, and struggled back to the hotel and were in bed by 9:30.
Tomorrow, we welcome Abigail to Boston and hook up with Deb and Tim Duggan, who arrived yesterday. Looks to be a good trip coming up.
We are up super early - 3:30 AM, for our scheduled 4:45 AM pickup from our wonderful friend and neighbor, Zoe Highland. She must have been anxious to get us out of town as she arrived in our driveway at 4:30! A quick drive to good old Eppley Airfield, and we gave our “driver” a hug for a tip. Check-in was easy, one checked bag and one carry-on each.
Even though there was lightning in the sky as we left home, by the time our departure time of 6:10 arrived, it was clear sailing as we headed to St. Louis on our first leg. We arrived in St.Louis ahead of schedule and were on the ground and in the terminal by 7:30. We walked down the E terminal, looking for a restaurant and landed at a bar/pasta house that was serving breakfast. The menu was limited so we ordered biscuits & gravy and an omelette. The place was horribly understaffed - a bartender/hostess and one waitress. Obviously there must have been a cook in the rear.
It soon turned out that they were all out of gravy, so we ended with two omelettes and two cups of coffee. Luckily we had plenty of time as the service was really slow, although our waitress was very kind.
We pushed off from the St. Louis gate at 9:40 and landed at Logan Airport in Boston at 1:03 PM EDT. Only a 2-hour in the air flight, not too bad. After 40 minutes waiting for baggage, we struggled out to meet our limousine and driver Anton Fisher (that really was his name) for the trip from the airport. Anton was a very cheery, intelligent and helpful guy, reminding us of our eldest son in his demeanor, bald head and full beard. We reached our destination - The Godfrey Hotel after a pleasant 30 minute drive through Boston traffic. Arriving in our room, we dropped bags on the floor and bodies into the beds. Around 4:30 we popped up and headed out for a walk, a drink and dinner, in that order.
There are two safe ways to get around Boston, the underground MTA, riding forever, or walking. We chose walking. Our hotel is in the Center of the city and we strolled over to the area known as The Commons, a large park area set up in 1634. We walked around the Frog Pond, where dozens of toddlers were walking in a huge one foot deep pond, attended by parents, grandparents, nannies and a number of life guards. As we walked through the park, in weather that was clear, 80F and with a slight breeze, we gazed on all the people out to enjoy the day. The huge number of gray squirrels being chased by toddlers, and the homeless wandering or dozing on the lawn. Although we are not anti-canine, it was refreshing to be in a large public space that was off limits to dogs. No chasing, no bring, no hassles, and no waste!
After a two mile trek around the park, we headed back to our hotel room in search of a liquor store to stock up on wine for our cruise (we are allowed to bring one bottle per passenger on board) and found an excellent wine shop just a block away. Securing our purchases at our hotel room, we passed a few restaurants that looked promising. We stepped into one or two until we found one with decent looking food and a noise level that allowed conversation.
We took our seat at a table at 49 Social Restaurant and ordered a beer and a dirty martini. We struck up what turned out to be a very enjoyable conversation with the couple at the next table, stretching our short dinner hour into 90 minutes of fun and laughing conversation. This is what traveling is all about, meeting people and seeing places. We enjoyed our Hamburger and Lambburger, and struggled back to the hotel and were in bed by 9:30.
Tomorrow, we welcome Abigail to Boston and hook up with Deb and Tim Duggan, who arrived yesterday. Looks to be a good trip coming up.
ON TO TUCSON - July 12, 2019
We slept very well Thursday nite, some arising early to a surprise sprinkle
that late risers didn’t believe, as it had already evaporated in Anthem’s dry
humidity. The temperature was already on its climb to over 100 F by 9:00 AM. We had breakfast of poached eggs, sausage, toast, juice and coffee and then lazed
around while Deb worked for an hour or two.
Del and I went to the car wash, Karen to the
pharmacy and then Del and I took the Mustang
GT for a test drive - boys and their toys.
At noon, Del made a wonderful lunch of roast beef sandwiches and fruit salad. Deb and I packed our bags and loaded the car for the final push to Tucson. We left Anthem around 1:30 for the “quick” drive to Tucson, some 115 miles away. Phoenix metropolitan area is some 10 million souls, 2.5 million of which live on I-17 and I-10, going at least 70 mph and cutting in and out of lanes for sport.
Not my best type of driving, particularly in a strange city, never knowing for sure which lane to be in for an upcoming route change. Since you are reading this, you have correctly guessed that we survived this bumper-car-o-rama, but we have noticeably aged.
Tucson is surrounded by mountains, again in the high desert. Temperatures are the same as in Phoenix, that is to say hotter than hell, but a “dry” heat, just as in an oven. Seeing the mountains all around, with their promise of moisture above, must bring some solace to the citizens. Tucson metropolitan area is just a bit larger than Omaha metro - some 1.1 million people.
We arrived at Tom, Kevin & Liam’s rental unit around 3:30 and unloaded the car trunk and our bags. Little did we know of the fresh bottle of Johnny Walker Blue label in the trunk. Of course if Kevin had told us, it might not have survived the trip. TKL have rented this 2-bedroom condo on a golf course community for 3-4 months while they search for a permanent residence. It is nice, well located and accommodating for their needs. A good base from which to start.
After a few cocktails and gold fish snacks, we headed to dinner at a restaurant called Harvest, of which Tom had received a recommendation. Food was good, a salmon risotto, a chicken salad, a cheese burger and a truffle burger, all washed down with a couple of excellent bottles of Pinot Noir. Only sour spot was their inability to tell the difference between medium hamburger and mostly rare hamburger. I sent it back and when it returned it was hotter but not any better cooked - just spent some more time under the heat lamp.
We were in bed by 11:00 after a night cap. At 4:00 AM on Saturday morning, our alarm went off, we dressed and gulped some coffee. Tom had mapped out the route to the airport, and, after a few quick wrong turns, we arrived at 5:45. Not a lot of traffic on Tucson’s freeways at 5 AM on a Saturday morning. We hopped on our Southwest flight, headed to Denver and then on to Omaha. We arrived at 12:50, right on time, and Abigail picked us up from our excellent adventure. Our thanks to our hosts along the way. We saw friends and places we had not seen before. We now have multiple reasons to head to the southwest in the winter; so be prepared.
At noon, Del made a wonderful lunch of roast beef sandwiches and fruit salad. Deb and I packed our bags and loaded the car for the final push to Tucson. We left Anthem around 1:30 for the “quick” drive to Tucson, some 115 miles away. Phoenix metropolitan area is some 10 million souls, 2.5 million of which live on I-17 and I-10, going at least 70 mph and cutting in and out of lanes for sport.
Not my best type of driving, particularly in a strange city, never knowing for sure which lane to be in for an upcoming route change. Since you are reading this, you have correctly guessed that we survived this bumper-car-o-rama, but we have noticeably aged.
Tucson is surrounded by mountains, again in the high desert. Temperatures are the same as in Phoenix, that is to say hotter than hell, but a “dry” heat, just as in an oven. Seeing the mountains all around, with their promise of moisture above, must bring some solace to the citizens. Tucson metropolitan area is just a bit larger than Omaha metro - some 1.1 million people.
We arrived at Tom, Kevin & Liam’s rental unit around 3:30 and unloaded the car trunk and our bags. Little did we know of the fresh bottle of Johnny Walker Blue label in the trunk. Of course if Kevin had told us, it might not have survived the trip. TKL have rented this 2-bedroom condo on a golf course community for 3-4 months while they search for a permanent residence. It is nice, well located and accommodating for their needs. A good base from which to start.
After a few cocktails and gold fish snacks, we headed to dinner at a restaurant called Harvest, of which Tom had received a recommendation. Food was good, a salmon risotto, a chicken salad, a cheese burger and a truffle burger, all washed down with a couple of excellent bottles of Pinot Noir. Only sour spot was their inability to tell the difference between medium hamburger and mostly rare hamburger. I sent it back and when it returned it was hotter but not any better cooked - just spent some more time under the heat lamp.
We were in bed by 11:00 after a night cap. At 4:00 AM on Saturday morning, our alarm went off, we dressed and gulped some coffee. Tom had mapped out the route to the airport, and, after a few quick wrong turns, we arrived at 5:45. Not a lot of traffic on Tucson’s freeways at 5 AM on a Saturday morning. We hopped on our Southwest flight, headed to Denver and then on to Omaha. We arrived at 12:50, right on time, and Abigail picked us up from our excellent adventure. Our thanks to our hosts along the way. We saw friends and places we had not seen before. We now have multiple reasons to head to the southwest in the winter; so be prepared.
ON TO TUCSON - July 11, 2019
Mesa Verde to Phoenix
We started the morning by having a very good, but typically expensive breakfast of biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, sausage and fruit at the Far View Cafe. Again, as captives, we paid the $15 per person price, but it was decent food. Next we headed for the park entrance and the Visitor’s Center to make a few minor purchases and get our National Parks Passport stamped (it’s a thing with seniors.)
Now on the road again by 8:30. Our route today is to cross northern Arizona on US 160 to Tuba City, turn south on US 89, and drop past the Grand Canyon to hook up with I-17 at Flagstaff, eventually into Phoenix by 4:30 PM.
Not overly ambitious but we are on vacation, or at least I am. Deb of course is working, between dropped phone calls in the mountains from spotty service and not too bright reservation agents, she manages to solve a few booking problems and discuss some issues with clients.
We stop at Four Corners National Monument, now operated by the Navajo Nation. $5 per person entry for the opportunity to take a picture and perhaps spend some money at the native kiosks surrounding the central point. Bathrooms were filthy but necessary as our coffee intake from breakfast was catching up with us.
At Tuba City we stopped for gas and then headed due south. Curious about the name Tuba City, we looked it up on one of our gadgets. Originally named for a Navajo Chief Tuuvi, it morphed into Tuba City. It is the most populous city on the Navajo Reservation and is the headquarters of the western portion of the reservation. The main headquarters is in Shiprock in New Mexico.
At Flagstaff (elevation 7,000 ft.) the temperature drops to about 87 F outside and clouds start to form. As we hop on I-17 for the last leg of today’s journey it begins to sprinkle. As we pass south across the plateau and near San Francisco Peak, we run into a thunder storm. Rain on the windshield quickly clears the bugs, and the temperature drops to 63 F.
We start our descent into Phoenix from 7,000 feet down to 1,000 feet. The drop in elevation was inversely matched by a raise in temperature. We went from 63 F to 113 F. Although we expected to arrive by 4:30, we failed to account for an extra free hour due to Arizona’s refusal to play the daylight savings game. We gained an extra hour and arrived at 3:20. Good drive.
We loaded into Del and Karen’s home; Deb unloaded her computer into their home office and went to work while I poured myself a cool drink. Around 6:15 we braved the heat and went out for a good hamburger, beef brisket sandwich, pork chili verde (stew) and a chicken salad. Wine and more water topped off the evening.
Back to the house and into the spa pool to cool down. 84F in the spa but still over 100F in the air so it felt wonderful. Added a glass of wine and then back inside for some fresh fruit and ice cream for dessert.
Tumbled into bed in an air conditioned room and a hard sleep. Tomorrow we take the short drive to Tucson for the penultimate day of our journey.
We started the morning by having a very good, but typically expensive breakfast of biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, sausage and fruit at the Far View Cafe. Again, as captives, we paid the $15 per person price, but it was decent food. Next we headed for the park entrance and the Visitor’s Center to make a few minor purchases and get our National Parks Passport stamped (it’s a thing with seniors.)
Now on the road again by 8:30. Our route today is to cross northern Arizona on US 160 to Tuba City, turn south on US 89, and drop past the Grand Canyon to hook up with I-17 at Flagstaff, eventually into Phoenix by 4:30 PM.
Not overly ambitious but we are on vacation, or at least I am. Deb of course is working, between dropped phone calls in the mountains from spotty service and not too bright reservation agents, she manages to solve a few booking problems and discuss some issues with clients.
We stop at Four Corners National Monument, now operated by the Navajo Nation. $5 per person entry for the opportunity to take a picture and perhaps spend some money at the native kiosks surrounding the central point. Bathrooms were filthy but necessary as our coffee intake from breakfast was catching up with us.
At Tuba City we stopped for gas and then headed due south. Curious about the name Tuba City, we looked it up on one of our gadgets. Originally named for a Navajo Chief Tuuvi, it morphed into Tuba City. It is the most populous city on the Navajo Reservation and is the headquarters of the western portion of the reservation. The main headquarters is in Shiprock in New Mexico.
At Flagstaff (elevation 7,000 ft.) the temperature drops to about 87 F outside and clouds start to form. As we hop on I-17 for the last leg of today’s journey it begins to sprinkle. As we pass south across the plateau and near San Francisco Peak, we run into a thunder storm. Rain on the windshield quickly clears the bugs, and the temperature drops to 63 F.
We start our descent into Phoenix from 7,000 feet down to 1,000 feet. The drop in elevation was inversely matched by a raise in temperature. We went from 63 F to 113 F. Although we expected to arrive by 4:30, we failed to account for an extra free hour due to Arizona’s refusal to play the daylight savings game. We gained an extra hour and arrived at 3:20. Good drive.
We loaded into Del and Karen’s home; Deb unloaded her computer into their home office and went to work while I poured myself a cool drink. Around 6:15 we braved the heat and went out for a good hamburger, beef brisket sandwich, pork chili verde (stew) and a chicken salad. Wine and more water topped off the evening.
Back to the house and into the spa pool to cool down. 84F in the spa but still over 100F in the air so it felt wonderful. Added a glass of wine and then back inside for some fresh fruit and ice cream for dessert.
Tumbled into bed in an air conditioned room and a hard sleep. Tomorrow we take the short drive to Tucson for the penultimate day of our journey.
ON TO TUCSON - June 10, 2019
Well, Wednesday started auspiciously with yours truly losing track of the time
change and hence up at 5:15 AM local time in Colorado Springs. My error
was quickly noted, so I hopped in the shower and searched out coffee while the better looking portion of our duo caught up on not needed beauty sleep. LaQuinta breakfast,
although standard fare of powdered scrambled eggs, sausage, bagels, home fries, waffles, fruit, etc.
was above average and very tasty. We wolfed it down, stoked up on coffee and hit the next door
gas station before ramping on the I-25 South by 8:30. Traffic was heavy, but not unduly so.
We were quickly through the city and headed south to Walsenburg, where we dropped off the freeway and turned west on CO 64 towards our westbound artery of US 164. We switched drivers somewhere in the middle of the state (Pagosa Springs,) and continued westward towards Mesa Verde. In Mancos, we gassed up and switched drivers again, arriving at Mesa Verde National Park around 3:00 PM.
As we already had a firm reservation at the Far View Hotel on property, we began a couple of loop drives to look at the archeological sites of the Puebla Ancestral Peoples (formerly referred to as Anasazi) and marvelled at the ecology of the high desert area. We drove, then walked, drove then walked. What we found was that we flatlanders (old and not in very good shape) take quite a while to become accustomed to the thin atmosphere. Likewise, even though the humidity is low, the sun is still very hot. Luckily we brought hats. Deb was happy to be viewing things that were older than she is!
Around 6:00 we checked into the hotel with a gorgeous view to the north overlooking the arroyos. We had our cocktails on our balcony and at 7:45 headed to the restaurant for our dinner reservation. Dinner was less than spectacular - a house salad and “ancient” grains risotto for Deb and house made chips and a cheese tortellini and mushroom dish. Deb had a local Cinsault wine that was quite good, and I a local porter beer that was also good. However the $100.00 price tag was not.
We walked back to our room and sat on the balcony waiting sunset and the star show in the clear, unlighted sky. Gorgeous! The park was wonderful, the scenery and weather were spectacular, so we agreed to overlook the food issue as we were captives. We did find later that the lounge next door served hamburgers and fries, a much better choice and one we will recommend in the future.
Tomorrow we head on to Phoenix.
We were quickly through the city and headed south to Walsenburg, where we dropped off the freeway and turned west on CO 64 towards our westbound artery of US 164. We switched drivers somewhere in the middle of the state (Pagosa Springs,) and continued westward towards Mesa Verde. In Mancos, we gassed up and switched drivers again, arriving at Mesa Verde National Park around 3:00 PM.
As we already had a firm reservation at the Far View Hotel on property, we began a couple of loop drives to look at the archeological sites of the Puebla Ancestral Peoples (formerly referred to as Anasazi) and marvelled at the ecology of the high desert area. We drove, then walked, drove then walked. What we found was that we flatlanders (old and not in very good shape) take quite a while to become accustomed to the thin atmosphere. Likewise, even though the humidity is low, the sun is still very hot. Luckily we brought hats. Deb was happy to be viewing things that were older than she is!
Around 6:00 we checked into the hotel with a gorgeous view to the north overlooking the arroyos. We had our cocktails on our balcony and at 7:45 headed to the restaurant for our dinner reservation. Dinner was less than spectacular - a house salad and “ancient” grains risotto for Deb and house made chips and a cheese tortellini and mushroom dish. Deb had a local Cinsault wine that was quite good, and I a local porter beer that was also good. However the $100.00 price tag was not.
We walked back to our room and sat on the balcony waiting sunset and the star show in the clear, unlighted sky. Gorgeous! The park was wonderful, the scenery and weather were spectacular, so we agreed to overlook the food issue as we were captives. We did find later that the lounge next door served hamburgers and fries, a much better choice and one we will recommend in the future.
Tomorrow we head on to Phoenix.
ON TO TUCSON - 6/9/2019
Tuesday’s Start
The dawn broke in Omaha with a short rain, the temperature still moderate, but threatening to soar. Deb and I rousted out and I started preparing the car. Deb stepped out of the shower to the ringing phone. Clients wanting to go ahead and book the huge cruise they had discussed the day before. She talked them through it, sitting in her bathrobe, contacted the cruise line, booked the trip and then called the client back to explain the necessary info, along the way explaining to one of the couples how she needed to get her passport updated immediately. Directions to the passport office were given.
Before she could finish the phone rang again with another client wanting to book their cruise. That done, she finished up and got dressed, two major bookings completed and another small crisis solved.
We loaded the sleek Toyota Avalon sedan that was the purpose of this trip, and headed out at 10:30, about 2 hours behind our intended departure. We texted our traveling partners, Tom, Kevin & Liam (TKL) to let them know of our late departure. They were only about 15 minutes ahead of us so not so bad. (By the way, Liam is the wonderful black Scotty Terrier who is the third person of this trio moving to Tucson.)
As we reached Kearney on I-80, traffic slowed to a crawl and we learned that Kearney received 8.5 inches of rain overnight, causing the Platte to overflow, flood parts of the city, and cause the closing of the main exit into Kearney. The flooded banks of the Platte continued on, past Lexington and further as we traveled west.
We passed TKL just west of Kearney and agreed to stop for gas, a stretch and driver change in Gothenburg.
After Gothenburg, with Deb now in our driver’s seat, we continued our western run. Just west of Ogallala, we dropped onto I-76 for the run towards Denver. Having made this trip before, and given the time of day, we opted to avoid the traffic around Denver, getting off the freeway at Ft. Morgan, dropping due south on US 71, then at Limon to US 24 on our run into Colorado Springs. Tom had told us in Gothenburg that he had booked at LaQuinta in Colorado Springs, so we made the call and secured a room. Who knew there were multiple LaQuinta hotels in Colorado Springs?
We arrived around 6:30 (7:30 body time due to time change) and settled into our room after a 9 hour drive. We texted TKL and learned they were still 30 minutes out. Not sure if they stayed on the freeway the entire way or made a second Liam stop.
As we had polished off our sandwiches for dinner, we opted to stay in and dine on a snack of goldfish crackers and red wine. How haute cuisine we are. We walked around the hotel grounds a bit to stretch our legs, marvelled at the 14% humidity and fell into bed around 10:00, tired but glad to be on the road again.
Tomorrow we separate from TKL as they continue direct to Tucson and we head across Colorado towards Mesa Verde National Park for a look see.
The dawn broke in Omaha with a short rain, the temperature still moderate, but threatening to soar. Deb and I rousted out and I started preparing the car. Deb stepped out of the shower to the ringing phone. Clients wanting to go ahead and book the huge cruise they had discussed the day before. She talked them through it, sitting in her bathrobe, contacted the cruise line, booked the trip and then called the client back to explain the necessary info, along the way explaining to one of the couples how she needed to get her passport updated immediately. Directions to the passport office were given.
Before she could finish the phone rang again with another client wanting to book their cruise. That done, she finished up and got dressed, two major bookings completed and another small crisis solved.
We loaded the sleek Toyota Avalon sedan that was the purpose of this trip, and headed out at 10:30, about 2 hours behind our intended departure. We texted our traveling partners, Tom, Kevin & Liam (TKL) to let them know of our late departure. They were only about 15 minutes ahead of us so not so bad. (By the way, Liam is the wonderful black Scotty Terrier who is the third person of this trio moving to Tucson.)
As we reached Kearney on I-80, traffic slowed to a crawl and we learned that Kearney received 8.5 inches of rain overnight, causing the Platte to overflow, flood parts of the city, and cause the closing of the main exit into Kearney. The flooded banks of the Platte continued on, past Lexington and further as we traveled west.
We passed TKL just west of Kearney and agreed to stop for gas, a stretch and driver change in Gothenburg.
After Gothenburg, with Deb now in our driver’s seat, we continued our western run. Just west of Ogallala, we dropped onto I-76 for the run towards Denver. Having made this trip before, and given the time of day, we opted to avoid the traffic around Denver, getting off the freeway at Ft. Morgan, dropping due south on US 71, then at Limon to US 24 on our run into Colorado Springs. Tom had told us in Gothenburg that he had booked at LaQuinta in Colorado Springs, so we made the call and secured a room. Who knew there were multiple LaQuinta hotels in Colorado Springs?
We arrived around 6:30 (7:30 body time due to time change) and settled into our room after a 9 hour drive. We texted TKL and learned they were still 30 minutes out. Not sure if they stayed on the freeway the entire way or made a second Liam stop.
As we had polished off our sandwiches for dinner, we opted to stay in and dine on a snack of goldfish crackers and red wine. How haute cuisine we are. We walked around the hotel grounds a bit to stretch our legs, marvelled at the 14% humidity and fell into bed around 10:00, tired but glad to be on the road again.
Tomorrow we separate from TKL as they continue direct to Tucson and we head across Colorado towards Mesa Verde National Park for a look see.
Joslyn Castle Tour Day 4 Thursday, October 11, 2018
Our final day - awakening to rain forecast to last all day. Today will be a full day. Breakfast as usual, the powdered eggs the driest yet, so glad to back up with a hard boiled egg - bacon returned to the menu. Due to today’s lengthy travel times back into New York State, we have ordered Subway sandwiches for the troops; our leader directs the factotum to strike out in the rain across the highway to pick up the 22 sandwiches, 22 cookies, 22 bags of chips and 20 bottles of water.
Off we head about 9:15, all bags loaded on the coach and all rain gear on board as we will likely need it today. Our first stop is the home of Edna St. Vincent Millay, known as Steepletop, located in Austerlitz New York. ESVM and her husband Eugen built this small clapboard home on the site of a former berry farm. Millay lived here for the last 25 years of her life, eventually dying in the home. It was bequeathed to her sister Norma who lived for an additional 36 years in the home, then setting up the Edna St. Vincent Millay Society for the preservation of the home and grounds.
This is a small, obviously lived in, and loved home. Again, all the furnishings are as Millay left them, so moving around in our group was a challenge, particularly as this is a small home. The rain deterred much walking around on the grounds (except for a hardy few) but the home left such a feeling of personality that it was worth missing most of the surrounding area. The Society maintains a small gallery and gift shop on the property which did get some patronage.
Sad to report that this Society is struggling and they may close this year due to lack of funding. They do own the literary rights to Millay’s works and own some 200 acres surrounding the home, but they have already sold off a large chunk of the ground to the State of New York as a forest preserve. Many of us have been to the Red Cloud area and seen the marvellous work and preservation of the Willa Cather Foundation. When comparing that to the Millay Society, one hopes their Trustees can see the way forward to maintain and grow another great American author’s legacy. Both were towering American literary figures, Pulitzer Prize winners and strong female advocates
We re-board the coach and head eastward towards the village of Hudson, New York. Enroute the sub sandwiches and chips are handed out as the coach rocked back and forth like a ship at sea; then silence rains down (just like outside) as we dine in quiet contemplation. Our destination is Olana, a New York State Historical site. This is the home of Frederic Edwin Church, a towering figure in the Hudson River School of painters, who specializes in large (like 8’ x 10’) landscape paintings.
Church designed this home after his around the world honeymoon tour. The home sits on a hilltop with commanding views of the Hudson River Valley and the Catskills mountains. The home, completed in 1870, was designed by Church and decorated in a Phoenician / Arabian motif. Again, most of the furnishings are original to the home so we received the by now, standard lecture to not touch, lean or sit on anything. We were admonished not to even touch the doors, as they were stencilled by the artist and so were works of art.
Although the home was chocked full of eclectic articles from church’s travels and hung through out with paintings, both of artists he admired, and some of his own studies and paintings, some of the true beauty here is the setting of the structure and the dramatic vistas. Although the rain continued to pour, the fog and cloudiness eventually lifted enough that we could get a feel for the views Church so admired and which he immortalized in some of his most renowned work.
We left Olana and headed back towards Albany and the airport for the last leg of our journey. We arrived at the airport around 4:15 and were checked in and sitting in the bar for a last gathering and discussions of the trip prior to our 6:30 departure. All flights were on time, even Chicago was not a hassle, and we landed back at Eppley at 10:30, 15 minutes behind schedule. After luggage and drop offs, we finally returned to our own beds by 12:45, a long day but a most fulfilling trip.
Joslyn Castle Tour Day 3 Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Once again up and breakfast at Yankee Inn. Today sausage instead of bacon, but otherwise all the same. Deb enjoys her bagel and peanut butter while I add a hard boiled egg to the mix. All 21 of us seem to have survived the evening and are rarin’ to go at 9:30 for our penultimate day of the trip.
We head out on a sunny morning towards Naumkaeg, the family home of the John Choate family, located in Stockbridge. Choate was a very high powered attorney and eventually Ambassador to England at the turn of the 20th century. He was received in Great Britain by Queen Victoria, attended her funeral and also the coronation of Edward in his diplomatic position. His brother was the founder of the famous Choate boys school.
This shingled cottage was completed in 1903 but it’s current state, both of the home and the fabulous gardens, were the result of the care of his daughter, Mabel Choate. She owned the “cottage” for 38 years and is responsible for all the preservation. She had the foresight to deed the property over to trustees prior to her death in 1958 and her bequest included all the furnishings and contents of the home, together with the grounds and a $1,000,000 endowment.
Consequently, this home is preserved as it was left in 1958, including all of Mabel’s collections from her world travel and all the decorative touches and furnishings she treasured. All is well preserved, and the home looks as if it is still occupied. Quite a feat. The grounds and gardens are also stunning, being designed by Mabel and her garden designer Fletcher Steele. Steele actually served on the Board of Trustees for years following Mabel’s death and so was able to preserve his designs for posterity.
We leave Naumkeag and stop at a Brewery/Restaurant for a lunch of a burger and a pint and then head into Lenox to view The Mount, Edith Wharton’s home. Wharton designed this home herself and it was completed in 1902. Whereas Naumkeag was a 44 room shingled “cottage”, The Mount is a balanced whitewashed stone mansion somewhat reminiscent of a balanced federalist style home.
In this instance, Wharton only lived here for 11 years before moving to France and living the last 26 years of her life there. As she sold the home and it was eventually tenanted by a girls school, all the furnishings and appointments on view are recreations. Even so, it is a marvellous, light filled mansion of unusual layout. Again the gardens and grounds are stunning, even though the season is changing. The view over the lawns to the pond is dramatic, and a walk through the garden “rooms” very delightful.
We hop back into the coach and return to the Yankee Inn for a clothing change, a cocktail in the bar (which the hotel opened just for our group as it is normally not open except on the weekends) and then back into Stockbridge to dinner at the Red Lion Inn. This hotel and restaurant has been on site at this coaching corner of Stockbridge since 1797. Although not the original structure, due to a fire in the late 19th century, it continues as a prime example of Berkshires /Adirondack hostelry. There is a wide porch surrounding the 100 room structure with rocking chairs filled with guests.
The restaurant was very good, and meals such as braised lamb on rice, mussels on wild Indian rice, scallops with Fargo large and peppers, and trout on a bed of rice. Wine was fine and evidently the desserts were a treat. We assemble again for the quick trip back to Lenox and Yankee Inn, sated, sighted and ready to rest for our final day.
Joslyn Castle Tour Day 2 Tuesday, October 10, 2018
A beautiful but slightly foggy morning here at Yankee Inn in the Massachusetts Berkshires. A breakfast reminiscent of a Hampton Inn - scrambled eggs (probably powdered) bacon, bagels, banana or hard boiled egg, cereals and a waffle machine. Could be worse I suppose, but the coffee is good.
We climb aboard our oversized coach this morning at 9:30 for the short trip to Stockbridge and the Norman Rockwell Museum. The museum is everything Rockwell, hundreds of his original paintings, all of his 300 Saturday Evening Post covers on display, plus a significant number of other works, War Bond posters, Boys Life covers, advertising pieces for Ford, General Electric, California Raisins and others.
A current show on display is a mounting of a number of the artists and illustrators who were teachers and inspirations to Rockwell, together with a lot of information on his life and family, his children, his three wives and his ancestors.
The museum sits on some hundred acres of rolling wooded countryside abutting the Housatonic River, and includes a stone “cottage”, formerly owned by the Musgrave family which now serves as the headquarters of the Norman Rockwell Foundation. Also on the grounds is the small red barn structure that served as Rockwell’s last studio, fitted out as if he had just stepped away for a moment. The grounds are very well maintained and planted. The Museum itself dates only from 1993 and was designed by Robert A.M. Stern. The studio building was moved to the site from its original location in the village of Stockbridge. A very interesting stop, although the Foundation headquarters building was not open to the public.
We left Stockbridge at 12:30 and motored back to Lenox for our luncheon and appointment at Ventefort, a 28,000 square foot Jacobean style “cottage” built in 1903 by Sarah and George Morgan. Sarah was the sister of J.P. Morgan and her husband was a 7th cousin, so she was Sarah Morgan Morgan!
We were served a very pleasant lunch in the dining room or on the front porch, overlooking a lawn down to the Housatonic. As our tour is sponsored and a function of the Sarah and George Joslyn home, we were very interested in our tour of this home. Our general impression is that the Joslyn home is further along in its restoration than the Morgan home. Ventefort was sold a few times and finally was in the process of being stripped of its paneling and parts in anticipation of being demolished to make way for a senior living home prior to its being saved by a fundraiser and assigned to the Historic Trust, there has been and continues to be a lot of restoration needed, both interior and exterior.
The parallels with Joslyn are numerous, the methods used for funding, such as Designer Show houses, use as a wedding venue, staging of mystery plays, were familiar. This home is larger than the nearly 20,000 square foot Joslyn home, and sits on 11 acres of ground versus our 5+ acres, but otherwise much the same as of its age and times. This home is of brick, features three floors (although only the first plus 1/2 of the second are now available for viewing) but both have a bowling alley in the basement, and are struggling to maintain a flavour of the age. I will say that the Joslyn grounds are in much better shape, with its gardens and plantings. This emphasis is missing at Ventefort.
We leave here at 3:30, some of the group returning to the hotel for a rest, and the majority trouping off for a walkabout in historic Lenox, stopping in at art galleries, looking at clothing stores, and stopping for a drink at outdoor patios along the way. Back to the Yankee Inn and then off to an Italian restaurant for our satisfying meal. We are back in our rooms before 9:00 and a chance to rest after a busy day.
We climb aboard our oversized coach this morning at 9:30 for the short trip to Stockbridge and the Norman Rockwell Museum. The museum is everything Rockwell, hundreds of his original paintings, all of his 300 Saturday Evening Post covers on display, plus a significant number of other works, War Bond posters, Boys Life covers, advertising pieces for Ford, General Electric, California Raisins and others.
A current show on display is a mounting of a number of the artists and illustrators who were teachers and inspirations to Rockwell, together with a lot of information on his life and family, his children, his three wives and his ancestors.
The museum sits on some hundred acres of rolling wooded countryside abutting the Housatonic River, and includes a stone “cottage”, formerly owned by the Musgrave family which now serves as the headquarters of the Norman Rockwell Foundation. Also on the grounds is the small red barn structure that served as Rockwell’s last studio, fitted out as if he had just stepped away for a moment. The grounds are very well maintained and planted. The Museum itself dates only from 1993 and was designed by Robert A.M. Stern. The studio building was moved to the site from its original location in the village of Stockbridge. A very interesting stop, although the Foundation headquarters building was not open to the public.
We left Stockbridge at 12:30 and motored back to Lenox for our luncheon and appointment at Ventefort, a 28,000 square foot Jacobean style “cottage” built in 1903 by Sarah and George Morgan. Sarah was the sister of J.P. Morgan and her husband was a 7th cousin, so she was Sarah Morgan Morgan!
We were served a very pleasant lunch in the dining room or on the front porch, overlooking a lawn down to the Housatonic. As our tour is sponsored and a function of the Sarah and George Joslyn home, we were very interested in our tour of this home. Our general impression is that the Joslyn home is further along in its restoration than the Morgan home. Ventefort was sold a few times and finally was in the process of being stripped of its paneling and parts in anticipation of being demolished to make way for a senior living home prior to its being saved by a fundraiser and assigned to the Historic Trust, there has been and continues to be a lot of restoration needed, both interior and exterior.
The parallels with Joslyn are numerous, the methods used for funding, such as Designer Show houses, use as a wedding venue, staging of mystery plays, were familiar. This home is larger than the nearly 20,000 square foot Joslyn home, and sits on 11 acres of ground versus our 5+ acres, but otherwise much the same as of its age and times. This home is of brick, features three floors (although only the first plus 1/2 of the second are now available for viewing) but both have a bowling alley in the basement, and are struggling to maintain a flavour of the age. I will say that the Joslyn grounds are in much better shape, with its gardens and plantings. This emphasis is missing at Ventefort.
We leave here at 3:30, some of the group returning to the hotel for a rest, and the majority trouping off for a walkabout in historic Lenox, stopping in at art galleries, looking at clothing stores, and stopping for a drink at outdoor patios along the way. Back to the Yankee Inn and then off to an Italian restaurant for our satisfying meal. We are back in our rooms before 9:00 and a chance to rest after a busy day.
Joslyn Castle Tour - Day 1 - Tuesday, October 8, 2018
This morning we depart Omaha for Albany, New York with our group of 21 friends (old and new) for a 4-day tour of western Massachusetts with friends and supporters of Joslyn Castle. We meet at 9:30 at Eppley Airfield for the first leg of our trip, headed to Chicago for a plane change.
As usual, full flights with all the tender handling that only U.S. carriers can provide. Although the instructions were to avoid checking a bag, not only to save the group possible time but to avoid $25.00 checked baggage charges, it was unavoidable that a few (eight) would check bags.
We depart on time and arrive in Chicago eight minutes ahead of schedule - great start. Unfortunately, no room at the gate - a stumble. We are only three gates away from our next departure - again a good sign. One of our party requires a wheelchair ride to the gate - not a good sign. The next flight is totally packed but we manage to get on and depart only 20 minutes behind schedule and wing eastward in the fiendish skies of United towards Albany.
An uneventful flight and again we arrive right on the dot. As our tiring crew struggles towards the baggage claim, Deb suggests that I sprint (not a pretty sight,) to grab the checked bags off the carousel. All arrive (passengers and luggage) without mishap and we flag down our 48 passenger (larger than expected) coach for the trip eastward to our eventual destination of Lenox Massachusetts.
With a stop at the bus barn to replace the microphone for the on-board sound system, we arrive at our destination around 7:00, the Zinc Bistro restaurant for our meal. Once we are settled at our table and the cocktails arrive, the party perks up. We enjoy a wonderful meal, renew or make new acquaintances and end the meal 2 hours later in a convivial and jovial manner. Back on our coach and on to the Yankee Inn, our home for the next three nights.
A long and tiring day, especially for our ever faithful leader, guide and organizer, the love of my life, Deb. She “done good” today and deserves her rest before the next three days of cat herding. The weather was good, the flights on time, no bags were lost and only one of the group took a fall - that was at the very end of the day, with no damage. (No, it wasn’t Deb!) Onward for another adventure.
As usual, full flights with all the tender handling that only U.S. carriers can provide. Although the instructions were to avoid checking a bag, not only to save the group possible time but to avoid $25.00 checked baggage charges, it was unavoidable that a few (eight) would check bags.
We depart on time and arrive in Chicago eight minutes ahead of schedule - great start. Unfortunately, no room at the gate - a stumble. We are only three gates away from our next departure - again a good sign. One of our party requires a wheelchair ride to the gate - not a good sign. The next flight is totally packed but we manage to get on and depart only 20 minutes behind schedule and wing eastward in the fiendish skies of United towards Albany.
An uneventful flight and again we arrive right on the dot. As our tiring crew struggles towards the baggage claim, Deb suggests that I sprint (not a pretty sight,) to grab the checked bags off the carousel. All arrive (passengers and luggage) without mishap and we flag down our 48 passenger (larger than expected) coach for the trip eastward to our eventual destination of Lenox Massachusetts.
With a stop at the bus barn to replace the microphone for the on-board sound system, we arrive at our destination around 7:00, the Zinc Bistro restaurant for our meal. Once we are settled at our table and the cocktails arrive, the party perks up. We enjoy a wonderful meal, renew or make new acquaintances and end the meal 2 hours later in a convivial and jovial manner. Back on our coach and on to the Yankee Inn, our home for the next three nights.
A long and tiring day, especially for our ever faithful leader, guide and organizer, the love of my life, Deb. She “done good” today and deserves her rest before the next three days of cat herding. The weather was good, the flights on time, no bags were lost and only one of the group took a fall - that was at the very end of the day, with no damage. (No, it wasn’t Deb!) Onward for another adventure.
Midwest Travels, Saturday, August 18, 2018
59F again this morning at Gunflint Lake as we arise for our penultimate day on the road. We are packed, our cabin is cleaned of all our detritus, even vacuumed! We stop at the lodge to send Friday's message and settle up our bill for the three days.
On the road at 9:00, we reset our odometer from the 1121 miles we have logged since we left Omaha a week ago, and set sail back to Grand Marais, some 43 miles back to the coast of Lake Superior. We parked in Grand Marais and walked the shops of the area, making some purchases in an art gallery, bookstore, and stopping at the Blue Water Cafe for our breakfast/lunch of omelette, eggs and biscuits and sausage gravy. The omelette passed muster well, the biscuits & gravy barely, and the eggs cold by the time the biscuits & gravy were eaten. We hit the road around 12:30 and headed south to Duluth and the road back.
Saturday traffic is much greater on the North Shore Scenic drive today. On the way north, we had noted a small roadside store, Playing with Yarn, and made a note to stop on the way back, which we did. Amazing little shop in the back of a home. The home sits literally on the shore of Lake Superior. We made a purchase and were soon back on the road, scooting through Duluth and onto I-35 to reach the small highways we prefer.
As we cross North-Central Minnesota scenery here becomes flat farmland, interspersed with large and small lakes, all busy on this Saturday with beautiful weather and boats and campers on the road. Although we had hoped to get further south, we settle for the night in St. Cloud, finding a room at the Courtyard by Marrriot in downtown. We cross the street for dinner at the Mexican Village restaurant for standard fare of taco salad and burrito; sad note, this bartender has no idea how to make a Dirty Martini, and we didn't have the heart to explain it to him. We head back to the hotel and into bed early, looking forward to our 7 hour drive home to Omaha tomorrow. We have enjoyed our week on the road; we have seen areas we were pleasantly surprised by, met people who were friendly, helpful, entertaining and taught us a lot, both about the area and about themselves. We begin daydreaming of our next road trip.
No more messages from us on this trip as their is nothing really interesting to see or say as we cross old ground again. Thanks for joining us on our short little adventure. We will see most of you tomorrow.
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