Victoria Day, May 23,2011
Just a quick note. Drove up to Canada along the Maine coast. Weather was overcast. The small towns along Hwy 1 are loaded with restored Victorian houses and tons of them are for sale. Must be the economy. Spent 3 rainy days in St. John, British Columbia and am now near Truro, Nova Scotia...about in the middle of the country. Looks like the rain is clearing out so I'm getting ready for some more exciting visits. Gas is almost $5.00 per gallon. So glad to find an open campsite. Kisses.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Rain, rain, rain
May 15, 2011
Hi from Bar Harbor, Maine. I guess that, like Seattle, rain is the harbinger of Spring up here. Only one day of sun in the past week! It's supposed to last throughout the Northeast until next week. But I cope...visiting the few indoor places that are open and figuring what I'm going to visit on the way back down.
The John Greenleaf Whittier home was something else. It is owned by a private foundation and is truly representative of a farm family of the 1830s. A little old man who used to be a teacher is the local self-taught expert on Whittier's life and work. He had some wonderful local stories and insights into the era. I didn't think of Whittier as a radical, but apparently he was actively involved with the other greats of his time. He was an active Abolitionist and an early advocate for women's suffrage. My kinda guy.
At the Kennebunkport Public Library book sale, I found a book of poems and have been re-reading some of Whittier's work. (No, George and Barbara were not available for lunch...)
I'm also looking again at William Wadsworth Longfellow, whose childhood home is in Portland, Maine. It was one of several sites that were of interest. Portland is a lovely city of about 68,000 permanent residents and lots of summer tourists. Interestingly, it is a resettlement location for Catholic Charities and there are many people from Sudan and Somalia residing there. It's one of the places I'd like to revisit.
Misty though it was, this morning I took a drive through Acadia National Park. The area was first named Eden...and appropriately so. It is overwhelming. Big waves massage the seawalls. Whispering streams flow through the forests and sometimes make small waterfalls over the rocks cut to make the roads. Little bunches of white flowers peek up from inch tall grass. Each curve in the road presents a breathtaking view of assorted greens. This is an ideal place to appreciate nature's terrors and good spirits. I want to stay for a while, but when it's sunny.
It looks like only stuff in the Atlantic Provinces big (relative term) cities is open now. Historic sites and museums in smaller towns are still closed so I'm just going to soldier on to Newfoundland and just enjoy the scenery and the ride...
Tried some sauteed fiddleheads and my first lobster roll. McCloskey's children's books Blueberries for Sal ans A Day in Maine are in my future.
Hugs to all.
Hi from Bar Harbor, Maine. I guess that, like Seattle, rain is the harbinger of Spring up here. Only one day of sun in the past week! It's supposed to last throughout the Northeast until next week. But I cope...visiting the few indoor places that are open and figuring what I'm going to visit on the way back down.
The John Greenleaf Whittier home was something else. It is owned by a private foundation and is truly representative of a farm family of the 1830s. A little old man who used to be a teacher is the local self-taught expert on Whittier's life and work. He had some wonderful local stories and insights into the era. I didn't think of Whittier as a radical, but apparently he was actively involved with the other greats of his time. He was an active Abolitionist and an early advocate for women's suffrage. My kinda guy.
At the Kennebunkport Public Library book sale, I found a book of poems and have been re-reading some of Whittier's work. (No, George and Barbara were not available for lunch...)
I'm also looking again at William Wadsworth Longfellow, whose childhood home is in Portland, Maine. It was one of several sites that were of interest. Portland is a lovely city of about 68,000 permanent residents and lots of summer tourists. Interestingly, it is a resettlement location for Catholic Charities and there are many people from Sudan and Somalia residing there. It's one of the places I'd like to revisit.
Misty though it was, this morning I took a drive through Acadia National Park. The area was first named Eden...and appropriately so. It is overwhelming. Big waves massage the seawalls. Whispering streams flow through the forests and sometimes make small waterfalls over the rocks cut to make the roads. Little bunches of white flowers peek up from inch tall grass. Each curve in the road presents a breathtaking view of assorted greens. This is an ideal place to appreciate nature's terrors and good spirits. I want to stay for a while, but when it's sunny.
It looks like only stuff in the Atlantic Provinces big (relative term) cities is open now. Historic sites and museums in smaller towns are still closed so I'm just going to soldier on to Newfoundland and just enjoy the scenery and the ride...
Tried some sauteed fiddleheads and my first lobster roll. McCloskey's children's books Blueberries for Sal ans A Day in Maine are in my future.
Hugs to all.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Lovin' MA
Dang, I love it up here. Maybe because it's the kind of land I grew up in. Maybe it's because I'm just comparing it to Florida. But here, there seems to be an peaceful harmony between people and nature. Sunshine grows flowers; it doesn't quickly burn you. Rivers flow freely, over and under large rocks. You don't have to fear fish or snakes rising out of the water. Lakes with docks invite you for a swim. No alligators or sharks. There are more than palm trees. Colors abound in shrubs, blossoms and new leaves. Flowers grow naturally in yards and fields. There is no landscaper apparent. It's so real and natural. The land is not raped and plowed.
Clearly, the drive through central Massachusetts had an impact. Holyoke, Amherst, Deerfield. Gorgeous. Spring is a great time to travel here. However, Kate and Bonnie, old college friends in Boston, are out of town (getting warm in Aruba) for a while. So, a visit to them is postponed until the trip south.
I visited the Emily Dickenson site and got more revved up. It's sparked a renewed interest in her and her work. The website is informative and fun. Historic Deerfield is lovely and gives you a real bang for your twelve bucks. And there was even a good campground nearby.
Monday is not a good day to be a tourist. Lots is closed. So today, Tuesday, I'm backtracking from Haverhill to Lowell. The Women Mill Workers exhibit and the quilting museum beckon. Then tomorrow there's a visit to the home of John Greenlief Whittier. It's closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Just listened to The House of Abraham, the story of the Todd family...ripe with new insights (to me) on Abraham Lincoln. Met a family from Tampa at the hotel. They are on their way back home, after a funeral. Life is good. Wish you all were here, tho.
P.S. Threw in the towel and bought a couple of disposable cameras.
Clearly, the drive through central Massachusetts had an impact. Holyoke, Amherst, Deerfield. Gorgeous. Spring is a great time to travel here. However, Kate and Bonnie, old college friends in Boston, are out of town (getting warm in Aruba) for a while. So, a visit to them is postponed until the trip south.
I visited the Emily Dickenson site and got more revved up. It's sparked a renewed interest in her and her work. The website is informative and fun. Historic Deerfield is lovely and gives you a real bang for your twelve bucks. And there was even a good campground nearby.
Monday is not a good day to be a tourist. Lots is closed. So today, Tuesday, I'm backtracking from Haverhill to Lowell. The Women Mill Workers exhibit and the quilting museum beckon. Then tomorrow there's a visit to the home of John Greenlief Whittier. It's closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Just listened to The House of Abraham, the story of the Todd family...ripe with new insights (to me) on Abraham Lincoln. Met a family from Tampa at the hotel. They are on their way back home, after a funeral. Life is good. Wish you all were here, tho.
P.S. Threw in the towel and bought a couple of disposable cameras.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
A Beautiful Day
Birches! I see birches!! Slender white fingers wiggle through the light green of barely bloomed oak and hickory. And beaver dams rise gently in fast flowing streams. Today it was sunny. In places of Old Sturbridge Village you could hear only the breeze rustling through new leaves. Blue skies all around. I love the Berkshires.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Up the Hudson
May 4 2011
After bubbling about the lovely weather, I am sorry to say that Spring has not in sprung in the Great State of New York. In addition, many of the sites I wanted to visit are not open.
Having said that, visits to several places were great. The library and birthplace of FDR showcased his proudest achievement: Social Security. In addition there was a special display on the subject. I'd read several biographies, but none seemed to capture SS as his greatest achievement. He was such a great people person. Minutes away is Eleanor's retreat, Valkill. It's quite modest for the lead writer of the International Declaration of Human Rights. But it's very peaceful and the Park Service guide tells delightful stories!
The only thing open yet in Albany is the New York State Library and Museum. So, I'm holed up in the Motel 6 waiting for the rain to stop. I've decided to crochet a baby layette for no one in particular. Next stop: Stockbridge, MA and then Old Sturbridge Village. Hopefully the temperatures will rise soon. L'Anse aux Meadows doesn't open till June. Just read that archaeologists have uncovered a Basque fishing village in southern Labrador.
Love you, miss you.
After bubbling about the lovely weather, I am sorry to say that Spring has not in sprung in the Great State of New York. In addition, many of the sites I wanted to visit are not open.
Having said that, visits to several places were great. The library and birthplace of FDR showcased his proudest achievement: Social Security. In addition there was a special display on the subject. I'd read several biographies, but none seemed to capture SS as his greatest achievement. He was such a great people person. Minutes away is Eleanor's retreat, Valkill. It's quite modest for the lead writer of the International Declaration of Human Rights. But it's very peaceful and the Park Service guide tells delightful stories!
The only thing open yet in Albany is the New York State Library and Museum. So, I'm holed up in the Motel 6 waiting for the rain to stop. I've decided to crochet a baby layette for no one in particular. Next stop: Stockbridge, MA and then Old Sturbridge Village. Hopefully the temperatures will rise soon. L'Anse aux Meadows doesn't open till June. Just read that archaeologists have uncovered a Basque fishing village in southern Labrador.
Love you, miss you.
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