In the Berkshires

Saturday morning we left Havre de Grace under the cover of darkness (5:00 a.m.) and headed north to Hyde Park, NY. Our first real stop was at the Vanderbilt Mansion where we saw the excesses of the Gilded Age. Louisa Vanderbilt had her bedroom built as a replica of the Queen's bedroom at Versaille - complete with marble railing around her bed. Husband Frederick had his bedroom fit for a king. It was all a bit much. We then went to FDR's home Springwood and saw how other rich people lived when they were busy doing public service and weren't interested in impressing everyone. Our tour guides at FDR's called it a study in comparing old money (Roosevelts) to new money (Vanderbilts.) then we headed to our own little house - Le Petite Chateau - a lovely little Bed and Breakfast. Such a pretty place - champagen in the room with a view of the pond and lots of little vases with fresh flowers in our room (which is pictured above.) Here are the top reasons we can never stay in another B&B: 1. The floors of old houses creak and we walk like baby elephants. 2. The walls of old houses are thin - and we talk loudly, like trumpeter swans. 3. The stairs are steep and we plod up and down like dinosaurs. 4. Breakfast is served in a dining room - with other people in close proximity - we lack table manners and usually leave the embroidered linen table cloth - a mess. and reason #5 we are not staying in any more B&B's : the plumbing is old and we always clog it up. Anyway, dinner at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) was delicious. We ate in the American Bounty restaurant. The students spend 3 weeks either cooking in the kitchen or serving the food. I had lobster burgoo - kind of a stew. Appetizer was tempura battered squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta cheese. It was very tasty. Kelly had a double pork chop with at least a pound of mashed potatoes. Fabulous! Bob had lamb carpaccio which we learned was sent back to the kitchen 3 times by the chef's supervisor - because it wasn't quite right. He liked it but it looked awfully raw to my Western Pennsylvania sensibilities. My fresh warm peach cobbler was to die for , Bob's molten lava cake was delish and Kelly's ice cream filled profiteroles (with a litttle pitcher of warm chocolate sauce) were tasty. After that huge meal we really made a lot noise lumbering back into the B&B that night. Sunday morning we had a delicious breakfast made by a student chef from the CIA. We headed to Val Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt's retreat and the place she moved to after FDR died. It was so homey. We met up with the best NPS guide, Victor Pennes. He picked up on the fact that Kelly knows all about presidents' families and he was sure to point out lots of family photos to her. He even opened up a closed building - the Stone Cottage - so that we could see the small house that FDR designed as a place for Eleanor and her friends to use. For a while it served as a furniture factory where locals would learn crafts. Mr. Pennes made our visit really special. In the afternoon we headed to Tanglewood and saw John Williams conduct the Boston Pops. They performed the themes he wrote for Star Wars, Superman, and Harry Potter. A special cello elegy was played in memory of Senator Ted Kennedy. Then, James Taylor and Friends played the second half of the concert and it was fabulous. He kept coming back on stage and singing. It would have been perfect if the woman behind us didn't burst into song with JT every now and then. Luckily, I have perfected my Librarian Shoosing Look and would give her the evil eye everytime she was overcome with musical inspiration. Many thanks to the hundreds of students I have shushed over the past 3 years.

July 25, 2009 Kelly's 25th Birthday

While Kelly spent her 25th birthday at Bethany Beach, Bob and I wandered around the Farmers' Market in Tarrytown. It was totally unlike the crowded Farmers Markets at Bethany Beach or in Northern Virginia -the prices were low and there were NO lines of customers. Then we grabbed breakfast at the Eldorado Diner (great banana nut pancakes - we go back tomorrow with Noel, Derek, Parker and maybe Evan). We had tickets for a 3 hour tour of Kykuit (see photo) - the Rockefeller mansion that overlooks the Hudson River Valley. Just beautiful but after 3 hours of walking the house, gardens, carriage house, stables, I had had just about enough of rich people. Really really rich people. One last stop was at the Pocatino Church where the Rockellers had commissioned stained glass windows from Matisse and Marc Chagall. The rose window by Matisse was my fav. We had dinner at a fabulous restaurant on the Hudson River - it is called "Red Hat" Usually you need reservations on weekends - but we headed over there early and got in. I had the best dessert ever - warm sour cherry gateau (cake) with homemade vanilla ice cream with fresh peaches. All this was floating on apricot couli. The combination of fresh fruit flavors was incredible. We may need to go back tomorrow - just for dessert.

Westchester County

We had a good drive up from A.C. - no traffic until we hit the George Washington Bridge and had to figure out if we wanted the lower level or the upper level. Why is it such a hard decision every time? En route we stopped at the Donald Kendal Sculpture Garden at Pepsico Headquarters. All around the Pepsico "campus" are sculptures by famous artists - Louise Nevelson, Henry Moore, Miro, George Segal, Giacometti and lots of people I never heard of. And there are beautiful gardens. Even the courtyard is full of fountains, sculptures and flowers. Nice place to work. We are staying at the Tarrytown House - a lovely "resort" that is a combination of a couple mansions and beautiful grounds. This is just down the street from where Wasington Irving (author of The legend of sleepy hollow, Rip Van Winkle, Squire Bracebridge) lived. Dinner was at the Westchester Dinner Theatre where we saw our good friend Noel Molinelli perform superbly in "I love you, you're perfect, now change." As soon as the show was over, a torrential downpour started. Lightening was hitting all around us, the roads were full of water, it was dark, and we had no idea where we were going. It was EXACTLY the kind place where you would expect the Headless Horseman to be galloping around.

Atlantic City

In the words of Three Dog Night "I've seen things I ain't never seen before." There was the little old lady who looked like one of those dried apple dolls sitting at a slot machine, there must be a whole fleet of motorized scooters buzzing around the casino -just barely missing those who are not fleet of foot. If the elderly drivers ever organize themselves they will be a serious threat. Then tonight there was a young woman sitting at the bar at The Water Club. Her skirt was so short that from the back her left cheek was exposed. I almost missed her because we also passed a Cougar who was wearing the lowest cut t-shirt I have ever seen. My librarian sensibilities have had a trying time. And, I lost $40. Twenty of it was at a slot machine with a "That Girl" Marlo Thomas theme. I had expected good karma from her as I had faithfully watched her show in my youth. I was there when Mr. Marie didn't want her to have her own apartment, when Donald proposed at the Orange Julius, when she had all those unsuccessful auditions and lousy jobs. Lot of good my intense knowledge of her life did for me. At least the Borgata has a lot to look at - I'm thinking of the decor. The place is full of Chiluly - chandeliers and sculptures -Just beautiful. Great frescoes and mosaics on the floors. At The Water Club, water takes many forms and cascades down stone walls, through the floors and in the most beautiful flower arrangements. It even shoots in spouts behind the check-in desk. The Millers spent yesterday with us and this rainy morning we drove back to Margate to see Lucy the Elephant, built in 1886, and had a great breakfast at a little neighborhood restaurant called Hannah G's. Tomorrow we are off to Tarrytown, NY to see Noel Molinelli in "I love you, you're perfect, now change."

More Cape May Gardens and Hot Dog Tommy's

This town is just bursting with victorian homes with victorian gardens. there are miles to walk and we even went to West Cape May which is even more bohemian than regular Cape May. It was also an UnderGround Railway site and a place where women pounded one inch strips of gold into the thin sheets that were used for gold leafing. a photographer told us about the West Cape May Farmers and Artisans Market. So, we walked the 15 -20 blocks and enjoyed the market which was more like a church festival than our northern va farmers markets. Lunch was at a local street eatery - Hot Dog Tommy's - chili dogs and cups of mashed potatoes with sour cream, baked beans, cheese and onions. My stomach hurts just thinking about it. but it was good. Click on the picture on the right to see the hot dog hat on Tommy's head. It seems a herd of small elephants has checked into the room above ours - it should be noisy night with their plodding back and forth.

Cape May Gardens

Cape May -Flea market

Talk about luck! We saw a flea market on the way into town and i found a priceless (actually $5) rhinestone bowler pin. I added the tiffany pouch and increased the value exponentially.

Beaches

Here we are at Bethany Beach on the Troncoso's patio. We had just finished one of Fernando's legendary breakfasts. Bethany was beautiful and Kelly will spend the next two weeks at camp in town. Alicia and I went to the Master Gardeners' Demonstration Gardens for A Day in the Garden

Biltmore at Easter

New York City at Christmas

Kelly, Joy and I took the cheap bus to New York City on a weekend before Christmas. Bob had made the arrangements back in the summer but then he decided to fall off the roof the day after Thanksgiving and get a compression fracture of the L2. Soooo, he was in no shape to go anywhere. On Thursday morning we caught the bus at McPherson Square. We were early and stopped for coffee at Starbuck's. A man, sitting at a table near us, introduced himself as "Ray from the bus company." And our adventure started. Mr. Gomez the driver sped along, talking on not just one cell phone, but two! It was a wild ride but we made it to the city in record time. The afternoon was spent having tea at the American Girl Place. We stayed at the Rockefeller Center Hotel - just across the street from the Christmas tree and ice skating rink. Convenient, but a small, narrow room - like being in a Pullman car. On Friday we headed out and walked and walked and looked in stores but it was really cold and incredibly crowded. We especially loved shopping from the street vendors. It was amazing how many ladies were wearing fur coats. The streets were packed. We went to see "Jersey Boys" on Broadway Friday night and then on Saturday morning we saw the Rockettes. The bus back on Saturday night was another interesting ride. Our driver looked like a Civil War re-inactor. Perhaps he was General Lee. He was another wild driver. As were almost home and turning from New Jersey Ave. onto North Capital when he made a left turn in front of a speeding car. We were glad we were almost done with the drive. It was a great trip with lots of good deli food and great shows. We even had Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise sitting in seats behind us at Radio City.

She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain

Driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway certainly gives new meaning to the folk song about "comin round the mountain". The twists and turns are enough to give motion sickness to the hardest sailor. Springtime in the Blue Ridge is beautiful with the wildflowers and trees in bloom. The dogwoods are just now blooming and the fields are loaded with yellow, pink and purple asters, mustard, azaleas and huge rhododendrons. We have seen hillsides of trilliums - usually you only see one or two plants. On the south side of the hills on the parkway, we have seen hundreds. Before we hit the parkway we were in Virginia Beach for the Challenger Baseball tournament. We visited Norfolk Botanical Gardens where the rose garden was in full bloom. Luckily the Clays were visiting with us and Carmen had brought her camera - so i may be able to post photos later. We, of course, forgot our camera and our binoculars. On Mother's Day was toured Monticello and were once again amazed by all the interests of Thomas Jefferson. Driving through the Blue Ridge is like being in a foreign country. Once we hit Peaks of Otter, we entered a whole new world. The windy roads rival those in Italy around Lake Como and when the local people talk, it is like listening to a foreign language. We have to really concentrate and listen carefully to make out what they are saying. And the local people do love to talk. They so friendly. For example, we left at 5 a.m. for a typical travel day and we were too early for most places to be open. So we stopped at Meadows of Dan at Becky's Fried Pie Restaurant. Becky was very friendly and told us all about her family and husband of 29 years who had died of a massive heart attack. It turns out Becky's Fried Pies are big circles of biscuit dough that she fills with eggs and bacon, folds in half and then fries to a golden brown. They are delicious but too many of those would definitely induce a heart attack. We also stopped at some little mining place to sort through rocks with a strainer and try to find gemstones. We found some amythist and citrine and tourmaline, and adventurine, but the most interesting thing was meeting the owner of the store whose family had been featured in a National Geographic article 50 years ago. It was about how the mountain people are hanging onto their traditions. He had the article and even showed us the huge topaz and jeweler's loop that was pictured in the article. He told us his whole family history. Bob remarked later that these people don't realize that we are from the city and don't want to talk to anyone! Anyway, the people have been wonderful and we have seen many, many wild turkeys, deer and even a mother bear and 2 cubs. With rain due for the next few days, we have decided to skip Tennessee and head home tomorrow.

Road Trip Wrap-up

Top pic : giant sugar cookie Bottom pic: Texas sunrise

I (Paula) arrived safely home last night. The rest of the fam is in Disneyworld - and they sound positively giddy to be rid of me! But more about me..... As a fearful flyer, I never enjoy flying ......but ...... when the United State Army Drill Team is onboard and taking up half of the plane - what girl wouldn't enjoy the flight? No crying babies or misbehaving teens, no sloppy drunks harassing the attendants on this trip! Just handsome, strapping young men who could take out any terrorists that were foolish enough to try anything on our flight. It was so reassuring to know that even if there was not an air marshal on board, a whole team of Army guys could take care of anything. Anyway, before my "safest, most relaxing, flight ever" I spent 3 days with my friend Rosemarie in San Antonio and had a wonderful time. The picture of the big Texas cookie is from a fabulous old-time, diet busting, Alsatian bakery in the little old, old town of Castroville, TX. It was settled by Alsatians and has retained a lot of the old French charm (without the French attitude and WITH the Texas hospitality). It's just a small quaint town outside of San Antonio but we managed to spend the day there and had a wonderful time. Before the family left S.A. we took Rosemarie out to celebrate her Feb birthday a little early at Benihana. Our authentic Japanese chef, Vince Martinez, from the southside of Austin (but with a Brooklyn-like accent), entertained us with flying shrimp, an onion volcano, an onion locomotive that chugged across the grill, and assorted shenanigans at the table/grill. Bob and Kelly left San Antonio at 1:30 a.m.! Unshackled by my good sense and reasonable demands, they drove across country without stopping overnight. They arrived in Disneyworld about 18 hours later and sounded tired but ebullent to be back in their most magical place on earth. All resulting phonecalls have had Bob excitedly telling me about the nonstop Disney touring they are doing and Kelly giggling from the fun she is having. You wouldn't hear THAT frivolity in their voices if I were there to be making my demands for afternoon naps and regular tea time breaks and, God fordid, taking time to sit still! Anyway, I'm closing out this roadtrip with the thought that it truly is "America the Beautiful."

Arizona - Almost an Architectural Apprenticeship

We've spent most of our time here touring Native American ruins and the "labs" of architects Paolo Soleri and Frank Lloyd Wright. Soleri's town, Arcosanti, in the middle of nowhere looks like the village where Luke Skywalker lived with his aunt and uncle. It's a town that he started building in the 70's and hoped to sustain 5000 people. It didn't really take off and about 100 people live there. Most are doing internships to learn his architectural techniques. Then, his studio, Cosanti, on the outskirts of Scottsdale is a little more colorful. His group sells Soleri bells to finance their work. We were lucky to be there to see a "bronze pouring" at the Arcosanti foundry. Then yesterday we spent 2 hours at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesen West and had a fabulous tour led by a retired engineer. what an amazing place! The man was a genius - but I don't understand his aversion to clutter - it's not normal. It was a cloudy day today but Bob's friend, Richard, from Havre de Grace knew of a place with "local color." So we ate outside (there is no "inside") at a biker bar on the outskirts of town. (See photo). It's just picnic tables and a stage and fires to keep you warm, mules in a corral. We fit right in. Enjoy tonight's sunset. Tomorrow it's a long day on the road back to Texas.

The Desert - It's No Place for Sissies

Every day in the desert presents new threats. In Sedona gift shops, scorpions in lollipops and huge tarantulas encased in acrylic were being sold as souvenirs. That definitely spooked me. The abundance of these "trinkets" meant to me that they might appear in our hotel room at any time - fully animated and sans the acrylic and the candy coating. Luckily that did not happen. Then, as we travelled, we came upon Black Death/Bubonic Plague squirrel warnings at Montezuma's Castle and rattlesnake habitat alerts at Deer Valley Rock Art Center. No wonder we are drinking so many margaritas. It's a proverbial jungle out there and you've got to calm your nerves somehow.

Volcanoes, cliff dwellings, ruins, snowy mountains - all in a 2 hour drive from Sedona

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Such beautiful sites - it makes you want to burst into song - maybe "America the Beautiful."

1. Volcanic cones at Sunset Crater

2. Lava fields

3. Snowy mountains at >6000 ft. altitude

4. Wukoki Ruins (predecessors of the Hopi and Navajo)

5. Wupatki Ruins

6. Walnut Canyon cliff dwellings (look closely at the bottom half of the pic -Careful, that first step out of the house is a killer. ) We couldn't get any closer becausde there was a major rockslide that closed off the trail. I wanted to rapelle in - but Bob nixed the idea.

Sedona Lesson #1: Do not EVER mock the vortex

Sedona is known as a powerful spiritual center. Where else can you get psychic readings on every street or buy crystals at hundreds of little shops, or shop at a Metaphysical Department store? Drumming circles, sacred chanting, are all available here. Guided sacred vortex tours are also big around here. We didn't know what vortexes were or that Sedona is a center of four powerful vortexes. Here's a desciption from a local website: "Vortexes are areas of high energy concentrations, originating from magnetic, spiritual, or sometimes unknown sources. Additionally they are considered to be gateways or portals to other realms, both spiritual and dimensional. Vortexes typically exist where there are strong concentrations of gravitational anomalies, inturn creating an environment that can defy gravity, bend light, scare animals, twist plant life into contorted shapes, and cause humans to feel strange. Many vortexes have been shown to be associated with Ley Lines and have been found to be extremely strong at node points where the lines cross. " Anyway, Bob and I were yucking it up about vortexes, on a hike this morning . I even took a pic of a twisted tree and no sooner had I sarcastically said "OOOOh, look at what the vortex did to this tree, it's all twisted!" than I lost my footing on the broken red rocks and took a dive face first into the red rocks covering the ground. I am fine - stratched, sore, glasses scratched - and totally fearful of THE POWER OF THE VORTEX! I do believe in vortexes! On another hike we came up lots of rock cairns and medicine wheels that people had constructed at the foot of one of the mountains. Here's another quote for explanation: "Simple cairns and similar assemblages have recently been adopted by the Deep Ecology movement. Stacked or balanced, these offer places and moments for reflection at spiritual-environmental retreats." It's possible that Sedona may be a bit too spiritual for us.

Happy New Year to All! From the Mission Inn to Red Rocks at Sedona

The Mission Inn in Riverside was a beautiful property - they have an annual Festival of Lights and decorate the place to look magnificent. Unfortunately, our experience with customer service was not on par with the hotel's appearance. A prime example of the saying "Beauty's only skin deep." But now we are in the red rocks of Sedona. It's cold here - there is even ice forming in some of the fountains. And we may get to see how red the rocks look when it rains.

Embargo broken! Rose Bowl Parade photos the day before the parade!

We hit the road early this morning to see the Rose Parade floats as they were being completed. There were busloads of tour groups coming to see the floats - but we were able to get into 2 of the 3 sites. It's amazing how many flowers were used and what the floats must cost.

December 28, 2007 - Our 31st Anniversary

Palm Springs is just so 50's. Our hotel pool is pictured. Every building in the area looks like it was designed by Mike Brady. It just makes you want to jump in the pool and synchronize swim. (we are the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th from left).

In celebration of our 31st anniversary we visited the Shields Date Farm in Indio. We had a date milk shake (very tasty) and watched the video about the romance and sex life of the date. (very 50's). Then we went to the Living Desert and walked along the San Andreas Fault.

Day after Christmas

Day after Christmas started out all black, white and gray as we drove out of Yosemite - beautiful, but so different from the clear blue skies of the previous 3 days. Then we sat in endless traffic trying to get through Los Angeles at 15 mph. Finally, the scenery turned all brown and sand colored as we entered the desert. Hundreds of wind generating windmills were spinning on the side of the road. Sand and dust pelted the car. Then FINALLY we saw the green of Palm Springs and were warmly welcomed to our motel - the Desert Riviera (http://www.desertrivierahotel.com/) - a retro motel. What a surprise - a warm fire in the lobby fireplace, a 60's white Christmas tree, and champagne in plastic champage flutes - Just call us Ozzie and Harriet and Gidget!