Florida Christmas

"Don't you miss a white Christmas?" I am asked since I left Illinois in 1996. I wanted to share my Florida Christmas this year. It began with a long bicycle ride accompanied by my neighbors the Schauers. We started at 7:15 a.m. and it was delightful with the early sun rays and the quiet neighborhood streets. Mid morning I headed to the beach to take advantage of firm sand for walking as the low tide would be 1: 15 p.m. There were few others walking that beach and the strong winds created beautiful breaking waves. After the walk I enjoyed a picnic lunch and watched as more and more people came to stake their territory on the beach. A kite surfer was entertainment in itself.

Returning home I headed for the pool where the water was warm even for me. My dinner plans were cancelled due to an illness but I enjoyed my leftovers eaten by candlelight followed by a romantic comedy movie, "Kate and Leopold", I recommend palm trees for Christmas and would welcome company in 2009. You only need to learn the Florida version of the 12 Days of Christmas where the traditional verses are substituted with the following:
1st Day A seagull in a Sabal Palm Tree 2nd Day 2 Turtle Eggs 3rd Day 3 Cracker Cows 4th Day 4 Spanish Ships 5th day 5 Key Lime Pies 6th days 6 Gators Grinning 7th Day 7 Shuttles Launching 8th Day 8 Dolphins Dancing 9th day 9 Ospreys Nesting 10th Day 10 Flamingoes Flapping 11th Day 11 Grannies Golfing and 12th Day 12 Panthers Purring.
Thanks to my water exercise instructor and her grandson's preschool. By the way we had class in the pool on the 24th and 26th. It's a wonderful life! Happy New Year!

Christmas Elf bakes cookies

Tis the season as they say and I guess today I worked my way into it a bit. To start with I forced myself to concentrate on cleaning/straightening the house including washing the kitchen area floor. I put up a few holiday trimmings. Perhaps I’ll photograph the elf I brought back from Rockford. We had divided up the Christmas decorations but the elf was all I took. Somehow he really appealed to me though I can’t say I have any childhood memory of his role in childhood Christmases. Then I put some Christmas CD’s into the player including the German one I bought there last Christmas. Listening to some of those songs brought back wonderful memories of last Christmas in Germany.

While it wasn’t brought about by the time of year, I made a batch of cookies which is really the reason I decided to write tonight. It all started with a jar of peanut butter. Earlier this week I finally finished the Smart Balance Peanut Butter that traveled all the way to Newfoundland and back. The jar on the pantry shelf, Smuckers Natural, had been there quite a while. I would not get the oil to blend in. The date of suggested “use by” was Nov 13, 2008 so perhaps that was the problem. Cookies: that was the answer for this jar. So I “googled” Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies. The recipe I chose out of the 400,000 choices did not have chocolate but I added it any way. They turned out so great and were so simple I wanted to pass it along. It might work to make with kids too.

1 16 oz jar Natural Peanut Butter room temperature
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
Cocoa powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda

With a large spoon, mix up the peanut butter with the sugars until well blended(I already cut the sugar quantity in half and used brown instead of all white). Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add cocoa powder. I didn’t measure but it was probably ¼ cup or less. Mix well. Add vanilla and soda and mix again.

Form into small balls and place on a cookie sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. After placing as many balls as will fit on the sheet, gently press a fork across the each cookie to make a cross pattern.

Bake 10 minutes in a 350 degree preheated oven. Cookies will be soft when they come out and should stay on the cookie sheet for at least five minutes before being transferred to a rack for more cooling. Yum! I would guess it made about 3 dozen small cookies.

Florida State Parks

December 3, 2008 Mike Roess Gold Head State Park Keystone Heights Florida This was one of the first state parks in Florida. It was created from land donated by Mike Roess and developed by the CCC from 1935 to 1939. A sign I found said they were expert craftsmen working with a crew of 18-25 year olds. The picnic benches they created are a work of art. I photographed one of them.
The park has over 2300 acres on rolling sandhills in an area known as the Central Florida Ridge with remnants of ancient dunes formed over thousands of years by rising and lowering sea levels according to the informative brochure handed out with the registration. There are a number of types of vegetation here including a spring fed ravine. The spring eventually empties to form Lake Johnson near my campsite. The park lakes are very low with reoccurring droughts. There are nice rental cabins in the park with screen porches overlooking the lake.
After arriving this afternoon, I biked around the park. It was a great ride with gradual hills. The day had started chilly and was in the upper 50’s but I shed my jacket before long. On my return another camper from near Beaver Dam Wisconsin came over to visit intrigued by my rig. “Never saw anything like it” was the opening line. Of course I went into my sales pitch.
The facilities here are really great and look quite new from picnic benches to the bath house which includes a baby changing table and washer and dryer. Unfortunately there is no heat.
This morning I stopped to photograph the St. Augustine lighthouse. It’s such a beauty. Then did some shopping at Camping World, took a look at the Gander Store but it was very “hunter” oriented, and made a couple of clothes buys at a Liz Claiborne outlet store. Have to help the economy along, don’t I? I paid 1.73/gal for my fill up and I’d averaged over 14 miles to the gallon! Down the road I saw $1.69 natch.
I stopped at Green Cove Springs and ate my lunch overlooking the St. John’s River in a boat repair facility. I was surprised how wide the river is there. I would love to cruise the river someday. We had hoped to do it on Hunky Dory’s maiden voyage but were interrupted by a hurricane.
The trip here via Rte 16 and 21 was through some scenic countryside and few towns. I saw a sign for Bear crossing. Oh and I spotted a deer on my bike ride. Tomorrow I’m off to Payne’s Prairie near Gainesville.
Friday, December 05, 2008 Payne’s Prairie State Park The last two days have been busy. The primary thought I’ve had is the comparison to this trip last year. Many of the same people are here and the activities are much the same, but I feel so much more comfortable with the group and with handling my van. Last year I didn’t have nerve enough to drive into Gainesville nor to offer to ferry people to activities outside the campground. This year I did both without hestitation.
Thursday my trip to Gainesville went smoothly and I particularly enjoyed the countryside on the two lane roads. I was in Gainesville shortly after 11 and managed to get the GPS to find the Museum of Natural History which had been recommended. Arriving there I was stumped by the parking and parked in a tow zone in order to walk over to a parking kiosk to ask for advice. For $3 I was admitted to the small parking area but told I would find more space around the building. Another Roadtrek was there with an Obama bumper sticker—two positives. I later learned that it was the vehicle belonging to the rally organizers and at the rally there was another Roadtrek with an Obama sticker.
The museum is really great. It is free except for two exhibits, one aimed at kids “Gagology” and the Butterfly House with an incredible array of species mostly from the rain forest of Brazil. It was wonderful to watch them. A staff member said they were more active this day then they had been. Today someone went and said they were not active at all because of clouds. They prefer sunny warm days just like me!
I also visited the exhibit on the Florida natives before heading for the Art Museum next door where I had lunch and saw an exhibit on Post War Miami design that was very interesting.
My friend Susan arrived at the campground right behind me. The evening was cold but the campfire helped as we reacquainted and met newcomers. Friday I volunteered to be one of the drivers as we headed for our nature hike about 5 miles down the road but still part of the park. Susan and another solo, Lorraine, rode with me. Four Roadtrekers bicycled but I had already decided to drive. It was a great two hour walk searching out birds. We also saw the wild horses but no bison or deer.
After lunch Susan, Lorraine and I headed out to the park visitors center and then to the small town of Eviston (pronounced just like Illinois’ Evanston). Located there is one of the oldest continuously operating post offices with fresh vegetable in the small store. I bought some fresh arugula picked that morning.
Tonight was our potluck, always a gastronomical treat. Stories of travels in Roadtreks were told many of which involved a trip to Alaska a number of them had made together. I’m supposed to visit the town of Chicken (don’t miss the ghost town and read the book Tisha before the trip.) Look for Mukluk Bettys for good food are some I remember.
Monday Dec 8 Back in Stuart and trying to catch up on mail etc.
Saturday at the rally was overcast as we walked to the trail for more bird watching. In total 35 species were spotted during the rally. Certainly I did not see that many but still was thrilled I saw more than last year. High lights of Saturdays walk included watching 3 eagles go after a fish that an egret had caught. The eagles won. Also spotting a large night heron somewhat blending into his surroundings. He was close enough to see without glasses but hidden enough that we missed him on the first pass. Also a pair of white pelicans.

Photos of the camping rally taken by leader Hugh can be seen through this link http://albums.phanfare.com/isolated/IRgMHQnC/1088091/3105644

Back to Camping

St. Augustine Beach. It was a hectic turn round from returning home after 4 p.m. on Friday to departure at 11:30 on Saturday. Big Mama needed fuel. Interesting I paid $1.84/gal. Last time, in September was $3.79.
Checked the air in the tires, (yeah they were still properly inflated!) loaded any food available, clothes, computer and various items which hopefully will carry me through a week on the road.
The reason was a rendezvous with in laws Bob and Sara Larsen who were spending the Thanksgiving holiday in the St. Augustine area. They had been touring with daughter Melissa and son in law Jordan from Tampa. Melissa & Jordan headed west as I headed in. We had a fun visit together despite a lot of rain on Sunday. We even had our cocktail hour aboard Big Mama Sunday night.
They headed out to catch a flight home at Orlando’s airport. I had a great bike ride around the Anastasia State Park where I camped. I decided this is such a great place I would stay two more nights. The temperature is supposed to drop near freezing and my hope is that it will be warmer near the water. This park is on the Atlantic and the beaches have a white sand. It’s a very attractive park with lots of live oaks. Most sites are quite private and there are good restrooms though unheated.
From here I'll head inland tomorrow toward Gainesville where I'll attend a Roadtrek/birdwatching camping rally from Thursday to Sunday. I really enjoyed the gathering last year and look forward to the Paynes Prairie Campground. Sunday I'll finally return to Stuart but only for 3 weeks when I head back to Chicago on th 27th to attend a bridal shower and accompany my friend Ginny as she drives to her winter home in my neighborhood.

Going Home

90 Photos from Carleen Worland's 90th Birthday April 2008

Monday November 24 Clarendon Hills Illinois Yes I’m on the road again. This trip was sudden and unexpected. My mother passed away at 11:30 Tuesday, November 18. She had been declining for over 10 years suffering from a form of dementia along with a number of other medical conditions. Yet when her time to go came it happened quickly overnight and we were unprepared. Everyone pulled together though, booked flights from all over the country and prepared a service via emails and telephone calls. Finally we put the finishing touches on it Thursday night for the Friday morning service at the funeral home. Having no religious affiliation and my being the oldest of the six children I was elected to lead the service. My sister Margaret played both the electric piano and hammered dulcimer for the music which included Amazing Grace, Blue Skies, and God Be With Us Til we meet again. The latter song as well as “In the Sweet By and By” played as the service began were the hymns requested in the Will of Mama’s grandmother, Mollie Smith Jones in 1924. Grandson Evan played “Love Me Tender” on a guitar made by son and Luthier Jim Worland (http://www.worlandguitars.com/ . In her latter years Mama had “found” Elvis and he was featured at her birthday parties, the most recent being her 90th last April when he was represented on the cake as all six children gathered.
Daughter Margaret a florist and gift shop owner in Rock City Illinois (Rock Run Peddler) did a fantastic casket blanket as well as a spectacular bouquet from the children and grandchildren with a rose for each grandchild to take at the end. The Worland cousins also sent a gorgeous bouquet that would later be donated to the House of Hope, a school for challenged children. They dry the flowers and later sell them.
Daughters Margaret and Gayle and daughter in law De Ann, granddaughters Emily, Jamie, and Anna all spoke their reminiscences of Carleen Worland. I gave a bit of her history which being so old, I have the most. One of highlights was the wife of one the original employees in 1948 at Rockford Propane, Del Lang’s widow Shirley. To my amazement and her credit, I remembered her face and name! I had last seen her 17 years ago at Ken’s funeral.
After the cemetery we had a luncheon at the Stockholm Inn. It is a big Rockford gathering place and Mama used to like to go on Friday nights to hear the accordion player. He even came to play for her birthday at Elder’s Eden, the small group home where she resided since February 2008.
My son Michael with Karen and Katherine were able to come and Katherine’s early walking steps won everyone’s heart and put a smile on the sad faces.
Saturday Jim Worland opened his home to those of us still in town and we went over old photos and jewelry. As someone said it was like being a child again going through Mama’s jewelry box. At the service I had worn pieces of her jewelry that she had given me over the years. Many were wearing clothing items that had either been made by her or worn by her (Margaret wore the old green corduroy gardening jacket as she read her presentation which included a letter she thought Mama might have wanted to write to those gathered).
Now I’m at Ginny’s. She’s been in San Antonio for a conference and will return tonight. I’ll stay until Friday going with Michael, Karen and Katherine to Margaret’s house in Rock City for Thanksgiving.

Home Again

A highlight of the weekend in Chicago was celebrating granddaughter Katerines birthday. She's shown here with Dad Michael, Mom Karen and brothers Carl and Josh. Party was at Cheesecake Factory in Oak Brook Illinois

Chicago area had a beautiful weekend and Sunday Ginny and I took advantage of the weather and went to Morton Arboreteum. School Children in the area had created scarecrow figures and this was one of the more elaborate.

My return trip to the US was smooth with a flight from Stuttgardt to London's Heathrow where I had several hours to wait for the flight to Chicago. Everything was on time and my suitcase arrived along with me! Emily was waiting at the curb when I came out of the airport. We headed for her Chicago Loft condo and I managed to stay awake until 10 p.m. and managed to sleep until 5:30 a.m. Breakfast before 8 and then Brett drove Emily to work and me to the train station for my ride to Clarendon Hills. I tried to nap in the afternoon without success. That evening we attended the Soweto Gospel Chorus concert at College of DuPage. It was a rousing presentation but I was fading by the end.

Saturday Emily came out to go to the birthday party. After the official party she and I went to Mike and Karens to visit with them and watch as Katherine became acquainted with her birthday gifts. Then Ginny provided us with dinner before Emily headed for Ohare again to pick up her college friend Melinda who was visiting the rest of the weekend. Friday Emily headed again to Ohare for a flight to Taiwan for Motorola!

I left Ginny's before 6 a.m. via taxi for my 8 a.m. flight from Midway airport. Snow was predicted and I was ready to escape the midwest weather. Florida provided a beautiful arrival with temperatures in the 70's and low humidity. I immediately went to work on removing my hurricane window covers so the beautiful sunshine could come in. All was well here.

Departing Europe

I just printed my boarding pass for tomorow's first leg Stuttgardt to London. I will have over 3 hours at Heathrow. Fortunately I am carrying a small amount of British money if needed. Today in Ludwigsburg it is raining after 5 beautiful days. We are very grateful the weather was beautiful for the days with outside plans.

Today is for relaxing, packing, and assisting Sabine and Dietz. Tomorrow I will take the train to the airport which should take less than an hour.

I will arrive in Chicago about 7 p.m. where Emily will pick me up and take me to her apartment. On Friday I will go to Ginnys in the suburbs. Saturday will be the 1st birthday party for granddaughter Katherine. Monday early morning will be my flight to Florida with arrival at Schooner Oaks in the afternoon. I hope I can adjust to being home. Everywhere here is talk of our election. I know that will be even more so in the US. Fortunately it will not be long now, that is if Florida is able to count their votes!

Activities with the Lells

It has been a busy time since my arrival. On Thursday Dietz sister and her two daughters arrived from US. There was a mix up and they came by train from the airport and I greeted them at the door. Fortunately the Lells arrived shortly. On Friday Dietz brother and his wife arrived from Austria by car and then daughter Constanza came in the evening so we were all together for dinner and story telling. All spoke English so most of the conversation was in English. I was designated to take videos and recorded some stories of their childhood.

Saturday old friends from Berlin arrived who would stay until Tuesday so there was a shuffle of bedrooms. We all departed for Waldenberg shortly after noon. Waldenberg is on a hilltop and was almost completely destroyed in WWII. Apparently it was thought to be a source of artillery. After capture it was further burned. Yet they credit the Americans with the rebuilding. Now it is a popular area for visiting and hiking. Our hotel was the Panorama and that was a good description of the view from my window.

At 2:30 we gathered at the small church for the service. Beautiful music was an important part and played bz friends on the organ, oboe and violin. The minister was also a good friend. I was sorry there was not an English translation, but everyone who could understand though it was a wonderful homily. The bride and groom sat in chairs in the front of the minister.

After the service we walked back to the hotel. Some of the guests took me on a separate route so I could see more of the town. Upon arriving we were treated to multiple cakes and pastries as well as coffee and tea. This was followed by a guided tour of the town led by a woman in costume who told many amusing stories. Fortunately daughter in law, Alexandria Lell sought me out and was able to provide translation of most of the stories. Everyone had a bit of trouble with the womans dialect. Sometimes several people translated for me so I did not feel left out.

This was followed by the Golden Anniversary dinner at 7 p.m. which was quite a feast with stories told between courses. I tried to video tape as much as possible. The party went on into the wee hours of the next morning, but 1 a.m. was my end. At 9 a.m. we met for breakfast followed by a presentation on the South Africian experience of granddaughter Lisa. She spent a year working in a kindergarten´/afterschool program on the coast. At age 20 she and a friend decided to give a year before going to university to assist in starting this project. Many of the children had no experience with playing and being part of a group or even basic sanitary functions. The girls had to organize and run the program. Dietz and Sabine had requested that instead of gifts donations to this organization be given.

A walk was next. I elected to go with those on a more even road and we had a good time visiting and walking. It seems like everyone wanted to practice their English with me. I picked up a little more German but certainly not enough for conversation. Arriving again at the hotel, it was soup time and then goodbyes. The Lell family and a few friends then drove out into the countryside to launch paper balloons made by Dietz. Apparently this is an annual event for the family. It is difficult to describe but I will post some photos. They hold the balloon while a flame fills it with hot air enough to rise. Often though it catches fire. This one launched and rose a bit before burning. Then the ashes circulated above in the wind currents. It was quite a sight.

More goodbyes and the families went their separate ways and for us a return to Ludwigsburg and coffee and cookies. Later a light meal and much conversation. Claus was the best man for the wedding 50 years ago and is an architect. He assisted in plans for new windows for the house. That involved some of Monday in addition to a walk in the Ludwigsburg Castle gardens where a large pumpkin display was featured. We lunched in the garden on pumpkin soup, apple cider, and a fall specialty onion pie somewhat like a quiche and delicious! Late afternoon, cake and an Egyptian tea back at the house.

Today it was off to Stuttgardt for a wonderful exhibit of lifetime works of Matisse followed by a delicous lunch of local specialties, eaten outside on the 5th beautiful day in a row! Then Claus and his wife went off to get their flight home to Berlin and we back to Ludwigsburg. Soon it will be time for more cake and coffee and then supper. Needless to say my clothes are becoming very tight!

I told someone "the Germans know how to party" she said "the Lells do." I have to agree.

Arrive Ludwigsburg Germany

Photos of Amsterdam canals and bicycles, flower market and Sandy and Judy make it to Bruges. Remember you can click on photos to enlarge.

I arrived here last night after multiple train connections, but fortunately they went smoothly. I was also lucky that there were very helpful young German men who assisted me with my suitcase on and off the trains. Since I last wrote from Bruges, I took the train and stopped in Cologne (did you know that is where eau de cologne came from?) to see the cathedral. It was the tallest building in the world when first built. It was begun in 1248 and so impressive. The incredible soaring height of the building makes you feel very insignificant which according to the guide book was the purpose. It was originally built to store the relics of the 3 Wise men.

I would have liked to visit a nearby museum but was concerned that I arrive early enough in Koblenz since I did not have a hotel room. The tourist information office was very helpful and booked me into a reasonable one overlooking the Rhine River. I had time to walk the town and saw the "Center of Germany" where the Mosel and Rhine Rivers meet. I also visited their cathedral which in its simplicity was quite a contrast to Cologne and one which I really preferred.

Yesterday I took a Rhine ferry from 9-1 Koblenz to Bacharch. There was a very strong current and the river is much lower than usual which made navigation interesting with all the barge and passenger boats on the river. We passed a number of castles as well as half timbered buildings in the riverside towns. There is a lot of medieval history in this area once settled by the Romans. The trees are all turning fall color and could be seen on the rather steep hillsides along the river. This section is famous for the "Loraley" rocks that supposedly lured sailors to their deaths. It is a very narrow passage on the river. The boat sound system played the Loreley music when we passed! However it was not as dramatic as the castles, in my opinion.

I am using Dietrich Lells computer to post a few photos. Still not happy with format but will try agains the next post. Today is rainy and windy and I am happy to be settled into a place I know and where I can relax. It has been a very busy 3 weeks since leaving Florida.

Goodbye Bruges

It's Monday and Bruges is a bit quieter than usual since many of the attractions and even some shops and restaurants are closed. I've really enjoyed wandering the streets particularly those away from the center market area. I walked to the train station this morning and purchased my tickets for the first leg of my trip to Germany which begins tomorrow at 9 a.m. I found Rick Steve's recommendation for chocolate. It's the last remaining shop that makes their product here in Bruges. I am stressed for suitcase space so only enough to take to share in Germany!

I tried the "best" ice cream shoppe in town and had "Mozart" which is pistachio and chocolate. Delicious. Then a fantastic grilled eggplant sandwich at a small breadshop with a communal table. Great for us loners. Today has been my first in a while on my own and I have been enjoying myself. The best news is that our Bruges tour leader negotiated with the hotel manager for me to stay one more night at the tour's 4 star hotel at a reasonable, although bit above my budget, price. I was delighted not to have to move for only one night. They also have a fantastic breakfast and I can probably get a lunch sandwich from it as well.

Our tour group had a final dinner last night at a Flemish restaurant. It was enhanced by all being at the same table in a private room. After a week plus we'd become a cohesive group and fond farewells were shared in the hotel lobby on our return. Judy and two others had a 7 a.m. pick up for the airport so I joined them for breakfast at 6:30. She was a great "cabin mate"!

Sunday we both elected to take the Flanders Fields tour which is in a small bus. It tours the battlegrounds on the 3 year standoff between the Germans and Allied Forces as well as cemeteries and monuments. It was sobbering and all you could think of was "will we ever learn?" What a waste of young lives. The other point of interest was that to this day they continue to find skelletons, artifacts and even live ammunition in the area. People are still being injured or killed by weapons from 1914-1918. It was a full day from 9-6 and we had to really shift gears to get in the celebration spirit for the tour dinner.

I'll post photos from Lell's house. I arrive there Wednesday evening. Their 50th Anniversary party will be Saturday but other guests will begin arriving on Thursday. Haven't received much news from the states, but think that is a good thing. Ignorance is bliss in this case! No political emails please. I've made up mind and will be back in time to vote!

From Belgium

It's been a week since my last post from Amsterdam. The time has flown by. I'm at an internet cafe on Saturday evening and will have to be brief. Still no chance to post photos though I have some wonderful ones.

The tour has been wonderful. The group of 24, 9 of which are lawyers has meshed surprisingly well. Our ages go from early 40's to upper 70's and all are enthusiastic bicyclers though some more than others. I've progressed to the more category, surprising myself by doing several rides over 25 miles even over 30! It has really been envigorating biking through the Dutch and Belgium countryside surrounded by canals, cows, sheep and farm land. Yesterday we even did a spontaneous bike tour of the center of Bruge, dodging cars, other bikes and pedestrians. The barge was a wonderful home. Our cabin and beds were comfortable and the food was fantastic. Unfortunately I've probably gained weight but it was worth every calorie! Our chief was so creative. Our meals out have also be delicious.

Judy and I had no problem sharing our space and have worked well together. We both thought we'd opt for the shorter rides and surprised ourselves by extending our limits. Sunday was the only day we did not ride. The weather was very cold, rainy and windy. We had done 10 miles on Saturday as a warm up. We were not the only ones to opt out on Sunday and those who did ride said it took a toll on their bodies. We did take a good walk to view the Windmill site Kinderjkik (spelling??) a UNESCO site we didn't want to miss. At that we were soaking wet when we returned to the barge. The other thing we did was spend a couple of hours in the pilot house observing our wonderful captain Josie who also is the owner of the barge.

Most evenings we had a 1-1 1/2 hours walking tour of the town where we moored. That was great as well. As the week went on the weather improved each day though our morning starts were often in some fog, and definitely chilly for the Florida girl.

Tomorrow we are doing a tour of Flanders Fields followed by a farewell dinner for the tour in Bruges. Everyone but me will depart Monday. I hope to stay one more day though I've yet to secure a room. Tuesday I'll go by train to Germany, arriving at the Lell's Wednesday night after making some stops along the way. There I'll have email and should be able to post some photos.

Leaving Amsterdam

This week has gone so quickly but I have seen alot. Today at 2 p.m. 1400 I will meet the tour group for the first time. I moved my bags to the hotel this morning. My hotel Groenhof was as expected not too great but ok for one night and convenient to the B & B and the next hotel Vondle is one block away.

Today I have been doing a walking tour of the Jordan area. Took lots of photos but still not able to plug in camera. The architecture is fascinating and most of the buildings date to the early 1600's known as the Golden Age. It is also so the period in which my ancestors walked these streets.

Wednesday in a pouring rain I took the train to the Hague. I first boarded the wrong train and the wrong class car. However it was a simple train change at Leiden, the university city, and actually I gained some time. My destination The Hague and the National Archives and Central Genealogy Bureau. I had moderate success but unfortunately could have learned more if I had ships names for the family that worked for the East Indian Company. I am rereading Coffee Trader by David Liss and he names some of the ships and indicates the company was involved in the coffee market.

I also visited Martihuis, the gallery which has the original Vermeer of the Girl with the Pearl Earring. It is stunning and just glows! Another of his famous paintings, scene of Delft is there as are Rembrandts including Anatomy Lesson. The building is part of an old Castle and interesting in itself. I also had a delicious sandwich there. I had hoped to include Delft in this day but felt it was too much. Instead I returned to Amsterdam and was able to get in a visit to the Historical Museum I was really exhausted on my return to the B & B and the rains had begun again. I just had tea and toast for dinner in my room.

Thursday I moved to the hotel prior heading for Oude Kerke and my appointment. A very lovely lady assisted me and had the family in her church record book. Adrians Hendrick de Wees and wife Hillegont Goeverts are there but her burial place is not indicated. He was buried in what was an outdoor chapel but is now with in the building. There is major renovation but we found the stone and I was able to take a photo. Probably his bones have been removed according to the records. It still was exciting for me (only another family historian could probably understand) and I looked around to share it with someone to no avail. The church lady though knew my excitement. Adrians was originally a shoemaker but later an official art dealer. I had learned this from another source but was happy to know it was in the church records.

I next made my way to the Amsterdam Archives. The people at The Hague facilities recommended this. I did not have too much luck. They indicated that going back to the 1600's was difficult. However I did locate the microfilm of the Will of Adrians which had been sited in another's research. I was able to copy the pages. Now I need to find someone who can read old Dutch! Some of the information from the Central Bureau is also in Dutch.

Today is sunny and quite cool but at least no rain. Even in the rain people are out on their bicycles with their children front and back. I'm eager to post some photos. Not sure of my next post as we'll board the barge tomorrow, Saturday.

From Amsterdam in the Netherlands

I am writing from the new central library. There are lots of computer terminals for the likes of me. A bit circuitous getting here, but then that's my style. It's quite near the Central RR station but the area has a lot of construction.

Anyway I am here and have had a busy 3 days. I will try to be brief (not likely) and unfortunately I didn't bring the connection for the camera to share photos, but this will bring you up to date on my initial part of this journey.

I flew to Chicago Friday early a.m. In the afternoon I met with the DuPage Foundation and AIANEI exec re the Larsen scholarship. It was a productive meeting generating ideas for further publicizing next year's scholarship. I was also pleased that with the market downturn the scholarship funds had not taken a big hit.

On Saturday Emily and Brett picked me up and we went to Michaels. He was working but we were able to spend time playing with granddaughter/niece Katherine who at age 11 months is babbling and patty caking and all sorts of other talents being demonstrated. Emily brought some books for Carl and Josh, Karen's boys and they really enjoyed them. We then went to Oakbrook for Emily's birthday lunch at Clubhouse. Delightful outdoor setting on a beautiful day and great food too. Last stop was a quick visit with friends Perry and Laddie Bok, the latter of whom is recovering from a recent hospitalization. It was great to see him up and around.

I checked into the airport in plenty of time. I was delighted that I had no seat mate on the plane so was able to stretch out a bit. Still it was a short night when we arrived in Dublin where I changed planes for Amsterdam. On arrival here I went to the wrong luggage carousel and it took a while to resolve that but my suitcase was among the few still circling the belt.

Then it was on to getting a train ticket, another challenge involving a machine. Then finding the correct track for my train. I had instructions sent by the Bed and Breakfast. Finally onto the train where I stood with another woman near the door as I was only going one stop. Turns out she was only going one stop. When I asked her destination and she discribed the same B & B where I was bound, I had a new friend, Grace. Together we found our way and it turned out our rooms were adjacent and we were to share the toilet, shower, and kitchen facilities!

It was a beautiful day and we took a walk through nearby Vondel Park. It was great fun to see all the people enjoying the day. Bicycles everywhere and many with children in a cart attached to the front. I even found my Thursday hotel right outside the park. Grace headed off to do some other touring. She lives in Dublin where she is a professor of Spanish. She's delivering a manuscript of her book to the University of Leiden today so her Amersterdam visit was short.

I headed back to the B & B for a nap. At 7p.m. she returned and we headed off to dinner. Our first choice had a long wait and we ended up at an Indonesian Restaurant Sumatra. Unfortunately the service was poor and we had a long wait for our food. However we had lots of time to get acquainted.

Monday Grace decided to join me in going to Anne Frank's house. It is every bit as moving and impressive as advertised. Fortunately the wait wasn't too long. Afterwards we had a total change of pace and went to the Tulip Museum where we learned all about the cultivation and harvesting of tulip bulbs. We also visiting the Delft porcelian store and had lunch nearby. I tried one of the local specialties, a savory pancake with spinach. Grace had a huge bowl of steaming hot mussels.

We then visited Neuw Kerke (New Church about 600 years old) where they had an excellent exhibit "Black is Beautiful" tracing the use of black skin people in art over the ages. It was very well done and fascinating how they displayed using elements of the church structure. We decided to go to Oude Kerke (Old Church 700 years) since it was enroute to Rembrandt house. Their art exhitit was very avant garde and the church is undergoing major renovation and seemed like a construction zone. I did inquire re graves as I have learned I may have an ancestor there from the 1600's. Unfortunately I did not have the name of the person with me but made arrangement to meet with a staff member on Thursday with the information. Rembrandt's wife Saskia is buried there and we saw her stone in the floor.

Arriving at the Rembrandt house we were turned away as it was too close to closing. It was a disappointment particularly for Grace. She headed off to make use of her I Amsterdam card on the last canal boat ride of the day while I worked my way (literally struggling to get the tram connections correct) back to the B & B. I had a dinner engagement at the home of Julie and Marc Dinsbach. Julie is the daughter of my cousin Jim in Maryland. She's been in the Netherlands 7 years and married to Dutch native Marc for 2 years. They are expecting their first child in a month. She's required to stop working 4 weeks prior to the birth and receives 4 months paid leave. Their house is an easy walk from my B & B and we had a delightful evening together including a Skype call with her parents.

Today Grace and I had breakfast together. She's done the shopping so we have fruit and toast as well as the cereal provided. I was sorry to see her go but hopefully we will connect on the internet. She gave me her I Amsterdam card to use as it was still good until 2 p.m. I used it for the Riksmuseum which features the work of Rembrandt and the Van Gough museum. It was a good way to spend a rainy day.

The B & B is outside the center city but easy connections by the frequent trams. It has a neighborhood feel which I prefer to the hotel, tourist areas. My room is quite large with a sofa as well as a bed. There are a number of shops and restaurants near by and the park is about a block away. Canals are everywhere, more than in Venice they say. I am surprised how many types of boats are on the canals both pleasure and working.

So that's my first on the road post. Hopefully I will post again on Friday with some photos. Friday afternoon I join my barge and bike trip group and we'll board the barge and have our first ride on Saturday. Hopefull the weather will improve. It's quite cool with rain and wind today. I'm happy I made a last minute decision to include my wool sweater. My best to you all.

Slideshow

I didn't want to leave again until I had posted my summer photos. You'll see I finally accomplished this but without captions or music which I was hoping to add. You can click on the side show or just watch it in the blog. You will see some additional photos of the iceberg as well as some other events of the trip. Hopefully as I travel to Europe I can add some as I go but also add another album when I return. (I should write down how I finally achieved this!)

Trip Preparations

Today my euros arrived from Bank America. It turned out to be an easy process. I had been tracking the dollar vs euro on the msn website: http://moneycentral.msn.com/Investor/market/exchangerates.aspx?selRegion=3&selCurrency=1
and compared it with Bank of America's foreign currency information. BA varied from .08-.10 above the msn rate quoted. They also charge $7.50 to send it whether it goes directly to the customer or to a bank. I was hesitant to order at the end of last week as delivery could have been interrupted by Ike's path. I saw Monday the euro had gone up. Tuesday morning the BA site quoted the lowest I had seen. I guess they run a day behind though I was told the rate could even change during the day. I quickly placed my order online. By 3 p.m. Fed Ex arroved with my Euros. Compared to when I first began watching the rate I did save. What will happen it the next two weeks is a toss up, but that's one thing I can cross off my list.

The decision on whether to use this blog is also made. Although my next travels will be quite different, I think keeping this blog is a good idea. No sense cluttering up the net more!

I am spending my time reading as much background material as I can. I also am doing some family history research to learn more about my Dutch ancestors in the Deweese/Dewees line. My great great grandmother was Martha DeWeese born in Greensboro, Guilford County, NC in 1834. I've located another's research that shows her father descended from the original immigrant Gerret Hendricks Dewees born abt 1640 in the Netherlands, emigrated in the late 1600's and died in Germantown PA 1701. While I still need to do some verifying, the research seems reliable. I'm hoping to pinpoint some information I might check while in Amsterdam. It would add a personal element to the trip.

I hope also to visit my cousin's daughter who lives in Amsterdam and is married to a Hollander. They are expecting their first child around the time of my visit. It could be the first of the family line born back in the old country in almost 400 years!

Storm Season

Sunday, August 31, 2008 Son Michael is 40 today!
My current debate is whether to set up a new blog for my trip to Europe. Perhaps it’s just as easy to continue on this site. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Tomorrow I will take Big Mama to a storage site for the first time. My condo association notified me in June that I would no longer be able to park here. When I first bought the van I thought I’d have to keep it somewhere else. It caused many sleepless nights trying to figure out how I’d take and pick it up without being a burden on neighbors. I was told at that time it was ok; it was just a van. Now its RV qualities are pointed out and our bylaws call for no RV’s. Unfortunately in the meantime I’ve become accustomed to having it handy.
I’ve selected a site that I think I can do by bicycle. I’m going to give it a try tomorrow. I had it in for the sanitation hose replacement last week but the dealer’s lift broke, with another RV in the up position. Later this week, I will probably have to take it there. The new hose is much more pliable and hopefully easier to stuff in the small compartment.
I’ve been trying to clean and polish the outside and borrowed a neighbor’s extension ladder to work on the top. Good thing as I found a rusty screw holding in the AC unit. The RV dealer did change out that as well as reinstall the driver’s door gasket that had peeled away. The top is looking better than I thought but I still have more to do. I’m fighting Gustav’s wind today, but hopefully as it moves further north I can climb the ladder.
I am rather peculiar I guess. I enjoy cleaning the van as I always did the boats. Somehow it is not transferable with cleaning house. My house looks like a shambles with staging for the Europe trip and items from the summer trip still waiting for decisions or resting places. I’m adding to the clutter by bringing items in from Big Mama that make sense to store here since it won’t be as handy to go get them if needed. My concern though it that when I go camping again, I will forget something. One of my to-do list items today is to make a check list for loading Big Mama. Some items I haven’t used in the year of ownership. Others have use in the condo.
I am working on my Europe preparations reading material on the area, developing my itinerary, and trying to increase my bike miles. I’ve also been watching the Euro. Fortunately the dollar has been coming down.
Of course everyone is aware of Gustav and we’ve been experiencing rain and wind as a result of that storm. We are all on edge about Hanna and the disturbances that are following behind her. This could be a very interesting next 10 days.

FAY

Just a brief post to say today the sun is shining here today and it really helps ones attitude. In the scheme of things we came through very well. It was a long four days of rain and wind but I was already fairly prepared with window covers, food supplies, and porch furniture stored indoors. While Stuart did experience a small tornado and some flooding, much of the flooding was to the north of us.

I need to find a place to store Big Mama and I'm wondering how many of those storage facilities were flooded. She rode out the storm in the driveway. I took her for errands yesterday since she rides a bit higher than my VW Passat wagon. It was my first time out of our condo complex in almost a week. I tried to do as many errands as I could think of but find I need to go out again today.

We resumed our water exercise in the pool today with only 3 of us plus the instructor. It was wonderful to get the exercise although the water was a bit chilled by all the rain.

I made some corrections to the previous post. I had forgotten to list the cost of the ferries. I also had a couple of other errors which were pointed out to me. It's a work in process.

During the storm we did not lose power so I was able to get some computer work done including sorting my photos--about 500 taken on the trip. I should be posting them shortly with a link on the blog.

Trip Accounting

Sunday, August 17 As many of you are aware our focus here in Florida has a name—FAY. Not sure what impact it will have on my area but the good news is that most of my window covers are still on. I plan to stay here for the storm. Big Mama with her generator will be my back up power. Today is clear, sunny and breezy and I had a forty-five minute bike ride around the small peninsula, Rocky Point, discovering new connected streets. You see so much more on a bike.

I’ve been collecting my statistics for the trip and a bit chagrined at my bookkeeping. The gasoline was all charged and I added into the cost the “foreign transaction” fees of the credit card company. Here’s what I have so far and I think it is pretty complete:
Miles traveled: 7667 Gasoline charges: $2367.88US (I calculate slightly more than .30/mile)
Total nights away from home: 55 Camping: 33 Ferry boat: 1 Staying with friends! 21
Camping costs: $721.32 Park fees (sometimes needed to camp) $32.60
Tolls (includes $41.50 Can for PEI bridge) $61.10
Ferries: $484.84
Tours $100.91 Admissions $31.70
Food $384.59 Souvenirs: $343.39
Service for Van (oil changes, regular maintenance) $124.24
Total of above: $4,167.73 or approximately $76/day (Note: Gasoline is in US Dollars; other costs are US and Canadian dollars. Credit card transaction fees added more than make up for any advantage of the US dollar.)
Of course the hospitality and generosity of the many friends contributed greatly to decreasing the cost of the trip, but even more so to the quality of life for this traveler.

I’ll post news of FAY on this blog after the storm passes assuming we have electricity.

Florida Arrival

August 13 Wednesday Stuart Florida I arrived back at home around 9 p.m. last night after an 11 hour drive from the Atlanta area fueled by Pam’s chocolate chip cookies. My original plan was to stop at Paine’s Prairie near Gainesville. However the intermittant rain, the forcast for the next day, light traffic and the urge to complete the trip all ruled in favor of the push. I have never seen so few trucks on I 75. I came straight through Atlanta around 11 a.m. and never even slowed. Most of the trip I went 65mph.
Before heading to Pam’s in Dawsonville, Frank and I picked blueberries and vegetables. Tonight I cooked some of the vegetables. What a treat. It seems I haven’t forgotten how to cook, I’m relieved to say.
Pam and I had a great catching up visit in her beautiful home on Lake Lanier. Unfortunately the Lake is still alarmingly low. She keeps extending her dock and may some day get quite chummy wich the folks on the other shore.
As I was departing she urged me to get my tires checked at a nearby tire place she uses. I too had noted the back drivers side tire looked low. It was a real blow to my confidence in the Chevy dealer in Brattleboro when it was discovered that in rotating the tires, they never changed the air pressure. The front tires are supposed to be 50 lb psi and the back 80 psi. Instead it was the reverse so I had been riding with a lower rear carriage as well. Fortunately most of my previous days were short and lower speeds as well as pretty smooth roads. Not sure if that tire pressure could have resulted in more difficulty handling the mountain curves or in my gas mileage. What really upsets me is that I made a point about confirming that the tires were correctly inflated and the service manager went back and checked with the repair person. I plan to telephone or write them.
Anyway the good news is that I am home safe and sound and very grateful. In my next blog entry I’ll go into some of the statistics of the trip. I drove almost 8 thousand miles. Tonight it’s catching up with me.

VA NC and GA

Photos: Cathy and Bob; Deer near the parkway (click on photo to enlarge) and Mabry Mill.

August 6 Walnut Hills Campground near Staunton VA (pronounced Stanton) Back at the campground where I stayed the second night of the trip. It is much hotter and drier. The ducks have to search for enough water to swim. Not crazy about my site but too lazy to do anything about it.
I had a good visit with Cathy and Bob catching up on kids, friends, lives, etc. She led me to the route out of town (123) which connected me to I 66 and Front Royal where I picked up the Skyline Drive about 11:30. It was quite beautiful with great vistas at overlooks. Saw deer and was able to capture one with the camera. I also saw a wild turkey. The speed limit is 35 mph so I decided not to push onto the Blue Ridge Parkway today. Tomorrow I will do at least part of it enroute to Asheville. It’s great not to deal with the trucks on I 81 but it does require time and patience. Fortunately the weather was clear and for the most part in the 70’s. A fair amount of wind and prediction of thunderstorms tonight with lots of haze (pollution?) limiting the views.
My visit with Cathy and Bob and Jane and Jim really whetted my appetite for my trip to the Netherlands and Belgium in the fall. I gathered lots of ideas and suggestions and know that will keep me busy when I return to Florida. Cathy and Bob did a private canal charter in the opposite direction from which we’ll head.
Our bike ride Tuesday morning was along Henson’s Creek and did turn out to be flat and not too difficult and about 10 miles. It is the usual Friday night ride for the club. Jimmy did a great job of securing the bike to the rack. I plan to take a photo and hope I can learn from it. The result is a lot less movement.
Tonight I ate outside and afterwards read the Washington Post Cathy had sent along. A young girl in Omish dress and cap suddenly appeared before me with a bright pink plastic bowl. “Would you like some homemade strawberry ice cream?” I replied that I would love it and would return the bowl and spoon. Later after I washed them I was trying to figure out how to get to their campsite which was across the narrow creek from me. As I went one way and then another a young boy appeared to take the bowl. “How did you get here?” I asked. “I just jumped across, “ he replied. I asked where they were from and he said between the North Carolina border and Virginia Beach. That was confusing. I had observed them earlier, the women and girls in the traditional dress and the men and boys in regular clothing but dressier than normal camping clothes. The children were riding bicycles. It was a good size group in a 5th wheel with at least one tent and I could hear them talking and laughing into the evening. It was good ice cream and a speck of rock salt confirmed a hand cranked method.

August 7 Doughton Park Campground, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC Decided to stop here at 4:30 for the night as the rain I’d had most of the day was getting more serious with thunder and in truth I’d been tired since about 2 p.m. It’s a small campground and no electric hookups. I’m running the generator now to charge up the battery which had been servicing the refrigerator all day. I tried to get the propane to work for the refrig but no go. I’ve got another idea after I try the generator for a while. Anyway it will be early to bed. It’s very cool, in the 60’s so no need for the AC.
I awoke this morning to rain and it’s been pretty cloudy and off and on rainy all day. I took advantage of the nice showers at Walnut Hills Campground and was on the road shortly after 9. I had much debate with myself about switching to the interstate and reaching Asheville this afternoon. A short time on I 81 with all the trucks helped me decide the 45 mph speed limit on the Parkway was ok. Why am I in a hurry? There was very little traffic so that wasn’t a problem. I saw a total of 6 deer and a wild turkey. At Mabry Mills I watched some local crafts people doing spinning, basket weaving and carving. They claim the old mill there is one of the most photographed and even depicted on a postcard touting Connecticut! Two college students were working on a visitor’s survey. They provide a GPS like instrument that you carry with you until your return home. It records your stops and is charged in the lighter plug (12v) and even provided me with with a multiplug so I could charge my GPS and telephone at the same time. A box self addressed to Clemson University is provided for the return. I thought what the heck. I’m not the normal traveler so they might as well add me to the pool of information.

Friday 08-08-08 Mt. Pisgah Campground, Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville, NC. Today dawned cool and sunny. I was on the Parkway by 8:30 and the sun through the trees was beautiful. It wasn’t long though till I had to take a detour. Thank goodness I’d didn’t keep going last night. I saw deer again. I wonder how often they are killed. The baby stood in the road a minute. I crossed over the incredible Linville Viaduct and visited the visitor center which explained the unusual construction which completed the parkway in 1987. Another detour landed me in the town of Marion. I took advantage of cell phone connection for some calls and also consulted the Visitors Center for the best route to Asheville which was I 40. There I encountered an accident which had happened not long before. It wasn’t too bad but clogged up traffic. I later heard that there were several accidents in the area. Traffic in Asheville was heavy and I made my stop at Harris Teeter Grocery. I had difficulty getting them to understand multigrain tortillas (just finishing some terrific ones from Nova Scotia-I use them for my lunch) and ended up with a fresh baked, still warm loaf of multi grain bread. The man helping me was so kind (he used to live in Port Richey FL) I had to buy it. It is delicious I have to say.
My uncle in Asheville said he’d rather I come at another time. I explained this was it for a while. When I called later from the store to see if he needed anything as I had said I’d do, he didn’t answer. I got the message and took to the Parkway heading west. This is a very nice campground though no electricity or showers. I ran the generator for an hour and tried to charge the camera battery which gave out today. I’ll probably stay two nights. I try to avoid getting to campgrounds on Saturday as that seems to be the busiest day. Tonight I went to a ranger talk on lichens. Short and interesting and when he asked where people came from one couple who lives nearby said earlier in the summer they were in Newfoundland! The Ranger said he’d done a motorcycle trip there once. He also told about a problem bear that tore into someone’s pickup truck. They captured the bear on Wednesday night. He described what to do if you encounter a bear. 1. Put up your arms so you look bigger. 2. Yell at the bear. 3. If the bear keeps coming go for its nose or eyes! Don’t run or it will think you are prey and don’t throw your backpack or it will think that’s a way to get food!Tomorrow at 10 there’s an hour “easy” hike I plan to take and two ranger programs tomorrow night; one on hummingbirds and one on night noises. I’ll probably be listening for the bear tonight!
Meantime the water pump is acting up again and I’ll trouble shoot that in the morning. Also the black water tank (toilet) is showing full. Not sure what the problem with it is. The last time I pumped and pumped but it never went to empty. I was hoping to wait but I think I’d better pump tomorrow. So in short the day will be busy. There’s a store and a lodge nearby that are part of the park complex so I may check them out too.
The parkway is really an amazing facility. I’ve driven parts of it before but never such a long stretch, at a leisurely pace. It really makes it more enjoyable to take time to stop and look and visit places. Again though I’ve skipped some places.

Saturday August 9 I’ve been rained out of the hummingbird talk. I was almost there and it really started coming down and I decided to go back. It’s a bit of a hilly hike. Of course now it’s stopped. I started a new book today and will be happy to spend a couple of more hours on it.
I did the hike this morning with the ranger and two other campers. Others were also on the trail so when the ranger said it was time to turn back I continued a while on my own. One couple on the trail are German originally from Berlin who now live in Spartanburg after spending time in Ft. Lauderdale. It was probably about a 3 mile hike for me. I don’t think I mentioned that the campground is at 5000 ft. altitude. I’m doing better than I usually do thanks I imagine to my other activities on the trip. I do get short of breathe but so did the younger ranger.
I added water to the tank and that solved the pump problem. It’s obvious that my gages are malfunctioning. The black water tank went back to ¾ so I decided to wait until my departure tomorrow to pump out.
I walked to the Inn and checked the menu. The place was full at 3:30 p.m. with many waiting. A number were motorcyclists. I heard a female motorcyclist say “I want to be off this mountain before the sun goes down,” referring I think to the fact the temperature really drops at night. I added a blanket during the night. The temperature and breeze were great for the hike though. I decided not to add to the crowd at the Inn. I checked out the gift shop and the country store but only purchase was a can of orange soda to drink on the return walk.
It is very dry here. The ranger said this is the third year of a drought. A lot of the plant life and trees look pretty stressed. Acid rain resulting from the coal generating power plants in Ohio is part of the problem. She added that there are lots of signs that the winter will be hard. Wooly caterpillars, lots of bears and other signs that the pioneers would use to predict the weather.
By the way another bear appeared early this morning. A young child was yelling “Daddy, Daddy”. It must have been near the tent area. We saw bear scat along the trail today. The ranger recently transferred from Smokey Mountain N. P. where she says the average bear population is 1 per acre has doubled this year.
This is a great campground and if I ever return I’ll try for #17 or 11 in Loop A. Those are sites that can be reserved. I’m in one that can’t be reserved and I’m pleased that they leave some open for transients. However there is a bit of a slope to the site but not enough to negatively effect the refrigerator or make me feel as though I’m sleeping with my head lower than my body.

Sunday, August 10 Helen Georgia On Friday in Asheville I debated heading for Florida. It would have been simple heading on down I26 to I 95 and home in 12 hours. I’ve made that trip a number of times. Traffic in Asheville irritated me and I decided to jump on the parkway and as you’ve read above I had a great camping experience.
Today after pumping out the tanks, I told Greta, the GPS I wanted to go to Dillard GA. For several years I’ve been invited to attend a family reunion there in the spring but it hasn’t worked out. I wanted to at least visit the place founded by a distance relative. Greta took me on a very curvy up and down the mountains ride through Cashiers and Highlands area where Florida residents seem to be migrating. I can’t imagine why although it’s beautiful, to go anywhere is to go on mountain roads.
Dillard House is a well known place both for food and accomodations. I was too late for breakfast and early for lunch. People were already lined up for lunch and it looked like family groups. Somehow a table for one didn’t seem appropriate and I didn’t have an appetite either.
Back on the road I headed south on 441. I could take this all the way to Florida or go through Atlanta on a Sunday, but….I took a turn and headed for Helen where neighbors from Stuart Lucy and Frank are living. So arriving at the Helen Post Office I gave thema a call. What friends! They told me how to find their house and to plan to spend the night. So here I am using their internet service. Not sure I can upload photos but at least it will be a bit of an update.
Tomorrow I head for Dawsonville GA about an hour away to visit friend Pam and then I PROMISE I’ll head for Florida. After all I’ll have little more than 6 weeks until I head to Europe.
The weather is very comfortable 60’s at night 80’s in daytime. Helen is built to look like a German/Swiss village. Their house is on the outskirts in the area of a beautiful state park, Unicoi.
It was good to pick up email again and soon I’ll be able to answer.

Fort Washington MD

Photos: Judy and Sandy; Elizabeth and Don; Jane, Jim Judy and Sandy

Tuesday August 5 My trip from Don and Elizabeth’s Wrightsville PA home went as smoothly and quickly as the previous trip went awry and forever. Greta, the GPS was in sync with cousin Jim’s directions and the trip took less than 1 ½ hours. Fort Washington is right outside DC on the Potomac River and you can see the capitol’s buildings from different vantage points.
After a wonderful Sunday dinner including fresh tomatoes, we prepared for the late afternoon bike ride. Judy arrived and it was wonderful to finally meet her. She has a great sense of humor and adventure. I look forward to our time together in Europe in October. We joined the rest of the bike group at a fire station where they park their vehicles. Georgia, my bike, rode in Jim’s van. He had cleaned my chain and inspected the bike before we left the house. Jane loaned me one of her bike shirts and shorts so I really felt like I looked the part of distance rider. The ride is 16 miles with a break after 11. The return ride included Barry’s Hill which was said to be a real test of your ability. Judy made it up Barry but I elected to walk deciding my already tired old legs would not make it. That was acceptable. I was told even those younger often walked it the first time. We came in last, but that was ok. I learned a lot about my gears and finally found the answer to the problem of my Camelback which is a backpack containing water you drink by sucking on a tube. I was using the mouthpiece vertically when it should have been horiztonal. Simple but elusive for this old lady.
Our treat at the end was wonderful sandwiches at a nearby stand. I enjoyed the Carolina barbeque. We then went back to Jim and Janes for Jane’s homemade peach cobler. Boy, I’m living high in the food department. Judy headed home with our next rendezvous in Amsterdam an eagerly awaited event.
Monday after a relaxing breakfast on the deck I requested our touring be local. We visited the Fort Washington, part of the National Park Service. It is a beautiful park on the Potomac originally constructed in 1809. Beside historic structures there are recreational areas for picnics and they’ve held concerts on the lawns. We met Bill, who manages a number of National Park properties in the area and knows Jim and Jane, was there and talked with us about a number of projects. He works with them on expanding trails and bike facilities. On his offfice wall was a map of the area and I was particularly interested in locating the areas where we had been on the evening before. Our “break” was another of the parks near Marshall Hall, and across the river you could see Mount Vernon. The Potomac is all in Maryland I discovered.
After walking the fort grounds, we drove near the marina and walked a hiking trail that Jim and Jane had helped prepare. They had not been there in 6 months and were surprised at the number of trees across the trail as well as some significant erosion. We climbed over and under the fallen trees and found footholds through muddy areas. I’m getting good at this!
Back at the house after lunch we went over ideas for my trip to Amsterdam mapping things on google maps. Their daughter Julie lives there with her husband Marc and they are expecting their first child in October. We had a delightful /videotelephone conversation with them via Skype system which I have now downloaded on my computer from Google. If anyone reading this has Skype I’d love to connect sometime to try it out. I’m hoping Michael and Emily will have it someday. It’s a great way to keep in touch both audibly and visually.
Late in the afternoon we went over to National Harbor, a huge development project along the Potomac featuring a convention center, hotels, shopping and residential. It’s supposed to be pedestrian oriented with narrow streets, buildings close together modeled in part on Barcelona. To me it seemed a bit claustrophobic. We inspected the bike racks and noted a lack of bike paths! However it is a 5 mph limit on streets. At the convention center 1400 were registering for a Sun Microsystem convention. There was a long line checking in at the Gaylord Hotel. There is also a Westin and Marriott adjacent. Tables were being set up for the evening festivities and we observed a pyrotectnic truck portending a fireworks display of which observed a bit from the front yard of the house about 9 p.m.
Today we’ll do what is promised to be a short flat bike ride in the area. I’ll head off this afternoon to Vienna VA which should be an hour away “depending on traffic” as they say in this area.

Maine Vermont Pennsylvania

Photos: Monhegan Island

July 31 Brattleboro VT A beautiful evening at the KOA campground. Earlier threats of strong storms didn’t play out. I wonder how Ginny did. She is in the northern part of New Hampshire tonight. I made good time getting here and as result had to wait for my service appointment at the Chevy dealer. They said all looked well, changed the oil and rotated the tires. Efficient and economical as before.
I was sorry to leave Maine. What a beautiful state! Wednesday, we had a magnificent day on Monhegan Island. The water had barely a ripple as we rode the ferry to the Island. We found a great place to eat, Novelty. The surprise was that there is only one public toilet on the island. There was quite a line after lunch. They request a donation of .50 to be put in a piece of pvc pipe.
We began our hiking after lunch with Doris leading the way and Ginny as the map consultant. We found spectacular vistas after winding, rocky trails. Somehow we missed the trail to lighthouse but found the cemetary which wasn’t on the map and had gravestones from the 1700’s. In all we hiked for about 2 hours and all came home with a bit of sunburn. There are paths all over the island and supposedly they are marked but we had difficulty finding some of the trail numbers. Artists are all around with their easels and the flower gardens and even a clothesline provided colorful subjects, not to mention the rocky cliffs with pounding waves at the base. There are galleries and a few gift shops. Ike finally had his expresso and Ginny and I tried the Ginger Beer.
Our return on the Elizabeth Ann at 4:30 was over more ripples in the water with wind from the east, but never the less smooth. We couldn’t believe how many passengers, luggage and what might be termed freight were brought on board. Loading was on the top deck due to the tide which might have accounted for more people than places to sit. We were in a position to exit quickly and were on our way to the house shortly after 5:30. Good thing since we were due at Asger and Sandy’s for a dinner party at 6:30. She had wonderful hors d’oeuvres with Asger’s homemade liver pate and grav lox followed by grilled fresh halibut. This made 5 straight nights of incredible eating for me. I’ve tried to keep my weight down but think I’ve now blown it but worth every calorie!
We returned to Ike and Doris’s, a weary foursome. I used Ike’s computer to print my mapquest route for the next two days. This morning I loaded the bike on and stashed everything again and was on the road before 9 a.m. Doris told us we didn’t make a dent in her “to do” list so we have to try this again.
I had planned to stop in Concord at the L. L. Bean outlet but discovered my route didn’t go that way which is probably for the best. Somehow my clothes seem to be expanding in their cupboards. Tomorrow I work my way to Elizabeth and Don’s in Wrightsville PA. It will be my longest drive in quite a while and mostly on interstates.
I am having difficulty staying on the campgrounds WiFi. I’ll try again in the a.m. I was hoping to send photos too. I can’t remember if I wrote that to see photo better, just click on the picture and it will fill your screen—and then some.
I confess to some melancholy tonight as this begins my trip home. I’m enjoying visiting everyone but I’m realizing my camping out days are numbered. I certainly hope I can use the van some in September. I may have to take a couple of extra days enroute to Asheville the end of next week but I have to be home by the 14th. Sadly it is coming to an end.
August 3 Wrightsville PA My drive here was a long one, about 2 hours more than expected and I almost ended up in Philadelphia after routing myself away from major cities. Greta kept telling me there was a better way but I thought I knew better. Enough said, but I did finally arrive at Elizabeth and Don’s where we have had a great relaxing visit. Don’s long ladder allowed me to examine the top of the van. It wasn’t as bad as I feared but definitely will require cleaning and waxing on my return. Don and I researched ladders that might work for the project.
Last night we went to a beautiful country home for a corn boil. It was the best corn I’ve ever eaten. Since it was a potluck, lots of yummy salad and desserts accompanied it. Fortunately the party was early enough for it to all settle before bedtime but more important to give us a change to play Mexican train dominoes which I managed to win!
I am honing in on the next week. Today I’ll head for Jim and Jane’s in Ft. Washington right outside DC. Should take about 2 ½ hours---we’ll see. They’ve planned a bike ride for late in the afternoon and I will meet my October “barge mate” Judy who will be on the ride. Jim is involved with a very active bike club. Check it out at http://www.ohbike.org/ Wish I could find something like that in Stuart.
Tuesday I’ll visit college friend Cathy in Vienna, VA before heading to Asheville NC and then Dawsonville GA. Anticipated arrival in Stuart still Aug 13 or 14.

Touring in Maine

Photos: Beth and Jim with Camilla, New Harbor, ME Sandy, Ginny, Doris & Ike on stone "sofa" Coastal Maine Botanical Garden, Boothbay, MEJuly 30 In the last post I did not mention that my friend Ginny is also part of the tour this week. She flew from Chicago to New Hampshire and drove here on Monday. Monday night we had an enjoyable evening with Ike and Doris’s neighbors and swapped travel stories. Tuesday we were off early to drive to Boothbay and tour the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Only recently opened, there is an impressive display of plantings in a very natural setting. We walked a number of the paths which since it is in Maine went up hill and down and featured rocks as well as plants. We lunched at the Tugboat Inn on Boothbay Harbor. Les and rented our mooring from the Inn in 1994. The town has grown a lot it seemed and was much more congested than previous visits in September and June of ’94 and ’95.
On the way back to Rackliff Island we stopped in Rockland. They are busy preparing for the Lobster Festival this weekend. A new lobster cooker was featured in the newspaper which is built to resemble the Rockland Light. We toured the wonderful Farnsworth Art Museum concentrating on the Andrew, N.C. and Jamie Wyeth works. Les and I had been there on our trip four years ago and it is always a treat.
Back at the house I took another bike ride this time down to the small fishing village where the Rackliff family lives. It was an easy and picturesque ride particularly over the causeway that connects the island. The tide was going out and a young girl was climbing around on the rocks checking out the tide pools. Ike and Doris went off to pick up fresh caught lobsters which made for a sumptuous if messy dinner. A very full day. Today promises the same as we take the ferry from Port clyde to Monhegan Island for the day. Schooner Oaks part-timers, Sandy and Asger are treating us to dinner at their home on the island this evening.
Tomorrow it’s back on the road. I made an appointment to have Big Mama serviced with tire rotation at the Brattleboro VT Chevy dealer where I stopped on the way north. I’ll stay at the KOA nearby as I did before. So this will begin some retracing steps as I head south.

Maine Visits

July 28 Monday, Rackliff Island Maine I arrived late this morning after a delightful weekend with Jim and Beth. New Harbor area is so picturesque and we had wonderful meals in the a very “downeast” setting—their fish house. Outside lobster boats were lined up in the cove. Lots of catching up for all the years since we’d visited with great exchanges of travel ideas, recipes, clothes, state of the world, etc.
Susan and I enjoyed the cabaret performance at the Deck House in Southwest Harbor Friday night. Great talents and our waiter Eric Richardson already has auditions lined up on Broadway. Watch for his name in lights some time soon. All the performers were very talented. The Deck House is very near the Hinkley Yard.
I departed Bass Harbor in rain and fog but most of my visit in New Harbor the weather was good. Now I am visiting winter neighbors Ike and Doris at their lovely island home overlooking another cove. I am certainly a very fortunate person to have all these friends with great houses and spectacular views. Today I finally unloaded poor beleagered Georgia, the bike. I cleaned her up and took a ride and found I was more out of shape than she was. I am hoping a visit with cousin Jim in a week in the DC area will be a boost for both Georgia and me in the bike riding department.

Rain in Maine

Photo: Susan on Jordan Pond hike. July 25 Friday Hello from soggy Maine. We’ve had fog and rain for two days. Typical travelers it hasn’t stopped some touring but definitely decreased our options. The area has a wonderful shuttle bus system. There is a stop outside the campground entrance and the route goes into Southwest Harbor and on into Bar Harbor Village Green where you can transfer to 6 other routes going to a variety of places within the Acadia Park area. There is no charge and it is an attempt to decrease auto traffic and its pollution. The buses run on propane. Unfortunately there is still a lot of other traffic.
Wednesday Susan and I boarded the bus and headed for the Jordan Pond area. We planned to take the 1 mile walk marked “Easy” before having lunch at the Jordan Pond restaurant noted for their popovers. Somehow we ended up on the 3+mile hike that included climibing over rocks and walking a 2-3 plank boardwalk as well as dirt paths. It was a beautiful area or what we could see in the fog and fortunately not much rain. Our planned 1 hour walk turned into 2 ½ hours that was fairly vigorous particularly for “the old lady”. Yet we felt a sense of accomplishment in addition to a ravishing appetite for those popovers!
We headed back to Bar Harbor and picked up my prescription refills at the local Rexall. I had been told by Walgreens that if there was not a Walgreens in the area, I could get refills at any pharmacy. I was really pleased and no problem with the insurance. We did some window shopping but no other purchases. I also saw the area where Partnership pulled in almost fourteen years ago. At that time the only option was the town dock. Now there are moorings galore in the harbor full of boats.
Enroute back to the campground we stopped in Southwest Harbor and looked at shops and ate a lobster roll and blueberry pie. Yum. The blueberries are just coming into season here. Back at the campground more visiting and planning for Friday. During the night lots of rain showers but no thunderstorms as the previous night. The sad news was that lightening started a fire at the Swan’s Island library and it was destroyed. There was also a major power outage with a lightening strike on a transformer near Bangor.
So today we caught an even earlier bus in a pouring rain. We visited sand beach, the only sand beach in the area; they are very rocky. Then to Thunderhead, an break in the rocks where the waves pour in creating the sound of thunder. We had planned to walk between the two spots but became discouraged when meeting people that said the advertised .7 miles was much longer. With stiff knees and sore feet from yesterday plus foggy rainy conditions, we hopped the bus for the short ride. Then back to Bar Harbor and a great lunch at the Brown Bag right across from the Green. More window shopping and a long rainy bus ride back to the campground. Tonight we are going to a cabaret show in Southwest Harbor. The waiters and waitresses perform after serving.
The forcast for the weekend is good. I’m headed off to visit Jim and Beth in New Harbor. We first met them in 1995 at a Oriental NC B & B. Jim became a big fan of Les’s boat logs and we’ve stayed in touch ever since. I’m looking forward to catching up on their lives. Then Monday I’ll head to winter neighbors Ike and Doris for a few days visit. There I’ll be joined by long time friend Ginny. So I’ll be living the “soft” life for a while no matter what the weather does. Unfortunately I didn’t get to use the bike here as I hoped. There appear to be good trails and many of them paved, but not worth enduring all the rainy, foggy conditions.

From Bass Harbor Maine

Photos: Pat & Terry; Theodore Too heading into Halifax Harbor; Boats at low tide Parkers Cove.

July 22 Tuesday Morning Cove Oceanfront Campground, Parkers Cove Nova Scotia The words of a song come to mind something like “sitting here down by the bay watching the tides float away” well maybe it was the clouds but anyway I am sitting here over looking the Bay of Fundy as the tide is rolling out. An island has emerged from the sea and it is all fog shrouded. This campground claims it’s the only 4 star one in Nova Scotia. Not sure if that’s true but it does have a great view I’m sure when it isn’t foggy and not so bad when it is. My “bottom of the price list”, yet still pricey site still has a view as there are not many sites in use.

Yesterday I left Dartmouth in rain which continued most of the what to the west known as Annapolis Shore for the town of Annapolis Royale or parts known as the Evangeline Trail from the fictional young woman portrayed in Longfellow’s poem Evangeline, telling the tragic story of the 1755 deportation of the Acadians from Nova Scotia. My objective was to visit Grand Pre, the Canadian National Historic site on land once occupied by the Acadians and now a tribute and memorial to them. Longfellow and Evangeline are also recognized. The film/audio/visual presentation in the visitors center is excellent. The theater is built to resemble the hold of a 1755 ship into which they were loaded. This group of people of French descent, primarily from southern France and of Catholic religon, settled the area in the 1600’s and created dikes to make the salty wetlands become excellent farming. They would not take sides with the British French conflict but were held in suspicion by the British due to the French origins and religion. I learned some of this story on our barge trip in March through the Acadian area of Louisiana. What I was surprised to learned then and more on this trip was the many places where they went. I had originally thought they all went immediately to Louisiana, but that was over a number of years, but many escaped or returned to New Brunswick and Quebec as well as setting in a number of US states. The gardens and chapel are quite lovely as well, particularly the stained glass window in the chapel. There were not many people but all seemed to take a hushed reverent tone. Family History researchers will also find sources of information here.

I went on in search of a winery and cheese outlet, finally finding the former but not the latter. So I had wine tasting which was fun. Since Pat had provided such a wonderful breakfast, I hadn’t had lunch so I was a bit concerned but it went ok. Terry gave me some “training” with some of their “home brew” wine over the weekend.We had a great visit, low key which was perfect for me and I thoroughly enjoyed our long conversations though don’t think our ideas will change the world unfortunately! I turns out that Pat and I are only two days apart in age. She made wonderful meals and I really appreciated it particularly the delicious fruits and vegetables from their garden. Sunday we walked the waterfront in Halifax seeing all types of boats from the Theodore Too tugboat(children’s books feature him) to the Dartmouth/Halifax ferry, to large container ship entering the harbor, and a mock up boat set up for the filming of a movie and many others old and new.

Today I head for the Digby/St. John’s New Brunswich Ferry , my last day in Nova Scotia. As always I enjoy the beauty and diversity of the area. Yesterday I went through some lush rolling farmland. It’s amazing to have that alongside rocky cliffs.

Evening now in the Rockwood Park Campground. It’s a public park very close to the center of St. John. I only made one wrong turn and was able to correct. It was a bit challenging as we arrived as everyone was getting out of work. My ferry parking spot was almost at the ramp with huge trucks all around me. I had difficulty walking past to get to the vehicle. The ferry ride was a bit bumpy, but considering that Cristobel was supposed to be in the area, it wasn’t bad. No rain either. A young energetic staff member of the New Brunswick Museum provided programs during the trip. They were aimed at the children but interesting and entertaining for all. He talked about the ship building industry in New Brunswick, the Fundy Tides, settlement of the area, and the deportation of the Acadians. He also had people out on deck looking for whales, but it was difficult with the rough seas.
I am camped in a section that is used for caravans. One is expected tomorrow so they were willing to give me one night. Many here seem to be in groups or of a more permanent nature. My section is all gravel. I’ve seen this in some other parks and perhaps it is what the caravans like. After all they are looking to socialize and be close to each other. A group is outside playing some sort of tossing game as I write this.
The weather report sounds as though I have missed some heavy rain in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland from Cristobel . With Dolly going into Texas, it’s already up to the E’s for storms and it’s still July! I cannot complain about any of my weather. The cool rainy weekends in Summerside, PEI and Dartmouth, NS were spent in cozy houses with warm friends. Most of the camping weather has been very pleasant. Now onto Maine and the USA.

Wednesday, July 23. Today would have been Les’s 83rd birthday. Last year on this date, I really fell apart and as a result decided I had to find something that I wanted to do. I made a list of what I enjoy and the long and short story is that I began researching small motor homes. Being outdoors in nature and traveling came up high on my list and Big Mama certainly leads to both. I think Les would approve.
I decided to take a side trip on the way to Bass Harbor and visited Campobello Island and Roosevelt’s summer home. The house is 10,000 sq. ft. and much of the furnishings were theirs. The views over the Bay of Fundy are beautiful and Roosevelt must have been quite a sailor to deal with those tides. Now they are salmon farming along the area. It’s all part of large corporations. The last small family owned operation was bought up last winter according to one of the interpreters.
Canada has no monopoly on bumpy roads. I’ve encounted a lot on my Maine trip today. The campground is very close to the Bass Harbor lighthouse and I’m hoping to hike over there tomorrow. My Roadtrek friend Susan who’s a summer work camper here is making diner for me tonight. She’ll take the next couple of days off so we can do some touring together. I understand rain is called for. Of course I’d be happy to have someone to play dominoes with or watch a movie!