Category: Trips

Happy Birthday to me!

I have a milestone birthday, so I thought it would be cool to take a road trip to Charlottesville, and review a little history and have some fun. So the plan was to take a tour of Thomas Jefferson’s home Monticello, eat lunch at Michie Tavern, then take a tour of James Monroe’s Highland, then finish the day with a wine tasting and birthday cake at nearby Trump Winery.

Here we go…

Monticello

Monticello was the home of Thomas Jefferson, author of The Declaration of Independence, and the third President of the United States. We had a guided tour of the house, and we were able to walk the grounds to see the outbuildings and take in some beautiful views.

Monticello
Monticello
Monticello
Monticello
Monticello
Monticello
The garden
The view from Monticello
The view from Monticello
Jefferson’s Phaeton
Kitchen
Smokehouse
Spinning room.
Slave quarters
Grave of Thomas Jefferson

Here was buried
Thomas Jefferson
Author of the
Declaration
of 
American Independence
of the
Statute of Virginia
for
Religious Freedom
and Father of the
University of Virginia

Jefferson wrote the text for his monument. Interesting that he chose to not mention that he was the third president of the United States!

Lunch at Michie Tavern

Michie Tavern dates back to 1784, and they have a colonial/country style lunch buffet. So we feasted on fried chicken, baked chicken, pork barbecue, mashed potatoes, green beans, cole slaw, beets, blackeyed peas, cornbread  and biscuits.

Lunch
At Michie Tavern
Michie Tavern
Room in  Michie Tavern museum
Room in  Michie Tavern museum
Revolutionary War era flintlock musket on display

James Monroe’s Highland

James Monroe, our fifth president, lived here, near his good friend Thomas Jefferson. The house Monroe lived in no longer stands, but there is an outline of the foundation of that house. Monroe practiced law in Fredericksburg, and I have toured his Law Office and Museum many times over the years.

Outline of the house Monroe lived in.
This house was built in the 19th century, partially on top of the location of Monroe’s house.
We had a guided tour of the guest house, which contains many items owned by the Monroes. Photography was not allowed in the house.
300-year=old tree in the front yard.
Bust of James Monroe. There is also a bust of Monroe in the garden to the rear of the James Monroe Law Office and Museum in Fredericksburg.
James Monroe Statue

Tasting at Trump Winery

To close out our day, we went to the Trump Winery for a private wine tasting. And to celebrate the day with some Wesley-made birthday cake.

Thanks to Wesley for the cake, and thanks to all my family who came to make this is special day for me!

MAGA + Trump Winery
The countryside is spectacular.
View from the winery
View from the winery
Vineyard themed cake
The Cru is the only wine I liked.
Goodbye, 50s!
A topical gift!
Waiting for our tasting room.

New England 2018 Wrap-up

Our trip to New England was an incredible vacation for us! Sailing on Narragansett Bay was incredible! The presidents’ houses, etc. Revolutionary War history. State capitols. An actual Pilgrim’s house. Acadia National Park in Maine. The White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Green Mountains in Vermont. A submarine. Baseball and Basketball Halls of Fame. Fine dining. Lobstahs! Even the Miami Dolphins linebackers! And the Statue of Liberty to finish it off! We were told to expect rudeness in the northeast, but everyone we encountered was very nice everywhere we went, except in Vermont, where we ran into rude. We packed a lot into 11 days, but it was all so enjoyable, except the Boston roads and traffic. And we enjoyed sharing our trip with everyone!

This is the actual route we took on our vacation in New England, up the east coast first, then returning down the Hudson River Valley in New York..

New England 2018 Day 11

October 8

This is the last day of a full 11-day vacation. We have had a ball, but we are ready for our own bed, and to eat Mary Jean’s home cooking!

Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, Jersey City, New Jersey

Empty Sky September 11th Memorial
The names of everyone from New Jersey who perished in the World Trade Center on 9/11 are etched into these two walls. Each wall length is equal to the Trade Center height. The path points to where the World Trade Center stood. Manhattan is completely covered in fog in the background.
  
    
Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal
We boarded our ferry to the Statue of Liberty here. This was once a bustling hub in the golden years of train travel, the early to mid 1900s. Quite a grand place in its day.
Interior of the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal.
Antique baggage cart and luggage.

Ellis Island

Ellis Island
Ellis Island.
This is where immigrants coming to America were processed from 1892 to 1954. For the grandkids, this building may be the place your great-great grandmother Eugenia Vande Voorde (Gramy) took her first steps in America in the 1890s when she arrived in the United States with her family, as a small child from Belgium. Imagine her awe as she saw the New York City skyline and the Statue of Liberty! There is an interesting story about her arrival you should ask your grandma about.
Another building at Ellis Island.
Ellis Island from the Statue of Liberty, with Jersey City, New Jersey in the background.

The Statue of Liberty

View from the front of our ferry.
First view of the Statue of Liberty.
Rear view. You enter the museum below the pedestal from this direction.
The original torch
Actual size of Liberty’s face.
Actual size of Liberty’s feet.
The New Colossus plaque.
Written by Emma Lazarus, the more recognized words are:
“Give me your tired. Your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
This poem is often mistakenly referred to as being in the Bible, but it is not.
I have an old picture like one of these!
The stairs up to the statue’s crown. I wasn’t able to get a ticket to climb to the top.
View from the top of the pedestal.
 
  
 
 
 
Cornerstone plaque.
Us, on the top of the pedestal, with Manhattan in the background.
Manhattan
Ships
Our ferry
  
  
  
My last picture of the Statue of Liberty.
The last picture of me taking a picture of the Statue of Liberty.
Manhattan north. The clouds lifted a little bit, but still no clear view of the tops of the buildings.
Manhattan south
Freedom Tower is just to the right of the building with the small dome at the top. The clouds cover more than half of it!

Passing through Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia skyline covered in clouds.
This is the third major city in eleven days that the skyline is in the clouds.
Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies.
Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Eagles.
Wells Fargo Center, home of the 76ers and Flyers.

4:30 PM Home at last!!

Home sweet home!

New England 2018 Day 10

October 7

Saratoga Battlefield, Saratoga, New York

The battle of Saratoga in the Revolutionary War was actually two battles, one in September and a follow-up battle in October 1777. The British were utterly defeated here, prompting British General Burgoyne to surrender. This preserved battlefield is a large one.
View of the battlefield from the Visitors’ Center.
The battles took place in September and October 1777, following Burgoyne’s loss at Bennington, Vermont.
Revolutionary War cannon
Front view of the cannon.
Freeman Farm Overlook
Here, Colonel Daniel Morgan fired on British General Burgoyne’s advance guard center column.
Neilson Farm
This farm outlined the fortified American lines. American Major General Horatio Gates’ headquarters, and the American field hospital were nearby.
The monument is dedicated to the unknown American dead who died in the battles of Saratoga and are buried in unmarked graves.
This cannon is situated on Bemis Heights, and is pointed toward the Hudson River. This site was where the American River Fortifications were.
View from Bemis Heights to the left.
View from Bemis Heights in the center.
View from Bemis Heights to the right.
Barber Wheatfield.
Americans intercepted 1,500 British and German soldiers trying to reconnoiter the American left. After an hour of fierce fighting, the British troops retreated.
Cannon at Barber Wheatfield.
Saratoga Battle Monument.
This monument stands where General Burgoyne’s camp was entrenched in the last days of the battle. Burgoyne was forced into a humiliating surrender at Saratoga. A very impressive obelisk.
Cannon at the Saratoga Battle Monument.
General Philip Schuyler faces east toward his Schuylerville estate.
Schuyler was an interesting character. Today he is considered the architect of the Americans’ brilliant and total victory at Saratoga. His tactics of delay and evasion successfully stalled Burgoyne’s troops coming from Canada, and his daring improvisations split his men in the face of the British onslaught to counter the British feint from the west along the Mohawk River, leading to American victory. Contemporaneously, he was considered a military incompetent and possibly a traitor, and was even court martialed for treason, but was acquitted in 1778.
General Horatio Gates faces north toward the route of the British invasion from Canada.
Colonel Daniel Morgan faces west, the positions his corps took to surround the British.

Church at Ballston Spa, New York

Ballston Center Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church
We attended church here on Sunday morning. 

Grave of President Chester A. Arthur, Albany, New York

Grave of President Chester A. Arthur, our 21st president.
Plate on President Arthur’s grave stone.
Becoming president upon the assassination of President James A. Garfield in 1881, President Arthur served out the remainder of President Garfield’s term from 1881-1885, and did not secure the Republican nomination for the 1884 election. His signature issue was reforming the spoils system, and he signed into law the Pendleton Act, which required that government jobs be distributed according to merit, rather than cronyism. Arthur married a Culpeper, Virginia girl, Nell Herndon. She died when she was only 42 years old, almost two years before Arthur became president. Arthur’s sister served as First Lady during his term.

New York State Capitol, Albany, New York

Quite a building! It was Sunday, so we could not go in, but the outside looks like a castle!
This is the front, which faces the street.
This is the rear.
Corner view.

Downtown Albany, New York

Statue of Major General Philip Schuyler, across the street from the state capitol.
New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, to the west of the state capitol.
The Erastus Corning Tower. At 44 stories tall, this is the tallest building in the state of New York outside of New York City.
Empire Plaza and The Egg.
The Egg and Empire Plaza.
The Egg is a performing arts venue.
Albany, New York skyline and the Hudson River.

Birthplace, Home and Grave of President Martin Van Buren, Kinderhook, New York

This is the site where Martin Van Buren, our 8th president, was born in 1782. This is located in Kinderhook, New York.
President Martin Van Buren’s home, Lindenwald in Kinderhook. He was our 8th president, who was President Andrew Jackson’s hand-picked successor in 1837. He presided over the financial Panic of 1837 which was devastating to the economy.  He was a failed president,  and served only one term, 1837-1841, very similar to George H. W. Bush. Both presidents succeeded wildly popular presidents (Jackson, Reagan), then failed to win re-election after their first term. President Bush retired to private life. President Van Buren continued to run for president in several other election cycles, losing every time.
Lindenwald, home of President Martin Van Buren.
The architectural style is a combination of Georgian, Victorian and Italianate.
Lindenwald
Grave of President Martin Van Buren, Kinderhook, New York

Home, Library and Grave of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Hyde Park, New York

Franklin D. Roosevelt, a fifth cousin of President Theodore Roosevelt, was our 32nd president. He was the only president to serve more than two terms. He was elected four times, but he died early in the first year of his fourth term, April 12, 1945. He served from 1933-1945.
FDR’s Hyde Park home
Front view
The view from his front yard.
FDR Presidential Library and Museum.
The museum had a special exhibit, The Art of War. This exhibit contains many posters that were used during World War II. I post only a few here, but on the Presidents page I will post many more.
Recruiting for nurses.
(Another one for you, Kayla.)
This is the iconic Uncle Sam “I Want You” poster.
We used to be able to identify our enemy clearly.
We could also identify our other primary enemy in World War II.
FDR’s Oval Office desk.
FDR’s 1936 Ford Phaeton.
The Bible FDR used all four times he took the presidential oath of office.
The memorandum President Roosevelt received on December 7, 1941, informing him of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Bust of FDR outside of the Library and Museum.
Posing with President Franklin and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
The graves of President Franklin and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
Zoom in to see the etching.

Mid-Hudson Bridge, Poughkeepsie, New York

Flag hanging from the Mid-Hudson Bridge, crossing the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie.

Dinner in Ramsey, New Jersey

The Shannon Rose, Ramsey, New Jersey
Shepherd’s Pie and Irish Soda Bread. Delicious!

New England 2018 Day 9

October 6

Cohoes Falls, Cohoes, New York

Cohoes Falls is the second largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River, second only to Niagara Falls. These falls are on the Mohawk River, which flows into the Hudson River.
Cohoes Falls
Close-up of Cohoes Falls
Interesting history at Cohoes Falls described by this plaque. It was here that the Iroquois Confederacy was formed, an alliance between the Mohawk, Oneida, Onandaga, Cuyuga and Seneca Indians nations, the largest Indian alliance in North America.

Central New York Countryside

Central New York countryside.
We don’t see too many of these road signs in Virginia!
Central New York countryside.
Central New York countryside.
Central New York countryside.
Central New York countryside.
After I took the picture above this one, I noticed one of the cows turned her face to look at us.

Cooperstown, New York

The Inn at Cooperstown.
There are many large, beautiful Victorian houses all over this small town.
Downtown Cooperstown was closed off for their Cooptoberfest festival. This is Main Street. The Baseball Hall of Fame is one block behind me here.
This is the famed village flagpole.
Cooperstown has one traffic light. This is it.
Otsego Lake at Cooperstown, New York
This is the start of the Susquehanna River, which winds its way across New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland, where it flows into the Chesapeake Bay at Havre de Grace.
Statue of James Fenimore Cooper, who is considered the first American novelist. He wrote in the early 1800s, and he wrote Last of the Mohicans.

National Baseball Hall of Fame

The National Baseball Hall of Fame
They keep the standings up to date, including playoffs.
Entrance
We are here!!
Hall of Fame Gallery
This is where all of the Hall of Fame Plaques are displayed.
My favorite player of all time.
The first baseball card I ever had was Tom Seaver. That’s how he became my favorite player. That was in 1970. I saw him pitch in person twice, both times in Arlington, Texas in 1984 and 1985 for the Chicago White Sox vs. the Texas Rangers. The first game I saw him pitch, he got clobbered and lost 11-0. The second game I saw was Seaver’s 301st career win.
The high point of being a baseball fan for almost 50 years!
Seaver wore this glove when he struck out 10 batters in a row in 1970, which is still a major league record that has never been broken.
Screen grab from the Tom Seaver film clip.
1969 World Championship ring for the New York Mets.
If you are not familiar with the baseball song “Talkin’ Baseball”, look it up and listen to the lyrics. This is Willie…
…Mickey…
…and the Duke!
My dad’s favorite player. Dad saw DiMaggio play several times.
My grandfather saw Babe Ruth play…
…and my grandfather also saw Lou Gehrig play.
I saw Nolan Ryan pitch in Houston.
I saw Cal Ripken play several times in Baltimore.
Chipper Jones, one of the newest members of the Hall of Fame. He was inducted this year. I saw Jones play in the minor leagues for the Richmond Braves, and then about five years later I saw him play for the Atlanta Braves.
Chipper Jones display.
Chipper’s story.
The Hall of Fame Class of 2018:
Alan Trammell, Jack Morris, Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, and Trevor Hoffmann.
Two Babes!
Babe Ruth’s uniform.
Hank Aaron wore this uniform in 1974 when he broke Babe Ruth’s career home run record.
The seven caps worn by Nolan Ryan in his seven no-hitters.
A baseball from 1858.
Joe DiMaggio’s baseball shoes.
The helmet worn by Barry Bonds in 2007 when he hit his 756th career home run, which broke Hank Aaron’s record of 755.
Ted Williams used this bat to hit this ball for his 500th career home run.
Statue of Satchel Paige, a black ball player who was not allowed to play in the major leagues in his prime. Blacks were not allowed to play in the major leagues until 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and played for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Statue of Roy Campanella, whose career ended when he was paralyzed in a car accident.
Oh, and I wasn’t the only baseball nerd wearing a baseball jersey!
More baseball nerds.

Dinner in Albany, New York

Athos Restaurant in Albany, New York. Authentic Greek Cuisine.
The Wine Cellar has a glass ceiling! Pretty cool.
Pita bread
Chicken Saganaki – this was delicious!
Pastichio – very tasty!
Best Baklava ever!