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New England 2018 Day 3

September 30

Rhode Island State Capitol, Providence, Rhode Island

Downtown Providence, Rhode Island

Providence skyline from Waterplace Park.

Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island

Brown University Van Sickle Gate.
The main gates are opened to the inside of the campus on the first day of the school year, then closed until the last day, when they are opened to the outside, symbolizing the students entering the world. Other colleges may have similar gates and closings, but Brown is the first one I have read about.

Gilbert Stuart Birthplace, North Kingstown, Rhode Island

American artist Gilbert Stuart was born here in 1755. During his life he painted over 1000 people, including each of the first six presidents. His most famous painting was his “Unfinished Portrait” of George Washington. The picture of George Washington on the one dollar bill is Stuart’s painting.

Jamestown, Rhode Island

Narragansett Bay, and the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge.

Newport, Rhode Island

Newport Tower
Interestingly, there is some question about when this tower was built. There are those who believe it was built in the 17th century, or the 15th century, or built by aliens (conspiracy theorists)! Look up Newport Tower.

Statue of Commodore Matthew C. Perry, an American naval leader who fought in the war of 1812 and the Mexican-American War, and he also was instrumental in opening relations between the United States and Japan. He was a Newport native.

St. Mary’s Church
Jacqueline Bouvier and Senator John F. Kennedy were married in this church in 1953. Kennedy would become our 35th president and serve from 1961 until he was assassinated in 1963 in Dallas, Texas.

International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport, Rhode Island

Entrance to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
(For you, Jessica!)

We go sailing on Narragansett Bay!

We sailed on the 80-foot schooner Aquidneck. Our experience sailing on the Narragansett Bay was incredible! It was so relaxing, the weather was perfect – sunny and 70 with a little breeze. The water was calm. The sailing just rocked us back and forth. Just a great two hours of relaxation and enjoying another slice of God’s vast and diverse creation!

We boarded the Aquidneck to go “sightsailing”.

This ship was in Newport as a stop on a New York-to-Newfoundland cruise.

This yacht is in the class of yacht that was winning America’s Cup races in the 1960’s.

Fort Adams. Construction started during the War of 1812, but it took so many years to complete, it was already obsolete!

Clingstone.
This house was built on a rock to withstand storms. It is currently being restored.

This boathouse was featured in The Great Gatsby movie.

This house was the home of Jacqueline Bouvier, who would go on to marry John F. Kennedy in Newport. Their wedding reception was held at this house. Later, President Kennedy used this house as his “Summer White House”.

Sunday afternoon on Narragansett Bay aboard the schooner Aquidneck.

The Breakers, Newport, Rhode Island

In the late 19th century, the financial and social elite families of the nation had magnificent mansions built in Newport. This era of American history is referred to as the Gilded Age, due to the rapid accumulation of wealth by the top leaders of new companies that developed during the Industrial Revolution. Oil, steel and railroad companies exploded into wealth creators for those men who led them. There are hundreds of these mansions in Newport, eleven of which are open for tours.

We went to The Breakers, which was the home of Cornelius Vanderbilt and his family. It was built in the late 1880s. The opulence is insane. We have many more pictures than are posted here. We will be happy to share offline.

This is the “outside living room” on the second floor, facing the Atlantic Ocean.

Bathroom.
The bathtub was carved out of one single piece of solid marble. It made the water so cold that when it was put in hot, it cooled right away, so they had to remove the water and refill it three or four times until the water stayed warm!

Lizzie Borden House, Fall River, Massachusetts

Lizzie Borden took and axe,
and gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.

Lizzie Borden House
Lizzie Borden was considered the primary suspect in the 1892 murder of her parents in this house. This was the original “Murder of the Century”. She was acquitted of the charges, and lived the rest of her life in this house without ever marrying, but always suspected to have literally gotten away with murder. This house is now a bed & breakfast, and it is really popular around Halloween.

Plymouth, Massachusetts

Inside this structure is the renowned Plymouth Rock.

The Jabez-Howland House, built 1667.
This is the only house left in Plymouth where Pilgrims actually lived.

Statue of William Bradford, Governor of Plymouth Colony

Statue of Massasoit
“Great Sachem of the Wampanoags and Protector of the Pilgrims”

Monument marking the first burying ground for passengers of the Mayflower.

This is the Monument to the Forefathers.
I did not take this picture because it was too dark, but I did see it at twilight. Much taller than I expected, and really an impressive monument, even on the edge of darkness. It is 81 feet tall, and was built to honor the passengers of the Mayflower, and their ideals. The five figures represent Faith, Morality, Education, Law and Liberty.

Dinner in Plymouth, Massachusetts

Mary Jean’s first Lobster Roll ever. Best one she ever had! Awesome!

New England 2018 Day 2

September 29

Connecticut State Capitol, Hartford, Connecticut

Downtown Hartford, Connecticut

I found this plaque on the front of a building in downtown Hartford.
The first payphone was installed here in 1889!

Butler-McCook House, the oldest house in Connecticut.

Statue of Casimir Pulaski. Pulaski, from Poland, was a Brigadier General in the US Revolutionary Army. He was killed in the Battle of Savannah in 1779. Interesting guy. Look him up.

Statue of Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette was a French military officer who fought for the Americans against the British.

The home of Mark Twain. He wrote *Tom Sawyer* and *Huck Finn* here.
I did not know Mark Twain lived in Hartford, Connecticut. I had always thought he was in Missouri.

Home of Harriet Beecher Stowe, American abolitionist who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Springfield, Massachusetts

Statue of early settler and religious leader Samuel Chapin.
This is known as The Puritan Statue.

Dr. James Naismith, a Physical Education teacher at Springfield College, invented the game of basketball in 1891.

The Mason Square Monument.
On this spot the first game of basketball was played.

Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield, Massachusetts

The college basketball jersey of Julius Erving, aka Dr. J.
He was my favorite player when I was in high school.

The college jersey of Ralph Sampson, the 7’4″ tall superstar and 3-time national player of the year at UVA. I saw him play when he was only 6’10” tall as a high school sophomore. I also saw him play several times for the Houston Rockets, including the game against the Denver Nuggets when he injured his knee, which effectively ended his career.

Mary Jean’s foot compared to Shaquille O’Neal’s.

For those who consider my size 14 feet to be really large, here is how they compare to Shaq’s size 22!

There are three levels to the hall of fame:
The third level contains pictures of all the hall of famers.
The second level contains many neat exhibits of the history of basketball.
The ground level has a court with numerous basketball goals and you are encouraged to shoot around.

This is a very kid-friendly museum.
I have many more pictures to share if you are interested.

Mystic Seaport, Connecticut

We were very fortunate to visit Mystic Seaport Museum when they were hosting a Vikings exhibition. These artifacts are genuine items used by real Vikings dating back to the 7th century. They are on loan from an institute in Sweden.

This is a 25-foot long test model of a 115-foot long Viking longship, the Veranda.

The Charles W. Morgan, built in 1841. This is the last wooden whaling ship in the world. We toured the ship, and I toured down below. A great tour stop.

Me at the helm of the Charles W. Morgan.

Bunk room for crew. This is also down below, an area in which I could not stand up. I had to hunch over quite severely to move around.

The Cooperage
A cooper makes barrels. This guy was very informative and interesting. The large barrel in the upper right corner is a one-ton barrel, typically used for transporting wine.

The Charles W. Morgan dominates the views around the village.

This museum is a typical mid-19th century seaport village.

Stonington Point Lighthouse, Stonington, Connecticut

Dinner in Providence, Rhode Island

We had dinner here in Providence.
The Operating Partner of this restaurant actually graduated from University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg! He gave us a special “treat” we can tell you about offline.

Me with the Miami Dolphins linebackers, who were having dinner at the table right next to us. They were in town to play the New England Patriots the next day. All the Patriots’ opponents who come to play them stay at the Providence Omni hotel connected to this Fleming’s Restaurant. (L-R): Raekwon McMillan, Kiko Alonso, me, Jerome Baker, Martrell Spaight, Stephone Anthony.

Night out in Providence, Rhode Island

New England 2018 Day 1

September 28

Boyhood Home of President Donald Trump, Queens, New York

85-15 Wareham Place, Jamaica (Queens), New York
This house and neighborhood is where President Donald Trump, our 45th president, grew up. I attended his inauguration on January 20, 2017, the only presidential inauguration I have ever attended.

Home and Grave of President Theodore Roosevelt, “Sagamore Hill”, Oyster Bay, New York

This house is the home of my favorite President, Theodore Roosevelt, our 26th president. He built this house in 1884, and died in this house January 6, 1919. He hosted a number of world leaders here. Unfortunately no photography is allowed inside, but the inside is incredible to see. There are many hunting trophies and animal skin rugs. There are two 1000-pound elephant tusks, a cape buffalo, bearskins, a polar bear skin rug, leopard skins, deer, moose, buffalo and so many more. Seeing it is so much more than describing it! Admiral Robert Perry gave Roosevelt the polar bear upon returning from discovering the North Pole!

In this house President Roosevelt negotiated with the Russians and the Japanese in 1905 to bring the Russo-Japanese War to an end, although the treaty was officially signed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. As a result, Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the first American to win a Nobel Prize in any category.

I have been reading about and studying about Theodore Roosevelt since 4th grade -1968 – and now I been able to visit his house! This is very special for me.

Sagamore Hill
A biography of Roosevelt is titled “Mornings on Horseback”.
This is where he enjoyed riding his horses.

Notice the right side of the porch. The railing is missing. Teddy didn’t want the railing there, so he could stand there and address the many crowds that used to gather to hear him speak…

Sitting on the same porch that Edith Roosevelt used to sit on looking out at Oyster Bay.

Sitting on the same porch as Teddy Roosevelt used to sit on looking out at Oyster Bay.

This is Oyster Bay.
This picture does not come close to showing how beautiful Oyster Bay really is.

The Roosevelt family motto:
In Latin: Qui plantavit curabit
Translates to: He who plants, preserves.

Although I could not take pictures inside the house, these horns are on the outside of the house.

Bust of Theodore Roosevelt in the museum next door to the house.

This cannon was captured in Cuba during the Spanish-American War 1898.

Roosevelt was once a cattle rancher in Dakota Territory (in what is now North Dakota).

Theodore Roosevelt’s idea of what it means to be an American.

This windmill on the grounds of Sagamore Hill has a story.

The grave of Theodore and Edith Roosevelt.

Roosevelt was our 26th President, becoming president upon the assassination of President William McKinley. At 42 years old, he was the youngest man ever to be president. He was president from 1901-1909.

Theodore Roosevelt was born in October 1858, and died at 60 years old. During his life, he overcame asthma, was a rancher, police commissioner, fought the corrupt Tammany Hall political machine, was assistant secretary of the navy, governor of New York, Vice President of the United States, President of the United States, Safari adventurer and hunter (to Africa and South America). As president he was involved in so many issues, that I can’t really post them here. I am glad to explain it in person if you are ever interested.

Leaving Long Island, we caught this view of New York City.

Statue of Jacob Leisler, New Rochelle, New York

Who??? The subject of my primary research project in college was Leisler’s Rebellion. In 1688 the government in London was in chaos due to several issues. Because of this, Jacob Leisler assumed control of the government of the colony of New York. He used tough actions, including military, to maintain control of the colony as self-appointed Governor of the colony. He held control from 1689-1691, and after the “Glorious Revolution” in England, which brought King William and Queen Mary (yes, THAT William and Mary) to the throne of England, he was convicted and hanged in what was ultimately determined to be a miscarriage of justice.

Statue of Jacob Leisler in New Rochelle, New York

Leisler looked like one of the Three Musketeers!

One block from the Leisler statue is the last home that Revolutionary pamphleteer Thomas Paine owned in America before he left America to join the French Revolution. His most well-known work was “Common Sense.”

Thomas Paine Monument in New Rochelle, New York

Birthplace of President George W. Bush, New Haven, Connecticut

President George W. Bush was born here in 1946, at Yale New Haven Hospital. President Bush was our 43rd president, serving from 2001-2009.

Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

Phelps Gate at Yale University
Above the gate, in Latin: “Lux et veritas”
Translates to “Truth and light”

Statue of Revolutionary War hero Nathan Hale on the grounds of Yale University.
He is known for his last words before the British executed him:
“I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.”
He was a Yale graduate in the class of 1773.

The famed, classic Harkness Tower at Yale University

The Harkness Tower gate.
Above the arch are the words:
“For God, for Country, and for Yale”

Dinner in Hartford, Connecticut

So we ate dinner at Chowder Pot in Hartford.

Broiled shrimp and scallops in lemon butter sauce.
The verdict: Best shrimp she ever ate!

And of course, prime rib for me.
Verdict: Excellent! Very flavorful and tender.

Outer Banks NC 2018

A wonderful relaxing vacation with family at Corolla, North Carolina. Kids, grandkids, ocean, lighthouses, food…we had a great time! We will be back to do some more touristy things!