2013-06-29

Today was our last day to spend visiting with Terri & Phil Tobin.  We started the morning by stopping for coffee and pastries at Slate Hill Apple Farm & Market.  Then Phil drove us to Warwick, NY to look around the shops.  We did not buy anything.  We stopped at the Bellvale Mountain Creamery for ice cream sundaes for lunch.  Then Phil drove to Sugar Loaf, NY to shop some more.  Terri bought a bracelet.  We went back to Terri and Phil’s for a couple of hours before dinner delicious dinners at Carmine’s Italian American restaurant.

We will see Terri and Phil in Florida in the fall.

Peg Gifford sent out an email that she had set up DropBox to transfer her cell phone pictures to the cloud and automatically then on her computer.  Then I got the Picassa Tip from the Geeks on Tour about using dropbox, so I installed it on both the phone and computer.  It works.  The picture above was taken on my cell phone (the sun was right above the sign making it a lousy picture), and when I got home the picture was right there on my computer in the Camera Upload file of Dropbox waiting to be added to the blog.  Thanks Peg and the Geeks.

 

Hugs, and Type at You Later.

2013-06-28

This morning, we left for Terri & Phil’s house about 8:30am, arriving about 9am.  Then Phil drove the 4 of us to Hyde Park, about one hour and fifteen minutes on the eastern side of the Hudson River.  Along the way, we stopped to say hello to their son Phillip at a Hudson River yacht club where he stores his 34 foot boat.  It is a beautiful boat, and he has lived on it.  A little further north we stopped for dinner because it was 11am.  Phillip had recommended the Eveready Diner.  We all had breakfast, and it was delicious.

 

Next up was a stop at the home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  His mother inherited the estate from her husband, and Franklin did not inherit the property until about 3 and one-half years before he died in 1945.  He died in April 1945 before Marilyn and I were born.  (Marilyn on August 14 1945 (Victory in Japan Day) and I was not born until October 16, 1945).  The home is beautiful inside and out.

 

Then we went to tour one of the Nouveau Riche homes of Frederick Vanderbilt, also in Hyde Park.  He liked to sit out and entertain on his back deck overlooking his yacht on the Hudson River.  Since his family owned the New York Central RailRoad, he also liked to be able to hear them as they passed by his home.  The first room we entered was more like the rotunda of a state capitol building.

 

Another view from the side and river view.

 

Hugs, and Type at You Later.

2013-06-27

Yesterday, the 26th, we left Timberland Lake campground, just outside of Trenton, NJ and drove north about 100 miles to Tri-State Campground in Matamoros, PA.  It is the closest campground to Westtown, NY which is where our friends Terry and Phil Tobin live when they are not in Florida or on the road.

 

We drove the jeep over to their beautiful home in Westtown, NY in time for happy hour- water, wine and shrimp.  Then we had a delicious dinner of chicken parmesan with salad, bread, pasta and pastries for dessert.

 

Today, the 27th, started with a morning shopping trip to Wal-Mart.  Terri and Phil had a luncheon to go to, but they came by the campground a little after 2pm to pick us up.  We went to Grey Towers, the home built by James and Mary Pinchot in 1897 in Milford, PA.  Their son, Gifford Pinchot helped found and was the first chief of the National Forest Service.  He was also twice elected governor of Pennsylvania.  Here are some pictures of the castle.

 

One of the more interesting sites at the Pinchot Castle is their outdoor dining table.  Food was floated across the pool from one diner to another.

 

Here is a picture of Terri and Phil.

 

After touring the Pinchot castle, Terri and Phil took us for delicious dinners at the Apple Valley Restaurant.

Hugs, and Type at You Later.

2013-06-23

Yesterday, we just relaxed.  But the day before yesterday, and today were days to view lighthouses.

On Friday, the 21st, we drove to the Wildwoods to see the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, built in 1874.  The lighthouse was designed by Paul J Pelz, the architect of the Library of Congress.  For many years, there was a Life Saving Station at this location also.  The original buildings are occupied by the Marine Division of the NJ State Police (2 officers, 1 boat that they are unable to launch from the site (must be trailered)).  This is a picture of the ocean side of the light, from the side.  The next picture is from the street side.  When this lighthouse was built, there were no roads, so the front faces the ocean.  Of course I did take a couple of pictures from the top.

 

Today, the 23rd, we drove to the town of Heislerville, NJ to see the East Point Lighthouse.  This lighthouse provided a guide for the local oyster fishermen.  It had been allowed to go dark, but was resurrected by local petition.

 

Hugs, and Type at You Later.

2013-06-20

This morning we drove back in to Cape May to take the “Welcome to Cape May” Trolley Tour at 11:45. We parked at the elementary school, and walked the half mile to Washington and Ocean streets.  We were early so we had time to walk the 3 block mall where one can eat at a restaurant or buy tourist stuff.  The trolley tour itself is a good introduction to the area’s historical center, the huge Victorian homes motels, the lighthouse and lookout tower that we had seen yesterday.

After the tour we went to Lobster House for lunch.  I had a crab cake sandwich with fries and slaw, and Marilyn had the crab cake (2) platter with slaw and a baked potato.  Considering the tourist area not bad at $27.  After lunch, Marilyn bought some clams (steamers) for dinner.  I had decided on a salad, because we ate so much for lunch.  Sightseeing usually gets a big lunch and a light dinner.

Hugs, and Type at You Later.

2013-06-18

This morning we moved the motorhome another 60 miles from Clarksboro, NJ south east to Cape May Courthouse, NJ.  This puts Marilyn within a 20 mile drive of the Cape May Point Lighthouse.

We are parked for a week at Sea Pines RV, an Encore Resort.  They accept Passport America rates for the entire week.  So we are paying $26.75 per night, which is better than what we had to pay near Philadelphia.

2013-06-17

The last I wrote was on the 9th, so I have some catching up to do.  Can’t remember what we did on the 10th, but on Tuesday,  the 11th, we moved about 60 miles south to Timberlane Campground in Clarksboro, NJ.  It is the closest campground to Philadelphia, PA, where we had to be for our daughter’s Masters Degree graduation program.  The trips in are easy, but each trip requires a $5 bridge toll.  It really is close, because we never had to drive more than 15 miles to get to anything we were doing in Philadelphia.  The only downside is its price.  It is a Good Sam Park, so we did get that discount.  However, cost was $44.75 per night, full hook-up including electric and cable.  We will try to minimize camping per night, but the northeast is more expensive than the south and west.  Some of our offset will be in my sister’s driveway.

On Wednesday,the 12th, we spent the day shopping – Sam’s, WalMart, Shoprite, and then it was time to relax for the night.

Thursday, the 13th we drove to the Philiadelphia airport to pick up our daughter, Beverly.  She flew in from Dayton, OH.  She has been making us so proud by working on a Masters Degree via the internet with Drexel University.  Beverly has been saying there were 4 things she wanted to do in Philadelphia – (1) See the Liberty Bell, (2) see Independence Hall, (3) have a real Philly Cheese Steak sandwich, and (4) walk across the stage of Drexel University to get her Masters Degree.

On Friday, the 14th, we took care of the first three items on Beverly’s Philadelphia bucket list.  We drove in and parked at the visitor center where we got our tickets for the Independence Hall Tour – first available was 4pm.  Just outside of the visitor center  Marilyn tool my picture in front of a 155mm Howitzer (in Vietnam, I served in a 105mm Howitzer Battery),  At this point, we headed to Campos Deli, one of the best places to get a good Philly Cheese Steak sandwich.They were delicious.  Next, we went back to wait on line for to see the Liberty Bell.  Here are pictures of the Liberty Bell, Beverly,along with Marilyn and I.  Here is an exterior picture of Independence Hall.  While waiting to go into the Hall, we listened to the reading of the Declaration of Independence.  The flag flying outside of Independence Hall contains 13 stars for the original 13 states.  In one wing of Independence hall is a court room set up in the UK fashion where the defendant is locked in to the Dock.  On the other side of the building is where the Continental Congress met.

 

Saturday, the 15th was graduation day.  Drexel University provided free garage parking for graduation, but then the walking started.  This was followed by getting robed and picture taking.  The iSchool provided a luncheon social on the lawn for graduates and parents.  Then it was time for the graduates to line up for their march into the auditorium.    On each side of the stage were giant screens to show the graduates as they walked  across the stage.  That is a good thing since I do not have a whale for a lens like Dennis Hill.  I did get a fairly good picture of Bev by taking a picture of the screen.  Back at the motorhome, we took more family pictures.  Here is a picture of Beverly with her godmother, along with her significant other.

Sunday resulted in goodbye's to Beverly at the airport.  Lynn and Bill also had to return home to Long Island, so the partying was almost over.  A few months ago I had made contact with Samantha, a young lady from Philadelphia, because we had connecting Family Trees on Ancestry.com.  Samantha arranged for us to get together for dinner with her and her mother.  Before going to dinner, we gave each other access to our Family Trees for comparison purposes.  How often do you have the opportunity to meet 3rd and 4th great grandnieces of the wife of your 1st cousin 5 times removed.  Talk about a convoluted  relationship, but we did have a wonderful evening – good company and wonderful conversation.

Hugs, and Type at you later.