New England at Its Best

What perfect weather we had for this gorgeous corner of America! Once again, we feel we're traveling through Camelot as so often we have pouring rain and thunderstorms during the night only to awaken to bright sunshine. Our entire time in New England gave us bright, sunny days. Aren't we lucky?

We both learned so much at the JFK Library near Boston. Kennedy had such a command of the English language and history. I now want to read "Profiles in Courage" to complete my understanding. Cape Cod is, indeed, gorgeous...but it's the most confusing area in which I've ever been. One wouldn't think so as the land is so narrow! We continuously got lost--even with the help of Maggie (our GPS). It was a real thrill to watch the men working the bog harvesting cranberries.

One of my favorite spots is Newport, Rhode Island! There is so much to see and do there. My friend, Sue, is lucky to have lived there. It's very special. In fact so special that perhaps we'll return there some day. We could have spent more time in Rhode Island and Connecticut...very picturesque. Earlier in the blog, I referred to the opulence of the Bar Harbor mansions. Well...I reevaluate that assessment! Newport's got them ALL beat!! The one mansion we toured is the "Breakers" built by Cornelius Vanderbilt of railroad wealth. It truly was called their "cottage" as it is dwarfed by their New York penthouse. Driving Ocean Avenue through Newport allowed us to see many more mansions hugging the coastline. Beyond beautiful. But, truth to tell, I still like the little shingled houses with white trim, huh Cindee?

Most of the photos in this segment of the blog are self-explanatory, with the exception of the photos we took at the Mystic Aquarium. The aquarium had a pumpkin carving event, then placed the pumpkins in many of the fish tanks. Weird to see the fish eating the jack-o-lanterns, huh?! When I saw the sea lion pup through the glass of his aquarium, I felt a special affinity for him. He was obviously people-friendly, but his eyes were luminous with intelligence. When I heard his back ground story, I understood why I felt that way. "Hut" was found near the Harbor Hut Restaurant in Morro Bay two years ago as a starving pup. The Marine Mammal Rescue Center nursed him back to health and tried to release him into the wild. He wanted no part of the big, cruel ocean and kept coming back to them. So, now they call him "Boomerang" and he's part of the show at the aquarium in Mystic. One of the Indian communities near Mystic has the largest museum on Indian culture to be found anywhere. Unfortunately, we weren't able to see it as they were closed the two days we spent in Mystic. We've seen many Indian museums on the Western tribes, but none on the Eastern tribes. Another reason to return.

We wanted to return to New York to see the southern portion of the Hudson River Valley to see West Point and Hyde Park. Well worth it. Prior to 9-11-01, one could wander the West Point campus, but no longer. I'm rather glad, though, as we had an excellent tour guide who helped us to understand the rigors through which the cadets are tested for entry to the university, as well as their time there. He tells us that times are sad at West Point these days as 65 graduates have been killed in the Middle East...young men and women from 23-25 years old. But the stained glass at the chapel says it all..."Duty, Honor, Country." The cadets make a commitment and keep it.

And what an amazing man FDR was! Not to mention that fabulous Eleanor! His presidential library is the first to have been created and he did so himself, then actually worked there until his death. The Roosevelt home is still furnished as it had been when the family lived there. Again, we had a fabulous tour guide who was full of information.

And as far as Clint is concerned, the amazing men are those on "Orange County Choppers!" All these years, I'd heard of the TV show, but I thought the guys were in California. But, no, they're right down the road from us in Newburgh, New York. We found their showroom and Clint drooled over some of the custom made Harleys. They've customized some Harleys for FDNY, NY Yankees, Santa and Rudolph, Lance Armstrong, POW-MIA, Make a Wish Foundation...and many more. The guys really are creative!

Believe it or not, snow is predicted for tonight! So, needless to say, we're heading south to Pennsylvania tomorrow morning!