Sunday, June 29 & Monday, June 30th

And we're off!!!

Sunday morning rolled around, the kiddies headed back to camp, we loaded up the car, passing our first travel test with flying colors.   

We closed the house and headed out.  Our first stop was Trenton, NJ.  Yep, Trenton, NJ and the Grounds for Sculpture.  It was the brain child of Seward Johnson of Johnson and Johnson fame.  He is known for his sculptures showing everyday life, some are life sized and some are gigantic... image a 30 foot tall Marilyn Monroe or the kiss. You know the iconic photo taken in Time Square of the sailor kissing a nurse.  

He also has a series of sculptures which are essentially 3-D versions of famous paintings; Renoir's "Luncheon of the Boating Party", Van Gogh's "The Bedroom" are just a few.  I actually took the kids to Washington DC many many years ago... they were still in elementary school at the time to see the Beyond the Frame at the Corcoran Gallery which is how I first heard about the Grounds for Sculpture.

When Seward Johnson purchased the former NJ State Fair grounds to start his museum it had seven trees on.  Now it is a beautiful park like setting with lovely lawns and beautiful trees (over 2000 of them), flowers and bushes.

And, since we found this sculpture of a couple camping, I get to add a camping picture, no tent yet but perhaps....

So, a bucket list item well worth the time and effort.  

When we finished with the Grounds for Sculpture we headed to Mike & Linda's.  Mike and Lester have known each other over 40 years - they were college roommates.  They are the consummate hosts.  We whiled away a lovely afternoon on the deck with drinks and delicious edible delights including wonderful grilled artichokes, homemade vanilla ice cream and so much more.  Thanks so much for your hospitality.

Monday morning rolled around and after failing the bathroom IQ test.... needed instructions on how to turn the shower on! - we collected our stuff and headed out.  Our first stop was the Gillette State Park in Connecticut.  It is not related to the razor company but rather William Gillette, an actor from the turn of the century who made is career and his fortune playing Sherlock Holmes on stage and in early movies.  He decided he needed a castle and so he built one, spending over $1 million in the early 1900s.  At some point in the 40s the State purchased it.  Now barnstorming tourists can tour this American castle.  It was pretty amazing.  We did not find the exterior remarkable but the interior was fascinating. 

Especially the doors.  There are 47 doors in the building and no two are alike.  And, apparently Gillette designed the house and the doors on his own.  

This is a close up of the locking mechanism/door handle.

And, the view was beautiful.

A last departing shot and we headed for New Hampshire. We were going to try and fit in Stonehenge of the US in Salem, New Hampshire but when realized we'd arrive at closing time we drove straight to Portsmouth.  So, we're parked at a Hotels Tonights deal for the night.  Tomorrow we'll see Portsmouth then head to Portland, Maine and a lobster dinner.

A&L  

Packing day .....

Our packing has begun in earnest!  And, no this is not all that we will need on our sojourn.  Still to add is a cooler, and the electronic devices that one must travel with ... laptop, ipad, ipod, not one but two phones and all their assorted charging devices.  Oh and suitcases... clean clothes might be nice every now and again.  Packing the car might be the truest test of this trip!

We have the next couple of days planned out, so tomorrow we will leave shortly after the kids head back to camp and head to New Jersey.  There is a bucket list item that we are going to check off tomorrow and then spend the night with Lester's high school buddy and college roommate.  

Monday we were going to the Blue Hill Cafe at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture but it, like so many restaurants, it is closed on Mondays so we will instead head to New Hampshire via Connecticut.  We (Lester) were lucky enough to fine an article with 50 hidden gems... one in each state.  That article will be a go to resource for this trip.   

A & L

Lists, Preparation, Packing

I decided to try and gussy up the blog site, make it a bit less vanilla.  Notice the pretty background.  And, I added a follow button so you can enter your email and get the posts emailed directly to you if you prefer. (This post is really a test of the aforementioned follow button.) The only other gadget I want to figure out is the mapping function.  That may take some time, blogging neophyte that I am.  But, we hope to have a map showing the progress we are making.

We've arranged for lawn service and Gidget watching and mail holds.  Now we're blowing up blow up beds to see which ones might leak making them sub-optimal for our trip, and getting last minute must haves like plastic wine glasses for picnics.  Our packing list is growing and growing.

The kiddies are back this weekend, then we get serious about the packing!  

Barnstorming Summer

We're Barnstorming !

Circumstances have aligned to allow us to take an extended vacation this summer.  And, we have decided to make the most of the opportunity.  So, we are taking a road trip from almost coast to coast.   

The plan is.... furthest northeast we'll be is Maine, head west to South Dakota, south to Utah and New Mexico, turnaround and head east to Texas, Louisiana and Georgia, then a final turn north towards home. Not quite a circumnavigation of the continental US  but pretty darn close.  We do need to leave something for next time!

As we plan our getaway several friends have asked for updates, pictures, status and the like. We figure the best way to accomplish this goal is to try blogging.

So, I've figured out how to start a blog, and add a picture.... I guess this means I'm started. BTW this is a picture of Sunflowers from the Loire Valley in France. Just a test.