Bar Harbor to Washington DC

Bar Harbor - July 24th to the 27th.

We spent most of our time here touring the Acadia National Park and weren't able to see a lot. It was overcast and foggy but beautiful. The coast line is spectacular. We did get one more lobster dinner, minus the wild blueberry pie, the night before we left. We left the morning of the 27th and headed for Salisbury, MA.

The Massachusetts Coast and Boston - July 27th to the 31st.

We had a great time and were once again treated to great tours of the area with Ray Jenkins. He lives here part time and keeps his boat in Newburyport. We even did a tour of the "ugly" homes in the area. The Massachusetts coast is beautiful and the tour was great. Ray took us for lunch to one of his old hangouts and he seems to know everyone. We spent time on his really nice boat, drank beer and enjoyed the harbor scene.

On one of the days we went to Glouchester and Rockport where there is spectacular scenery and wonderful restaurants. Our friend Judy Whitman loves Rockport and said the lobster sandwiches were the best. I decided to drive up a one lane road that extended out onto a pier and ended in a tiny circle. As we were turning, a gentleman asked us if we were looking for a parking place, gave us his and then said we should eat at this restaurant. It turns out it is one of Judy's favorites and the lobster sandwich was perfect and delicious. The view out to the water was spectacular. The gentleman's sister owns the restaurant. We'd like to revisit Rockport at some future date and stay longer!

We spent a day in Boston and on the way in we got lost because of a detour with no directions. We finally made it and decided to do the red line walking tour. Big mistake because later in the day we went to Fenway Park on the subway to see the Red Socks. Another long walk. We had standing room only tickets but did find a couple of chairs for the first two innings that allowed us to recover from what seemed like a 20 mile hike. Fenway is one of the last old parks and the spirit there is incredible. We had a great time at Fenway and in Boston and finally made it back to Salisbury where we collapsed for the night.

The Green Monster

Sturbridge, MA - July 31st to August 2nd.

Two nights and a full day of touring old Sturbridge Village. I was there in the late 60's and it is many times bigger and beautifully restored.

Hand colored yarn



August 2nd and on to Andover, NJ where we spent part of a day checking out where I used to live. We went to Wyckoff and Ridgewood, NJ and that is a beautiful part of New Jersey.


We then spent 3 days touring New York City. Kathy will tell you driving in NYC is an experience. I spent a few years driving in the city and it all came back to me and it seemed easy. We visited Rockefeller Center and toured Radio City Music Hall (we would recommend that to anyone visiting NYC).

Earth, Wind and Fire were rehearsing

We went to Times Square,

We took in a Broadway show (The Phantom of the Opera), saw Ground Zero, the Empire State Building had a snack at the Plaza Hotel and did a carriage ride thru Central Park,



We rode the subway and twice hired a rick shaw -- one of which whisked us down Broadway, weaving in and out of the traffic and Kathy was sure our lives were in jeopardy.






One day we drove from downtown NYC to Flushing Meadows via Queens to see the Mets play at Shea Stadium.


That was exciting. We also drove to the Yankees Stadium and bought a pin for our hats as we couldn't get tickets for a game or even a tour of the stadium. We put the pins on the back of our hats, since that's our son, Jason's, least favorite team. We had a great time in NYC.

August 7th and on to South New Jersey

where we visited my "old" neighbors and friends and saw a Phillies game.





We toured Vineland, NJ where I lived for 7 years and it has changed a lot. Not necessarily for the good. Our 1st visit was with Jack & Diane Whiteway at their beautiful condo in Avalon on the Jersey shore. They have spectacular views and we had a fabulous dinner at their place.





















We then visited Jay & Carol Parks and had a wonderful dinner at their house. Another evening the four of us went to a lovely restautant adjacent to the Tuckahoe River. Jay is a fantastic photographer and helped me get started taking pictures many years ago.




One of the highlights of our S. Jersey trip was a visit with an old Air Force buddy, Tom Long and his sister Ann. They live in Warminster, PA.








We also visited another "old" friend, Tony Barbaro and his wife Joanne in New Hope, PA. along with good friend Jim Hahn. Tony's basement is twice the size of the home we sold in Sunnyvale. Great dinner of salmon and good drinks and memories. They have a parrot that likes gin & tonics so, being a nice guy, I let him drink some of mine.















While near Philadelphia we went to see the Phillies and we really like their park. Great views of the city and we had wonderful seats right above home plate. Our visit was great. Severe thunderstorms came through just before the game started, so our Disney World ponchos kept us warm and dry, and the game started two hours late - but was really fun!


While in South Jersey we did find a wonderful set of wind chimes and also a place to hang out at when you needed some rest.....Kathy wasn't as thrilled as I was!






















August 15th and on to the Washington DC area where we are currently and will be for the next 2 weeks.

More on that later!