June 15, 2008 - Boston, MA

Today we have another tour that consisted of three different tours. The first segment was by bus and went to the Harvard Yard in Cambridge. Then we followed the route of Paul Revere and viewed the "Battle Trail" through Lexington and Concord. We saw the site where the first shot was fired and heard around the world. We saw the north bridge where the minutemen fought for their freedom against the British.

In the afternoon we boarded another boat for a harbor cruise. We went from one end of the harbor to the other. We saw many of the piers that are used for shipping and the fishing industry. We saw the USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides" which is the country's oldest commissioned battleship. The big yellow bus in the Boston Duck tour. The Duck tours originated in Boston.

While we were walking to the trolley, we noticed another trolley that was all white with black trim and said "Just Married." Apparently the entire wedding party was on board. Looked like fun. The last segment of our tour was on the Beantown Trolley. We had the greatest driver. He was in his mid 70s and drove like a typical Boston driver. Didn't pay any attention to the signals and stopped whenever he wanted to stop. He was really excited about the Celtics playing the Lakers and suggested that anyone that wasn't a Celtic fan to leave his trolley. We got to see Cheers and later got a T-shirt. We had a great tour of the city. While we were on the tour, the guide told us about a New Balance outlet at their factory. He gave us directions and we went there when our tour was over. The factory wasn't very far from downtown Boston and Larry got two pair of shoes and I got one. The prices were terrific. We left the factory and drove to Hyannis on Cape Code where we stayed in a hotel for the night. Whew!! Another long day but I loved Boston.

June 14, 2008 - Boston, MA

This morning we drove into Boston. I had always heard horror stories about driving into Boston but since it was a Saturday, we thought we would give it a try. Our 5 hour Boston Lighthouse Cruise left at 10:00 a.m. so we had plenty of time. It was an easy drive and only took us about 40 minutes. We parked near the Boston harbor and walked to the wharf where Larry got a cup of coffee. The boat wasn't real big but it was comfortable. The view of the city from the boat was spectacular. Some of the buildings are so unique and very modern in style. We had a lighthouse expert on board who was the narrator for the trip. He made it very interesting and told some stories about each lighthouse. The Boston Harbor light is the nation's oldest navigational light. It was built in 1716 and then the British destroyed it during the Revolutionary War. It was rebuilt in 1783 with the base walls being 7 feet thick and in 1853 the tower was raised 15 feet and its stone walls reinforced with brick.

Another light that was interesting was the Minots Ledge Light. The ledge or shoal was responsible for many wrecked or sunken ships. The first light was made of an iron skeleton built on pilings hammered directly into the ledge in 1850. It lasted less than one year when a gale knocked it down and killed two lighthouse keepers. It was rebuilt in 1860 of more than a 1,000 interlocking granite blocks and weighs more than 2300 tons. Its flashing signal was unique one/one-two-three-four/one-two-three. The local folks read the flashes as I/L-O-V-E/Y-O-U and gave the Minot beacon its name of "Lovers Light."

Among one of the oldest and most historic lighthouses in America is the Twin Cape Ann Lights. They were built in 1771, several years before the Revolution. A foghorn from the lights may have saved the life of President Woodrow Wilson by preventing the wreckof his fog-blinded ship as it returned from Europe in 1919, following the Versailles Peach Conference that officially ended World War I. Both towers are made of granite.

We saw several more lighthouses and then returned to the wharf. We walked from the wharf to the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. The marketplace consisted of three long buildings. The building in the middle is Quincy Market and contains all the food booths. You name it and it was there. We ended up in a pub for dinner. It was upstairs so we had a view of the courtyard below where a magician was doing his act.

June 12-13, 2008 - West Hartford, CT

We had about a 2 hour drive from Bellingham, MA back to West Hartford, CT for Marty's memorial service on Friday the 13th. We had reservations at a motel in West Hartford that we had picked out of the AAA Tour Guide Book. When we arrived, we had second thoughts and went into the office to cancel our reservations. They suggested that we try another motel down the street that took in homeless people. We looked at each other and asked, "Do we look that bad?" We drove to the motel farther out of town where the Mills and McGhees were staying. It was a very nice place and we all had dinner together that night. The next day we went to Marty's memorial service. Larry gave a very nice eulogy. Kay had arranged a luncheon after the service which gave us a chance to talk with some of Marty's children and other relatives. After lunch we drove back to Bellingham, MA.

June 11, 2008 - Bellingham, MA

This morning we drove the car to Providence, RI and boarded a ferry to Newport, RI. It was a beautiful day and the ferry only took about 30 minutes. After we got off the ferry, we had a short walk to the visitor center and found out about transportation to the Newport Mansions. We paid $5 each for the trolley and we were able to get off and on all day. Our first stop was at the Breakers Mansion. Cornelius Vanderbilt, Chairman and President of the New York Central Railroad system in 1885, purchased a wooden framed house called The Breakers in Newport in 1885. The house burned down in 1892. In 1893 Cornelius commissioned Richard Morris Hunt to design a villa with 70 rooms in an Italian Renaissance-style palazzo inspired by the 16th century palaces of Genoa and turin. The Vanderbilts had seven children. Their youngest daughter, Gladys, who is Count Laszio Szechenyl of Hungary, inherited the house on her mother’s death in 1934. She opened The Breakers in 1948 to raise funds for the Preservation Society of Newport County. In 1972, the Preservation Society purchased the house from her heirs. Today it is designated as a National Historic Landmark. The great hall is 2 ½ stories high and the morning room is adorned with platinum leaf wall panels. There are rare marbles, alabaster and gilded woods throughout the house. The furnishings were incredible. The tour of the mansion took about an hour.

We got on the trolley again and took it to The Elms mansion. We walked behind the mansion and across the back yard to the Carriage House Café. The grounds are beautiful and included a weeping beech tree. The tree just falls to the ground but underneath the tree is like under an umbrella. After lunch we took the Rooftop & Behind the Scenes tour at The Elms. The Elms was the summer residence of Mr. And Mrs. Edward Julius Berwind of Philadelphia and New York. Mr. Berwind made his fortune in the Pennsylvania coal industry. In 1898, the Berwinds hired an architect to design a house modeled after the mid-18th century French chateau d’Asnieres outside Paris. The Elms was completed in 1901 at a cost of $1.4 million. The tour covered how the staff lived. We saw the kitchen, coal cellar, boiler room, laundry rooms, wine cellar and third floor staff quarters. At the end of the tour we walked up to the roof for a beautiful view. It was an interesting tour.

Our last tour for the day was the Chateau-sur-Mer mansion built in 1852. Three generations of the Wetmore family lived in the mansion. It features a lot of hand carved Italian woodwork, Chinese porcelains, Egyptian and Japanese Revival stenciled wallpapers. George and Edith Wetmore married in 1869 and hired an architect to remodel and redecorate the house in the Second Empire French style. George had a distinguished political career as Governor of Rhode Island and as a United States Senator. He died in 1921 and his wife in 1927. They were survived by their two daughters, Edith and Maude, who never married.

We took the trolley back to the Visitor Center and then walked to the Hyatt Hotel for a snack and a drink while we waited for the ferry. The ferry ride back to Providence went quick and we were able to get some pictures of a few lighthouses. It was a great day but we were exhausted by the time we drove back to the RV.

June 10, 2008 - Bellingham, MA

We got up this morning and realized that it was going to be even hotter than yesterday. We decided to go into our RV park in Bellingham a day early so we could have hook ups for electricity. That way we wouldn’t have to run the generator for the air conditioning. We left the casino parking lot around 11:00 a.m. and went back to the Men’s Warehouse to pick up Larry’s suit. When we returned to the RV it was already really hot. We brought in the slides and pulled up the jacks and left for Bellingham.

We stopped at a visitor information center in Massachusetts and this lady was so helpful. She gave us lots of information and suggestions.

June 9, 2008 - Foxwoods Casino, PA

Got up early this morning. Went to see five lighthouses. It was fun trying to find them all. One lighthouse we had to drive on this very narrow road and then we asked a man if we could take a picture from his yard of the lighthouse. He told us that there was a boardwalk behind his house that would take us out to the beach and see two lighthouses. It was a nice walk and we couldn’t believe how clear it was to see two lighthouses. On the way back we took a picture of a dead mantaray. He almost looks ghostly. We went to a small cozy restaurant in Old Mystic. The owner was from Louisiana and he even had fried alligator on the menu. Two of the lighthouses were in Rhode Island which made for quite a bit of driving. We drove back to the Casino and the RV was about 100 degrees inside. We turned the generator on and the air conditioning. We played one game of Skipbo and decided to go to the casino while the RV cooled down. The black jack tables were charging $15 minimum so Larry didn’t want to play black jack. He doesn’t like slot machines but he hung out with me. I only lost $1.30 after an hour so I felt pretty good about my gambling episode. Went back to the RV and had dinner. The RV finally cooled off. It has been so hot. Supposed to be even hotter tomorrow. Yuk!!!

June 8, 2008 - Foxwoods Casino, PA

EGADS!!! People are so rude!!!! Hope I don’t offend anyone but people in the East are very rude when driving behind the wheel of their vehicles. Drove the RV into New York (not Manhattan). Was in the state for 5 minutes and a trucker cut me off and I had to lay on the horn. Felt right at home in NY with my horn blaring. Now in Connecticut it is even worse. They tailgate, every one goes over the speed limit by at least 10 mph and they won't let you make lane changes. They are the rudest people I have ever met.

Today we drove from West Hartford, CT to Foxwoods Casino. We are staying in their parking lot for three days and they let you stay up to five days free!! It is the largest casino in the world. They have 7,000 slots! They suggest that you pick up a map when you go in so you won't get lost. After we parked in the lot. we had lunch and then drove down toward the water to check out some lighthouses. On the way, Larry decided that he needed a suit for Marty's memorial service. So we found a mall and he went to the Men's Warehouse and I went to Macy's. Found a really cute black dress and some black shoes. His suit will be ready Tuesday. On our way out of the mall Larry suggested that we stop at Build a Bear and get Ladeeda a new outfit. It was fun deciding which one to get. We left the mall and went on to another town to see a lighthouse. I was driving on the freeway and went to make a lane change. I looked - had lots of space, put on my turn signal and the guy started to speed up so I changed lanes anyway. He went crazy and flipped me off and of course I flipped him off right back. Now he is tail gating me big time at 65 mph and I just kept shaking my head. I passed a couple of cars and then moved over to the slow lane. He came up next to me and I looked over and saw the passenger of the car very closely as he swerved into my lane to scare me. Me no scare easily and that pissed him off too. Larry is very quiet throughout this whole ordeal. I kept on driving and changed lanes a couple of times and left him in the dust. What a stupid macho guy!!! We continued on to the town where the lighthouse was supposed to be and on the way we went through the Ghetto! The lighthouse was supposed to be visible from the park area but it wasn't. It was a Sunday and every one was having a picnic in the park. We left quickly and it started to rain. We started driving back the way we came to go see another lighthouse. We finally get there and turn into the park. By now the rain is coming down horizontal and lightning and thunder are just outside the car. We are stuck in gridlock with a bunch of Puerto Ricans, African Americans and a few Asians thrown in for good measure. We are trying to get into the park and the masses are coming out of the park. You just wouldn't believe how rude they were about letting people out of the parking lot. I stopped at one point to let some people out because I couldn't go forward and after about 10 cars came out I had room to move forward. But people wouldn't let me do that, they just kept coming and I got mad. This one guy and I were yelling at each other and then I finally got through. By the time we parked the car, the rain stopped and we walked to the lighthouse to take some pictures. When we started to leave most of the idiots were gone and the exit line moved much quicker. All I could think about was getting home so I could have my wine intravenously if possible. What a crazy day. I can't wait to get away from these east coast drivers.

June 5-7, 2008 - Thomaston, PA

June 5, 2008 - Thomaston, PA

Left Philadelphia around 9:00 a.m. Drove to Thomaston, PA. Larry drove 3 hours and then I took over for the last two hours. I drove the RV over the George Washington Bridge into New York. Wasn’t in New York more than five minutes before some trucker moved over into my lane in front of me - so I laid on the horn - felt right at home in New York. The traffic was crazy but as we headed north it got easier. We arrived in our park in the afternoon. We kept trying to reach Kay but there wasn’t any answer. We got some chores done and kept trying to reach her, hoping we could go see Marty.

June 6, 2008 - Thomaston, PA

Got up this morning and after talking to Kay, decided we would go see Marty in the nursing home later this afternoon. Did some chores and then got ready to go thinking we would go do some errands before we went to see Marty. We got a call from Kay prior to leaving that Marty had passed away that morning at 11:00 a.m. At first, Larry was sad that he didn’t get to hold his hand and say good bye, but after he thought about it, it was probably a good thing. Now he can remember Marty laughing and being healthy on our last visit with him. We went ahead and ran our errands and then drove over to Kay’s house that night. We were going to go out to dinner with her, her sister and a girlfriend named Jerry, but we got caught in awful traffic and didn’t get their until 7:00 p.m. I had made some bruchetta and we just stayed at Kay’s house and visited. It was probably better for Kay to do that than go out to dinner. She said that Marty’s memorial service wouldn’t be until next Thursday. We said that we would still be here tomorrow but then we would take off for a couple of days.

June 7, 2008 - Thomaston, PA

It rained most of the day. Made some soups and did some laundry. We went to Supercuts in the afternoon and got our hairs cut. As usual I got a bad hair cut. That is one of the hardest things about full timing is not being able to have someone you trust to cut your hair. Oh well, it will grow out.

June 4, 2008 - Philadelphia, PA

There was a heavy mist when we drove to the Henry Francis Dupont house, known as Winterthur in Wilmington, Delaware. A tram drove us through a section of the 60-acre naturalistic garden of native and exotic plants. There is also a children’s garden. The Dupont family was very much into preserving the plants and trees. They would not cut down a tree unless it was absolutely necessary. Once we reached the house, we took a guided tour through the house containing 17th, 18th, and 19th century American antiques. The museum next to the house displayed furniture, paintings and china.

It stopped raining so we decided to go to Kennett Square in Pennsylvania to see the Longwood Gardens. This was the most beautiful garden I have ever seen. We walked through the flower garden walk and on to the Italian Water Garden. This water display was so unique and absolutely beautiful. They had a special display of three different styled tree houses. The largest one was on the lake near the Italian garden. I was really lucky and got a great picture of a Cardinal. We walked back to the center of the gardens to the open air theatre where we saw a special water fountain show set to music. Next, we went to the Peirce-du Pont house located in the center of the garden. It was a beautiful home with a large court yard. The topiary garden was the best that I had ever seen. We walked up to the conservatory where we sat above the main fountain garden and watched another fountain display. The skies were starting to get dark so we went into the Conservatory. Toward the back of this building was an outside water lily courtyard. They had many different colors and types of water lilies. Then it started raining so we went inside the Conservatory which had displays for palms, orchids, hibiscus, roses, tropical plants, and a bonsai section. We took our time because now it was pouring down rain. The orchid display was terrific as was all of the other displays.

When we were finished with the Conservatory, we decided to make a run for the car. We really enjoyed the gardens and felt lucky that it hadn’t rained until the end of our tour. Time to go back to our RV.