Fall Foliage and much more

I have always said that when I retired, I was going to go see the fall foliage in New England. I have been looking forward to this trip for years. Well, I was finally able to go and I must say it was so wonderful...far better than I had hoped. The people that I traveled with were amazing...so friendly and inclusive. I was worried about going alone, but I shouldn't have. I made some wonder new friends.
I planned this trip to be a cruise with Ann, but her health wouldn't allow her to come, so I changed the trip from a cruise to a train tour. It ended up being a great decision. I traveled with Great Train Escapes, part on train and part on bus with our tour guide, Tyson, with us the entire way.

Day 1--Boston to Kennebunkport, Maine
After a morning of touring historic Boston, we headed to the seaside community of Kennebunkport. The weather was cold and drizzly, but it was so fun to see the Atlantic Ocean. We stopped at the Nubble Lighthouse before we arrived at our hotel, the Ocean Woods Resort, for the night. It was only a half a mile from the beach, so I walked down to get my feet in the sand.

















Day 2-- Kennebunkport to North Conway, New Hampshire
We spent the day exploring the White Mountain National Forest--a land filled with beautiful streams, waterfalls, and of course, color. The highlight of the day had to be our trip up Mt. Washington on the cog railway. The weather was cold and dreary at the base of the mountain, and by the time we got to the top, we were in a sleet storm! They say that Mt. Washington has the worse weather in the world, and I think I believe it. The ground was slippery with ice, the winds were blowing 75 MPH and the temperature was 4* wind chill! BUURRRR!! But it was awesome. An hour later, when we reached the bottom again, it was sunny and beautiful. It actually was gorgeous the entire rest of the trip. That night, the Attitash Grand Summit Hotel was our home. It was a big, beautiful ski resort with ski runs ending at the back door.


Day 3--Conway to Stowe, Vermont
Our day began with a ride on the Conway Scenic Railroad. We saw amazing scenery; rivers, streams, steep ravines, and gorgeous color as well as crossing the "Frankenstein Trestle". It was a great way to see the New England countryside.
That night we stayed at the Stowehof Inn, a fantastic place. Every room in the entire inn is decorated differently. When I walked into my room, I actually squealed. I had the "princess"
room with a canopy bed, a step up dressing room and bathroom, and an awesome view from my veranda!












The other fun fact about the Stowehof is that it is the inn in the movie "The Four Seasons" with Alan Alda and Carol Burnett. I actually had breakfast at the same table that they ate at in the movie, and the moose head that he throws in the fire is still hanging over the fireplace.

Day 4--Stowe to Mystic Seaport, Connecticut
Today, we traveled through three states on the Amtrak, Vermonter. We had a guide on board telling us all about the history of the area. He also pointed out all of the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene. It was truly humbling to see all of the damage "mother nature" can cause.
We arrived in Mystic just in time for dinner on our own. Many went out, but I opted to walk across the street to a grocery store, (this was the first time all week that we stayed in a town) bought some microwave popcorn, and watched "The Four Seasons" on my iPhone in bed, munching on popcorn!

Day 5--Mystic to Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Mystic Seaport is a living history museum consisting of a village, ships and 17 acres of exhibits depicting coastal life in New England in the 19th century. We were able to spend several hours there and it wasn't enough. Lots of fun things to do and see.



















From Mystic Seaport, we traveled to Newport, Rhode Island, playground for the rich. We toured "The Breakers", the "summer cottage" of the Vanderbuilts. I have never seen anything so opulent. I mean, who needs 28 bathrooms and 40 servants...and for only 2 months of the year!
And then we were off to Cape Cod and a lobster bake. Only, I don't like lobster, so I had steak!
We stayed at the Red Jacket Beach Resort, only a few steps from the sand and water. I was in heaven. Early the next morning, I went out for the sun rise and a walk along the beach. I found some beautiful shells and an interesting rock for my waterfall collection. I hated to say goodbye to that place. Another day there, just relaxing on the beach, would have been lovely.



























Day 6--Cape Cod to Boston
Our last full day-We took a harbor cruise and saw the Kennedy compound from a distance. And then we boarded our fourth train, the Cape Cod Central, for a delicious lunch in a vintage dining car as we traveled along beautiful hills, the Cape Cod canal, and cranberry bogs. Lunch, a three course meal served on linen tablecloths and china, was very fun, how the rich ate long ago. Again, the scenery was wonderful, especially the very interesting cranberry bogs. Our timing was perfect, they were just harvesting, so we got to see the bogs full of water and the cranberrys floating, ready to be gathered.
















As you can see, fall foliage was only a small part of my trip. I can't say enough about the fun time I had, and all of the wonderful people I met. I'm really looking forward to my next adventure...I wonder were it will be!

Missing Dad

Today is the one year anniversary of dad's death. He has been thought of often and missed much. But I know he is happy, free of pain, and in a much better place. I wanted to post one of my all-time favorite pictures of him...smiling at Claire on her blessing day. I miss you dad.

Monday's Memory--Topanga

Growing up, we lived in many different houses in and around LA. But I think the most unique and memorable has to be our house in Topanga Canyon. It was located on top of a hill that when it rained, we had to park at the bottom of the hill and walk up because the car couldn't get up the dirt driveway. All four kids shared a big, dorm style bedroom...very cozy. We had lizards in the house and a king snake in the front yard. To get to our friends house, we walked up the hill in the back and had to run really fast to get past their donkey before he noticed us and attacked! Once there, we would jump on their big trampoline or swing from a rope attached to a huge eucalyptus tree. Or we would slide down the hill covered with dead weeds in boxes. That was really fun. I loved living in Topanga. It was heaven for a young girl of 11 or 12. But I'm grateful that we moved back to civilization the next year. Teenage years would have been difficult there. I don't think any date would have braved our hill to come pick me up!!!

WHS Reunion

Saturday night was a multi-year reunion for WHS. As it turned out, only 6 people from my class were in attendance. Luckily, they were some of my friends, so it turned out to be very enjoyable. We spent the evening reminiscing about the "good ole days" and catching up with where we have been and what we have been doing the past few years. All of us are grandmas, so there was a lot to talk about. I was hesitant to go, I'm not a very social person, but I'm glad I went. It was good to be with old friends.

Monday's Memory--Mom's Wedding Veil

Not many people know that my mom and dad were actually married twice! They kept their first wedding a secret by eloping to Merced while they were both in Southern California going to school. Three months later, they had a big church wedding in Twin Falls. I love this picture of mom and dad cutting their cake. They both look so young and happy and in love.


Many, many years later, we were going through some of mom's things and came across her wedding dress and veil. The dress was old, yellowed, and moth eaten, but the veil was in pretty good shape, so we saved it. Before we packed it away, we took this picture of Amy. I love it. Notice that there has been some lace edging added to the veil. Evidently, Aunt Lucile borrowed it for her wedding and made that change.

Monday's Memory--Empress Hotel

My recent trip to Seattle reminded me of my trip in the spring of 2002 with Ann. We spent a few hours with Aunt Zandra, but the real purpose of the trip was to go to Vancouver BC and the Butchart Gardens. We stayed at the very posh, Empress Hotel where there were very thick robes in the rooms and a grand "high tea" in the dining room.













Butchart Gardens was absolutely amazing. The flowers were breathtaking; tulips, daffodils, and azaleas everywhere in the most brilliant colors. I would love to go back again and visit during all of the different seasons. I bet it is equally wonderful.

Seattle with mom

The only way mom was going to be able to visit her sister, Aunt Zandra, in Seattle was for me to take her up there. We went this past week. Mom did pretty well with the travel, into and out of cars, shuttles, and airplanes. It was well worth the effort to watch the two sisters together. I didn't know someone could talk nonstop for three days, but they managed to do just that.
On Wednesday, I left the "girls" at home and headed into Seattle to see the sights. It was great fun. I parked the car and did a lot of walking up and down very steep streets to get to where I wanted to go.

I went to Pikes Place, a farmers market of sorts with amazing flowers, fresh produce, and even some fresh fish stands.

Next, I took a harbor cruise where I had a great view of the Seattle skyline.

A steep walk took me to the monorail connecting downtown Seattle to the 1961 World's Fair site and the Space needle.

That night for dinner, my cousin, Bill, a culinary school graduate, fixed us a delicious dinner of prime rib, potatoes, and fruit salad. But most importantly, lots and lots of memories were shared. Thank you Aunt Zandra, Uncle Jesse, and Bill for a wonderful few days. We will definitely make the trip again.