Okay, I am home which is a wonderful thing.  Chloe and I are adjusting to being back in our surroundings but my house is a mess.  Unpacking from a 45 day trip is daunting.  I did laundry today and am proud to say that I took 23 outfits and wore every single one of them twice so that I didn’t have to do laundry while gone.  Lucky that I own so many clothes.  I also checked my excel spreadsheet (where I listed everything I took with me and kept track of what I had worn) and I did not lose one item despite 35 changes of location in 45 days.  I guess it pays to be organized.  Also, I have reconciled my credit card account and, while I spent a bit more than planned (mostly on some absolutely incredible food), I found that I managed to get 33.8 miles to the gallon for the 5,796.2 miles I drove, so I spent less on gas than I originally estimated.

Some minor yet, to me interesting facts.  Gas was most expensive in Prince Edward Island at $3.69 per gallon.  They try to fool you by quoting prices per liter using Canadian dollars, but I figured out how to convert both liters to gallons and then Canadian dollars to American dollars.  Not much you can do about it when you need gas.  In the USA, Connecticut took the booby prize at $3.179/gallon while South Carolina’s gas was a mere $2.379/gallon!  Woo hoo!  I Calculated that I spent an average of $2.888/gallon.

William Hardy Murfree (the son)

Colonel Hardee Murfree

I saw mail in rural areas in the south being delivered in Jeeps and pickup trucks.  I discovered that I would rather drive near eighteen-wheelers than cars, especially in the rain.  There are cities in both Maine and New Jersey called Trenton and Camden.  There are towns named Murfreesboro in both Tennessee and North Carolina and, by the way, they are each named after different guys named Murfree.  The Tennessee Murfree was the father of the North Carolina Murfree.

Chloe’s favorite dog food, Cesar, was cheaper in Canada but also had many more interesting-looking flavors such as Cheesy chicken pasta with sauce, Scramble with turkey, spinach and cheese in gravy, Meat lasagna in gravy.

I saw “Help Wanted” or “Hiring Now” signs everywhere as I traveled throughout the Eastern United States—on stores, billboards, and trucks.

Boulevard Super Liquor Store in Marmora, NJ, just outside of dry Ocean City, NJ, had a huge sign advertising “Vodka Infused Ice Cream” for sale.

United States Map of Vineyards

Of the nineteen states I visited, all of them produce wine!  Who knew?

All in all, it was a very enjoyable trip but it is good to be back home.

I had originally planned to stay with Patti two nights but shortly after I arrived, Patti looked at my back and got a mirror, so I could see it.  It wasn’t pretty and was so inflamed with blisters that I finally understood why I was in so much pain.  Patti had very kindly spread a medicated ointment on my back several times but, unfortunately relief was temporary, so I decided that I needed to get back home and see a doctor.  I wasn’t sleeping well, I was nauseous, and I knew my temperature was a little higher than normal as I, who usually feel cold if the air conditioning is set below 80 degrees and never have the air vents blow on me in the car, felt hot until I reduced the temperature and needed the cold air blowing directly on me just to stay comfortable.

The quickest way to get home from Cumming is by interstates 85, 75, and 275 and takes approximately eight hours driving.  Anyone who has read my blogs knows that I do not like to drive more than four hours and I hate driving on interstates.  It wasn’t easy as I was tired, in pain, and get bored very quickly on uninteresting roads.  I stopped frequently for a quick walk around and to drink a coffee flavored energy drink so I could power through.  I did find that I felt an adrenaline rush when I crossed the Florida line, then again when my favorite Tampa station WQYK (country) came in a couple of hours north of Tampa, and it really spiked when crossing the Howard Frankland Bridge and saw the St. Petersburg sign.

As much as I love to travel, I always feel exhilarated when going home.  There is something so comforting to sleep in your own bed surrounded by familiarity.  Chloe’s reaction was so funny.  I picked her sleeping little body up out of the car seat (I think she was more bored than I was by the drive), and, after I opened the door, set her down.  She looked up at me, then looked around, and then started running back and forth around the house as if she wasn’t sure this was our home and had to check each room to verify her stuff was all here.  So, she, too, seemed happy to be home.

Once I fed and walked Chloe, we immediately went next door to see Rick and Mary Pat, so we could catch up.  We had spoken a few times while I was on this trip, but I missed her tremendously as we generally see each other most days.  Since there was a nice gentle breeze blowing in off the intracoastal, sitting on her porch chatting while enjoying a nice glass of wine was very relaxing.

Before I went to bed, Mary Pat spread an aloe gel on my back and agreed that I should see a doctor.  So, this morning I went to the Walk-in clinic down the street.  He said that I have one of the worst cases of sun poisoning he’s ever seen.  My blood pressure and temperature were somewhat (not seriously) elevated but both of those results were abnormal for me.  He gave me a steroid shot in my hip and prescribed prednisone in a dose pack as well as an opioid for pain.  Further, he told me to spread prescription strength Vaseline Intensive Care lotion as often as I wished.

I am pleased to say that by this evening much of the pain has dissipated and I anticipate a decent night’s sleep.

I knew that Patti was working and wouldn’t be home until 1:30 or thereabouts so took full advantage of the 11:00 AM checkout at my Spartanburg hotel.  Ever since I left Chesapeake two days prior, my back was hurting me—not just itching but hurting badly. I couldn’t see the burn as none of the hotel rooms had mirrors where I could see my back and I couldn’t feel it with my hands because the burn was mostly beyond my reach.  So, I took a long, cool shower trying to calm down the heat emanating from my back, then sprayed it with the pharmacist-recommended Aloe Burn Relief.  She had actually suggested a lotion, but the burn is exactly where I cannot reach and I’m pretty sure Chloe would be no help.  I got sunburned when we were on the boat from Ocean City to Cape May on Sunday, August 5^th yet it didn’t start hurting a lot until I got to Chesapeake, VA on August 10^th!

Now, I will admit that perhaps having medicated myself with beer, bloody Mary’s, and wine in those intervening days, but then when I was alone in Chesapeake, I didn’t drink much so started feeling the effects.  Pain had hindered my sleep so after the shower, I rested while reading, drank two large cappuccinos, took a long walk with Chloe around the area of my Spartanburg hotel, then checked out at 11:00 and was on my way.

I drove on beautiful winding roads to visit with my favorite daughter of Mary Pat, Patti, and her intelligent and articulate son, Jackson.  Their home lies in the foothills of the Sawnee Mt. Preserve, near Lake Lanier, with towering trees surrounding the property looking down on a meandering creek.  You feel as if you are almost alone in the woods.  See the view from her home below…

Patti had picked Jackson up from school and left Jackson and I at her home while she went to pick up Louise, a Chinese exchange student, presently living with Patti.  Jackson, age nine in fourth grade, and I chatted about his school, teachers, his dogs, and his favorite activities.  At one point I asked him if he had homework and when does he usually do it.  He replied “usually before dinner”.  So, I said, “we’re going out to eat so why don’t you do your homework now?”  His reply was “That’s not your job.” 😊 Smart and funny.

We went out to a very nice Italian restaurant where I had the special – a delectable dish with veal, chicken, and shrimp – all cooked francaise style, over fettucine.  It was so good that I ate every single bit!  The freshly baked rolls were superb with lots of melted butter and bits of roasted garlic.  After dinner, Patti took me on a tour of the verdant, rolling hillside surrounding Cumming including Lake Lanier.

Upon arriving back at their home, we sat on a lovely deck overlooking the creek, enjoyed a nice glass (or two) of pinot grigio and chatted.  What a lovely and serene place to call home.

When I originally planned this road trip, my returning route took me from Chesapeake, VA directly down the eastern coast, stopping, of course, several times, before reaching St. Augustine, FL and then heading home.  Instead, as you can see, I headed southwest stopping in Burlington, NC and then Spartanburg, SC.

Burlington, NC is a growing city with a population of almost 50,000 at the 2010 census.  It is the home of the first cotton mill in the South (built in 1908), still contributes to the textile industry, and today contains the headquarters of LabCorp, employing more than 3,000 in the county.  The city maintains many parks and the county, Alamance, offers many hiking and paddle opportunities including the Haw River Trail and the NC Mountains to the Sea Trail.

Spartanburg, SC was a center of the textile industry in the late 19^th century.  Today, population 37,013 at the last census, the city is a college town, with eight institutions of higher learning and is the world headquarters of Denny’s.  The Marshall Tucker Band calls Spartanburg home.  Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, it boasts many hiking trails and, historically, was an important site during the Revolutionary War.

I changed my route shortly before I left but not because I found these cities to be so compelling and, not to be denigrating these locations, but they are strictly waypoints on my way to Cumming, GA.  Why would I want to go to Cumming, GA, population 5,430 at the last census, the county seat of Forsyth County?  Is it because the area was originally inhabited by Cherokee tribes or perhaps because during the 1830’s and 1840’s the city benefited from the gold mining industry?  (Who even knew that Georgia was a site for gold mining?)  Maybe because Zac Brown was born there?  Given my fascination with mountains and hiking, perhaps the Sawnee Mountain Preserve with 963 acres of hiking trails is the lure.

None of those reasons called out to me yet, in fact, my original plan called for me to visit Cumming on my way up into the Appalachian Mountains way back in the beginning of July.  This plan was derailed shortly before I left because my niece Patti and grand-nephew, Jackson, planned to visit her parents, Rick and Mary Pat, in Florida on the same dates I planned to visit them in Georgia.  Patti still wanted me to visit them so I adjusted my returning route.  So, that is where I will be next.

Chloe and I slept very soundly, not even wakening until sometime after 7:00 am.  We wandered down to the kitchen to see Beth already up and making a fresh fruit salad and steel cut oatmeal.  I made a cappuccino and wandered into the living room where Phil had Fox & Friends on.  We had decided last night to all go to Assateague this morning but there was no hurry as I am going to a hotel in Chesapeake, VA after this.

I walked Chloe through their beautiful neighborhood of mature plantings, exquisitely manicured yards, ponds, and winding roads.  Chloe satisfied, we returned to the house where Nancy had come down.  We chatted and eventually, everyone got ready to go explore Assateague.

For those of you unfamiliar with the area, Assateague Island is a 37-mile long barrier island located off the eastern coast of the Delmarva peninsula facing the Atlantic Ocean. The northern two-thirds of the island is in Maryland while the southern third is in Virginia. The Maryland section contains the majority of Assateague Island National Seashore and Assateague State Park while the Virginia section contains Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.  It is best known for its herds of feral horses, pristine beaches, and the Assateague Lighthouse. The island also contains numerous marshes, bays, and coves.

At about 10:00 am, we loaded into Beth’s car and a few minutes later, were in Assateague State Park on the hunt for wild horses.  The park itself is beautiful, unspoiled, and, while we did see people, it didn’t seem to be overrun by them.  We saw wild horses several times but when we stopped to take pictures, they were mostly far away as you can tell by my picture on the left.  Karen drove over there on Sunday, August 12^th and sent me these awesome pictures:

After the Assateague tour (and I stopped it because I was attacked by mosquitoes as soon as I left the car), my plan was to leave but I got talked into staying for lunch.  We stopped back by Phil’s where I took my car (which I had previously packed) and we went to Marina Deck where I ordered Crab Imperial topped with mild cheddar cheese, baked on a toasted English muffin.  Yum!  Told you, I LOVE crab!

I had an absolutely wonderful visit with my cousins and then left directly from lunch on my way to Chesapeake, VA. Most of the trip was quite beautiful with such lovely flowers and trees alongside the roadway, I stopped at one point and took a picture.  Most of the ride was uneventful but always memorable is crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.  It is an absolute marvel which the picture below (I obviously couldn’t have taken it as it must be from the air) shows.  For a mere $15.00, you go across a causeway, then a bridge, then a tunnel, then another bridge, then another tunnel, then another bridge  It is approximately 23 miles long and one of the tunnels is 105 feet below the surface of the water!

When I got to Chesapeake, I checked in and decided to just chill and read.

I spent a leisurely morning with Terry, Kayla, and Sami, drinking cappuccino and talking.  I left sometime between 11:00 am and noon and drove my shortest route.  I stayed on Route 1 leisurely driving through beach towns enjoying the sights.  In less than an hour, I pulled into my cousin, Philip’s neighborhood, where he lives with his wife, Karen.  I very happily discovered that some of his siblings—Clifford, Beth, and Nancy were also there.  We sat around for a while catching up and then, we all went to Sunset Grille on the water where we met up with Karen (who ☹ had been at work).

Appetizers such as Mahi fingers served with a sweet chili sauce and spicy remoulade, Caribbean chicken quesadilla, (and some others) were passed.  If I remember correctly, I split the Twin 5oz jumbo crab cakes, served with chipotle remoulade and Yukon Gold mashed potatoes with Clifford.  My absolute most favorite food in the world is Chesapeake Bay crab and, obviously, the best place to get that is in Maryland or Virginia.

During many events while growing up, and then at every family reunion, one of the featured events was always picking blue crabs.  Armed with a mallet and a small paring knife, we’d sit at newspaper-covered tables spread with steamed blue crabs, melted butter and Old Bay Seasoning and get to work.  The slightly salty, sweet buttery flavor and tender texture of blue crabmeat explodes on the tongue…it is so heavenly, you just want to savor it.

Many years ago, we had a family reunion at the Lake of the Ozarks and, as usual, had blue crabs flown in.  Other than leg meat, I do not tend to eat as I pick but rather prefer to make a pile which I can enjoy at my leisure.  My brother, Jim, was water-skiing the hour or so as I patiently picked every piece of meat from these delicacies.  I was just about finished picking when Jim came along, swooped up my entire pile of crab at stuffed it into his mouth!  As far as I’m concerned, his biggest crime was not the theft of my crab but the haste with which he ate it!

Back to today…when we finished dinner, we toured around the marina where, to my utter delight, most of the boats were festooned with TRUMP flags.  Inside the restaurant, the owner had his picture with President Trump and, in fact, look at what President Trump tweeted on August 3, 2018:

Afterwards, we sat and listened to The E Street Shuffle, a Bruce Springsteen Tribute band that regaled us with songs we all know.

Eventually, we all went back to Philip’s home and enjoyed catching up.  More tomorrow…

Today’s drive was a quick jaunt down the Garden State Parkway to Cape May where we caught the Cape May Ferry.  The day was absolutely perfect for a ferry ride, the sun bright, the air warm with a light breeze, the sea calm.  I had made my reservation for 1:00 PM because when visiting a couple of years ago, my niece, Brittany, and I had driven from Ocean City to Cape May and I remembered it taking about three hours.  Also, Brittany and I were sightseeing as we drove through all those wonderful south New Jersey beach towns.  So, taking the Garden State Parkway route allowed me to arrive early enough to catch the 10:30 AM ferry.  I was pleased when the toll taker said they were giving me a small refund because gas prices had gone down since the date I had purchased my ticket!

Vehicle traffic onto the ferry was light yet pedestrian and bicycle passengers swarmed the vessel.  Chloe and I wandered throughout the levels, stopping frequently for Chloe to be admired and petted.  I was surprised that, just like on the two Canadian ferries, there were no announcements about life jackets or emergency procedures.  But, one safety procedure that did occur on this ferry was, as we were waiting in line to board, security officers checked under each car with mirrors and even popped trunks.

The ride took a little more than an hour and I was the third car to disembark so we were quickly on our way.  I easily found the residence where my nephew, Kayla and his girlfriend Sami live together with my sister, Terry.  Kayla was at work, Sami was chilling, so Terry took Chloe and I on a tour of the area.

We eventually parked near the boardwalk and proceeded to Zogg’s Raw Bar and Grill for lunch.  I ordered a lump crab cake sandwich with old bay aioli, lettuce and tomato, on toasted brioche served with a spicy remoulade together with an ice-cold Bud Light.  It was good!

After eating, Terry took me on a tour of the boardwalk.  I told Terry that most boardwalks don’t allow dogs during season (I had looked it up when in New Jersey) but she assured me it was okay.  Despite that, as we went up to the boardwalk, I looked for any signs indicating that dogs are not allowed and, since I didn’t see any, we headed north as Terry stated that most of the boardwalk was that way.  We strolled along chatting and looking into the various stores for several blocks when a guy ran over to us and told us to get off the boardwalk or be fined.  This was just a guy, not a cop but we left and wandered around the streets until Chloe decided it was too hot (she just suddenly laid down and refused to walk anymore).

Anyway, we went back to the house, a very nice three-bedroom home with a large yard rimmed by mature trees and an enclosed porch on the back.  Both Terry and Sami have dogs which Chloe made friends with quickly.  A day or two before I got there, Terry’s ex-husband, Larry, had left an African tortoise with them to pet-sit while he is away on a job.  The resident dogs were fascinated with this tortoise, but Chloe completely ignored it until it walked right into her space.  Funny.  I have fake turtles laying all over my house and Chloe pushes them around with her nose, so I guess she was a little shocked when this one moved all by itself.

So, we spent the rest of the afternoon chatting about all sorts of topics and Terry made a late dinner as Kayla wasn’t arriving home from work until 7:30 or 8:00 pm.  She made chicken piccata over pasta and a wonderful salad.  I didn’t think I’d be able to eat as I don’t usually eat two big meals in one day, but it smelled so good, I just had to.

After dinner, we sat around telling stories about growing up and sometimes some very embarrassing tales about ourselves.  We also talked about genealogy and the work I have done researching our family which Kayla seemed to be interested in.  All in all, it was a very pleasurable day and evening.

Easiest trek yet!  All I had to do was drive a mere sixty miles to Ocean City, NJ to visit with some of my awesome siblings–brothers Jim and Mark, their beautiful wives Bernadette and Karen, two of my adorable nieces Christine and Kaylee.  Also, in attendance were Christine’s boyfriend Chris and their precocious and winsome daughter Camryn.  Jim and Bern’s house is just two from the beach yet has parking for up to six cars; when I arrived, the parking area was empty, but I expected that as I had been told everyone was meeting at the Deauville House for lunch and I was a bit later than originally anticipated.

Chloe and I went for a long walk and then I decided that I would take advantage of the peace and quiet, unload my car, make a cappuccino, and read on the porch with the ocean breeze wafting across my face.  Chloe made herself right at home guarding the porch.

I think I was right to relax for a bit because once everyone showed up, there was a steady stream of visitors for pretty much the whole time I was there.  I’m not complaining, mind you.  Visiting Jim and Bern, especially at their beach house, means a hectic social scene and, besides that, I already knew most of them.  It’s hard to remember the exact order of events as there was a bit of imbibing going on every day.

I seem to remember dining on cheesesteaks that first night and, the only really, really good cheesesteaks are made in the Philadelphia area (Ocean City is full of Philadelphians, so they know how to make them properly).  Yum!

Saturday dawned bright, warm, and clear…a perfect beach day.  After caffeinating, salads were concocted for the barbecue later in the day and everyone donned bathing suits, carted chairs, coolers, and towels the short distance to the beach.  Bern brought along a beach bocce ball set which kept most of us engaged and competitive.  Sandy and salt-kissed, we traipsed back to the house, collapsing with ice-cold beers (or whatever) before rinsing off.

Later, brats, burgers, and dogs served with my potato salad, Karen’s pickle pasta salad, Jim’s pepper and onion “relish”, lots of condiments, and more beer hit the spot.  Conversations swirled as people came and went.

On Sunday morning, sadly, I had to bid adieu to Mark, Karen, and Kaylee as they were leaving for home.  As the ocean was unusually calm, the rest of us prepared for an epic cruise completely down the ocean to Cape May.  As we passed each town, Jim gave me an update on what town we were passing.  Then, strangely enough, I asked Bern if they ever saw dolphins while cruising in the ocean and about fifteen minutes later, we saw this HUGE pod of dolphins!  While we regularly see dolphins down in Florida I never saw so many at one time.

Bern and I found a restaurant that was both pet-friendly and had docks.  I think it was called the Lobster House.  Unfortunately, as we pulled up, all the docks were full but as we were motoring in, Jim noticed a recently docked boat where the lights were on and called out to the people who had just disembarked.  The owner was thrilled and ended up offering to let us tie up to his boat.  We had a great lunch and then, when leaving, one thing led to another and we were invited back to his home in Stone Harbor.

So, we raced through the intercoastal to this gorgeous property…

Afterwards, we motored back out to the ocean where the ride back home felt as if we were on a lake.  Jim noticed the gas tank was showing empty when we were still a couple of miles away from the dock but we managed to get in without incident.  On the way home, Bern picked up some clam chowders (both kinds) which were both very tasty.  The evening continued with visits, drinking, and multiple conversations.

Monday we declared to be a national holiday as it was Jim’s FRA birthday (that is Full Retirement Age for you youngsters).  Brittany made a surprise (for me) appearance but couldn’t stay long as she had to report for her job in Avalon.  After breakfast, Bern made good and spicy Bloody Mary’s.  Shortly thereafter, we left for a boat ride north to Atlantic City.  On the way up, we drove through the intercoastal and stopped for a delectable lunch including steamed clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp, nachos grande, and I think a few other tasty morsels. One sated, we continued on our way.

I asked Jim to stop when we reached a train bridge…one of those where it swings open instead of rising.  (I love trains.)  Unfortunately, for me, at some point on this trip, we hit a sand bar at a moment when I was standing and not holding on properly so fell pretty hard cutting my arm and leg and bruising myself in several places.  Then, despite staying under the boat canopy, I managed to get my back pretty badly sunburned which is still bothering me today.  Enough about me.

We eventually went back out into the ocean and cruised along the Atlantic City shoreline, which from the boat, is quite beautiful.

We continued the celebration well into the evening.

Tuesday was another beautiful day.  We drove to a “doggy beach” to let Chloe participate in some of the fun.  Chloe did go with us to Cape May but I had left her at home for the Atlantic City trip.  She frolicked a bit but I was nervous letting her off the leash.

Later on, we drove through the intercoastal bordered by marshes ending up at this beach where Jim beached the boat.  We set up chairs, umbrellas, and ate Wawa hoagies (Yummy!).  After that, the plan was to pick up some of their neighbors at the dock which was a mile (?) away as they had way too many people to fit on the boat.  Jim successfully picked up about eight of them and then, on the second trip, ran into an issue with his steering!  Yikes!

As a result, he couldn’t dock to pick up the rest of the people but was able to make it back to us (because not much steering is required to beach a boat) and then, with some strategic maneuvering, somehow managed to get us back to the marina where he keeps his boat.  Hopefully, the fix is an easy (and not expensive) one.

Tuesday evening we had a very, very special visitor–Mrs. Haggerty, mother of many of my brother’s friends, friend of my mother, 90 years old.  She and her son, Jimmy, are recently returned from Ireland and it happened that Jimmy had stopped by on Saturday and told us that she would be in town Tuesday.  I felt so honored that they stopped by before even going to their shore home.  Her Irish lilt is almost musical…what a great lady.

So, in the morning of the 8th (Wednesday), it was time to leave.  As always, lots of good times, many, many conversations.  It was, as always, a lot of fun.

After leaving Plainville, Ct, I encountered the most harrowing ride of this road trip.  To be honest, I have no idea what roads I traveled as I was frequently lost.  But, as you can see by the route as illustrated to the left, what should have been less than four hours, took me almost seven.  To me, one of the scariest things to do is to drive on multi-lane highways, especially when there are six or seven lanes going in one direction.  The worst traffic in the eastern United States is around New York City and I managed to get there just as torrential rain pelted down, wipers on full, with visibility almost nil.  No opportunity to pull over and wait as there was no defined place to do so.  Despite the weather, drivers were maintaining speeds over the limit, zipping in and around lanes, my GPS telling me to turn at places where there were multiple choices and, of course, I did not always select properly.  After crossing the Tappan Zee, I managed to get into line to go through the Lincoln Tunnel back into New York City.  Why anyone would want to drive in this area I will never know.  What I do know is that I will NEVER EVER drive in that area again.

Needless to say, I eventually managed to escape the insanity surrounding our largest city and eventually made my way south to Camden where I again miscalculated and found myself at the toll booth for the Ben Franklin Bridge.  I said to the toll taker, “I’m not heading into Philadelphia, am I?”  He responded, “If you go across this bridge, you are.”  He was so nice.  He said that if I was willing to drive across ten lanes of traffic, there was a turnaround prior to crossing the bridge.  NOT!  This guy did not charge me, and he gave me excellent directions on the way to cross the bridge and come right back to Camden where, about five minutes later I found myself in front of the residence of my cousin, Chris Maier.

I lucked out and found a metered spot (broken, so free—YAY) right in front.  Chris lives in this awesome renovated building, The Victor, overlooking the Philadelphia skyline from Camden, which was originally built to be the anchor assembly building for The Victor Talking Machine Company, which became RCA.  It was “gut rehabbed” and completed in 2004, featuring 341 luxury apartments, ground floor retail and on-site parking.  Chris lives in a corner unit with this gorgeous view of the Delaware River and the Ben Franklin Bridge into Philadelphia.

Chris, Chloe, and I walked along the beautifully revitalized Camden waterfront where he regaled me with history of the area as well as the life and generosity of Eldridge Johnson, founder of The Victor Talking Machine Company.

Passionate about art, music, and history, Chris has delved so deeply into this subject, he created a one-man show to impart his knowledge in a very compelling and entertaining way.  As you can see, Chris’ apartment is alive with relics from Eldridge’s company…

We spent an engaging afternoon and evening conversing about history, our lives, loves, and just catching up.

In the morning, as you can see, Chloe made herself completely at home while we drank our coffee.  Then, before we said our good-byes, we walked the area

Finally, Chris created a fascinating video which is definitely worthwhile to view:

I have to start this post with an apology.  Some of you have noticed (and notified me) that I haven’t posted anything since July 30^th and that is true.  I should have realized that having a long stretch staying with friends and family might impede my blogging and posted to that effect so when I stopped, you knew why.  I am sorry I did not do that and am extremely thankful that many of you cared enough to worry about me.  Back when I originally started blogging as I traveled alone, I did so primarily to keep my friends and family aware of where I was.  So, duh…dumb me.

My trip from Providence to Plainville was quite relaxing for most of the trip but then my GPS took me through the city of Hartford where I naturally (for me) got confused.  I am just not good with highways sporting multiple lanes.  But, I got through the city and found my way to this cute town, Plainville, where my good friends and neighbors, Vito and Mary Ellen, live when not in Florida.  I pulled into a community of lovely homes, manicured lawns, mature trees, and beautiful flowers with Mary Ellen’s gardens probably the most impressive.  My pictures of their yard do not do it justice.  They even have their own private bocce ball court!

Their home is magnificent with the layout incredibly thought out.  Vito and Mary Ellen did what most of us would love to do—pick a home in a neighborhood you enjoy, with good “bones”, then redesign the interior to meet your every need.  The layout is so open and inviting, you automatically feel welcomed.  And, they have a full separate apartment downstairs which they stocked with provisions for both Chloe and I – treats for each of us!

Adding to this, the yard!  Gorgeous plantings, fencing, pool, and, to Chloe’s utter delight, a yard she could run around in and a chipmunk who lives under their patio.  Chloe was especially appreciative.

Mary Ellen took me on a tour of the Farmington area where I saw some of the most elite institutions in the country—Miss Porter’s School (where Jacqueline Kennedy attended), the Farmington Polo Club, elite country clubs, and huge estates.  This whole area is incredibly beautiful but my favorite part of this visit was Vito and Mary Ellen.

We spent most of our time talking, drank a lot of wine, and stayed up late.  We went out one night to a delightful Italian restaurant and then, the next night, ate some of the best shrimp scampi I have ever tasted (made by Mary Ellen), It was wonderful!  (By the way, Mary Ellen very kindly offered to let me take the leftovers, which I intended to do, but somehow managed to leave without remembering to take them!)