Atlanta, Georgia

I have wanted to visit the sight of Martin Luther  King, Jr's home and church for some time.  We left North Carolina and went directly to the King National Park site.  I have to admit, the museum was disappointing.  The exhibits were limited, and the site seemed to be not well taken care of . The gift shop was empty without any resources or books !

 Thank goodness we braved the torrential downpour and went across the street to the church.  The talk was good and the church has been rebuilt to replicate the way it was in MLK's time.  We walked up the street to his home and finally found an excellent book store and gift shop.  The Park Service needs to work on this one.

The highlight of our evening was staying with Shaun Raviv and. Miranda Kaplan. They have only been in Atlanta for a few months and were gracious hosts! We were fortunate to get to know them a touch better and learn a smidge more about their time in Africa. Thank you Shaun and. Miranda!

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park

This park was not originally on our itinerary, but we were within a day's drive and decided to go see it. What a beauty!

It sits between North Carolina and Tennesee and the Appalachian Trail runs through it.  We drove through- visiting a farm that had been typical for that area. The buildings were collected from homesteads that had been part of the park land.  

We also found an interesting mill sight that was grinding corn with a water-driven turban that turned the stones. 

We stayed in Bryson City, a tiny Appalacian town.  Our motel was originally cabins along the Tuckaseegee River that have been connected over the years.

Chapel Hill, NC

It was Jeff Halev's birthday!  What a great day to visit!  The Halev's family shared a delicious dinner with us, topped off by Avishai's homemade ice cream!  Jeff even BBQed a peach for us which was as sweet as candy !  

We got to catch up on our lives after not seeing each other in person for a few years. 

In the evening, there was an intense storm .  Thunder, lightening , and tremendous wind.  Luckily Lulu, their very sweet dog, had a thunder coat.  It seemed to really help her.  The storm ripped out a dead tree in their yard and knocked over a large tree down the street.  Glad we weren't camping that night !

DC- A Steam Bath!

We spent two lovely days with Adam and Deborah Raviv and their children Daniel and Daphne.  Staying with them and getting to know them a bit more was wonderful. They were generous hosts and we thank them for sharing those days with us.

  As for the sightseeing, DC in the summer is a hot swamp. No more needs to be said about the weather. Also, the entire Mall was torn up and fenced off for a re-lawning project:(

We spent many lovely hours in the Museum of Americsn History learning about the history of money, transportation - an exhibit that included our area of CA- 

and the beginning of the collection that will be housed in the new Museum of African Americsn History when it opens.

Michael liked the exhibit that showed artificial heart parts.  He is holding up his heart valve part number!

This is the first piece of gold that started the Gold Rush!

The one new discovery that we made while cooling off in the shade of a tree, was the Circulator bus line that goes around the Mall and for 50 cents - because we are old- we could ride to our next museum.

Philadelphia

Our travels continued to the City if Brotherly Love.  Well, not quite to Philadelphia.  We got a hotel in Cherryhill, NJ - just over the bridge.  It was perfect. My goal for Philly was to see Independrnce Hall and the Liberty Bell.  We took the afternoon and saw both things, along with the Constitution Museum.  Mission Accomplished!  On to DC!

People told me the bell was small, but it was about the size I had expected .

Independence Hall, dwarfed by modern Philadelphia.

I did not know that Eldridge Gerry did not sign the Declaration of  Independence and that he was the dude that Gerrymandering came from!

Long Beach Island

The reason we began this trip was because we had a family reunion scheduled at the Jersey Shore!  All the way from California we brought 4 beach chairs, 2 beach towels, and a few sheets to use at the beach.  We were finally going to get to use all that stuff!  Marilyn was a true sport and practically emptied her whole linen closet so that everyone would have enough sheets and towels !  

Marilyn and Barry and Michael and I had the top floor of a duplex and our kids and their kids had the down stairs.  We had an extra bedroom upstairs so we invited Cousin Susan.  The other bed was alternately used by David, Tamar, Rachel, and Barbara!  We knew that we were going to have fun , but I hadn't  anticipated just how much fun it would be.  Mike B's family was also on LBI so we shared dinners, beach time , and lots of ice cream ! 

Dinner on the bay at sunset.

In a whole week we only had one rainy day and we used that well. What would a week on LBI be if we didn't visit the Wizard of Odds?  We had to go through flooded streets, but we made it!  There was also a stop at a bathing suit store and Rachel got a fabulous Miracle suit!  I'm not sure what the miracle was, but she looked great in the suit. We even drove up to the end of the island to visit the lighthouse. Alas, the bait store at the lighthouse no longer has the sea horse exhibit.  Probably much better for the seahorses.

Each day we went to the beach in the morning and again in the late afternoon. After some trial and error we realized that low tide offered the best swimming and we began to plan our visits accordingly.  We all loved the water, except maybe Ari.  He loved being at the beach with his people and playing in the sand.  He preferred the ocean to remain at a safe distance.  Zachary became a boogie board champ!  Miriam got great joy out of all that splashy water.  She even dragged the boogie- board down toward the water to try the waves!  (She is now signed up for swimming lessons in Austin!)

We managed to fit in a round of miniature golf and lots of eating!  Marilyn saved the day when she found Michael's hearing aids in the dryer as the last load was coming out!

Moms and babies!

At the end of the week, we were all headed out.  Marilyn, Susan, Barbara, and I had lots of memories revisited.  

For all of us, many memories were made.  Zachary put in a request that we should always have the extended family included in our vacations! Z and Uncle Barry had really spent some special time together.

Here is almost the whole family.  The Raviv/Yaros branch left the day before.

Quick Catch Up

I left you on July 2nd and now it is August 3rd!  In order to fill in events, I'll do a recap by week!

Immediately after the Berkshires, we spent a great week in Massachusetts visiting my sister and brother in law, Marilyn and Barry.  

This is a picture of us celebrating July 4th New England style!  We swam in Morse's Pond, tried to pick out granite for the new kitchen, and experimented with different restaurants because of the gutted kitchen!

Michael and I took time to visit Providence, RI and see cousins Kenny and Leah.  We also visited a culinary museum, a very nice independent book store, and found time to relax at a coffee house!

After Massachusetts, we went to Springfield NJ to spend time with Susan and David. We fit in a day trip up the Hudson Valley and stopped at Hyde Park and Cold Spring. What a beautiful area and if you are ever in Cold Spring, make sure to stop at Moo Moo's Creamery!  Yummy!

Uh oh, another kissing picture!

Michael and I had time to take a trip to Yonkers to visit out cousin, Dana.  Fun was had as we went out to Applebee's, Dana's favorite restaurant.

There is no picture to show our visits to Cathy and Bill Sacher, but we were so glad to find Cathy on the mend from almost a year of hip problems.

No trip to NJ would be complete without a visit to Broadway!  Susan, Barbara, Debbie, and I got rush tickets to see Something Rotten.  The seats were crazy- one balcony, one mezzanine, and two orchestra!  We traded around at intermission so it was fair for all.

Next we were off to LBI- or Long Beach Island!

The Berkshires

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CI have always heard about the beautiful Berkshires, but I have never had the opportunity to visit.  Even though it was raining off and on, we had a great time. We stayed at Conroy's B&B in Stockbridge which was convenient for visiting lots of area attractions. 

We started by driving up to North Adams and visiting Mass MOCA.  What a fabulous venue!  It is an old factory space  with football - size gallery spaces and unique exhibits . 

Our next stop was the Crane Museum of Paper in Dalton, MA.  They make all the paper used for US currency.  It is a secret process so we didn't get to tour the factory, but the retired factory worker explained the process.  It was a quick stop, but I loved it!

The day was moving along and we were off to Tanglewood.  For me, Tanglewood  had a reputation of almost mythical proportions.  I had heard about "the shed" and concerts on the lawn, the Boston Pops, and music students .  Well,  the stories are true!  We didn't see The Pops, but we did get in on the student fellows string quartet marathon !  We listened to 9 string quartets that played for a half hour each in gorgeous Seiji Ozawa Hall.  Fantastic music in an amazing concert hall.  These students were young adults from all over the world who had competed in their area and won a scholarship to study at Tanglewood .  So much talent!  Each quartet had their own style and flair. One of the pieces was a world premier of a piece that had been commissioned just for this occasion !

We finally got back to the B&B after 10 even though we had skipped out on the last quartet.

The next morning leaving the Berkshires, we were talked into going to the Norman Rockwell Museum.  We had originally scheduled this museum for our first stop, but because Cooperstown had been so crowded we had not gotten there in time.  I knew a little about his work, but not more than the Saturday Evening Post covers.  Was I surprised!  This small museum details Rockwell's methods and his whole career.  The grounds are spectacular, the outdoor cafe was a good lunch spot, and his original studio is now on the grounds behind the museum and open to the public.  I am so glad that we stopped!

Cooperstown-Baseball Mecca

It poured all the way to Cooperstown-and it was cold!  We thought that we would hit the baseball museum in the morning and the Norman Rockwell museum on the afternoon. Little did we know that 140  little league camp games were cancelled because of the rain!  It took us four hours to go through the museum and it really was fun to see the excitement of all those young ball players.  

After having had my equality awareness raised just the day before, I was conscious of the minimal role women play in our national pastime.  

We had fun looking for everything Giant!

I just can't understand why there is so much emphasis on all those other teams:)

Seneca Falls-A Reminder

It was pouring rain as we powered on to the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, NY.

That's me and Susan B.  This was a small national park building that was very inspiring.  In summary all I can say is ALL women and men are equal and we all would be better off if we were more conscious about it.  

We drove a bit more and stayed at a little family- owned motel in Vernon,NY.  The only memorable thing about the evening was our dinner at Vernon Downs CSino and Race Track ! Every so often during dinner the trotters would trot by the window!

In the morning we had a standard egg breakfast at Apple Betty's and we were off to Cooperstown!

Niagra Falls

What can I say?  Spectacular, commercial, must see, and done.

Yeah Linda!

Linda and I have not seen each other in 13 years and we picked up our conversation as if we had spoken yesterday!  She welcomed Michael and me, offered us her washing machine and gave us a cozy guest room.  We stayed up late talking and sharing a delicious Cabernet .  

In the morning we dried out the tent and re packed the car with all our clean clothes - thank you Linda !

It was hard to leave on Friday morning, but we were committed to reaching Niagra Falls so off we went.  Some connections are there forever- at least I hope so. 

Return to Athens

I left you when we were camping outside of Cincinnati. It was a beautiful setting.  There were a few scattered campers around and a lovely lake.  At night we saw more fireflies than I have ever seen before and they twinkled all night!  I now know where the idea for fairy lights comes from. 

We packed up the tent and drove to the shower building where we saw two maintanence men taking the water heater away!  No showers:(

After camping in 90 degree heat I was really looking forward to a rinse.  Oh well, a quick wash and off to Athens!

The campus of Ohio University has really grown in 40 years!  The main green is still the same, but many buildings have been expanded, repurposed , or rebuilt. We needed a map to find things!  The new student center is gorgeous and goes from "down the hill" up to the green.  Shively Hall has been redone and is airconditioned.  We got a tour because it was open for Orientation! No more giant window fans!  

For those of you who were there, the golf course is still behind the South Green- although I don't know if it is utilized at night anymore.  

We visited Stewart MacDonald, the instrument makers, and checked in on the Hillel - but it was closed for the summer . 

14 Brown Avenue, our home for 2 years was there , but it is a different house!  Not as cute and clearly a student rental. 

In the evening we had dinner at a great brewery, Jackie O's.  On the way back to the car we heard music and found the Athens Community Band playing a concert!  A lovely end to our evening in Athens.

We camped out a Stroud's Run state park.  It was pretty, but there were only 3 spots taken out of 81.  It felt pretty deserted.  Pit toilets that were gross, no showers, and iffy water. To add insult to injury, it started to rain just as we were finishing breakfast. We threw everything into the car and headed for Cleveland - hoping that our friend Linds  would take in this bedraggled couple . 

Cincinnati

Michael was not keen at first about visiting Cincinnati , but it turned out to be a good visit.  We went to see the house on Atlantic Avenue- where the Civil War swords were found and met Jane who had lived in the house for 20 years.  

She and Michael talked about some if the neighbors that they both knew.  We found the Aulesboro house, but that one did not hold the same level of memories. 

The last place we visited was Withrow High School.  As we came up to the school, the president of the alumni association saw us and let us in!  Michael  was most pleased about seeing the great auditorium and beautiful library. The student population is only half what it was when the Tuttles were there. Jack, the alumni president , knew Joe and Jon- Michael's brothers.  This visit was much more emotional than we had anticipated!

We left the city and are now camping at Stonelick State Park.

Louisville

What a nice day!  We left the awful hotel where the "breakfast " had curdled milk, and headed to the Louisville Slugger factory.  We loved the place!  The tour was very informative and the factory was laid out so well for visitors.  We even got a private tour of the Bat Vault!

What was not to like?  We touched Babe Ruth's bat!

Launch was at a small local place called Boomer's, named after a deceased dog. Michael was getting into the comfort food  zone with homemade tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.

On The Road Again

As youAfter a restful night at the Lee's Summit Comfort Inn, we connected with the local Subaru dealer.  We only needed a new gas cap and by 11:00 we were on our way to the Arch!

As you can tell, we were awed by this fete of engineering .  It was meltingly hot , 97*, but we took the cable car to the top for the view. The Missussippi River was so high that all cruise boats were cancelled for the week. 

Leaving St.Louis around dinner time we decided to drive like crazy to get to Louisville.  It wasn't a bad drive, but we had so any bugs on the windshield that it looked like rain!

We entered Eastern time, lost the hour and arrived at the Fern Valley Hotel and Convention center.  Do not ever go to this place.  We survived and I cannot wait to learn how to tweet about our experience.  I wrote  Tripadvisor review, but the poor people don't even know how to get in touch with the owners. The hotel is enormous and falling down around them.

Last post continued

The next day we did two interesting cave tours.  The first was Jewel Cave, a National monument and the Wind Vave National Park.  At Wind Cave we were able to stand by the original opening where the cave "breathes."  It blows out or sucks in depending on the barometric pressure. The Lakota tribe believes this is the spot where their creation story begins!

On Saturday morning we left the Black Hills stopping one more time at Mt. Rushmore. 

Next were the Badlands with all their stark beauty.  We had to stop at most of the turnouts to ooh and aah!

We drove all the way to the KOA at the edge of South Dakota in Sioux Falls.

Sunday morning started off well.  It was a big driving day and we thought we could make it all the way to St. Louis! Unfortunately, the warning lights on the dash went on and here we are in Lee's Summit waiting to hear from the Subaru dealer.  The good news is it was only a. 20 mile tow!  Hopefully we will be on our way by this afternoon! 

From Custer South Dakota to Lees Summit Missouri

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We fully enjoyed or stay in the Black Hills and then the Badlands!  We rented a cute cabin in the KOA in Custer, SD.    

Turns out this was a good choice .  We picked the cabin instead of the tent because of a severe weather watch.  We never did get rain there, but we saw lots if intense lightening  just over the hill. It turned out that in Hill City, just over the hill there was grapefruit sized hail that broke car windows!   

We went to Mt. Rushmore  the first evening and were impressed by the patriotic program.  I have such mixed emotions about patriotism. 

The Yellowstone Grand Tour

On June  17th we did the circle tour of the park.  We had done lots of geyser gazing the day before, so we decided to focus on the other features of the park. We left the Old Faithful area and proceeded up north to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Every stop in this park is breathtaking.  Note to Marilyn, the map room no longer exists!  The visitor center was remodeled :(.  It is nice , but no maps.  We headed on to the canyon area  and thanks to Judy's recommendation we took a ranger walk to see both the upper and lower falls in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.  The lower falls are 3 times longer than Niagra Falls! 

The Yellowstone Inn

Hat a beautiful and vintage place!  We had a room in the "Old House." Some people don't like these room because the bath is down the hall , but it is totally worth it because the place is do spectacular !  A great way to spend our 41st anniversary.  We watched Old Faithful 5 times during our stay - sometimes from the balcony, once from the car, and once closer up.