New England is made up of six states; Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. These states have a combined geographical area that is just a little larger than the state of Missouri, with more than twice the amount of people. The smallest of these states is Rhode Island, in fact it’s the smallest state in the nation. Fortunately it’s only a couple of hours drive for us to go to Providence so that made it the perfect destination for a Saturday getaway. I didn’t want to get there without a plan so I did some research and found a river cruise that looked interesting, and made a reservation for the 12:30 slot.

 

The entire state of Rhode Island has a little over one million people, so Providence isn’t a terribly large city like Boston.  Commuter rail trains even run from Providence to Boston so it seems almost a suburb, but not. I’ve driven through Providence before and noticed a huge mall right in the downtown area with a multi-story parking garage next to the interstate. This looked like a great place to park and would provide us a great vantage point to see the city.

The capitol building was only a couple of blocks down the street and we drove past it as we made our way to the garage.

Exiting the mall, we found the river walkway that goes right through the heart of town. I have to hand it to Providence for creating this beautiful area right in the middle of the city. Eventually we walked along the east side of the river by Brown University. We found a nice little restaurant for lunch and recharged before finding the river cruise.

For people going to Chicago, I always recommend the architectural river cruise. I don’t know if this cruise was to that caliber, but it sure was a great way to get to know this city. It turned out that the beautiful river and walkway was no accident. The city underwent a major cleanup of the rivers and walkways to make it look this beautiful. The rivers house an art installation called Waterfire on which bonfires are lit on the water at certain nights during the summer and fall. We were able to see the wood for these fires stored under the city’s bridges. It sounds really interesting and we both would like to come back and see it sometime.  The cruise took us out past the flood wall that closes off the river during a hurricane. The river is deeper here and large tugs were docked to the side waiting to assist barges and other large vessels through the channel.

After the cruise we chose to walk the other side of the river to make our way back to the mall. This side was just as nice as the other and beautiful flowers graced the sidewalks in large planters. Providence has a nice charm to it that is definitely east coast without all the combustion of the larger cities. I am eager to see what more adventures we can find in Rhode Island.

 

 

 

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

I was 13 during the bicentennial year of 1976.  One of the 4th of July festivities was a parade of tall ships into New York Harbor called Operation Sail. As I’ve said before, I love ships and sailing vessels are some of the most beautiful crafts ever built. I’m not sure if I watched it on TV that day or if I just read about it and saw the pictures in Time magazine.  I do remember a few years later, playing music in band written by Jay Chattaway that was written for the event. Last week I noted that Boston would be hosting a parade of tall ships in the harbor this weekend. This doesn’t happen very often so I thought it would be cool to go see it. I hadn’t talked about it much with Janet so I started watching the television coverage early that morning. As the first ship entered the outskirts of the harbor, I told her that I thought it would be cool to go see it live. She wasn’t totally on board with the idea, but agreed that if I wanted to go she would go along.

One of the reasons we moved to Tewksbury is because it’s only about 20 minutes to downtown. As usual, we parked at a subway station and took the orange line to the Haymarket station. We made our way to the end of Long Pier and found that the ship we’d seen on television was just making it’s way to the pier. This shouldn’t have been surprising as the pier is almost at the end of the harbor where it becomes the Charles and Mystic rivers.  We stayed for about an hour and saw some beautiful ships. We were lucky to be able to see as there were thousands of people not only on the pier but surrounding the entire harbor. Though she hadn’t been totally convinced of the plan that morning, Janet was thrilled we’d decided to take part in the event.

Afterward, we walked by Faneuil Hall where a pogo stick performer had drawn a crowd. He did all kinds of tricks that normal people would have broken their neck or skull had they attempted it. I was chosen from the crowd to help steady his ten foot pogo stick as he climbed to the top. He was very entertaining and made a great ending to an awesome event.

Many of my friends at work commented how cool it was that Janet and I take advantage of these opportunities as they arise. That’s exactly how I hope to continue this adventure, living in New England.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

Back in 2011, I directed a community theater production of Hello Dolly. It’s one of my all time favorite shows. My dear friend, Julie McDaniel (pictured), played the lead role, and we had a marvelous time with the project. When Janet & I saw that Dolly was coming back to Broadway starring Bette Midler we agreed that it was a “must-see’ event. We arranged to go with Mark and Maria and ordered our tickets in September for the April event. We also figured while we were in New York, that Autumn might enjoy seeing Anastasia for her birthday as it was one of her favorite movies as a child.

When we moved Autumn to New Jersey after the wedding, we unloaded our pickup full of her stuff, and then proceeded up to Newark to stay at the Robert Treat hotel in downtown Newark.  I chose it, because at the time I didn’t know much about staying in New York, and it was really close to Newark Penn station where we could hop on a train and go into the city.  Another bonus was that it offered free parking, a very rare thing in that part of the country. Knowing Autumn would be joining us, and that Janet would be flying into Newark airport on her way back from KC from her Grammy time, I booked the hotel again for this excursion.

Janet was scheduled to arrive at Newark in the early part of the evening, so I drove down to New York earlier that day to park and walk around. I love bookstores and wanted to visit the Strand bookstore and see how it compared with Powell’s City of Books in Portland, OR. (Not even close :-)) Some of my wandering included the grounds of city hall and lunch at a Mediterranean eatery for a huge hommus bowl and pita bread slices.

I left Manhattan and checked in to our hotel to wait for Janet. Midway through the afternoon she began texting me that her flight had been cancelled, but she was being rebooked on another airline to La Guardia, and she was arriving around 9:00 PM. Not wanting to take my car from the lot and forfeit my free parking, I decided that trains would be the best route. It’s amazing how far you can go with only a couple of train changes. From Newark Penn Station I took the PATH to the World Trade Center and then took the E train all the way from WTC to Queens. There you have to get on a bus to get to La Guardia.  I made my way to the baggage claim area where I knew she would exit and began to wait.

If you’ve flown much you’ve probably seen people who wait for business travelers as they exit the secure area holding signs with their company name or the name of the traveler. Lately I’ve noticed people using iPads or their phones as the signs. I knew that after a long day worrying about flights she might enjoy a little humor so I opened a Google Doc on my phone and typed the name “Janet Dancy” and held it as I waited for her to come through the exit. As soon as she saw me, she began laughing, calling me a goofball. It was the perfect remedy for a stressful day. We did the reverse trip on the trains and made it back to Newark around midnight. As we waited for the hotel shuttle, we witnessed an angry man put his fist through the window of a taxi that had refused him a ride due to the excessive amount of chains he was wearing. Good thing we called the shuttle.

The rest of the weekend was fantastic. Autumn came the next day and we spent time buying her an outfit at Macy’s and adding a performance of CATS to her day. She loves both cats and the musical so it was a surefire win for her. She joined about 500 other 90’s  00’s girls at Anastasia, and Janet got to see her boyfriend, Ramin Karimloo as the villain in the story.  The next day we took Autumn home and then returned for dinner and Dolly with Mark and Maria.  The show was everything we hoped for, and probably one of the best Broadway experiences I’ve ever had.

All the traveling and sightseeing is really paying off in my new abilities to rearrange my plans and make successful trips even when things go awry.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

I’ve been to Salem, MA twice, and both times I’ve wanted to visit the Peabody-Essex museum and found there just wasn’t enough time. With Janet in Missouri and a beautiful day in front of me I knew this was the day to make it happen. I’ve been teaching online courses in Educational Technology at Southern New Hampshire University for teachers who are working on their masters degrees. This week’s lesson was about incorporating digital media into a lesson so I thought it appropriate to model by videoing myself instead of just posting a written summary.  Since I was heading to the North Shore (Salem is on the North Shore) I thought I’d stop in at the Singing Beach in Manchester and record my piece there. After all, it’s a beautiful backdrop and adds visual interest to an otherwise dull talking head.  It was a great day for recording and after four or five takes, I had a product that I was satisfied with posting.

After finishing the recording, I headed south down the Essex County scenic roadway through Beverly and then into Salem. The Peabody-Essex Museum is a collection of artifacts from all over the globe, but mostly Asian art as it was once known as the East India Marine Society. Large collections include art from China, Japan, Korea, and other Asian countries as well as a Native American gallery. A 19th century Chinese house is also available to tour, however I was too late to get a reservation for the day. A significant part of the museum is also dedicated to maritime art and American decorative art.

The highlight of the visit turned out to be a special exhibit called Wearable Art. These dresses looked somewhere between runway fashion and sci-fi horror movie material.  I may be quirky, but I enjoyed it.

Though the Peabody-Essex wasn’t quite what I expected, it was worth the trip and I’m glad to have finally been able to make a visit. I got back in my car and continued down the Essex County scenic roadway toward Boston through Marblehead and Lynne to the end in Revere. The view of the city was beautiful from here and I had to get a picture.  My head was full of new experiences and sights so I headed home.

 

 

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

I just finished a book about a guy who, on a whim, spent a summer in Provincetown and ended up moving there to become a local. When my wife teaches her first grade about reading comprehension she introduces the concept of schema, which is a big word for background knowledge, or personal connection.  As I’d read the book, I found I had very little schema other than a view of P-Town (as the locals call it) from a distance when we went whale watching. I decided that a trip to the tip of Cape Cod was accessible and would provide definition to the images I’d conjured in my head of this fabled party town.

Janet determined she needed some Grammy time and booked a flight to KC for the first part of her spring break in April. Her flight left early on Saturday morning so I thought that would be a perfect time to make my excursion to the cape and avoid any kind of traffic. I dropped her off at the airport around 5:30 AM and was in P-Town by 7:30 AM.  P-Town on a spring morning is much different than what I’ve heard of P-Town on a summer’s night. That’s OK, I wasn’t there to party, I was there to put pictures in my mind.

Provincetown is famous for its attraction to the LGBTQ community as a summer resort area. It’s kind of like the Key West of the northeast. The main streets through town are narrow and lined with shops, restaurants, and clubs. Some of my favorite Broadway performers, like Kristen Chenoweth and Megan Hilty, have come to perform throughout the warmer months, and I’ve been tempted many times to make the journey to see one of these shows.  All this was asleep when I got there.  The few shops open were coffee shops, and I enjoyed a nice hot mocha latte at one of them. I walked the entire length of the business district and back, taking in all the details of this unique community. One important thing to note was the monument that stands in the middle of town as a memorial to the pilgrim’s first stop before moving onward to Plymouth.  I knew that there would be nothing else to see throughout the day as the season was not open yet, so I got back in my car and drove home.

My trip to P-Town was only an introduction. Sometime I’ll get back over when the party is happening. But for today, I was satisfied to build my schema.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

We first discovered IKEA in New Haven CT in 2014 on our way back from visiting Autumn and Jim in New Jersey. If we were still living in our house in Missouri, I probably wouldn’t be so in love with this store. But being an apartment dweller has reframed my perspective. For one, boxes are easier to take up stairs than assembled furniture. I also love the way they demonstrate how to get the most storage and utility out of small living spaces. Since that first visit in CT, we’ve purchased items for ourselves and our children, who also live in small spaces, from IKEAs in New Jersey, Kansas, and  Massachusetts.  For me, it’s more than just a building your own furniture store, it’s a model of how I can arrange my apartment for maximum efficiency. OK, I should get paid for that advertisement.

We decided we needed to go to IKEA for the heck of it. It was a beautiful Sunday morning and we needed to get out of the apartment. The only store in New England north of New Haven is in Stoughton, MA about an hour south of us. We made our way through the maze and found the items we thought we needed and checked out. As I approached the cloverleaf to go north on the highway, I said to Janet, “I wonder what’s that way” and continued east rather than getting on the highway. It was a beautiful day for a drive and we had no other plans so we decided to see where the road would take us.

If you’re traveling east in Massachusetts you will eventually encounter water, and that we did. After driving through Holbrook, Rockland, and Norwell we happened on the little coastal town of Scituate. The road brought us in alongside a small harbor with many fishing boats and pleasure craft tied to the docks. In the distance we could see a lighthouse that I believed needed closer inspection. My in-laws love lighthouses, as do many people here in New England. Each one appears to be different.  This one was a beautiful white tower crowned with a black cupola containing the light. At the base was a real working house. I don’t think anyone lives there permanently but you could see that it is used.  The Scituate light house sits at the end of a road that is crammed with older beach houses that line the small beach area. I’m sure this is nice in the summer time as the water here is in the northern part of Cape Cod bay and the waves aren’t crashing.

We continued our drive up the shoreline through Hingham, Weymouth, and into Quincy. Ken and Alicia, Janet’s brother and wife, used to live in Weymouth so it was great to get some perspective. My superintendent used to work in Quincy so again I appreciated being able to visualize where he’d come from. Quincy was much bigger and nicer than I’d anticipated. It may bear a repeat visit sometime.

We’d made our way back to South Boston and time for the adventure to end. Janet has always loved the way I plan adventures out to the last detail, however she loves it even more when I go rogue and let spontaneity be my compass. I think there’s room for both, and you can probably buy a compass like that at IKEA…..just kidding.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

Dan and I have been friends since 1982. We met each other 35 years ago when we both traveled in a christian music and drama group. Since then we’ve mostly communicated through email, social media, and the occasional phone call. We’ve gotten together a few times when one of my trips took me near his home in Indianapolis, or later in Florida. A couple of months ago, I suggested we take a weekend and see NY. He hadn’t been to New York since 1983 and remembered it as a dirty crime-ridden city with little to offer. Happily, I shared with him that the city is a lot different than it was in the 80’s. We decided that the last couple of days of his spring break would be a good time to see the city and really spend some time together.

I booked a hotel for us in Newark by the airport because it seemed the cheapest option. When I look back now and consider the train fare to get to Manhattan, I might have done better in Brooklyn or something else a little closer. Lesson learned for next time.

We took the PATH over to the World Trade Center and began our journey. Even though I’ve been to the city quite a bit, there’s plenty I haven’t done, like walking the Brooklyn Bridge. After seeing the memorial plaza, we headed through Wall Street and found a bite for lunch before making our way to the TKTS outlet for discount tickets to a show.

We settled on CATS and found ourselves with front row tickets. Next we headed over to Brooklyn. I must say, I really enjoyed walking that bridge and need to do it with Janet some day. Once we got to Brooklyn we found the Brooklyn Tabernacle. Both of us were very familiar with the work of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and wanted to see the place they perform each Sunday. Unfortunately the sanctuary was closed for rehearsal. Maybe some other time we’ll come back and attend a service.

We hopped on a subway and got out on 5th Avenue. We explored the shops and Rockefeller Center as we made our way down the avenue. Dan and I are friends, but are political polar opposites. He really wanted to see Trump tower, so I let him loose vowing that lightning would strike me dead if I set foot in the place. We laughed and I got his picture for his friends back home.

We headed over toward Times Square for dinner and milled around till the beginning of the show. I’d seen CATS when we lived in Oregon and had not been a fan. I’ve been known to give things a second chance though and this one really paid off. In Oregon we’d sat in the balcony of a 3,000 seat auditorium. This show really needs to be seen in the size of houses prevalent on Broadway. The whole theater had been transformed into a dump and the cats easily moved in and out of the audience. At the end of the show, one cat came and sat in the empty chair next to me, laid his head on my shoulder, and proceeded to feign sleeping until a girl cat motioned from the stage that he needed to wake up to take his bows. Both of us really enjoyed the show and I had a much deeper appreciation for the work than my previous experience.

It was late when we got back to the hotel so we didn’t get going at the crack of dawn for day 2. Once we got out, we headed straight for the TKTS South Street Seaport booth again to see what was available. This time we settled on Glen Close in Sunset Blvd. I was really glad he wanted to see that as it was a show I really did not want to miss this performance this season. We took a subway down to the east side and made our way back through Central Park. I could spend days just in Central Park.

 

 

It’s like a nature city in the city with so much of it’s own character and things to do. Even though I like to travel, I’m also pretty cheap and like to find as many free or inexpensive things to do as possible, hence window shopping, city parks, and half-price tickets to Broadway shows.

Our big event of the daylight hours was going to the Empire State Building. I realize it’s not the tallest building in NYC anymore but the views are still magnificent. Actually they’re even better as newer skyscrapers are being built around it and you can witness the transforming skyline from one of only three public observation decks in the city.

We found another restaurant near Times Square and milled around with the tourists until the show opened. We had back row seats for this show, but it was still amazing. This was the second woman in her 70’s I’d seen perform on stage this month, and I was blown away by the energy and excellence in these performances.

 

Our last day contained our final adventure which was the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Dan lives in Florida so the 40 degree weather seemed frigid. We’d seen a lot through the weekend but, I think he was ready to go home. But the weekend had changed his mind about the city and he was eager to bring his wife back to explore and experience the excitement.

It’s interesting that people can think very differently and yet find common ground to have close friendships. Dan is one of those people. Next to my wife, he is one of my oldest and closest friends. I love to share my adventures with people I love. We had a great time together and I hope we can do it, or another city again sometime.

 

 

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

We were watching TV one night and happened on an interview with Sally Field on some late night talk show. She mentioned that she was making her first Broadway appearance in Tennessee William’s The Glass Menagerie. Just out of curiosity I went to Playbill.com to see what the price of tickets might be to see a show like that. To my amazement, I found we could get top balcony seats for $50 each. It’s not often two people can see a Broadway show for $100 so we thought, sure why not! I booked us tickets for a Saturday evening performance two weeks away. I’d always wanted to expand my Broadway experiences to plays in addition to musicals so this was a great opportunity.  As time grew closer, though I mentioned to Janet that Miss Saigon was also back on Broadway in a revival performance. We’d seen the show in Portland, OR and really loved the it. How about tickets to a matinee? Sure why not. Might as well fill the day.

Miss Saigon was just as great as we’d remembered it. Some of the effects, including the helicopter, were even better than the original touring production we’d seen. I didn’t like one of the songs that had been changed for the revival, but other than that the show was amazing.  The Glass Menagerie was acted beautifully. However, the set was minimalist at best, with merely a folding table, some chairs and a few props. This wasn’t what I’d come to expect on Broadway. To make matters worse, the actors played some scenes so close to the front of the stage, we couldn’t see them over the railing of our balcony. We were a little disappointed with our first play experience, but still excited we were able to see the show.

The Glass Menagerie was scheduled to end around 10:00 so I thought we might try driving home after the show rather than spend the night. Our parking garage was on the east side of Times Square, but I had planned that the drive to the Henry Hudson Parkway would be a straight shot. However, when we got to Times Square, the road was blocked with snow plows. I had to turn into Times Square to get to 42nd St., which was the next one way that would take me west to the parkway. I’ve never spent 30 minutes to go two blocks, but then again, I never drove through Times Square at 10:00 PM. We made it home around 2:30 AM. and after serious reflection have decided not to try that again. It still amazes me though that I can drive to New York, see two shows, and still get back home to sleep in my own bed.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

New England schools may get out in June, but we do something really great and that is a winter vacation in February.  New Hampshire’s break is scheduled in the last week of February to offset the Massachusetts break on the third week. From what I understand, it really benefits the ski industry. But it’s also a time for everyone to get away from the snow and spend a week in tropical climates. This year we went on our first cruise. We’d been talking about it for years. My friend Dillard, the Central School principal, and his wife, Laurie, are cruising experts and decided to help orient us to cruising by joining us. They took the liberty of inviting other friends they’ve cruised with and we soon became a party of eight.

We decided on a Royal Caribbean Cruise starting in San Juan, Puerto Rico and traveling to St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Antigua, Barbados, and St. Lucia. We’d never been south of Key West so we had great expectations for a lot of new experiences.

We flew into San Juan a day early. Janet and I booked a hotel apart from the rest of the group because we wanted to spend time with our friends Maria, who is principal of the Middle School, and her husband Mark.  They have a condo in San Juan, and had flown down the night before to spend their week in PR. The beach was awesome and the water was soooo warm!!! I’ve written about snow in New England before, and it was good to get away from all of it!  The four of us joined Dillard, Laurie, George, and JoAnn for cocktails and an authentic Puerto Rican dinner before retiring to our hotels.

The next day we were scheduled to meet the rest of the group, including Pam and Mike,  for mass at San Juan Batista cathedral in old San Juan. Janet and I got into town early and wandered around the old city enjoying the sites. We found a great little coffee shop that we had to share with the rest of the group after the service. San Juan is a beautiful city and I hope to get back and spend more time enjoying the culture.

That afternoon, we boarded the Jewel of the Seas and set sail for our first stop in St. Thomas. In St. Thomas, Janet and I booked a tour of the island that had us hanging halfway off the side of the jeep. The views from the top of the mountain were spectacular though. Afterwards we explored the shopping area, but were quickly annoyed by the high pressure sales tactics in the jewelry stores and decided to make our way back to the ship.

Our next stop was St. Kitts. We hadn’t booked an excursion but wanted to get to a beach. A local service offered a really good deal so we took him up on it. We quickly saw the difference between the cruise excursions and the locally owned facilities. It was primitive, but our day on the beach was one of the best I’d ever experienced.

In Antigua we made our first attempt at snorkeling. Despite the crew finding a pair of prescription goggles for Janet, the waves were choppy and neither of us could get the hang of it. We got back on the boat and watched the others paddling around. The catamaran proceeded to a secluded beach where one of the crew gave Janet a private lesson. She and I snorkeled in the small bay and saw a huge star fish. It was enough to give us confidence to try again sometime. After snorkeling it was time to party with rum punch and conga lines.

Barbados was a beautiful island and once again, we booked a tour. I found it good to mix up beach days and touring days.

Our last island was St. Lucia. Nobody in the group had made any plans so we decided to go on a catamaran around the island to see the Pitons. They are two conical mountains formed by volcanoes. Joann couldn’t stop talking about them so we had to see them. This was probably my favorite excursion as we sat on the netting of the catamaran, and sometimes dangled our feet off the front of the boat. The captain purposely steered the boat into the waves to produce huge sprays of water to get us all wet. It really was a great time!

We spent a whole day cruising before our final stop back in San Juan. Janet and I took a tour of the ship and loved seeing the workings of the crew.

Sunday arrived and sadly our cruise was over. This cruise however, was a life changing experience. As well as seeing great shows and eating great meals, we took part in the art auctions. We are now the proud owners of three new pieces of art.  I guess that makes us art collectors now!

I went home immediately and signed up for the rewards program because I know it will not be our last.  We are now officially cruisers!

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

The 8th grade social studies teacher has been planning field trips to Philadelphia, New York, and Washington D.C. for many years. I went on my first field trip with the kids at the end of my first year in Hampstead, and was thoroughly amazed at the opportunity these kids had.  Previous trips included both Obama inaugurations and Katie had made plans for the students to attend the 2017 inauguration all the way back in May of 2016. I try to keep my politics out of this blog, but suffice it to say that I, and many of the other school personnel going on the trip, voted for the other candidate.  We’d been anticipating an event that, like the previous administration, broke new ground for the office of the president. This was not to be the case this year.  We also became more aware of planned demonstrations that would be occurring during our visit, raising my level of anxiety as administrator on the trip.

Our first stop on the trip was in Philadelphia, where the second and third inaugurations were held in Congress Hall. Our tour included the obligatory stop at the Liberty Bell, the Betsy Ross House, Christ Church, and Ben Franklin’s printing press.

After Philadelphia, we traveled south to our hotel outside Baltimore to get some sleep before the next day’s inaugural ceremonies. Early the next morning, we took the subway into the city as it provided the easiest way to get us to the heart of the capital. Security was extremely tight and one of our students almost got excluded trying to bring a camera into the event. Our group wore yellow windbreaker hoodies which made it easy to spot us in a crowd. Katie had gotten our tickets through our Senator’s office and we were positioned in the first standing area in front of the capitol. I thought it amazing we were able to get this close. Whether you like the administration or not, America has an excellent system of transferring power from one party to another. The ceremony is impressive for anyone who occupies the office.

After the event, we attempted to make our way to the Air and Space museum for lunch, but large crowds, barricades, and spontaneous demonstrations made it difficult for us to move around. We changed our plans and headed back for a surprise meal at Dave and Busters.  The kids were probably happier anyway.

Saturday was our sightseeing day. The plan was to begin at Arlington National Cemetery and make our way back to the capitol building. The only glitch in this plan was the Women’s March on Washington that filled the streets between the Washington Monument and the Capitol. This time we were bound and determined to make it the Air & Space museum for lunch. Our yellow jacketed group grabbed the backpacks of the person in front of them and snaked their way through throngs of protesters. We were amazed though, at how helpful these protesters were. They asked where we were from and cheered us on as we made our way through the crowds. We made it to the museum and while we sat, the march moved through the city and was cleared out by the time we finished eating. I’ve been to the Air and Space museum twice before and missed seeing the Enterprise model from Star Trek. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the exhibit was now located in the main foyer and proudly got my picture. After the museum, we made our way up and around the capitol, the supreme court building, and back to the mall before being picked up by our coach for dinner and then back to the hotel. An exhausting but memorable day.

Our trip back to New Hampshire included a stop at Battery Park in New York City. After visiting the WTC memorial fountain, we walked down Wall Street to see Federal Hall where the first inauguration took place, and then to Trinity Church to sing at the tomb of Alexander Hamilton.  After lunch at Shake Shack, we took a quick sight seeing tour through Manhattan and headed home.

Despite the crowds and fears of unexpected events, our kids were great! Many of them remarked that the protest was their favorite part of the trip and how cool it was to see the 1st amendment being acted out in that way.  I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to attend another inauguration so I feel extremely fortunate for the opportunity.

 

*I do not post pictures of the students due to school district policy.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

Janet’s brother Steve and his wife Kim are the unofficial Sheppard family hosts for most celebrations throughout the year, with Thanksgiving topping the list of largest family gatherings. We know how taxing it can be to prepare for that many people for one celebration in the season, much less two. Last year, when the kids joined us, we volunteered to host the family Christmas get together and gift exchange at our apartment clubhouse. We catered Olive Garden because we were staying at the beach house, and our apartment is too small to prepare a large dinner.

This year we decided to give it a little twist and hosted everyone for brunch at the Cracker Barrel restaurant that’s lies just on the other side of the highway from our apartment complex.  This just happens to be one of Janet’s parents’ favorite restaurants. Afterwards everyone visited our apartment, counted the 18 nativities in Janet’s collection, and traded white elephant gifts. Our apartment is handy as Ken and Alicia’s family come from the south and we are situated almost halfway between the New Hampshire Sheppards and the Massachusetts Sheppards.  We had a great time and everyone agreed it was a great way for the family to spend time together at Christmas without interfering with smaller family celebrations.

Having been back to Missouri so many times throughout the year, Janet and I decided to spend Christmas in New England.  With no family to visit we thought it might be interesting to see if any Boston restaurants were available for Christmas dinner. As luck would have it, there were a few dozen restaurants that were not only open but had special Christmas day menus. We both love French cuisine so we made reservations at La Voille on Newbury St. which is Boston’s 5th Avenue, Miracle Mile, or Country Club Plaza.

I had no idea what traffic would be like, but I knew I didn’t want to take the train because of holiday schedules. We drove down early in the afternoon to drive/walk around the city and see what we could see.  What I found was the perfect day to drive through Boston. For many natives, perfect day and driving in Boston may sound like an oxymoron, but if ever there is a day to drive in Boston it’s Christmas day. There was virtually no traffic. We drove through neighborhoods we don’t usually see and actually enjoyed the drive. Janet didn’t even grab her safety handle one time. At the end of our drive we found a parking spot on Newbury St. less than fifty feet from the restaurant.

Our meal was magnificent to say the least. The ambiance was similar to the bistros and restaurants we’d enjoyed in Paris. The servers and patrons were all in festive moods which truly affirmed our choice. If we weren’t going to spend the holiday with family, this was the next best thing.

After dinner we took a stroll around the block and walked through the Prudential Center. The stores were closed, but the mall area was decorated beautifully and provided a warm area to walk and let our meal settle.

I think we will make Christmas dinner in Boston a tradition.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

Lots of New England towns have fall and Christmas festivals. I keep meaning to visit some of these as they look to be filled with unique celebrations of local handiwork. My boss grew up in Kennebunk, Maine and has spoken of the Christmas Prelude on several occasions. When I saw it listed as one of the top celebrations in the nation I thought it would be worth the drive for us to see what the fuss was about.

Kennebunk and it’s neighbor across the bridge, Kennebunkport, are fishing towns, probably best known for Walker Point, the summer of home of the Bush family. The two towns combine to create a festival where people wear crazy hats and have a big parade.  Santa arrives in a lobster boat, and they have a big tree lighting festival at night. We missed those parts of the festival. But the part we saw was certainly worth seeing. Most of the summer beach shops that usually close for the winter are open during this time and sell Christmas related items. The restaurants are filled with visitors, and local crafters display their wares in tents set up in grassy areas along the inlet. Finding a parking place during Prelude is quite a feat, but we managed to find one less than a half mile from the main area. A great big Christmas tree made was decorated with lobster pot buoys and stood in the middle of the town center. The local gallery had a great Women in the Arts exhibition that we toured. It was a little off the main drag so it was good to get away from so many people.

We browsed through the shops, always looking out for a unique animal ornament to hang on our Christmas tree. We had window seats for lunch at a popular seafood restaurant on the waters edge. This was a far cry from the tour of 5th Avenue we’d done the week prior, but it was great to see how New Englanders carry on decades old traditions.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

Earlier in the fall, Janet and I had made plans to be in Missouri for Veteran’s day weekend. At the time we thought Dad would still be with us. It turned out to be a perfect time to have the grave side service, as his body had been cremated.  The gathering was much smaller than the service in October as Mother had requested only family attend. It brought closure to a tumultuous year. The silver lining was the opportunity to yet again spend more time with our beautiful granddaughter. It had been twelve months since Dad had revealed his illness, and after six trips to Missouri I felt relieved that life might return to some sort of routine.

Thanksgiving was upon us and as usual, Janet and I joined the Sheppards for our annual Thanksgiving feast. We also felt the need to visit Autumn and Jim in New Jersey as they had not been able to join us for the funeral or graveside service. Autumn had been back to Missouri in September for a wedding and gotten the opportunity to see Dad, a visit that thrilled him. Our time with them was short, but comforting.

Our trip home included our now annual visit to the 5th Avenue department stores of New York. We are no longer gawkers, we are now critics who evaluate the windows for their ingenuity and entertainment values. Probably the most interesting aspect of this year’s visit was the crowd surrounding Trump Tower. I say interesting because we’d never seen a spectacle quite like this with police and barricades. We hurried by as quickly as possible to make our way to Bergdorff’s and Bloomingdales to finish our trek.

As we head into the holiday season, I know things will be different. Dad is gone. A new administration is taking over, and I’m booked to be a chaperone for the 8th grade field trip to the inauguration.  Interesting times lay ahead for this tourist.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

I was sitting in a staff meeting at work on Tuesday morning when Dave texted me that I needed to come as soon as possible.  I knew this day would come inevitably. My boss told me I needed to leave so I booked an emergency flight, made arrangements with Janet, and then flew to Kansas City.  Mother and Dad had both moved into the apartment at John Knox Village since my last visit. This gave Dad full access to the medical facilities, including hospice. Dave told me that Sunday he’d fallen on his way back to bed from the bathroom, and told Mother she needed to get help for him. They pulled the emergency cord in the bathroom for medical assistance. He was transported across the complex to the hospice room where I now stood looking at him in his labored breathing state. Dave had been over many times since Sunday night and had hear his last intelligible words spoken on Monday. But his agitated state was over, and now it was time to wait. The hospice attendants told us it could be a few days so we took turns visiting and checking on him. Mother and I sat together all day Thursday talking and reminiscing. Dave came in the evenings after he’d left work.  Dad’s brothers and sisters came in and out many times through the week. On Friday night, Dave, Mother, and I ordered dinner and sat in his room listening to him breathe. We told stories of the cross country vacations. We laughed about the rock piles, and lumber piles, and any other piles he had the two of us moving from one part of the yard to the other. We sang some of his favorite Simon and Garfunkle, Elvis, or Tex Ritter songs. Finally around 9:30 we went back to our homes to rest for the night.

I woke around 5:30 in the morning and got ready to go to the hospice. When I arrived, Dad’s sisters were there and informed me he’d passed a mere fifteen minutes before. They’d come after we left and sat with him through the night. I called Mother and Dave and we began working with the funeral home to take care of all the arrangements. Aunt Geneva, Karen, and Vicky took care of notifying the remainder of the family. An hour later, Dad was rolled out of the building with a flag draped over his body as was their practice for all veterans. Mother, Dave, and I went to her special restaurant to have breakfast and collect our thoughts before proceeding to the funeral home to complete the funeral arrangements.

I called Janet, and she arrived mid-day on Saturday. The remainder of the week was filled with meetings and greetings as we prepared for the visitation on Tuesday and service on Wednesday. Dad had asked that Erik, Addie and me play and sing It is Well for the service. Dave and I both spoke, remembering the positive aspects of his life. Mother’s sister, Shirley, was an angel of mercy staying with her for the days surrounding the wake. My district sent flowers to the funeral, for which I was truly grateful. We spent a few more days with family and visiting a real zoo before flying home on Saturday.

Dad taught me the art of sightseeing. He coined a phrase for our family, “typical American tourists.”  Dad liked to prepare, but didn’t care to plan like I do. He’d send away to the Montgomery Wards auto club for a pre-planned travel packet that included highway maps highlighted to our destination. The packet included lodging and meal suggestions as well.  Dad rarely abided these suggestions as he liked to stay in KOA camps and make peanut butter, cheese, and onion sandwiches. We also took lots and lots of pictures. Guess I learned that from him too.  Dad didn’t care for the cities like I do. He was much more comfortable seeing the scenic America than the urban America. But many times I find myself visiting the same types of out of the way niche attractions he did.

He never wanted to be a burden to us as he knew the end was near. He went quickly and quietly which was just how he wanted it. I’m proud to be your son Dad, and I’ll keep living every day like a tourist no matter where I live.

Allan Neal Dancy

1940-2016

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

Earlier, I posted a rant about Christmas lights in Boston as compared to my home city, Kansas City. Yes, I’m biased. I think Kansas City has way better Christmas decorations than Boston. But seriously, if you’ve seen the two you’ll know I’m right.  But today is not about Christmas lights, it’s about zoos. I like zoos. I haven’t been to a lot of zoos, but the ones I have visited usually are pretty good. St. Louis has a magnificent zoo with hundreds of animals.  Portland Oregon’s zoo is small in size, but bustling with exhibits. Kansas City’s zoo is sprawling, though sometimes lacking in animals. Once again I assumed that a large city like Boston would have a spectacular zoo.

I looked it up and there are actually two zoos in Boston, Forest Park Zoo on the south west corner of Boston, and Stone Zoo in the northern area. Forest Park appeared to be the bigger of the two so we decided to go to there. All the zoos I’ve been to have been constructed in somewhat of a maze pattern. You wander around curvy lanes and come upon animal enclosures that highlight the given species. Forest Park had none of that. As we entered the exhibit I took notice of the solitary walkway that cut straight through the middle of the park from which all exhibits bordered. The walkway itself was only about 1/4 mile long and it was evident that this would not be a whole day affair. In fact, I wondered if it would be a whole hour experience. Beyond the aviary we saw a gorilla house, a large cat area, a giraffe enclosure, and a children’s petting zoo. I wondered if the sleeping lions were dreaming of the San Diego or even Bronx Zoo. There may have even been a zebra and a water buffalo somewhere. I guess I can say I’ve been there, done that, didn’t want a t-shirt. The great thing was that we did have a coupon that saved us 50% on admission. I can honestly say that it was a fine $9.00 attraction.  I guess every city has its weaknesses. So far I think Boston has two, Christmas lights and zoos.

 

 

What would this travel blog be if it did not include at least one entry about a road trip through the colored leaves of the fall? After getting back from Missouri, I needed to get away with Janet and enjoy the fall colors. We decided that Columbus Day weekend would be a great day to head north to Bar Harbor, Maine. I’d heard a lot about the town, and knew that nearby Acadia National Forest was a site to behold. I’ve shared my love for gardens in previous posts. I had seen a sign for a Hampstead seniors tour to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Booth Bay, so we arranged to visit there on Saturday, then drive up the coast and spend the night in Belfast and then see Bar Harbor on Sunday.

Looking back, I’m not sure what was my favorite part. The Botanical Gardens were everything I’d hoped for. In the children’s garden there were tributes to some of Maine’s most popular children’s literature authors including Charlotte’s Web author E.B. White and Blueberries for Sal author Robert McCloskey. Even though it was fall, there were beautiful flowers in bloom and trails that led down to the tidal pool. As in Sandwich, there were gardens hidden in the woods. My favorite was a Zen garden with meditation sculptures. I would love to go back at Christmas time when the gardens are lit in dazzling colors. Of course I want to go back in the spring and early summer to see more of the warmer weather blossoms.

Our hotel in Belfast faced the ocean, and at the bottom of the lawn was a walkway to get to the water. Janet stayed in the hotel room, but I found it very relaxing to wake early in the morning and sit by the shore listening to the waves ripple on the rocks as I drank my morning coffee.

The drive to Bar Harbor was foggy with drizzly rain. I suppose for most drives this would be kind of a bummer. I’ve found, though that when you’re on a color tour, all that moisture makes the bark darker and the color of the leaves more vibrant. We were certainly not disappointed as we arrived at one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.

Acadia National Park is on an island off the mainland and is crowned by Cadillac mountain. We stopped at the visitors center to make sure we had the appropriate passes to enter the park, and picked up a automobile tour CD. This was probably one of the best investments of the entire weekend. We put the CD in the car and it told us everything we ever wanted to know about the park, including directions for stopping and seeing all the best sites. We learned that there are two parts to Acadia, the part before the fire, and the part after the fire. In 1947, a wildfire ravaged much of the park as well as many millionaire summer homes that were located on the property. A small portion of the park is untouched and traveling through that part is like going back in time. The trees are much denser and the old growth is almost creepy. It made me think of a fairy tale forest filled with magical creatures. The shoreline included those rocky coasts famous for their crashing waves. We didn’t see any moose, but we did see a beaver dam and lodge.

Our only regret was driving to the top of Cadillac Mountain and only seeing fog. It was cold too.

After the park, we made it into the town of Bar Harbor. Two cruise ships were anchored in the harbor so there were many visitors in town. We decided to skip walking around the shops of downtown as there were just too many people. We opted instead for a crab shack a few blocks away.  We both had some of the best clam chowder we’d ever had.

We made one last drive around the town, and it really is a beautiful town, before heading out. On our way home, we’d spot groups of trees that were in the peak of color and say, “Oh I like that one” or “Those are really pretty.”  After 15 or 20 of these we just began to call out numbers 22, 23, 24.  I guess you had to be there.

Of all my trips in New England, this is one of my favorites. It really captured the spirit of living in New England like a tourist.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

Dave called a couple of weeks ago and asked if I would come back to Missouri for a bit and help get Mother and Dad’s accounts in order. Dad’s almost bedfast now and they need some help with the house and such. This blog is mostly about my travel adventures in and around New England, but I need to take a detour. Though not an “adventure,” this trip made me use quite a few of the skills I’ve utilized in planning trips and organizing details. I want to write about it, because in this trip, I acted like Dad did, taking care of the details and making sure that all the loose ends were tied up.

I got school started in Hampstead and flew back on Saturday. I only bought a one way ticket because I didn’t know how long I’d be staying.  Taking care of your parents is very new to Dave and me. Dad has always been the one looking out for everyone, not just us, but his eight brothers and sisters as well. I’m not used to seeing him in this light, with other people including myself, caring for him and taking care of business.

The first thing to do was get the house listed for sale. I chose Bob, the realtor who sold our house a couple of years ago, because dad got along with him so well. He was glad to see Bob and knew he was in good hands. It turned out the house wasn’t on the market one day before we got an offer that was more than we expected.  The family had been renting a house across the lake and watched for listings every day.  We gladly accepted the offer and were thrilled to have that out of the way.  Next, I made arrangements for the estate sale. I knew I wouldn’t be able to be here when they had it, but it was good to get that all arranged.

Mother didn’t want to live in another house so we decided to go looking at apartments. We toured one that was less than a mile from Dave and Jennifer’s home. We thought it would be great to have her so close. She loved the 2 bedroom we looked at that even had a garage with interior entry. We went ahead and put a $50 deposit down, just in case this was the one. Dave had checked out stand alone housing in John Knox Village a couple of weeks ago, and it seemed out of the price range we were looking for. But on a whim we decided to go talk to the representative about an apartment. I knew from the minute mother walked into the model home that I would be getting that $50 deposit back from the other place. She was so in love, she decided the model was the one she wanted.

Knowing that all her furniture would be sold at the estate sale, we went and ordered a brand new living and dining room set for the new place. Mother had never been able to choose styles she liked because she always deferred to Dad’s tastes. It was interesting to see her go through fabrics like a kid in a candy store.

Dad was a sign painter when he was young. It was a trade he learned from his father.  Two of Grandpa’s signs were hung in the basement, and a cradle Dad made for Erik with all the grandkids’ names that Dad had painted on it needed to be dealt with.  Dad’s sister Vicky graciously agreed to take the cradle as I couldn’t take it with me, and Dave didn’t have a place for it. She also took the rocking horse Dad had made for the grandkids. Dave decided to take Grandpa’s signs to his garage and hang them there. I share them in this blog because pictures are all that I have of these treasures.

Of course I got to spend time with our son Erik, his wife Amanda, and our beautiful granddaughter Elizabeth.  I also got to see Erik in a performance of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony with his cousin Addie and her boyfriend, Joe. We ate BBQ and I got to see my dear friend Julie McDaniel’s Independence directorial debut of Crimes of the Heart. My trip home included a flight on Spirit Air to LaGuardia, bus and a subway ride to Port Authority bus station, a midnight bus ride to Boston, sleeping in the Boston bus station till my 6:00 bus to New Hampshire, and going to work without going home first. Don’t know what I was thinking, but I guess I’m a dedicated soul

I stayed for a week and a half and was pretty confident that I’d gotten all the wheels in place to break up housekeeping for my parents. I also knew that I would probably never get to speak to my father again. Before I left we shared our love and appreciation for each other, and I left with no regrets.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

Not all beaches are equal. Janet and I have been to a few beaches in our lives and know that some beaches are just way better than others. Two of our favorites in New Hampshire are Hampton Beach and Rye Beach. Except for the Cape, we hadn’t heard of many great beaches in Massachusetts. That is until today. Today we drove to Manchester by the Sea. It’s a little fishing town halfway between Gloucester and Salem on the south side of Cape Ann. There’s a movie with the same name that takes place here. The town is charming in itself with a quaint downtown that wraps around the harbor’s edge. The T runs right through downtown, and has a station which is less than a mile from the city’s beach, Singing Beach. I read that many Boston residents have ridden the train here because of how close the beach is to the station.  We didn’t ride the train so I needed to find a place to park.  If there weren’t signs, you’d never know you were headed toward the beach. We drove up the hill out of the downtown into a very nice area of houses.  Some were indeed, mansions. The road ended at a little parking area that clearly stated “residents only.”  It’s no wonder people took the train. We found a place to park along the street back at the bottom of the hill and climbed our way back to enjoy this little piece of paradise. I say paradise, because for a northern beach, it is practically perfect in every way. The beautiful sand is rock free and just the right distance for a leisurely walk in the waves. We didn’t come to sun bathe, but taking our shoes off and letting the water splash on our feet felt perfect. Many of the mansions we saw actually line the hill along the sand, and many were perched atop the bluffs at the end of the beach. It’s called Singing Beach because the sand squeaks when you walk on it. After walking on the beach we stopped and had lunch at one of the local diners in town. I know this is a place I will return many times!

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

In Kansas City, I performed a lot of theater. In New England I’m taking the advantage of watching a lot of theater.  That’s not to say I didn’t attend a lot of theater in Kansas City, but it’s a little different here. Not only is Broadway a mere four hour drive, but there are also many regional theaters that host equity players from Broadway and tours. This week we headed back to the Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This stage version was a musical with many of the same songs as was in the Disney movie of the 90’s, but with a darker flavor. The bad guy still dies, but so do some of the good guys. I think it needs some work before Broadway, but it was very enjoyable. The thing I like most about this theater is the small size, and huge talent. The stage is similar to what I performed on doing community theater, but the level of excellence is way beyond what we ever encountered. It’s hard for me to watch a production like that and not wonder how I could reproduce it with my friends back in KC. I love being here and the easy access we have to these marvelous experiences

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

 

We’ve been home from Missouri for a week now and it’s hot here in Massachusetts. Since we paid for a membership to the Trustees, I thought it might be nice to see what other properties there are to explore. I was hoping there would be more mansions or buildings of historical interest. I was a little disappointed to find fields and ponds and woods and other nature spots as the majority of their offerings. I’m a sucker for a beautiful waterfall though so we decided we would drive to central Mass. and visit three waterfalls somewhat close to each other.

The drive to the first falls took about an hour and after wandering through a lot of back roads, we finally saw a little sign indicating the Trustees Reservation and the name of the falls. We were glad we wore comfortable shoes, as this falls required a short hike through the woods and over lots and lots of riverbed rocks. It was beautiful  and the cool breeze through the trees kept us from overheating.  When we lived in Oregon, we visited Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge, and Silver Falls near Salem. These little falls in MA didn’t quite measure up to those spectacular sites, but they represented that peaceful calm that moving water often brings.

 

The second falls were much more developed than the first, and there were many more people enjoying the view. A nice path led visitors from the road to the bottom of the falls which began shortly after the river crossed under the road.  These falls had the turbulence of some of those Oregon Falls and didn’t instill the calming influence of the first falls. They were terraced though and dropped 30-40 feet from top to bottom.  The dense foliage of the summertime forest really added to the beauty of the landscape.

We were pumped now and eager to view the third set of falls on the map. After driving another twenty minutes or so we arrived at what was clearly the most developed of the areas we’d visited. There were cars in all the parking places, and many were parked along the side of the road in places not marked for cars. Surprisingly, we didn’t see many people, just a family here or there eating their lunch or walking the trail. We found a spot to park and headed on up to the trail. Our spirits sank though as we approached a map of the waterfall trail that indicated our hike we be a little over a mile each way. No wonder we didn’t see anyone in the parking lot, everyone was lost in the woods on one of these never ending trails.  We were dressed for short walks, but this was going to be way beyond what we’d prepared for. We counted our blessings for seeing the other two falls and headed back home. Maybe someday we’ll get back to see these falls when we’re more prepared, orrrrr not.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller