| s/y Nine of Cups New York & New England Summer 2010 |
| We made our way across New York state and stopped for a visit in Irvington, New York (oh, so close to NYC, but not quite) to see Brennan and Hannah, our oldest son and his sweetheart of a wife. It had been quite awhile between visits, so there was quite a bit of hugging, kissing, catching up and reminiscing. We found time to take a day trip along the Hudson River and enjoy the scenery as well as each other's company. Though the "Big Apple" and the boroughs usually get most of the attention, the rest of New York is interesting in its own right. Driving along the Hudson River with the Catskill Mountains in the background, made for a lovely excursion. |
| New England, for our international friends, is the northeast part of the US and consists of six states: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. |
| New York Facts... Capital: Albany (NOT New York City!) Area: 54,475 square miles (27th largest in USA) Population: ~19.5 million High Point: Mt. Marcy, 5,344 feet (1,629 m) Low Point: Atlantic Ocean State Nickname: The Empire State State Flower: Rose State Bird: Eastern Bluebird New York was the 11th state in the USA; it became a state on July 26, 1788 |
| Brennan & Hannah...cute couple! |
| We crossed the TappanZee Bridge over the mighty Hudson and saw signs for storybook places like Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow...our exit. |
| In actuality, Irvington is named for its native son, Washington Irving, best known for his 19th century short stories Rip van Winkle and The Legend of Sleep Hollow. Rip reclines above. |
| We do heart New York...just not the traffic. |
| A pretty gazebo in a little park on the east side of the Hudson with a view of West Point in the background. |
| A grand view of West Point from across the river. |
| Two days was just not enough, but had to suffice for awhile. From New York, we headed through Connecticut and Rhode Island to Massachusetts... Marcie's home state and residence of sister, Lin and family as well as her Mom. We spent two weeks in East Walpole at Lin & Kerry's house and it was a non-stop, high energy, go-go-go time. We were trying to pack into two weeks absolutely as much as possible. Thrift shopping, yard sales, speed Scrabble, cribbage, walks in the park every morning, laughing, chatting, drinking wine, exchanging Christmas stockings in August...phew! It was wonderful! |
| Kerry plays keyboard in a rock'n'roll band and we went to see him play one night. Fun to be a groupie, but a severe T&L storm kayboshed the evening. |
| The weather was perfect and we spent lots of time drinking wine and chatting on the deck. That's Lin...my one and only sib...she's the best. |
| We attended an earth-centered get together to celebrate Lammas, first harvest. |
Steve Hamilton Project band plays wicked good. .
Kerry puts his heart and soul into the music.
| Massachusetts Facts... Capital: Boston Area: 10,555 sq mi - 44th biggest state Population: ~6.6 million High Point: Mt. Greylock - 3,491' Low Point: Atlantic Ocean State Nickname: The Bay State State Flower: Mayflower State Bird: Black-capped chickadee Masschusetts is one of the original 13 colonies and became the 6th state in 1788. |
| Massachusetts is home to Boston-baked beans, Boston cream pie, the "Mayflower", the USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides"), the Boston Tea Party, the Red Sox. Four US Presidents hail from Mass...both Adams', Kennedy and the senior Bush. |
| Jelly imprisoned? Not really, she has a perch by the window and spends her time watching birds and waiting for my Mom to come home. |
| We managed a daytrip to Maine to help the economy. Evidently lobster sales are down and we did our best to help out the situation. We lunched on lobster and then brought 10 home to Lin's for a lobster feast. Maine lobster - $4.99/lb...WOW! To the right, Nubble Lighthouse...one of the most photographed lighthouses in the US, was splendid on a sunny day. |
| What more can we say? ayuh! |
| We got to see Brennan & Hannah again for a few hours one afternoon when they stopped at Lin's en route from Cape Cod back to NY. They had found a pair of men's shorts (size 65) at Building #19 and we had a great laugh as everyone got a chance to model them... simultaneously. |
| Nephew Nicholas (Nicks) is now 16...taller than both his aunt and uncle and greatly resembles his cousin. |
Oh, my...already it was time to go. Two weeks and a day and it flew by...not that we didn't fill every possible minute with an activity or two! We stopped to see my Mom once again then sadly, we bid farewell to Lin and family. This is perhaps the hardest parting for Marcie. Come along with us to Maryland as we visit friends and National Historic Civil War sites. |
| Massachusetts derives its name from the Massachusett tribe of Native Americans. |