On Friday April 26 we visited the Blithwold Mansion and gardens in Bristol Rhode Island. The 70 acre former seaside summerhouse of coal magnate, Augustus Van Wickle and his wife Bessie, the house is now open to the pubic was celebrating “Daffodil Days”. The grounds and gardens were in very good condition. The green house had a nice variety of plants. We were experiencing the first warm day we’d had this spring and the temperature was in the 70’s. What a great day to spend visiting such a great garden and finally spring is here in New England. The “self guided&rdq [View Full Entry]

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On the first clear warm Sunday in March Karen, Maya, Jack and myself went for a walk at Bradley Palmer State park. I wanted to do the accessible trail that follows the Ipswich river. There was still some snow on the trail but it was rejuvenating to outside after such a long cold winter. It's a great place to walk and several other families and an artist were sharing the trail. Spring is just around the corner. [View Full Entry]

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On a clear very cold February day Tommy, Jim, Scott and myself went up Mt. Washington auto road in one of the Great Glen Snow Cats. The “Cats” are these great specially equipped four track vans for driving in snow. We rode on the snow pack up above the tree line on the auto road that in summer goes to the summit of Mt. Washington. At times we were driving up the road on over 8 feet of packed snow. Unfortunately we were unable to get any clear views of the top of the mountain on our ride up because of [View Full Entry]

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In mid November Kim, Jim, Karen and myself vacationed at Kim's timeshare in Naples Florida. The weather wasn't real hot but it was warm and clear with days that were much better than what we'd left behind in Massachusetts. I spent a good part of the week just sitting in the hot tub overlooking Naples harbor reading my book. A-a-a-a-a-a-ah so warm and relaxing what a great way to watch the day go by. Naples is an affluent community on Florida's south west coast. There's miles of great beaches and lots of restaurants. This makes it a wonderful place to relax [View Full Entry]

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We made our annual pilgrimage to the 191st Topsfield Fair. This is America’s oldest agricultural fair presented by the Essex County Agricultural Society. Depending on your involvement the fair is fresh and new every year or it’s exactly the same as last year. I participate in the fair every year in the competition as an exhibitor. For those of us who exhibit our art, animals, plants, vegetables or tractors this is a new and exciting fair every year. If your one of the folks who just wants to get to the midway its the same old fair every year. Here are [View Full Entry]

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Newbury, Massachusetts On a clear fall day Karen and I took a peaceful drive through Newbury. The signs of fall were everywhere. [View Full Entry]

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Labor Day we checked out of the Abigail Hotel in Victoria and headed for the Ferry that took us from Nanaimmo to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver. The ride to Whistler was an 80-mile winding mountain road that is under construction in anticipation of the 2010 Winter Olympics. We checked into our room at the Delta Whistler Village Suites and decided to upgrade to a suite. We had very comfortable accommodations with a small kitchen-living area and separate bedroom. Whistler Village is right at the base of the mountain with fabulous shopping opportunities, many restaurants, hotels, condos and [View Full Entry]

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Saturday August 30, Saturday we were up early to be at The Butchart Gardens on the Saanich Peninsula for the 9am opening. This is a designated National Historic Site of Canada still privately owned and operated. We enjoyed the breathtaking gardens with only a few other visitors until almost 11am when the crowds and bus tours arrived. It’s hard to put into words just how beautiful the gardens are the brochure doesn’t exaggerate when it says, “ravishing floral splendor greets you at every turn.” If you visit Vancouver Island this is a must see. We were also for [View Full Entry]

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Friday August 29 The last week of our vacation we rented a car and took the ferry from Tsawwassn to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island and drove to Victoria . We stayed at Abigail’s Hotel one of the “Unique Inns” in the west, a collection of the finest owner-inspired lodgings in British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Oregon and California. What a great find tucked away in a neighborhood within walking distance to downtown Victoria. The city is beautifuly situated on the bay. Lucky for us on Labor Day Weekend the antique wooden boat show was in town. We spent Friday afterno [View Full Entry]

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Tuesday August 26 - Thursday August 28 We arrived in Whitehorse earlier than scheduled due to the flight from Dawson. We took a ride on the waterfront trolly, checked out the visitor center and the local museum. That evening we enjoyed the Frantic Follies. On Wednesday morning we visited a local animal reserve and that afternoon met our friend Charlene who treated us to a tour of Whitehorse. Winter comes early in the Yukon the first snow of the season has already frosted the higher elevations around Whitehorsee. That evening we gathered for our farewell dinner. We said goodbye to Sherrie [View Full Entry]

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