Max: I read on one website that one should start planning a trip to England about 6 months in advance. The lady was wrong—8 months would be preferable: really , really preferable. We had about 3 weeks to plan, so by the time that Caitlin and I had our basic plan in place, our really very, very, basic plan, it was time to get on the airplane. London, England we are flying to see you via Virgin Atlantic. At least we have our hotel reservations. Caitlin is doing amazingly well with getting on board the plane—especially since I forgot if I had locked the car and had to ditch her in front of the International Terminal while I rode the shuttle back to re-lock the car. We just had time to stuff in a terrible airport ... read more

Washington, DC to Denver OOPS! Forgot to upload the pictures of the monuments...here they are. Also, yet another cousin visit with Cousin Richard. Smithsonian Museums...First the museum of Air and Space. From the Wright brothers to the space programs to asteroids, what a journey. There was even a Ford Tri-motor plane like the one John's father used in his airline, Pickwick Airways, in the 1920's. Next, on Monica's recommendation (thank you Monica), and because it got us out of the rain, we ducked into the National Art Museum. Oh, poor us...surrounded by paintings and sculture, including Leonardo da Vinci's only oil painting in the Western Hemishpere and the Chester Dale Collection of Impressionist paintings. And it was lunch time: we discovered the wonderful Cafe Francaise in the lower lever, by the Impressionists of course, and a ... read more

Sometimes History can be rough. Today (Thursday) we started out early in muggy, foggy, and hot Philadelphia to make our time for a guided tour of Historic Philadelphia. So here we go deep into history and those uneven, brick, and cobblestone streets. I mean deep and SMACK in the face. See Max trying to walk on uneven streets, See Max trip, See Max fall down onto the cobblestones of historic Philadelphia. See the very nice street person try to explain to Max as she rights herself, with the help of her husband and a kind stranger, that the streets are old and "not, you know, flat" and you have to watch your step. It would have been very, very funny except my dignity, knee, arm, shoulder, and neck were starting to throb. Especially my dignity. But, ... read more

Happy First Day of Fall from Chatham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, We woke to a howling, cold North Wind: a gift from Hurricane Igor. So, it was a perfect day for returning to Plymouth and a visit to Pilgrim Hall. I appreciated the effort that Pilgrim Hall has put into correcting the stereotypes started by Longfellow and perpetuated through the Colonialist Revival era of a white-washed history palpable to the white middle class of the 1950's. Pilgrim Hall is the oldest standing museum in the US and houses the few remaining personal belongings that the Separatists brought with them to what they hoped would be Virginia. They didn't quite make it south and settled on Plymouth as they became ship-weary, illness spread, and under the urging of the captain of the Mayflower. Captain Christopher Jones is, in ... read more

Hello Friends, We packed up out of our plush accomodations Boston and have descended into Cape Cod traveler's hell...the sweet little Half Cape Cottage from the photos on the internet has turned out to be a derilict, dirty, and non-functioning cabin. Half the house is so low that John has bumped into doorways and timbers more times than I would like to count and certainly more than he would like to even think about. On one side a lovely view of the woods, and on the other a garage full of old junk. At least it matches the old junk that is stored in the cabinets and corners of the house. John has been busy searching for a new place to land to finish our time on Cape Cod. Good Things, though: John cooked a super ... read more