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Published: September 25th 2010
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Hello to all of you who have held on despite the technological problems from YahooTravel and our own WiFi problems,
Where were we? Oh, I remember, we were in Massachusetts--we are now in Philadelphia. Perhaps I can remember by starting at the beginning.
We woke early on Wednesday which was easy because of the violent winds and not getting much sleep because of all the banging of shutters and blinds. We packed up early and left our 'home" on the Cape in search of 1) a car wash 2) a tank of gas 3) a tour of the Edward Gorey House Museum. Unfortunately/Fortunately we got to the Edward Gorey House 30 minutes before opening....so we snooped around. I think this must be a pastime in New England because there are so many fascinaintg and wierdo places to see. While waiting we found the bench next to the Civil War Monument enscribed in memory of the cemetery director.....that is so sweet! And then we found the Capt Hasslet house and his amazing collection of trees. OH, the English Weeping Beech Tree! Underneath it was a world of its own--one that I might want to live in. John pried me out and
then we went on to tour the home of Edward Gorey: such a visual and humor (very silly, pointed, and dark humor) feast.
Into the car and into reality--lunch at McDonalds ("What? No lobster?") and a hurried drive to Grotton Connecticut. We had a reservation for a 3 hour sunset Conneticut River Cruise--and we made it in time. With take out food, and.... Bluleberry Ale--my second bottle. I love this stuff. We set off at 5 PM on a catamaran hulled power boat cruise to spot birds (egrets. blue heron, terns, bald eagles, comorants, and the always present sea gulls) with our final destination a spot where hundreds of thousands of tiny tree swallows gather after the sunset and then plunge into the reeds. There is no description that I could possibly write to reveal to you the beauty of their gathering, grouping into a vortex, and finally, their plunge into the reeds as the night descends. It was a goose-pimply amazing sight that I will never, ever forget, but unfotunatley our camera could not capture. Then, we travelled back upriver under the full moon and temperate weather back to port. A bonus for the evening was Captain Mark
The English Weeping Beech.
The home of Capt. Hallet in Yarmouth, across the street from the Edward Gorey House. setting up his scope to give us a peek at Jupiter and two of her moons. We got to the hotel about an hour before the skies opened up and, with lightening and thunder overhead, drenched the world of Grotton Connecticut.
I set an alarm and got up super early so that we would have time for A COUSIN VISIT! This time I got to meet Cousin Chuck in Lansdale, north of Philadelphia. Now, ssshhhh, a secret: I am totally in awe and a bit afraid of Cousin Chuck because of his fabulous abilities in genealogy....and then, he and his wife went out of their way to fix us a home-cooked lunch: what darlings! Chuck and I compared a few notes, John tried not to fall asleep, and I tried very, very hard not to appear stupid...and with someone as brilliant at family research as Chuck, it was hard for me not to seem totally dim. It was a wonderful visit and I am indebted to Chuck for the research that Chuck has done over the years and put up on his website.
Chuck's wife gave John fabulous instructions into Philadelphia--so very appreciated after we had drivien from
far South- Eastern Connecticut, through New York, New Jersey, and finally into Pennsylvania. Whew! We missed all of the historical overload sites today, but have signed up for a guided tour tomorrow; so much faster than stumbling about on our own. We also met some great California people who gave us some very good ideas for the rest of our trip. They also warned us about the high incidence of bed bugs in DC....ewhhhh! I am going to wrap myself in plastic.
We can't believe that we have only a week left~
Love
Max and John
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John and Max
John & Max Kennedy
Swallows YouTube Video...
For those that would like to see what we are talking about the swallows here's a YouTube video of what we experienced. It's about five minutes long, but, the ending is great: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo4lk2CFjZc