Welcome to California -- through 12/04/17

From Athens to Newark Liberty Internat'l Airport to Atlanta, and finally Mobile AL.  All that took roughly 24 hours.  I don't sleep much on a plane, nor in an airport, so you can imagine how goofy I was when our time in the air and airports was over.  At Newark, we bid Bernice and Ibby farewell and they went home; we weren't finished yet.  The flight from Athens landed in Newark at 9:30 pm, meaning we traveled 11+ hours through the darkness of night.  You can do that flying from east to west.  However, no flights could take us south that night, so Jimmy and I spent Thanksgiving Eve at the Newark Airport.  We decided not to get a room, since our flight the next morning was an early one.  I guess we dozed for an hour.

Jimmy's sister picked us up at Mobile's airport at 1:30pm on Thanksgiving Day, which happened to be my birthday.  But, let's don't talk about age, okay?  After eating a combo lunch/dinner with her, Jimmy and I skedaddled across Mobile Bay to our Tergel parked in Daphne.  We managed to stay awake till 8/ish, and slept 11 hours!  The next day we emptied our suitcases and four loads of wash later, we had clean clothes -- hooray!

On Saturday, the 25th, our good friends, Tom and Diane, drove from Tallahassee to treat us to lunch at Felix's Fish Camp on the Causeway.  What a treat!  Thanks, you guys!  Later, we made time to visit another good friend, coincidentally named Tommy, in the hospital.  Back in Tergel, we decided to start the trek west the next day, Sunday.  We had an easy drive to my sister's place near Baton Rouge, spent three nights with them, and left their place on Wednesday, the 28th, aiming for Hidden Lakes RV Pk in Beaumont TX.  I-10 all the way, baby!

Winter days are short, with little daylight hours, and traveling west into the afternoon sun is no picnic.  With that combination, we decided to get up well before sunrise and put in our miles early.  By 4:30 or 5am, we'd be on the road (I-10) ... heading west in Texas.  We saw some truly spectacular sunrises three mornings in a row!  Wednesday and Thursday saw us putting in 1100 miles altogether, and we made it all the way to Benson, AZ.  A brilliant Ft Stockton, Texas, sunrise above.

Saturday's sunrise at Kartchner Caverns, AZ, was even prettier than the morning's before.  When we got to Benson AZ, where Kartchner is, we were so tired we chose to do a shorter day, which meant we could do a morning cave tour.  We still managed to drive nearly 250 miles in the afternoon.  We stayed at Kartchner Caverns C/G several yrs ago and did the Throne Room tour.  This year we toured The Big Room.  The campground has long, level spaces, set far apart from each neighbor, and oh-so-quiet ... perfect.  

The Big Room cavern is closed from mid-April to mid-October and during that time, a colony of Common Cave Bats is busy giving birth, raising their pups, teaching them to fly, echolocate, and how to hunt.  On April 15, the staff closes all the doors to the Big Room, turns out the lights, and even pulls out the plugs, to be sure no lights come on in there during the summer months. They won't enter that part of the cave until late September, after the bats have migrated. The Big Room re-opens to the public on October 15th.  

I could hear people around the corner that I couldn't see!

Supersonic bat ears really work!

In the visitor center is a depiction of a Ground Sloth that paleontologists discovered in the cavern -- a skeleton of an 86,000-year-old Shasta ground sloth.  We enjoyed The Big Room tour, but if I had to make a choice, I'd pick the Throne Room tour.

Saturday night was Desert Cypress in Wickenburg, AZ (overpriced), and after a long, hard drive on Sunday, we pulled into Tonopah Station in Tonopah NV.  A cold front had just blown through, leaving a huge, ugly wind, first against the driver's side, trying to push us over, then a head-on, in-your-face headwind.  Terrible drive.  This was the kind of wind that high-profile vehicles are warned about (and we were).  Plus due to navigator error (both me and Nuvi), we drove a good 25 miles out of our way leaving Wickenburg.  In Tonopah, elevation 6,000'+, it was FREEZING.  Jimmy hooked up the electrics, but not water.  The temp on Monday morning was 14°F.  We'd pulled in both slides and kept the catalytic propane heater on, as well as the small space heater to keep Tergel and us warm.  Above, not much traffic on Highway 95 in Nevada, and little wind on Monday.  Good night, moon!

Nice to see some snow on the Eastern Sierras. 

Even Mt Grant overlooking Hawthorne had a dusting.

The Sierras are dead ahead.

We're about to leave Nevada, climbing up to Donner Pass at 7,237'.

An hour-and-a-half from home,

this is a welcome sign!

When we pulled into our driveway on Monday, Dec 4th, it was hard to believe we'd been gone for three months.  But we had; we left the day after Labor Day.   Tergel logged 4,520 miles for her round trip.  Jimmy and I can certainly top that statistic since we flew halfway around the world!  Seven giant trees were cut down while we were away, as scheduled.  I looked around the ol' homestead, seeing it without those trees for the first time.  We needed them gone as they were too close to our house.  Can I tell you ... it feels good to be home.

Now, we'll take it easy for a spell.  Christmas is coming.  They'll be things to do, places to go, and people to visit.  Especially one sweet little girl, who was six months old when we left on this long journey, and will be nine months at our return.

Here she is with her Daddy (Matt) at Halloween time.  Everly Rose.  I'll get a new photo of her for you soon.  I hope you enjoyed following along on our trip.  For Jimmy and me, these past three months here in the US and overseas were fantastic.

A very cool Thursday, 10/27/17

Never a lack of things to do when we're Out and About!  While we're only in New Jersey for a day before our flight to Dubai leaves Friday evening, Bernice and Ibby suggested visiting Grounds for Sculptures in nearby Hamilton Township, NJ, not far from Trenton.  Neither Jimmy nor I had ever heard of it.  Boy, what a delightful surprise!

Painting by the Glow of the Green Fairy (Seward Johnson)

I copied the following from their website:  "Nestled in the heart of central New Jersey lies Grounds For Sculpture, a magical place where art and nature are always at play. At its core are more than 270 sculptures by renowned and emerging contemporary artists, each thoughtfully positioned on meticulously landscaped parkland full of thousands of exotic trees and flowers. It is a feast for the senses."

Covering 42 acres, the four of us wandered over the grounds, admiring the scale of Seward Johnson's enterprise.  Fashioned out of the former New Jersey State Fairgrounds (basically barren ground), GFS has been transformed into a space that offers everyone the joy of discovery.  Sculptures are large or small, in-your-face, or tucked into a forested nook.  A public, not-for-profit corporation since 2000, GFS charges a nominal fee.  You have to see all of it to believe it ... and we glimpsed only a fraction of what GFS offered.

Founded by artist and philanthropist, Seward Johnson, Grounds for Sculptures is itself a work of art.

 Hawthorne Tree II (Isaac Witkin)

Experiencing the landscape in harmony with the sculptures really was very cool.  You see Bernice and me sitting in front of a spectacular Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar tree ... with jackets on.  A 66° high temp was predicted, but the reality was a high of 56°, clouds that turned into light rain and ended at 52° with a real feel of 44° by the time we left.  Cool?  Yup, downright chilly.  Something we will probably wish for in a few days!

Jimmy really liked this one.  But I couldn't find any info on it.
Autumn tree color was gorgeous.

Ten Ogilarchs (Michelle Post)

Resting Place (Roy Wilson)
Sandhill Cranes came to my mind ....

The Chamber of Internal Dialogue (Seward Johnson)

We inserted ourselves in many of the sculptures, having fun as usual.  GFS's mission doesn't specifically say having fun is part and parcel of its mission statement, but I'm sure they'd appreciate their audience having a good time, regardless.  Indeed, some of their sculptures, like above, begged to be imitated!

Bamboo:  alive, one yellow, one green, on either side of the path.

Go figure.

Family Secret (Seward Johnson) ... a classic.

Dancers (Alexander Rutsch)
When I saw Dancers, I immediately thought of Tree Beard in Lord of the Rings.

October Gathering (Joan Danziger) -- a favorite of mine.

"Copyright Violation!!" (Seward Johnson)
Peeking over Van Gogh's shoulder!

Testing Togetherness (Seward Johnson)
If you're wondering, they are life sized, and the book is Physics!

Depression Breadline (George Segal)
Though Jimmy and Bernice joined the line, the sculpture is too real to make you feel comfortable.

Has Anyone Seen Larry? (Seward Johnson)
A grisly sculpture!

I also couldn't find anything on the girl reading a book of poems.

Confrontational Vulnerability (Seward Johnson)

While this looks like a flat mural, it is a monumental sculpture on a hill near the entrance.  I took the picture as we approached the entrance, astonished by its size.  You, looking at this photo, have no way of knowing (without someone in the fore or background) how big it is.  Look again at the first photo and that'll give you an idea of this amazing sculpture.

Lunar Brilliance (Yuyu Yang)

If it Were Time (Seward Johnson)

Me, photo-bombing Bernice and Ibby's parody of the two statues.  We spent a few hours outdoors before retreating to one of the indoor galleries, followed by coffee and a sandwich in the Peacock Cafe.  How many contemporary sculptures?  Yes, you saw it at top -- the park now exhibits over 270 works, including sculptures by renowned artists.  I posted only a few.  There are many, many more.  We would love to spend more time exploring ... next time.  Recommend.

This is my last post before jumping across the pond.  I hope to have time-inclination-opportunity to post on the blog while we're in Dubai/India/Athens.  Stay tuned!  Hugs from Nickie and Jim!

Much, much more NYC! Tuesday, 6/14/16

We left Bernice and Ibby's townhome later this morning because we knew we'd be in the city late tonight.  I think everyone enjoyed sleeping in a bit as all of us were tuckered out when we got back last night. Bernice fixed us a hearty, delicious breakfast -- fortification, doncha know for the day ahead.  As per yesterday, we took the New Jersey train into Penn Station ... what a beehive of noise and movement.  Comings and goings of city people on the move. Thank goodness we had our friends as guides, or we might be stuck in there forevermore. Heck, Jimmy and I can get lost in our own little spot of Nevada City!  No worries ... today we'd kinda confine our walk to midtown.  This was another banner day for miles on foot!

Jimmy didn't want to look like a tourist.  But, you know what?  You can't help but look up and point and ooh and aah as you walk along (watching your footing, of course).  If that's looking like a tourist (I'm grinning here), then all four of us were guilty.  The Empire State Building loomed large as we left the station, but the consensus was we didn't want to go inside.

We walked to the Garment District to see Ibby's daughter-in-law's Embroidery Studio on West 36th, which impressed us no end.  Her studio was amazing.  The above pic is one small section of the studio.   Most of the employees were at lunch when we arrived, hence it was quiet.  A very busy young lady, she graciously took time to show us around.

Moving along! I love the buildings in the city ... every design, every size, shape and color. I took lots of pics because they're so tempting to photograph.  Makes it hard to chose which ones make it on the blog.  

Me and Bernice in front of Ripley's Believe it or Not!

This ain't a real guy, either!

Times Square in the daytime is lit up like electricity is free.

Bet it's even more so at night.

We walked in and around Rockefeller Center; we wanted to go up to Bar Sixty-Five for the city views, but we were barred (sorry) from going up as it didn't open till five.  That would have been something!  The upright swimming pool above is "art."  It's Van Gogh's Ear by Elmgreen and Dragset at the pedestrian plaza's Fifth Avenue entrance.  It certainly garnered a lot of attention.

We cut over to St Patrick's Cathedral, a most wondrous sacred edifice, standing alone and glowing white among the dark glass and gray buildings.  It's really stunning, inside and out.  I wish we would have had more time to tour the entire structure.  

Naturally, the cathedral had a continual stream of visitors.

Picture-taking was sketchy at best.

Reflections!

We didn't ride, but we did admire the horse's tassels.

From the Cathedral, we made our way into a corner of Central Park West, where the city's hustle and bustle disappeared. We found a quiet oasis here and walked some more. The four of us are sitting on a bridge overlooking a small pond ... everything is so green!

Still in Central Park, we briefly watched a ball game, and then worked our way around to The Dakota.  This beautiful apartment building was shrouded in netting, due to renovation, so we didn't get to see much.  Dakota is famous as the home of John Lennon, who was shot to death outside the building in 1980.  Doesn't seem that long ago ....

Dinner was on the fly, as we had a Broadway play to attend.  This was the quickest service ever, and the sandwiches were good!  Sitting down felt even better!

Neither Jimmy nor I had ever seen a Broadway play, and The Father was a winner.  Start time was 7pm, with no intermission.  Frank Langella and the cast got a standing O when the curtain dropped. If I had to describe the play, I'd say it was painful to watch, but something I'll never forget.  We four trooped out into Times Square in awe of Frank Langella's performance and the play in general.

Still upright, still on the move, we beheld the spectacle that is Times Square.  Ibby said it wasn't crowded this evening, but for those of us who came into the city from the woods, it was crowded! Young and old, and in between, eyeballing the lights, the overwhelming brightness, almost strobe-like from some of the huge screens, it's mind-boggling.  Those of you who've seen it know whereof I speak.  Costumed people (below) posed for pictures, looking for a buck or two, tho I shot this one w/o forking over a dime.  It's all crazy.  Crazy fun.

Dog-tired and footsore again (but happy to have participated), we walked back to Penn Station and caught the New Jersey Train.  You wouldn't think we'd be hungry, but we were, so a stop at Manny's Deli was in order, but I don't know exactly where we were.  Jimmy and I fell into bed when we finally reached the townhome.  I think we had a thunderstorm sometime while we slept, but that may have been the night before.  We had such a terrific time, a visit to remember.  Bernice and Ibby were perfect hosts and Big City guides!

We were up fairly early Wednesday morning, as it was our travel day to the Boston area family reunion, which meant a road trip of four-five hours.  Again, Bernice fed us a yummy breakfast.  We said our goodbyes, knowing we'd be travel partners again in November, and we're looking forward to it.  Thanks, you two!  Tergel was right where we left her, and we zoomed off.

Next up:  An ominous text message as we navigate through the insanity of New York in a motor home.

Big Doings! Sun-Mon, 6/12-13/16

Near Noon on Sunday, Jimmy and I rolled into New Jersey unscathed, me at the wheel, only partially terrified of driving so close to The Big City.  And we found our way to our friend, "Ibby's" house in Watchung, where we parked Tergel for our short stay in New Jersey. Packing a few things for the next couple of days, we drove to Bernice's town home in Scotch Plains.  It was grand to see them again, knowing full well that we'd have great fun, whatever we did.  The last time we were together was on our trip to the Himalayas last October.  Bernice and Ibby had quite an itinerary planned for us (all optional, of course), and as it turned out, we'd walk our little feet off.

First on the agenda was a 3pm Sunday Rachmaninoff and Ravel concert with the New Jersey Symphony in Newark.  The four of us had to hustle to get there in time, but we made it with time to spare.  Gone are the days of Loretta Young's dress code for the symphony, and we saw all manner of dress, including shorts and sneakers.  Happily we were somewhere in between a gown and sneakers, and it was very nice to see such a large turnout on a Sunday afternoon.

The next morning (Monday), we were all up fairly early and after Bernice's good breakfast, we hopped on the train to Penn Station in New York.  We were READY for NYC.  Look out world -- it's Jimmy's first time in the Big Apple.

From the station, we made our way to the High Line Trail, still on foot.  This well-used public park is built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan's West Side, and it's a wonderful place to walk and gawk.  The trail is roughly a mile-and-a-half, but we didn't go all the way.  Seeing the high rise buildings from 30 feet above the ground added to the magic.  When I initially spotted the guy above, I could NOT tell if it was a human or a sculpture.  I had to get up close and personal (and didn't much like it) to see that it was not alive, but I still didn't want to touch it.  Jimmy and Bernice and Ibby had no such compunction!

The entire city is under construction!  Love the new-meets-old touches!

I can't even remember which came first, lunch or Washington Square (possibly lunch in Greenwich Village), but we did make our way here, and the park had a lively energy about it, active people on their way or milling around or lounging on benches, or singing, playing chess, even feeding the birds.

Did I mention feeding the pigeons?

This guy has them all, including one on top of his head.

On our way downtown, we stopped in an All-English shop, where Ibby (whose real name is Irwin) bought a Cadbury bar, which he shared.  I promise you, the chocolate didn't last long!

Jimmy said, "Ohh, look at the old Studebaker taxi; take a picture."

In the distance is the Freedom Tower, our next objective.

One World Trade Center

We didn't go up and we didn't even make it into the museum, but we did see the tower and a Reflecting Pool, a moving Memorial.  There are twin pools, nearly an acre in size, that sit within the footprints where the Twin Towers once stood.  The names of every person who died in the 2001 attacks are inscribed into bronze edging the pools ... a tribute in remembrance and to honor their lives.  Below, you see wall-to-wall people lining the pool's edge.  Just so ... I have no words.

Before crossing to the tower, we stopped at Trinity Church, an Episcopal Parish that has been an integral part of New York City's history for more than 300 years.  George Washington worshiped here.  The church featured several poignant displays from the 2001 attack.  I had to leave the building.

Footsore by now, we made our way to the Seaport area on the East Side, with the Brooklyn Bridge behind us.  We were desperate for a cuppa coffee and a rest, and soon found both. Rejuvenated, we walked back to Penn Station and caught the train back to New Jersey. This was such a remarkable day for us, full and fun and sort of fast.  I accidentally left my fitbit at home in my bathrobe pocket, so I had no true idea of steps, but I know we put many miles on our feet today.  Loved it all, too!

Tomorrow?  More NYC!