Hartford, CT

We have few photographs as today was museum day. Three major names are associated with the Nooks Area of Hartford, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Samuel Clemens, and Katherine Hepburn. Homes of the first two are open for tours, the home where Kate was born is long gone.

We started the day visiting the home of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. A minister’s daughter and minister’s wife, she was vehemently opposed to slavery. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was considered a sermon against the practice and that is exactly what she had in mind when she wrote the book. She is reported to have met President Lincoln in 1862 who remarked that she was the author of the little book “that started this big war.” She continued to write novels and books on domestic advice. We could not take pictures inside her house but it was furnished in typical Victorian fashion.




Next door stands the Chamberlain Home. A wealthy lawyer, his home has beautiful carved woodwork that had Jerry is awe.



Almost next door was the home of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) Our delightful guide shared her love of Twain's tales on our tour of his home. Married to the daughter of one of the richest men in New York and with financial success from his writing, he, his wife and four children lived in opulence. They entertained frequently. A separate tour gave us insight into the operation of the home.

We enjoyed entire tour but seeing the desk where he wrote Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and other classics was a special treat. He could write up to 10,000 words per day. Twain was always a story teller, even using mantle decorations to create original stories for his children at bedtime.

He had ambitions beyond writing but made some bad investment decisions and had to sell the contents of the home to pay bills and all but lost the home to bankruptcy. While the couple were in Europe, one of their daughters returned to the home but died there. The Clemens’ were never able to live there again. Through great effort many of the original pieces have been returned to the home providing visitors with a wonderful opportunity to see how America’s premier novelist lived.


We ended our day at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. The special exhibits on the Hudson River School were apt since we had recently been in the area though some of the paintings were of home, Yosemite, Hetch Hetchy. The label copy was among the best we have seen, telling about the artist and also about the history or meaning of the subject. The museum has an excellent collection of Impressionist Art, ceramics, furniture, and more than we could see in an afternoon.

Native History

The Mashantucket Pequot Museum does an excellent presentation of the history of the Pequot tribe of Connecticut. Our visit there linked our Land of Enchantment tour of the pueblos of New Mexico and the just completed Hudson River Valley. There were similarities to what we learned in New Mexico as well as the history we studied along the Hudson. Tribes lived for thousands of years on the land, Europeans came and won the war. In New Mexico we saw that many tribes continue to live as they have while the Pequot own one of the world’s largest casinos in the world. Their museum reflects the riches they now have.

Here is a photo of their casino taken from the top of the tower at the museum. It is really BIG.

Colonial Connecticut

We had a visual lesson in 17th and 18th century colonial life on a volksmarch through the lovely village of Wethersfield near the Connecticut River. The homes have been under continuous occupation for over two hundred years and are a delight to see. The town vies for designation as the oldest in Connecticut. We vote it the loveliest so far.











Taking two lanes roads led us to an 18th century covered bridge that was repaired by the CCC in the 1930s.

It may seem traitorous, but the local corn is to drool for. We dined on sugar corn picked this morning and bought in Wethersfield for our dinner tonight.

Finishing up NYC

Cheryl and Dave followed us to the RV for a weekend in NYC. We went on an Eastern European Jews tour of the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side. They have kept some of the tiny apartments as they were in 1934 when the building was condemned. Our guide did a vivid job of explaining life in the sweatshops and the development of the garment industry in New York, even up to the time of the 9-11 attacks.

Our lunch at Katz’s Deli was disappointing but we made up for it later. On a Circle Island Ferry we sailed around Manhattan Island enjoying the views, an trip to take only once. Our evening ended with a search of Greenwich Village for a restaurant, such a tough job. Morandi’s joined our list of wonderful meals we want to repeat.

On Sunday, too full for brunch, we sent Cheryl and Dave to The City without us. They went to one of their favorite places, Good. Later we all met for an afternoon of standing in line to get theater tickets. This sounds boring but with comfortable weather, blue sky, and good conversation, it was fun. After some weak attempts we finally enjoyed true New York Jewish Deli. The Stage Deli serves sandwiches packed for giants and “soul food” that hits the spot.

After dinner we saw In the Heights, winner of the 2008 Tony for best musical. It is the story of the Hispanic barrio of Washington Heights. We all enjoyed it and recommend it when it gets to your area.

Monday we bid Cheryl and Dave farewell until they join us in Vermont and we headed to Connecticut.

Family Fun

We have spent a wonderful weekend with family and have fabulous things to tell.







Anna Lee’s cousin Barbara has always found great things to do when we visit her in Philadelphia. This time she and Bob put the bar in orbit in, of all places, New Jersey. We went to Grounds for Sculpture, the vision of Steve Johnson, heir to the Johnson and Johnson fortune. Cheryl and Dave came up from DC to meet us there. We all had the most delightful seven hours imaginable.

That thesaurus I have been using is useless to describe this former fair ground now garden filled with hundreds of sculptures. Steve Johnson seems particularly found of creating life-size, full color installations of impressionist paintings. These are set along the lake shore, nestled in woods, and perched on wooden landings. Co-mingled with them are pieces by artists from throughout the world. Turning away from one piece the eye catches another around the corner or behind a bush. Photographs are cheap imitations of what the eye sees and what the mind enjoys.
To top off the art experience, we had a scrumptious dinner finished with a creme brulee for Cheryl and Dave’s sixth anniversary. We then returned to the garden where just the six of us sought those pieces that were lit in the evening.

End of the Caravan

We are beginning to scatter as the caravan draws to a close. We spent our last day in New York heading in many directions including Ellis Island, the Brooklyn Bridge, Chelsey Market, and Rockefeller Center.

The Brooklyn Bridge called to us saying “walk me, walk me,” so we did on our volksmarch through lower Manhattan. Our lunch stop at the World Financial Center was again quite good and the waitress was a kick.




Our Farewell Dinner at Houlihan’s was another wonderful buffet. We presented a small token of our great appreciation to Andi and Steve and Maxine and George for a trip far exceeding our expectations. Their months and months of work provided all of us with experiences we will long talk about and long cherish.

Independence on Wednesday

We improved our metro navigation skills and headed out in many directions to explore The City on foot, on bus, and with private guides. At the end of the day we gathered, wine in hand, to share what we did and plan what will be our last day together on the caravan.



The Museum of the City of New York held several surprises for us. The 19th and 20th century toy collection was quite impressive as were the full scales rooms of Millionaires Row. Befitting our theme, we learned a great deal at the exhibit on Hudson and the early history of New York. We finished our tour of the museum admiring an outstanding photographic exhibit with a Dutch slant.



Then we headed out for another 10K Volksmarch, this time through Central Park. We have ridden a cab and a horsecart previously around the park, but we really appreciated its wonders as we walked the many paths past reservoirs, playgrounds, statues, a carousel, and along the zoo. In the middle of this beautiful park, it is hard to remember the vast city that encircles it.