Year: 2017

Today Monica and I took a drive through the beautiful rolling countryside of Buck’s County just north of Philadelphia. Mon had covered bridges in mind as there are a few in the area. So off we went fully prepared to “get lost” on the back roads.

Before we left Chestnut Hill, however, there was a church nearby our apartment that I was anxious to see… First Presbyterian Church in Germantown. We got there early and waited for the doors to open at 9am. We were welcomed inside by the very kind and cheerful receptionist, Ruth, who gave us a personal tour through the sanctuary. And there they were… several Tiffany windows that nicely shows off Tiffany’s method of layering the glass to produce a 3-D effect. The nativity window is particularly stunning although my camera couldn’t capture it without light wash. There are other non-Tiffany windows here as well, not to diminish them in any way. Also in the church are several murals by renowned artist Violet Oakley,  the first American woman to receive a public mural commission in 1902. See Gallery/World Windows for all the photos of this church.

Next we headed northwest for Doylestown, supposedly a 30 minutes drive from our apartment. Well, this is where the “getting lost” began. Two hours later we found it (humph). Talk about runnung around in circles. Nevertheless,  the drive through the farmlands was lovely. Dandelions in full bloom!

Continuing on, we happened upon Crossing Winery very near to the historic site where George Washington crossed the Delaware River. Monica had packed a beautiful lunch for later which begged for a bottle of cold Pinot Grigio and this winery had just the thing.

We carried on toward the historic crossing site where in December 1776, Washington and his men pushed across the ice-jammed river to take Trenton, New Jersey during the American Revolution (War of Independence). The site today is a national historic park with interpretive center, museum of artifacts, original dwellings that have been restored, and beautiful promenade along the river. Quite moving. Such history!

From there, we set off to get lost again looking for more bridges. We found a couple of them by accident as our GPS didn’t quite understand what we wanted. The drive through the wooded hills and valley was nothing short of spectacular. We saw the all the following trees in full bloom: Dogwood, Myrtle, Crabapple, Cherry, Lilac and Redbud and hugh rhododendrons almost ready to bloom. Traffic was very light and we were in cruising mode with windows down.

By 2:30, we were starving and looking for a suitable picnic spot when we happened upon Stover State Park on Tohickon Creek (feeds into the Delaware River). Monica spread lunch out on a picnic table and we enjoyed ham and cheese sandwiches, pasta salad, grapes and a glass of wine. I had just a small glass… Mon had the rest 🙂  As we ate, we watched woodpeckers flit among the trees, saw fishermen wading down the creek, and enjoyed the mild and calm peacefulness of this park. Very beautiful.

After lunch, we strolled the creek for a bit to enjoy the scenery and then carried on. There was one final stop into the town of New Hope where we walked across the Bridge over the Delaware, crossing the New Jersey/Pensylvania state line (the river is the border) to visit the town of Lambertville, NJ. We browsed some antique shops and then strolled back to New Hope to carry on home.

Here are the photo highlights of day 5 – Buck’s County PA

The morning dawned bright and beautiful and by 5:30, the cardinals and robins were having a singing competition. Mon and I had a light breakfast and headed across the street to catch the 8:00 train downtown for a day of sightseeing in the old historic area.

Philadelphia is so interesting because of the mix of 300 year old architecture amidst modern skyscrapers. I also found the streets and sidewalks clean and well maintained but also bumpy with cobblestones in spots so you need to watch where you step. Happy to say also that the people here in “The City of Brotherly Love” are really friendly and helpful so it lives up to its nick name.

We got off the train at Jefferson station and walked straight to the end of Market Street to the banks of the Delaware River (10 blocks) and started our tour there. What an amazing day! We saw many things; some anticipated and some not. The day’s itinerary in chronological order included:

• Christ Church – founded 1695. Simple and lovely both inside and out, several of the signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried here
• Elfreth’s Alley – the oldest still-inhabited street in America
• St. Augustine’s Church – 1796. Beautiful stained glass (see under World Windows for all the photos)
• Benjamin Franklin’s gravesite
• Independence Mall – the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall (sold out today… maybe another day) and the original City Hall
• The National Liberty Museum – provocative, humbling and filled with glass including stained glass, blown glass, fused glass and glass sculpture… the highlight being Dale Chihuly’s towering bright red Liberty Flame installation
• The B Free Franklin post office where we mailed some postcards (Ben was the first Post Master General)
• Carpenters Hall – brotherhood of carpenters and architects
• Merchant’s Exchange where imports and exports were wheeled and dealed
• Washington Square – nice fountain and statue of Washington
• The Curtis Center where we saw the magnificent marble floors and fountain AND the 30 foot Tiffany stained glass mosaic called “The Dream Garden”
• Philly Cheese Steaks at Campos followed by Franklin Ice Cream for supper
• The Peace Arch in Chinatown
• Reading Market where we bought some things for tomorrow’s picnic

Whew! Eight hours of that and it was home to put up the swollen feet and play with photos for a bit before bedtime. Great day. Wonderful history. Tomorrow we will change pace and go for a drive in the Pennsylvania countryside.

Here are the photo highlights for day 4 – Old Philadelphia

A driving day from Newport to Philadelphia took us 5 hours including a wrong turn or two and some white knuckle moments through New York City. There was only one major stop in New London Conneticut to visit St. James Episcopal Church. We were toured through the sanctuary by Father Miner who gave us an excellent history of the church. The highlight was the four Tiffany windows among several others. The color and emotion in these windows is phenomenal. (See Gallery/World Windows for all photos). Tiffany (early 1900s) was one of the first glass artists to use the colors and textures in the glass to “paint” the picture, rather than use actual paints as had been done for centuries before him. The facial and other detailed features, however,  are painted in the traditional methods.

We arrived at Chestnut Hill, Germantown (north Philadelphia) at 4:00, found our apartment and were greeted by our hostess, Rachel. After chats and wine, Mon and I set out on foot to explore this beautiful upscale and artsy neighborhood. Trees and flowers blooming and 24 degrees… how lovely it is. Later we had a fantastic sushi dinner at Hokka Hokka and called it a day. Tomorrow we explore downtown Philly.

Here are the photo highlights of day 3- Arriving Philadelphia

Up and away from Portland at 4:00 AM (I know… we were excited) primarily so we could get through Boston before the traffic got too heavy.

Three hours later,  we pulled into Newport and easily found the Marriott hotel.  As this was Easter Sunday morning, traffic was light. Our room was ready and they let us right in at 9:00 am (excellent). Beautiful hotel!

Off we went on foot to visit six churches in the downtown area;

• St. Mary’s  (where JFK and Jacqueline were married)
• Trinity (1698 – gorgeous white interior with a Tiffany window!)
• St. Joseph’s  (stunning glass dome and pink marble)
• First Presbyterian Church  (huge and stunning rose window)
• St. John the Evangelist (dark, small, beautiful)
• Channing Memorial Church (Lafarge stained glass)

Each church we went into we caught a little of the service; a prayer here, a hymn there, even a coffee fellowship and everywhere people wishing us a Happy Easter. What a wonderful way to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. I’ll spare you most of the photos here but if you are interested, you will find all photos of each church under Gallery/World Windows.

The afternoon was bright and warm. Newport is famous for its many mansions of the rich and famous from the gilded age of the late 1800s. We toured two of the better known mansions, both built by the Vanderbilt family of railroad and shipping tycoon fame. First, Marble House built by William Vanderbilt and second, The Breakers built by his brother, Cornelius. If you know the name Gloria Vanderbilt, she is decendent from Cornelius. These homes are museums today but still look as they did 150 years ago. The wealth! The privilege! The spoiled lives they led! We’re they any happier than the rest of us? I’m not so sure.

After the tours, Monica and I walked for awhile along the famous “cliff walk” that follows the coast behind several of Newport’s mansions. Beautiful views up and down the coast.

Dinner was at the Brick Alley Pub just across the street from our hotel. Steak for Mon and scallops for me. Full, tired from 6 hours or walking, and totally enthralled with the days photos, we crashed and I counted stained glass windows until I fell asleep.

Here are the photo highlights of day 2-Newport

A new adventure begins. Monica and I are on a road trip to see the north eastern United States. We will travel as far south as Charleston (South Carolina), then west to Kansas City (Missouri), then north to Des Moines (Iowa) and finally east along the northern states to home. There will be lots of stops along the way to see some pretty fantastic things.

Today we made it as far as Portland and enjoyed a walk about the city on this gorgeous spring day. Temps hit the high teens while the flowers were sprouting and birds were chirping. Some folks were parading about with clothing way too scant for the temperature but they seemed delighted to be catching a few rays.

We saw our first anti-Trump demonstration in front of city hall. They did not seem cheerful in their chanting… something about not willing to pay for Trump Tower. Very interesting!

On a lighter note, we also saw two churches (Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and St. Luke’s), a blacksmith demonstration in the park and had a great lunch at El Rayo Mexican restaurant. Tomorrow it’s up and away early as we make our way to Newport Rhode Island.

Here is today’s photo gallery. 1- Portland