Fun in Rhode Island

We spent a few days after Grand Camp getting ready for our big trip and the time just flew by. There’s never enough time with my children and grandchildren, that’s for sure. On Friday morning Bob and I pulled in the slide-outs and waved goodbye. The trip to Rhode Island was uneventful but long, with lots of slow patches. Summer is the time of year for construction on highways in the Northeast, so you have to expect that. As we were ready to drive up to the Jamestown Bridge we could see a dense fog rolling in, obscuring half of the bridge and giving the effect that the road stopped in mid-air. Creepy!

The next morning, bright and early, we were at my sister Wendy’s house, surrounded by family. Wendy and her husband, Bill, have a beautiful home on Aquidneck Island, not far from Newport. The  little ones had a blast on the trampoline and we all enjoyed swimming, eating, and catching up.

On Sunday I drove to my sister Cheryl’s house and we went antiquing. Such fun!

We had hoped to get out to Block Island today on the ferry, but decided to do it another day. Instead, we visited Green Animals Topiary Garden in Portsmouth, part of the Newport Mansion tours. With our reciprocal membership from Kern County Museum in California we were able to tour the gardens without charge (it ordinarily costs $17.50 pp.) Such a beautiful place. The estate was purchased in 1877 by Thomas E. Brayton and included 7 acres of land, a classic summer house, farm outbuildings, a pasture, and a vegetable garden. Mr. Brayton’s Portuguese gardener created the formal gardens and most of the present topiary. The estate has welcomed many dignitaries and the formal gardens were the setting for Jacqueline Bouvier’s coming out party.

Upstairs in the summer home, a lovely collection of period toys were displayed.

Tomorrow we head for central Massachusetts for a few days.

Final GrandCamp Session

GrandCamp is officially over for 2018, and what a great season it was. Rob, our 15 year old (and eldest grandchild) was here for four fun-filled days and just left this morning.

Rob has developed a love for golf, so he and Bob had a great time playing on local courses.

We also spent a lot of time in the water, and one day Rob and I went out to local thrift and antique shops. I bought Rob a box of Magic Cards for the price of $10, which excited him to no end. I also found a treasure...a glide rocker from the local Habitat For Humanity ReStore.

Bob has already taken it apart and will be making it gorgeous again. It will be brought to our place in Mesa this fall.

Yesterday the three of us visited Historic Cold Spring Village, the largest living history museum in New Jersey. Bob and I visit living history museums whenever we have the chance to do so, and we loved this one. Rob was fascinated with the Gutenberg printing press there, and asked the re-enactor if he could try it out. Maybe in another era he would have become a printer, but dealing with all the tiny letters would have driven me bonkers.

All of the buildings are historical homes or shops that date from the mid-1800s. Here are some scenes from our visit.

Chatting with the teacher in the one-room schoolhouse.

In front of the bookbinder’s shop.

The blacksmith’s shop.

A round tuit. How many times have you lamented that you’d do something if you got a round tuit? It’s a very handy item.

A horse-drawn wagon.

A two shaft loom that changes sheds automatically. We saw one of these in NM years ago but this one is actually being restored.

I must say, we have had perfect weather for the two weeks we were here, with blue skies, comfortable temperatures and fairly low humidity. Today it is raining but Bob and I are just getting ready for our drive back to Cherry Hill so it doesn’t bother us.

GrandCamp Session 3

So, where was I? Ah yes, we had taken the little ones to Storybook Land. The next day Bob and I went to the Cape May Zoo, an amazing place for little kids (or big ones, too.)  Jillian and Eve were excited to see all the animals and had a blast.

After a picnic lunch we let the girls play at the playground. This place has it all.

The next morning it was time to say goodbye to the little ones and welcome Adam and Alex,  the 11 year old cousins. We took them swimming daily, played miniature golf, ate popcorn, and visited the World War II tower in Cape May.

This is such an interesting place. We learned about German spies who landed on US soil during the war, and what life was like during times of blackouts and rationing.

The next day we were off to North Wildwood where we had fun at Ripley’s Mirror Maze, Lazor Maze, and Time Freak.

All too soon, our time with them was at an end. We now have Rob, aged 15, who will be here until Sunday when we return to daughter Kristen’s house.

GrandCamp Session 2

Day 3 of Session 1 with Quinn and Ben involved visiting the Cape May Lightouse. It was a beautiful day to do it and the kids enjoyed counting all the steps (199) as they climbed.

We were ready with binoculars to look for dolphins in the water. Nope, none today, but that didn’t dim the enthusiasm.

After a picnic lunch in the pavilion and a run up the ramp to the deck to look at the waves...

...we headed to a local movie theater to see Incredibles 2.

The next morning Kristen brought Eve and Jillian and took Ben and Quinn home. Session 2 begins!

First up was a swim in the campground swimming pool. Bob and I were too busy with the girls (both 5 years old) to take photos in the pool, but they had a grand time. They enjoyed the after-swim ice cream cone, too!

It’s such fun to watch 5 year olds play. They can make toys out of pretty much anything.  I keep a Bosu ball in the MH for exercise and the girls turned it into a boat on the stormy sea.

On Thursday morning we all piled into the car and went to Storybook Land in Egg Harbor Township. The weather couldn’t have been nicer; it was not too hot and not very humid. We all had so much fun

.

Tomorrow we will visit the local zoo.

GrandCamp 2018 Begins

Quinn (age 7 1/2) and Ben (age 10) started us off with this year’s GrandCamp, which promises to be a good one. We are staying at a very nice campground in Cape May Courthouse, NJ this year, which boasts a pool, a swimming pond, miniature golf, and many other amenities.

We started out on Sunday in high spirits with the ride to the campground. Riding in the motorhome was a new experience for both of them.

After settling in, we spent some time in the pool and then returned to our campsite for dinner and S’Mores. Yum!

On Monday Bob and I explored Wildwood, NJ, a seaside town with a nice boardwalk. Ben tried on of the games and won two prizes, one of which he generously gave to his cousin.

Wildwood has a small aquarium which we toured. The kids got to pet a shark.

The children learned the difference between a White-tip Shark, a Black-tip Shark, and a Nurse Shark.
We had fun finding souvenirs and just being silly.

After a picnic lunch and more boardwalk, we returned to the campground for a swim and a round of miniature golf.

The kids have one more full day here before we send them home and welcome another pair of campers.

Fun in the Sun

Bob and I have been enjoying our summer in NJ very much. Last Wednesday we had a family gathering at daughter Emily’s house in honor of granddaughter Eve’s 5th birthday. And what better way to celebrate than to have a pool party!

Eve and Quinn enjoy the water

On Saturday we spent a lovely evening at the home of Bob’s brother Bill and Bill’s wife, Brenda. It was such fun to hang out with them as well as Tom and Nancy, Emily, and Ryan. I wish I had gotten a photo of the group. I’ve been very lax in taking photographs lately.

On Saturday Bob and I met up with my friend Robbie and her husband Bruce for lunch at Norma’s Eastern Mediterranean Cuisine where we had a delightful time catching up. And the food was excellent, with vegan options as well as meat.

In between all this socializing I have been keeping my fingers busy, crocheting some amigurumi animals and finishing the weaving of my band.

This is a pattern from the book Latviešu Jostas featuring a double flower pattern. It was a fun weave.

Yesterday was Ben’s Half Birthday, a special day that all-too-often goes unnoticed. But not this year! Daughter Kristen picked up a small cake, cut it in half (and frosted the cut side,) added 5 1/2 candles, and we sang half of the Happy Birthday song to him. Only half of his brothers were there (Rob was at a friend’s house) as well as half of his parents (Jason is still away on training for the Air Force) but Bob and I celebrated with him as he ate his cake on paper plates cut in half and forks with half the times removed.

On Sunday we kick off the start of GrandCamp 2018, in Cape May, NJ. It’s going to be a fun two weeks.