Connecticut

Today was the Connecticut day. Most of which consisted of a town called Mystic. Here they a recreated Seaport village along with a history of different types of boats and ships. We spent about 5 hours walking around taking in all it had to offer. We started with the boat yard where we learned how they make wooden ships. Then we saw them in the process of putting one together in their workshop. Then we toured the waters edge where private owners dock their extravagant boat and yachts for display. We weren't able to board any of them but they were beautiful to look at. They also had large ships that were used a couple hundred years ago that we were able to board and toured. It was fun to walk down the main street and take a look at the old school house, blacksmith, copper smith, drugery, clock maker, rope maker, figurehead carver and the church amongst other things. They also had small museums that you could tour as well. We were really pleased to spend the day here. From here we took a short ferry ride and headed for Gillete's Castle. Gillete was a famous actor in the early 1900s for his multiple portrayals of Sherlock Holmes. He also made money with a small time railroad he created. With his fortune he built himself a fake medieval stone castle. He had a sense of humor that can be seen throughout the castle's puzzle lock doors. None of the 47 doors in the home are the same. He also had an elaborate mirror system that allowed him to see who was visiting. After we left we continued down the coast to a state park where we got out and walked down the beach for a bit. it was a nice warm afternoon and the sun was on its way down. We have now found ourselves in our last hotel room of the trip. It is a little sad that tomorrow will be our last full day of East Coast touring but Claire and I both agree that not only are our bodies tired of all the walking we have done but are brains are starting to turn to mush from all the history and sites that we have been absorbing. This might be the last entry until we get home. We are back to Becky's tomorrow night and then back to Indiana the next day.

The picture for today are in the East Coast 2 link.

Newport Rhode Island

After breakfast today we headed for our next state, Rhode Island. We were to spend half the day in Newport and the second half in Providence. However, we liked what Newport had to offer so much we decided to spend the day. It all started with a walk around the downtown area. We few of the highlights along the way were Trinity Church, the Harbor, and the Redwood library. From here we drove to the edge of town to the Cliff Walk. The Cliff Walk is a 3 mile path that runs along the coast. If that weren't enough the Cliff Walk is also lined with huge mansions and other large homes. A lot of these are private residences but there are also a handful of them that are available to tour. We choose to tour The Breakers, which is the largest and most popular stop along the walk. It is 138,000 square foot home that the Vanderbilt family built and summered in for a few years. We found it funny that the guide mentioned the exterior was made of Indiana limestone. The center of the home was where the grand hall was located and the was 50 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 50 feet tall. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the homes but I managed to sneak a few. The other home that we toured was called Rosecliff. This home has been owned by many different families in the last hundred years. It has also been used in a variety of movies such as the Great Gatsby, True Lies, and 27 Dresses. After walking most of the day we decided to take the scenic drive that extended past the Cliff Walk. We ended up eating lunch while overlooking the ocean. We ended our day by walking another mile or so down a different section of the Cliff Walk. After a long day and a lot of walking we were content with finding our hotel and calling it a day. The last picture is a shot of restaurant next to the hotel where we enjoyed a steak and some ribs. Tomorrow we are off to explore Connecticut.

Slightly different site for the new pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/john23r/EastCoast2

Cape Cod

Here we go again. The day started off with breakfast at the Bate's.... I mean Scholar Hotel. and then it was off to explore the Cape. We started with some beaches and lighthouses along the east coast of the Cape. It was really foggy and windy but the coast still provided some beautiful views. Later in the afternoon it started to rain but it didn't last long and luckily for us we were able to drive during most of it. We made it all the way to the most northern point of the Cape before driving all the way back down. (It only takes an hour to drive from north to south) We had a great day having lunch by the coast, seeing windmills, taking a walk down a cedar swamp path, climbing a lighthouse, and seeing great coast and other lighthouse views. We are now just west of the Cape and ready to take in Newport and Providence in Rhode Island.

More pictures up on the Picasa site. Check the link below.

Here We Go

Now for some details....
It all started Saturday night as we landed in Manchester New Hampshire around 1:00 in the morning and headed to Becky's apartment about an hour away. With a fresh start in the morning we were ready to tour the nearby area. Our day started with a tour of Portsmouth. We had lunch/brunch at The Friendly Toast, visited the harbor, and checked out some of the downtown shops. After a quick drive down the coast and a few quick stops at some local parks to snap some senic pictures we headed for Maine. Becky knows of a little town on the coast called Perkins Cove. We drove into this cove where we had a cup of coffee along the coast before taking a walk along the Marginal Way. The Marginal Way is a paved path along the rocky coast.

I won't give you a play by play of our trip so far because there is just too much... but these are some of the highlights. We had a fabulous time walking the Freedom Trail in Boston - we were surprised to see that there is a red brick line in the sidewalk thoughout the entire Freedom Trail. We saw all kinds of historic buildings and got to hang out with Becky's dad and her boyfriend, Matt. We took the "T" (subway) to Fenway Park to have a look, and it was great! We even stopped to have a drink and the Green Dragon, a pub where fathers of the American Revolution formulated their plans to become a country of thier own.

Our first day on our own, we went to Newburyport, Mass. where we took a tour of a very old captain's house. The lady who gave us the tour was over 75 years old herself and couldn't hear anything we said. It was very fitting and funny to have her as a tour guide.

Later that day, we headed to Salem, Mass. We got there a little too late in the day to visit most of the museums, but we did get to tour the House of Seven Gables and Nathaniel Hawthorne's birthplace. We decided that to hang out in Salem, you have to be into goth and witches. Weird.

Today, we went to Plymouth, and it was amazing! We toured the Mayfower II, which is an exact replica of the original Mayflower and then went to Plymouth Plantation, a reenactment of the English settlement from the 1620s. Then we headed for Cape Cod. So far, Cape Cod is not our favorite. It's over crowed and overpriced in every way. We did try clam chowder (or "chowdah" here) for the first time, and we are staying in a very old bed and breakfast with a slightly strange but well-meaning concierge. We'll see what tomorrow brings...

You can see our pictures of Plymouth and Cape Cod on John's Picasa site which is listed in the post below.

East Coast

We did indeed make it to the east coast on Saturday night. In our short time so far we have had coffee on the coast of Maine, walked the Freedom Trail, ridden the Boston subway, checked out Fenway, cooked and eaten a couple of lobsters, seen a variety of beautiful little coastal cities, toured Nathanial Hawthorns' house, and managed to squeeze in some witches in Salem. All this being said I am sitting here in a hotel room typing this with only one eye open because I am just too tired to give the details at this time. But since we promised to update and we never disappoint here are some picture to hold you over. How can I see them you might ask. Well it's easy. All you have to do is click on the link and enjoy.

http://picasaweb.google.com/john23r/EastCoast

More details to come.

Goodbye Bloom

I know we haven't blogged in forever... probably because we've been too busy with life in general, but this coming week, we will have something special to blog about: a vacation! You can follow us in our east coast vacation by checking the blog regularly.

Today was a bittersweet day for me (Claire) as I said goodbye to my place of employment for the past eleven months. I decided to resign from Bloom Marketing Group because I hope to go back to teaching in the fall, and today was my last day. I said sad goodbyes to my close coworkers and tomorrow we take off for out east coast vacation. Below, you can see pictures of my office mates and me and the HR team from Bloom.

A Long Time Coming

So yeah it has been about 6 months since the last time we have posted anything. Since this time we have bought our first house and have been busy settling in. It was in good shape when we moved in and after we spent the first month painting the majority of the rooms we began to feel like it was home. Since then we have been busy with other minor upgrades or repairs. The lastest has been the landscape. We are diligently trying to get our yard to grow as we are quickly becoming "those neighbors." You can check out a few pictures by clicking on the link below. These shots were taken during the move in and the weeks soon after. A few things have changed since and I will try and get the newer pictures up soon.

http://picasaweb.google.com/john23r/OurNewHouse

Other news besides the house include me finishing up my 4th year of teaching. I was in a 5/6 split class this year which presented all sort of new challenges. After 4 years of teaching I am yet to do the same thing twice. This has lead to all new learning experiences for me. Next year, however, I will be teaching just 5th grade which is what I did my second year teaching. I am excited at the thought of honing my skills in one grade level.

Claire has been working in a Human Resource Department at a company in town. She is a teacher at heart but has made the most of the job she is in. She knows that what she has been doing these last 10 months is where she needed to be. She has been an inspiration to many of her coworkers and has learned to do things she never thought she could.

We are still attending Exodus church and have found our nitch there as well. I have been meeting biweekly with a group of guys and Claire and I have developed great relationships with many of the other married couples. We feel very blessed to have found Exodus.

That about sums it up in three paragraphs. Now that the summer is upon us and I have a little more time on my hands I will try to stay a little more updated on the blog.

Until next time.