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.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
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.
http://picasaweb.google.com/john23r/EastCoast
More details to come.
Friday, July 18, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
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.
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.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Our New House
Claire and I have purchased our first house together. The Picasa site below has pictures if you care to check it out.
http://picasaweb.google.com/john23r/OurNewHouse
I hope you enjoy.
http://picasaweb.google.com/john23r/OurNewHouse
I hope you enjoy.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Its Been Awhile
Ok both Claire and I know that is has been quite some time since the last time we posted anything on this blog. We are sorry if you are one of those people who continues to check it only to be hit with the same old pumpkin carving story. At least they were nice pumpkins.
We had a great Thanksgiving this year. As we flash back a year ago we reflect on the fact that I had been deathly sick the entire Thanksgiving week. Also the fact that our Thanksgiving dinner happened at a resort where faux turkey and not so pumpkin pie was served. Even though lounging on the beach sounds nice we were happy to be home with loved ones.
Alot has happened since the last time we posted. I guess that is partially to blame for the new material. We have been very busy mostly with work, but other highlights include building relationships with friends, church league basketball, a new found luxury in the Bookmobile, exploring the town we live in, IU basketball games, enjoying those little things, and our favorite spending time with our families.
We had a great Thanksgiving this year. As we flash back a year ago we reflect on the fact that I had been deathly sick the entire Thanksgiving week. Also the fact that our Thanksgiving dinner happened at a resort where faux turkey and not so pumpkin pie was served. Even though lounging on the beach sounds nice we were happy to be home with loved ones. For us, like many holidays, Thanksgiving was a multiple day affair. The fist of three feast took place a couple weeks before with Claire's family when we took advantage of Joel and Laura being in town. It was a nice meal that consisted of many kinds of meat: deer, turkey, and elk.
The second meal was with on Thanksgiving day with my family in Angola. It was the first holiday that we got to spend together where all of us were officially coupled with a significant other. The final meal was the next day in Van Wert with Claire's extended family. Lets just say that by the weekend sweat pants were a real good idea.
T
he weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are always a crazy time. When you go a year having missed all of that it seems even busier. We were going every which way those few weeks enjoying the ride the entire way. If I were to guess I think Claire would choose the decorating of the tree and the carols as her favorite part of the season. I was just happy to survive another semester of 6th grade.
he weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are always a crazy time. When you go a year having missed all of that it seems even busier. We were going every which way those few weeks enjoying the ride the entire way. If I were to guess I think Claire would choose the decorating of the tree and the carols as her favorite part of the season. I was just happy to survive another semester of 6th grade. We enjoyed Christmas Eve with a service at the church followed by dinner and stories at the Dolby house. The next morning Claire and I got up and opened present we had gotten for each other before heading over to her parents house for the rest of the day. In the afternoon Joel and Laura came over along with Claire's Gramps and Granny and we all celebrated together. The next day Claire and I again headed north to Angola where we enjoyed a few days with my family. Now as we bring in another new year we are getting ready for a whole new adventure but that story will have to wait for next time. Stay turned.
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