Jun 2007

I always wanted to start our one of our journals like this and knowing my memory I probably already have but it really does apply here. When we left Gettyburg, I really had no idea where our next destination was. Sometimes even I run out of fresh ideas and energy to execute them. Mariah actually inspired our next destination. She had met a very nice couple when she went traveling with Frances, my mother. Bob and Dorothy, Mariah’s friends, live in Pittsburg, as good a destination as any. Their grandson was one of Mariah’s penpals so she was anxious to meet him too. A few weeks ago, I had read somewhere that Pittsburg was considered America most liveable city and I was curious to see how a city got that rating. Having spent about 3 days there, I am still not sure but it certainly showed off its best weather for us. Bob is a retired minister and he breaks my mold of any minister I could have met. Dorothy, his wife would be over the top busy had it not been for a broken foot that keeps her housebound. We also met Dorothy’s mom who lives in an assisted living facility nearby. She is the ripe young age of 99 and is a powerhouse herself. Bob ferried us all over Pittsburg. The view of the confluence of the Monongahela and Alleghengy rivers (to form the Ohio River) is something to behold. It is easy to see how a settlement was placed there. Steel mills and coal plants used to make Pittsburg one of the dirtiest cities around but the air was as clear as any I have seen on this trip. There are rolling hills everywhere full of thick bushy trees. The fall colors must be something. Pittsburg is the home of Carnegie and he put a lot of money into the museums and library there which we went to and enjoyed. Saw an exhibit on Italian glass blowing and how it influenced American glass blowers and we learned all sorts of techniques about it. Our last good deed before we left was to play music for Dorothy’s mom and her friends at lunch. That was fun.
Our current fun is in New York at Niagra Falls. As long as we are this far north and west, what the heck!
It is easy to see why Niagra Falls has been a tourist trap ever since they could get people up there. It is a geologic wonder, just the sheer (ha ha) amount of water coming over the falls boogles the mind. Draped in our souvenir pancha’s we H2ohhhh and awed along with our 200+ asian and indian companions on the Maid of the Mist as we glided into the set of falls that make up the US and Canadian border. It is a spectacle I doubt any of us will soon forget. Back on shore the abundant sunshine made rainbows for us to photograph and admire.
Okay sometimes one can wander and get lost and it can be the kind of lost where you say – we really don’t want to go this way. Such was the case as I was writing post cards and only paying ½ attention to navigating. I looked up in time to see a sign that said “last exit before exiting the US”. Uh Oh! Mark did his best to turn around in a one way pull through parking lot at a duty free shop but we managed to rip out the side wall on the tire of the Airstream. Which crisis to deal with first? 1) pull way over against the side so you are out of the way b) Call roadside tire repair people III) Explain to US customs about missing the last exit and can we somehow get going the correct direction without having to go into Canada, Pleeeeaaassse….
All is well that ends well. The tire people came out and fixed us up (thank goodness we had purchased the correct tire before we left NM and it was in our Beverly Hillbilly box on top of the camper). The border crossing people were very understanding after they did a backround check on us. No Canadian visit necessary. Not that we wouldn’t love to go to Canada but we aren’t prepared (see journal entry Oct).
After Niagra our big push was to get to Burlington VT to visit an old friend of mine. We drove along Lake Ontario and the kids were impressed with the ocean like appearance of the great lake. Along the way we stopped and spent the night with some people we met in Florida, Larry and Janet. Mark was away when we had made their acquaintance and so it was fun to show them that he really did exist.
Burlington sits on Lake Champlain and it is a gorgeous lake that forms the border between New York and VT. Of the towns we have visited and I would consider moving to Burlington in summer along with Ashville are way up there. The eclectic community is alive and well and hiding in VT, Socorro and Ashville. I must go jet skiing now on Lake Champlain so forgive my short journal entry this time (ha ha) Hugs to all, the Meanderthals

The family unit is reunitied! Mark is back after a busy time at the homefront. The girls and I didn’t sit pining for him to return however. DC is a town where anything is possible with a car and credit card. On Sunday, our friend Tim joined Greg and the family for a day of kayaking and biking. The Potomac is much cleaner than when I lived here and we all had a great time paddling around T. Roosevelt island and swimming in the river. When our 2 hours was up, we hopped on our bikes and rode the Capital trail for a ways. After a nice dinner, we all passed out from our extra exercise adventure.
Memorial Day was spent honoring the dead. Greg’s folks are buried at Arlington Cemetery so two birds were damaged with one stone when we went and put flowers on his folks grave and toured the sites there. The eternal flame and tomb of the Unknown Soldier are worth seeing and I can’t remember ever having been there. The previous day plus the heat and humidity were forces that undermined our desire to do much outdoor touring so we went movie going instead. Mariah and the guys went and saw Pirates 3 (aye matey, that they were!) and Olivia and I saw Shrek 3. We lived the urban experience but once was enough.
Tuesday had the kids and I wandering around the National Zoo where we found the famous panda’s and other assorted animals. Later we went riding on the mall where we enjoyed the Lincoln memorial and all the war memorials. The weather was very cooperative.
Many years ago, one of my many jobs was working at the US Patent office. It has a new facility and a completely different feel. The search room where stacks of paper patents lived and people would scurry around trying to find information has now been replaced by banks of computers where searchers find the information they need with a touch of a button. The kids and I left Greg to finish up his work while we went and toured Old Town Alexandria. Row houses and cobble stone streets with upscale shops and restaurants line the Potomac River where George Washington once roamed. The day ended with the glorious return of the head of the family. Mark’s flight was supposed to end in Providence RI but we were able to pick him up because he had to change planes in Baltimore. After a nice dinner at Fell’s Point (Eat Bertha’s Mussels), we returned to Greg’ house.
Thursday morning was a forgetful morning. I went to go get Mark some coffee at the Airstream and …..whoops, it was gone. The luck you push sometimes pushes back and I guess it is the price you pay. We had to bail out the Airstream from a tow yard. I guess it‘s better than bailing your kid out of jail. $200 later and in need of a new lock, we found the Airstream a better home on a quiet little street a few more blocks away.
Mark had not gotten the pleasure of touring the DC mall so we returned once again to see the Air and Space museum and the inside of the Native American museum. The Air and Space museum had the latest in space technology available for our perusal. The Bhutan rocket and balloon capsule that went around the globe were there plus the Wright Bros plane that has always been there. If you are a space cadet, that is the place to go. At the Native American museum they had a wonderful exhibit on beaded Indian outfits. The girls and I went to a demonstration by a Kiowa woman where she talked about her upbringing and Kiowa traditions. She was a beader who had won best of show at the Santa Fe Indian Market. We had a nice conversation after her talk about NM where she is from. I would have gotten homesick but I know I will return in 2 months.
On our way back down the mall Olivia decided she wanted a Junior Ranger Badge. For all you “wanna be travelers” or who are already on the road, please take note if you have children. All parks have a junior ranger program and it is definitely worth doing. Not only is it educational but it is fun too. Late in the afternoon we rode over to the Franklin D Roosevelt memorial which is new since I lived here. It is one of the most extensive, most well designed monuments on the mall. FDR was a powerful president and it is fitting that he should have such a moving memorial. Waterfalls mixed with quotes and statues that quietly tell the tale of one of America’s darkest hours and triumphant return.
Now when I wake up in the morning I feel a certain urge to go and check on the Airstream….hmmm. Mark got to play with Greg and his cousin rebuilding Greg’s front portico and then later going and looking at blacksmithing equipment. Olivia and I made a morning of it by going to see the Washington Folk Festival in Glen Echo. I have forgotten how beautiful the parkways are to drive around DC. Just miles and miles of tree lined highway without a hint that you are in a major metropolitan area. The folk festival was really quaint. We saw a set of twins who played remarkable blues music especially considering they were 11 years old and shouldn’t have a clue what the blues were. Their song Teddy Bear Blues brought a tear to my eye. It is always a pleasure to see young people carrying on the tradition of homemade music.
Greg lives in a small townhouse development that strikes one as just perfect for block parties since the block is well defined. Sure enough that afternoon they had a party with a bluegrass band and appetizers competing for best in taste. Voting was done with dollars and all money went to charity. The band caught Mariah and I singing along and at their first break asked us how we knew all the songs. One thing led to another and next thing we knew we were up playing with the band. It was great fun and very unexpected. Later that evening Tina and her friend Dave came and joined us. We started talking about food and somehow a plan formulated for the next day to go down to Polks Creek and eat crabs. Maryland blue crabs are considered a delicacy around these parts, much like green chile is in NM and it was a grand adventure showing the kids how people from the Chesapeake area boil them and eat them. Dave is from the Delmarva peninsula which until about 35 years ago was an isolated backwoods rural area. The construction of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge changed all that. Dave had a great time showing the westerners the best way to get all the meat (not a lot by the way), out of the crab. Mariah and Olivia enjoyed the experience, especially Mariah who spent some of her time making artistic photos with a crab. Hopefully I can get her to post them on the web.
Monday was a day of farewell to DC as we headed north to continue our journey. We are now in Gettyburg and spent yesterday touring the battlefield and learning about mid 19th century battle tactics and war horrors. We all learned so much our heads are bursting. Somewhere on our journey Mark had picked up a copy of the History Channel’s Gettyburg Expedition Guide and it was so helpful. It is really hard to appreciate what ridge is until you are standing on it. When you just look across the landscape, you can’t see them but when you are on them, their advantages become obvious. So little slope, so much increase in odds….
This edition of the Meanderthals journal must come to an end or every one will feel like they are reading War and Peace. Hugs to all from the complete Meanderthal unit.

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Memories….of the way things we were

Please excuse my tardiness on getting out relevant information about our journey but time is hard to come by when you are a single traveler with 2 kids, one of which needs time to get school done. Our travels to Williamsburg and surrounding area were both enlightening and nostaligic. As we cruised merrirly along it occurs to me that I was once an easterner and all the skills and traits you develop to survive here come flooding back like basic instincts. The traffic here is something to behold and it is frightening in a 60’ rig especially when you have grown accustomed to the rush minute of your hometown. This is my old stomping ground, the central east coast and so I am getting to visit childhood friends and seeing interesting places along the way. The area around Williamsburg is now known as the historic triangle and for years I thought it was the first European colonization of the US until my culture clash occurred in New Mexico and I realized the English were “Johnny come lately’s”. Still it is fascinating to be an adult with history that makes living history all the more engaging. We stayed on the opposite side of the James River and had to take a ferry over everyday which gives you time to pull your self together for the day, it was great. For the kids sake, I broke up our history tour with a trip to Busch Gardens where our friend Bill came and joined us and we did the little kid trade off while also having someone to ride the roller coasters with Mariah (real hardship). I remember when one of the roller coasters (called the Loch Ness) opened and I had to wait in line for 2 hours to ride it and I did that over and over. The park this time was empty and we could get on most ride in less than 5 minutes even the brand new one they just opened. Physics is a wonderful science and when applied to thrill rides it can become magical. The newest trend in roller coasters is to suspend seats from the top which gives the designer the freedom to throw you in new directions that suspend your belief you are going to live through the experience. After the first ride you scream and laugh like you are immortal and isn’t that what roller coasters are all about?
Williamsburg is the same as it was when I visited and John Adams visited and …just kidding but it really hasn’t changed except in some presentations. They now have living history in new way. Instead of just the saddlery shop and the blacksmith shop etc, they have live plays of historical events. The 2cnd day we were there, they had the citizens doing skits about the revolutionary war and it’s affects on their lives(each day it is a different aspect of the colonial times). They stood on the capital building steps and read the Declaration of Independence. It is a very powerful document especially when read aloud. Another skit, Benedict Arnold and his crony rode into the town and declared the British victors and the interaction between him and the “colonists” was moving. Williamsburg continues to be a first class operation.
Jamestown and the ships were also very interesting but after our experience at Henricus and the fact that we only had half a day to enjoy it, it didn’t measure up to Williamsburg. We did get to go onboard the ships and from that I picked a detail which had escaped me for years. The ships that brought over the colonists were cargo ships and the colonists were cargo and not much more. They stayed in the hold of the ship for the entire 4 month journey. Perspective is another beautiful thing especially for the kids (they have to be older to have nostalgia!). We did not get to see the Yorktown vistor center unfortunately but I think we were all a little historied out at that point but the battlefield was interesting and the town is well preserved and so you could appreciate how strategic it all was.
With fond farewells to our friend Bill, we headed to the seat of the nation, Washington DC. For those of you who don’t know, I grew up in SW DC. On the journey there we stopped at the boarding school I attended called St. Margarets. It is still there with giggling girls going into town for ice cream and now coffee at the new coffee shop with internet. I had great fun showing the kids where I spent some of my formative years and thinking about them in a philosophical sense.
The nations capital is alive and well. My friend Greg is graciously letting us use his place as a home base and we spent our first day being escorted around the capital by one of Pete Domenci’s staff, Monica. The artwork, especially the statues donated by the states was intriguing. One of the statues New Mexico donated was of (I know I can’t spell this) Po’Pay who is the Indian who started the pueblo revolt. I found it interesting that many states had rebel statues. We really do celebrate those whose nature is to go against the grain. Patriotism runs high when you walk in the footsteps of the most powerful nation in the world. Government is a funny thing however. When we went into the Senate gallery, there was a senator orating loquaciously about the immigration legislation and referring to his colleagues on both sides of the issue as if they were in the room with him and the room is empty except for some staff and the Senate majority leader who I guess always has to be there. I understand it about congressional record (for the record etc) but it feels like a dog and pony show. Still issues are being addressed and things are getting done. Collective good will bless America!
There is a new museum on the mall and it is dedicated to the Native American and the architecture is worth the trip. It seems some of the museums are closed for renovation which was a shame. We only got to see part of the Natural History museum and even part of that was closed. Late in the day I took the kids to my old neighborhood where I spent my exciting, dysfunctional childhood (nothing personal mom). Nothing has changed since I was there and I am still impressed with the urban planning that went into the neighborhoods of the area. It is still beautiful and functional but still underutilized.
It was a lovely day and we look forward to returning after we rest up.
Memorial Day weekend is upon us and Rolling Thunder rides into DC. Veterans from all over come here to pay their respects to fallen comrades and I salute all my veteran friends this weekend via the internet. Saturday was a day of schooling for Mariah and rest for me which was desperately needed. Greg, Olivia and I did go to downtown Georgetown in the evening and wow has that changed since my party days. It is so very, very upscale and there are designer stores (finally filled with people), multiple overpriced restaurants and bars. The old waterfront where I used to enjoy cheap beer in seedy hangouts is now a park with chic bars overlooking the waterfront. It really is quite nice.
That covers the journey’s from then till now and hope all of you are having a lovely Memorial day weekend. Summer heat is here and I look forward to enjoying the dryness of the southwest soon. Hugs to all, Francie with the Meanderthals -1
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