North to Michigan

We have made a big loop back to Michigan, but first...

We stayed several days in Selma, North Carolina (near Raleigh). We spent the time there re-organizing the trailer, and winterizing it. Even though it doesn’t normally get into the freezing temperatures there, we were advised to winterize it anyway, just in case. It was sad to leave our “home away from home” for a few weeks, but we knew we had some great things to look forward to.

We drove across North Carolina (and later through portions of Kentucky, Tennessee, and even some of Ohio) and were amazed at the wonderful color still on the trees, right along the freeway! We just don’t have miles and miles of rolling hills and hardwood forests with that kind of color in California!

On the way we went to Lake Junaluska (near Asheville, NC--photo above), which is a United Methodist retreat center, surrounded by a number of private homes owned by bishops and leaders. It was warm enough that we sat outside for a picnic lunch by the lake, and thought, “We could live here!” It was beautiful. Of course, we’ve said that in a number of places – so many beautiful areas in our country! John continues to remind me that I need to spend a winter in some of these areas before getting too serious!

It was cloudy when we went through the Great Smoky Mountains, and the colors had already peaked, but it was a fun drive anyway. We were once again in for a surprise as we came out of the national forest and drove through Pigeon Forge – just a regular small city on the map, as far as we were concerned. But after miles and miles of solid restaurants, motels, amusements, attractions, tourist shops, we began to get the idea that this wasn’t just another town. It turned out to be Dollywood--Dolly Parton’s “center of the world.” It took forever to get through the town – we found out later that during the summer, it takes 2-3 hours to drive through!

We also found a couple other pleasant surprises along the way. I have German roots in the Ohio area, so we stopped outside Cincinnati at a German section and found an authentic restaurant. We had the most wonderful lunch of sauerkraut, kraut balls (delicious), and a mushroom-bratwurst dish. We even shared a great German beer -- and I don't usually like beer. We also stopped in Frankenmuth, MI (a Bavarian village much like the Danish Solvang in California - photo above) with lots of shops and restaurants, and another great bratwurst lunch.

But mostly we’ve enjoyed wonderful visits with friends and family on our way to Michigan. Our first overnight was in Pisgah Forest, near the Great Smoky Mountains, where we stayed with Gayle’s cousin, Wanda, and her husband and retired Presbyterian minister, Tom Cook. We were pleasantly surprised to find out Wanda’s brother (Gayle’s cousin) and wife, Jack and Wilma, were also visiting. (Photo of 3 cousins) We thoroughly enjoyed catching up with them. Tom and Wanda often travel to Palestine to volunteer with the Home of Hope, a place where Jews, Muslims, Christians come together to build relationship. Great work.

Another night we stayed with Don Hayashi and his wife, Deb. Gayle and Don worked together when Don was Program Director for the Cal-Nev United Methodist conference a number of years ago. He moved to Dayton, OH, when he was hired by the General Council of Ministries. It was great fun to see where they lived and re-connect. (Forgot to get a picture-darn!)

Jennifer Weil in Traverse City insists that their home be a “must” stop whenever we are in Michigan. It has such a wonderful “resort” feel that we eagerly stop by whenever we can. She took us downtown Traverse City to see the lights and new (Rialo-type) movie theater opening the next day. She shared about her experience at Mackinaw Island as part of a movie production--she is a professional actress, afterall!

Now we are staying with Jim and Helen Davenport, and are also visiting with Ann and James – John’s kids and grandkids. Susan (other daughter) and Scott are arriving soon – it will be a great Davenport Thanksgiving!

Enjoy this Season of Gratitude!

Virginia: Shenandoah Mountains

We have once again marveled at the awesome handiwork of God as we drove through the Shenandoah Mountains and Blue Ridge Parkway. We think of it as "God's Paintbrush." I fall in love with every tree that is brilliant red or shimmering gold (some of them have leaves that are red on the outside and gold in the middle), which means I'm falling in love around every bend. The rolling hills that stretch out for miles are patchwork designs of green, red, yellow, orange, brown. This area has actually passed its peak, but there is still abundant color.

It's coooold here, though. We've been taking in the sights in 37-44 F. weather. This morning it was 26 F. outside our trailer. Thank goodness for a nice warm heater in our living space!

We also went to Monticello -- Thomas Jefferson's home. He was a faschinating man with so many interests and talents. He designed many unique features in the architecture of his home, and took great interest in everything related to the gardens and agriculture. He entertained often, and had one of the most developed kitchens anywhere, even preparing the shopping list. He read constantly, but unfortunately he had gone broke by the time he died and most of his library was sold off. He was a great writer, and wrote many articles/books, including one that challenged the literalness of the Bible. Even though he was the third president, he wanted to be remembered most, not as the holder of great office, but as the author of the Declaration of Independence, as well as the Virginia statute for religious freedom, and the father of the University of Virginia. He felt slavery was an abominal institution and regretted he was not able to abolish it, and in fact, had many slaves himself. DNA has confirmed that he fathered at least one child with one of his slaves.

We drove through Lynchburg, VA, primarily because we have heard so much about it from our friend Larry Trent, who used to live there. We passed up seeing the church where the former Jerry Falwell made so many pronouncements, however.

We leave tomorrow for North Carolina where we will store our trailer and then head north in the pick-up to be with family in Michigan for Thanksgiving. What a trip this has been!

Lancaster area, Pennsylania

We love the Amish countryside. It's a slower pace of life than the big cities. The Amish mostly do not use electricity or drive cars -- horse and buggy are the main mode of transportation. But they have to share the roads with the rest of us in automobiles, and I wonder at times if they worry about their safety.

We went on a tour of the Amish farmland, stopping at some of the authentic craft stores. Quilts, woodworking, candles, and food are their specialties. We loved the Amish lunch buffet (stuffing ourselves, of course!), the warm salted soft pretzels and other bakery items, the homemade root beer, canned goods, sausages, but we could pass on the shoo-fly pie. I've been amazed at the soccer-ball size cabbage and huge cauliflower and broccoli for sale at their vegetable stands. The farmlands are neat and compact, with dairies everywhere, and often clothes drying on the line. We passed by one farm that was having a wedding with lots of buggies lined up and a tent brought in just for the horses, and an addition on the barn for the guests. It's an all-day affair, with two full sit-down meals, and a break in the afternoon so the farmers can go home and milk the cows, then back for another meal. They have weddings mostly in the Fall on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but never on Saturdays or Sundays. Saturdays are preparation day. Sundays are for worship. Each family hosts the gathered community in their home for worship once a year, which includes several hours of worship (sitting on benches without backs) and a meal prepared by the host family.

We didn't have an invitation to an Amish worship service, so we found an Open and Affirming UCC (United Church of Christ) to attend on Sunday. The interim minister quoted from Gordon and Mary Cosby (Church of the Savior founders in Wash. DC) about his new ministry of Zacheaus Economics. Gordon is in his 80's and starting a new ministry! We were definitely drawn in!

This area also has a fair amount of history. In nearby York, we saw a reconstructed Court House in which the Continental Congress met when York became the capital of the country for several months when the British captured Philaelphia. This is where they voted to accept the Articles of Confederation, acknowledging that the colonies were the United States of America. We also went through a 1740's half timber brick Tavern that housed travelers and Congressional delegates, learning many tidbits. Do you know where the phrase "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite" comes from? The bed was formed with rope tied around the bedposts. Every day the rope would need to be tightened. The mattress consisted of material stuffed with hay, which often had bugs in it. So, "sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite" was a very good wish. Or, did you know that when we talk about storing things in a trunk, the original trunk was just that -- a hollowed out trunk of a tree, in which clothing could be packed. Each end was then secured with leather, and could be used in traveling. Or the term "bar" came about when the tavern owner would put a bar around his liquor at night so the guests couldn't steal his beer.

We enjoyed going through the indoor Farmer's Market in both York and Lancaster -- the oldest indoor farmer's markets in our country. They had aisles and aisles of fresh fish, meat, vegetables, fruit, baked goods, canned foods, prepared items, crafts... and not nearly as expensive as our farmer's markets.

We also enjoyed going through a clock museum -- a history of how "time" was invented and recorded from our earliest ancestors until now. We found the oldest existing girls school in Lititz and the Moravian Church next to it -- the church owned the whole town in earlier days. My friend Jane Differding's uncle was headmaster there when she was a child, and her father was a Moravian minister. The Moravians influenced John Wesley, founder of Methodism, so it was fun to make that connection.

One of our surprises (and we seem to have them everywhere we travel) was going to Hershey to go through the chocolate factory. Oh, my. It wasn't just a factory -- it was a city, with huge factor buildings, plus an amusement park, a sports arena, an entertainment center, a huge hotel, museum, and who-knows-what-all! We just wanted to go on the tour, which we did eventually find. We were put on a little train that took us through a simulated factory, with a Disneyland feel to it. It was interesting, and we did get a free sample. The end of the tour was through a huge store with all kinds of chocolate-everything! A chocoholic paradise, for sure!

Philadelphia & New Jersey

I overheard a comment that we could echo: "We made it out of Philadelphia alive!"

Our first trip into the city was in pouring rain. Thank goodness for the GPS system Kristen and Jason gave us. Even when we couldn't see all the freeway directions and many interchanges and bridges, the GPS told us where to go. Driving in this area is not fun. We met up with my niece, Jordan Pickrell, who is getting her PhD in Archeology at the Univ of Penn. (see photo) She guided us into downtown and walking around the historic areas. We were thrilled to see the Liberty Bell and had a fine tour of Convention Hall. We also went through the Betsy Ross House, walked through the Ben Franklin area where some of his original house foundations were, past burial grounds, and an original Quaker Meeting House. Saw one of the original Episcopalian churches, but missed seeing the oldest UMC Church still in existence. We're learning how important it was that George Washington became the first president, particularly his ability to lead and bring people together.

We spent another day in Philly, going to the Museum of Art to see the Renoir collection, and then to the Rodin sculpture museum. We had planned to do some other things, but things got confusing on the freeways, or places weren't open, or we couldn't find a place to park, so we left -- without our Philly Steak Sandwich, darn! We were greeted back at our RV park by the sound of honking--hundreds of geese land in the pond here--and wild turkeys in the grassy areas.

On Sunday we went to Germantown UMC in Philadelphia. I expected more of a German influence, but the area was very depressed, with mostly black residents and many boarded up storefronts. I subscribed for years to sermons from that church by Ted Loder (great preacher and poet/author) and bulletin covers, reproducing many of the covers for my bulletins, giving them credit, of course! Although Ted Loder has now retired (after 38 years in that church!), we are still impressed with their ministry. When their associate, Beth Stroud, had her orders removed by our denomination several years ago because she had come out as a lesbian, the church stood behind her. She is still on staff as a Pastoral Assistant. Before and after worship, they had a great collection of library books available, lots of peace and justice type literature, and a fair trade store. The church was in their Stewardship Drive, and the Associate Minister did a fine job with the sermon, weaving "the young shall see visions, and the elders dream dreams." The music director/organist/pianist was terrific. But much of the service was pretty traditional, with hymns from The Faith We Sing or UMC Hymnal -- some which were kind of hard to sing. After worship they had a Linger Lunch, which is free for first-time visitors. It was great for us!

After worship we drove to the seaside of New Jersey and stayed with Nora Howes, a former member of Christ Church. We loved seeing her new house and all the furniture she's gotten since moving a year ago. We talked non-stop for hours. Her niece and husband joined us and they took us out to a seafood restaurant right on the water. We vowed that we want to be as peppy and healthy as she is when we're 92 years old! She walks a mile along the river every day, unless it's poor weather.

We weren't too far from Atlantic City, so we had to see what it was about, with the huge Trump Casinos. Overbearing, really!

We leave for Lancaster area tomorrow.

Mystic, Connecticut

In the back of our 2007 Atlas, there are 22 places that are listed as "must see" areas in USA and Canada. Mystic, Connecticut was one of them -- as are many places we've already seen or will visit at some time. It was raining the day we went to Mystic, so the colors of the trees or water along the Mystic River were not as scenic as it would have been. But we enjoyed going to the Historic Seaport area. We walked around the re-created village from the 1800's, and were able to go on several old ships, including a whaling ship. Lots of interesting areas -- learned more about ship building, rope making, rigging boats, making sails, fishing processes, shipsmiths, etc. when real life people were making things from that period.

In the print shop, we found out how the terminology "Upper Case" and "Lower Case" came about. Before automated printing, each letter was individually placed to make words for the newspapers, and the capital letters all fit in the upper cases (drawers), and the small letters were in the lower cases! It would take someone 10 hours to individually place all the letters for one side of a newspaper, so weekly papers were the norm. No wonder! We also went into one of the older homes where a woman was making stew and cornbread in the fireplace. She said that each home would need about 30 cords of wood to get through the winters, and that each family needed 5 acres of land to keep that many trees. Learned about some of the treacherous activities of the whaling ships. I think I'd prefer a cruise than a whaling ship ride!

Massachusetts: Martha's Vineyard

We didn't actually make it to Nantucket. Luckily we figured out before getting to Hyannis to catch the ferry that the ferry schedule had changed the day before, and the timing wouldn't work for us. Our other choice was to go to Martha's Vineyard, which turned out to be perfect! The weather was sunny and pleasant--t-shirt weather part of the day. The ferry ride was fun. The island has charm--and expensive homes! It started out as a whaling center, but was also an early Methodist camp meeting place, so there were various streets and buildings with Methodist terminology: Circuit Street (now full of shops), Meeting House, Wesley Road... An old twisted tree had been the site of many worship gatherings. We also found a Christ United Methodist Church! Saw another church (Episcopalian) with windows made by Tiffany. We took the island bus to 3 different cities, and had lunch (yes, wonderful New England chowder!) at a Seafood Chanty by the tiny ferry to Chappaquiddick Island.

Massachusetts: Plymouth & Cape Cod

We ended up at a wonderful RV park in Plymouth, Mass -- with pine trees, shimmering lake, fall colors, large area and not many campers -- so we've just stayed put for a bit. (see photo from the lodge at the campground where I'm on the internet.) On some of the rainy days, we stayed "close to home." But we did manage to see the Mayflower (reproduction,) Plymouth Rock, and visit the Plimouth Plantation, where current day Wamponaog Native Americans as well as actors portraying the early English colonists made things come to life. They did a good job of dispelling some of the myths about the Pilgrim Thanksgiving, and how the early settlers actually kidnapped some of the Natives early on, so there was a fair amount of mistrust. The current day Wampanoag are trying to get recognized as a soveriegn nation. (I just read the following news: - Better late than never.The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe on Thursday became a federally recognized sovereign nation, a decision that marks the end of a 32-year effort to gain the status. With this ruling, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe becomes the 564th tribe recognized by the federal government and the first to be recognized during the Bush Administration.)

On a rather cloudy day we drove out to the tip of Cape Cod and witnessed an interesting cloud bank moving westward. The sun was setting over a marsy-lake area as we were driving--spectacular orange, but couldn't get a picture. We also stopped at the JFK Memorial in Hyannis, and walked on some of the great beaches on the Cape. We even found a visitor center named "John C. Davenport" -- I introduced them to our John W. Davenport, and they asked if we were related to the Davenport real estate family that owned much of Cape Cod. I wish....!

Today we went to the Plymouth UMC contemporary worship service -- lots of praise music, and not very inclusive in language or theology, but the sermon on one of my favorite Acts passages was quite good.

I'm enjoying a beautiful outdoor spot on the deck by the lake while John catches the 49er game. (see photo) I've been trying to schedule RV parks that have cable for those 49er games!

Tomorrow we will take the ferry to Nantucket, and then we move on to Conneticut and Pennsylvania.

Massachusetts: Boston, Salem, Marblehead, Rockport

We've been surrounded by beauty in our travels. In the Gloucester (where we're staying for a few days), we've had a wonderful view of the tidal area from our campsite, with wonderful sunrises and sunsets. Rockport and Marblehead had picturesque art colonies and seaports.

But in this area we are also surrounded by history -- things dating back to the 1600's and 1700's are common. The streets are harder to drive on, too, because they are narrow and confusing! Some of the sidewalks are brick or stone, so it gives us a feel of an earlier time.

We found out that going to Salem in October is a favorite activity for many people -- ghost stories/dramas and Halloween decorations everywhere. We went to a drama about a trial of one of the women who had been accused of being a witch in 1692 -- adapted from historical records. The audience was asked to vote if we thought she was guilty -- we were not convinced, but in history, she was one of 19 who were hanged in a nearby tree. The hysteria that was created during that time is quite horrifying. We enjoyed going through the House of Seven Gables, and the nearby house where author of that book, Nataniel Hawthorne, was born. (see Gayle in photo)

In Boston we walked the Freedom Trail to see many of the historical sites, including the home of Paul Revere, the meeting hall and churches where the Declaration of Independence was first read, and where the decision to institigate the Boston Tea Party occurred. We added a more contemporary "historical" spot to our walk -- the bar that the TV show "Cheers" was modeled after. It was boisterous and crowded, but we got in and had lunch! (See John in photo)

Harvest Time

I think my favorite time of year is the Fall, with the earth tones and harvest decorations and the general sense of gratitude. Homes and stores here are deocrated with lots of pumpkins, mums, corn stalks, wreaths, leaves, sunflowers -- I love it. The Canadian Thanksgiving was October 6, and since they have a shorter Fall than we do, they are ahead of us on the West coast. (In fact, John and I have to pick our RV parks carefully now because many are closed for the season. Some have shown us pictures of what it looks like in the winter -- covered with snow!)

I'm including some photos where I tried to capture the fall decor. I missed the "field of scarecrows" in one pasture. I also missed the house with pumpkins above and below every window and roof line all around the house, sort of like we do Christmas lights on houses, only these were hundreds of pumpkins! (I'll probably add more to this posting as we travel around Massachusetts and other New England states.)

Fall Colors in Vermont/New Hampshire

A “feast for the eyes” – this is the phrase that describes this beautiful place. The rolling hills are a patchwork of orange-yellow-red-green. The trees are glorious! We’ve had more overcast skies than sunny skies, but the two sunny days created unforgettable memories of brilliant color.

Our first full day in this area was a Sunday, and I found an “Open and Affirming” UCC church in the phone book in a small rural town not far from where we were staying. It was wonderful! We felt right at home, and would return often if we stayed in the area. It was World Communion Sunday, and they had many global prayers and liturgies and communion bread. The children were included in much of the service. The sermon was very inclusive and encouraging of the congregation to uphold the progressive ideals of the denomination. The prayers had peace and justice themes. The minister had written words to one of the hymns—very meaningful and inclusive.

We then drove through the beautiful New Hampshire area, and found an Apple Festival in Stratford with apple cider pressing, fiddling, scarecrow contest, great homemade food, free popcorn, apple tasting and cheese, storytelling, etc. It was held at the Justin Smith Morrel Historic site – He was a congressman who wrote the land grant act, among other things. We also learned that William Sloan Coffin, one of the greatest prophetic voices of our time, lived in that community. We were shown the house his wife still lives in. We passed by in a moment of tribute and thanksgiving. We ended up at Hanover, Dartmouth College. Great to be in that college environment on a gorgeous day!

We drove through the Green Mountains in Vermont, and the White Mountains in New Hampshire on a couple different days, taking some short trail hikes. The fall colors weren't quite at their peak, the locals said, because it had been so warm! But to us they were beautiful!

We’ve gone to a maple syrup and cheese farm – lots of tasting possibilities! Did you know it takes 40 gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of pure maple syrup? It looks like water when the trees are tapped, then goes through an evaporation process to get that great taste.

One of the places I was most looking forward to visiting in Vermont was the Weston Priory. (See photo of cross on their property.) I have listened to the music of the Monks of Weston Priory for years. It was thrilling to sit in their small, simple chapel and have the 13 monks walk in for mid-day prayers, and lead prayer through song. They have 3-4 prayer times during the day – what a wonderful way to have songs of prayer in your head and spirit all day long. Some of their hymns and photos show them dancing, and as we left, they were rehearsing a dance. Our hearts danced as well!