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Highway Hijinks, Alexandria, VA (2026)

08/23/2024

This adorable small building is located at the Ladew Topiary Garden in Monkton, Maryland. It is called the summer house but no one in Maryland would use a fireplace in the summertime so it was probably used throughout the year. The facade of this building was originally the box office for the Tivoli Theater in London which was demolished around World War One. Behind the picture is a hidden bar indictating this building was used for relaxation and gathering.

08/22/2024

New England summer days 67 & 68
Pics 1-5 - My final visit on this trip was the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park. The four bronze statues tell the story of her life. First, as a child born into slavery. Next as a young woman who bought her freedom and did manual labor for area farmers. Later she served in the Civil War as a spy and a mission leader. And finally, as an older woman living free and peacefully in Auburn, New York. The building in the fifth picture is Buckstown general store. As a young girl, she was hit in the head by a brick and for the rest of her life suffered seizures and hallucinations, and also held a steadfast belief in God.
Pics 6&7 - I stayed the night at a crab shack on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. These are casual restaurants, often the only one from many miles. It was a very Eastern shore meal of baked crab, corn pudding, and pineapple bread pudding. Despite the windy weather, we had a gorgeous view on the Chesapeake Bay.
Pic 8&9 - I took both these photos on my drive to DC. It's a drive I have done many times and has a certain familiarity. These are two things that I associate with the Eastern shore of Maryland: weather beaten and damaged piers, and fruit and vegetable stands along the road.

08/21/2024

New England summer day 66

Pic 1 - New Jersey names their rest areas after celebrities from the state.
Pics 2-4 - I took the ferry boat between Cape May, New Jersey and Lewes Delaware. A one-way trip is an hour and a half. Because both towns are very popular weekend destinations, the ferry has good foot traffic. I calculated the time saved and cost for driving versus the ferry and found that in this case the ferry was a better option. That is not always the case. Saffron and I did her daily training and then took an hour nap during the ferry trip.
Pic 5 - One of the things I appreciate about Delaware is these signs before each neighborhood. It makes navigating the state much easier.
Pic 6 - This amazing steampunk treehouse is located in the central courtyard at Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware.
Pic 7 - 😄🎶
I spent the night at a Cracker Barrel.

08/20/2024

New England summer day 65
Pics 1&2 - I started my day going to Matawan, New Jersey to see one particular house called 'Big Blue House.' The prior photos I saw must have been old because the house was in poor condition, but it was undergoing renovations. I'll have to come back sometime and see how much it has improved.
Pic 3 - This was someone's front entrance.
Pics 4-7 - Gateway National Recreation Area. This park is spread across a peninsula in Long Island, a shoreline on Staten Island, and a peninsula in New Jersey. These photos all came from the New Jersey side. For a long time, this area was primarily used for defense, going back more than 200 years ago. It provided protection of New York harbor. The peninsula has been a proving ground in the 1800s, a military base (Ft Hancock, pic 7), a Nike air missile center (pic 4), and now a National Park Service site as well as a small Coast Guard center. The lighthouse is the oldest continuously operating one in the United States. The non-historic parts of the peninsula are reserved for wildlife and public beaches.
Pic 8 - as I headed to my Walmart home for the evening, I drove along the coast through many small towns with beaches and sea walls on one side and homes on the other. Sea Bright was one of these nice beach towns.

08/19/2024

New England summer day 64
Pic 1 - Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium, Centerport, New York. This was the summer home of William Vanderbilt II. Initially built in 1910 as a small English cottage. Cottage, it expanded to a Spanish revival home and museum. when he died in 1944 he left the property and museum collection of 40,000 artifacts to Suffolk County on Long Island
Pics 2-4 - Photos from around the Vanderbilt estate. The estate is vast and requires a bit of walking, however they offer shuttle carts to those in need.
Pics 5&6 - The Heckscher Museum of Art, Huntington, New York. This is a small museum with contemporary art. In 1920 the museum, along with a beautiful sprawling park, was given to the city.
Pic 7 - Huntington, New York, like so many towns and cities on Long Island see mass daily commuters heading into New York City. As a result, Long Island lost many people in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Huntington added a memorial garden within Heckscher Park, including this list of citizens who died then.
Pics 8&9 - Sagamore Hill National Historic Park, Oyster Bay, New York. This was the home of President Theodore Roosevelt from 1885 until his death in 1919. While he was president, this was the Summer White House. In addition to the house, there is also a museum in what was Theodore Roosevelt Jr.'s home. One of President Roosevelt's better known quotes is "Speak softly and carry a big stick." After he said that people from all around the world presented him with sticks and these are just a few of the collection.
Pic 10 - My final stop of the day was at a diner called The Pit Stop. I heard about it on one of Guy Fieri's TV shows and I stopped in to try their spaghetti squash primavera. It was so yummy!

This was a long day followed by a 3+ hour attempt to get off Long Island. By the time I got into New Jersey I was exhausted. I knew there was a state campground nearby and I got there about 15 minutes before they closed. The office was already closed so I entered the park to look for a ranger but instead I ended up locked in the park. So I stayed at the campground for the night and in the morning went to the office with apologies.

08/18/2024

New England summer - day 63
Pic 1 - This large white duck was built in the 1930s as a roadside attraction. It now houses a gift shop and visitor center.
I had a bit of a detour this day. Long Island is a popular weekend spot for bicyclists. I came across two young men who had started in New York City early that morning and we're heading out to the Hamptons on their bikes. But one of them had a cut in his bicycle tire and when they tried to inflate the tube it exploded. So I took him to a bike shop just up the road, but that turned out to be closed so we had to go a bit further up the road to another shop. They were so polite and offered to buy me lunch but I just wanted to get back on the road. Normally I do not approve of picking up hitchhikers, but they weren't actually hitchhikers. They were sitting on the side of the road and I pulled over because I thought maybe they needed a pump which I have in my van. But after talking with them for about 5 minutes, I felt comfortable helping out.
Pic 2 - The East End of Long Island has 11 such windmills, all built between 1795-1810. This area of Long Island is flat and does not have fresh water sources, so water mills were not an option. In the late 1700s technology had improved to create wind powered Mills, but they fell out of favor by the early-1800s due to the rise of steam power.
Pic 3 - The original 1770 Customs House in Sag harbor, NY.
Pic 4 - Sag Harbor five and dime variety store started in 1922.
Pic 5 - Main Street in Sag Harbor.
Pic 6 - Sag Harbor was a working port until the early 1900s when it became a destination for New York City's wealthy.
Pic 7 - A hawk's nest near Sag Harbor.
Pic 8 - The home of Jackson Po***ck and wife, and fellow artist, Lee Krasner.
Pic 9 - The house was kept exactly as it was when Lee Krasner died.
Pic 10 - Po***ck's studio. You can see the extraneous paint on the floor and walls.

#@

08/17/2024

New England summer day 62
Pic 1&2 - Fire Island National Seashore, New York. It was a hot and sunny day so the beaches were full.
Pic 3 - International Memorial for TWA flight 800 which crashed in the water near here in 1996. The cause was faulty wiring in the fuel tank. All 230 passengers and crew perished.
Pic 4 - William Floyd Estate, Fire Island. Floyd was a signatory of the Declaration of Independence. His estate was confiscated by the British during the Revolutionary War. This and his other estate are the only remaining homes of New York founding fathers.
Pic 5 - I had to make a u-turn to get a photo of this statue near the Floyd Estate.
Pic 6 - Driving along Long Island I saw a sign for The Shrine of Our Lady of the Island. Not knowing what to expect I followed the signs and was pleasantly surprised to find not only a large outdoor chapel but dozens of shrines and depictions of biblical scenes.
Pic 7 - This is the Avenue of Saints, a pleasant path through the woods with statues of the major saints.
Pic 8 - The shrine hosts many large events throughout the year so they need several large parking lots. Seems to me that if you are learning to drive doing so in the parking lot of a shrine would be optimal. Maybe too many other people had the same idea, hence the sign.
Pics 9&10 - Bayview Market and Farms, Riverhead, New York. I was in need of some fruits and vegetables, and milk so I pulled off at this place. It is a fantastic shop with a wide variety. I also picked up a pineapple bacon salsa which was delicious, and I'm not a big salsa fan.
I spent the evening at Borghese Vineyards in Cutchogue NY. They had live music the evening I was there. 🎶

08/16/2024

New England summer - day 61
Pic 1 - I started my day driving past the Sikorsky helicopter factory in Shelton, Connecticut.
Pic 2 - Then I came across the Google Street View car in Trumbull, Connecticut.
Pic 3 - This mailbox is so clever. A great example of reuse/repurpose. Greenwich, Connecticut.
Pic 4-8 - St. Paul's Church National Historic Site, Mount Vernon, New York. The first parish to establish a church at this location was in 1665, but the current building was not completed until 1764. The bell in the church tower was cast in 1758 at the same foundry that cast the Liberty Bell. The organ is one of the oldest working organs in the US. Like many early American churches, this one is divided into Pew boxes. The signs on the boxes are for the original families who purchased it. There are two graves of note in the cemetery. The first is of an unknown person but dates to 1704. The second is the grave of Dr. Taft, one of the two physicians to aid President Lincoln when he was shot. When refurbishment was needed in the 1930s Sara Roosevelt, FDR's mother, chaired the fundraising committee.
Pics 9&10 - Levittown, New York was the first post WW2 suburb. Following his time with the Seabees during the war, William Levitt knew there would be a post-war housing boom and decided the best way to meet that was through mass-produced home construction. The purchase price of a home was $8,000, equivalent to $110,000 today. Levittown was generally viewed positively because it created a path to home ownership. However, critics panned the uniformity of the houses and the residents. Levittown outright banned non-caucasians. The concept of Levittown has ingrained itself in American culture. This is best seen in movies and TV shows which pan over a vast neighborhood where all the homes are identical. Over the years many families have remodeled their homes, so it is now difficult to find an authentic Levitt home. The white one in the last photograph is an original design - single story and no garage, and with the ubiquitous white picket fence.

08/15/2024

New England summer day 60
1 - I started the day with a trip to the gym AKA floating on my back. Mainly I needed a shower.
2 - Gilbert Stewart's birthplace and museum, Saunderstown, Rhode Island. Gilbert Stewart was one of the premier early American portraitists. This property is known for amazing photographs, alas the day I was there it was pouring rain.
Pic 3 - Canonchet Memorial, Narragansett, Rhode Island. Canonchet was a Narragansett chief and leader of native American resistance. He so irked the English that they had other local Native American groups assassinate him.
Pic 4 - Even in pouring rain surfers gotta surf. Narragansett Beach.
Pic 5 - The Towers, Narrangansett. Narragansett, Rhode Island. This is all that remains of a once great casino opened in 1886. Despite several fires and horrendous hurricanes, The Towers remain.
Pic 6 - Narragansett Indian Statue. This statue is one of 70 70 made by Peter Toth and placed around North America.
Pic 7 - The Colonial Theater, Westerly, Rhode Island. This theater produces an annual summer outdoor Shakespeare festival.
Pic 8 - Front Gate of Holiday House, Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
Pic 9 - I made a quick stop at Mystic, Connecticut. I spent a week there the prior year with a wonderful group of breast cancer survivors and the most amazing volunteers. Now the town hold a special place in my heart. And I wanted to show those ladies how much my hair has grown!
Pic 10 - I spent the night with a man nice family. This was the sitting area next to my parking spot. I had a great night and Saffron got to play with some big dogs.

08/14/2024

New England summer day 58
Pic 1 - Two bulls guard the entry for C**t State Park.
Pic 2 - Newport harbor is busiest in the summer at race days. Newport is home to America's Cup, a sailing competition.
Pic 3-9 - Some of the grand mansions found in Newport. It is very difficult to see these homes from the road. Many have high fences or shrubbery, or strategically placed trees.
Pic 10 - One of the shopping districts in Newport.
I stayed the night at a Cracker Bharrel in Rhode Island.

08/13/2024

New England summer day 58
Pic 1 - If you were impressed by yesterday's high school, check out this one! BMC Durfee High School was built in 1886 and donated to the city of Fall River by a mother who lost her son. The school closed in 1978 and later was renovated to become a state court house. The telescope was refurbished in 2015 and is now open to the public.
Pic 2 - Welcome to Fall River! During the early 1800s Fall River witnessed the beginning of cotton mills along the river. It continued to grow into a textile and cotton mill power house, called 'Spindle City.' At one point Fall River was second in textile production only to Manchester, England. With dozens of mills, immigration was high. The main groups included Acadians, Irish, and Portuguese.
Pic 3 - Lizzie Borden supposedly axed her parents in this house. After their death she inherited a large sum of money and moved to the nicest part of town.
Pic 4 - Next door is her eponymous cafe.
Pics 5&6 - Fall River has a large Portuguese population so there is a store called Portugalia with all Portuguese related products. The biggest sellers were sardines, frozen fish, bakery goods, and olive oil.
Pic 7 - Fall River is predominantly Roman Catholic but each ethnicity has its own church. As a result, the city is full of spires.
Pic 8 - Battleship Cove has the world's largest collection of World War 2 navy ships, including the USS Massachusetts.
Pic 9-10 - My nightly parking for two nights was great. On the water with a neighborhood flock of turkeys.

08/12/2024

New England summer day 57
Pic 1 - Fairhaven High School, Fair Haven Massachusetts.is this not the most beautiful building you've seen, let alone a school. It is called 'The Castle on the Hill.'
Pic 2 - This mural recounts the history of African Americans in New Bedford, Massay. Before Emancipation New Bedford developed a reputation as a place of refuge for black people, free or fugitive. Frederick Douglas was one of the escaped slaves who made his way to New Bedford. It was in this city that he began speaking on the subject of equality, not just for black men, but for all women as well. New Bedford was also the home of the 64th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first African American regiments. If you haven't seen the movie Glory, it is about the formation of this regiment under Col. Shaw. Have tissues ready.
Pic 3 - Plastic Rooster, made by highschool students of discarded materials.
Pic 4 - A walkway in a garden in downtown New Bedford.
Pic 5 - the old Customs House in New Bedford.
Pic 6 - This building in New Bedford was originally a bank and then became a courthouse. Now it serves as the visitor center for the National Park Service in town.
Pic 7 - The diverse population of New Bedford led to an abundance of churches. One of the largest immigration groups in this area was Portuguese. The grocery markets have an entire section of Portuguese food.
Pic 8 - New Bedford's harbor remains very active, having switched from whaling to fishing.
Pic 9 - An active harbor means lots of seagulls such as this one at a McDonald's.
Pic 10 - The area between Rhode Island and Massachusetts near the coast is very interconnected. On one street I entered both states twice. This bridge leads from Providence, Rhode Island to Newport, Rhode Island, but it also serves for people going from New Bedford, Massachusetts to Worcester, Massachusetts.

I spent the following two nights parked in the backyard of a very nice couple. The view out my side door was of the water and Falls River, Massachusetts across the way.

Highway Hijinks

08/23/2024

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