Historically yours!

Welcome aboard the History Train! This has truly been an historic day!

1. Philly Cheese Steak at Sonny's

2. Independence Hall

3. Independence Hall where the Founding Fathers met

4. The Gotta Go Girls with the Liberty Bell

5. George Washington and his friend, GGGGerry

6. Ben and some more of the guys

Today was a history buffs dream and a podiatric nightmare. Let me explain. We were up and out early to get in line for our free timed tickets to Independence Hall. When the doors opened at 8:30 we were the second ones in line. A tour operator getting 90 tickets was ahead of us! So we got tickets for the 9:15 tour. Oh well. While standing in line we met a delightful young fellow named Ben visiting here from the Netherlands. We hung out together through lunch and enjoyed his company very much. Ben, if you are reading this we are so sorry we didn't get your picture. We spoke of it during lunch and then we parted ways. Hope the rest of your trip was enjoyable and be sure to be in touch if you ever get back to the U.S. and the west coast.

We actually were able to join the 9:00 tour of Independence Hall and our guide, though fast talking, was interesting, funny, and inspiring. We keep running into National Park Service people who obviously know what they are talking about and love their job! Gus led us through the building and recited a speech given by Abraham Lincoln when he visited Philadelphia just before his inauguration. Those wonderful words spoken by a black man 142 years later were very moving. Standing in that room realizing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written in that very spot gives you shivers! Gus encouraged us to wrap ourselves in the history of the beginnings of our country and that is what we did for the next 7 hours! (This is the podiatric nightmare part!)

After Constitution Hall it was on to Carpenters' Hall, Franklin Court Post Office/museum/printingshop/archaeologic site , Second Bank of the U.S. Portrait Gallery, and the Liberty Bell. Phew! After that little marathon we were tired, thirsty and hungry. Had a very nice lunch at the huge visitor's center and then went on to the National Constitution Center. This is a relatively new museum and very interactive. From the little girl who was taking the oath of office to become president to walking around amid lifesize bronze figures of the Founders to a multimedia presentation of the meaning of the Constitution, the sights and sounds never let up! It could be one of those overload situations, but it is all very fascinating! There was also a special exhibit about First Ladies with many artifacts and especially some of the clothes they wore. This center is quite an addition to the historic district.

The last stop for me was Betsy's Ross's House which is very small but very popular and then I headed back to the hotel and put my feet up. Lee and Judi continued on to Christ Church and Elfreth's Alley with some of the oldest continuously occupied houses in the nation. This they enjoyed but were glad to get back to the hotel and put their feet up also. Dinner was a short walk down the street to Sonny's where we had the obligatory Philly Cheese Steak. Sonny is famous for his and it is thin slices of steak on a roll with grilled onions and Cheese Whiz! Add some fries or fried onion rings and a coke and you are in heaven. Sorry the picture is a bit blurred. Probably my stomach was pressing against the camera!!! It is 9:15 and Lee is asleep, Judi is reading and I am not far behind. What a day! Good night from the Gotta Go Girls.

"We the Gotta Go Girls..."

All the pictures are from New Hope, Pennsylvania in Bucks County. What's with all the buzzards? There was a huge flock of them. Oooooooooohhhhhoooooo!!!!!!

We left beautiful Hyde Park this morning as a thick fog was rolling in. It never got too bad but was overcast most of the day until we got to Philadelphia. We drove on the interstates to Bucks County where we stopped in the little arty community of New Hope. The stone buildings date from the 1800's when there was a mill and this was an important place on the Deleware River. Wandered in and out of the shops, did a bit of buying, had lunch and went on down the road.

We passed the spot where Washington crossed the Deleware River, and I swear I could see muskets peeking out from behind the trees along the road. It really looked like a movie to me! It is easy to let your imagination run wild.

Got to the Holiday Inn smack dab in the middle of the historic district. Did a little walk around the Liberty Bell and Constitution Hall and scoped out a plan for tomorrow. Thought we might take a tour but the things we want to see are all within walking distance, so we are tying our shoe laces tightly tomorrow and heading off early. Tickets for Constitution Hall are free but they start giving them out at 8:30 tomorrow morning and they go fast. Would hate to miss out so we plan to be in line early. Many new things have been built in the area since I was here in 1990. Can hardly wait.

After our gastinomical gut-busting of yesterday we had room service tonight and what a treat to just kick back. Judi and I even worked in a little pre dinner nap. Off to bed as we want to be fresh for Thomas, Ben, George, and all the other guys as well as Betsy!

Love, The Gotta Go Girls

We Want to Stay in Hyde Park!!!!

These pictures are just a tiny sampling from today.

1. Our new friend Angie at the Eveready Diner

2. The CIA soup sampler and wine flight

3. My ham, cheese, tomato and basil panini

4. A CIA classroom

5. Franklin's "walk"

6. The Roosevelt front door at Springwood/Hyde Park presidential home

7. Burial site of Franklin and Eleanor (Fala is buried behind the memorial stone)

8. FDR's office in the library building as it was when he died

9. Eleanor's dining room at ValKill, her retreat

10. Visiting with the Roosevelts.

Well, have we had a nice day. This morning we drove across the street to the President's library and home. We could have walked but..... The tour of the house and presidential library was fabulous. I was very moved with the presentation by the ranger with the National Park Service when he thanked us for coming. He really captured the essence of the president and it was a very entertaining and moving hour. The picture showing the long driveway is where Franklin Roosevelt would try to walk after contracting polio. What strength of character to never give up and how painful and frustrating those attempts must have been. The library with one wing devoted to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt is awe inspiring. The grounds of the estate are gorgeous and the simple graves in the Rose Garden are magnificent in their understatement. As a child I remember the President's dog, Fala, and was thrilled to see that he is buried close to the president.

After lunch we went to Eleanor Roosevelt's cottage, Val Kill. What a serene and peaceful setting and it is clear why she chose this place to build her retreat away from her mother-in-law in the "big house" down the road. After Mama Roosevelt's death in 1941 and Franklin's death in 1945 Eleanor spent her time in Hyde Park at Val Kill. Her children and grandchildren had many wonderful memories of that time. In her later years she received heads of state and important people at this humble cottage and I wish I could have been a part of the wonderful dinner table conversations which she loved. The weather was warm, the leaves are changing and rustling, and it was a perfect day!

And then we get to the food, making it even more perfect! The Culinary Institute of America, a mile or so down the road from the Presidential Library, is housed in an old brick monastary that is right on the road. Students bustle around in black and white checked pants, white coats, and funny chefs' hats. You can peek into classrooms where in one I saw a lecture going on about Corn. The instructor was using a large poster of one corn kernal as a visual aid! We went to lunch in the St. Andrews Cafe, one of the less expensive restaurants where we were able to make reservations. Our waitress is a second year student who is about to graduate with an AA degree. The Institute does offer a bachelors degree also. Makes you want to go back to school! We all had the same thing and the picture shows how much we loved our food!!!! It is a beautiful place and we hated to leave.

Lee and Judi did laundry while I looked for a place to stay in Philadelphia. I think they had better luck with the clothes but finally I found something for 2 nights. Have to be a bit more careful in big cities on the weekends. Things get busy. We do have our reservations in Washington DC so perhaps this was just a fluke!

We went back to the Eveready Diner where we ate last night. We were not very hungry but hated to miss another gastronomic opportunity and their were Buffalo Wings and Sweet Potato Fries were calling to the Gotta Go Girls. Wash this all down with a chocolate malt, chocolate soda, or a chocolate egg cream and you have the perfect meal to end a perfect day. AND we got to see one of our favorite waitresses Angie! We met Angie last night along with another doll, Amanda, who had tonight off. It was like old home week. Angie's bubbly personality, warm sense of humor, and hospitable manner wins you over immediately. We want to move to New York and be her friend. We chatted when she had a minute between seeing to her other customers and had the restaurant in a bit of an uproar as we left with Eveready Diner tee shirts from the management and hugs all around.

Boo Hoo!!!! On down the road tomorrow to Philadelphia.

Love, The Gotta Go Girls

From the Hudson River Valley and Points South

Pictures from the top down:

1. West Point Museum

2. Hudson River from West Point

3. Judi and Gerry at The Breakers

4. Mr. Singh, our hero for the week!

5. Patting some sttue for good luck

6. The Diner where we ate tonight in Hyde Park

Well, here we are heading North again. After leaving the Boston area we drove to Rhode Island. Newport is a wonderfully tidy and beautiful city. We wandered around town and after a great lunch at a pub and the sweetest cutest waiter we have had in a long time (the crowds are less and people have a chance to visit) we headed for the Breakers, perhaps the most opulent millionaire's mansion along the seashore. Unbelievable! We encountered some silvery looking panels in one of the rooms. Analysis has shown this shiny stuff to be platinum!!!! After soaking up as much of that as we could we headed for New Haven.

Had big plans for today but did have to scale back. This morning we needed to to go UPS and send some treasures home. Called the UPS store and Judy spoke with Mr. Singh. He talked us in to his store which adjoins Yale. He couldn't have been nicer and was waiting to welcome us as we drove into the parking lot. It had taken several phone calls and his good humor never flagged. And then! We conducted our business, he suggested some places for us to walk, and let us leave our car parked right by his front door! We came back an hour later and he and another gentleman got us on the right road headed out of town. Now if that isn't service I don't know what it!! Thanks sooooooooo much, Mr. Singh.

Our walking around Yale was wonderful! It is what a college is supposed to look like. It drips tradition and we tried to imagine what it would be like to live there for 4 years and go to school. Very inspiring.

Heading out of town we had to jettison plans to stop and see June and Ed Pierce in Connecticut and going on to Greenwich, Conn. Headed straight as we could toward West Point on the Hudson River. When we got a little hungry pulled off the Interstate and ate at a little restaurant and deli tucked in the woods. We had one of the best lunches we have ever had. Don't have my notes but later will let you know where to stop if you are ever in this area. It was a gem!

The ride to West Point was beautiful and there is really a lot of color coming on. Most of today was drove along rivers, ponds, and lakes. Arrived at West Point to get the last tour of the day. Cute young guide who had lots of anecdotes about West Point grads and kept us amused. It is really awe inspiring to think of all the history we were surrounded by. Saw some links (each one weighs 100 pounds) of a chain that George Washington stretched across the Hudson River to thwart the Britsih. And we got to see this!

And then on north along the Hudson River to Hyde Park. When we pulled into the parking lot of the Motel where we had reservations couldn't believe it. We have a very large room, a little kitchen, and if it were light I could see FDR's presidential library across the street. Went to dinner at a fabulous diner right up the street and making plans tomorrow to visit the Culinary Institute of America for lunch, all the Roosevelt sites, and returning to the diner for dinner.

I'm going very fast tonight as I am in the motel lobby. The motel owners are Chinese and are here listening to dramatic Chinese TV and they close the office at 11:00 so I have to dash along. Left Judi and Lee working on some plans for Philadelphia. Not enough hours in the day!!!!!!

Take care everyone and the Gotta Go Girls send their love!

From the top down:

1. and 2. Sandwich glass from the glass factory in Sandwich, Massachusetts.

3. Relaxing with all the Weedons

4. Wapanoag native girl sharing her talents

5. Plimoth Plantation "house"

6. Hanging on in the wind

7. The Mayflower II

8. Plymouth Rock (yes, we were there)

Well it is almost time to leave Boston but had one more adventure today. Headed out this morning armed with very explicit directions so as to not have a repeat of yesterday. We agreed that if we should find ourselves in the Big Dig again with trucks bearing down on us and we're heading north when we are trying to head south we would just pull over and shoot ourselves. Even though we finally found our way yesterday it was a very frustrating experience. Well! We did just fine until we were within a couple of miles of Bob and Susan's house. Missed several streets but Judi is getting good at stopping and turning around. Unfortunately you can't do that in a tunnel when the traffic is moving at about 70MPH.

Our first stop was Plimoth Plantation. It is a reconstruced settler village as well as a Wapanoag native village. It was interesting and we were particularly taken with the Native Americans and their presentation of their culture. The English settlers were in costume and character and it took a little getting used to.

After a couple of hours there and paying our dues at the gift shop we headed to the Mayflower II. You really get the idea of the amount of room, or lack off, they endured on the crossing of the Atlantic. It was a blustery day and nicely appropriate.

Continuing down the coast road we drove part way onto Cap Code. Things were pretty quiet on a Monday in October. We could only imagine the traffic and people on a summer weekend. In fact we were starving and had to drive a bit to find a restaurant. Never underestimate the Gotta Go Girls when it comes to finding food though. Had a great dinner at a waterside restaurant. We were surprised at the extent of the marsh land we drove past. I was thinking beaches and waves like the Oregon coast. Noooo! Very different!!!!

The drive back to Wellsley was uneventful and after a couple of bobbles we pulled into the Weedon's driveway. Bob and Susan and the dogs were watching television and it was fun to sit down and visit. The time passed all too quickly and now I am trying to get ready to go in the morning. We have had a wonderful time with Bob and Susan and hopefully they will be in Watsonville one of these days. Can't thank them enough for their hospitality and expecially driving us around Boston. How fortunate we have been from Kalispell, Montana, to St. Paul Minnesota, to Wellsley Massachusetts to visit with old friends and relatives. Hoping to have dinner tomorrow with June Ivelich Pierce and her husband. We are missing some people along the way which makes us sad but we must soldier on!

Rhode Island and the Breakers tomorrow. The way we were meant to live!

Love and goodnight from the Gotta Go Girls.

I Love an Adams and I Don't Mean a Beer

All the news that's fit to print from Quincy, Mass.

1. Inside the JFK Library. Notice the plane landing at Logan Airport

2. The Presidential seal

3. John Adams birthplace (upper right hand window) in Quincy Mass

4. Gotta Go Girls outside the Adams 1870 library.

5. The Old House

6. Statue of Abigail and her son John Quincy

7. Congregational Church in Quincy.

This was really a presidential day! We headed out to southern Boston and the University of Massachusetts campus where the JFK Library and Museum are located. It is a beautiful building designed by I.M. Pei and is located right on the water. All the artifacts are very interesting and Jackie and the special talents she brought to the presidency in the form of the arts is prominantly featured. There were also very somber moments of the Cuban Missle Crisis and the assasination. It was our first Presidential Library and the next will be Hyde Park.

From there we got back on the expressway and went to the next exit and got off! Distances really surprise us. We finally found the visitor Center for Adams National Historical Park after driving by it several times! We found that the last tour of the day was about to start and we hopped on it. We were taken by trolly to the site where John and his son John Quincy were born and lived at various times. We learned a great deal from the ranger who led us through the two houses.

Then it was back on the trolly and a ride up the hill (all of this is surrounded by streets and houses of Quincy) to visit the Old House. It seems that John Adams and his descendants lived in this house up to the 1920's when it was given to the U.S. Government for everyone to enjoy and learn from. At the house we had a wonderful young ranger who was very knowledgable and since the Gotta Go Girls were the only ones on the tour we had a chance to chat, share stories and ask a million questions. It was very moving seeing the room furnished with the original desk where John wrote many important documents, the chair where he was sitting when he suffered a stroke on July 4, 1826, and the bedroom and bed where Abigail died of typhoid fever. It really made him a real person along with Abigail, John Quincy and the rest of the family.

We ended the tour in the library which is housed in a different building. We kept trying to imagine the houses surrounded by rolling farmland and not a crowded neighborhood. It was very interesting and we were dripping history when we finished. Walked to the Congregational Church where John, John Quincy and their wives are all buried.

Then it was back into the car and armed with maps and a wing and a prayer we headed back to Wellsley. As I navigated carefully the reverse directions I gave Judi the wrong instructions and the next thing we know we are tearing through the Big Dig and driving under the city of Boston. The idea all along was to drive but skirt the chaotic driving of downtown. Aghhhhhh!!!!! I fell all over myself apologizing but was able to lead us out of the maze and cirlcle around and finally get going in the right direction. And I had to give up drinking! We are headed in the general direction tomorrow and perhaps we should take a cab! Cost us a few hundred dollars? Would be cheaper than the therapy we are all going to need when we finish this trip. I kept moaning for the good old days in Montana! Ahhhhh, lovely Montana with all the straight roads and no traffic!

Susan and Bob were waiting for us with some cookies and Desperate Housewives ready to begin. Ahhhhhhh!!!! Off to Plymouth and Cape Cod tomorrow for a day trip and then we will be moving on down the road on Tuesday. Love it here in Wellsley but don't want to wear out our welcom

Happy third anniversary, Matt and Ferda. Goodnight from the Gotta Go Girls.