Family Time, the Total Eclipse and a Dead Stop

Scott put film over this phone to take
this photo. 

Uzi, Heather and Shira viewing the eclipse by the pool in their
backyard in Dallas

Uzi, Scott, Heather & Shira

We combined both this year. At last year's Stellafane Convention in Springfield, VT we saw a presentation on Solar Eclipses by a noted astronomer and vowed to see the next one. Easy peasy as it was visible both in Vermont and in Dallas, TX where our oldest son Josh has a home. We visit them every year now on our travels west. In the past that's been on the way out, but we timed our next stay during the solar eclipse on April 8. It was amazing and for us, very easy. We just set up in their backyard in Dallas and watched the spectacle. 

Total eclipse at Lake Willoughby

Sean, Will and 11 friends went up to Northern Vermont to
view the eclipse, after spending the weekend at our 
home in Shrewsbury, VT. 

Our son Sean and his friends had a different experience, along with many in the northeast. The weather in northern Vermont was clear and they had a wonderful view, but then they had to join the thousands and thousands driving south. All hotels were full on the way and they have an electric car - "long, long, long lines at the chargers". They left Lake Willoughby around 4 PM and got to Boston at 5:30 AM! And with a 9 month old baby on board.

Josh, Michal and Scott up in the Penthouse of 
their apartment in Tulsa for a party. It was the 
opening day at the Oneok Field, home to the
Tulsa Drillers. 

Watching the game from the Penthouse is like
having a private box.  It's a lounge, game room,
kitchen with decks for everyone that lives there.

Our son Josh has 5 children but only 2 of them are with he and Michal now. Daniel and Cookie are both at Columbia University and their third Maya, now in London, has been accepted by Columbia for next year. Like Cookie, she still had one more year to finish high school in England, but got accepted anyway. That means they have had to take all their A levels (graduation exams) a year early. We're pretty proud of all of them. The last two, Jonathan "Uzi" and Shira are at the University School in Tulsa, OK, near where Josh works as a Radiation Oncologist. Uzi graduates this year from 8th grade and they and Michal are moving to NYC to finish school there at the New School in Manhattan. Josh only works 3 or 4 days a week so he'll commute. They've done this before in London and Costa Rica and it works for them. Hard to imagine - but the results are wonderful. 

Scott got a virtual haircut at the Greenwood Rising
Black Wall Street History Center

Josh and Scott at the Philbrook Art Museum

The Philbrook Art Museum, opening in 1939 in the 1920s villa of Waite & Genevieve Philbrook. When Josh and family lived full time in Tulsa they had a home just a block away. 

So after our long weekend in Dallas, we spent the rest of our 10 day visit in Tulsa. I really love this city and will be sorry they are leaving. We visited the Philbrook Museum of Art, the Black Wall Street History Center, the Botanical Gardens and lots of time at The Gathering. We stayed at the Warrior RV Park right in Tulsa which was convenient but very basic. That's OK as we spent most of our time with our family. 

Lighting the candles on Shabbat

Walking around Tulsa - great weather during out
visit.

There is so much to do in The Gathering - here
the garden of mirrors.

Shira and I hide in the giant stem garden

Shira and Scott made my birthday cake - 
celebrated a few days early on our 45th wedding
anniversary1

So now - the Dead Stop! It happened in Centerton, Arkansas. We were on our way to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art when our RV brakes came on suddenly. Luckily we were coming up to a red light and I was able to pull over on the side of the road. Then the motor revved up to 4,000 rpms at idle.  Scott fiddled around and finally it seemed to stop. So we continued on. A few miles later the motor revved up again and we almost came to a stop. Luckily there was a parking lot right there to pull into - a Verizon Store (how appropriate for this Verizon Retiree). 

Many calls and hours later we got a tow company to bring Junior to a dealership and Baby to a RV park. We spent the next day waiting impatiently for news from the service department. We had to cancel our reservations in Little Rock. Finally we got the call and good news! It will be ready this afternoon and we decided to drive direct to Nashville tomorrow. That will put us back on schedule. It's 8 hours and 12 minutes Google time - longer than we've ever attempted. It will take us 10 to 11 hours.

Two problems combined to cause our situation. The emergency brakes on the RV came on due to faulty wiring. The sudden stop forced the plastic floor cover forward and over the end of the gas pedal. We vacuumed Junior in Tulsa the day before and evidently didn't put it back correctly. It happened again a little later and that's the answer. They fixed the emergency RV brake system and the floor cover - and a long standing engine light service problem as well. So we're off as early as possible tomorrow.  More news in my next blog!

Shira models a parasol at the gift shop
at the Botanical Gardens

They had a Lego art installation showing there - animals in all
colors and sizes - totally in Legos.  Here's a American Bald
Eagle in Pride colors.

This was a larger than life size zebra!

Amarillo to Tulsa

I was fascinated by the DC3 on display. In 1973
I spent 6 weeks in Africa including one week
in Ethiopia in a DC3 as part of an 
experimental tour designed by the sister of 
Haile Selassie.  There were only 6 of us tourists
and several staff including our own pilot!

We left Roswell early to avoid gusty winds and settled into the Oasis RV Resort on the edge of Amarillo. It was a quiet park with a tree, little patio and picnic table.  That afternoon we visited the Texas Air & Space Museum and stopped by Cadillac Ranch on the way back. The latter is one of those strange roadside attractions that are inexplicable. Who thought of them? Why do so many people go there? But then of course, we did (along with a lot of others and on a day where it was VERY windy).

I really enjoy getting in the cockpit of planes - 
but they are a tight fit and particularly getting
out!

Born in 1875, Harriet was the first woman to
receive a pilot's license (1911) and the first
 woman to fly the English Channel. 

Unlike the other women featured here, Ethel
wasn't a first or famous but her story of 
being an aviation mechanic during the war
honored all women who served.

The Air & Space Museum was very small compared to many we've visited over the last three trips. Like many it has a small staff and many dedicated volunteers. There were many signs explaining the big plans to expand to a new location but the volunteer we talked to was very skeptical.  But still there were new interesting tidbits. As usual I found most interesting the stories about women who served in various ways both in the military and in the aviation industry. One strange coincidence involved Harriet Quimby, the first woman aviator. She died flying the Third Annual Boston Aviation Meet at Squatum, MA in 1912. My father attended that meet and often talked about it. He was 6 at the time.

A detail of the spray paint layers on
the cadillacs.

It was so windy we could barely stand. This is the "famous''
Cadillac Ranch. A kiosk sells spray paint cans so you can 
add graffiti to the already thick layers!

Bessie was the first African-American woman to
hold an American Pilot's license and the earliest
Black person known to earn an international one.

The next day we spent at the Palo Duro Canyon State Park. One of the largest canyons in the U.S. it is about 35 miles long with an average width of 6 miles. It's been nicknamed "The Grand Canyon of Texas" for it's multicolored layers and steep walls. It became a State Park in 1934 and the CCC built the loop road and many structures over the next 4 years. Four groups of veterans, two groups of African-Americans and one junior group did the work - CCC groups were segregated by race and age. 

We drove the loop road and hiked the Paso del Rio trail, which followed the Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River which formed the canyon.  Georgia O'Keeffe, who lived in Amarillo and nearby Canyon in the early 20th century wrote of the Palo Duro: " It is a burning, seething cauldron, filled with dramatic light and color." She painted the canyon between 1910 and 1918. 

The Loop Road is 15 miles long and has a steep descent as you can see in this photo taken at the top.

The Visitor's Center was built by the CCC into the side of the canyon at the top with thick stone walls.

Scott's phone malfunctioned after the two previous photos so I added one taken off the web.

That evening we celebrated with a dinner at the Toscana Italian Steak House in the renovated historic Barfield Hotel downtown. The cocktails and food were terrific! And the service outstanding. The restaurant manager came over to chat with us and on the way out, the General Manager told us about the renovations and history of the hotel! 

At Toscana Italian Steakhouse - we enjoyed the 
house made pasta dishes and shared a antipasto
salad first.

My Shrimp Scampi 

Next day we were off early again, this time to the Foss State Park in Oklahoma. We've stayed there before but this time got a site right on the lake. We enjoyed a walk and met an interesting fellow who was camping in his van at one of the day picnic spots. He's a disabled veteran of the Vietnam War and after he talked to some of the park staff, who also served in the military more recently, was given a free site for a week. One of the Park security officers came by to visit him and we all waved to the Google car that circled the park filming for Google maps!

These flowering trees, magenta in color followed
us from Foss all the way along the highway into
Oklahoma.

Baby & Junior at our lovely site in Foss Lake
State Park, OK. 

Next we're spending 10 days with our oldest son Josh and his family, which right now consists of Michal, my daughter-in-law and the two youngest, Jonathan "Uzi" and Shira. They live in Tulsa during the week as the kids go to the University School there and weekends at their home in Dallas. But that's my next blog!

Family Time

Don and Andrea Clark are the owners and Don
is the winemaker. Their family comes from 
Sicily and they stay true mainly to Italian wine
types.

It was a little too cold to sit outside but they have
an attractive wine tasting room inside. Last time
we got to know the owners' daughter but this time
it was their oldest son, Ben. 

 

We left Lafayette on Wednesday heading for a visit with our oldest son and his family in Dallas. We had two intermediate stops to break up the trip. The first was a necessary night at a RV Park as it had been over a week since our last hookup for electricity, water and sewer access. The KOA in Shreveport was convenient, providing all this and a quiet night. But our next stop was another Harvest Host - Valle della Pace in Garden Valley, TX.  We stopped here two years ago on our last trip with Baby and it was just as nice as we remembered.

At the Tyler Texas State Park a trail goes all around the lake but we just did one section. A storm the previous week had left some trees down and muddy sections.

But it was warm(ish) and sunny so a great stop!

When it's a longish day traveling we plan a stop somewhere to walk and have lunch. This day we chose a Texas State Park in Tyler. The property was willed to the state by private owners in 1935 and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) landscaped it and built the cabins and other structures.  It was a lovely day for a walk along the lake and we enjoyed a picnic lunch.

Michal, Maya, Scott and I spent a morning
playing at The Gathering Place, one of the very
best parks in the country!

Maya enjoyed communing with the Koi

The playgrounds, and there are many of them, are
artistic triumphs.

There are sculptures everywhere that are fun
to play in and admire.

And lots of comfortable places to sit or even, lie
down!

And it's all landscaped beautifully, even in the 
winter.

From there it was an easy 1.5 hours to the Shady Acres RV Park in Cleburne, TX. Baby will stay there for the next 3+ weeks while we visit Josh and his family in both Dallas and Tulsa, and then fly to Mexico to see Alan & Jeanette Feuer. It took us longer to pack up and settle our RV there as the only site available had electrical problems and we had to wait until the electrician resolved them. But we were on time at the airport to pick up our granddaughter Maya who flew in for the week from London. Josh's home in Dallas flooded again (the first time was during our visit two years ago) over the Xmas holidays due to pipes that burst when frozen. They were having a vacation at our home in Vermont when it happened! So we all stayed for two nights at a hotel near their home in Dallas so they could interview contractors. Then on Sunday we drove up to Tulsa where they have an apartment in time to see the Super Bowl - great game!

Josh, Scott, Maya, Shira and Jonathan visited
the Perot Science Museum in Dallas while
Michal and I prepared for Shabbat.

The museum has lots of interactive activities 
inside and out.

And we had fun hiking in the Arbor Hills 
nature preserve.

Josh and Michal dressed for Friday night
service at the Synagogue. 

Josh and Michal are living in Tulsa during the week as Josh works mostly in Oklahoma now (he's a radiation oncologist) with their two youngest children, Jonathan and Shira. Maya is finishing secondary school in London and the oldest two, Daniel and Ariella are at Columbia University. They reserved a hotel room right next to their apartment in downtown Tulsa for us Sunday through Thursday. 

Ready for a trip along the Arkansas Ricer in Tulsa.

Scott and I got our E-bikes out again and enjoyed the beautiful long bike path along the river here. Another day, Maya rode with Scott. We all had fun at The Gathering Place, the amazing nearly 100 acre park which opening in 2018. Then we all drove back to Dallas for the weekend. Josh and his family come back weekends to attend services at their synagogue and see friends. They had a bunch over for the Shabbat meal on Saturday. The living room, kitchen and one bedroom & bath are still usable. Maya flew back to London Saturday night and we flew to Mexico on Monday. More to come in my next post!

Jonathan and Michal snuggle up 

Summer Summary

Kolya dressed up for the wedding as
ring bearer.

 We got back to Vermont late this year on June 12 and as the result we've had a busy summer catching up with friends and family here and away. The first happy occasion was a visit from James, Morgen and Kolya, along with Morgen's parents, Kris and Karl. They had a wedding in northern Vermont and came on the way up and back. Next, it was time for our Fourth of July gathering. Zoë flew to Boston and drove up with Sean and Will on June 30th. The rest of our friends gradually arrive and stayed with the last ones leaving on July 7th.  We had good weather and spent lots of time at Spring Lake and eating outdoors on the deck. 

From top row left: Pat (Doug's girlfriend), Doug, David, Leslie, Heather, Marty (next row) Luke, Emma (Luke's girlfriend), Scott, Sean, (bottom row) Zoë, Julie, Jenny, Russ, Larry, Scott S., Calvin & Laura. 

Our next visitors were Scott's brother Brent, his two daughters Wandi & Vern, Vern's husband Sam and son Joseph. Our sister-in-law Wilma had to stay behind to manage construction at their home. The weather really cooperated and we swam and did some sightseeing. 

Brent, Wandi, Heather, Scott, Joseph, Sam and Vern at the Mountain View Inn for lunch. 

We had a full concert/theater schedule this summer. First was three performances of Opera North at Blow-Me-Down Farm in Cornish, NH. We shared these season tickets with our friend Sally Deinzer and Sean was able to come with us one night. They were a delight and again the weather cooperated and we had picnics on the lawn. Then we went to see "Wait Until Dark" and "Thirst" at the Dorset, "Steel Magnolias" at the Weston, Postmodern Jukebox at the Paramount, "Midsummer Night's Dream" NYC Ballet at SPAC, and a number of concerts at the Town Hall in Shrewsbury. 

Scott, Sean and Heather at La Traviata, Opera North at Blow-Me-Down Farm, Cornish, NH

Our next guests were Harpal and Jeannie Dhama, visiting from Winter Park, FL. Harpal is one of my oldest friends, my sister Paula's originally in college. We stayed at their home twice during our RV trip across the country in 2021. but they were in California so this was the first time together for awhile. I'm sorry to say I don't have a photo - I've been negligent at taking photos since my camera broke! 

Heather takes a breather during our walk at the Taconic Ramble State Park. The Japanese garden there invites you to do some meditation!

I'll admit this wasn't our most athletic summer (or year). We did have some nice but rather short walks and rented e-bikes again from our Senior Center and did the Rail Bike Trail in Burlington, VT. We are planning to buy two folding e-bikes this fall to take on our cross country RV trip next winter. 

Scott rests up at the end of the bike path causeway that crosses a section of Lake Champlain up in Burlington VT 

Our bout with COVID after the trip to New Orleans for the Tortugal Marina reunion ended with negative tests in time to travel to Tulsa, OK to see our oldest son Joshua and his wife Michal, and our grandchildren, Maya, Jonathan and Shira (the oldest two are both at Columbia University now). We also saw our cruiser friends Jerry & Debarah, who live nearby in Drumright. 

We visited The Gathering, an amazing park on the river in Tulsa twice. here we try out a few of the fabulous chairs there. Here we have our granddaughter Maya, now 15 and going to school in London.

Shira, Heather and Maya make Jamaican patties for dinner. We've been watching the Great British Junior Baking Show and were inspired.

Kolya tries out a water shooter at the lake

Leslie makes her flag cake every year at the 
Fourth of July weekend!

Scott and Sally at our picnic before the Opera North afternoon performance. Blow-Me-Down Farm is the National Park Service's only collaboration with an arts group and a very successful one. It, together with the Saint-Gaudens estate is a National Historic Park and was originally the social and creative center for the Cornish Colony. 

We love the Postmodern Jukebox. This is the second
time they have come to the Paramount in Rutland.

Scott is always involved in politics, mostly
local and here his friend Bernie Sanders
speaks in support of Becca Balint for U.S.
Representative. She won the primary!

Michal and Maya share a chair at
the Gathering Place in Tulsa.

Josh in a big hug with Shira and Jonathan

Looks like a serious discussion!

And Shira must be making a point!

Jerry, Debarah, Heather and Scott at the Woolaroc Museum

On the extensive grounds surrounding the museum a variety of animals roam free. Here some water buffalos graze along the lake.

The museum holds over 300 paintings, 600 bronzes
 and 2300 pieces of Native American art and artifacts.

Woolaroc was established in 1925 as a ranch
retreat by the oilman Frank Philips. He gave
the entire property, including his home, to 
found the Museum.

Josh took the 2 kids and Scott on a 
Art Museum tour of Fort Worth. Michal
and I had a day together.