Well, it has been 30 years since I lived in Dallas, and already I realize how much I really miss it! The people are so friendly! It is so big! Downtown! There is so much to see, and there is so much going on all the time! The roads are amazing! And there is always new construction going on everywhere!
The Lone Star State
You know you are in Texas when you see…
Catfish King in TylerFried Catfish, just like Mary Jean remembered!Awesome Whataburger!Classic Grandy’s!Grandy’s Chicken DinnerGrandy’s Fried Chicken
First stop: Tyler, Texas
So 31+ years ago at this venue……Here Comes the Bride!At our wedding there was a water fountain where this brick wall is now.Tyler Rose GardenTyler Rose GardenMonument to Tyler native Earl Campbell, who played high school football in Tyler, college football at the University of Texas, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1977, then a hall of fame career in the NFL for the Houston Oilers. I met him at a club in Houston in 1984, and saw him play near the end of his career, for the New Orleans Saints vs. the Cowboys.
Downtown Dallas
Dallas skyline from the southeast.Dallas skyline from the west.
Globe Life Park at Arlington, Home of the Texas Rangers
AT&T Stadium, Home of the Dallas Cowboys
Texas favorites at Campfire Grill Texas Country Kitchen
I have a milestone birthday, so I thought it would be cool to take a road trip to Charlottesville, and review a little history and have some fun. So the plan was to take a tour of Thomas Jefferson’s home Monticello, eat lunch at Michie Tavern, then take a tour of James Monroe’s Highland, then finish the day with a wine tasting and birthday cake at nearby Trump Winery.
Here we go…
Monticello
Monticello was the home of Thomas Jefferson, author of The Declaration of Independence, and the third President of the United States. We had a guided tour of the house, and we were able to walk the grounds to see the outbuildings and take in some beautiful views.
Monticello Monticello Monticello Monticello Monticello Monticello The gardenThe view from MonticelloThe view from Monticello Jefferson’s PhaetonKitchenSmokehouseSpinning room.Slave quartersGrave of Thomas Jefferson
Here was buried Thomas Jefferson Author of the Declaration of American Independence of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom and Father of the University of Virginia
Jefferson wrote the text for his monument. Interesting that he chose to not mention that he was the third president of the United States!
Lunch at Michie Tavern
Michie Tavern dates back to 1784, and they have a colonial/country style lunch buffet. So we feasted on fried chicken, baked chicken, pork barbecue, mashed potatoes, green beans, cole slaw, beets, blackeyed peas, cornbread and biscuits.
LunchAt Michie TavernMichie Tavern Room in Michie Tavern museumRoom in Michie Tavern museum Revolutionary War era flintlock musket on display
James Monroe’s Highland
James Monroe, our fifth president, lived here, near his good friend Thomas Jefferson. The house Monroe lived in no longer stands, but there is an outline of the foundation of that house. Monroe practiced law in Fredericksburg, and I have toured his Law Office and Museum many times over the years.
Outline of the house Monroe lived in.This house was built in the 19th century, partially on top of the location of Monroe’s house.We had a guided tour of the guest house, which contains many items owned by the Monroes. Photography was not allowed in the house.300-year=old tree in the front yard.Bust of James Monroe. There is also a bust of Monroe in the garden to the rear of the James Monroe Law Office and Museum in Fredericksburg.James Monroe Statue
Tasting at Trump Winery
To close out our day, we went to the Trump Winery for a private wine tasting. And to celebrate the day with some Wesley-made birthday cake.
Thanks to Wesley for the cake, and thanks to all my family who came to make this is special day for me!
MAGA + Trump Winery The countryside is spectacular.View from the wineryView from the winery Vineyard themed cakeThe Cru is the only wine I liked.Goodbye, 50s!A topical gift!Waiting for our tasting room.
Our trip to New England was an incredible vacation for us! Sailing on Narragansett Bay was incredible! The presidents’ houses, etc. Revolutionary War history. State capitols. An actual Pilgrim’s house. Acadia National Park in Maine. The White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Green Mountains in Vermont. A submarine. Baseball and Basketball Halls of Fame. Fine dining. Lobstahs! Even the Miami Dolphins linebackers! And the Statue of Liberty to finish it off! We were told to expect rudeness in the northeast, but everyone we encountered was very nice everywhere we went, except in Vermont, where we ran into rude. We packed a lot into 11 days, but it was all so enjoyable, except the Boston roads and traffic. And we enjoyed sharing our trip with everyone!
This is the actual route we took on our vacation in New England, up the east coast first, then returning down the Hudson River Valley in New York..
This is the last day of a full 11-day vacation. We have had a ball, but we are ready for our own bed, and to eat Mary Jean’s home cooking!
Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, Jersey City, New Jersey
Empty Sky September 11th Memorial The names of everyone from New Jersey who perished in the World Trade Center on 9/11 are etched into these two walls. Each wall length is equal to the Trade Center height. The path points to where the World Trade Center stood. Manhattan is completely covered in fog in the background.Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal We boarded our ferry to the Statue of Liberty here. This was once a bustling hub in the golden years of train travel, the early to mid 1900s. Quite a grand place in its day. Interior of the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal.Antique baggage cart and luggage.
Ellis Island
Ellis IslandEllis Island. This is where immigrants coming to America were processed from 1892 to 1954. For the grandkids, this building may be the place your great-great grandmother Eugenia Vande Voorde (Gramy) took her first steps in America in the 1890s when she arrived in the United States with her family, as a small child from Belgium. Imagine her awe as she saw the New York City skyline and the Statue of Liberty! There is an interesting story about her arrival you should ask your grandma about.Another building at Ellis Island.Ellis Island from the Statue of Liberty, with Jersey City, New Jersey in the background.
The Statue of Liberty
View from the front of our ferry.First view of the Statue of Liberty.Rear view. You enter the museum below the pedestal from this direction.The original torchActual size of Liberty’s face.Actual size of Liberty’s feet.The New Colossus plaque. Written by Emma Lazarus, the more recognized words are: “Give me your tired. Your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” This poem is often mistakenly referred to as being in the Bible, but it is not.I have an old picture like one of these!The stairs up to the statue’s crown. I wasn’t able to get a ticket to climb to the top.View from the top of the pedestal.Cornerstone plaque.Us, on the top of the pedestal, with Manhattan in the background.ManhattanShipsOur ferryMy last picture of the Statue of Liberty.The last picture of me taking a picture of the Statue of Liberty.Manhattan north. The clouds lifted a little bit, but still no clear view of the tops of the buildings.Manhattan southFreedom Tower is just to the right of the building with the small dome at the top. The clouds cover more than half of it!
Passing through Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia skyline covered in clouds. This is the third major city in eleven days that the skyline is in the clouds.Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies.Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Eagles.Wells Fargo Center, home of the 76ers and Flyers.
The battle of Saratoga in the Revolutionary War was actually two battles, one in September and a follow-up battle in October 1777. The British were utterly defeated here, prompting British General Burgoyne to surrender. This preserved battlefield is a large one.View of the battlefield from the Visitors’ Center. The battles took place in September and October 1777, following Burgoyne’s loss at Bennington, Vermont.Revolutionary War cannonFront view of the cannon.Freeman Farm Overlook Here, Colonel Daniel Morgan fired on British General Burgoyne’s advance guard center column.Neilson Farm This farm outlined the fortified American lines. American Major General Horatio Gates’ headquarters, and the American field hospital were nearby.The monument is dedicated to the unknown American dead who died in the battles of Saratoga and are buried in unmarked graves.This cannon is situated on Bemis Heights, and is pointed toward the Hudson River. This site was where the American River Fortifications were.View from Bemis Heights to the left.View from Bemis Heights in the center.View from Bemis Heights to the right.Barber Wheatfield. Americans intercepted 1,500 British and German soldiers trying to reconnoiter the American left. After an hour of fierce fighting, the British troops retreated.Cannon at Barber Wheatfield.Saratoga Battle Monument. This monument stands where General Burgoyne’s camp was entrenched in the last days of the battle. Burgoyne was forced into a humiliating surrender at Saratoga. A very impressive obelisk.Cannon at the Saratoga Battle Monument.General Philip Schuyler faces east toward his Schuylerville estate. Schuyler was an interesting character. Today he is considered the architect of the Americans’ brilliant and total victory at Saratoga. His tactics of delay and evasion successfully stalled Burgoyne’s troops coming from Canada, and his daring improvisations split his men in the face of the British onslaught to counter the British feint from the west along the Mohawk River, leading to American victory. Contemporaneously, he was considered a military incompetent and possibly a traitor, and was even court martialed for treason, but was acquitted in 1778.General Horatio Gates faces north toward the route of the British invasion from Canada.Colonel Daniel Morgan faces west, the positions his corps took to surround the British.
Church at Ballston Spa, New York
Ballston Center Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church We attended church here on Sunday morning.
Grave of President Chester A. Arthur, Albany, New York
Grave of President Chester A. Arthur, our 21st president.Plate on President Arthur’s grave stone.Becoming president upon the assassination of President James A. Garfield in 1881, President Arthur served out the remainder of President Garfield’s term from 1881-1885, and did not secure the Republican nomination for the 1884 election. His signature issue was reforming the spoils system, and he signed into law the Pendleton Act, which required that government jobs be distributed according to merit, rather than cronyism. Arthur married a Culpeper, Virginia girl, Nell Herndon. She died when she was only 42 years old, almost two years before Arthur became president. Arthur’s sister served as First Lady during his term.
New York State Capitol, Albany, New York
Quite a building! It was Sunday, so we could not go in, but the outside looks like a castle! This is the front, which faces the street.This is the rear.Corner view.
Downtown Albany, New York
Statue of Major General Philip Schuyler, across the street from the state capitol.New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, to the west of the state capitol.The Erastus Corning Tower. At 44 stories tall, this is the tallest building in the state of New York outside of New York City.Empire Plaza and The Egg.The Egg and Empire Plaza. The Egg is a performing arts venue.Albany, New York skyline and the Hudson River.
Birthplace, Home and Grave of President Martin Van Buren, Kinderhook, New York
This is the site where Martin Van Buren, our 8th president, was born in 1782. This is located in Kinderhook, New York. President Martin Van Buren’s home, Lindenwald in Kinderhook. He was our 8th president, who was President Andrew Jackson’s hand-picked successor in 1837. He presided over the financial Panic of 1837 which was devastating to the economy. He was a failed president, and served only one term, 1837-1841, very similar to George H. W. Bush. Both presidents succeeded wildly popular presidents (Jackson, Reagan), then failed to win re-election after their first term. President Bush retired to private life. President Van Buren continued to run for president in several other election cycles, losing every time.Lindenwald, home of President Martin Van Buren. The architectural style is a combination of Georgian, Victorian and Italianate.LindenwaldGrave of President Martin Van Buren, Kinderhook, New York
Home, Library and Grave of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Hyde Park, New York
Franklin D. Roosevelt, a fifth cousin of President Theodore Roosevelt, was our 32nd president. He was the only president to serve more than two terms. He was elected four times, but he died early in the first year of his fourth term, April 12, 1945. He served from 1933-1945.FDR’s Hyde Park homeFront viewThe view from his front yard.FDR Presidential Library and Museum.The museum had a special exhibit, The Art of War. This exhibit contains many posters that were used during World War II. I post only a few here, but on the Presidents page I will post many more.Recruiting for nurses. (Another one for you, Kayla.)This is the iconic Uncle Sam “I Want You” poster.We used to be able to identify our enemy clearly.We could also identify our other primary enemy in World War II.FDR’s Oval Office desk.FDR’s 1936 Ford Phaeton.The Bible FDR used all four times he took the presidential oath of office. The memorandum President Roosevelt received on December 7, 1941, informing him of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.Bust of FDR outside of the Library and Museum.Posing with President Franklin and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.The graves of President Franklin and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Zoom in to see the etching.
Mid-Hudson Bridge, Poughkeepsie, New York
Flag hanging from the Mid-Hudson Bridge, crossing the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie.
Dinner in Ramsey, New Jersey
The Shannon Rose, Ramsey, New JerseyShepherd’s Pie and Irish Soda Bread. Delicious!
