Category: USA

26 – Theodore Roosevelt

Sagamore Hill, Oyster Bay, New York

This house is the home of my favorite President, Theodore Roosevelt, our 26th president. He built this house in 1884, and died in this house January 6, 1919. He hosted a number of world leaders here. Unfortunately no photography is allowed inside, but the inside is incredible to see. There are many hunting trophies and animal skin rugs. There are two 1000-pound elephant tusks, a cape buffalo, bearskins, a polar bear skin rug, leopard skins, deer, moose, buffalo and so many more. Seeing it is so much more than describing it! Admiral Robert Perry gave Roosevelt the polar bear upon returning from discovering the North Pole!

In this house President Roosevelt negotiated with the Russians and the Japanese in 1905 to bring the Russo-Japanese War to an end, although the treaty was officially signed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. As a result, Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the first American to win a Nobel Prize in any category.

I have been reading about and studying about Theodore Roosevelt since 4th grade -1968 – and now I been able to visit his house! This is very special for me.

Sagamore Hill
Sagamore Hill
A biography of Roosevelt is titled “Mornings on Horseback”.
This is where he enjoyed riding his horses.
Notice the right side of the porch. The railing is missing. Teddy didn’t want the railing there, so he could stand there and address the many crowds that used to gather to hear him speak…
…like this…
…or this!
Sitting on the same porch that Edith Roosevelt used to sit on looking out at Oyster Bay.
Sitting on the same porch as Teddy Roosevelt used to sit on looking out at Oyster Bay.
This is Oyster Bay.
This picture does not come close to showing how beautiful Oyster Bay really is.
The Roosevelt family motto:
In Latin: Qui plantavit curabit
Translates to: He who plants, preserves.
Although I could not take pictures inside the house, these horns are on the outside of the house.
Bust of Theodore Roosevelt in the museum next door to the house.
This cannon was captured in Cuba during the Spanish-American War 1898.
Roosevelt was once a cattle rancher in Dakota Territory (in what is now North Dakota).
Theodore Roosevelt’s idea of what it means to be an American.
This windmill on the grounds of Sagamore Hill has a story.
In Theodore Roosevelt’s words.
An effective way to climb over a fence.
The grave of Theodore and Edith Roosevelt.
Roosevelt was our 26th President, becoming president upon the assassination of President William McKinley. At 42 years old, he was the youngest man ever to be president. He was president from 1901-1909.

Theodore Roosevelt was born in October 1858, and died at 60 years old. During his life, he overcame asthma, was a rancher, police commissioner, fought the corrupt Tammany Hall political machine, was assistant secretary of the navy, governor of New York, Vice President of the United States, President of the United States, Safari adventurer and hunter  (to Africa and South America). As president he was involved in so many issues, that I can’t really post them here. I am glad to explain it in person if you are ever interested.

New England 2018 Wrap-up

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..

45 – Donald J. Trump

This is the boyhood home of President Donald J. Trump, our 45th president.  I attended President Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2017,  the only presidential inauguration I have ever attended. This house is a private residence, not open to the public.

85-15 Wareham Place, Jamaica (Queens), New York

New England 2018 Day 11

October 8

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 Island
Ellis 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 torch
Actual 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.
Manhattan
Ships
Our ferry
  
  
  
My 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 south
Freedom 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.

4:30 PM Home at last!!

Home sweet home!