Tea and FDR

To me, the Litchfield Hills region of northwest Connecticut is one of the prettiest in New England.  I love the charming towns, the meandering rivers, the beautiful lakes and the gently rolling hills dotted with historic houses and farms.  The Litchfield Hills in the fall can be even more amazing.  Unfortunately, the fall color has been pretty much a bust this year.  Don’t get me wrong, there are still lovely trees to be seen, but all of the rainfall in the last month has led to a predominance of muted colors, or no color at all.

We nevertheless enjoyed our drive and checked out Kent Falls State Park and the West Cornwall covered bridge.  What I enjoyed the most, however, was lunch.  Tim commented this afternoon that some of our best times have been at lunch, but today’s was especially memorable.



Kent Falls State Park



Kent Falls



West Cornwall Covered Bridge

Tim had suggested last night that we make a loop to the north through the small town of Salisbury.  Little did he know that one of my favorite New England restaurants is in Salisbury.  The Chaiwalla Tea House is not exactly a restaurant, but it serves the most wonderful food in addition to a wide selection of fine teas.  I still remember the tomato pie from a visit at least fifteen to twenty years ago, and that’s what I ordered.  It was as good as I remembered.  Tim had the crab salad, and we also tried Silver Tips tea, an extremely rare Indian estate tea that is hand-rolled in Tamilnadu.  Dessert was sinful, as we sampled five “small” portions of assorted fruit crumbles, bread pudding and a banana cake with chocolate frosting. 

As much as we relished the food and tea, we especially enjoyed chatting with Mary, the owner of the Chaiwalla Tea House.  It just so happens that Tim and I are living her dream – traveling throughout the United States in a small RV.  She was not familiar with Class Bs so we gave her a tour.  She loved the looks, finishes and size of the Sprinter and seemed to be sold on it.  I certainly hope she will be able to take the kind of trip that Tim and I are so fortunate to be doing.



Mary and Her Sinful Desserts

We said a fond farewell to Connecticut and made our way to another beautiful area, the Hudson River Valley of New York and Hyde Park.  Here, we spent the afternoon immersed in the life and times of Franklin D. Roosevelt.  The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site preserves the home where Roosevelt grew up and spent much of his adult life.  



Springwood, the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt

 The ranger who led our tour did an incredible job despite the very large group she had to deal with.  We learned about FDRs life and his domineering mother Sara.  This was Sara’s house, and she ruled it.  FDR and Eleanor lived in the house after their marriage, and it must have been especially difficult for Eleanor.  No wonder she escaped to her own cottage, Val-Kill, whenever she could.  We’re looking forward to going there tomorrow.


Sarah Visiting With Eleanor and FDR

Since neither Tim nor I had ever been to a presidential library, we also decided to visit the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum next door.  This is America’s first presidential library and the only one used by a sitting president.  The museum features exhibits about FDR and Eleanor, as well as the Great Depression, the New Deal and World War II.  It was well-worth the visit and filled in some of the missing pieces of FDRs life.


FDRs Desk From the Oval Office



FDRs Ford Phaeton

Tonight we’re camping at the beautiful Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park, which is located along the Hudson River, just up the road from Hyde Park.



Canada Geese Resting On Their Way South



A Connecticut Yankee

It was sunny and windy when we left Mystic this morning to continue our exploration of Connecticut.  Two of my favorite areas in Connecticut are the Connecticut River Valley and the Litchfield Hills.  I wanted Tim to see both of them.



We Didn't Need Our Duck Shoes Today, But They Sure Have Come In Handy

The small towns in the lower Connecticut River Valley are charming, and we visited several of them.  Essex is one of the best-known, and we made a loop through the town before driving some of the pretty back roads in the area. 

We stopped in Chester, one of my favorite towns, for lunch.  This may be a tiny town in the middle of a rural area, but you would never know it from what it has to offer.  Chester boasts that it is a “historic New England mill town that celebrates its heritage while offering the culture and sophisticaled amenities of the 21st century."  Simon's Marketplace, a gourmet general store where we ate, seems to be the local gathering place, and the food is indeed sophisticated, and delicious.


Charming Chester



Wonderful Architecture In Chester

On our way to the Litchfield Hills, we detoured to Hartford to visit the Mark Twain House and Museum.  This was Twain’s home for much of his married life, and it’s an amazing Victorian house.  The interior public spaces were created by the design firm of Louis Comfort Tiffany, and the stenciling and wallpapers are beautiful.  Our tour guide filled us in on Twain’s life and his family, and we left with a better understanding of one of America’s most beloved authors.

Mark Twain House

 

Decorative Brickwork



Could That Be Tim?

 

Mark Twain Fought Against Prejudice For Most of His Life

It was late afternoon when we left Hartford, and we fought the traffic almost all the way to Litchfield.  Tim’s biggest complaint is the lack of left turn lanes in New England, which creates even more traffic congestion.  Maybe that’s one reason we live in the West.

Rainy Day Activities

The rains returned, and I’m thankful that we took the time yesterday afternoon to explore a bit of Mystic Seaport.  We had planned to go back today, but decided it just wouldn’t be much fun with it raining so hard.  So, I’ll post a few of the photos of the Seaport from yesterday.

L.A. Dunton Schooner In Background



Emma C. Berry Sloop



Uh, Oh!



Buckingham-Hall House and Garden



Seafaring Village Street



Mystic River from the Seaport

It seemed to be a good day to do necessary chores, like laundry.  I even found a place to get my hair cut.  Hair Unique II in Mystic is a great salon, and I was able to get in without waiting.  The salon styled the hair for the cast of the movie Mystic Pizza, and Patti told me about the filming. Patti cut my hair very short, as I had requested, to make it even easier to take care of in the RV.  Hair dryers and hair products are just not possible here.  We’ll see how everyone likes the new look.

While I was getting my hair cut, Tim spent an educational afternoon at the research center at Mystic Seaport learning about his Greenman ancestry and how the family influenced the growth of Mystic.

Links To the Sea

National parks continue to help me understand the history and/or character of an area, and today’s park was no exception.  The New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park in downtown New Bedford interprets the city’s role in the whaling industry.  New Bedford was the preeminent whaling port during the mid-nineteenth century and, at one time, the wealthiest city in the world.



New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park Visitor Center



U.S. Custom House, the Oldest Continuously Operating Custom House in the U.S.

This park is another partnership between the National Park Service and local organizations, including the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and the park has made significant contributions to the revitalization of downtown New Bedford.



Seamen's Bethel



Mariners' Home

Tim has suggested that we take the time to watch the orientation films at the parks we visit, and we have only missed one or two.  These films are usually very well done and put the park into perspective.  I’ve found them to be very worthwhile.  Here in New Bedford the film “The City That Lit the World” explains the history of whaling here, including how whale oil was used for lighting during the nineteenth century.

Whaleman Statue

We finished our visit with a swing by the waterfront and marveled at all of the vessels docked there.  We later determined that the distinctive boats we saw are used to dredge for scallops.

Schooner Ernestina



Scallop Boats



I Know There's a Fish Around Here Somewhere

This afternoon our destination was Mystic, Connecticut, where Tim hopes to learn about his distant relatives, the Greenman family.  Tim’s grandmother was a Greenman, and the Greenmans were instrumental in Mystic’s history.  In the 1830s, three Greenman brothers founded the George Greenman & Co. Shipyard, which is now the site of Mystic Seaport.

The three houses built by the Greenman brothers are preserved at Mystic Seaport, an outdoor museum dedicated to telling the story of America’s relationship to the sea.  Also on the grounds is the relocated Greenmanville Church, which was financed by the brothers.  This section of Mystic was called Greenmanville after the three men.



Historic Photo Identifying the Houses Built by the Three Greenman Brothers in Mystic



George Greenman's House



Clark Greenman's House. This House Contains Mystic Seaport's Administrative Offices.



Thomas Greenman's House.  This House Is Open To the Public.



Greenmanville Church With an Anchor From a British Man-of-War Ship in Front

Mystic Seaport’s research center is open tomorrow afternoon, and Tim will do some digging there.