Recently, we made a quick trip to Parsippany, NJ, so that Charles could teach a Project Management course for the International Institute of Learning.
While in the Garden State, we became acquainted with the New Jersey Left Turn. On 4 lane highways there are generally no turns allowed at intersections. Instead of providing left turn lanes and signals, New Jersey employs a device called a "jug-handle" (at top of photo) or an alternative, the "reverse jug-handle" (at the bottom).
The "reverse jug-handle" is particularly tricky because it occurs before you get to the intersection, perhaps before you know you need to turn left since you may not know where you are going. Also, once you take the reverse jug-handle to get to the street onto which you were trying to make a left turn, you must make a left turn, usually without the benefit of a light. To make sure no one tries to shortcut this system, there are plenty of "Jersey Barriers" to keep everyone in line.
While Charles worked, Mary Anne played, seeing the local sights. Nearby Morristown was the location of George Washington's headquarters during the winter of 1779-80. Below left is the Ford Mansion where Washington and his staff were stationed. Replica cabins shown below right are in the Jockey Hollow area several miles away where the army encamped during the worst winter of the century.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Can you say Parsippany?
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Fun with Annabelle, Ben, and Jacob
I recently returned from a visit with my 3 oldest grandchildren. While Mom, Dad and baby sister checked on job opportunities, Annabelle, Ben, Jacob and I got to spend some quality time together.
We had some fun times together at the Minnesota zoo on two visits:
The highlight of our trip to the Como Zoo was the Merry Go Round. Some liked it better than others.
The first night Matt and Emily were gone, there was a terrific storm with 70 mph winds scattering limbs everywhere and knocking down trees and fences. We were fortunate that only one limb came down which didn't do any damage, but there were plenty of branches to pick up.
We had fun reading books, playing with trains, and horsing around. No one got sick or hurt so it was a great week!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
New Grandchildren Alert!!
See Eddie and Matt's blogs for more pictures of the new little ones. Eddie and Andrea's son Thomas Edward McClelland was born on June 12th.
Elisabeth Halter McClelland, Matt and Emily's daughter, was born July 13th.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Puerto Rico!! Part 5--El Junque
When we arrived back in the Fajardo, the rental car company van was waiting, and shortly we were on our way to El Junque. A few years ago we visited the Caribbean National Forest, but it was shortly after a hurricane had severely damaged parts of the park and we were not able to tour much of it. (As of April 2nd, the official name of the park is "El Yunque National Forest."
Our first stop was the Yokahu Tower, which was closed on our previous visit. This tower was built by the CCC back in the 1930's and it provides a fabulous view of the sea and the surrounding countryside.
After a quick stop to consult a map, we headed to the end of the Mt. Britton trail. The hike up to the Mt. Britton tower is easier than it looks--that's the tower at the top of the mountain in the picture on the left. The trails in the park are textured concrete and rocks, not very wide but providing good traction even when wet (most of the time).
Since it was not raining on this particular day, we could see the seashore and also the outskirts of San Juan (not shown).
We still had some energy left, so we decided to return to La Mina falls, a spot we had visited 6 years earlier. This time it wasn't Sunday so we went for a dip in the falls--very cold.
At the end of the day, we drove to the Ceiba Country Inn where we spent the night, dozing off to the sound of Coqui frogs.
In the morning, we drove around the Northeastern corner of Puerto Rico, then went to Luquillo beach for a couple of hours. There is not snorkeling, but the beach is lovely, located on the former site of a coconut palm plantation.
Sadly, it was time to return home after a memorable stay.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Puerto Rico!! Part 4--Vieques
Vieques may be familiar to you--for a long time the Navy liked to bomb it for practice. A few years ago, protesters managed to get the Navy to leave. Now it is developing as a tourist destination.
Getting to Vieques from Culebra requires taking the ferry from Culebra to Fajardo, then taking the ferry from Fajardo to Vieques. Fortunately there is less than an hour between ferries so soon enough, we were taking a Publico for $3 each from Isabel Segundo, where the ferry dock is located, to Esparanza, where we are staying. One of the great things about this town is the seaside Malecon.
Vieques is slowly becoming a more upscale tourist destination (The Martineau Bay is being transformed into a "W" resort) but there was nothing upscale about our hotel, the Posada Vistamar. At least it was much cheaper than our digs in Culebra. To its credit, it had a great shower, a fridge, and an air conditioner. Unfortunately, there were a couple of roosters living within 15 feet of our door and the air conditioner was not loud enough to drown them out at 4 a.m.
Our main purpose in coming to Vieques was going on a bioluminescent bay tour on Monday evening. We had low expectations of any snorkeling opportunities but decided to follow advice on the internet and swim to the island on the right in the picture at the top of the post. On the swim out, we saw nothing but grass and an eel so our expectations were low. We swam to the right once we got to the island and gradually the underwater scenery got better and better (sorry, we left the camera behind). It was the best snorkeling of the trip. Before we knew it we were partway around the island and decided to continue. On the other side, it was much deeper and the ocean much rougher. Too late to turn back, we continued around, very relieved to make it back alive.
That evening we feasted on delicious hamburgers at Bananas, then went on our bioluminescent bay kayak tour. Again, sorry no pictures. It was an interesting expeience to run our arms through the water having them light up. A ray went by leaving a wide swath of light. In January, I recommend a shorty wetsuit as we got cold.
Here is a reminder of more turbulent times in Vieques.
Tuesday morning we returned to Isabel Segundo to take the ferry back to the main island. The two tourist attractions there are the fort and the lighthouse, both providing commanding views of the harbor.
We plan to return to Vieques when we can stay longer!!