Days 44-56: Playing Catch-up, part 1

Hello all!  I'm so embarrassed that we are this far behind in our blogging :(  We got off track due to two reasons: initially we were having too much fun to spend the extra time at the computer, but then we had no way to post as we had very limited internet access.  In fact, before today we haven't had wireless internet for about 18 days...

Anyway, we've seen a lot since our last post when we were last heading into Philadelphia for the day.  My parents met us in New York City where we saw what we could in 2 days, then we got out of the craziness and headed up the beautiful Hudson River Valley.  We were anxious to get some seafood though, so we headed towards the coast of Connecticut to a little town my parents remembered from years past, Mystic Seaport.  And what east coast trip wouldn't be complete without driving along the beautiful Cape Cod, of course with mouths open in awe at all the large, spectacular homes.  Daydreaming aside, we had to haul up to Boston so that my parents wouldn't miss their flight out! 

Day 44: New York City, NY.  Mike's first time in the craziness of Times Square!!  We also checked off on Mike's NYC trip: biking in Central Park, walking around the Diamond District & 5th Avenue, Grand Central Station, a walk along the beautiful High Line & dinner in SOHO. 

Day 45: New York City, NY, 911 Memorial.  For anyone traveling to New York soon, this is a must-see.  The memorial isn't totally complete yet, but it's very well done & very emotional, of course.  There are no words to describe the impact the two footprints of the missing WTC towers leaves on you.

Day 46: Glen Ridge, NJ.  We had the pleasure of staying with Robert & Elizabeth (my brother in law, Justin's, cousins) in their gorgeous home in picturesque Glen Ridge.  Besides the wonderful accommodations, Bailey had a blast playing with their two dogs & the location couldn't be beat: a 30 minute train ride took us right into Penn Station!

Day 47: Mystic Seaport, CT.  A great seafood feast at a bare-bones local restaurant, Abbott's Lobster in the Rough.  We're always excited to find a place that Bailey can join us, but this place couldn't be beat: an inexpensive meal eaten on a covered outdoor patio in the dripping rain, where you can watch the fishing boats come in for the day, all along drinking your own beer/wine (with no corkage fee)!  Plus, we met some local couples (one family had a Eurovan) who gave us the inside scoop on an amazing restaurant for dessert :) 

Day 48: Mystic Seaport, CT.  We started off our east coast adventure with this view from the porch of our bed & breakfast.  Although the four of us were trying to be frugal & camp every night (ok, Mike & I were the frugal ones), the rain was too heavy to enjoy a night sleeping in a tent.  Thankfully there are great websites out there for dog owners, that recommended this dog-friendly inn right on the harbor.

Day 49: Provincetown, MA.  A typical Cape Cod scene, but something I can get used to daily...

(If you'd like to read/see more of our adventures with Rick and Nan, please see my mom's take on the road trip here.)

After a very early morning drop off to the airport shuttle, Mike, Bailey and I spent the day exploring the historic city of Boston.  I've been to Boston before, but I think it's a city you never get tired of seeing, it really is so beautiful.  It's also one of those places that you become a nerd from experiencing--after walking the streets and learning about all that has occurred in that city, you can't help but want to read all you can about our nation's history and the role Boston played in shaping what our country is today.  (I know, totally a nerd thing to say.)

With only a little over a day to explore, we took a trolley tour to quickly see all the historic sites.  And thankfully we had that protection from the elements, as we got caught in another crazy thunderstorm!!  But, what we've learned from these summer storms is that if you can safely ride it out (and hopefully someplace dry), then it most likely will clear up into a beautiful day.  After getting caught twice, we finally were able to explore the city on foot and treat ourselves to some delicious cannelloni from the famous Mike's Pastry.  

Our time in Boston was capped off with walking through Boston University, home of the Boston Terriers, and of course, around Fenway Park.  

Day 50: Boston, MA.  Bailey staking her claim on her hometown.

Day 51: Boston, MA, Fenway Park.  Bailey was such a star in this town!  Not only did we get stopped by two separate local policemen who had to have lengthy conversations with us about their own Boston terriers, but Bailey's photo was taken in more places than I have ever seen.  Here you can see another tourist capturing the allure that is Bailey.  Just another day for this superstar...

From Boston, we headed straight to Vermont, aka the land of diary & Robin's Happy Place.  Here we met up with our good friends and neighbors from Chico, the Parker family, who try to spend the summer away at Julie's father's home.  

Of all the places we have stopped so far, I'm not surprised that it was in Vermont that I consumed the most amount of amazing food--the majority dairy of course.  And the most wonderful part of all the amazing food we ate is the fact that it's all produced locally & responsibly.  I've never been to a place that had such a collective, positive approach to the food industry, the treatment of it's animals & the health of it's people.  Without getting political, I'll simply state that Vermont has a lot going for it!  Not to mention the state's beauty--it's gorgeous!!

Day 52: Walden, VT.  Just one of the many quaint barns on a small country road in Vermont.

Day 53: Organic dairy farm in Sutton, VT.  We tried milking cows!!  Neither of us could actually milk the ladies, but it was a neat experience, that is until our lady "used the restroom" right next to us.  This photo was taken after we cleaned up.

Day 54: Bread & Puppet Theatre, Glover, VT.  We experienced this amazing "political theatre" put on by the Bread & Puppet troupe in the middle of a green cow pasture on a beautiful, sunny day.  Then we explored their museum of retired puppets, some of them life-size to 5x life-size.  Quite the experience!!!

Day 55: The Ben & Jerry's Factory, Waterbury, VT.  Need I say more then UTTERLY DELICIOUS?!

Day 56: Walden, VT.  Farewell to Froggy Pond; a rare photo of the Cooper-Parker clan, with the Cook guests.