Youngest (for a while) grandchild

Thursday we made it to Nashville (actually Franklin, right near my three daughters), made contact with the girls and scheduled dinner. Judy and Scott, Kelly, Curtis, and Laney, and Samantha joined Joseph and me for a grand time... I focused on seven month-old Laney... she has changed so much and is such a happy girls! She giggled and gurgled all through dinner and was a total delight to be with... we'll see more of her today (Friday)

On to the Great Smokey Mountains

From the piedmont section of North Carolina, as soon as we could, we left the I-40 freeway and headed west on the Blue Ridge Parkway...
Now, how could we pass by a sign for "Rough Butt Bald"? I can't tell you the exact conversation that followed the giggles when we saw the sign and thought about posting the picture to the blog!
We got out and hiked along the way through the National Park... Joseph usually forging ahead, curious about what might be around each bend.
Thursday morning we headed towards Nashville, but took "The Long Way Home" through Cades Cove... This wild turkey was one of about 40 scavenging in a field by the "Scenic Loop".

Hatteras Lighthouse and Beach

Monday, after meeting Jim for lunch, we stopped by the Wright Brothers Museum and then headed for Cape Hatteras... After a pleasant dinner and a vow to wake up for the sunrise ('cuz Gramma told us we should) we went to bed and awaken in time for the sunrise that didn't happen - it rained!
So, we went across the street to a supermarket, bought some supplies and came out into sunshine! First stop was the famous lighthouse, and then on to the beach where we first came across a cordoned off square marked for a nest of turtle eggs... and finally, Joseph got to challenge the waves of the (much warmer than the Pacific) Atlantic Ocean...

Wright Brothers and Kitty Hawk

Ever wonder why the place the Wright Brothers flew was called Kitty Hawk when it actually is in Kill Devil Hills? Seems kinda obvious...
Joseph and I stopped at the Wright Brothers Museum and wandered all over the lot, from inside to outside, up to the monument atop the grass-covered dune and out to the marker for the fourth flight - read the inscription on the marker...

Hampton Roads' Finest

Monday morning, Joseph and I set out across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel and because Joseph was curious, we pulled out of the second tunnel and out on the fishing pier... and were treated to a Nuclear Submarine (I couldn't get the hull number, so I don't know which sub is was) and two Ticonderoga class missile cruisers, the USS Leyte Gulf, and a second whose hull number wasn't visible when we headed South.

It LOOKED like it was deep enough...

As we pulled out of the ferry slip, we see the power boater's worst nightmare... Mr and Mrs Boater are visible at the stern... if we had a microphone you could almost hear the dude's wife chewing his ear... "George, I told you the tide wasn't coming in, but you wouldn't listen!" He is NEVER gonna hear the end of this one!

Ferry Boat, She Comin'

From where we sat in line, melting, waiting to load, finally our ferry comes into view... we'll be cooler on board than on the tarmac waiting... sorta...

Joseph, the Mime...

The last but one night at Summer School is a "Celebration of the Arts" and Joseph, Nancy's (and my) grandson, was a mime is a delightful and hilarious improvization narrated by a wonderful young man from Memphis - "Oh, I just love his accent" - "He doesn't have an accent, it's y'all that talk funny!"

I am still in Summer School

We just returned from a trip to New York City which included Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and, passing "Ground Zero" (shown here out the bus window) as well... overall a fun trip, but really exhausting!

I'M BACK IN CALIFORNIA

I know this blog is for posting our summer adventures, so I'll let you know what I've been up to. Sadly I had to return to CA to take care of the business my dad left me after he passed away in April. It was not doing well at all and after lots of discussions, I decided to fly home.

I am happy to say that my daughter and son-in-law have volunteered to jump in and help as much as they can and they have been WONDERFUL!! They have fantastic and amazing ideas. They have put in so many hours and have been so helpful. And all of this and taking care of a 7 month old and a 3 year old and her hubby has a full time job.

This week has been so productive but VERY stressful. As of yesterday I have seen much fruit from our labors. There will be more updates later. Yesterday I tried to drive home from O.C. What usually takes about 12 minutes took over an hour and a half. Evidentally there were 3 accidents and a fire. I swear to you, I never got over 2 miles an hour. Finally after being so stressed, I called my massage place and made an appt. and got off the freeway and headed to the SPA. I got a 90 minute massage and it felt wonderful.

I called my daughter to have her check the freeway situation and it was still really bad. So her hubby said "tell her to turn around and come have dinner with us." 'Nuff said, I headed back to Anaheim and it took my only 12 minutes to get there!!!! So I stayed till about 10:30 and headed home. It was so nice to be home and sleep in my own bed, 'cept it was missing something very important...MY HUSBAND!!!

I have an appt this morning with the DMV and am heading out the door shortly. Then I have to deal with my dad's house and get it ready for an estate sale and to get it rented. So much to do, so little time!!

Now to share something ....when I arrived at the airport and got to where the baggage claim was, there was a swarm of papparazi's practically knocking everyone over to get to someone coming down the escalator. Later we found out it was Zack Effron from High School Musical. But while looking at the video on TMZ, Jennifer shouted, "Mom, come here!!! You are on the video!!". Yup, sure enough there I was standing totally frozen and watching the whole thing. I feel sorry for these artists, it really was a horrible frenzy.

Now here is the cute story. My grandaughter, Katie and I talked on the phone a lot while I was gone and she kept asking me "you come to my house now Gramma?" Well finally I was able to say YES! So the day before I was to come home she started singing "if I knew you were coming, I'd a baked a cake". So she and her mom baked a lemon bundt cake for me. BUT she was a bad girl, she got into it while it was still in the pan. Fast forward to her seeing me at the airport....she came running over. After I picked her up, she looked at me and said "gramma, I ate some of your cake." I said you did??? and she said "yetz, I was a yiddle hungry". Well that cracked me up so much that I turned my head so she couldn't see me laughing and she thought I was crying so she patted me and said so seriously, "it's ok gramma, mommy fixed it." Isn't that cute? The cake was good too!!

I was able to have dinner with my bestest friend, Rosemary (that I've known for over 36 years). She came to town because her son and daughter in law had a baby and for her other daughter's wedding shower. I brought my step mom, Rose, with me and went to dinner and sat at a round table for 14 people. This Italian place is "SO Italian" that it had pictures of the Pope EVERYWHERE AND a waxed bust of him in the middle of the table. Everyone kept turning the lazy susan around so he wouldn't be looking at us. Later my grandson, R.J., came running over to me and gave me the biggest hug ever!!! Then he pointed to the picture of the Pope behind me and said "grandpa!" LOL I'm sure he was speaking of Grandpa Freiholtz.

One funny story and then I have to go.....Rosemary was chatting with Jennifer giving her a bad time...Jennifer told Rosemary to "shut up" (she was just playing) and Rosemary's daughter, Lisa, heard her and laughed and said "don't tell my mom to shut up" and then my son Richie said to Lisa, "don't talk to my sister that way!!" LOL we were all laughing, it was sooo funny!

OK...I'm off. I'll try to post some pictures from dinner.

BUNKER HILL ROAD

This is for John Bradshaw, a teacher from my "day job", who likes to call me "Bunker"... I am so popular in Watertown where we teach in the summer, they named a whole street for me!
Yeah, right!

Trebuchet Action Video!

This will give a basic idea of how frightening a weapon like this, only three times larger, would have been to people in a village under siege... only instead of a jug filled with ice, the projectiles of choice were skulls, bodies of plague victims, dead animals - the kinds of things that would make the citizens of the receiving village anxious to open the gates and leave!

BIG DADDY'S

Big Daddy's Ice Cream!!!
Wells, Maine

Yummy!
With loads of fun flavors - Grandpa chose "Frozen Pudding" whatever that is...

PORTLAND, MAINE

The Portland Head Light - built in 1790, when George Washington was President
Isn't this picture post card perfect? Jack really did a great job!
"A particularly lucky shot - what is in the full view and hidden here is a sailboat centered in a vee in the rocks"

2nd Lighthouse whose name we forgot

Joseph and Grandma

The Portland Head Light keeper's house

This says it all!

Gertrude and Heathcliff atop the keeper's house chimney

GETTYSBURG

Joseph and Jack stopped for a brief tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield. Having to be somewhere on a schedule made some of our stops too brief, or they made for a long day of driving...
"Say, Grandpa?"...
"Yes?"...
"Can we go swimming when we get to the hotel?"
"You sure can... I will if the water is warm enough."

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Against the very good advice that John and Susan tried to impart, Joseph and Jack braved the horrendous weekend tourists in Washington for a view of the Capital Building...

The back side (Rose Garden view) of the White House, well guarded... "Can we get any closer, Grandpa?"... "Well, yes we could, Joseph, but if you think traffic is rough here, Pennsylvania Avenue on the front side is even worse."... "OK, then maybe we should just keep driving. Oh yeah, Grandpa?"... "Yes?"... "Why are there so many people here on a Saturday?"

The Washington Monument as we drove by... sadly, we had a fairly long drive and more stops or we would have parked and wandered around much more.

The Lincoln Memorial as we crossed the 14th Street bridge over the Potomac.

On the farm

Joseph cranking up the trebuchet... John, one of my ham radio buddies who lives on a fabulous farm in North Caroline, bought a 55-year old radio from me last summer, but we had the time nor the space to deliver it, so this year, Joseph and I detoured and discovered this marvelous 1/3 scale toy in the front yard - heaving a gallon jug of ice 200 yards is quite a thrill for a young lad who has only seen such a thing on TV!

Having chased the three horses and the pony out of the line of fire, John and Joseph return to cock the Trebuchet for a final fling... a telephoto lens is a wonderful thing on a digital camera!

BUFFALO OR IS IT A BISON?

It are Bison... and it are very large!

A tourist trap over the Freeway in Nebraska... headed east you either know about it or drive seven miles past, do a "U-Turn" drive 10 miles back, get off and drive 2 and a half miles to get to it, and upon entering the building, find a trip up the escalator to the bridge is $10! Joseph decided a bag of gem rocks was a better deal...

St. Louis, MO

THE ARCH!! - 192 Meters tall (630 feet if you don't get metric)

They were trying to get the picture to look like Joseph was holding up the Arch. Grandpa didn't do a very good job, cuz Joseph was really working for it!

Joseph running down to the water. Front Street under the railroad bridge. To the right is a TV crew.

The Mississippi is flooding, but not as much as in 1993 - more than deep enough for me!

This side-wheel paddle boat (really a floating casino) can't get under the bridge ahead nor the bridge behind due to flooding. It is stranded and cannot go anywhere.

Looking down toward the I-70 freeway Joseph and Jack took from the west.

Looking straight down toward the Mississippi... those ant-like specks are people!
Notice the flooding as well???

The Court House Building from the top of the Gateway Arch.

Inside the Arch... kinda cramped and more crowded than this picture shows. Joseph asked: "Grandpa, can we go up?" And you don't have to guess what Grandpa said!

Helicopter pad "you need to take a very big step to get to off".
While flooding along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers was not as bad as 15 years ago, we encountered several roads where lanes were closed because flood waters were over half or more of the roadway, and the rivers had not yet crested!

Road Trip with the Boys

Jack and Joseph (formerly known as Bailey) hit the road on Tuesday June 17th in Colorado. Joseph was so excited about this summer's adventure he wanted to pack 3 months in advance!

Joseph loves maps and told Grandpa that he would help navigate. Well these pictures Grandpa took of his "Navigator". He had a ham radio headset on.

Our adventure so far!

I arrived Sunday night in Boston late, my flight had been delayed due to storms in Boston. Quite a change in weather from CA to MA. Monday we visited with Jack's brother and family and had a terrific time.

Tuesday morning had breakfast with them and headed up to Maine to see our friend Suzanne. We stopped at Portland to see the lighthouse there. We saw a stone bench where Henry Wadsworth Longfellow would sit and was inspired to write "The Lighthouse". Dinner was fun, Joseph (our grandson) ordered a lobster and the deal is "if you order it, you eat it". Well he was enjoying his lobster so much he wasn't eating his fries....so grandpa said "you have to eat your fries too"....which translated into "fill up on fries so I can have your lobster!" Suzanne had also been a lobster "chucker" before and showed Joseph how to shell it. She found meat I didn't even know existed. Which we had taken pictures, it was pretty funny.

Wednesday morning we headed up to Aunt Barbara's home in Littleton, NH. We took her to lunch at a restaurant along the river and sat outside...it was awesome. After lunch Joseph and Grandpa walked across the covered bridge and then they went walking across the river on slippery rocks. Joseph wanted to go swimming but that water was too cold! We headed back and got to visit with cousins David and Martha and was treated to Aunt Barb's wonderful mac and cheese. Later Joseph and Grandpa headed uptown to visit "Chutter's" which has the world's largest candy counter and is in the Guiness' book of world records. Needless to say they came back with lots of candy.

Thursday morning we headed out to Hanover where Dartmouth is and had a lovely drive through Vermont. We stopped and ate at a very old restaurant in downtown Hanover where I ordered a "crabby patty" made by their special guest chef "Spongebob". It was very good! Joseph really enjoyed looking at Dartmouth and having Grandpa show him where he used to live and sharing stories about his life at Dartmouth.

Friday we arrived at Taft. We have a beautiful apartment that has been redone and freshly painted with new windows WITH SCREENS to keep the bugs out. Joseph has a room across the hall. We are on the second floor this year where the older kids will be. There is another 12 year old on the floor as well, his parents are teachers too. They have become friends quite quickly and I know they will be running up to the 4th floor constantly because that is where the other 12 year olds are.

It is hot and humid here, but we are glad to be here. We went out to dinner with the faculty on Friday night and there was a Luau theme. The winner of the centerpiece at our table gave it to Joseph and he was so thrilled because it was a palm tree filled with candy. He also collected leis that were left and brought them all back to his room and then decorated it. It looks pretty cute.

Saturday a lot of students arrived for registration and Joseph is making friends. Last night he was so tired he just fell into bed. Who knows what today holds for him. The rest of the kids arrive today. He loves the food here, there is plenty of it too. We are excited to see what this summer holds for us, so far it's been great.

More later,
Nancy and Jack

Springing back into action for Summer 2008...


I am with my son in Colorado, having a marvelous time... he has put me to work, hauling supplies to one of his construction sites, removing a tailer load of trash and making an appearance at the Summit Landfill where as we dumped, the wind shifted - wouldn't have been so bad, except one of the "dumpmasters was spraying the "stuff" with a brownish nasty-smelling semi-liquid that drifted our way... YUCK! I got some on my tee-shirt! Where's the laundry?

This afternoon, I leave the mountains, pick up a grandson at Denver Airport, and have dinner with Bo Chapin and his wife, Sandy. Grandson will drive east with me, and we'll keep you posted on our whereabouts.