fall and all that goes with
while Craig was on a boys weekend to Vegas for one of their birthdays, I drove to Fairfield to see a live theatre production of one of my most favorite Sondheim shows, in which I've also been fortunate to have
performed. this one isn't done very often. and it always seems so timeless and relevant when it is staged.
birthday vacation
I took 8 days off from work so I could take a bucket list trip back east. I like to bookend the actual vacation with a prep day and a recover day, so I don't need a vacation from vacation. Craig drove me to the airport, and I took the red-eye out of Sacramento, through Washington DC.
at the WDC airport, this was a Tuskegee display that caught my eye as I meandered from my arriving gate to my departing gate. I don't move quickly any more so I plan more time between flights.
the afternoon commuter flight to Charlottesville was delayed by an hour, but I eventually landed, picked up my rental car, and drove the 30 minutes out to my centrally-located hotel in the beautiful rolling hills of Virginia. the view from my hotel window revealed the local grill that was having an all you can eat seafood buffet, so I had quite a plateful, with a glass of wine, to wind down Day One and get ready for the upcoming week!
while I awaited my steak to be prepared, I filled my plate from the buffet, trying the shrimp, corn, hush puppies, some kind of white fish, bread pudding, corn bread, potatoes, fried oysters, and fried shrimp, plus a cup of clam chowder, with a glass of chardonnay.
day two - Swannanoa in Afton, VA
this was one of the two anchoring reservations I made that determined when I would take my vacation days. the docents of this Gilded Age mansion placed an event in social media, which I stumbled over and decided it would be an excellent opportunity to see this and knock a few bucket list locations off as well.
the husband and wife were partial to horses and swans, respectively
the docents and their volunteers are slowly trying to restore this well-built mansion, and so there were lots of signs of activity, as well as much that looks like it needs TLC.
most visitors are local, so I needed to indicate how far I came to attend the event :-)
as we looked around the entry hall, we were informed that several marbles were imported from Italy to make up most of the decoration that we saw. So beautiful!
at the top of the stairs was the true beauty of the whole house - - an original stained glass, the largest by this artist in a private residence!
the next room was the music room. there were no instruments inside, as the possessions of this summer home were moved to and are being displayed in the winter home located in Richmond. so much needs to be restored, but you can still see the ornate details that still remain.
after the music room we moved to the library. the cabinets where the swans are now once had shelves of books instead. the wooden carvings are the Latin phrase, "non refer quam mulos libros sedouam bonos habeas" or "It doesn't matter how many good books you have."
the ceiling in the dining room was quite ornate. I loved the beautiful paintings on the wall and sconces on the tiny adjacent sun porch.
there was also a smoking room, which was rather small, but quite ornately decorated in middle eastern décor. I especially liked the peacock painting above the mantel.
the home was started in 1912, so this technology was still getting few early adopters. This elevator is listed as Otis #8!
we moved upstairs to see the rooms that had been the family private rooms. they were of course empty, and are in desperate need of renovation.
this beautiful swan bed is currently located in the winter home, but used to be in residence here.
I was intrigued by what appeared to be wallpaper in the upstairs rooms. the docent informed us that this isn't wallpaper; it is individually painted stencils over painted walls!
at the end of the tour we were invited to tour the gardens by ourselves. this photo in the library shows the original beauty of the pergola in its hey-day.
the back yard is built in several layers, or terraces, and goes back into some quite wild areas. I didn't venture into the kudzu. they asked us to please please walk with extra caution over all the uneven paths and grass.
the pergola needs to have attention by handymen and gardeners. the vines that still cling don't appear to provide much in the way of foliage. but you can see this was quite beautiful in its day.
this small residence is a part of the property but has warning signs all over to keep out of the private property.
one final look at the house before I left to find a lunch stop. the docents recommended a local brewery. I briefly stopped at a highway lookout to take a picture of the view of the valley below.
as I was going into the restaurant, I ran into two of my fellow tour attendees - Shirley Ann and Charlotte - who invited me to have lunch with them. we had a delightful lunch and much conversation. this is the fireplace in the Blue Mountain Brewery.
I headed back to the town where my hotel is, and did a little sightseeing. I saw this beautiful property as I drove by, so I circled round again to find that it is a resort and spa - Blackburn Inn. like many old buildings in this region, it has a long history of many uses before its current life, and once it was even a hospital.
since I hadn't had an opportunity to do my own nails, or get a manicure, before I left home, I treated myself to a birthday manicure here. the lovely Jasmine did a beautiful job if I do say so!
day three - Monticello near Charlottesville, VA
as the history buff that I am, I could not get this close to founding father homes without stopping at one. nearby there are also the homes of Madison and Monroe, but I only had time for one. I had made a reservation for a 10 o'clock Behind the Scenes tour of the house, but arrived early enough to briefly look through the visitor center.
Joyce would be happy to know TJ was the original sustainability cheerleader. it's wonderful that the current caretakers continue with this important work today.
Selfie!
I waited for a few minutes so that I could get this photo with no visitors in the way. for this trip I had purchased a walking cane that folds out to a seat, so that during tours or long periods of waiting I could give my knees, ankle and hip a rest. this was a perfect resting place!
our docent, a local history student, reminded us we were here on Indigenous Peoples Day, and that it was Jefferson who was responsible for America's march into their lands. several items in this foyer were from the various expeditions, such as that by Lewis & Clark.
the clock above the entry has weights that also tell the day of the week, whose lines and labels are noted in the corner. Saturday was so far that it is located on the floor below us!
more beautiful marble artwork
on the first floor our guide took us quickly through a sitting room, a library, and into Jefferson's own bedroom suite, where his alcove bed is the focal point of conversation.
then it was on to the music room, where much of the socializing was done. I loved the harpsicord with original music tucked in the corner. the paintings are of some of TJ's contemporaries.
then we moved on to the dining room. Jefferson preferred small tables where more intimate conversations could occur. tucked in the side of the ornate mantel is a dumbwaiter that lifts bottles of wine from the wine cellar in the basement.
we moved on to the bedrooms for Dolly and James Madison, and Jefferson's widowed sister Anna. we moved up and down between floors using the narrow, steep stairs designed by TJ to use the least amount of space.
when Jefferson's grandchildren were in residence, they had their own large rooms full of fun and educational activities.
in the octagonal dome we had quite the view.
Jefferson designed the bedrooms with bed alcoves such as his. his daughter Martha didn't want to sleep in hers and convinced him to allow her bed in the middle of the room. her taste was influenced by their years in Paris.
we took the stairs all the way to the basement, and the tour ended in the well equipped kitchen.
outside there were tours of the gardens, and of the slave quarters and how they lived during Jefferson's time.
the textile room is where all the fabrics and yarns needed on the plantation were created.
the stable
and this was a replica of one of the huts used by one of the many slaves. a volunteer was working on restoration of the chinking that was used to insulate the dwelling.
Monticello means "little mountain." this is a view from the top of the mountain. there are two formal entrances to the house; the one we entered at the beginning of the tour and this entrance by a broad lawn.
this is one of the many beautiful old mulberries on the hilltop.
on the shuttle ride back down to the visitor center we pass the private cemetery where Jefferson and his descendants still rest.
on a quick trip through the store and café I saw this video naming TJ as the "founding wine geek." if I lived close enough I would have bought some of these plants that were available for sale.
in all my travels I don't believe I have ever eaten at a Cracker Barrel restaurant. the first time I tried to dine in this one, on my first night, the line was more than 30 minutes long, so I opted for the seafood buffet. this time it was early enough in the afternoon, and I got right in. I got some wonderful southern comfort food - a peach mimosa, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, and coleslaw, plus peach cobbler a la mode for dessert!
day four - Herself Farm and a visit with my aunt in Maryland
I drive several hours each week between work and home in usually grueling traffic. the drive to my aunt's was a pleasant drive under three hours through beautiful countryside. we haven't seen each other except on facebook since my dad's/her brother's funeral. I got to see her newest baby, Claire, who is only a few months old, and all the other animals.
in the afternoon, we drove out to her wine club and enjoyed a couple flights of very nice local wines. after that we had dinner at her favorite seafood restaurant where we had crab cakes, crab imperial, and we split a fabulous fluffy New York style cheesecake. eventually it was time to make the three hour drive back to my hotel in Virginia.
day five - riding the rails from Virginia to Pennsylvania
taking the train is roomier than a plane, and there are lots of interesting places to see along the way. real people living real lives, watching the seasons change. this was such a relaxing and pleasant way to make my way north to my next bucket list destinations.
inside the beautiful art deco station in Pennsylvania.
my roomy hotel outside the city, in a business park between my two main destinations.
day six - touring the birthplace of America
the last time I was in Philly was in 1975. as our luck would have it, all the really good sites were being renovated for the bicentennial and were closed. thus, it has been on my bucket list for quite awhile. it was projected to be a very rainy day, but nothing could keep me this time from seeing these sites. I not only wore a hat, but also brought a small collapsible umbrella.
I drove back into the downtown district, and found great parking under the visitors center. these murals were painted above the queue rails into the visitors center. the center was a block away from my tour destination, and I only had a few minutes to get there, so I hoofed it the long block to Independence Hall.
it's a national park so our guide is a park ranger
I'm wearing my Declaration tee-shirt that I bought at Monticello
inside the Continental Congress. Georgia, and Dr. Lyman Hall, would have sat on the right, in front of the fireplace.
after my scheduled tour I could join additional tours that began at regular intervals without reservations. I chose the Congress Hall. this time, besides my seating/cane, I also brought my umbrella, which I ended up needing while I waited outside for the tour.
their majesties, the king and queen of France, our allies against Britain, their old enemy
we were encouraged to use caution navigating the narrow steep stairwell. nope, I didn't want to become "that tourist" so I was extra cautious.
a beautiful restoration of the Senate Room
once you leave the Hall's gated perimeter you can't get back in without a ticket, so I made sure I'd seen everything. in the surrounding park, I found a statue of the first admiral of the new country, Admiral Barry.
another reason to travel in the northeast in the fall, the trees changing color
Wawa is a famous local eatery and emporium, recommended by one of the security officers keeping us safe around the Hall. I got a tasty chipotle chicken panini and sweet tea, and rested for a few minutes before my next destination. another officer told me about the signers walk plaques along that sidewalk, so I had to go look for Dr. Hall's plaque too. I found Adams and Hancock, a possible ancestor Williams, Dr. Hall and Franklin.
I walked to the Liberty Bell, but there was a queue to get in, so I chose an easy substitute activity, a carriage ride around the sites beyond the Hall. Thelma's handler had just gone to lunch, so I got to ride behind Opie.
statues of Washington, and The Signer
I loved this shot of my steed Opie coming up behind another Mustang
part of the army museum complex
we passed a number of parks on our tour including the Rose Garden and Washington Square.
the 214 year old Pennsylvania Bible Society
the downtown area we toured was a lot of old-and-new. I loved these colorful posters urging a vote for judicial equality.
at the end of my carriage ride the line for the Bell had shortened. I wandered through the exhibits, but my real goal was to get to the Bell.
the bell hangs with Independence Hall as a backdrop – perfect! another tourist took my picture, wearing my Declaration tee-shirt purchased at Monticello specifically for wearing at this location.
A theatre friend of mine was here the previous week, taking a picture “licking” the bell. I told her I was here with wipes to clean up after her. :-)
they might just be buildings, but that doesn't mean they can't be beautiful and comfortable
in the visitors center, I snapped a pic with Rocky, and saw a digital poster for the museum, which was closed, but had a display by Chihuly!
walking from the Bell to the Visitors Center, I could feel the humidity, and knew that the projected thunderstorm was close. I wanted to get back to my hotel before the brunt of the storm hit. of course, I couldn't
not take pictures as I was driving through the beautiful old and new buildings and artwork that is downtown. a few raindrops got in the way, but ...
... it wasn't until I was on the highway that the monsoon hit!
day seven - Longwood Gardens and a fabulous Bruce Munro exhibit!
it's a 20 minute drive from my hotel out to the garden, which sits in an area where a revolutionary war battle was fought.
I knew I would be here all day, and I knew how much my knees, ankle and hip had been bothering me up until now. I made the decision to rent one of their scooters so that I would be able to spend time enjoying the garden instead of sitting on my seating/cane, which had been adequate until this point.
this is one of several fountains, but this one is synchronized with lights and music for shows during the day and in the evening.
the conservatory and one of the Italian style gardens
heading over to the first Bruce Munro exhibit, the flamingos, of course! I could see it from the balcony, but I had to find a path that I and my scooter could both traverse. along the way I saw a beautiful grotto. [to watch a video of the artist talking about these exhibits, follow this link
HERE to see the Garden's video from their website.]
I finally got to the flamingo pond or Ramandu's Table. the lights aren't on in daylight, but this has an audio feature that sounds like one thousand flamingos in a pond. these are quite possibly the same flamingos I saw in the Munro exhibit that I saw at Montalvo a few years back!
I rode my scooter around the pond and up to another level where I could look down on the pond and the flock.
there are so many areas of differing plants and garden styles. I can understand why people get an annual pass and visit here regularly.
there is even a Japanese style garden
heading back to the middle-front of the garden, so I can view the "other half" or eastern side of this magnificent destination. this is another piece of Munro art in front of the stationary alcove called Time & Again, which are 37 stainless steel lilies.
the Munro art in this pond are bursts of fishing poles, and called Gone Fishing. each burst consists of 100 poles on illuminated discs.
the familiar Munro "field of light" made up of 18,000 bulbs
this cathedral treehouse will be part of the Munro display too.
this was such a gorgeous Italian style garden
not knowing how much time it would take to find the restaurant, I headed back to the visitors center and found a guide who pointed the way. I tracked down the entrance, and knew I still had a few minutes to go through the conservatory right next door. I loved this tranquil bench in the midst of the fall foliage.
they had recently been gifted several bonsai plants. I read an article a few weeks later that the total amount of plants that were eventually displayed were 150!
I had made my reservation weeks ago when I planned this trip. this was going to be my "big birthday meal." It didn't disappoint!
a brioche roll in a planter pot, with butter with kosher salt
poached pear salad
birthday beverage!
decadent duck, carrots, and parsnip puree
pumpkin panna cotta with candied cranberries for dessert!
while I had been dining, I had been charging the scooter, topping it off as it still had plenty of juice, but I wanted to make sure I made it through the end of this very long day. they had charging stations throughout the garden just for this purpose, and one at the restaurant too. I returned to the conservatory, which was crammed full with many many lovely plants, and two more Munro displays. another short-term exhibit was a number of mums that were just gorgeous.
I got a peak at the Munro Green Flash display among the mums. this geodesic sphere has 1,820 bottles with fiber optics that morph through colors of a rising and setting sun, with a momentary flash of green.
I loved these potted citrus trees
I saw the green flash twice, but was never able to capture it in a photo
this Munro space, called C-Scales, is a "river" made up of 8,960 discarded cd media
the times I was in the conservatory, the pipe organ was not being played
having seen all there was in the conservatory, I headed back to the eastern side of the gardens that I hadn't seen before lunch.
one of the park docents insisted on taking my photo at the Italian garden. this is me with my seating/cane in the basket of my excellent ride, which made this entire day so much more comfortable. I had come across all the Munro displays but one, and I wanted a picture of each in daylight, to contrast with the evening photo.
Canadian geese in a pond near the big meadow
this is the SOS display. in daylight you're only hearing the sos Morse code signal and snippets of songs from many eras that speak of sending a message and so forth. some of it sounds like an old radio show, and the music emerges from a static fuzz. in the evening, all of this goes on plus lights flash in various colors inside these 162 gabion baskets.
back to the field, and the cathedral treehouse all lit up
looking back across the field toward the Italian garden
the fishing poles
the lily disks in front of the alcove
the flamingo pond by the carillon
the green flash
[I had to borrow this "instant" of green from their site]
the rain forest-like river, with images being projected down onto the the media, and surrounding sounds providing a painterly effect
leaving the conservatory to watch the fountain show, I noticed these torches that I hadn't noticed before. it looks like something from an Indy Jones movie.
the fountain show was music, lights, fire and of course water. thirty minutes of true brilliance!! the show was called Pure Imagination, and the description was: "You’ll be saying I’m a Believer with us in this imaginative show that takes you Over the Rainbow and into pure Magic." those were just three of the songs, with the entire programme that included:
Gene Wilder: Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
The Monkees: I’m a Believer
Selena Gomez: Magic
Grace Potter: Something That I Want
Shawn Mendes: Imagination
Israel Kamakawiwo’ole: Over the Rainbow
DJ Khaled and Demi Lovato: I Believe
Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape
Hall & Oates: You Make My Dreams
American Authors: Best Day of My Life
Swedish Mafia: Save the World
Ester Dean: Let It Grow (Celebrate the World)
[to view a short video of another show, provided by the Garden's website, see this link
HERE.]
in case you thought I was kidding about the size and distance of this garden, here's a map showing the places I zoomed on my scooter so I could see all the exhibits.
day eight - reunion and returning home
another major activity I planned well ahead of my trip was to visit a friend I haven't seen in years. Bill and I have known each other over 50 years, having met in fifth grade in Cupertino. we met for a delicious brunch, and had a wonderful long conversation, catching up on all the years since the last time we were in each other's company. thank goodness for Facebook we can "see" each other every day. but this was waaaay better :-) we completely neglected getting a selfie with each other, silly us.
Bill then took me on a roundabout tour of the city, as he drove me to the airport, saving me the trouble of getting from where I dropped the rental car at the train station to the airport to fly home. we drove by the famous steps where the real Rocky statue is, but a large truck was in the way so we couldn't see it from the car.
finally it was time to get me to the airport so I could get through security and onto my first of two flights home. I loved this mural at the Philly airport, encouraging travel to enhance our life experiences! my layover was in Denver, and while I had a little over two hours - and I even contemplated maybe coordinating meeting with Joyce in the baggage area so I could see her for the first time since 2019 - I really needed the time to move between the gates and get dinner, since I would be getting home very late and I would have been famished if I waited until then.
Craig picked me up at the airport with little trouble, and I collapsed at home, happy to have made this big adventure, knocking off a bunch of bucket list activities while I still can. luckily I also planned to have the next day off from work to rest and recover - much needed!
