Saturday, July 16, 2011

Pickin Carambolas

Better know as star fruit. Sally and Louise are picking from an abundant growth on Louise's backyard tree in Pinecrest, a town south of South Miami. We'll be sailing on Biscayne Bay tomorrow.

Palms at the Deering Estate

Charles Deering Estate

Just south of Miami is the castle-like building Deering made for his art collection which is now in the Chicago Art Institute. He along with McCormack started the International Harvester Co in Chicago. Beautiful waterfront with palms.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Happy Hour in Miami

It's cool and breezy and the drinks are fine here.

Sally and Buzz and the Lady

Bert is enjoying a cool beer next to Sally's pond. Lisa's Lady has retired in So Miami and is enjoying life next to this lovely backyard pond instead of up to her ears in winter snow. We have done nothing all day except relax- no car- no miles. I did the wash and talked cameras with Buzz. Vay nose.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Classy driving

I am able to read the classes' posts on my iPhone which picks up the 3G network as I type responses on my MacBook Pro. I got all my work done on our way to Sally and Buzz in Miami. I'll upload it to the Moodle class when we get there in about 20 minutes.

St Augustine Florida

Late lunch in a very old city and we can't find that fountain of youth. Got a late start this morning as I hAd some repair work on the wiki for my online class. We are into Session 4. Hope to make Miami tonight.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Almost to Florida

We spent the morning in Charleston and took in a tour of the Nathaniel Russell house which was built in 1803 in the Federal style. N Russell became a wealthy shipping merchant and made his money shipping rice, indigo and slaves.
We cruised quickly thru Savannah, GA in the late afternoon in 101 degree weather. By 7:00 it had cooled off to 99 when we stopped in Brunswick GA for the night.

Morning stroll in Charleston

Bert found the Dixie Kitchen. We had grits eggs and a biscuit, and passed on the tomato pie which sounded wonderful. We walked thru the French Quarter and waved at the tour bus driver from yesterday as he came thru on his first tour of the morning. OBTW I figured how to post directly from the iPhone to my blog- Googled it and followed the lengthy directions. Yea me.... And Google:-)

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Charleston, South Carolina

We took a late afternoon tour of this Nantucket-like town in an AC'd bus- thank God, as the temp was in the mid 90's. We are staying at the Mills Hotel right in the heart of cute downtown on Meeting St. Bert did a deal on Priceline and we lucked out. Had she crab soup, biscuits, scallops, fried chicken and green fried tomatoes at Poogans Porch. Mighty tasty.

On the way to Beidler Forest

We walked in Frank's Audubon Forest today

We stopped just about an hour outside Charleston, South Carolina, and visited the Francis Beidler Forest. Bert's college roomie and long time friend is the grandson of Francis Beidler II who donated the forest/swamp to the Audubon. It is 17,000 acres of virgin Cypress trees and Tupelo Gum trees. There was a 1000 years old Cypress tree. It is a swamp- a forest in water. It was pretty dry today as there has been a drought. While the temps have been in the high 90's for the past few days, it was only 82 in the forest. A really beautiful place. Thank you Frank.
That's our "covered wagon" at the entrance. 

Monday, July 11, 2011

The Deed is Done!

21 years @ 24 Thoreau. Two awesome kids, many baseball games, concerts, plays, ski trips and house swaps! A dream come true. And on July 5th the moving van came and took all our "stuff" and put it in storage in Watertown. And on July 7th we passed the papers and the keys to Frank and Renee Wang who will be the new neighbors of Sandra and James Wong, our neighbors for many years. Our good and longest known friends, Tom and Diane let us sleep in their guest room for several nights as we tied up the ends of our Lexington lives. And my longest known Massachusetts friend, Tricia, housed us our last night. I gave Tricia my lovely Night Blooming Cereus plant which strangely had produced two buds in the last weeks we were in the house. It never blooms this time of year, usually saving its exotic plate sized flowers for September - yet on July 7th from 8-12 pm two lovely blossoms opened in Hamilton, MA, their new home.
Friday, July 8th, mid-morning we headed to New York City and the first birthday celebration of our grand nephew, Ellison Philips-Chheda. Saturday we saw Jerusalem on Broadway with Jenny, Ellison's Mom and my niece. It was as awesome as the reviews and the Tony award winning lead, Mark Rylance, was amazing. We left New York City after the cupcakes were eaten and the presents were opened - about 3 pm. We are now in Fredericksburg, VA on our way south to Miami and a visit with my sister, Sally and her partner, Buzz. We are traveling South, then West, in my Subaru wagon with a Thule clam shell carrier - a 21st century version of the "covered wagon".
OBTW - as we travel, I am facilitating a 6 week online class for teachers learning about Web 2.0 and personal learning networks. It is an amazing group of motivated teachers. I'll let them in on my location status when the class is over. GTGT bed now.