On my way home.
Had a Great time in Beaufort, North Carolina, yesterday.
Stayed in Maryland last night - driving North, now and getting colder..........

Almost Home ... NYC Skyline from NJ.


Friday, Feb. 1, 2013 Driving Home to my beloved Blue Mountain.

On the Road with Tonner is Over.
While traveling Cross Country, and enjoying the mild Winter weather South of New Jersey,
I kept asking myself, why didn't my family leave this bitter cold Northeast long ago?

I got my answer after I passed NYC on the Jersey side, headed up the New York State Thruway where the mountains appear out of nowhere. I looked around and realized, ah yes, it really is quite beautiful here.

We had a little return home gathering at Hope's. I stayed there overnight and returned to my Blue Mountain home Friday, February First.

Here is some very, very basic advice for the would be cross country traveler:

Bring wipes that are marked: "kills cold and flu germs". Wipe down everything you will touch in the motel room as soon as you arrive - ie:  light switches, handles THE TV REMOTE, etc. Keep the wipes handy in the car to use after stops at restaurants, restrooms or convenient stores. I couldn't imagine getting a bad cold that far away from home - and I didn't - even though it was flu season.

Bring earplugs for sleeping. That way, even when you spend the night in Jacksonville, NC, right next to the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in a motel full of rowdy 20 year old (very buff) marines, you can still sleep.

... Lastly ... the wonder of doing this trip alone, (I did a similar trip with Joe 42 years ago) is really the wonder of it all. Take the time to take it all in, be amazed and enriched.

One more thing, bring your own coffee and maker for use in the room -
the room coffee tastes like tea, but ditch the iron, I brought one, but you won't really care if your clothes are wrinkled and all the motels provide irons and hair dryers anyway.

Happy Trails!

Tuesday, January 29, Driving through SC stopped at the State Historic Site: Hampton Plantation.


http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/hampton/introduction.aspx


Was lucky enough to get a guided tour through the main house - the original part was constructed in the early 1700s - and has been unspoiled by time or restoration. Where the plaster fell off the walls - it has been left - exposing the mortise and tenon  construction underneath - just a beautiful building.

Huge Oak with Spanish Moss

Looking Up on the Front Porch

Flowers in the Garden

Later Ate at the Crazy Fish in Georgetown

Drove to Charming St Augustine - then through the rest of Florida,
 Georgia and into South Carolina.

Sunday, January 28, 2013 - Spent a lovely in Dunedin, Florida with Kathy.
We hiked an Osprey trail in a State Park and had raw tuna for lunch!
saw a Bald Eagle in a tree - although we have eagles along the Hudson, I've never been lucky enough to see one! On to Savannah today!
 Weather Prediction is for Rain on Wed. If it arrives as predicted, it will be the second day of rain on the entire trip of perfect days and temps in the 60s and 70s.

Pensacola Florida and the Gulf Coast

New Orleans Today!
Beautiful and Imperfect.

Friday January 25, 2013

Driving from West Texas to East Texas, I saw my first River that actually had water in it!
In West Texas I crossed over this cracked, lumpy depression in the ground that was labeled "Colorado River". I said to myself, that can't be THE  Colorado River, it must be a joke.
In East TX, the water returns, the trees appear - there are clouds in the sky - it's Bayou Country again, and by the time you enter Louisianan it's getting downright soggy.

Crossed the Mississippi at Baton Rouge Yesterday.
Love Crossing the Mississippi in Either Direction.

Spent the night in Laplace - Going to New Orleans today.
The other day when I used the word "testosterone" in the blog - the hits tripled. So how about this? Girls in Bikinis. Let's see what happens...

Thurs. Jan.24, 2013
Still in Texas. Slept in Wiemar TX last night - it's a real middle American town.

Some more observations about Texas:

 A 2 lane Farm or Ranch Road will have a speed limit of 75!
The Mind Boggling Speed Limit for Automobiles in Texas is
70 to 80
Except in a School Zone where it goes down to 20!

 
                                       Main St. Wiemar,TX.

This Is for Collyn

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin'
Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'
Don't let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along)
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder, where those years have gone?)
..............lyrics by 

Lee Ann Womack

                      Drove through West Texas from Anthony over the Guadalupe Mts to Odessa and down to Sonora today, January22, 2013
                               Let me say a few words about Texas
                               Texas is a state with way, way too much of everything -

                                 Especially space and testosterone.

                                        

                                    These are the Guadalupe Mountains.

                                    And these are the flat lands that follow...

                                   Dusk on the flat lands.

On the way back to New York Now.
Buzzed through Southern CA. Arizona and New Mexico.
Had an exciting little adventure.

                                                   LEAVING CALIFORNIA

                                                  ARRIVING ARIZONA NEXT DAY

 

Driving through AZ Ran into a DUST Storm. If you watched the PBS Ken Burns Series on the 1930s Dust Bowl - then you can imagine my surprise to see the High Wind /Dust Warning Signs that advise you to pull to the side of the road in case of zero visibility!

So imagine my excitement when I actually ran into a 1930s style Old Dust Storm - you know how I love anything connected with the 1930s - So there it was a little dust storm revved up in the road in front of me...  

However, if the dust storms of the 1930s were a Sequoia tree, then my dust storm was a leaf

on the great Sequoia..

Then it was on to New Mexico

I did buy some fire works in NM

Ok, So now it was time for the main event! 
Went to the Tonner Doll Luncheon and bought about 5 or so dolls.

Raffle Dolls at the Event
Everything at the Lunch was terrific!
Mr. Tonner surrounds himself with Beauty and Good Cheer
and that includes the Tonner Team!

Centerpiece Doll at Our Table

A View of the Room

Jo-An and I - 2 Old Hippie Babes Still Makin' the Peace Sign!

Then went out for Dinner with my roommate from College, Jo-An.

 Friday Jan. 18, 2013
Drive Up The Pacific Coast Highway from San Simeon to Monterrey was Beyond Breathtaking.

Quirky Little 25cent Telescope

Post-coital Elephant Seals - We've all felt like that

On the Road to Big Sur (again)

Taken from the side of the Road

No Hitch-hiking this time, please.

After a while I had to stop taking photos and just take it all in