July in the Pacific Northwest typically is wonderfully warm and sunny, and this year was no exception. We took advantage of the excellent weather with several outdoor activities, starting with a weekend of hiking in Whistler, Canada, and later a local hike and an overnight camping trip. At restaurants, we dined al fresco whenever possible….
Oct. 7 – Exploring Along Lake Erie
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
The weather later in the week looks a little iffy, so we took advantage of the little sunshine we had today to get out and explore. We drove up the lake and over to Lake Erie. The foliage is amazing, but hard to photograph while driving in a car. But take my word for it…it was spectacular.
Our first stop was at the Barcelona Lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in 1829 and was the first natural gas lighthouse in the country. It remained in service until 1859. It’s now a New York State Park. It’s no longer used for navigational purposes, but is still lit and visible through an agreement with the Town of Westfield.
Our next stop was at Barcelona Harbor Beach. I’m sure it’s a great place to play in the summer, but today it was windy and cool…actually cold for us. It would be a nice place to watch the sun go down.
Looking south at the same beach…so many great rocks for painting.
Our second beach along the lake was just a bit south of the first one. It’s called Ripley Beach and we had to climb down stairs to get to it. The lake was a little churned up by the wind and we didn’t have a lot of beach to walk on.
It was a very interesting place.
Our last stop was actually on Lake Erie just over the Pennsylvania line. It was called Fishermans Beach. It was in a nice park and we had to hike from the parking lot. It was an easy walk along 20 Mile Creek.
The creek ends at the lake. We saw quite a few people fishing…no one seemed to be catching. We finished our day by having lunch and doing a little shopping in Bemus Point along Chautauqua Lake.
Oct. 7 – Exploring Along Lake Erie
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
The weather later in the week looks a little iffy, so we took advantage of the little sunshine we had today to get out and explore. We drove up the lake and over to Lake Erie. The foliage is amazing, but hard to photograph while driving in a car. But take my word for it…it was spectacular.
Oct. 6-13 Lakewood, NY
“An ocean which thinks there is nothing to learn from a lake is not a wise ocean!” -Mehmet Murat idlan
The weather last week was amazing and we knew it wouldn’t last, so we decided to move the boat to our winter marina. It’s so much nicer to winterize and unload the boat when the weather is pretty. Since we had planned on moving off the boat a week later, we needed to find somewhere to hang out until we move into the house we have rented in Lewisburg, PA for a month.
We looked at the map to see if we could find a new place to explore and we decided on Chautauqua Lake. It’s a beautiful little lake in the southwestern part of the state. This time of year the fall foliage is almost at its peak and there are new places to hike and new things to learn. We found a pretty old farm house to rent. It’s so comfortable we may never want to leave.
The Gifford Homestead was built in 1870. The present owners renovated the house in 2021 and it is beautiful.
This lake is where the Chautauqua Assembly started in the late 19th century. It was started by the Methodist Church as a summer teaching camp for Sunday-school teachers. It expanded and brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, showmen, preachers, and specialists of the day. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The institution has operated each summer since then, gradually expanding its season length and program offerings in the arts, education, religion and music.
Our first look at the lake was at Lucille Ball Memorial Park near Jamestown. This is where Lucy spent a lot of time as a child.
Oct. 6-13 Lakewood, NY
“An ocean which thinks there is nothing to learn from a lake is not a wise ocean!” -Mehmet Murat idlan
The weather last week was amazing and we knew it wouldn’t last, so we decided to move the boat to our winter marina. It’s so much nicer to winterize and unload the boat when the weather is pretty. Since we had planned on moving off the boat a week later, we needed to find somewhere to hang out until we move into the house we have rented in Lewisburg, PA for a month.
North Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park is known as the American Alps for its dramatic mountain scenery, with jagged snow-covered peaks, alpine lakes, hundreds of the waterfalls that give the Cascade Range its name, and over three hundred glaciers. The 1,068-square-mile (2,768 sq km) park encompasses the Cascade Range from Washington’s Lake Chelan to the Canadian border….
Sept. 29 – Cirque du Soleil Echo
“Because our days are filled with the rational, practical and expected, Cirque du Soleil exists to bring us that which has never existed. And makes us feel things we’ve never felt. Life needs folly, life needs cirque” -Cirque du Soleil
The highlight of our family trip to DC was attending Cirque du Soleil Echo. The show was in the nearby town of Tysons, Virginia. Getting there on the Metro was part of the fun. The train stopped right next to the show sight. This particular show takes place under a huge big top, which gave us the feeling we were at the circus.
Sept. 25-30 Washington, DC (Part II)
“Travel has a way of stretching the mind.” -Ralph Crawshaw
On our second day we figured out how to use the Metro and that made it a little easier on our legs. We spent our morning at the International Spy Museum. It’s an independent history museum which documents the tradecraft, history and contemporary role of espionage. It houses more than 7,000 artifacts with around 1,000 on public display. The permanent collection traces the complete history of espionage, from the Ancient Greeks and the Roman Empire through present day. We started our visit in the briefing room where we received our undercover mission badge and our cover identity. From there we were given the chance to learn the tricks of the trade in interactive exhibits that test our powers of observation.
Waiting for our ride.
International Spy Museum
That afternoon we relaxed…enjoying the park and our beautiful home. After all the walking we’d done it was nice to play and paint. On the third morning we went to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The museum maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. The National Mall building has hundreds of artifacts on display, including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, The Apollo 11 Command Module and old commercial aircraft.
We had to reserve tickets to enter the museum. These pictures were taken while we waited to go in.
The main hall of the museum.
We ate lunch in the cafeteria at the museum so we could spend more time seeing all the exhibits. Our next stop on this day was the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. This museum opened in 1910. Its green dome and immense size (comparable to 18 football fields) are signatures, as well as the 140 million-plus natural science specimens and cultural artifacts that the museum contains. It’s the world’s most popular natural history museum and is dedicated to understanding the natural world and our place in it. It includes the Hall of Human Origins, National Fossil Hall and the Ocean Hall. Exhibits such as the Hope Diamond, Egyptian mummies and gemstones are just a few of the things you can see.
It was impossible to get a nice picture of the museum so I borrowed this one from the Internet.
The entry hall of the museum.
Ocean Hall
The Hope Diamond is one of history’s most famous diamonds. This 45.52 carat fancy deep grayish-blue diamond has an incomparable history and an extraordinary combination of physical properties. During its long history, it has intersected with the French monarchy, Kings Louis XIV through XVI, and likely the British monarch King George IV. It has been owned by wealthy merchants and some of the most well-known individuals within the jewelry world, including Pierre Cartier and Harry Winston. The Hope Diamond got its name from one of its first documented owners, Henry Philip Hope, It was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958.
Fun Facts about the National Mall:
Sept. 25-30 Washington, DC (Part II)
“Travel has a way of stretching the mind.” -Ralph Crawshaw
On our second day we figured out how to use the Metro and that made it a little easier on our legs. We spent our morning at the International Spy Museum. It’s an independent history museum which documents the tradecraft, history and contemporary role of espionage. It houses more than 7,000 artifacts with around 1,000 on public display. The permanent collection traces the complete history of espionage, from the Ancient Greeks and the Roman Empire through present day. We started our visit in the briefing room where we received our undercover mission badge and our cover identity. From there we were given the chance to learn the tricks of the trade in interactive exhibits that test our powers of observation.
Sept. 25-30 Washington, DC (Part I)
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture are like a tree without roots.” — Marcus Garvey
We took one last trip with our Pennsylvania family…we spent five days in our nation’s capital. We rented a nice townhouse on Capitol Hill. It was within walking distance of many things, but after walking over five miles the first day we learned how to take the Metro. Even with that we racked up a lot of miles this week.
The house
The first floor was the entryway, dining room, half bath, kitchen and breakfast nook.
The second floor had the living room and children’s room with an ensuite bathroom.
The two larger bedrooms were on the third floor along with two more bathrooms.
After dinner the first night we walked to Whole Foods for dessert.
There was a wonderful park across the street from the house where the kids ran and played each day. If you have to live in a city…this would be a great place to live.
We spent our first day walking…walking and seeing a lot. Our first stop was at the United States Botanic Garden. This is the oldest continuously operating public garden in the United States. During the late 18th century, George Washington had a dream of a national botanic garden and was instrumental in establishing one on the National Mall in 1820. The gardens came and went some until The Victorian Conservatory opened to the public in 1850 and the U.S. Botanic Garden has been in continuous operation and open to the public since this date.
This lady taught all of us about bees. She knew more about bees than anyone I’ve ever met.
We truly were impressed with the gardens, but our favorite section was the Orchids.
After lunch we headed to the National Museum of American History. Along the way we saw the Capitol and walked through the National Sculpture Garden. Unfortunately between the weather, construction, road barricades and a cultural festival on the National Mall getting good photos of any of the iconic places was impossible.
The sculpture garden offers a relaxing, year-round setting ,an oasis, in the middle of the National Mall. It was opened in 1999.
The National Museum of American History opened in 1964 as the Museum of History and Technology. It was renamed in 1980 to represent its mission of the collection, care, study, and interpretation of objects that reflect the experience of the American people. Some of the displays include the famed Star-Spangled Banner, First Ladies gowns, Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers, Muhammad Ali’s boxing gloves and presidential artifacts.
Our last stop of the day was walking up to the Washington Monument. There are at least 160 monuments and memorials in Washington DC and the Washington Monument is perhaps the most famous. It pays tribute to our nation’s first commander in chief, George Washington. A world-renowned structure, the obelisk-shaped memorial sits in the center of the National Mall, in between the U.S. Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial and was completed in 1884.
Washington Monument Fun Facts:
Looking towards the Lincoln Memorial from the Washington Monument.
