Today we went for a bike ride in Lambertville. We ate lunch at the Lambertville Station and I got to tell you, they serve a great Bloody Mary. After I got done drinking that baby I had to deal with that bottle of Heinz Ketchup floating around. I managed to capture it on camera. It was a great day for a bike ride with lots of sunshine and temperature around 68 degrees. If you are ever in Lambertville you have to stop at the Lambertville for lunch. Don't forget to order the bloody mary. LOL

SwampMap

Once in a lifetime one must take the time to visit the Great Swamp. It was like walking on a boardwalk through virgin nature in this swamp up in the mountains of Basking Ridge. You never know where you'll find nature. Who knew?

Anyway, hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed the hike.

Saturday 9-26-09

Thanks tour new GPS, (we nicknamed her Gertrude or Gerty for short), we arrived at Philadelphia Airport on time with plenty of time to spare. There was no waiting line at the security area and we went right through. We took off in our Southwest Airlines 727 and arrived in Raleigh in just 54 minutes.

We picked up our luggage and rental car and headed out on our adventure. It was raining but, other than stopping at the Cracker Barrel for dinner we managed to drive all the way to Asheville. The ride up into Asheville was a bit challenging. There were no reflectors in the road on route 40 and it was raining and night fall had arrived. We didn’t book a Hotel for this night because we weren’t sure about driving all the way to Asheville, but we made it after all. We tried to book a room at the Brookstone Lodge since we were going to stay there the next few days anyway but they had no rooms available. We ended up finding a Marriot Suite for the night that was quite comfortable.

Sunday 9-27-09

We woke, showered, had breakfast and headed out to downtown Asheville. Asheville was a combination of art, fine restaurants and history. We walked around for about four hours. I took a picture of a bald headed white statue with sun glasses and a guitar in hand. Later that statue was singing and playing his guitar. LOL. Fooled me… We walked through a Woolworth’s that was converted into an art display building. It was cool. They kept the original Woolworth’s food area open. We left town, checked into the Brookstone Lodge and went to Red Lobster for dinner, then hung out in the hotel pool and hot tub.

Monday 9-28-09

Today we toured the Biltmore Estates. It is the largest Mansion in the United States. They didn’t allow picture taking inside the mansion due to the age of the artwork inside. I did get some pictures of the outside however. It was a trip back into early 1800’s and into the life of George Washington Vanderbilt’s family which I can only describe as American Royalty. After we completed the tour of the house we had lunch at the estate’s bakery. The coffee was excellent. We moved on to the Gardens and Greenhouse which was vibrant with unique shrubbery and flowers, then drove on to the estate’s farming area. All of the original farming equipment was still in good shape and the blacksmith workshop was interesting. Then we moved on to the winery where we tasted Biltmore wines and toured the wine making area. We ate dinner outside at restaurant under umbrella with a fine view of nature at its best. It was a fine dining experience. The complete tour took about 6 hours and we decided to take it easy the rest of the evening watching TV.

Tuesday 9-29-09

We checked out of the Brookstone and headed to Chimney Rock. The road was long and winding through the mountains and just a glimpse of the type of driving we would be experiencing for the rest of our vacation. Chimney Rock is a quiet little town that is famous for the rock formation known as Chimney Rock. There is a beautiful river in the town that we relaxed near. There were about 2 dozen or so small tourist shops that we found to quite affordable.

We drove across the Mountain into Tennessee and settled in Gatlinburg at the Park Vista Hotel. We got a room at the top floor (15^th) so we could enjoy the beautiful view. We went into downtown Gatlinburg for dinner and to enjoy the town. It was like a giant Seaside Heights with all kinds of fun stuff to do. 

Thursday 10-1-09

Today we set out early and drove up the Motor Nature Trail. This too was an incredible adventure that took us along a winding road on the side of a mountain. When we got to the top of the mountain we discovered black bear sleeping up in the trees. On the way down the long dangerous road we stopped at a few original homes and small water falls and rivers.

Then we drove onto Tuckaleechee Caverns where we climbed down the mountain into an incredible cavern. It was a long day so we settled down early.

Thursday 10-1-09

Today we set out early, stopped at the Log Cabin Pancake House for breakfast and drove up the Motor Nature Trail. This too was an incredible adventure that took us along a winding road on the side of a mountain. When we got to the top of the mountain we discovered black bear sleeping up in the trees. On the way down the long dangerous road we stopped at a few original homes and small water falls and rivers.

Then we drove on to Cades Cove which is a large meadow in the middle of the Smokey Mountains National Park that was a picture of a farming community out of time. We stopped at the Old Mill Restaurant in Pigeon Falls for dinner. Good southern food mixed with good southern hospitality is what we were served. Again we got back to the hotel and crashed. Mountains sure getcha tired.

Friday 10-2-09

Today we drove 337 miles back to Durham and checked in to our hotel. We went out to eat and went back to the hotel for a few drinks. We watched a movie on TV and settled in for a good nights sleep.

Saturday 10-3-09

We drove into Chapel Hill to check out the town and North Carolina Campus. There was a home football game that day and it was a complete mad house. We decided to just get to the airport early and we flew back to Philadelphia.

It was another unbelievable adventure. We really got a good perspective of what Mountain life is really like in Tennessee and North Carolina.

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ESP2

On Sunday Joey, Liz, Mark, Sharon and myself took a tour of Eastern State Penitentiary. It has been closed since 1971. All I can say is.....Pretty Scary!!!!!!!

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Longwood2

We spent this weekend at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square PA. The gardening was beautiful and the firework and fountain display was breath taking. This years theme was the music of ABBA. It was perfectly orchestrated. Wow. What a show!

We spent Saturday walking the grounds of the old Dupont Estates which is now Longwood Gardens. They had a restaurant right there on grounds and the food was good and affordable. We were both impressed.

After the show we drove to Media and crashed at Jayne's house. Sunday we drove to Trader Joes and pick up a few things and had lunch at a Bistro.

The wonders of Nature in our own back yard.

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Saturday morning we all set out and arrived at Newark International Airport on time thanks to Brian. Pop, Rosemary, Sharon and myself made it to the terminal just before David and Ginny. Before we knew it we were up, up and away. The flight was pretty quick despite the pest I had sitting next to me. Friendly enough old man but very fidgety. We had a little bit of a delay but arrived in Portland around 12:50 PM, checked out our rental vehicles and checked into our Hotel.  We drove to check out Abe and Nichole’s new house. The neighborhood was breathtaking with natural gardens mastered in front of each house. Joey and Nichole cooked shish kabobs which were delicious and we all drank wine and chatted. It felt good to be on the ground and out of New Jersey. It was a warm feeling and new this was going to be a fantastic trip.

Sunday we all got up and had breakfast in the Hotel. Pop, Rosemary, David and Ginny headed out to see the Spruce Goose, while Sharon and I met up with Joey at the Portland Saturday Market. We met up with Abe and Nicole at Washington Park and toured the Rose Garden. This was awesome. Over 7,000 rose plants and 500 different varieties. We headed out to lunch an old School House built in 1916 that was converted into a restaurant. We all got together for dinner at Kells Irish Pub and Restaurant for dinner and went to VooDoo Donuts afterwards. Sharon and I went back to the airport to pick up our favorite photographer, Janey, then retired for the evening.

Monday we walked to the Leatherman factory. Abe picked up Liz and Mark at the airport and we all headed out to the Coast. We stopped at the Erath and Argyle wineries along the way and pulled up to the beach house in Neskowin which wasn’t quite ready yet so we drove to Mo’s Seafood House in Lincoln City. We drove back to the beach house, settled in and went to the beach and sat around a campfire that Abe and Joey built. Just an incredible feeling listening to the surf and the fire crackling at the same time.

Tuesday Joey, Liz, Mark, David and Ginny walked the beach and climbed Proposal Rock. We had to cross a river that formed on the beach from the water from the mountains. I got some really good shots of the Oregon Beach sea life. Later Pop, Rosemary, David and Ginny took a ride south, while Sharon, Joey and myself took a ride north to Pasific City after driving up the mountain across the highway. There we saw a giant sand dune and a large rock that looked like a haystack just off the coast. We backed salmon, and cooked shrimp for dinner and headed to the beach to see the sunset. We watched the Shining to prepare ourselves for the Timberline Hotel.

Wednesday we all went out for breakfast at the local restaurant. Today Pop, Rosemary, David and Ginny drove up North 101, while Sharon, Janey and myself drove south to Cape Foulweather in Newport. Sharon and I cooked shrimp scampy for dinner.

Thursday we headed out to Mount Hood. The drive up the mountain wasn’t as intense as I had imagined. The roads were clear of snow and the weather was perfect. The Timberline Lodge was incredible, built in 1936 by the WPA under Roosevelt’s Administration. The project was completed in just 18 months and stands with all the original lumber and iron work that was originally put into it. We went through the wedding rehearsal and all drove down to Government Camp for pizza. The people of the town were friendly just the same as all the people we met in this great state of Oregon.

Friday we woke up early, had coffee and did different things around the lodge. There had to be literally thousands of people who went up to the Mountain to ski. Can you imagine that? Skiing in July… Amazing. The wedding started at 5:30. It was a beautiful ceremony and the reception was grand. After the reception a bar in the Timberline called the Blue Ox was open to the wedding party and guests.

Saturday we packed and headed back to Portland. We took Rt. 30 which is known in Oregon as the “Old Road” because it was replaced by a newer highway 84. We stopped alone the way at several waterfall sights, Horsetail Falls and Multnomah Falls and the Bradford Dam on the Columbia River. We ended up getting back in Portland around 5 and stopped for dinner at a restaurant behind the hotel.

The first camping trip for this year was a relaxing one. We had beautiful weather and all the natural landscape we remembered from the last trip was still in place. Saturday we set up camp. I finally got to put up the screen house that Sharon gave to me on my Birthday. It went up easy and was large enough to fit around the picnic table. It was a quiet day, we ate lunch and we walked around a bit. For dinner we BBQed chicken wings and had grilled vegetables. Then later we sat around the campfire and sang songs.  We camped right next to the Delaware River this time and you could hear the waterfall at night. We both slept well. We woke around 6:30 and I put on a pot of coffee. We made bacon and eggs for breakfast and went on a bike ride. Then we packed up and drove through the winding mountain roads in Pennsylvania and ended up crossing back over the Jersey side in Frenchtown where we had lunch and headed home.

We we invited as guests this weekend to attend an incredible Folk Concert. Jayne was photographing Ribbon of Highway Endless Sky way at Monmouth University in the Pollak Theatre. The perform a tribute to the Spirit of Woody Guthrie. There were so many hair raising performances during this 2 hour concert that we both left the theatre totally energized. 

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Ribbontix

The Supremacy of Love

If I speak in the languages of humans and angels but have no love, I have become a reverberating gong or a clashing cymbal.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can understand all secrets and every form of knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains but have no love, I am nothing.

Even if I give away everything that I have and sacrifice myself, but have no love, I gain nothing.

Love is always patient;1 love is always kind;  love is never envious or arrogant with pride. Nor is she conceited,

and she is never rude; she never thinks just of herself or ever get annoyed.

She never is resentful, is never glad with sin, but always glad to side with truth, whenever the truth should win.

She bears up under everything, believes the best in all, there is no limit to her hope, and she will never fall.

Love never fails. Now if there are prophecies, they will be done away with. If there are languages, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will be done away with. For what we know is incomplete and what we prophesy is incomplete. But when what is complete comes, then what is incomplete will be done away with.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up my childish ways. Now we see only an indistinct image in a mirror, but then we will be face to face. Now what I know is incomplete, but then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Right now three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Marriage Wisdom

A good marriage is created by forming a circle of love.  In marriage, we give ourselves freely and generously into the hands of the one we love, and in doing so; we receive the love and trust of the other as a most precious gift.  We must remember never to take these gifts for granted and to always treat them with the utmost respect.

Hand Blessing

Bride and Groom, please hold hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you.

Sharon, these are the hands, experienced, strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy.  These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and hold you when fear or grief racks your mind.  These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes: eyes that are filled completely with his love and desire for you.

                         Billy, these are the hands that are smooth, creative and powerful, that hold yours on your wedding day, as she pledges her love and commitment to you all the days of her life.

These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times. They are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick or console you when you are grieving. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness. These are the hands that will hold you in joy, excitement and hope.  These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to chase down your dreams. Together, everything you wish for can be realized.

May they always be held by the other.  Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their love.

Vows

Billy, do you take Sharon, in the presence of these witnesses, to be your wife?

Billy:  I do

Sharon, do you take Billy, in the presence of these witnesses, to be your husband?

Sharon:  I do

Billy:

From this day forward, you will not walk alone

My heart will be your shelter

My arms will be your home

I promise to love and respect you,

To hold you in good times and in bad,

And to put you before all others. 

I accept you for all that you are and all that you are not.

I promise to be a good and faithful husband

I promise to be your friend, your love and your partner for all the days of our lives.

Sharon:

From this day forward, you will not walk alone

My heart will be your shelter

My arms will be your home

I promise to love and respect you,

To hold you in good times and in bad,

And put you before all others. 

I accept you for all that you are and all that you are not.

I promise to be a good and faithful wife

I promise to be your friend, your love and your partner for all the days of our lives.

Rings

For thousands of years couples have exchanged rings as a symbol of their vows.  Your rings indicate that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bound together.  Let these rings also be a sign that love has substance as well as soul, and that despite its occasional sorrows, love is a circle of happiness, wonder and delight. 

Billy, as you place Sharon’s ring on her finger, repeat after me:

Just as this circle is without end,

My love for you is eternal.

Sharon, as you place Billy’s ring on his finger, repeat after me:

Just as this circle is without end,

My love for you is eternal.

Billy and Sharon, as you have sealed your vows by the gift of these rings, and in the presence of these loved ones and it gives me great pleasure to pronounce that you are husband and wife. Please share your first kiss.

Our ceremony has ended, but the journey has just begun.  In closing, remember to look at each other often, as though it were the first and last time.  May the love you share give you strength and the life you share bring you joy.  May all that is good, beautiful, and true abide with you both now and forever.   Congratulations.