What do you do when it rains?

We are back at the Thousand Trails Preserve in Hershey, Pennsylvania and its raining.  We had already been to Chocolate World and didn’t want to see that again.  Someone told us there was a classic car show in the area so, after searching the internet we found the Antique Auto Museum.  Excellent museum. The museum was not only filled with all kinds of cars, but also told the history of the automobile from Henry Ford’s machine shop to cars of today.  Each area was a different decade with a description of what developed during the decade and then displays of cars of the decade.  The bottom level of the museum housed a display of old busses and motorcycles. The top floor held cases of classic car hood ornaments.


Classic gas station display. They also have cars in an old drive-in theatre setting and also displayed outside a display of a roadside diner.




A woman invents the windshield wipers!!  They had several of these "You can do it" displays.  Henry Ford employed women in his factories and even payed the same wage as a man!  But, he only hired women that were single or widowed!  He believed married women should be at home!!



Cadillac bought by Allen Ludden for Betty White. Car was also used in a few episodes of Mama’s Family.


It was a very enjoyable 3 hours spent out of the rain.

Hyde Park, New York

Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt and his Presidential Library.  We  started our tour with a 30 minute movie about the Roosevelt’s.  We then took a guided tour through FDR’s house. 

Franklin was born in this house.  At the time of his birth, the original house was just the middle and only 2 stories.  After he and Eleanor were married and started a family, he added the third floor and a wing on each side.  The wing to the right was for servants.                                                                                                                                  To the left was a family room downstairs and bedrooms upstairs.  The third floor was used for the children. 

The house was never changed in anyway to accommodate FDR’s paralysis.  There was already a dumb waiter in the house and because his wheelchairs were more like a kitchen chair on wheels, he  was able to use it as an elevator.  He would enter and pull the rope and move himself from floor to floor. He had amazing upper body strength. I really wish we could have taken pictures inside.  This was a house that was lived in.  They had pictures from their travels all over the walls.  We did not have time to go to Val-Kill, which was Eleanor’s home.  She always thought of the big house as her mother in laws home.  Since FDR wanted the house given to the state upon his death, Val-Kill was where Eleanor lived until her death.  They are both buried in the Rose Garden at Hyde Park.

 

 

 

We then took the self guided tour of the Library itself.  FDR built and used this library while he was still President.  He had an office in the library and used it for several of his fireside chats.

He was a much loved president who led the country out of a depression and through most of WWII. He was the only president to serve more than 2 terms.  He died during his 4th term. 

During his first 100 days in office he signed an Emergency Bank Act and created the Civilian Conservation Corp, the WPA (Workers Program) and the Tennessee Valley Water Authority.  These were some of the programs part of his ‘New Deal’.  They helped to bring the country out of the depression.   He also created Social Security believing that everyone needed a pension of sorts when they were no longer able to work or lost their job because of age. 

During WWII, FDR gave strong diplomatic and financial support to China and Britain, while remaining officially neutral. His goal was to make America the "Arsenal of Democracy" which would supply munitions to the Allies.  Of course all that changed when on December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. 

This is the 4th Presidential Library we’ve been to…only 8 more to go!!

Lebanon, CT

This afternoon we took a ride to the historic town of Lebanon, Ct. 
In May of 1775 the General Assembly established a Council of Safety to plan the defense of the colonies during the revolutionary war.  Being on the cross roads of the routes between Norwich to Hartford and Boston to New York, Lebanon was the logical place to meet. 

This is a picture of Governor Jonathan Trumbull’s House.  He was the only governor to support the war for independence.  Under his leadership, Connecticut was credited with providing a substantial proportion of the provisions to the continental army.  General Washington himself considered Governor Trumbull invaluable to the success of the struggle for independence.

Governor Trumbull’s store became the War Office.  Nearly 1200 sessions of the Council of Safety met here.  Washington, Franklin, Jefferson and William Williams, Connecticut’s signer of the Declaration of Independence met here at various times.




The First Congregational Church was built in 1706 and was designed by John Trumbull, Jr who became a  revolutionary war artist.  It’s his portrait of Hamilton that appears on the ten dollar bill.


These buildings all surround an area called “The Green”.  French troops were quartered here during the winter of 1780-1781.
Another interesting part of Connecticut’s history.

USS Nautilus

We spent today doing some sightseeing around New London, CT.  First place was the Historic Ship Nautilus and the Submarine Force Museum.  The Nautilus was the first nuclear powered submarine and began its maiden voyage on January 17, 1955. 

The Nautilus departed Pearl Harbor on July 23, 1958 to begin “Operation Sunshine” the first crossing of the North Pole by a ship. 
On August 3, 1958 the Nautilus had accomplished the impossible – reaching geographic North Pole.

When we started the self guided tour, we were handed a phone like recorder.   At various spots during the tour, we would press a number and listen as we toured that area.

This museum is very well done and its all free!!


We also visited the National Submarine Memorial.  This is a memorial to all the submarines and crews that went down during World War II. 

I’ve mentioned before that my uncle was a submariner.  He served during WWII and lost many good friends.  He was very instrumental in getting this memorial built, so it was important to me to see what he was so very proud of. 

At each flag, is the name of the submarine and the date it went down. 
Then around the side is a black wall, similar to the Viet Nam Memorial, with all the names of those lost during WWII on a submarine. 





It was a good day.

Eastern States Exposition

Friday was opening day at the “Big E” and we decided to go.  The Big E is a combination state fair of the New England States.  Each state has a house which is modeled after its capital building.  Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
Each building has information, crafts and foods that come from these states.

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People from all the states compete in the normal categories most state fairs have.  We walked through the buildings full of cows, sheep, chickens and other small animals.
One of the highlights for me was sitting (after all the walking) and seeing Mark Lindsay from Paul Revere and the Raiders.  Who remembers coming home from school to watch “Where the Action Is”?  If you watched the show you would remember this group.  Ed enjoyed watching me bop and sing to the old songs.   

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He still sounds good after all these years! 

Visiting Springfield Mass

We have been in the Springfield, Mass area for the past week.  It’s been good connecting with friends again.  It’s been a very busy week and today is our only down day so will try to catch up the blog. 
Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield and there is a National Memorial Sculpture Garden in his honor. 
        

Dr. Seuss at his desk with The Cat in the Hat watching.






The Grinch and
his dog Max.













Horton











Yertle the Turtle Statue



Always loved Dr. Seuss.

What would you do for TV?

Today we finally hit the road and are now in the mountains of Massachusetts.
So many trees around, this was the only place Ed could put the dish.


You know your a redneck when……..

Last days at LGE

Labor Day weekend is our last working weekend here at Lake George Escape.  Last May when we started it seemed it would never end and we had lots of time to do the things we wanted to do.  We had hoped to be able to spend more time with family in the area but, working 5 days a week, time just seemed to get away from us.  We usually had Thursdays and Fridays off, but because our last day is Sunday, they had me working those days.  It was the first Friday I had ever worked and we had over 300 check in Friday!! We had our express check in booth opened.
Here is Nellie, who helped me run to the vehicles, and Darlene inside handing us the information.  It works really well because people don’t have to get out of the vehicles.  We can get them checked in and moving towards their sites in a matter of minutes. 
      
If we let them go into the lodge to check in they might end up wandering through the store and it clogs up the driveway. 
                                             
In the driveway we can stack them 3 wide and at least 3 deep before they overflow onto the street.  We work really hard at keeping the traffic moving. Yesterday along with the 3 of us on express check in, we also had 2 gate people helping direct the traffic. 
One of the biggest hits of the park is our nightly wagon ride.  They go all over the park and usually have several kids on bikes following along.

LGE also offers its guests a shuttle service into Lake George Village.  Here are a few pictures of one of their best drivers.
         
It’s been a good summer…we are planning on coming back again next year.