Trip to New England

 

 

Maureen and I have always talked about going out East after our retirement, so this fall we sent in our deposit for a bus tour, got our passports, and sat on a waiting list!  Two days before departure we got a call that we were on!  We hustled to get ready, and we made it to Omaha where we left on Monday morning

 

 

Our guide made fun of the color of the bus, but I kind of liked it because it was easy to spot among other busses.

 

 

Our first night was at an Embassy Suite in Chicago.  Maureen is lounging and checking in at home.

Skyline of Chicago

More skyline

 



Some modern sculpture called "The Bean!"

 



 

There was about twenty of these sculptured creatures in the park.

 

When we were in Niagara Falls, Canada, Maureen took a fancy to this gentleman.  Better watch her, Bob!



Good friends from Omaha that we spent a lot of time with - Rita and Jeannie.  They were so much fun!!

A beautiful botanical garden that we went to in Ontario, Canada.  The clock really works.

Julie, our busdriver (who was fantastic, and Annie, in the gold sweater was our guide.  Small world, she was a great friend of Jan Rosdail.  They used to teach together in Jefferson.

The Smurfs ready to load the The Maid of the Mist.  I forgot how wet you can get on this trip under the falls.

One of my favorite meals.  This is the Skylon which is a space needle of 84 floors, and the restaurant is at the top.  Every hour it rotates 360 degrees, so your scenery is always changing.  Did I mention that the food was also excellent?  We had our choice of salmon or chicken -

Niagara Falls is so beautiful.  I especially like it on the Canadian side.

Green Mountains of Vermont.  Such a beautiful state.

Maple sugar is a big industry in Vermont.  Our bags were pretty heavy after visiting this gift shop!

 

Leaves were at their peak of beauty while we were there. These are the white mountains of New Hampshire.



 

 

We had a tour of Boston.  I thought the hired guide was a little "windy" but he did know his history.  This particular place with the green doors is the birthplace of Rose Kennedy.

My favorite - Maine.  Looks like a postcard picture

 

 

Rita and Jeannie in a scenic stop that we made

 

 

This picture is for my family.  I ran into a street entertainer and interviewed for such a job!  He said with a little more practice I was hired!!

These beautiful homes are in Kennabuntport, Maine and if you walk across the street you can step into the Atlantic Ocean.  They are also neighbors to the Bush Complex

Another beautiful home on the oceanfront

 

This is were the Bush family has their home.  Shortly after I took the picture, Barbara Bush walked out to the car. 

 

 

This is the original home of Paul Revere.  We heard way more about Paul ReVere than we chose to.  Boston is very proud of there historical heritage.

 The North Church where Paul hung the lantern in the window.  We got to tour the church before services started.  Very unusual church where there were partitioned boxes instead of pews.  I have a picture of this somewhere.

And this is Plymouth Rock.  Somehow I thought it would have been larger.  Its not much bigger than the one I have in my flower garden.

I am going to have to check my pictures.  I thought this was the replica of the Mayflower, but it might be Old Ironsides in Boston.

We got to use the restroom in the Trump Tower.  It is rated as the most beautiful bathroom, but many of us disagreed.  We have seen better!  It does beat the one in my house, however!

Lunch at Grand Central Station in New York.  Jeannie, Rita, Diane, and Vicki - what neat people.  We enjoyed their company so much.

Twin Towers are gone and the Freedom Towers have taken their place.  Beautiful

The day we were supposed to visit the Statue of Liberty, the government shut down, so all we could do was take a boat trip around the statue.   Still very impressive.  Ellis Island is not yet opened after Hurricane Sandy.  Funding is limited.

Here you can see construction in the background.  Still the effects of the hurricane. 

 

 

Beautiful scenery in Pennsylvania

 

 

 

Maureen got applause as she boarded the bus - oops!  She was late!!  She actually thought she had been left.  She was standing by the other bus and thought she might have to board that one, but we found her.

These next two pictures of of a beautiful cathedral in New York that became a "white elephant.  There was a shift in cultural population, and our tour guide said that its not unusual to have only an attendance of ten people at a service. 

This house is the oldest wooden house in the United States. 

Notice the cups with two handles.  The Pilgrims had very few dishes so when the entertained, they would share a cup, thus two handles!

Back to farming country of Illinois

We stopped at Notre Dame while going through Indiana.  It was really raining so Maureen and I hung out at the visitors center and the book store.  The people that went on the tour said the chapel was breathtaking.

Notre Dame visitors center

And we are home!  I have lots more pictures but this is a start.