As summer nears its end, I am somewhat surprised to find that I have spent a total of 47 days—almost 7 weeks—traveling this year so far. I’ve already written about three of these trips. Here are just a few images from some of the others.
Crayola Crayons are manufactured near Easton, Pennsylvania, the town that marked the start of my ill-fated Pennsylvania Sojourn bicycle tour in June (see previous post). The Crayola Experience, right in the center of town, is not a factory but rather an interactive center offering hand-on activities for kids. The three-story mural covering the backside of the building is quite creative.
In June I visited my brother Ed and sister-in-law Nancy, who live in rural Ohio. This is the view from their back deck. They have several acres of grass to mow, but it sure is quiet there. We visited the nearby U.S. Air Force Museum, which I wrote about in a previous post.
Several years ago, Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania added an 86-acre tract of meadow and forest to its already expansive property. A walk to this historic farm house at the far end of the meadow is a beautiful trek on a summer day.
Half-hour-long illuminated fountain performances at Longwood Gardens’ newly restored Main Fountain Garden take place Thursday through Saturday evenings through late October. They are worth planning a visit to Longwood around. The outdoor beer garden on those same evenings is fun too.
In April (not quite summer, I know), we rendezvoused with our New York friends Tad and Lea at the Inn at Mitchell House, a B&B west of Chestertown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The 18th-century house is quiet and cozy and is surrounded by 12 acres of grounds.
My most recent trip was a 10-day, 1,750-mile drive to explore some coastal areas of New England I wanted to get to know better. I passed through Williamstown in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts; spent a couple days visiting Bristol and Providence, Rhode Island; and went on to visit several towns along the south coast of Massachusetts, Sandwich on Cape Cod, Rockport north of Boston, and various towns on the South Shore below Boston. I also took side trips to eastern New York and Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
Along the way I reconnected with quite a few people: my oldest friend (from orientation in college) and his wife (a friend from my Michigan days), two of my newest friends (whom I met through my bicycling trips), two good friends I’ve known since my early working years at the Boston Museum of Science, another friend from the Science Museum I hadn’t seen in 35 years, and a friend from the National Air and Space Museum and his wife, who have retired to New Hampshire. These people span almost every period of my adult life.
Formerly known as the Clark Art Institute, The Clark in Williamstown, Massachusetts, is one of my favorite art museums. It houses an impressive collection and is especially known for its many works by Renoir. This central room is mainly devoted to that French Impressionist master.
The East Bay Bike Path runs about 14 miles from Bristol to Providence, Rhode Island. The recently resurfaced path links the towns along the east side of Narragansett Bay and the Providence River. That’s my folding Bike Friday beside the path.
My favorite Renoir painting, “Sleeping Girl,” or as I like to call it, “Sleeping Girl with Cat.”
In South Duxbury, Massachusetts, just north of Plymouth, we were surprised to discover this imposing monument to Myles Standish, a leader of the Plymouth Colony in the 1600s. You can climb the 125 stairs to the top for sweeping views.
The historic (1871) Pomham Rocks Lighthouse is on an island just offshore of East Providence, Rhode Island. I took this photo of it from the East Bay Bike Path.
Fairhaven was among the many small towns I drove through along the south coast of Massachusetts. Fort Phoenix, in the town’s waterfront park, dates back to the American Revolution. The tiny fort guarded the entrance to the Fairhaven–New Bedford harbor.
This long boardwalk over a bayside tidal marsh leads out to the beach near Sandwich on Cape Cod.
The unusually shaped Old Scituate Light in Scituate, Massachusetts, is one of the oldest lighthouses in the country. It was completed in 1811, just in time for the War of 1812. The two young daughters of the lighthouse keeper drove off a British naval force intending to attack the town by loudly playing their fife and drum, thus fooling the British into thinking there was a much greater force than the “army of two” defending Scituate.
My friends Ray and Monica from Rockport, Massachusetts, took me on a driving tour of the South Shore below Boston. We finished at World’s End, a large park near Hingham. You can walk for hours on trails and carriage roads through landscaped grounds designed by Frederick Law Olmstead. Downtown Boston, 15 miles away, is visible in the distance.
Bob and Ruth tend their mules at their place near Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. As they groomed Buster, Jasper made a beeline right for me.
The weather cooperated beautifully, Siri’s wayfinding proved invaluable, SiriusXM satellite radio relaxed me on the long interstate drives, and I had a great time.
David Romanowski, 2018
Bike Walk Drive 