It's Been Awhile

Hello Pals! It is hard to believe we are more than halfway through the month of July. So much has transpired since last I wrote...where to begin? Oh, I know, we are NOT in Michigan! Before I pick up where we are now, I should recap the month of June into the first part of July. To put it succinctly, it was mostly a working vacation. But still a lot of fun. Fun: Thomas and Jackie's wedding, brunch the day after the big event, Catherine's graduation party, dinner and lunches with a host of pals, a few bike rides and walks in nature, an afternoon at the beach along Lake Erie, fireworks at the Graves' home that included delicious food, a week in Chicago with Sarah and her amazing group of young men and women from St. Paul on the Lake (along with some incredible adults, Dave and Brian). That takes care of June.

Our Fabulous Team in CHI

Working hard and learning a new skill with Mr. Calcaterra

A farewell performance especially for us

 

June 30th we arrived in New York, put the Jauchmobile into storage, and spent the next two weeks with The Robertsons of Brooklyn. So much fun, so much good and healthy food, so many Olive Nubbin kisses.

Olive in her favorite environment

 

Several days were spent at Casa Clemenza helping Mara get ready to reopen the Beach House after the damage done during Super Storm Sandy. The Fourth of July was splendid. Jen and Doyle hosted a wonderful BBQ and many friends came with tasty treats. We headed up to the roof at sunset, which was magnificent, and then enjoyed the fireworks with the skyline of Manhattan as the backdrop. There was time spent at beaches and wonderful meals with friends. Then we said adios to the city that never sleeps mid-July and headed to our next destination. Hint: it is the state with the longest name yet the smallest land mass. If you said The State of Rhode Island - Providence Plantation you guessed correctly! If you are asking why Rhode Island, the answer is: why not? We are at a lovely camp ground, Whispering Pines, in the Hope Valley. The area is piney and hilly and lovely. The people who run it are obviously fans of the movie "Dirty Dancing" as the list of activities available are mind boggling. Bingo, movies, choo choo train rides for the little ones (we wave as they go past us in their engineer caps) and so much more. Tonight is the Sock Hop. We have begun exploring the state. Yesterday we spent the day in the city of Providence. 

 The Providence River

 

 Entrance to the State Capital

 

 Historic Home(one of many) along Benefit Street

 

 Plaque on home pictured above





We hit the Swan Point Cemetery where H.P. Lovecraft is buried, Rhode Island School of Design, a little bit of Brown University, Federal Hill (Providence's Little Italy, little as in teeny-tiny) in addition to the sites pictured above. Today we do our nature thing with a long bike ride and picnic. Who knows, there may be a Sock Hop in our future. Until next time...