OLA: Finding that Small is Beautiful, Connecticut and Rhode Island

tourists go around Newport, RI in these cute toy cars for two

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the US, followed by Delaware, then Connecticut.   Delaware was the subject of my post, Finding Gems on the Way to the Jersey Shore, so this post is about the other two.   Our adventures in all three states show that there is a lot of truth to the saying, ‘small is beautiful’.

the Harbor at New Haven, Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is the 5^th fifth of the original 13 states and, as of the 2010 census, is the 29th most populous and 4th most densely populated of the 50 states .   Its first constitution, the "Fundamental Orders", was adopted as early as 1639 and heavily influenced the framing of the US Constitution (Roger Sherman of New Haven was one of the authors) and the development of the federal government.  

Fr. McGiveny, founder, Knights of Columbus
at the Knights of Columbus Museum, New Haven, Ct

The growth of industry and finance created a need for insurance the poor.  Fr. Michael McGiveny, up for sainthood at the Vatican, saw a need for an organization that could be a partner in the parish to help poor immigrant families. In 1882 he founded the Knights of Columbus, the largest fraternal service organization in the Catholic Church today with 1.8 million members and 15,000 councils worldwide.

The state’s geography has given it a strong maritime tradition, which continues today. Connecticut's other traditional industry is financial services. One of the most distinctive landmarks of the state is the Travelers Tower at the Travelers Insurance building in downtown Hartford. These combine to give the state has the highest per capita income, Human Development Index, and median household income in the US. 

Travelers' Tower, from where you can get a good view of Hartford, Connecticut

Trash Museum in Hartford, Connecticut leads the way

Even the recycling industry is benefitting from the innovative spirit in Connecticut. The CRRA (Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority) has established a country’s first, the Trash Museum.  It proudly demonstrates not only what trash accumulation does to the environment, but also demonstrates single-streaming  recycling (no need to sort) , leading the way in this industry.  

Yale Chemistry Building in New Haven, Connecticut

The other city of note in Connecticut is New Haven, home to the beautiful campus of Yale University, an Ivy League school. Bill finally saw this college that had offered him a full scholarship after  graduating from Pittsburg High School. He chose to go to Oberlin College near Cleveland, Ohio, though.  He found the Yale campus, especially the old district, so charming that Bill has no doubt he would have enjoyed Yale at least as much as Oberlin, if not more.

Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut

Harriet Beecher Stowe house in Hartford, Connecticut

This is accompanied by excellence in literary works! The lovely Mark Twain (1835-1910) House, where he saw much of his wealth disappear due to bad investments in the printing industry, is in Hartford.  It was amazing to find out that the Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) Center and House sit on the same block.  Harriet Beecher Stowe’s landmark novel was ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ which helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War. Mark Twain published the ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ 20 years after the Civil War, a scathing look at entrenched attitudes in the South, particularly racism.

flowers, rocks and water merge into one beautiful scene
at the Cliff Walk, Newport, RI

lunch at The Porch, soaking up the scene, Newport, RI

Rhode Island

Rhode Island, officially the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (former names of Newport and Providence), is the 8th least populous but the 2nd most densely populated of the 50 states. It shares a water boundary with New York's Long Island to the southwest with many bays and inlets (14% of its area). It holds the distinction of being the first of the 13 original colonies to declare independence from British rule.

Roger Williams still overlooking the city he founded, Providence, RI

Betsy Williams' cottage at the Roger Williams Park in Providence, RI

Roger Williams was a theologian forced out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony so he and others founded "Providence Plantations" and he became the voice of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. Beautiful ideals! His statue and memorial stands at the highest hill overlooking the city of Providence, at Prospect Park. There is also a lovely Roger Williams Park and Zoo. The Sentinel Dog is supposed to be in the Zoo but it was closed.  But we found his wife’s cottage, a lake and the carousel village.

Amazing Waterfire at the Waterplace Park and Riverwalk, Providence, RI

Waterplace Park Memorial in Providence, RI, stands like a candle

 We stayed until sundown which came at 8:45 PM in Providence to watch ‘invisible men, all dressed in black, light 80 sparkling bonfires on Waterplace Park and Riverwalk along Providence’s three rivers. A moving and powerful work of art, Waterfire, with torch-lit vessels traveling up and down the river and haunting music that accompanied the ritual, has enchanted 10 million visitors since 1994. Each year about 25 lightings are sponsored from March to October every year.

at Forty Steps along the Cliff Walk of Newport, RI

Bill contemplating life at the end of the Cliff Walk, Newport, RI

But Newport is downright special. The Cliff Walk is a 2-mile walk along the coastline of the city which featured beautiful panoramas of the sea and land meeting together in spectacular beauty. We didn’t walk it though but drove to three of its most picturesque points: Forty Steps, The Breakers, and Ledge Road at the cliff’s end.  The Walk also gave us a wonderful vantage point to the backs of the elegant historical mansions on Bellevue Avenue, closely paralleling the Walk and coastline.

we found this mansion right on the Cliff Walk at Newport, RI

International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport, RI

And, not to be forgotten since I am a die-hard tennis fanatic is this: the International Tennis Hall of Fame is in Newport. Tennis stars are regularly inducted to this elite honor every year. It was the first time I saw a beautifully manicured grass court. And, of course, I went berserk at the gift shop which featured many ordinary things in tennis motif! And at the Newport Casino was La Forge…there we had lunch al fresco at its Porch and noticed those cute little cars for two plying around town!

Venice-type gondolas are available at the Riverwalk, RI

                                                                            What beauty in history, traditions, governance, literature, nature, architecture, and sports in the two smallest of states: Connecticut and Rhode Island! Small is indeed beautiful!

made three new Filipina friends at the Riverwalk, RI

OLA: Visiting with Family and Friends in SC

the sprawling Southern retirement home of the Thiesings in Mt.Pleasant, South Carolina

view from their 3rd floor deck, witht he boat at the end of the walk

So we just left Florida after 5 warm winter months and are now here in Low Country USA…South Carolina… on our way to Nova Scotia for the nth reunion of the DUs, Bill’s high school gang. This is one of the several visits we will make along the way. Jim, one of the DUs, has decided to retire here to be near his grandkids. Erika, my darling niece who married the eldest nephew of Marty, her mom and my sister Julie’s husband (who passed on in 2009), has also decided to relocate here. Time for special visits!  

Carol walking on the boardwalk back to the house after our boat ride

a Nerd Clock, very apropos in Jim's home office

The Thiesings of Mt. Pleasant

Jim Thiesing just retired last year as Group Vice-President, Federal Operations of Jacob’s Engineering, a Fortune 500 company providing technical, professional, and construction services globally with 200 offices in over 25 countries in Aerospace and Defense, Automotive and Industrial, Buildings, Chemicals and Polymers, Consumer and Forest Products, Energy, Environmental Programs, Infrastructure, Mining and Minerals, Oil and Gas, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology, Refining, and Technology. Jim was primarily involved in its nuclear clean-up operations including the 3-Mile Island and the Oakridge facility.

spacious second level living quarters

Jim and wife Carol are obviously very comfortably happy in their sprawling 2-level 5,000 sq. ft. Southern home (yes with porches all around) that reaches out to where his boat is moored on the Toomer creek that leads into the Atlantic Ocean through Wando and Cooper Rivers.The 2 guest quarters, Jim’s office, the middle lounging area, and a recreation area make up the lower level while the couple lives in utmost comfort at the second floor. They decided to stay near the grandchildren (don’t we all?) and are truly a picture of shared blissful contentment.

Bill's fave banana cream pie
 baked from scratch by Jim's Carol!

Bill, Jim, and Carol were off to the beach early the following day for Bill’s 2-3 mile daily walk and her bike ride. Then the 2 friends fished  while the two Carols watched the quarterfinals of the Miami Sony Ericson Tennis Open (yes, we are both fan-addicts). What a grand vacation for Bill and me. Carol is a perfect host. Meals were always fine dining…from soup salad, entrée, and dessert! We could not have enough of the cola brisket slow cooked to perfection...and the shrimp pasta salad...and the chcken wild rice mushroom...and even the apple/ham/cream cheese sandwiches!!! But the killer was Bill's
banana cream pie, something he had been pining for for years! 

the co-pilots, Jim and Bill

Bill and Jim at Vickery's at Shrimp Creek
where we stopped for lunch on our boat ride 

The following day, all of us went for a lovely boat ride to the great Atlantic. We had a traditional Southern lunch at Vickery’s, a local favorite resto with its own dock, right before the bay. Back home, Bill and Jim went fishing again and the 2 Carols watched the last set of Quarterfinals. The next morning Bill and Jim braved the walk on the 5-mile loop on the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge and then, sadly, we had to say our goodbyes. The stay was truly fun but we will see them soon enough in Nova Scotia, although it will not be at their lovely home!

the Ravenal Bridge, signalling that we had arrived at the Charleston Harbor!

Jesse and Erika with Bill while dinner was being readied

The Sellers of James Island

Erika is my sister Julie’s youngest child. She married Jesse Sellers, nephew of Marty, Julie’s husband who passed on in 2009. She now baby-sits two little kids while Jesse is in partnership with friends in a construction company. Erika was former Philippine Idol finalist and is currently expecting their first child in September!  I wanted to see first-hand the joy on her face! It was certainly there…perhaps permanently etched, after waiting for almost five years!

we have missed Erik'a snging!

We stored the RV for 3 days while we stayed with Jim and Carol but we wanted to show Erika how we camped so we booked at the Charleston KOA just beside the storage facility. We had Jesse and Erika the first night at the RV. Bill grilled pork loins and I made green beans and mushroom medley and simple baked potatoes for sides and some Italian bread with cream cheese chocolate cake for dessert! And of course, we set up the karaoke equipment so we could once again hear Erika’s melodious voice singing some oft-forgotten OPM (Original Pilipino Music)!

digging into the sumptuous Southern dinner!

The next night, it was Jesse and Erika’s turn to show off their culinary skills so we drove to their lovely, cozy home. Dinner was excellent Southern cuisine: grilled porterhouse steaks courtesy of Jesse, Kajing made extra special (we brought home the left-overs!) dinner rolls from Jesse’s family’s secret recipe, Caesar salad, and mashed potatoes. Oh for appetizers we had veggies and ranch and deviled eggs! Bill and I brought the couple nice oranges and grapefruit from Florida and a small box of Mexican mangoes from the Carolina Coast Flea Market, the state's biggest!.

Carol's turn to sing!

the four...happy together!

We ended the night singing karaoke favorites again and, though we wanted to linger on for we might not see each other again for another 5 years, we had to bid our reluctant  goodbyes. In the morning, Bill and I will proceed to a short vacay in the North Carolina Outer Banks! But surely we left with hearts full of wonderful memories.Visits to family and friends, especially this one to South Carolina early in the spring of 2012, are truly special! RVing makes it all possible for us.                                                                                                                        

WOW: Saying Goodbye to Florida!

Bill sharing the boardwalk with a friendly Florida alligator...

beauty in Spanish moss covered oaks...

We arrived in Florida Nov. 9, 2011. Through Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas, New Year, Valentines’ Day, Bill’s birthday, and St. Patrick’s Day, we enjoyed the warmth of the Florida sun. But now we must start our trek to the north towards Nova Scotia where in July Bill’s high school buddies are holding their nth reunion. Following that we go to Quebec and Ontario before driving through Bill’s boyhood home in Pittsburg, Kansas for their 50^thyear reunion. Then we spend winter in southwest USA or the Philippines for a change.

As we bid Florida goodbye, I thought about what sets this sunshine state unmistakably apart from the rest. I have come up with these Top 10 things we will miss:

beautiful palm trees adorn buildings, too

Spanish Moss and Palm Trees

Spanish moss is a flowering plant that grows upon larger trees, hanging from tree branches in full sun or partial shade, depriving the host tree of nutrients. In the long run, it overtakes the host. The process makes for plenty of unique tree/moss combinations that can ironically be things of beauty.  Aside from Spanish moss engulfed oak and cypress trees, Florida is the home of ubiquitous palm trees. Many varieties of palm trees abound, adorning streets, homes, buildings, and parks. Feels like home!

miles and miles of white powdery beaches...

Beaches

Florida’s beaches also remind me of home. Her coastline is all of 1350 miles, 580 along the Atlantic Ocean and 770 along the Gulf of Mexico. On the Atlantic Ocean the more famous are South Beach, Miami Beaches, Ft. Lauderdale Beach, and Daytona Beach. On the Gulf Side are the Tampa Bay Beaches, etc. Then, of course there are the Keys where you literally have white sand beaches on both sides of the highway that connects the islands.

The Sunshine State!

Sunshine and Snowbirds

Florida’s climate, like the Philippines, is tropical. Winters can have lows in the mid30s at night but daytime hovers around high 70s and low 80s. Almost every day is a day of sunshine, perfect for all outdoor activities. Thus snowbirds come in droves to escape the cold in their hometowns up north. A University of Florida study says about a million of them temporarily add to Florida’s population every winter.  Most come from the northeastern part of the country with about 5% coming from Canada.

snowbirds include Bill and me!

golf carts, instead of cars, park in front of stores!

Golf Carts and Flea Markets

They usually congregate around retirement communities and the hundreds of RV campgrounds in the state. One of the hallmarks of these communities are those cute little golf carts plying to and fro the vast resort acreages at tops 10mph on their own little roads! They fancy the thriving flea markets that spring up on weekends or other special days. The snowbirds love shopping there. I found 3 new summer dresses at the Webster’s flea market for only $30!

just a tiny section of Webster's Monday flea market!

ubiquitous Florida Citrus Centers... 

Oranges and Alligators
Then there are 17 varieties of oranges, all known for their sweet taste and juiciness. They make up 70% of all the citrus fruits sold in the US each year. We always have a lot of oranges when we are in Florida. I love the red navels the best! But as common as oranges are! Most of the campgrounds have small ponds or lakes that have a couple of alligators swimming around. You see a lot of signs that say, ‘Please do not feed the alligators’. I used to be afraid to go near those ponds. I will miss them, too.

Theme Parks

this balloon will always lead you
 to Downtown Disney

My grandkids visited us last holiday season and they specifically said they did not want to experience them. They had only one thing on their minds: the giant theme parks. There were about 80 million visitors in 2004, making Florida the top travel destination in the world, generating an economic impact of $57 billion on Florida’s economy. The biggest draws are Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando. But there seems to be always new parks opening, the latest being LegoLand.

So if by chance you are visiting Florida, please do not forget to go to Key West, the Everglades, Miami and Tampa Bay Beaches, the Kennedy Space Center, and the Orlando theme parks. If you have more time, there are so many amazing places. We tried to describe as many as we can in our posts from our visits in the winters of 2011/2012 and 2009/2010. This is the state we have most thoroughly covered. In fact, we could choose to settle down here, if only our children are not all in the west. So with much regret, Bill and I bid a sad goodbye to this awesome sunshiny state!

OLA: Skydiving with Friends from Slovenia

a daredevil exhibition jump at Skydive City in Zephrhills, Florida

Vicariously, that is!

Jure and Katarina at the ProShop in Skydive City, Zephyrhills, Florida

We have become great friends with many couples, seniors like us, whom we met in various campgrounds across the country. But it is a young couple from Slovenia whom we met in Palawan, Philippines last year (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/04/ola-marveling-at-palawans-beauty-part-2_06.html) and with whom we went to Banaue and Sagada (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/04/breathing-cool-philippine-mountain-air.html) who have become our best ‘couple’ friend! Jure, 33 and newspaper sales executive, and Katarina, 26 andl bar owner, might as well be our children but they are now our best travel friends! It certainly ‘isn’t about age…it is about lifestyle’!

the Slovenian dinner at our RV, courtesy of the couple

They arrived February 27 from Slovenia to spend a few days with us, before meeting their Slovenian friends at Sky Dive City in Zephyrhills, Florida. Bill and I had disembarked from the Majesty of the Seas at 9 am and proceeded to our hotel and got lucky. We were able to check in at 10 and rested before we drove to the Miami International Airport to pick them up. We quickly brought their luggage to the hotel then proceeded for dinner at one of South Beach’s hugely popular sidewalk cafes.

the couple at South Beach, Florida

The following day we took the long route to Lake Magic, our Orlando RV Resort, driving along A1A, the scenic coastal byway through the 350-mile long Miami and Fort Lauderdale beaches.  This is Katarina’s first trip to the US and she was really wowed by the seemingly unending white sands, the mansions of the rich and famous, and the miles and miles of wide multi-lane highways. Their eyes further widened when they saw our RV is (Europe has small RVs for its narrow roads) as we took it from storage. 

   

the couple on Merritt Island

four travelers on the road

Jure and Katarina thoroughly enjoyed the non-commercial aspects of America: going through Walmart shelves, cooking at the RV, participating at the Pot Roast Dinner at the clubhouse, buying oranges and strawberries from the roadside farmers, buying hot dogs from a sidewalk kiosk, etc. But they also enjoyed our day trip to Titusville, taking pictures of alligators, birds, turtles, manatees, and racoons at Merritt Island, Kennedy Space Center’s Wildlife Refuge Center (where they demonstrate that technology and nature can co-exist). 

one of the alligators Jure found

Skydive City entrance

But soon they had to leave for their sky diving adventure. Jure has had 170+ and Katarina 70+ jumps. Bill would have joined them had he not had arthroscopic surgery on his knees last August and a heart attack last December! Very curious, we visited them one afternoon at Sky Dive City, less than an hour away from Orlando, annexed to the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport.  We also observed their practice sessions at iFly Orlando, a wind tunnel for indoor skydiving.

Nylon City and its canopy compression engineers packing parachute systems back for next jumsp

handsome Jure preparing for flight

Sky Dive City is Florida’s best known Drop Zone with about 80,000 jumps a year. It is a virtual little city with 14 acres of property and lots of free tent camping and partial and full-hookup RV parking slots. Sky divers from all over the world meet here. Besides the runways for the different planes that airlift the divers to their desired heights (Sky Vans or Otters) and wide fields and a Swoop Pond for safe landing, there is the Sunshine Factory Pro-Shop, Nylon City, a tent for canopy compression engineers, an outdoor Tiki Bar and indoor Recreation center, plenty of bathhouses, and a Hard Dock Cafe. We had great fun photographing Jure’s jumps while Bill was trying to learn the tricks of the trade from him!

Katarina in practice flight

We also took a hundred pictures of Katarina practicing her maneuvers at iFly Orlando, a wind tunnel that moves air up in a vertical column, creating a great indoor skydiving experience.  The facility uses superior technology with multiple fans located at the top of the flight chamber producing a wall-to-wall airflow that is fun to fly in. Combined with experienced professional instructors, the air flow is totally controllable, so flyers do not need any previous experience! It's the closest possible thing to true human flight, in full view of family and friends at the observation deck.

iFly Orlando, indoor skydiving

Jure among the clouds

back on the ground as new ones board

We are so glad we were given the opportunity to experience skydiving vicariously through our young travel friends.  True, ‘it is not about age, it is about lifestyle’ but there are a few interests that I do not share…being less adventurous!  But Bill is getting his mind ready for this!