End-of-Summer Adventure: New Jersey Botanical Garden

T and I have been visiting state parks in NJ for the past three years.  When the pandemic struck, that interest turned out to be rather keen as the outdoors was safe for these little journeys.  When we began, in December 2018, we set a goal to visit every state park in NJ.  We’re more than two-thirds complete and we happily wander here and there as the mood strikes.  Last weekend, the mood called for Ringwood.     

Set so far north that we could step into New York State, Ringwood and the New Jersey State Botanical Garden that is across the street were, as is invariably the case, unexpected gems.      

The day was cool and a bit overcast but the gardens were beautiful, blest by plenty of rain as they had been all Summer long.    

 

There is both a formal garden and an informal one.  I liked the formal best in no small measure because of the amazing lily pads to be spied as we walked along the stone sidewalks.     

The informal garden had an area with both annuals and perennials.  

This gem of a garden will be worthy of a return visit and I look forward to seeing it next Spring. That’s happy!

Spring Adventures: D&R Canal in March

After some cold months, T and I are back to our weekend walks in the woods.  Last weekend, after a few days of unusual warmth, we headed to our favorite spot on the D&R Canal.  We like this location all the time, but especially at twilight this time of the year when the Spring peepers can be heard.  The canal is quiet at twilight and the reflection of the trees is lovely.  The trees are not yet ready to leaf out, but when I look closely the signs of Spring are there.

On this Saturday evening, as we got ready to turn our clocks ahead, the most hopeful sign of Spring was the sound of the peepers. Last year, the state had an 8 pm curfew and we were eager to do our part so we didn’t hear the peepers very much.  This year, feels more hopeful for a lot of reasons but especially because we could hear the peepers as we enjoyed the last of the sunlight.

A Good Day

T and I took a day over the weekend to go to one of our favorite places and stop by some farm stands along the way.  We came home in possession of a variety of Fall squashes and a jug of fresh apple cider.  Better than that, we came home relaxed.  We had a picnic at our favorite place up north and found that someone had left a smidge of sidewalk chalk on the table.  We put the chalk to good use.

The blue sky at Jenny Jump Park is nearly always a special shade of lovely.  The day was warm but we've had some cold nights and leaves are just starting to change.  As September merges into October, I am grateful for days like this; a reminder to relax my mind and find space to simply be.

Jenny Jump

Before I returned to meetings at school on August 31,  T and I stole a few hours on that last weekend to visit Jenny Jump State Park, one of our favorite places in New Jersey.

The sky was clear blue and lovely.

The park was its usual quiet, which is always nice to experience when you live in a densely populated state like New Jersey.  It was verdant green, even as the Summer prepares to end.

Just a few hours of rest but it was lovely, a down payment of still and quiet in what is sure to be a busy Fall.

Adventures in New Jersey: Monmouth Battlefield

Heady with the success of our first Saturday adventure in New Jersey, T and I set off to visit Monmouth Battlefield last Saturday.  The day was hot and humid and there were a few bolts of lightening and raindrops as we made the drive south.  The trees were a lovely reward when we arrived.

We walked down the hill and across a bridge over the salt marsh.

These days, the fields where the battle was fought are farmed and there were neat rows of corn as far as the eye could see.

New Jersey often offers this kind of contrast, with salt marshes and woods, farmlands and green fields often located right next to another.

The beauty of the state at its finest is never lost on me.  I have been glad to call this place home for the last 18 years.  These days, as the people of our state have hunkered down to flatten the curve, I’ve been proud of the spirit of my fellow New Jerseyans, masks on and six feet apart as we share kind smiles and look after one another.  In public spaces, I feel a renewed recognition that we are truly in this together. The landscape we enjoy seems more valued than ever as we remember that more than 13,000 of us no longer can take joy in these views.  

Adventures in New Jersey: Voorhees State Park

The beautiful weather took hold of us and T and I set out on Saturday afternoon to enjoy a picnic and at Voorhees State Park.  The views were pretty.

The breezes and green forests were a reminder to stop and breathe.

We enjoyed ourselves so much that we’re planning some more local adventures this summer.  That’s happy!

Tiny House Tuesday: Thatched Roof Cottage

This little china cottage is my most recent tiny house.  T gave it to me for my birthday last November.  We picked it up at an antique store in update New York in early October, when we went to the Berkshires to watch JT run a cross country race.  We made a long weekend of it and enjoyed some happy adventures in upstate New York, Vermont, and western Massachusetts.  The house, which looks English to me because of its thatched roof, is a reminder of that adventure.

These days, as we close in on our ninth week at home to curb COVID- 19, those casual adventures seem a lifetime ago.  The house is a reminder that there will be more adventures still to be planned.

Tiny House Tuesday - Baltic Sea edition

In 2014, we celebrated my parents 50th wedding anniversary with a family cruise in the Scandinavia and Baltic region.  We visited lots of countries but Talinn, Estonia, stood out for the abundance of well-preserved medieval streets and buildings.  JT and I took a walking tour of the city and saw lots of beauty.  I particularly remember the lovely pastel colors of the buildings and the cobblestone streets and town squares.  At the top of a hill in the older part of the city, we enjoyed an expansive view of city and stepped into a small gift shop with a collection of tiny houses.  JT and I each chose one.

Today, they sit on the bookshelf, pastel reminders of happy day spent noodling around a lovely old city.

That’s happy!

Vermont

Last weekend, T and drove north to watch JT run in a race in Williamstown, Massachusetts, a town in the Berkshires just along the Vermont border.  The weather was glorious, JT ran a good race, and I got to visit Vermont.  I'd never been and was excited to cross that state off my bucket list.  As expected, it was lovely.  

In both Vermont and Massachusetts, the leaves were just beginning to turn.  

We went to Bennington Pottery, which I loved.

We stopped at several roadside farm stands.  In New Jersey at this time of year, the farm stands are crowded with families.  In Vermont, there were so many farm stands that none were overwhelmingly busy.  We enjoyed the adventure and scored some squash, as one does.  How could I resist?

One stand had lined up rows and rows of freshly-picked pumpkins along the edge of the woods.  It was tidy and neat.

I love pumpkin season and I was charmed.

My bucket list is now filled with more things to do in the Berkshires and Vermont.  

That's happy!  

Adventures in Local History

Last week, T and I took some time for some regional historical site adventures.  We travelled to Oyster Bay, New York, to check out Teddy Roosevelt’s Sagamore Hill home.  Though the traffic in and out of Long Island was maddening, the visit was lovely.  The landscape of the estate was green and quiet; it was hard to believe we were less than 15 miles from NYC.

On Friday, we went to one of our favorite places, Jockey Hollow.  It’s the site where George Washington and his troops wintered over in 1778-1779 and it’s now a national park.  It’s beautiful all the time, but especially in June when the trees are leaved and the expanse of the fields can be admired.  It’s also the place where T and I had our first date so we always enjoy a visit to the familiar woods.

On Saturday, we continued the Washington theme and headed west to the Delaware River, where Washington made his famous crossing in December 1776.  On the New Jersey side of the review, the home of the ferry operator still stands.  We stepped inside the cool interior and thought of the conversations and decisions made on that fateful evening.  

We took a walk in the steps of the Patriot soldiers and wondered what they were thinking on that cold night.

We crossed over the river to the Pennsylvania side to admire their monument and while we were there spied a pretty medicinal herb garden planted by the historical buildings on the western bank of the Delaware River.

We had beautiful weather on Friday and Saturday.  The much-needed time off was a happy break in our scheduled life.  Adventures of this sort are just our cup of tea.  That’s happy!