Twin Lakes SC Nov 14-17 2014

Our stop here is two fold:  one to visit with Bob's brother and sister-in-law (Leon & Amy) and to sign up for a seasonal site at a different campground on Lake Hartwell, which was a decision we made after having made reservations at Twin Lakes.  Friday we drove to one of the campgrounds north of here which we were considering, but it was not to our liking.  We stopped at the Lake Hartwell site, and confirmed prices and conditions, and checked out the site where we would be.   Saturday and Sunday we spent a little time with Leon and Amy.  Today it was pouring when we headed out to get anti-freeze since temps are going to be in the low 20's tomorrow, and we need to winterize the travel trailer.  Bob had a slight mishap and the truck went off the road and got stuck.  Thankfully we have Good Sam road service, so within 45 minutes, a tow truck rescued us, and no damage was done to the truck.  As luck would have it, the rains stopped shortly thereafter and right now, although it is very windy, blue skies again prevail.  We will spend the rest of the afternoon starting to get things organized as to what we will keep in the trailer when we leave it at Lake Hartwell and what we need to take home.

 

Another view of the lake from our spacious campsite

 

There is a bbq grill and fire pit on both the upper and lower levels of the site

 

Some fall leaves held on.  Scenery is very similar to north western New Jersey

 

 

Picnic area, beach, and boat ramp section of Twin Lakes

 

 







 







Last Jersey Days of this trip and visit in Rhode Island Nov 8 thru 11th 2014

Saturday, Bob and I did some errands, then visited with cousins Carol and Nelson and their daughter Annie, and son Matt, who had come home from college in  Trenton for a weekend break.  Sunday, we met Uncle Mickey & Rita for breakfast before making one last visit to the cemetery.  Late afternoon, we visited with Adele and Michael to celebrate Adele's birthday, along with Carol and family.

Monday we left Mahlon and drove to the Mystic Campground in Stonington, CT, where we stayed for two nights in order to visit with cousin, Tina, who lives right over the state line in Westerly, RI.  Tina purchased a new home in May, which is very nice and beautifully decorated.  We had dinner there Monday night and met her friend, Bob.  The next day, Tee and I drove to Madison, CT, to visit with her daughter, daughter-in-law, and 3 of her 7 grandchildren who are too young to be in school.  Bob had made an appointment to get the truck oil changed, and while at the service station, found out the water pump had gone bad.  Although it was very expensive to get it fixed, it would have been worse to have it go out while we were on the road.  Later in the evening, we returned to Tina's for yet another tasty dinner.

Wednesday morning we took off and stopped at a non-descript park called Falling Waters in West Virginia which served its purpose...a night's rest.  This morning, we decided to shoot for Anderson, SC, over 500 miles away, where the temps would not go much below freezing.  We had already made reservations at Twin Lakes, an Army Corp of Engineer park on Lake Hartwell, for Friday thru Sunday, but we were able to get in one day earlier.

Uncle Mickey & Rita in the Allwood Diner in Clifton

Tina's daughter, Barbara, who was baby sitting her 7 month old niece, Julia, Tina's youngest grandchild.

Tina & Ella, Barbara's youngest.  Brothers Brady and Landon were at school.

 

Lauren, Tina's daughter in law, and baby Julia. 

Ella and cousin Jack, Lauren's 2 year old boy.  His brothers Owen and Cole were at school.

 

Tina & her friend, Bob

Tina and I

The lower level of our campsite at Twin Lakes.  We finally got set up around 5 pm, so more exploring and photos will have to wait.

 

  

Ringwood Manor & Tricky Tray Friday Nov 7 2014

Friday was supposed to be only 10% chance of rain, so we arranged to go to Ringwood Manor State Park with Plish and John and take the 11 o'clock tour there.  They drove up from Bloomfield to Mahlon, and John graciously offered to drive to Ringwood.  Despite a few glitches in directions, we did find the park only to learn that the 11 o'clock tour was cancelled, but there would be one at noon, which according to the internet was the lunch hour and thus no tours.  Grumble..grumble...in as much as I felt pressed for time because I was to meet my cousins later in order to go to a Tricky Tray fund raiser for our church.  So,  we killed some time and then returned for the tour.  Photos are not allowed inside the manor for security reasons, and the history of the manor involving the Erskines, Ryersons, Coopers and Hewitts is so convoluted, I suggest you either go there yourself or google it on line.  Either way, it's definitely worth the effort.

Entrance to the Manor



The Manor from afar





 

Plish at the gardens which remind me of one of my favorite childhood books, The Secret Garden

Flowers and plants at the entrance to the  park office

Photo of the mortars in front of the Manor.  The site played a  pivotal role in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.

 

Plish and I.  It  was cold and had begun to sprinkle at the end of the tour.  We thought we might see snow, but it wasn't cold enough.

 

Bob & John still contemplating how all the additions and renovations were done over the past 200 years.  They would have loved to be part of it.

 

 

Switch scenes and eras to the union hall in Little Falls where the Holy Cross Church was holding its annual Tricky Tray fund raiser.  Thanks to the hard work of some parishioners and corporate sponsors, a multitude of prizes was donated.  Tickets are sold.  Participants place tickets in cups for prizes they hope to win.  Prize numbers are drawn, and if you are lucky, or bought a lot of tickets, you could go home a winner.  Unfortunately, our table did not fare as well as several around us who must have needed to rent a  U-Haul trailer to bring their loot home. Never the less, I enjoyed my first Tricky Tray experience and a girls' night out with the cousins: Adele, Jill, Kim, Barbara and Carol. 

 



  Jill on the right and a person in a Tricky Tray Mardi Gras  hat who chose to remain anonymous

 

Jill and Kim...much more than just sister in laws

Cousin Barbara...soon to be a grand mother in January.  Lucky in love and life, but not in Tricky Tray!

Wow!  After about 100 ticket numbers were drawn, our table finally won something.  Here is Adele with a Bob the Builder prize  package.  Maybe her 2 month old grandson Alexander will grow up fast enough to enjoy it before it becomes a vintage toy!

 

 

 

 







 

 

 

 

The Huntsman Thurs Nov 6 2014

Bob wanted a dinner out for just the two of us.  I googled "romantic" restaurants for the area and came up with The Huntsman in West Milford which boasted a fireplace and your Adirondack home away from home.  The restaurant's menu offered a large variety of steak, chops, pasta, chicken and seafood.  We had taken a drive yesterday after leaving Charlie at the groomer and before going into Clifton, just to be sure we could find the place when it was dark.  We passed Echo Lake and took a left on  Macopin Road. On the way, the traffic was stopped in both directions.  We wondered what the hang up was...only to see that a large wild turkey had decided to stop in front of a car's bumper.  Bob finally shooed it away.  We found The Huntsman (which doesn't open until 4 pm), then made a stop at the boat ramp on Echo Lake.  For some reason, you can't use canoes, kayaks, or inflatables on the lake.  We haven't found out why not.  This evening we went for the early bird special at 4 pm (no turkeys) and really enjoyed our dining experience.  Unfortunately, the waitress said it wasn't cold enough to have a fire, but she did light the candle at our table.

Jersey traffic brakes for wild turkeys

Me outside the Huntsman

 





Inside the restaurant.  

 Echo Lake

Another view of the  lake

and one more

Wednesday Day Nov 5 2014

In the morning, we dropped Charlie off at The Clip Shoppe, a groomer we've used when we've been here before.  Because Charlie had been sick, our vet at home didn't want him to be groomed for at least a month more, so he was long over due for his "do".  When Bob went in on Tuesday, without Charlie, to see about getting "his dog groomed", the owner asked, "When do you want to bring Charlie in?"  Bob was so surprised that she remembered him, Charlie, and Charlie's health issues.  We left him in good hands, and headed down to the cemetery in Clifton.  As sad as a cemetery can be, it is also a place of peace, especially one as beautiful as East Ridgelawn.  After that, we took a little ride thru Third Ward Park, which was a place I often went while growing up, then went past the house where I lived, then met our friends Plish and John at the old pizza hang out on Van Houten Avenue, Mario's, which has been an Athenian favorite since 1946.  And if that wasn't enough food, after we got Charlie from the groomer, we met the cousins at the Texas Smokehouse BBQ on Rte 15 in West Jefferson Township  for dinner.

A glimpse of the Empire State Building from the cemetery.

 

 



    

Canadian geese at 3rd Ward Park.  This was one of the parks I went to with my grandmother to pick duck feathers for pillows that she made.  The park is near a railroad station to take commuters into New York City, so folks park here and catch the train.

 

 

More geese and ducks enjoying the fall weather. 

 

A train trestle on Van Houten and Passaic Ave...not a common sight in Florida!

The home I grew up in on Penobscot Street in Clifton...somewhat modified (upper dormers removed) but still very recognizable.  

The restaurant has been totally remodeled over the past year, and we all agreed it  didn't feel like Mario's anymore.

 

John and Plish



 

 



Door handle at the Texas Smokehouse

Upstairs at the Smokehouse.  Our party of 6 was the only one there.  It is a BYOB restaurant, something we don't see in Florida.

Carole and Adele, neither willing to giddy up on the saddle!

 

 

Triva Night at Jimmy Geez Tues Nov 2014

We met Adele, Michael, Carol, Nelson & Annie at a local pub Tuesday night for a weekly trivia contest held there.  Annie joined forces with her friends.  There were at least 6 groups competing.   We adults were "The Jersey Gang", and despite having some of the best brains in the joint, we came in third because on the final jeopardy type question, we didn't "go big".  Fun time, nonetheless.

Annie & friends

Annie and more friends

 

Michael & Adele

 



Stokes State Park Tues Nov 4 2014

Tuesday, Bob, Charlie Dog and I decided to take a ride to Stokes State Park, a forested area that encompasses approximately 16000 acres.  I remember camping there as part of my college education at Montclair State, but we couldn't find the exact location.  When we got home, I googled the information and realized my fellow campers and I must have been at the School of Conservation in the park and owned by the university.  Stokes borders High Point State Park, which as its name suggests, is the highest point in the state situated in the Kittatinny Mountain range.  On our way back, I happened to see a small stone structure and asked Bob to double back.  There was a historic marker that showed it was the entrance to Lusscroft, 578 acres which was once a model dairy farm run by William and James Turner in the early part of the 20th century.  There was nothing to indicate whether it was open to the public or not.  Again later at home, I looked up the history of Lusscroft, and it did appear various activities were still held there such a maple sugar tapping, fall walks, equestrian rides, barn sales, and other events.  It might be something to explore another time.  It was a gorgeous day for a ride.  Temperatures started out at about 37 degrees and rose to a high of 68 and the sky grew bluer as the day progressed.

Remnant of old stone fireplace at the pavilion.  It must have been sealed when the over roof was added.

 

Waste not, want no.  An old tree stump was made into a seat for a weary hiker.

 

 

One of about a dozen cabins available for rental on a daily or weekly basis at the park

The road heading to High Point from Stokes

A dairy farm in the valley below

 



 Double right click to enlarge if you would like to read about Lusscroft

This must have been a guard house

 



 At least it could be heated at one time.  According to the website, there are 23 buildings on the estate.