Friday, January 20, 2023

A Day in My Life - Day 19 @RRBC_Org 2023 #RRBC 30-Day #Blogging Challenge @YvetteMCalleiro #ADayInMyLife #RWISA @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #travel #RoadTrip #Virginia #NewJersey #NewYork #Massachusetts #Maine #Canada


Hello, beautiful readers! Today is Day 19 (my favorite number) of the #RRBC 30-Day Blogging Challenge. It's pay day and pampering day, so happy me! I don't get too excited about pay day because the money is in my account for about a nanosecond before it's taken out to pay bills, but at least my bills are getting paid. Pampering day consists of a monthly manicure and pedicure. Outside of that, my day was normal - work, home, dinner and a movie, and stretching before bedtime. So, let's talk about my next road trip!

Our first road trip was in 2012. Our second trip was in 2014. In between, we went to Disney and spent a week there with my dad's time share. Our next road trip happened in 2016. We decided to revisit the East coast again, except this time we went all the way to Maine! It took us three and a half weeks.

We once again stopped at South of the Border before spending the night in North Carolina, visiting my friend and her sons again. This time was just a quick sleepover, but it was great to see them and to see how much our kids have grown since the last time we visited.


The first time we visited Virginia, we skipped King's Dominion, which is another theme park I enjoyed as a child, so we took some time to enjoy it this time around. My son loved it! 


 

We also revisited New Jersey and New York. There is so much to do in NYC that you can't get it all done in two days. This time around, we started with the 9/11 memorial on the Jersey side. It's not as big as the one in NYC, but it is beautifully created to honor the victims who were residents of New Jersey. Two tall, reflective walls, slowly narrow so your focus goes to where the Twin Towers used to stand. It was such a peaceful, yet emotional, place.

  

We also revisited the Empire State Building since it was pouring rain the first time we tried two years ago. This time, the sun was shining brightly. We visited One World Observatory and the 9/11 memorial fountains. The energy there is palpable, and my emotions were very heavy. The memorial is a beautiful symbol of honor and remembrance. My parents and I shared stories with my son to help him understand since he wasn't alive when 9/11 happened.

 

We traveled through Connecticut and New Hampshire to make our way to the next stop - Boston, MA. We visited Fenway Park. My son played baseball for six years before switching over to flag football. My dad loves both baseball and football, so seeing Fenway Park was a must! Did you know they grow their own food in a section of the park? Very cool!



 

Then, we visited Salem, MA. I was quite excited for this stop. When we plan our trips, we take into account what each of our interests are and then find places that would appease all of us. This one was definitely for me. Ever since I learned about the witch trails in school, I became intrigued with how people could turn on one another out of fear of the unknown (or vengeance, greed, etc.). I even incorporated the witch trials into my fantasy series. I loved this quirky, little town. My son even helped a police officer with a road block while we were there! 

 

 

We then went to Plimoth, MA, where we visited the Plimoth Plantation and learned what life was like for the natives and first pilgrims. 

  

We also toured the Mayflower II, where we learned about life on the ship. And we visited the famous (and underwhelming) Plymouth Rock. I expected it to be bigger.

   

 

The next day took us on a ferry to Nantucket, also known as the Grey Lady because all the houses are gray because of the cedar shingles. It's not somewhere I would go again, but it was nice to see and learn about.

 

The ferry then took us to Martha's Vineyard, which was exploding with color everywhere. It's such a beautiful island! I can see why so many want to visit and vacation there.

 

Trenton, ME, was our next destination! We stayed in the cutest, little cottage at Isleview Motel & Cottages and had the famous lobsters. We visited Acadia Park, which was absolutely beautiful! If you haven't figure it out yet, I am a HUGE nature lover. My happiest places are out in nature. 

 

 

We also went whale watching, not one of my favorite moments. I get very sea sick when a boat is not in motion. The waves were quite choppy and it was cold, and I was not a happy camper. We saw a couple of whales but they didn't really get that close.

 

We went to Quebec, Canada, next. We visited a waterfall and a beautiful church. We also walked around and took in their sights, included their copper art. 

 

 

Then, we went to Toronto, Canada, where we toured the CN Tower and visited a castle.


 

 

We also visited Montreal, Canada. We walked around and took in some of the sites while we were there.

 

 

Back in the USA, we stopped at Richfield Springs, NY. We went to the oldest covered wooden bridge and Fly Creek Cider Mill. 

 

 

Then, it was off to Cooperstown, NY, so my dad and son could nerd out on all things baseball.


 

On the way home, we traveled through West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. We stopped at Stone Mountain State Park in Georgia. My son and I enjoyed Geyser Towers and SkyHike.  We also took a Ride the Ducks tour, which was fun. Stone Mountain has such beautiful views of Georgia.

 

 
 


 

We then went to the World of Coca-Cola. I don't drink soda anymore; I haven't for over a decade. But my dad loves coke. It's a very cool museum. They have sodas from around the world that you get to sample. Most of them taste okay, but some are downright awful!

 

Right across from there is the Georgia Aquarium. With our love of the ocean, we had to stop there as well. 

 

We stopped in Ocala, Florida, next! There are so many cool places to visit in Florida. While there, we went to Devil's Den Springs, which is a freezing, underwater cave of the most beautiful blue water. We went zip lining, and we visited my cousin and his family. Then, we headed home!







Have you ever been to any of these places? I'd love to hear from you.

15 comments:

  1. Yvette--It's Wanda. I have been to many of the places you traveled to on this trip. In fact, Plymouth Rock used to be bigger, but tourists many years ago started chipping pieces off the rock, so they put the enclosure around it so people couldn't get at it any more.

    The Mayflower II came over from England when I was in the second or third grade. Back then (mid-1950s), we didn't have TVs in our classrooms. They had to wheel huge TVs into our rooms and we watched the ship float in.

    And when you were in Plymouth, you were about 15 miles south of Weymouth, where Empty Seats is largely set. It's the home of Jimmy Bailey. The sequel to Empty Seats is being edited by 4Wills now. It's also largely set in Weymouth.

    Fenway Park...Ah, yes, where I learned to love Red Sox baseball. If your dad ever wants to geek out on baseball in Cooperstown again, I live about an hour and a half away. I would also recommend the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City. It's awesome. I'm hoping to break away from the conference I'm going to next week to sneak in a visit.

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    1. That's awesome that you got to watch the Mayflower II coming into port, Wanda! I'm looking forward to reading the Empty Seats sequel. I can't believe I was so close to its setting! I'll let my dad know about your offer. If we ever go to Kansas City, the Negro Leagues Museum will definitely be on our list. Thanks!

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    2. Oh. I think I somehow deleted my comment, Yvette, so here goes. Sorry if it's a duplicate. It looks like you had a fantastic road trip. I want to go with you next time! Lol. What a great experience for your son to learn about the country and some of its history while simply having fun. You went everywhere! My favorite photo was of you, your son, and your mom on the waterslide. Can't fake those smiling-screams! Great share. I hope you enjoyed your mani-pedi. :-)

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    3. That's one of my favorite photos as well, Diana! My son had us cracking up on the entire ride, so those smiling-screams are very authentic. Thanks for commenting! (And yes, I enjoyed my mani-pedi.) :-)

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  2. You do a wonderful job describing your travels, Yvette. I wish I had kept notes on all my travel photos over the years. If I went through them now, I wouldn't remember details like the ones you share. LOVE this post! Love the photos! It's great seeing your parents have fun, too. They're the best, and the apple truly does not fall far from the tree. Keep them coming!

    Blessings!
    Patty

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    1. Aw, thank you, Patty! I wrote a letter every year about our travels. Maybe I'll post about that at some point. Thanks for your kind words. :-)

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    2. So many great memories from this trip.

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  3. Yvette, you and your son are sure a well-travelled duo. What exciting times you have had together. We have visited most of those New England and Canadian places as well, as we mostly seem to go north. Acadia is such a national treasure and one of my favorite places! Your son is a lucky boy!

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    1. It's one of my favorite places as well, Maura Beth! There is an energy there that exudes peace. I loved it! Thanks for sharing your visit with me. :-)

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  4. Such wonderful adventures! Your son is going to grow up having been shown a variety of places! Great photos!

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    1. That's always been my plan, Jan! I grew up living all over the world, and it shaped me into who I am today. It showed me that not everyone lives the way I do and not every place has the same lifestyle. I wanted to give my son the experience of seeing some of that through out trips. Thanks for stopping by today. :-)

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  5. Hi, Yvette,
    I have been to Boston, but not to Martha's Vineyard. I have also travel to Toronto. It is just like being in a city in the U.S.
    The pictures are lovely and all of you are grinning away. That's good.
    Shalom aleichem

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    1. Toronto is very much like a U.S. city. I much prefer places where I can immerse myself in nature. Still, it was fun to see it and explore a little bit. Thanks for sharing, Pat! :-)

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  6. Oh, my, so many places packed into one trip. I visited Salem and loved the mock trial in the courthouse. At Quebec, I stayed at Chateau Frontenac and then used the location for my book, The Dead At Heart. I haven't been to Maine, but it's the setting for my new series. Ever since Murder She Wrote, I have a fascination with Maine.

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    1. You should definitely visit Maine, Susanne! It is SO beautiful! I also loved the mock trail in Salem. I think it's cool that you used that chateau as inspiration for your book. Thanks for sharing your experiences with me. :-)

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