Friends, Old and New

 

Grey Towers National Historic Site - Pinchot Estate

ancestral summer home of Gifford Pinchot, first chief of the US Forest Service,

also past governor of Pennsylvania

View from the terrace of Grey Towers overlooking Milford, PA

The Finger Bowl at Grey Towers, a unique outdoor dining space

that allowed platters of food to be floated between diners.

Sundial on one tower wall

closer look at the sundial

We attended a geocaching event in New York, hosted by CaptainMath, and enjoyed a 

nice evening view of the Delaware River from the New York side

Gravity Railroad car in Hawley, PA

https://www.waynehistorypa.com/research/historictopics/gravityrailroad

Here is the "old friends" part: a 60-year friendship

Peter Miller and Brian

Seen while geocaching:

near Sackets Harbor, NY

We traveled another short section of the Lincoln Highway in Pennsylvania

Near Leesburg, Virginia

Brian's input:

 As usual. Kris has done a great job summarizing our adventure, but she asked me to add a bit to explain some of the connections with people.

Another road trip is behind us, and I am already thinking about the next one and how to plan it around doctor and dentist appointments.

This trip was quite different in many ways.  Having to plan in advance and make reservations, scheduling and coordinating with others for part of the trip, meeting with family and friends, as well as the fact that we are slowing down a bit, made for a few adjustments.

Although we didn’t go to any new major destinations like National Parks, enjoying lesser known areas and attractions is very enjoyable in its own right.

Plattsburgh, New York is only 63 miles from Montreal, so my first cousin, once removed, Travis doesn’t get many visitors that are just passing through.  We have been there several times though, and always enjoy the time together.  We had a stress-free, relaxing time with him, and unlike during family reunions, no other relatives to compete with to talk.

 After we left Travis’s and were on our way to Peter's, I got a message from a geocaching friend in Pennsylvania.  I met Kevin (CaptainMath), who is a fellow county chaser, last year in Texas.  He has a unique cache that I wanted to find, but it was out of commission when we headed north.  He was on the road, too, and couldn’t fix it, but said he hoped to soon. I learned he had repaired it, and would like us to find it.  We had reservations for camping 100 miles away, but we are flexible. He offered his front yard for ‘camping’, so we headed his way.

He has created quite a few complicated geocaches that tell a story, and his wife, Joy, has created artistic containers for many of them. Kevin took us on a tour of some (not all, by any means) of his favorites.  Although our stay was brief, we had some great conversations and saw a few excellent caches.

While visiting Peter Miller, it occurred to me that we have been friends for almost 60 years.  I moved to Houston in July 1966, and met him when school started that Fall.  We became friends through High School, and have kept in contact through the years.  We have stopped to see him in many states when travelling over the years. He was the one that went with me to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2 years ago.

If I don’t say it aloud every day while on our trips, I do think it, that we are so very blessed to be able to travel where we do and the way we do, together.  Life is good!