CONNECTICUT

17 - 19 June 2012: We are with our friend Patrick Gauruder in our old house in Quaker Hill, Connecticut, just north of New London and the Coast Guard Academy. Patrick is retiring from the state prison system with a newborn, a 2-year-old, a 4-year-old and 8-year-old twins. His wife, Channing, and the children are already in Colorado, where they have bought a business and are having a home built.

Eight years ago Sheila got a call at home in Quaker Hill from Thom in Florida, saying he was at Melbourne Tower and had been offered an Air Traffic Control job there. "Offered a job!" was the exclamation, and visiting Channing and Patrick said, "We'll buy your house." Now they are selling it and we are helping Patrick put the finishing touches to getting it ready to put on the market before he leaves for Colorado on 1 July.

The house in Quaker Hill; the back overlooks the Thames River. 
Downstairs is a self-sufficient apartment.

Thom takes down the play equipment from the back garden.

Patrick and Thom take a DQ break.
Patrick is recovering from a shredded Achilles tendon.

Nearby New London is known as "The Whaling City"

New London has a long time maritime history, and is home to the
US Coast Guard Academy.

New London is also home to the school house where Nathan Hale (1755-1776) taught in 1774 and 1775 before going to New York City to spy for the Revolutionists. He was captured, and is famous for his last words before being hung:
"I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country."

20 June 2012: We visited the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear powered submarine that was built in Groton in the 1950s. It is moored in the Thames River off Sub Base New London (in Groton!), Connecticut. We took granddaughter Skye aboard the Nautilus when she was about four, and she was quite thrilled with it all until she found out we weren't going to submerge and go somewhere.

In the evening we went for Pizza in Wallingford with Patrick, and then to Norwich to see a baseball game: the Connecticut Tigers v. the Massachusetts (Lowell) Red Socks.

USS Nautilus, "First and Finest." Not just the first nuclear sub,
but the first practical use of nuclear power.

Thom with two of the sub's torpedoes.

 Cramped quarters!

Thom at the periscope in the sub museum,

checking to see Sheila's bike is still on the back of the car!

Sheila, so fleet of foot and fast that she cannot be captured on camera. However, next day is a different story; stepped a mis-step and twisted an ankle and heard a snap.

Doctor says a torn ligament, so slower for a few days.

 Patrick Gauruder and Thom at Patrick's favorite pizza place.

Thom's loosening up in his retirement days.

Thom takes Sheila out to the ballgame.

NEW YORK CITY

16 June 2012: We headed north to State Liberty Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, and parked the car in the Park's marina restaurant parking lot, since it had security and it was where our ferry to Manhatten left from. We were skipping the Statue of Liberty this visit, since we have been there several times before. We landed at the World Financial Center in New York City and collected tickets to see the 9/11 Memorial. Since there was a wait, we walked to and over the Brooklyn Bridge, and then visited the 9/11 Memorial.

We passed the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on the way to Manhatten.

Sheila on the ferry across the Hudson, with the NY City skyline in the background.

We thought we'd be the only ones mad enough to want to walk across Brooklyn Bridge, but there were hundreds enjoying a stroll or bike ride across.

The New York City skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge.

Thom on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Manhatten Bridge from the Brooklyn Bridge.

Thom and Sheila on the Brooklyn Bridge, New York.

The Statue of Liberty from the Brooklyn Bridge.

After crossing the Brooklyn Bridge and back, we made our way through the city and saw some beautiful buildings on the way: 

As we were on our way to the 9/11 Memorial, we saw the FDNY and our thoughts
flashed back to that dreadful day in 2001. 

The 9/11 Memorial was opened in September 2011, and entry is presently controlled by ticket because of the surrounding construction that is still going on. Once construction is finished, the memorial site will be an open park.

Once the complex of buildings is finished, it will include the tallest building in New York.

Thousands waited in line to be issued a ticket for a later time in the day,
then lined up again to go into the 9/11 Memorial

The memorials consist of a north and south "footprint" of the Twin Towers; water cascades down the sides and then goes down into a void. Names of those who died are cut in the brass edges. 

A better look at how the water cascades down.

Sheila makes a rubbing of the names of a mother and infant daughter
she had known in Connecticut.

Ruth Magdaline McCourt and her 3-year-old daughter Juliana Valentine McCourt were on board Flight 175 when it hit the World Trade Center where Ruth's brother was working.
He survived, saving the life of a woman he carried out of the building.

Thom at the Memorial's Survivor Tree. It is a pear tree that was found damaged in the rubble, and was transplanted and nursed back to health. It was then struck down in a storm, but survived.

We head back across the Hudson, thinking how massive the building are
even as they recede from view...

...but back on the New Jersey shore, a Norwegian Cruise Liner shows who's boss.

From Liberty State Park in New Jersey, we are ready to drive north to Connecticut, to spend a few days at our old house in Quaker Hill, now being sold by current owners the Gauruder family. Channing and the children are already relocated to Colorado, and Patrick is left to work two more weeks before retiring and heading West also. Or are we ready to go?

What's missing from this picture?

Someone has cut through the lock and stolen Thom's bicycle;
left Sheila's sissy girl bike and taken the more expensive Trek.

We filed a report with the security service, who say we have no recourse because there are public paths all around the facility, though they didn't have the nerve to charge us the $7 parking fee. We also filed a report with the State Parks Police.

NEW JERSEY

14 June 2012: Thom is from Gloucester City, New Jersey, and today we spent a relaxing day at the pool with part of Thom's family in Mount Laurel.

Cousins Randy Ferry, Paige Kaplan, Logan Kaplan, Colby Kaplan, Sydney Kaplan, Zak Ferry, Pierce Kaplan and Richard. Logan, Colby, Sydney and Pierce are quadruplets!

Front: Thom's sister Georgeanne and her husband Don.
Back: Don's sisters Delores and Paula, and Paula's husband Ron; Sheila and Thom

Sheila enjoys the pool and hot tub.

Thom throws the football to the kids.

Paula, Delores, Erika and Georgeanne. Erika, Georgeanne's daughter,
is the mother of Paige and the quadruplets.

Debbie and Tony Eller and Thom enjoy a New Jersey hoagie.

15 June 2012: We went into Gloucester City today, where Thom lived until he was 18 years old. He went back to his old house on Bergen Street to see neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Caporusso, who are still there after all these years. Rocco Caporusso, a WWII Veteran, is 91 years old. We had a wonderful visit and hope to see them again - in Florida!

Thom with Mr. and Mrs. Caporusso in Gloucester City, New Jersey.

The Caporussos at home on Bergen Street.

Thom with the 6 ft. high tree he planted when he was about ten years old.

We then walked down the road to the Delaware River. Gloucester City is opposite Philadelphia, where the Walt Whitman Bridge crosses over the river.

Thom sits on a bench dedicated to the memory of his sister, Gert, and her husband Len,
provided by their children Tony, Donna and John.

If you look close, you might see William Penn atop Philadelphia's City Hall!

In the evening, we had a family get together at Tony and Debbie's home. Thom's sister Georgeanne Gibbs and her husband Don, and Thom's cousin Gary Brennan and his wife Chris came to dinner.

Tony made his special burgers - cheese on the inside!

Chris, Thom, Don, Georgeanne, Debbie, Tony and Gary enjoy the BBQ. 

Thom gets an early Father's Day gift from Sheila -
a vinyl poster of the route of the Boston Marathon.

Thom with his cousin Gary Brennan and his wife Chris.