Gulls, Delaware Bay

Leaving Jersey on the Ferry

We enjoyed taking the Cape May - Lewes Ferry six years ago so we took it again on our recent trip. I like being able to travel from New Jersey to the Delmarva Peninsula without spending too much time driving in traffic.

The waters of the Delaware Bay were calmer this time and the crossing was uneventful.

Link: Cape May Lewes Ferry 

A Garden State Garden

Although New Jersey calls itself the Garden State, motorists who view it only from the turnpike don't get to see gardens or even much that is attractive. But get off the highway and there is plenty of beauty to see.

We enjoyed strolling through Leamings Run Gardens near Cape May earlier this month. It has a mixture of flower gardens, natural areas, and a couple of historic sites.

The Thomas Leaming House

Cape May Courthouse, NJ

The oldest part of this house is from 1706. It is in the National Register of Historic Places.

The house is not open to the public but you can view the exterior from Leamings Run Gardens.

The Pond at Leamings Run

The trail in Leamings Run Garden winds around so you wind up seeing the pond more than once but from a different direction. There's a sign so you don't miss it the second time.

Cabin at Leamings Run

This reconstructed cabin stands in Leamings Run Gardens near Cape May Court House.

Don't Hurry, Be Happy!

A Few Notes on Hotels

In Millville, which is near Vineland, we stayed at Holiday Inn Express. It was not my first choice, which was Country Inn and Suites next to WheatonArts, but which did not have a suite available for both nights. The Holiday Inn was adequate, although other guests were noisy and the first room we were assigned had an overwhelming smell of tobacco. Frank was pleased to find extra reading lights next to the bed.

I'm including a photo of the "kitchen" in our suite because it's not really a usable kitchen. Actually, the room isn't really a suite to my way of thinking. The privacy wall between the sofabed and the large bed is only about 30 inches tall. The hotel is next to a shopping mall.

After two nights in New Jersey, we traveled to Lewes and Rehoboth, Delaware. I made reservations using our iPad while on the ferry. The Heritage Inn looked like a nice place and offered a good deal online. 

It was very quiet because we arrived on a Sunday after beach season had ended. The location reminded me of the place we had just left: just off the main road, close to Bob Evans and various stores including Walmart.  We only stayed one night but I would not mind staying there again.

Both hotels had friendly staff and were attractively furnished.

Views of the Maurice River

I took these pictures at the Maurice River Bluffs Preserve. We didn't get to see any of the eagles that live there but we had a pleasant walk.

It reminded Marie of the natural areas she visited when researching The Best in Tent Camping: New Jersey. People who haven't spent much time in the "Garden State" may be surprised to learn that New Jersey has a lot of pretty natural areas.

Along the Bluffs Trail near Millville

It turns out that Millville offers more than just glassmaking and galleries. On the first night we were there I asked our waitress at Bob Evans what we shouldn't miss on our brief visit. She suggested both the shops along High Street and the Bluffs trail overlooking the Maurice River. I found the Bluffs Preserve online so we got directions. It's a Nature Conservancy property, so as a longtime contributor I feel like I'm on of the proud owners.

We hiked a fairly short trail in the preserve with Marie and then drove back into town and visited a few galleries.

Frank and Linda in New Jersey

Photo by Marie Javins

Pier in Wheaton Arts Center

In Millville, NJ What are these folks looking at? It's a snapping turtle in the water. There were ducks there too. But here's another picture of the turtle.

Link: Millville, NJ

The Museum of America Glass

Museum In Millville, New Jersey

We toured this museum which is in the Wheaton Arts park. It's not as large as the museum in Corning, which I visited as a child, but it's pleasant and it's located in a charming setting.

Link: Museum Glass Collections

The Woodcarving Studio

A craftsman was at work when we visited his little shop in Wheaton Village. He was happy to talk to us about his projects.

I was surprised to read on the WheatonArts site that "The building itself used to be a slave home and was moved to WheatonArts in the 1970s from the Bridgeton area."

Old Train Station in Wheaton Village

	The Wheaton Arts complex spreads over 60 acres and includes a lake and a scattering of old buildings. You can stroll around on level paths that wind through the tall trees. The Palermo Station must have been brought here to preserve it. It is said to date from 1897.
	The rustic quality of some of the buildings is in contrast to the much larger Museum of American Glass, which  appears to be in the center of the complex. We enjoyed our visit there.

A Potter at Work

Ceramic Studio at WheatonArts
Millville, New Jersey

In the WheatonArts Glass Studio

Since I wanted to spend some time with my daughter Marie but available time in her busy schedule was  limited, I decided to combine a visit with her and a short trip to the beach. A town in southern New Jersey would not be too far for her or for us, so I selected one that had some interesting attractions according to a tour book. It was Millville, home to an intriguing arts center.

We drove up on Friday, spent the night at Holiday Inn Express, and toured WheatonArts on Saturday morning. We had lunch in Millville's old town and visited a gallery there. Finally Marie arrived and we went to dinner. We spent Sunday morning with her too.

Here are some pictures I took inside the glassmaking studio at WheatonArts.

Blog Post #3500

I've been blogging for seven years, a long time in the blogosphere. When I started it was the hot new thing to do; now it's almost passé. Most social networking is done on Facebook, Twitter, and the like, and cell phones have made sharing your photos and ideas fast and easy on these sites. Yet I'm still here.

Blogger is easy to use and I'm still getting over 100 page-views a day, while building a personal diary of sorts which I print annually via Blog2Print. A benefit of preparing a daily blog post is that it keeps me motivated to edit my photographs and gives me an excuse to use Photoshop, which I enjoy.

I'm on Facebook too but I don't post to the public there. I see that as a more personal platform where I'm sharing with family and friends. Blogger is for anyone in the whole world to see, so I've pretty much stayed to topics of wide interest and pictures of wide appeal. Sometimes I publish information on something that I've seen that's hard to find on the web, like my stories on Bird Haven or the old postcard I inherited picturing the Old Soldier Fiddlers. People find these stories via search engines and occasionally they send comments or requests to reprint a picture. It's fun hearing from people so please don't hesitate to comment!

And thank you for visiting this blog!

An Old School House

In Wheaton Village in Millville, NJ

Marie and Henry the Ford

See also Marie and Henry in 2009.

A Spider Web on the Grass

Yellow Flowers in Profusion

We gave plenty of these yellow flowers growing in our yard. I think they are coreopsis although they are taller than the coreopsis I grew in Basye. They seem to thrive without any effort on my part.

'Shopt Flowers

This started out as a mundane picture of roses against our house. I turned it about 45 degrees, made a duplicate layer, and started playing with filters in Photoshop. Sometimes I just like to experiment until I see something I like.

By the Lake with Ben

I didn't know Frank was behind us with the camera. Ben and I were just relaxing in the late afternoon sunshine.

911 Responders

It's been eleven years since the tragedies of this date in 2001 so I feel it's time to move on. Yet like many people I am reminded of all the heroes around us who we take for granted much of the time. So let me say thank you to all the emergency responders who stay ready to help when there is a need.

Often when I hear a fire siren or police siren, I feel a twinge of concern. But then I remind myself to be grateful that those people are on the job, along with all the nurses and doctors and other people who make public safety their life's work. Bless you and stay safe!

Mums

A Boat Ride for Kate

Last weekend Austin offered his mom a chance to ride in the pedal boat. They were able to board it from our yard.

September Sunset

Although we had a storm this afternoon, the sun came back out. I was attracted to the sky at dusk and got my camera. When I pointed it towards the sky the colors darkened in the viewfinder. But actually they appeared more like we see in the second photo (which got a more balanced light reading by including the foreground). Which do you like more?