Fourth Stop, New York

 Visiting New York gives us a chance to visit our kids, and friends. We also get the opportunity to visit museums, see plays, and dine on great food. Since our kids live in Brooklyn, the Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is a great place to stay. This is the view from our room. The Brooklyn Bridge is on the left, the Manhattan bridge is on the right, and the Empire State Building is in the background, far right.

Alas, the visit was marred by a very sick pup. In retrospect, Laura and Alex's Golden Retriever Ruby decided to swallow a sharp stick. When we arrived, she was lethargic, breathing too fast, and her heart was racing. Based on examination, ultrasound, and WBC count, something was terribly wrong. The veterinarian recommended emergency surgery. The stick had perforated her small intestine, and infected intestinal fluid surrounded her bowel. It was a messy three hour operation.

Well, that put a damper on things. We did get to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art where we saw two great exhibits. The first was on the history of photography in the United States dating back to 1839. You can find out more here.

The 2nd exhibit was an amazing and extensive display of the art by John Singer Sargent. (detail here) Both the history and the talent of the artist were remarkable.

John Singer Sargent
Self Portrait

Next stop, Baltimore

Fells Point, Baltimore
home while training at
Johns Hopkins

 I was born in Baltimore. My parents were born in Baltimore. My grandparents lived most of their lives in Baltimore. Jessica's mother was born in Baltimore. Jessica's mother and my mother knew each other in Baltimore.

Jessica and I share 2nd cousins in Baltimore. What does that mean? She and I are related by two marriages, only one of which is our own. My great uncle married her great aunt - in Baltimore. I will not trouble you with a family tree.

So, off we went to Baltimore to visit our cousins and extended family. It was great to see all that extended family. We also saw my first cousin Jeri and her husband Michael.

Road Trip - Maine!

 We are embarking upon a road trip that will take us to Maine. First, we will head for DC to visit Deedee, my sister of another mother. Then the plan is to meander up the east coast, visiting family and friends along the way. Here is the plan:

On the way to Fairfax, we stopped off in Potomac, MD to visit my cousin Karen and husband Howard, and a nice dinner, and continued the trip into Virginia. After a delightful visit with Deedee and Tom with lots of talk talk talk, we headed for one night stay in Washington, VA (also known as little Washington).

This is the home of The Inn At Little Washington. This is no ordinary restaurant. Michelin lists 20 one and two starred restaurants in Washington, DC. These 20 are in DC. One is not, and that is the only restaurant on the Michelin DC list that has three stars. That is The Inn at Little Washington. We are foodies. If you are too, try to get here.