Philadelphia - Two-Day Round Trip: Day Two

Saturday/Sunday, Oct 24/25, 2015 - Down to Philadelphia, and back:

Ok, so I threw a few extra stops in there - 782 actual miles; left at 6:30 AM Saturday, home at 4 PM Sunday.

Sunday Morning - up and on the road at 6:30 AM to get up to the New Britain Museum of American Art. Wendy and I had visited two years ago, but I wanted to see some "old friends":

Albert Bierstadt - Seal Rock, c. 1872-1887


Thomas Moran - The Wilds of Lake Superior, 1864


John Frederick Kensett - Rondout Creek, 1862


Jasper Francis Cropsey - Lake Wawayanda, Sussex County, New Jersey, 1870


Martin Johnson Heade - Ipswich Marshes, 1867


William Bradford - Fishing Fleet off Labrador, 1884


William Trost Richards - Sunset West Irish Coast, no date


and there were some "new friends":
Rockwell Kent - Toilers of the Sea (Toiling on the Sea), 1907


Frederic Edwin Church - Niagara Falls, 1857 Chromolithograph


Donald Demers - On the Morning Tide, Somes Sound, Maine, 2005


Francis Coates Jones - Annisquam, late 1880s


Andrew Wyeth - McVey's Barn, 1948

detail:


I then went up the road to Hartford, for the Butler-McCook Homestead, which has a painting by Albert Bierstadt:

Scene near Olevano, Italy, 1860


Ran some errands on my way home - Thank You God for a great adventure!

and once I got home, I dashed down to Dana Beach to take a picture:


It is pretty cool to see that not much has changed since Fitz Henry Lane painted Dana Beach, Manchester 155 years ago (1860!) [down in the Philadelphia Museum of Art]

(well, he has Sunrise, and I have Sunset).

Music for these 2 days was albums from my iPod - Day Two:

Ghost Writer by Garland Jeffreys, 1977


Giant Step by Taj Mahal, 1969


"Six Days on the Road" lyrics:
Well my rig's a little low, but that don't mean she's slow
Got the stacks blowin' fire and the smoke's blowing black as coal
My hometown's coming in sight
If you think I'm happy, you're right
Six days on the road and now I'm gonna make it home tonight

and then it was pretty cool that, as I was going past Giants Stadium - Bruce live:
Giants Stadium - July 27, 2008 Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band


"No Surrender" lyrics:
We learned more from a three minute record than we ever learned in school
...
I'm ready to grow young again
...
I want to sleep beneath peaceful skies in my lover's bed
with a wide open country in my eyes
and these romantic dreams in my head

Girl At Her Volcano by Rickie Lee Jones, 1983


Give It Up by Bonnie Raitt, 1972

Once upon a time, at Penn, I went to a concert at Irvine Auditorium - Little Feat opened for Bonnie Raitt. Solo, on acoustic guitar, she asked for requests, so I called out "Been too long". She smiled and rolled right into "Too Long At The Fair". Very sweet song.

Go-Go Boots by Drive-By Truckers, 2011


Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire (I have done 41-of-48 thru October 2015)
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/

Philadelphia - Two-Day Round Trip: Day One

Saturday/Sunday, Oct 24/25, 2015 - Down to Philadelphia, and back:

Ok, so I threw a few extra stops in there - 782 actual miles; left at 6:30 AM Saturday, home at 4 PM Sunday.

In March of this year I received an email from an old rowing friend asking me to hold the date of October 24 for a Rowing Event at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Since I hadn't done anything for my 40th Reunion (last year), I liked the idea and penned in the date (ha ha, as opposed to "penciled in the date", because I went to "Penn"). Well, time passed, and last week I commenced planning, starting with Saturday night at the Super 8 in Bellmawr, New Jersey (10 miles from Penn).

In the last couple of years I have grown to love the art of Canaletto - the almost-photographic renderings of Venice in the mid-1700's that Europeans bought (mostly British) in lieu of photographs/postcards ("needed something to put up on those walls, anyway"). I have built a little Google Maps web page showing the locations of Canaletto's paintings (click here).

It turns out that the Allentown Art Museum in Allentown, PA has a Canaletto (and yes, I called them, and it is on display):


So that was my first stop after leaving Home:
Canaletto - View of Piazzetta San Marco, Venice, about 1740-45

detail:


Also on display was a lovely Bierstadt - Snow Covered Peaks, oil sketch, about 1859


Then back on the road south to Philadelphia. Driving into any major city on a Saturday is a bit of a headache - there is always SOMETHING going on! Today was both the Head of the Schuylkill rowing regatta during the day, plus the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Light The Night Walk beginning at 4:30 - and don't forget the random social events:


Needless to say, I got to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and was able to glimpse the Regatta:


The Philadelphia Museum of Art has a fabulous collection! And all the pieces I saw were in Excellent Condition. After the 4 highlights Wendy and I saw in April 2014 (click here), today's highlights include:

Winslow Homer - The Life Line, 1884


Frederic Edwin Church - Pichincha, 1867


Thomas Moran - Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, 1892 and 1908


Claude Monet - Morning at Antibes, 1888


I was able to wrap-up by 3:30, so I walked down into Philadelphia to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Museum. Highlights include:

Thomas Moran - Venice, 1887


Thomas Moran - Two Women in the Woods, 1870


unidentified (Wendy liked this one)


Alexander Harrison - Wave, 1885


Also on the Parkway is the Rodin Museum (next time)


Back at Penn, there are 2 wonderful paintings in their collection:
Thomas Cole - The Last of the Mohicans: The Death of Cora, 1827
William Stanley Haseltine - Greek Theater Taormina, 1891
but their locations are not open on the weekends - oh well, next time.

The reception at Penn was a lot of fun, and I got to surprise Deede's old coach, Wesley Ng, who is the new Head Coach of Woman's Crew at Penn


off to spend the night at the Super 8 in New Jersey - Thank You God for a Great Day!

Music for these 2 days was albums from my iPod - Day One:

Grateful Dead by the Grateful Dead - live double album, 1971


Discography: The Complete Singles Collection by the Pet Shop Boys, 1991


Galore by The Cure, 1997 (greatest hits)


Gasoline Alley by Rod Stewart, 1970


Gaucho by Steely Dan, 1980


Genesis by Genesis, 1983


Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! by The Rolling Stones, 1970 live album


Ghost in the Machine by The Police, 1981


Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire (I have done 41-of-48 thru October 2015)
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/

Fall 2015 - Day 37: Days Inn Cortland / McGraw, NY - HOME!

Monday, Oct 12, 2015 - Up to I-90, and home on the Mass Pike:

360 actual miles; 5 hours 29 min

The beautiful Fall Colors, and Farmland, make NY 206 (the shortcut I took between 81 South and 88 East) my New Favorite Road (no streams, though):




It was pretty driving on 88 East


Homeward Bound!


Massachusetts has the BEST COLORS!




Boston At Last, and not a cloud in the sky:


And after a (Deluxe) car wash, and a visit to Jiffy Lube, plus a gas-fill-up:

(cheapest since Arizona!)

I get to see my favorite Fall tree, on Central Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea:


WRAP-UP!! 37 Days - 12,070 miles!!


Ellie's Post Card collection:

She only has 36 because I forgot on our Sunday in San Francisco.

WHAT A GREAT ADVENTURE - Thank You God for the adventure, and for getting me home safe and sound!!

Music today was 82 songs from my iPod, in alphabetical order.

starting off with:
P.S. I Love You [Stereo] 1965 The Beatles The Early Beatles [Capitol Album]
and then ended the drive:
Paranoia Blues 1972 Paul Simon Paul Simon

The list can be accessed here

Tons of great music, including:
"Pacing the Cage", done both by Bruce Cockburn (his song) and Jimmy Buffett:
Sometimes the best map will not guide you
You can't see what's round the bend.

"Page 43" by Crosby & Nash:
Life is fine
Even with the ups and downs
And you should have a sip of it
Else you'll find it's passed you by

"The Painter" by Neil Young:
It's a long road
Behind me
It's a long road
Ahead

EXCELLENT ROCK N ROLL: 2 versions (studio & live) of "Panama" by Van Halen

3 versions of "Papa Oom Mow Mow" (or "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" if you prefer hyphens) by The Muppets and The Rivingtons

The BoDeans, Bruce Springsteen, and Sade all have songs (different songs) titled "Paradise" - I have both a studio version and a live version of each, and they all sound good!

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire (I have done 39-of-48 thru September 2015)
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/