2022 Fall Trip - Day 37/37 - 9/30/2022

Friday, Sept. 30, 2022 - THE FINAL DAY - HEADING HOME:

You know the drill by now - up and at em. Shower, shave, and shine. Coffee, breakfast, computer work, and hit the road:

I should be sliding through on the back-side of rush hour. I crossed the New Jersey line at 8:19

I always try to have time for a "Scenic Overlook":

Going north, I hit New York state line at 9:29

It is always cool going over the Hudson River

and, just in case, I keep looking down:

We want "NORTH", not "SOUTH":

Which takes me into Connecticut at 9:58

Oh - by the way, The Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT opens at 10:

Although The Museum is under renovation:

The front looks quite lovely:

They currently only have their "Rock Exhibits" on display:

They will be finished with the renovations in March 2023 (less than 6 months!), and I'm definitely coming back. For this museum, I had written:

Winslow Homer’s watercolors "Boy on Dock" (1873) and "Fishergirls Coiling Tackle" (1881)
Andrew Wyeth’s watercolor "Cape May" (1992). “Refuge” by Andrew Wyeth
"Sheepskin" (1973), from his famous Helga series, and "The Huntress" (1978)
Edward Hopper’s "Two Comedians" (1966). A second Hopper oil, "Bridle Path" (1939)
Childe Hassam, including "Rainy Day on the Avenue" (1893) and "The White Dory" (1895)
John Singer Sargent’s superb oil "Girl Fishing" (1913)
Multiple bronzes by Henry Moore
an extremely rare Blue Period watercolor by Pablo Picasso, "Le Guitariste" (Guitar Player, 1903)

As The Allman Brothers titled their first compilation album: The Road Goes On Forever:

I wanted to tuck another State under my belt, so I hit Rhode Island at 12:13

Don't blink - that's Providence off to my right at 12:55

And I swooped into Massachusetts at 1:04

Route 128 was easy, and the final song of my trip, at 2:44

338 miles today - 9,176 miles total over 37 days, in 24 separate states (that's 1/2 of the Lower-48!)! I did 19 Awesome Hikes, saw 28 Museums, plus a lot of Waterfalls and Scenic Highways/Byways - Thank You GOD for ALL THESE GREAT ADVENTURES!!!!

And THANK YOU for coming along for the ride!

Music for today:

Hans Zimmer - The Last Samurai, 2003 soundtrack:

actually, good classical music

Mogwai - Happy Songs For Happy People, 2003 fourth album:

good - textured music

Taylor Swift - Speak Now: World Tour Live, 2011 first live album:

a lot of energy - I still want to see her do that thing with her hair that she did at the piano at The Grammys.

Stephane Wrembel - Introducing Stephane Wrembel, 2002:

very good acoustic guitar music

Samite Of Uganda - Dance My Children, Dance, 1990:

good - pre-Paul Simon's "Rhythm of the Saints"

Paul Simon - Rhythm Of The Saints, 1990:

and you already know how the day ends:

2022 Fall Trip - Day 36/37 - 9/29/2022

Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 - Exploring Museums in Pennsylvania today (plus AN EXTRA):

My first stop is the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, which is just 5 miles down the road:

I visited here in February 2015 because they have 2 pictures by Jasper Cropsey and 1 by John Kensett. Unfortunately, in 2015, I did not call ahead, and the only thing-I-like-on-display was a map from 1861. You'ld think I had "learned something", but when it comes to planning the homeward-bound part of these trips/adventures, I basically draw a straight line from wherever I cross The Mississippi River. So no, I didn't call ahead, and sure enough, the only thing-I-like-on-display was a map from 1861 by Jedediah Hotchkiss:

I know the rest of the day will work out better. I crossed into Maryland at 11:

and 15 minutes later I was at Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Hagerstown, MD:

Thomas Moran - "Lower Manhattan from Communipaw, New Jersey", 1880 oil. This is one of his very-few "industrial pictures":

Jasper Cropsey - "Autumn Landscape with View of River", 1870 oil:

John Kensett -"A Mountain Pool", 1863 oil:

Frederic Church - "Scene on the Catskill Creek", 1847 oil:

And it is great seeing the quote, leaving The Museum:

I hit the Pennsylvania line at 11:45 (which is also the Mason-Dixon Line):

I reached Dickinson College/The Trout Gallery at 12:30

They had an exhibit of bronzes, with nice pieces by Henry Moore ("Reclining Nude", 1950) and Auguste Rodin ("Saint John the Baptist Preaching", c. 1878-1880):

But don't worry - that Museum wasn't the "tail-wagging-today's-dog" - I have TWO BIG DESTINATIONS COMING UP!!

So, after I got back to my car at 12:45 I looked at my schedule: my next museum is Phillips Museum of Art at Franklin & Marshall College, where I have a 3 PM to see their collection of Thomas Moran drawings/art. But Franklin & Marshall is only 1 hour down the road. An almost-empty UTZ Potato Chip bag was on the floor calling to me - I bet I could drive down to the UTZ Factory Tour in Hanover, PA, and still make my 3 PM appointment:

So let's hit the road through the Pennsylvania countryside:

I got to the door at 1:39

Unfortunately the woman said "Sorry, no refills."

WOW - WHAT A COOL PLACE:

I walked from one end of the balcony to the other. When I walked back, I waved to the people down below and they all smiled and waved back up at me!

Left there, and drove through some more Pennsylvania beauty:

I walked up to the Museum right at 3:

I had previously exchanged emails with Lindsay Marino, Director of the Phillips Museum of Art, and she agreed to meet me and show me the Morans:

They are beautiful:

It is wonderful to see the original drawings/art because I have the original published pieces:

After that, I drove 30 miles east to the Reading Public Museum in Reading, PA:

Much of the museum is in chaos (or non-existent):

Art that I like include Hermann Herzog - "El Capitan, Yosemite (Sentinel Rock)", 1876 oil:

Frederick Judd Waugh - "Maine Coast", c. 1910 oil:

Paul Jenkins - "Phenomena Up Jenkins", 1965 acrylic:

I reached East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania right before 7 PM, just as the sun was going down. 293 miles today - Good to get that day under my belt!

Thank You GOD for having everything work out so wonderfully!

Music for today:

Dan Gibson/Michael Maxwell - Emerald Forest ～ A Celtic Sanctuary, 2013:

nice acoustic music, BUT WITH BIRD CALLS - DELETE

Death Cab For Cutie - Thank You For Today, 2018:

Because I crossed over the Mason-Dixon Line - Mark Knopfler - Sailing To Philadelphia, 2000 second solo album:

James Taylor - October Road [Bonus Disc], 2002:

Included on the second disc of the "limited edition" two-disc version:

"Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" – 4:43 won the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 44th Grammy Awards in 2002.
"Benjamin" (J. Taylor, composed in 1976 or 1977 as a tribute/lullaby to his new-coming or -born son. First released by David Sanborn on Promise Me the Moon in December 1977) – 3:30
"Sailing to Philadelphia" (Mark Knopfler) – 5:28

Maeve - Mothers Of Grace Club, 2007:

Led Kaapana - Waltz Of The Wind, 1998:

not my taste - delete

Kenny Rankin - The Bottom Line Encore Collection, 1999 live album:

Julie London - The Best of Julie London: Time For Love, 1991: