We visited east-coast relatives in March, beginning with seeing our daughter in Durham, North Carolina, during the first part of her spring break.

March 8th – We flew to Raleigh, via Atlanta, an all day “adventure”, including cancellations, changing airlines and schedules at the last minute, and arriving after midnight, all of the tedium of flying. We had spectacular views, always the best part of the airplane experience.

March 9 and 10 – We spent two days with our daughter, exploring her new home in Durham, and at Duke University, where she will be studying for the next five years. She is in a math-heavy field, and was given an extremely time consuming problem set at the last minute, even though it was supposed to be a break, so we spent part of the time exploring the Sarah Duke Gardens on our own. We loved getting a feel for her new home, sharing meals and a few errands, and seeing the early spring in a place I have never been before.

The Sarah Duke Gardens were a popular spot on this beautiful spring day.

March 11 to 13 – We rented a car and drove north through Virginia to Baltimore. Trees were mostly still bare, and I was once again impressed by the utter flatness of the coastal plain as it dips gently to the sea on the trailing edge of the continent. I have to admit that I miss western topography.

In Baltimore, we visited cousins, and shared meals, and also had time to visit Fort McHenry, the Baltimore Waterfront and the Walters Art Museum.

Fort McHenry:

After lunch, we took a short walk around Baltimore Inner Harbor.

The next day, we had a brief visit to the Walters Art Museum – which includes an opulent mansion that became part of the museum. 

More Baltimore street art outside the museum…

March 13 to 15 – Philadelphia –  Our son has been living in the Central City area for a year and a half now. He likes it quite well, has found his people, and is running his business successfully.

We walked to the Philadelphia Art Museum, where we spent a couple of hours enjoying the visual arts.

And of course we stopped to look at the “Rocky” statue before walking up the steps.

Inside, there was so much to choose from – we started in the American Galleries…

We also spent time in the Impressionism Gallery…

My favorite exhibit was the Gee’s Bend Quilts. I love their bold graphic and improvisational nature. I didn’t realize they were here in this museum, so the exhibit was a happy surprise for me.

After about two hours we went out through the northern doors. My wonky hip was starting to complain, so we took a Lyft back to the Reading Market for lunch. In the evening, we drove out to West Philly for an Ethiopian dinner.

We saw more art while walking around in Philadelphia – giant street murals:

On Friday, we took a walk along the Delaware River in the morning after a lovely brunch with our son and his partner.

Next, we drove south along the Delaware River to spend one night with cousins in Kennett Square, PA. It was interesting to see the progress they have made as they rewild their five acres.

March 16 – The next morning, we took a short walk at State Line Preserve before heading back to the airport for our flight home.

We flew home through Denver – a long day of sitting, then a brisk mile and a half walk in the terminal to our next gate, then another flight home. 

It was good to see all the dear people who live so far away, and it was good to be home in Portland, where our spring flowers were blooming.