We returned from Philadelphia during the first week in October. I have been at home for the remainder of the month, watching the Halloween enthusiasm and the changing foliage fill the neighborhood with color and whimsy, against a background of quiet and not so quiet resistance throughout our city.
Around the neighborhood…
Halloween decorations. Some folks go all out. New or notable for me this year:
I finished three hats for donation, a scarf, and a pair of socks:
Books
I finished eight books in October:
October books
Ribbitting with the resistance in PDX…
National ‘leadership’ continues smashing everything, like a giant wrecking ball. I am proud of my Portland people for exhibiting a mostly peaceful resistance, responding with whimsy and relentless persistence. Some highlights of the month:
Some of our famous Portland Frogs, from Instagram.Still protestingNeighborhood poetry postWall muralAnd my son took this picture in Paris, France!
We went to Connecticut and Pennsylvania to visit family. There were meetups and restaurant dinners; hikes, art museums, and historical sites; a fair amount of driving, and then the hunt for elusive parking spots in Philly.
General Location Map for this trip.
9/26 – Portland to southern Connecticut
From my window seat today, I saw Cascade Mountains, Great Lakes, and the Statue of Liberty as we flew into Newark Airport.
Shortly after take off, I had a great view of Mt Adams, with Mt Rainier in the distance.Close view of the cloud cap on Mt Adams.
For most of the midwest, there was cloud cover, and not many views. But as we approached the Great Lakes, the cloud layer separated into a sheet of puffs, and I knew I had seen them before in the Art Institute of Chicago, as painted by Georgia O’Keeffe!
Clouds over the midwest as we approached the Great Lakes.Sky above Clouds IV, by Georgia O’Keeffe, 8 feet by 24 feet!Sky above Clouds IV caption, Art Institute of Chicago
The New York City metropolitan area was glinting in the afternoon sun as we approached the Newark Airport. I even picked out the Statue of Liberty on her Island,
Descending toward Newark; Lady Liberty under the arrow.Fuzzy view of Lady Liberty.
We rented a car and drove north on the New Jersey Turnpike toward Connecticut. Oregon is known for its patient and polite drivers. Not so much, New Jersey!
New York City to the east as we drive north on the New Jersey Turnpike.City view as we cross the Hudson River on the George Washington Bridge.
We made it to Hamden, CT, not far from New Haven, and spent three days with family, friends, and dogs there.
9/28 – Sleeping Giant State Park, CT
This small mountain near Hamden is popular hiking locale. We opted for the three mile Tower Trail, about 600 feet elevation gain. There were a few late wildflowers blooming, and plenty of other people on this 80 degree day. I appreciated the shade! And the first glimmers of fall color.
Sleeping GiantTrailhead – the trail is a gently graded gravel road.Wildflowers – asters, silver rod and goldenrod. Sassafras leaves turning orangeAnd the eastern version of poison oak.The tower ahead…The towerView across the parapetsA ‘territorial’ view toward Long Island Sound from the top.History of The Tower and the area.
9/29 to 30 – Delaware Water Gap, PA
The next day, we drove west to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, and then spent the following day exploring Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. After a stop at the Visitor Center, we decided to hike the Tumbling Falls Trail – shady and not too steep, as it was another hot day, and I was still regaining my hiking stamina. It was a pretty hike through oak and pine woodlands.
Visitor Center, Delaware Water Gap. We would see this view of Mt Tammany later in the day.The Tumbling Falls Trail – a 3 mile, 400 foot loop, through pine and oak forest.Old stone fireplace along the trail.Bench with a view for lunch.Lunch view across the Delaware River to the Jersey side.Tumbling Falls – just a trickle this time of year.Nice reflections in the pool.Stairs back up…Pickerel Pond, near the trailhead. Again, just the beginning of fall color on the trees.
After our hike, we drove south, to a couple of viewpoints of the Gap.
The road along the Delaware River was like a green tunnel.We saw a few wild turkeys.We went to the Point of Gap Overlook for this classic view of Mt Tammany, NJ.Closer view of the Paleozoic rocks on Mt Tammany
Then we drove across the river to the Kittatinny Point Visitors Center.
This sign explains how the Gap formed by stream capture.Calm and reflective Delaware River at Kittatinny Point.Mt Minsi to the south, on the Pennsylvania side of the Gap.As we were driving in the area, we spotted this stone house, ready for Halloween about a month early.
10/1 – Washington Crossing Historic Park, PA
We spent the first part of the day driving to Philadelphia. The Washington Crossing Historical Park on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River was a convenient lunch stop.
We crossed the river on an auto bridge, looking toward the Washington Crossing. The park has wide green fields on both sides of the river – plenty of room for the annual reenactments that happen here.A plinth tribute to George Washington stands along an avenue, with flags of the colonies.George Washington atop his plinth.We sat on a bench to eat our lunch, with this lovely view of the crossing. There is a very nice path along the river, and more construction was underway.On the night of December 25th, 1776, there was a blinding snowstorm here, and the Delaware River was choked with ice. The Continental Army successfully crossed, despite the conditions, and went on to defeat the Hessians in Trenton.Today there are only geese and ducks swimming around.We stepped briefly into the Visitor Center, just long enough to see George, and a nearby plaque honoring Thomas Paine.“Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered.”…words for the ages.
10/1 to 5 – Philadelphia
After lunch, we continued on to Philadelphia. Our son lives near the center of the city, and we stayed in a nearby condo hotel. Over the next few days, we ate in several great restaurants – Thai, Italian, and our first Philly ‘cheese steaks’ (I’m not sure it counts if you opt for vegetarian or chicken versions). We walked to two museums on Franklin Boulevard. It was nice weather, and we really enjoyed our time, especially with the people we got to visit.
On our first day, we got to meet these two cats of Philadelphia, named Cowboy and Ghoul.We also toured this venue space, that we will visit again next summer.View to the Delaware River from the Pen Ryn Estate.And we met this artful zebra(?) in our hotel lobby.
10/2 – Barnes Foundation
We walked to the Barnes Foundation, an art museum on Franklin Parkway that is particularly known for its enormous collection of Impressionist Art, especially by Renoir. The collection is displayed without placards, and arranged in settings that juxtapose many different artists and media in each room. One must scan the art with a phone to find out the maker or context. The collector, Albert C. Barnes (1872-1951), acquired this art after making a fortune in pharmaceuticals, and he created his foundation to provide art education for everyone. I admired much of the work, and if I lived in the area, I could become familiar with the many types of art and artists on display. For a casual walk through, I found it a bit overwhelming to have to interface through my phone to learn about the art and artists.
Walking toward the Barnes Foundation on Franklin ParkwayThe reflecting pool outside the museum.Artwork arranged in ensembles chosen by Barnes.Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Autumn Landscape, c. 1884.Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Bois de la Chaise,1892.Paul Cézanne. The Allée at Marines, 1898.Paul Cézanne. Mont Sainte-Victoire,1892–1895.Georges Seurat. Entrance of The Port of Honfleur, 1886.Pottery displayTextiles and sculpturesWalking by the reflecting pool again, on the way out.And of course, we visited ‘The Thinker’ again, at the nearby Rodin Museum, before walking back to our hotel.The Thinker placard
As we walked around for these two days, I admired the juxtaposition of old and new buildings, and of many huge murals on the sides of some of the buildings.
Old and new buildingsCity Hall with William Penn on top.Shiny new reflective buildings.Older architectural elementsCity scape with giant muralCloser viewAnother giant mural on an older buildingCloser viewMuralMural
10/3 – Calder Gardens
The next day, we planned to meet some cousins in the afternoon, and to visit a new museum on Franklin Parkway, dedicated entirely to the art of Alexander Calder (1898-1976). Calder, from Philadelphia, is particularly known for three dimensional mobile and stabile sculptures, made of wire and steel. His works are displayed both indoors, and in the outdoor garden grounds.
The museum is partially below ground level, set in a newly landscaped outdoor gardens with paths and sculptures. The outdoor wall of the museum is reflective, presenting distorted views of both the garden and the city scape.Some of the sculptures are in lower level outdoor galleries, accessible from within the museum.This sculpture (The Cock’s Comb, 1960) is near the museum entrance.
Once inside, there is a balcony that overlooks the lower galleries. It seems an effective way to display both hanging and standing sculptures. And it is interesting to be able to see them from various angles.
Jerusalem Stabile II, 1976Both of these sculptures have the same inspiration. Black Widow, 1948 (hanging); Black Widow, 1959.Untitled, c. 1952.Myxomatose, 1953.Sword Plant, 1947Sword Plant, 1947, from another angle.Looking back toward the balcony from below.
There were many colorful paintings in the lower gallery. I love the bright colors and organic shapes!
Untitled, c. 1945Untitled, 1946São Paulo, 1955The Green Stripe, 1963William Penn, 1888, by Alexander Milne Calder. This is a smaller version of the bronze William Penn Statue atop the Philadelphia City Hall, which was created by Alexander Calder’s grandfather.
After our museum visit, we walked around in the Passyunk neighborhood, and found an Italian Restaurant for another delicious dinner.
East Passyunk Avenue NeighborhoodHalloween prepPub marqueePhiladelphia themed store.
10/4 – Valley Forge, PA
We visited Valley Forge Historic Site, where George Washington’s army of 12,000 people camped during the winter of 1777-1778. This park is huge, encompassing 3500 acres. There are miles of walking trails, and bike and horse paths. We looked at reconstructed cabins and defensive structures, the National Memorial Arch, and George Washington’s Headquarters.
Map of Valley Forge; sites we visited circled in pink.A redoubt, or defensive structure. Note the city skyline in the distance.One of the cannons.Reconstructed cabins; each provided accommodation for 12 soldiers.The National Memorial Arch, dedicated in 1917.Memorial Arch inscription.Memorial ArchGeorge Washington’s HeadquartersRestored in 2009.Tours of this building were unavailable today due to the government shut down.
Unfortunately, none of the buildings or Visitor Centers were open, and it was too hot to stay outside. We went to nearby King of Prussia to find a cold beverage, and then to meet up with our soon to be in-laws for dinner. What I didn’t expect was that I would see Valley Forge from the air during our flight home tomorrow.
10/5 – Philly to Chicago, then PDX
I had great views on our flight to Midway Airport, Chicago. Once we left Philadelphia, I realized we were flying over Valley Forge. Having been there the day before, I recognized the road pattern and the Schuylkill River.
Goodbye to Philadelphia and the Delaware River.Valley Forge circled in pinkNational Memorial ArchGeorge Washington’s Headquarters on the Schuylkill River.
We flew on, over lots of checkerboard farm fields, and rivers cutting through the folded landscape. I also got a good look at Cleveland and Chicago (and their giant football arenas!)
Looking down on Cleveland, on the shore of Lake Erie, with the Cuyahoga River winding through.Flying over Lake Michigan into Chicago.Closer view as we descend to Midway Airport.
Our connecting flight to Portland was after sunset, so I didn’t see much. I thought about watching the earth go by beneath me from the air; all the baseball diamonds and soccer fields, farms and towns, all the people down there going about their day while I fly above. It gives me perspective about my tiny place in this great big world. Overall it was an enjoyable trip, especially for the family connections reinforced and new connections made.
Margaret Quilts 