Monday, July 30, 2012

450 Foxy

450. Foxy
Definition: (adj) sly or crafty
Location Placed: Harriet Beecher Stowe Visitor's Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Date Placed: 7/29/12 at 5:15pm





I had no idea, but Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain were neighbors! Literally their houses were next to one another. So I took the (very short!) walk over to the Harriet Beecher Stowe House for a tour. Although she didn't write Uncle Tom's Cabin in this house, she was still pretty important and the house was filled with little bits and bobs that were hers. I even learned she was a pretty awesome painter, not that she ever made money off it. And the guys working at the center were not only knowledgeable, but super helpful in getting brochures of the area attractions so I could make a plan of attack that didn't leave me missing anything awesome in the area. 

449. Hearty

449. Hearty 
Definition: (adj) loudly vigorous and cheerful
Location Placed: Mark Twain House Museum, Hartford, Connecticut
Date Placed: 7/29/12 at 2:42pm





This was the first stop on my road trip vacation, the Mark Twain House. I didn't really know very much about Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) prior to the trip. I hadn't even heard of the house before, but it seemed well rated in travel communities, so I decided why not! I must say, it was well worth the cost. So many wonderful details, it's hard to put how wonderful the house is. Definitely worth a look with your own eyes if you're in the area. Now it's made me want to go dig up old copies of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn to refresh my memory.

448. Admirable

448. Admirable
Definition: (adj) deserving respect or approval
Location Placed: Middletown Rest Area, Middletown, Connecticut
Date Placed: 7/29/12 at 2:04pm





After driving several hours in one day, I feel pretty beat. I don't know if I'd be cut out for a long road trip, especially one where I'm driving all on my own. I certainly admire truck drivers who spend hours driving over these roads without fail. I certainly don't think I could do it and all I've done is a few measly hours! I never really gave much thought to where a lot of the goods I consume come from, via truck drivers. Certainly makes life easier for the rest of us! So thank a truck driver next time you see one.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

447. Fascinating

447. Fascinating
Definition: (adj) extremely interesting
Location Placed: Milford Service Area, Mildford, Connecticut
Date Placed: 7/29/12 at 1:33pm





I find it fascinating how people have different ideas and beliefs about things. One thing is vacations. My idea of an ideal vacation would be going to a bunch of places, seeing as many things as possible, and then never going back. There are so many places in the world to visit, that I don't want to squander my time by seeing the same stuff again. My vacations are fast paced and filled to the brill, planned in advance (although not too far in advance sometimes!) But other people want a relaxing vacation, where they sit and allow their thoughts to wander. Perhaps spending time on a beach somewhere, or in a cabin in the woods. My ideas of a vacation don't appeal to them, and vice versa. What makes a vacation a good one for you?

446. Refined

446. Refined
Definition: (adj) elegant and cultured in appearance, manner, and taste
Location Placed: Fairfield Service Area, Fairfield, Connecticut
Date Placed: 7/29/12 at 1:09pm





I really like placing cranes in rest stops, especially along major thoroughfares. Since I-95 spans from the tippy top of the United States in Maine and all the way down to the very bottom of Florida, you never know who might happen upon a folded bit of paper. I think it's interesting to make up stories about where my fellow rest area comrades are headed. Vacation, like myself? Visiting family? Job interview? Moving? Away on Business? The options seem endless. But for some reason, we've all been at this one point at the exact same time. Will our paths cross?

445. Amiable

445.Amiable
Definition: (adj) having or displaying a friendly or pleasant manner
Location Placed: Vince Lombardi Service Center, Ridgefield, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/29/12 at 11:36am





As things tend to go, I started out the first leg of my road trip from New Jersey to Connecticut a wee bit later than I had wanted to. (Oops!) I had never been this far up I-95 (New Jersey Turnpike) this far before. It was pretty cool driving along and having New York City sitting on my right, being all cool and skyline-y for several miles. Sadly it was quite overcast or I would've tried to photograph it (but not while driving!)

Saturday, July 28, 2012

444. Cordial

444. Cordial
Definition: (adj) warm and friendly
Location Placed: Antik, New York City, New York
Date Placed: 7/21/12 at 5:19pm





We decided to hit up Antik as we were a bit early for the wedding we were attending around the block. Their lure of a lovely garden and cool drinks on the hot day pulled us in. Definitely well worth it and the wedding was awesome to boot.

I will be heading up to Connecticut and Rhode Island this week so I'll be out of the area. Any emails/comments I've gotten recently will hopefully be answered upon my return. I'm hoping to bring my computer with me so I can keep up with crane entries while I am there. I hope you all are having a wonderful summer!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

443. Opportunity

443. Opportunity
Definition: (n) chance, opening, possibility
Location Placed: Washington's Headquarters Museum, Morristown, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/13/12 at 3:59pm





There is just something so awesome about visiting a spot where someone important was. I'm not talking about a celebrity or current famous person. I'm talking about the first U.S. president, George Washington. The Ford Mansion, which I toured, was Washington's Headquarters for 7 months during the Revolutionary War. (For how little I cared about history when I was younger, you'd be impressed by how wonderful I think it is now!) I can just imagine places where Washington stood and looked out the windows during the year, writing letters to other commanding officers, wining and dining with important people of the time. I love having the opportunity to be able to visit all of these historical places!

442. Supportive

442. Supportive
Definition: (adj) providing courage or emotional help
Location Placed: Wick House, Morristown, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/13/12 at 3:31pm





A good support system is important to any person. I am always thankful when I think about how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends and family that support me through the good times and bad. So I just wanted to take a second to thank them (or which ever of them that are reading this!) I don't know what I would do if I weren't surround with such a great group!

441. Timely

441. Timely
Definition: (adj) opportune, well-timed
Location Placed: Jockey Hollow National Park, Morristown, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/13/12 at 3:24pm





If you're looking for a relaxing drive through the woods, I would definitely suggest taking a trip to Jockey Hollow. It might have just been the route I took to get there, but it felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. I must've driven through the park longways, end to end. It was very calming and a nice way to start a little jaunt into the woods. The visitor's center had lots of good information about life in the area back many moons ago. I love those little tidbits of information that give you a clue as to how life was in the past.

440. Stable

440. Stable
Definition: (adj) steady, firm, steadfast
Location Placed: Fosterfield's Living Historical Farm Visitor's Center, Morristown, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/13/12 at 2:59pm





They had a wonderful little exhibit underneath the visitor's center filled with older automobiles. One of them was the first car Caroline Foster (daughter of the properties second owner) received as a gift from her friends as her father would never let her have one. Even after she received that car, her father still refused to let her drive until he became ill and needed to go to the doctors. Quite a lovely car and very generous friends she had!

439. Ardor

439. Ardor
Definition: (n) enthusiasm or passion
Location Placed: Fosterfield's Living Historical Farm, Morristown, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/13/12 at 1:52pm





The one place that I was most excited to visit was the Fosterfield's Living Historical Farm. I went to a similar one here by me, Longstreet Farms, but this one was a bit bigger and more grand. The Revere family (as in grandson of Paul Revere) lived here for some time. There was a lovely older mansion on the property that was WELL worth the tour. I absolutely loved it and all the little details that my tour guide was able to tell me about. It's always nice to find a person so interested in what they are showing you.

438. Devoted

438. Devoted
Definition: (adj) very loving or loyal; faithful
Location Placed: The Provident Bank, Morristown, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/13/12 at  1:17pm





Since I have neither a story to go along with the word devoted nor a little anecdote about the Provident Bank, I wanted to express my excitement about something. Probably not exciting to everyone but I'm quite pumped. I got a new pack of paper so starting at crane 480, there will be about 50 new patterned cranes! Sometimes all it takes to reinvigorate my crane folding is some new pretty paper. Is there anything odd that makes you excited that others probably wouldn't feel the same way about?

437. Heady

437. Heady
Definition: (adj) having a strong or exhilarating effect
Location Placed: The UPS Store, Morristown, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/13/12 at 1:13pm





Upon leaving the Starbucks, I stopped a UPS Store, good for crane releases. So I popped on over. Generally my modus operandi is to look at the greeting cards, quickly place a crane while discretely taking a picture, and scurrying off. However, I couldn't easily find the greeting cards in the store! I always feel terribly awkward if I don't go in somewhere with a purpose, like people are noticing that I'm being a wee bit suspicious. Obviously I wasn't carrying a large box to ship, so I pretended I forgot some piece of vital... something in my purse that I had to go get. Hopefully I'm not as suspicious seeming as I think I am!

436. Pensive

436. Pensive
Definition: (adj) thoughtful, reflective, wishful
Location Placed: Starbucks, Morristown, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/13/12 at 1:11pm





After I stopped for a bite to eat, I did a little poking around. The park across from this Starbucks is quite lovely! There's a pretty fountain and a monument and just the right amount of trees, park benches, and open space. If I lived in the area, I could see this park + Starbucks combination being a bit dangerous for me.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

435. Pert

435. Pert
Definition: (adj) attractive because neat; cheeky, saucy
Location Placed: Morris County Visitor's Bureau, Morristown, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/13/12 at 12:38pm





In my quest for lunch, I stumbled upon the visitor's bureau. I wanted to make sure I was going to the right places and making sure I wasn't missing a key tourist attraction in the list of ones I was attempting to hit. Plus it never hurts to have a brochure and concrete information either. So just a quick pop in, nose around, and continue on to feed my rumbling stomach.

434. Spontaneous

434. Spontaneous
Definition: (adj) having a natural or uninhibited manner
Location Placed: Historic Speedwell Ironworks Exhibit, Morristown, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/13/12 at 11:50am





One of the buildings, originally the old garage, was converted into an exhibit talking about the ironworks of the area and the old iron works building across the street. Sadly there is nothing there any more after some sort of misfortune, but there were lots of interesting old iron works bits and tools that it housed to give you an idea of what it was like back in the hayday. Not to mention I got to see the :home" of the electric telegraph machine, which was pretty awesome as well.

433. Palatial

433. Palatial
Definition: (adj) magnificent, spacious, grand
Location Placed: Historic Speedwell Visitor's Center, Morristown, New Jersey
Date Placed: 7/13/12 at 11:44am





On my day off, I decided to have a nose around Morristown as I had never been there before, and it seemed like there were a bunch of things I would be interested in seeing. I first decided to head off to Historic Speedwell, where I saw a variety of historic buildings from the area that were either located there or moved there from other locations. I love a good historic piece so there was some interesting bits. I sadly just missed the tour and I had a bunch of other things on my list, so I couldn't wait for the next one in an hour. But definitely cool to check out.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

432. Urbane

432. Urbane
Definition: (adj) suave, courteous, and refined
Location Placed: Monmouth County Historical Museum, Freehold, New Jersey
Date Placed: 6/28/12 at 1:26pm





Since I was already in Freehold, I decided to stop by the Monmouth County Historical Museum, which was quite cool. The lady that was working the front desk gave me an amazing and comprehensive tour (for which I was quite grateful!) I learned a significant amount about the Revolutionary War in terms of the Battle of Monmouth right down the road. (And completely unplanned, I was in the area the day the battle was fought 234 years later. I was going to go to the battlefield but apparently the visitor's center is under construction until next year so I decided to wait until then.) I am just so impressed by all these things in my community that I've never seen or heard of before! This living like a tourist thing is even more awesome than I thought.

431. Excellence

431. Excellence
Definition: (n) the quality of being outstanding or very good
Location Placed: Jewish Heritage Museum, Freehold, New Jersey
Date Placed: 6/28/12 at 11:39am





Keeping myself busy since I have no classes this summer and was off from work for the day, I decided to do a few touristy things in the Freehold area. I hadn't ever heard of the museum before by my county visitor guide book mentioned it and I thought it sounded worth a look. I learned a bunch about the Jewish immigrants that had settled in the area and a bit more about what it looked like back in the 17-and-1800's. Given how built up Freehold is, it was certainly interesting to hear about how life was back then. Not to mention the lovely art installation of ClaraGee, Stanley, and Mark Stamaty. Definitely worth a poke around if you have some time.