Vacation, 2019, part 1: Getting there

We left Thursday, October 10, and returned Sunday, October 20 -- a round trip journey of 2,284 miles.  The only mishap was that I left my eyeglasses in the hotel in Terre Haute after the first night.  I cannot see without corrective lenses and  not having eyeglasses at night and early morning was hard. Furthermore, my husband isn't able to drive long distances so I needed to be able to see!  The hotel shipped them to me at the motel in Crisfield and they arrived Monday. [I have worn eyeglasses for 60 years and contacts for 53 years and I have never, ever left my glasses behind. Until now.] 

Thursday, 10/10:   We planned our visit to the Swope Art Museum after reading a Chicago Tribune article about Terre Haute artist Gilbert Brown Wilson. It turned out only two pieces from their Wilson collection were on display but there were works by many other artists -- Grant Wood, Edward Hopper, Reginald Marsh, Gilbert Stuart, Peter Hurd among them. (All are American.)








 A learning trail and a literary sculpture at the Vigo County Public Library in downtown Terre Haute.

Friday, 10/11:  The day began with rain so rather than explore the countryside we drove directly (281 miles) fom Terre Haute to Lancaster, Ohio.    

We had lunch at Tim Hortons -- yes, it's a Canadian chain, but it was bought by Wendy's (headquartered in Columbus) and is now owned by Burger King. 

Our destination was the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio  in Lancaster. The current special exhibit is about the eight U.S. presidents from Ohio.    (To refresh your memory, they were: William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, and Warren G. Harding.)




The museum is in an elegant early 19th-century mansion.  The spiral staircase was impressive. Fortunately we could use the modern elevator to get to the second floor.

Some of the "surprising facts" about the presidents.









 Modern t-shirt promoting a candidate have nothing on this dress made out of a James Garfield print.  To the right: Warren G. Harding's silk pajamas.

Quilt from Garfield's 1884 campaign

More campaign-related textiles

We spent Friday night in Lancaster. (That was when I found out I'd left my eyeglasses in Terre Haute.)



We left Lancaster after breakfast Saturday. We reached Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, mid-afternoon.  

Harpers Ferry is a whole town with a lot to see.  Visitors take a shuttle bus from the entrance/parking lot to the village. Stevens rode the shuttle bus several circuits while I did a whirlwind walk in the old town.  The shops are furnished in mid-19th-century style.  

The sewing machines are both Wilcox & Gibbs, circa 1845. 

The community of Bolivar is down the road from the national park entrance.  It was home to Storer College, founded in 1867 as a normal school to train black teachers. It operated until 1955. The building (shown here) is now the park headquarters.  The Appalachian Trail Conservancy office is also in Bolivar.   (The AT goes through Harper's Ferry.) 




One more stop: one of the locks on the C&O Canal.  
(The entire canal route is a national park but we did not search for the headquarters. You can read  more here .)

We crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge mid-Sunday afternoon -- destination: Crisfield on Maryland's eastern shore.  

Stay tuned!