Mount Pleasant SC

We arrived safely in time to see Noah at Halloween. We have been getting reacquainted with our grandson, Noah. Thanksgiving at Amy, Jason and Noah's house with friends was fun. A playset was purchased for Noah and his neighbor buddy, Scott. The playset is 26 feet long and is 2 stories high. Bob spent a number of hours staining and erecting the playset and as it was used was in a number of pieces. It has brought us great joy interacting with Noah as he reminds us so much of Amy when she was that age. We are looking forward to spending Christmas with Amy, Jason and Noah and the New Year will bring Noah's new sibling in late March. If all goes well we will stay here in Mt. Pleasant until May lst and will then get on the road once again.

Baby Lucy is thriving well in San Francisco. Her parents are enjoying her presence in their lives.

Their blog is http://sanfranciscosylvesters.blogspot.com/ if you would like to see pictures of Lucy.

Columbia, South Carolina

Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the capital of South Carolina. In keeping with Sue’s theme visiting state capitals so that some day she can quiz the grandkids, we started our visit with South Carolina’s State Museum. The museum gives a good overview of the state from the colonial period to the present. Pre-Civil War, the state had the cotton and rice crops which required large amounts of field labor. At that time, 53 per cent of the population of South Carolina were slaves. A visit to the State House gave the history of the capital moving from Charleston, SC to Columbia, SC in 1786 so that the capital would be closer to the center of the state and would be more accessible to its people. They began the present State House in 1850 and construction stopped during the Civil War. General Sherman, in his march through Columbia, in 1865 burned down the wooden state house and damaged the present state house which was currently under construction. Half of Columbia was burned during Sherman’s march through the city. At the State House there is a beautiful outside monument dedicated the people of South Carolina in order to recognize the many accomplishments and the contribution of the Afro-Americans to this state. It took the period from the slave auction block to the present illustrating Afro-Americans triumph over adversity in South Carolina.
The Governor’s Mansion is located on Governor’s Green. It is a beautiful setting and we enjoyed walking through the many gardens located on the grounds. The mansion tours were not available and I’m certain we will come back sometime to Columbia to take one.
The Riverfront area was established as a network of canals in order to supply water to the city and to produce electric power. Columbia had the first textile mill which was run completely on electrical power. GE built thirteen 65 h.p. motors in order to run the mill. The mill was in operation until the 1970’s when textile manufacturing went overseas. The mill building is the State Museum.

Congaree National Park South Carolina

Congaree National Park South Carolina
The park sits along the Congaree River. This 22,200 acre park protects the largest contiguous area of old growth, bottomland, and hardwood forests in the U.S. It is a world of primeval landscapes, champion trees, diverse plants and animal life along with tranquility. The park experiences wet and dry periods as the river floods and recedes with seasonal rains. The trees escaped large scale cuttings due to the difficulty of logging in this wetland area. Congaree National Park ranks as one of the most diverse forest community in North America. There are 22 different plant communities in the park. Preliminary surveys have found more than 80 species of trees, more 170 bird species, 60 reptile and amphibian species and 49 different species of fish. It was amazing to take a 2.5 mile walk on an elevated boardwalk and see the different plant communities and variations of trees. The park is an excellent place to kayak. It can be dangerous since approximately 10 times each year, flood waters from the Congaree River cover the park with a sheet of fast moving water. Bob looked at a 7 mile trip with the kayak but decided he should not do it alone and will return here when the park offers guided kayak trips. Over time, I am certain that we will spend some more at this National Park because of the various eco systems. Bald Cypress and Tupelo trees both grow wide at the base anchoring each tree in the mud. The Bald Cypress produce knees that rise up from the forest floor. Are they snorkels or anchors?

Cowpens National Battlefield

Cowpens National Battlefield
When us Yankees think of the Revolutionary War we think of Paul Revere’s ride and the Boston Tea Party. In South Carolina, they think of the Southern Campaign from 1778-1781. When the British realized that they had lost the North, they headed to the Southern States to try to keep control for the rice and spices produced there. The British sailed into Charleston taking control and then began their march towards Yorktown, VA. Tarleton was a ruthless British officer. Morgan was a frontiersman who was a volunteer. The Battle at Cowpens was a decisive defeat for the British. The battle was over in less than an hour. British losses were staggering, 110 killed, 229 wounded and 600 captured or missing. Morgan’s losses were: 24 killed and 104 wounded. This battle on January 17, 1781 was a decisive victory for the Continentals. What amazed us about the battlefield itself is the close proximity of the actual firing lines. They would fire within 40 yards of one another. The total battlefield was less than a .5 mile and Morgan’s victory was quick and precise.

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Carl Sandburg was already famous when he moved with his family to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina in 1945. Poet, minstrel, lecturer, biographer and Pulitzer Prize-winning author spent his lifetime championing social justice and the American people through his writings and songs. He was 67 at the time that he moved here and spent the next 22 years until his death writing at this home site where 1/3 of all of his works were accomplished. He died in 1967 and his wife sold the home to the National Park Service and donated all of the contents including his many books and reading materials. There were over 14,000 volumes in the house alone. The reason that he ended up actually in North Carolina was that Mrs. Sandburg and his youngest daughter, Hilga, needed a large farm in order to raise goats. Lilian, "Paula", Sandburg was internationally renowned as a goat breeder and was one of the outstanding pioneers of the American goat industry. The grounds here at this historical site are lovely with rolling hills, pastures and a pond along with barns to see.

William Howard Taft National Historic Site

Our 27th President, William Howard Taft, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1857. Taft is the only person who was both a President and Chief Justice in his lifetime. His presidency ran from 1909 to 1913 and he served as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1921 to 1930. He spent his complete life in service to his country. The main thing that we had completely forgot about was that President Roosevelt was the person who pushed Taft into office and then the two had a great political falling out which actually split the Republican vote and insured victory for the Democratic rival Woodrow Wilson. Roosevelt headed the ticket for the Bull Moose "Progressive" Party and ran against Taft and Wilson. As always, in visiting a site honoring one of our Presidents, it does bring back much of history to our minds. We drove around Cincinnati and then drove across the Ohio River and enjoyed a picnic along the Kentucky side of the Ohio River overlooking Cincinnati. The baseball stadium, as in San Francisco, is right on the waterfront.

Northern Indiana

Before having the motor home serviced at Newmar in Nappanee, IN, where it was built, we spent a week visiting museums and surrounding Amish countryside. The Studebaker Museum in South Bend was interesting since Studebaker went from manufacturing wagons to automobiles. In the first 2 years that Studebaker manufactured cars they were actually electric. Studebaker had quite an impact on Northern Indiana. Oliver Museum and Mansion gave an insight on how the wealthy lived in the 1890's. Oliver invented the process for hardening cast iron. The plow that he manufactured had an impact on the opening of farming in the mid-west and west. The plow had a hard face and a soft back in order to take the rugged work during plowing. It is always a joy to visit the Amish craft shops and countryside here as well. We had some great food but could not always allow ourselves to eat that plentiful all of the time.

We got to visit with Sue's friend, Maura, who is now a professor at Notre Dame and Sue knew when Maura was at Holy Cross. Her husband, Paul, was off on a business trip in Sweden and also is a professor at Notre Dame. Their twin daughters, Meggie and Annie, who are 9 years old had grown a foot since when saw them in the spring of 07. They had us over for dinner and it was a very nice visit. We got the slide on our motor home repaired at the Newmar facility and were on the road once again.

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, Iowa

Our 31st President, Herbert Hoover, had a modest Quaker upbringing living his early years in West Branch, Iowa. He was orphaned at an early age and at 11 years of age he was sent to live in Oregon with his mother's brother, Dr. Henry Minthorn. Herbert was educated as mining engineer and was very successful all over the world. Hoover's humanitarian efforts, during and after WWI and service as Secretary of Commerce, made him a highly respected figure. His presidency was daunted by the Depression. At that time, he was definitely blamed for not doing more. Many historians say he did as much as possible in the short time that was President. He went on to be quite the humanitarian working closely with feeding the hungry and expanding the Boys Club of America. He was well respected and worked well into his 80's.

The museum did have a section devoted to the children of the various presidents who lived in the White House. Until one sees it all together it was difficult for us to realize who actually lived part of their childhood on 1600 PA Avenue.

Homestead National Monument of America NE

We did not realize, until visiting Homestead Nat'l Monument, the true extent of the Homestead Act. Thirty of the 50 states had Homestead Land at some point during the Homestead Act's existence (1863-1986). The Act was repealed in the Lower 48 in 1976 but extended to 1986 in Alaska. Over 270 million acres in 30 states were turned over from the government to private ownership. In order to obtain private ownership you had to build a home and develop the land and after 5 years the land was turned over to you. Women did not have the right to vote at this time or many other rights but they could homestead and obtain ownership. About 40 per cent of the people homesteading did obtain ownership. It was a difficult lifestyle to say the least. Many of these areas were never farmed before and crops had to be developed that would produce. Each homestead could claim 160 acres which is 1/4 square mile. It was enlightening to see how many families still are on the land today that at one time was homesteaded.

Lincoln Nebraska

Sue says that she wants to visit the state capitals so that she will remember them when testing the grandchildren in years to come. Lincoln has a population of about 226,000 people and is a financial center for Nebraska. The Capitol Building and surrounding government buildings did not give the appearance of a big city. We easily drove around Lincoln and parking spaces were plentiful. While in Lincoln we visited the Germans from Russia Museum. Bob's brother, Vic, always said that our Polish grandfather came from Russia because he saw his Russian Military uniform. Bob had German friends growing up who understood Polish and Bob could understand some of their dialects as well. Catherine the Great of Russia in 1762 invited Western Europeans to settle along the Great Volga River. Germans colonized also moving into the Polish and Ukranian area known as Volhynia. Bob's Polish grandfather may have come from this region. It makes sense since he always spoke of leaving Europe when the Russian Revolution of 1917 was about to begin. This has opened many questions for Bob and someday when we're off the road he will do more research regarding this matter. While visiting the museum and afterwards the grounds there were gentlemen putting items in the small church and invited us to take a look inside. It was filled with all kinds of church artifacts from different churches representing the different religions practiced in this area. Some items were from the Mennonites, the Catholics, the Protestants, Lutherans and Russian Orthodox churches and other sects as well. I especially liked the Russian icons which were nicely displayed.

Cheyenne WY

Cheyenne is the Capitol of Wyoming and has a population of about 53,000 people. The city was founded when the railroad was constructed from the east to the west coast. We took this visit to Wyoming to learn more about the state itself. We took in the state's museum, Capitol Building, Historical Governors' Mansion, Frontier Park/Old West Museum, Depot Museum and Cheyenne's Frontiers Day Exhibit. Wyoming is known for its ranching, mining and oil fields. During the Cold War there were many nuclear sites in Wyoming. After spending time in Wyoming, especially at Yellowstone National Park and at the Grand Tetons National Park, it has become obvious to us that we enjoy the friendly people here, wide open spaces and the big skies. Cheyenne Frontiers Day has been going on since 1897 and includes the largest rodeo in the world. We have come to appreciate the life of a rancher, including that of true cowboys and cowgirls which very much still a lifestyle in this area. In speaking with a few old time ranchers who never complain about their lifestyle in the past you realize how difficult it was to develop a working ranch. One old timer indicated that the only meat that they ate was wild game since the sheep and cattle were needed to raise money. Most of the ranches here have been in their respective families for generations. There are still many small ranches in Wyoming. In the future we will definitely be spending more time in this fine state.

Fort Bridger State Historic Site Wyoming

Established as an emigrant supply station in 1843, Ft. Bridger became one of the major players in the opening of the American West. The first school was established in Wyoming at this site. There were 3 major ownership changes. The first as a trading post which served Oregon/California emigrants who stopped for supplies, wagon repairs and fresh animals. The Mormons then operated it briefly in order to control the costs for people making their journey to Salt Lake. The US Army established it as a fort from 1858 to 1890. Jim Bridger was a trapper and frontier man who saw the need and opened this trading post in 1843. We normally have not been visiting state sites but this was right next door to the campground that we were staying at and it was very highly recommended to us and we were happy that we paid it a visit.

Fossil Butte National Monument Wyoming

I did not realize how much of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah had once in their territories ancient lakes. Fossil Butte is the result of Fossil Lake which was 50 miles long and 20 miles wide at its maximum some 50 million years ago. The fossils that had turned into the rocks today are known as the Green River formation. The formation is made up of laminated limestone, mudstone and volcanic ash. We had visited Florissant fossil beds in Colorado and now after this visit here we have a much better understanding of fossils and their importance in scientific studies. It amazes us the details of many of the fishes, i.e., retain not only their entire skeleton but their teeth, delicate scales and skin as well.

Lucy Photos

Lucy

Lucy went for her first check-up at the doctor's at 3 weeks and weighed in at 9lbs 20z which is 14 ozs more than her birth weight and she grew 1 1/4 inches. Becky and Chuck are doing a fine job as parents. Lucy has them in a routine that keeps her well fed, changed and getting plenty of sleep. Becky and Chuck say that she looks like Chuck and from Chuck's baby photos along with our memories of him at that age we couldn't agree more. Bob finished up painting the front of the house which was more work than he anticipated but the end results were well worth his efforts. We have hit the road once again and have an appointment in Napanee, IN at the factory where our motorhome was built on October 20. We will stop in Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa at National Park sites. After the motorhome is serviced, we will head towards South Carolina going through the Smokey Mountains and it should be ideal to witness the fall foliage.

Lucy Arrives 9/8

Lucy Ann Simone Sylvester
Lucy arrived on Monday, September 8 at 5:46 a.m. Lucy weighed in at 8 lbs. 4ozs and was 20” long. Becky’s mom and Chuck were with Becky during her labor and we were awaiting news of her arrival in the waiting room. Lucy is a beautiful little girl and we couldn’t be happier for Chuck and Becky. Becky had a difficult delivery and had to be readmitted into the hospital. In the meantime Chuck and the both of us had Lucy at home and we were able to help with her care. Becky is now at home with Chuck and Lucy and they are all doing fine. Becky’s mom and Sue were honored by the baby receiving both of the grandmother’s middle names as part of hers, namely Ann for Barbara and Simone for Suzanne.

Lucy & Dad

Lucy & Sue

Lucy 9/17

Japanese Guests

Japanese Guests
On August 25 we hosted a luncheon and discussion regarding life in America for 2 twelve year old students, a grammar school principal along with a tour guide from Japan. Chuck and Becky’s Japanese neighbor, Yaeko, was short one American family at the last minute and asked us if we were available to step in and host this small group. This was quite the experience. The 2 students, a boy named, Yuki, and a young lady named, Suzuki, had many questions about the American way of life. Yuki was most interested in the recycling that was being done in the U.S. We cooked an American lunch consisting of hot dogs and hamburgers and they were amazed that Bob did the cooking on the grill at lunch time. The students and principal brought us a number of gifts from Japan which is a custom of theirs to present these presents when visiting someone’ home. The children showed us how to play the games that they had brought and also showed Sue how to fold paper into different objects such as animals, flowers and shapes of boxes. Suzuki also entertained us by playing a piece of music on Becky’s piano. She was very good and it was delightful to listen to. It was a very enjoyable 3 hours to spend with visitors to our country.

Great Basin National Park

Great Basin National Park

Great Basin National Park
The Great Basin is a vast area of sagebrush covered valleys and narrow mountain ranges. The name is derived from a peculiarity of drainage over most of the area. Streams and rivers find no outlet to the sea. Instead, water collects in shallow salt lakes, marshes and mud flats where it evaporates in the dry, desert air. There is not just one basin, but many, all separated by mountain ranges running parallel north to south. This area is from the Wasatch Mountains of Utah to the Sierra Nevadas of California. This is a vast area and as we traveled east to west along Highway 50, it was obvious why Highway 50 is known as the Loneliest Road, rightly named. The mountains are outstanding. In the south Snake Range there are 13 peaks which rise above 11,000 feet.

Lehmans Caves, Great Basin NP

Lehmans Caves, Great Basin National Park
This cave extends a quarter mile into the limestone and marble that flanks the base of the Snake Range Mountains. The cave is in the Great Basin National Park on the Eastern edge. We have been in a number of caves but this in this cave you can get very close to the formations themselves. The cave had some interesting formations such as shields and delicate helictites. Helictites are small branching formations that defy gravity. The 90 minute tour that we took gave us ample time to see the various formations up close. The cave is definitely the high point and attraction of this national park. We entered into various different rooms and witness such wonders that one rarely gets to see. We could also take pictures and the ranger was excellent in his explanations and answered any questions we may have had as to what we were witnessing.

Colorado National Monument

Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument high country rises over 2,000 feet above the grand valley of the Colorado River. The monument is situated at the upper edge of the uplift of the greater Colorado Plateau. The Rocky Rim Road that travels 23 miles through this camp was built primarily by workers in the CCC camps during the Depression years. We listened to a knowledgeable park ranger who reiterated the history of when and how this road was built by these young men, many like Grampy Sylvester who seeked employment with the government through such a difficult time in our country’s history. This is the same uplift which created the geologic wonders like the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Arches National Parks. It is a semi-desert area with many pinyon pine and Utah juniper trees. It has been quite the experience looking at the formations caused by the great uplift from Northern Arizona through Utah to Colorado. I must say we now know more about geology than we ever expected to learn about. Once we got into the rock formations it was difficult not to keep going and witness these marvels as we traveled through these national parks.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Rock Mountain National Park
The last time that we visited Rocky Mountain National Park was in 1973 when we had just found out that Sue was pregnant with Amy. This trip to the park was especially nice since Daryl Beffie joined us and is very familiar with the surrounding area and the park itself. When we started in January of this year in Yuma, AZ we saw the Colorado River before it entered into the Sea or Cortez. In the Rocky Mountains we saw where the Colorado River originates. We enjoyed following the Colorado River along the Arizona/California border into Utah and then on into Colorado. I must say that I didn’t realize how important the Colorado River is as a water source until we actually traveled through the arid Southwest. It has been a learning experience on how the desert reacts to what little water is gets from rain and snow and how plants and animals can and do survive in this climate. We know one thing for certain and that is that the desert would not be a place for us ever to settle in. Colorado is a beautiful state with lots of horse farms and agriculture to view as one travels up and down the scenic highways. The rock formations are beautiful too as are the spacious valleys.

Visiting with our friend Longmont CO 7/24 to 8/3

Visiting with our friend, Daryl.
Laura Beffie McLarnon was a former work study student at the College of the Holy Cross. Laura and Suzanne became good friends and, in turn, we became friends with Laura’s parents. Our visit to Colorado included seeing Laura’s mom, Daryl, in Longmont, Colorado. Sue and Daryl got to catch up on what is new with the children and grandchildren. Bob was able to help Daryl out by doing some repairs around her home. We both enjoyed listening to Daryl play her piano and Sue got to go to Boulder and listen to her perform in front of an audience.