We should recognize right from the start that the real reason Carol and I planned and executed our three week long motor trip up to NJ and back was because of a little girl baby, Madison Rose, who now charms by walking and just being her. Her parents brought her to our daughter’s house in Far Hills in the Peapack- Gladstone area in the hilly north east corner of our former state.  Going to see little babies is very good for one’s feelings and general health.  It would have been more helpful if Carol hadn’t needed to wear that Black Boot for her wounded Achilles tendon, although her wrist and finger operation was getting back to normal.

So, off we went and for our first major stop visited with Gordon and Dina Lane to see them and their two children, Hudson and Amelia Ann.  The former was still working on the trick his parents played on him by not asking his permission to get a little sister.  The sister was full of vim and vigor and wanted to take on the world while Hudson negotiated for more time with the big people.  Both parents work and the children are in day care until one comes to get them.  We got to get both of them for the Parents were off one particular day.  Their house is big and wonderful and Hudson has a Dad who wanted and enjoyed putting an electric train set up near the ceiling all along the perimeter of the walls of his bedroom.  Really neat.  Getting trains to offset the competitive sister wasn’t too bad a deal.

But, our primary stop was at Nancy and Joe’s mansion where we had a room for ourselves with a private bath on the top floor.  That top floor and the bottom floor being where the theatre style seating was located were the only real problems for us because the wheelchair could not negotiate the stairs.  Carol did a lot of walking but it was worth it to her to be among family and the reality of spending time in this magnificent house.  The vista from the second floor veranda over a meadow at the other end of which was forest land also provided Joe with his enjoyment of watching the flock of deer come out in late afternoon.  They sometimes are next to the house in early morning.

Carol got pictures of almost every room and all the furnishings in order to make an album to show our friends down here in a Florida waiting for the lineup of hurricanes to come and mess with us.

Since our latest visit with Rosemary and Jeff will take some time to cover adequately, I will end with the reason we took the trip in the first place.  Little

Madison Rose was the center of attention but I must add that she reached for my beard which resembles her Grandfather’s but I think she knew the difference.