I am so thankful my mother loves to travel, even at the age of 81! On Friday, April 20th she and I flew to New Jersey for a much overdue visit with family and friends, and to attend a very special wedding on Long Island. (Unfortunately EZ didn’t join us on this trip because we were flying and he hasn’t given that a try yet due to his inability to sit completely upright.) What a busy nine days we enjoyed! The scariest part for me was taking on the Garden State Parkway, the New Jersey Turnpike, the Verrazano Bridge and the Long Island Expressway in order to get to the wedding. As a North Carolinian, I was a total novice when it came to tolls, and never expected to pay $12.00 to cross a bridge, but we survived. More about that in my next post!
Upon arriving, my Aunt C.C. graciously picked us up at the ever busy Newark airport and took us to a beautiful area of West Orange that was very special to my parents when they were dating 67 years ago. Mom’s family lived above a tavern that is no longer there, but I was able to see the place where it once stood, a mountain they would hike up as teenagers, the very trees they stood by in some of my favorite pictures of them, and an old concession stand Mom’s family worked during the summer. It was definitely a walk down memory lane for my mom, and I loved hearing her talk about their adventures when they were young.
Next it was off to one of my aunt’s favorite new restaurants on a reservoir nearby the park, called McLoone’s Boathouse.