One of the perks of shutting down Main Street for filming is that my son got to rollerblade under the bridge seemingly endlessly. With traffic this would be a death wish but with a closed street it was an extreme sport ramp. The crowd gathered on Main Street with the NJ Transit bridge in the … Read more
Note: the story of how our family garden came to be is here. Below are brief updates from the garden. 2023-Feb-26: We started a new grow operation with approximately 300 seeds of 12 different varieties. These included favorites that we re-plant from seeds collected, year after year. There were also at least three new varieties … Read more
Northshire Bookstore is one of the best merchandized book stores I’ve seen. The store is arranged as a series of rooms to conform with the irregular floor plan of the building. Still it manages to have ample open spaces for displays. Makes it very easy to bump into the perfect book or gift item. Merchandizing … Read more
The James and Mary Forsyth House, an architectural landmark located at 31 Albany Ave, Kingston, New York. A two-and-a-half story, brick Italian villa-style home designed by the renowned architect Richard Upjohn. Completed in 1851 for local attorney and politician James Forsyth and his wife, Mary. The house was widely known in the area for its … Read more
Museum of the American Revolution Crucial moments in the American Revolution are told through artifacts and interpretive text. Of particular interest to us as people living in New Jersey was the section documenting Washington’s retreat from November 1776. Washington wrote that he had “not above 3,000 men, and they very much broken and dispirted.” The … Read more
Other Sites of Interest in New Jersey War Memorial Theater Famed theater and stage that hosted Rachmaninoff (1940), Eleanor Roosevelt (1940), Paul Robeson (1942), Marion Anderson (1942)James Brown (1984), “They shall grow not old as we who are left grow old: at the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember … Read more
This three sided wayfinding station provides background on the history of Trenton. A tour featuring historic sites in the neighborhood is included. A map from 1848 shows the mill, millpond, the Washington Baths (later known as Washington’s Retreat) that once occupied Mill Hill Park. Historic Downtown Trenton and a tour are featured on a wayfinding … Read more
Salem has a wonderful mix of historical sites and unique public art to fill in many of the gaps in between. The two primary stories are related to the Witch trials and the lives tragically lost, and maritime activities that supported literary pursuits and an ambitious building program. Most notable is Nathaniel Hawthorne who lived … Read more
George Hanemann built a bakery to the west in 1915 by designs from Alexander Merchant.[1] . Nathan Robins The 1876 Everts & Stewart Map shows this land with identification as “Est. N.R.” This was designation as estate of Nathan Robins who died in. Captain Nathan Robins (1782-1858) was forebear of the family. His son, also … Read more
Blame Vitruvius. In his treatise De Architectura around 27 BCE, the three elements critical to architecture were utilitas (function), firmitas (stability), and venustas (beauty). While so easy to articulate, in practice this harmony in buildings and places was and is so hard to achieve. Fast forward to Colonial America. Many prototypes for buildings and plans … Read more