New England House Architecture

Toto - we aren’t in Kansas anymore! Well, we weren’t exactly in Kansas, but the general architecture reminded us that we were no longer in northern Virginia. We went for a whirlwind road trip to New England a couple weeks ago. It was primarily for a memorial service for our oldest cousin who unexpectedly passed away last year. Due to the pandemic the family decided to have a sort of picnic celebration rather than a traditional funeral. So we had an opportunity to check out old and new places alike, including the family home of my mom’s favorite sister. There is something so very familiar about the homes and the architectural features. Though my family only actually lived in New England until I was in second grade, my parents both came from the same small town. We did visit New aengland a few times as we were growing up and these are the memories that remind me of another time. It’s also been about twenty five years since we last were there. And that time was for a surprise fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration for my parents. So many people have come and gone since then! The large homes near the pond were quite stylish - many are now converted to condos. The three decker houses remind me of our own childhood home. We lived with my grandparents and my mom’s sisters family for a few years in one of those structures. Along the coast are sea going whimsical offerings. The parking is almost worse than Capitol Hill in some of the neighborhoods - which is hard to believe. It was a very short and memorable trip. We need to do it more often. 

Jamaica Pond

It looked a bit familiar. We used to visit my cousins in Massachusetts back in the day when we lived in New England and a few times more after we moved south and a few times more after we moved to the midwest. This time we were visiting for my oldest cousin’s memorial that was being held a year after her passing. Near my cousin’s home was a pond where we would walk over and play. It’s called Jamaica Pond and was established in 1892. Back then it felt like quite a walk to get there. But it’s really only a couple of blocks. On the way there are now beautiful stately homes - many now converted to condos. Back then I remember many of them had seen better days. Parking in DC aid a pit, but it’s no better in this neighborhood. The first structure you come upon at the pond is the boat house that was erected in 1910. This day was a bit misty and overcast but that didn’t stop all of the exercise nuts. Everyone was rather friendly. We had to pass through a flock of geese resting in the middle of the sidewalk. There was a very odd bench that we later learned was part of an art installation. Good luck sitting in it. Obviously there were ducks but also lovely gardens all along the way around including morning glories. It was a very lovely walkabout. Imagine all of the people who have come and gone walking this place. 

The Parking Lot Ride to New England

We have not been out of the state since the pandemic hit. A couple of weeks ago we got an invitation to visit New England for my oldest cousin’s memorial service. She passed away last year and now a get together was planned. So we decided it was time to take a ride. We are very familiar with the freeways to the Midwest and the south, but have never driven from DC to New England - the most congested corridor anywhere in the US. If we could get through this we could get through anything. I can honestly say that we would never do it again. It was essentially a parking lot from the time we left home to the time we arrived. From DC to Baltimore and the tunnel, to Philadelphia to New Jersey. Then the ultimate hell hole of New York. Everything looks so old, rusty and cruddy. On top of that it was raining most of the time. The toll roads were ridiculous. I don’t know if my easy pass transponder worked but it was replenished twice along the way - eighty dollars worth. The George Washington Bridge alone was seventeen dollars to cross. Google maps was constantly red and we crawled along. We never planned trips in the summer months because of all of the traffic and especially since the pandemic. Everyone is taking a vacation now. But this was for a different reason. The drive back was just as bad as the drive up. To make matters worse we had an hour delay because of a presidential motorcade on the freeway near our house. It was just too much. But we are still happy we went and glad we were able to survive the gridlock. And the company is always so good.