Tuesday, September 20, 2016

On the Road Again



April was a long time ago. We were in Nashville when my brother David called and told us the our strong and independent mother who lives with him was “not doing good” and he thought she needed to go to the hospital. Thank goodness he recognized her difficulty because she needed immediate help. Two weeks later he was able to take her home again.


We left Nashville that morning and headed back to NY and straight to the hospital. She had been diagnosed with a brain mass of questionable origin. We still don’t know what the mass was but follow up scans have shown that after treatment with steroids and blood pressure medications, it is gone.
Mom is much improved but having difficulty losing some of her independence due to not being able to drive. Our wonderful 84 year old Mom has spent her life taking care of other people and doesn’t like asking others for help.
Mom is stable and well cared for so we are hitting the road again. We will worry and have to adjust to not being a short drive away, which is something that we did not consider when adopting this lifestyle.

Mom with 2 of her Mease Grandchildren at Jess's wedding this Summer


Monday morning we started up the Behemoth grabbed the animals and climbed aboard for a meandering journey South. Meandering because after almost 5 months sitting still we need a little time to get our travel routines set agin.
We are heading to Bradenton Florida to attend John and Kathy Huggin's gathering in October. John and Kathy host a website and a weekly podcast both called Living the RV dream. Their generous sharing of their own full time RV lifestyle were great encouragement for us when we started considering our choices in retirement. We had the pleasure of meeting them in person this Summer.

Colt’s Neck New Jersey was our first stop.
You probably know this already from prior posts but Fred and I love to visit lighthouses. New Jersey has 11 of them and we have visited 9. This trip we will catch up with the last 2.


Tuesday we took a drive to Atlantic Highlands to sample a local brewery.


Atlantic Highlands New Jersey has beautiful  water views. The high vantage point across the Lower Bay allow you to see New York City and Long Island.


View of New York from Atlantic Highlands
Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook is one of those vantage points. At 266 feet above sea level it is the highest natural elevation on the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook is a County Park. In addition to the great views we found  gardens and a picnic area, a playground and a hauntingly beautiful 9/11 Memorial.


The Memorial is located at the highest point in the park. To reach it you walk a shaded path where brass markers serve as a timeline marking the events of that dreadful day.
When you reach the top of the path you see a sculpture of an eagle in flight clutching a twisted steel beam that was once part of the Twin Towers. Looking beyond the eagle you see the skyline of New York. The sculpture is mounted on a large square granite base.

9/11 Memorial at Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook
Monmoth County lost 147 residents when the towers fell. Their names are inscribed on the base.


We visited on September 13th. The base of the statue was covered with flowers and photographs left from a memorial ceremony 2 days before.


I felt awful for the friends and family members who had no other place  to honor those they had sent off to work that day.  Perhaps they were comforted in the presence of others who had suffered the same wrenching loss. Who else could understand that kind of grief?


Never forget.

Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook
460 Ocean Blvd.
Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey
07716
Open daily 7am to dusk

No entry fee

6 comments:

  1. Happy to see a post here!!! It must feel nice to be on the road again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It does Becky. I think we have settled and remember where everything is.

      Delete
  2. Bonnie and Fred are back! That's quite the memorial, Bonnie. Thanks for posting it. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We're baa-ak.
      The whole area is lovely Jim and Diana. Old Victorian homes, parks, great history to explore and 2 lighthouses!

      Delete
  3. Great photos and text! Have a wonderful time--and come back soon!

    ReplyDelete