We woke up early this morning and grabbed breakfast at a local joint - Mrs. K's Koffee Shop just around the corner from our hotel before setting out to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.
Morning view of Independence Hall...
Original building where the founding fathers debated and declared independence...
Courtroom in Independence Hall...
Assembly Room in Independence Hall...
George Washington's Rising Sun chair...
Independence Hall selfie...
The Liberty Bell...
Pretty amazing...
One last Independence Hall selfie...
Walkway between the post office and the Benjamin Franklin Museum. The museum is built on the property of Benjamin Franklin's home, so Franklin walked through this walkway on his way to and from Independence Hall.
The Benjamin Franklin Museum...
Skuggs the Squirrel - he is displayed throughout the museum dressed as Benjamin Franklin...
Printed Bible that Benjamin Franklin bought in England for his daughter...
Skuggs the Squirrel --- the printer...
Benjamin Franklin sayings...
Skuggs the Squirrel --- the reader...
Skuggs the Squirrel --- the inventor...
Skuggs the Squirrel --- the writer...
Skuggs the Squirrel --- the founding father...
Philadelphia postcard mailed from the first post office in the United States...
Time to head out from Philadelphia via the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Our route took us through New Jersey, into New York through the Catskills Mountain region, into Hyde Park and then on to Connecticut. We paid another $11 in tolls today.
We made it to Hyde Park!
Mosaic on the floor of the visitors center of the Roosevelt property...
Eleanor and Franklin...
Springwood, the home of FDR...
Beautiful, massive front door of Springwood...
Main level living room...
Very comfortable and simple...
LARGE room with tons of seating. Our tour guide (she was amazing) said this was the main room of the home and the Roosevelts spent a great deal of their time in this room.
The Snuggery - small main level room where Sara Roosevelt (FDR's mother) spent her days running the home and the estate...
The Pink Room - King George VI and Winston Churchill stayed in this room...
The Chintz Room - Queen Elizabeth II stayed in this room...
Beautiful artwork adored every wall in the home...
Franklin's boyhood bedroom --- his mother left it as is when Franklin left for school...
Sara Roosevelt's bed - Franklin was born in this bed and Sara passed away in this bed as well.
Hallway to Franklin and Eleanor's bedrooms. Sara wouldn't allow the Secret Service to go down this hallway --- too much of an invasion of privacy --- so they placed this mirror on the wall so that they could see around the corner and all the way down the hall.
Pretty impressive built in closet...
FDR's bedroom...
FDR's phone that was wired directly to the White House for communication during WWII...
We got stuck in house for an additional 45 minutes as a massive thunderstorm came through the area. Once the rain cleared a bit we walked over to the Presidential Library to see more personal items of FDR.
FDR's Reading copy of his First Inaugural Address, March 1933...
FDR's Four Freedoms created by Norman Rockwell. RA and I saw the originals in the Norman Rockwell Museum during our last east coast trip in 2012.
FDR's working copy of his address to Congress on December 8, 1941...
FDR's presidential desk - it is set up the way he had it set up during his years in office.
Beautiful garden where FDR and Eleanor are buried...
FDR's grave...
After we toured the Presidential Library we drove to the local post office to main our postcard for the day...
We left Hyde Park, NY and made our way to Stamford, CT to stay the night. We arrived fairly late so we grabbed dinner at the hotel restaurant. View from our floor at our hotel in CT.
Day 4 --- Stamford, CT to Kennebunk, ME
We woke up early again to get on the road --- it's MAINE DAY! We grabbed a quick breakfast in Stamford before heading out on our drive to beautiful MAINE.
Café Oo La La
All the pastries --- I want all the pastries...
Is it too early for a homemade peanut butter cup?
Coffee...
The café had a great selection of breakfast items...
We left CT, drove through New Hampshire, and then crossed the state line into MAINE! We had to pay another $5 in tolls today --- up to $32 total.
Welcome to MAINE!
We made it to Kennebunk!
Side view of the Waldo Emerson Inn...
A fantastic Bed and Breakfast in Kennebunk, ME!
Main living room of the B&B...
The windows stayed open all day long...it was amazing.
Another living room...
Loved the green floors and white-washed walls...
Main stairway to the bedrooms...
Welcome to Room #4 - The Red Room...
Such a cute bedroom...
Beautiful dresser, small seating area, and a pretty fireplace...
Fireplace and door to the private bathroom...
Pretty iron bed and vintage trunk at the foot of the bed...
Look at the size of the wood floor planks - they were massive!
We wandered into Kennebunkport for lunch at Federal Jack's...
RA had two big bowls of Clam Chowder and I had a salad...
Downtown Kennebunkport, ME --- it was so quaint, so clean, and so much fun. RA headed over to a local architectural salvage store while I wandered downtown.
Where do you want to go?
Succulents and flowers everywhere!
Adorable Maine ocean town...
More flowers --- I love mandevillas...
The street planters were shaped like boats...
Welcome to Kennebunkport sign!
We had so much fun in Kennebunkport, Summer 2017!
Lobsters, lobsters everywhere!
I should have bought this massive lobster for the boys, but we settled for the puffin instead. The boys watch a show about puffins, so they thought it was really cool to get a puffin stuffed animal.
A candy shop and an ice cream/coffee shop...
More succulent planters...
And a cool birdhouse planter display...
As RA was headed back towards Kennebunkport, I stopped by Rococo Ice Cream to get us a sweet treat...
YUM!
We headed over to a local antique store to wander. We found a few cool finds, including a vintage truck for the boys.
We then decided to drive the coastline around Kennebunkport. Amazing views.
Rocky coast...
Incredible view...
Coastline selfie...
I could sit here and stare off into the distance all day long...
Looking back across the water toward Kennebunkport...
Having a blast!
St. Ann's Episcopal Church, located right on the water...
Rocky beach...
WINDY day in Maine!
Walker's Point - the summer home of the Bush family (former president - elder and younger). The family was in town - Secret Service all around the property. Our innkeeper said that Laura and Barbara were out and about in the shops of Kennebunkport over the weekend and that Laura and George W. went to church at St. Ann's on Sunday.
Had to put my toes in the water - it was FREEZING!
The beach wasn't sandy --- it was rocky and full of seashells.
Kennebunkport postcard...
Stopped by the post office to mail our first Maine postcard...
Time for dinner at The Clam Shack!
A Maine lobster roll - it's blurry because I had to photograph it quickly before RA inhaled it.
Seating at The Clam Shack - tables are old lobster traps...
Lobster boats...
After dinner we wandered back to the bed and breakfast before heading to bed early as we planned to drive to Portland, ME the next day. This house is right next door to our B&B - it's called The Wedding Cake House.
Days 5 and 6 include tons more cool sights and sounds of MAINE!
