camphill village | Plan B Tour

We’ve finally left Florida and are back on the road again. Jim got the green light to travel from his doctors. In fact, they removed all restrictions. The cardiologist said his heart looks perfect and that this is the best repair he has ever seen! Jim is still in recovery and slowly getting back to normal.

Exhibit of paper art at Cornell Museum in Delray Beach. These dogs were life sized.

In our last week in Florida, we had a couple worthwhile adventures. One was attending a food and history tour of the area in which we rode around on a bus viewing historic buildings, learning about the history of different neighborhoods, and tasting samples at numerous restaurants. Had we done this at the start of our time in Florida, we would have eaten out a lot more, so it was probably good news to our budget that we didn’t know about all the good dining until we were leaving. On another day, Megan took advantage of rare flat calm conditions to put back on the snorkeling gear and swim about 300 feet off shore to a reef. She was rewarded with seeing a sting ray, a group of barracuda, a 10-foot nurse shark, and numerous other large fish. It’s always a bit unnerving to be in the water with creatures that are your size or larger, but she kept a respectful distance and enjoyed the awe of their presence.

9/11 Memorial. This giant fountain is the footprint of one of the twin towers. It was a moving tasteful memorial.

We are currently in New York, where we came to spend some time with Megan’s brother, Adam. The weather has been wonderful, with highs in the 70s. It is such a surprise coming from Florida to remember that one can spend time outside without sweating profusely and being uncomfortable. We have enjoyed New York City for the walking, the parks, the constant fantastic flow of humanity, the sights, sounds and smells (some of them). Megan and Adam did some sightseeing: a tour of the Statue of Liberty, visiting the beautiful 9/11 memorial, walking the High Line, shopping, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. A special thanks to our friends Ben and Tina who put us up and pointed us toward fun things!

Storm King Art Center. Check out the kid jumping under the central statue

Megan also visited Camphill Village, where Adam lives. It is an incredibly special place, a mostly-self-sustaining farm and home for people with special needs and gifts. We spent multiple days exploring the Hudson Valley. The highlight was Storm King Art Center, a 500-acre sculpture park. We also visited a county fair and had a great time watching people, pig races, and horse pulls. It was a welcome contrast to time in the city.

Next week we’re finally crossing the pond on our way to Europe. Stay tuned!

Exhibit of paper art at Cornell Museum in Delray Beach. These women were life sized.

The pizza oven imported from Naples at a stop on our food history tour. It is about 1000 degrees in the oven. They only burn oak and are able to cook a pizza in 90 seconds! It was delicious.