New Haven to New York with “Strangers” in the Middle
Wednesday, November 14th, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012, would mark the seventh day of the road trip through New England that Bob and I had been undertaking, effectively bringing the first week of the trip to close. After this day, we’d still have another full week ahead. But as of this day, we were still in the southern half of the New England states, specifically in Waterbury, Connecticut at the American Motor Lodge. This location put us just a quick drive from our first stop of the day (besides Bob’s quick run-in to one of the many Dunkin’ Donuts in the region). Read the rest of this entry »
I try not to get too political on this website, so I am treading with caution when I talk about President George W. Bush, our nation’s 43rd President, who narrowly won two different elections – losing the popular vote in the first – and served from 2001-2009. His performance in office is generally ranked abysmally by the bulk of historians, and his lack of experience and good-old boy demeanor generally was interpreted to mean that Bush wasn’t very smart. I have no doubt that he is a smart guy, and generally a good man, but I’d have to say that without a doubt, he has been the worst President in my lifetime. 
Obviously, I was dragging a bit on the morning of Sunday, September 30, 2012. After the Volksfest in Stuttgart and a few liters of beer the night before, not to mention the six hour time difference, it was amazing that I was even functioning at all. But I was. In fact, I actually had very little issue getting myself ready and getting downstairs at the Hotel Traube for our first European hotel breakfast of the trip. By most standards, it would have been outstanding, but up against some of the other ones I’d had before (and would have during the week), it was just fair. It had the meats and cheeses that most of the others did, but for being a morning-after beer meal, it just wasn’t as satisfying as it could have been. I sorely missed the bagels and lox that were enjoyed so frequently in Amsterdam. 
Bob and I began our sixth day of travel through New England on the morning of Monday, July 9, 2012, at the Comfort Suites in Norwich, Connecticut. We had a nice breakfast and then headed toward our first destination of the day, the Trumbull Cemetery in Lebanon, Connecticut, about 2o minutes north of our hotel. This is the final resting place of Declaration of Independence signer William Williams, not to be confused with any of the other dozen or so famous William Williams throughout history. This one had been elected to the Continental Congress to replace Oliver Wolcott, and although he arrived too late to actually vote for it, he became a signatory of the Declaration on behalf of the state of Connecticut. 
Calvin Coolidge was our nation’s 30th President, serving from 1923 through 1929 during a time of great prosperity in our country. Some criticize his notion of small government and laissez-faire ideology as leading to the Great Depression which then ensued in the 1930s after he had left office. Although highly skilled at giving speeches during his Presidential campaigns and press conferences, he was known as “Silent Cal” for his dour, stiff disposition and quiet personality at social events. Some speculate that this was part of an act to give the public what they wanted. Others think that his sadness grew out of the death of his son, who died from blood poisoning after getting a blister while playing tennis at the White House.