Allaire Village

High on my list of historic sites I have wanted to visit for sometime now has been Allaire Village. In May we rode our bikes to it, but did not stop. In 2011 we went to it as part of the NJ State History Fair, but did not see any of the exhibits or go inside any of the buildings. It was my birthday and I invoked the birthday rule: the birthday girl gets to decide what to do and no one else can complain about it (this doesn't always happen, but I try).

Allaire Village is free to attend, but during the tourist season, there is a fee to park. We thought about parking a few miles away and riding our bikes in, but I was tired from the duathlon, and Ashley was tired from a sleepover. We paid the $5 parking fee instead. As a wine festival was also happening there, we might have been closer had we parked and ridden our bicycles to Allaire. Wine festivals are extremely popular, even in a place that was once owned by an ardent teetotaler. 

The downside to the place (in my opinion) is that they will not allow you to take pictures inside. Really? It was a day so my outdoor pictures turned out well, but it was also super crowded (see note about the wine festival) so taking pictures without people in it was  a challenge -- one Ashley was willing to help me with.

Allaire Village is an early 19th century (1822-1855) self-contained village where iron was produced. Even I am starting to feel, you've been to one of these places, you have been to them all. I kept wanting to compare it to Upper Canada Village, which depicts 1863 Canadian life. Upper Canada Village won in all categories from friendliness to photo ops to knowledge gained. They only lost on price (UCV charges a fee).

We toured the house the Allaires lived in. It was a very fancy house for the time. Our guide was excellent. She kept quizzing us on our knowledge (how can we tell a wealthy family lived here -- by the number of windows and doors, and running water; which chair would a woman sit in and why -- the one without the arms because her dress would never fit in the other chair; why was the family bible kept near a window -- in case of fire so the bible (with all of its records) could be saved, etc.).

The first building was a bunch of houses, like the row home where we used to live in Trenton, but the inside was opened up making it hard to tell where one began and one ended. The way it was cut up, even using the one house as an example, it was hard to compare its shape and size to our Plum Street home because no one is allowed to walk inside of it, only peer in from a side. It threw off the perspective.

Next time I need to take better notes, or write blog posts sooner. There was much talk about the person who bought Allaire Village and bequeathed it to the state (?) to become an historical site. Unfortunately neither the Allaire Village website nor (gasp) Wikipedia has the information I am seeking. 

Overall, if you are in the area, it is worth a detour of an hour or so, otherwise, not worth it unless there is a special event happening. With that said, the haunted tours happening next month do sound cool.

Red Lantern of the 2015 Bucks County Duathlon

This year's Bucks County Duathlon was the first time I knew within the first two minutes of the more than hour-long race I was going to finish last. It was a depressing thought, especially since it was my birthday. I pushed myself. My running pace was faster than last year. My biking pace was a lot fast than last year. The problem was everyone else was also faster, or at least the slower people did not show up this year. The people who were in it for fun and not serious bragging rights also stayed home this year, except for a couple of speedy friends who waved to me as they passed me on the road. Another big change was how they handled the waves. Last year it was young speedy men, all women, older men (above 50). This year it was Young speedy men, older speedy men, and all women. Even at my new 11:15 min/mile pace, I am still slower than many runners, but the other way there were men passing me as I ran the first two miles. This way, I was alone within the first two minutes.

Other than that, the race was exactly the same as last year. The same older man played the national anthem on his trumpet before putting it away and racing. Each interval started three minutes apart. It was the same course. It was the same 2 miles running-10 miles biking-2 miles running. It was the same transition area. Oh, they also took away the Athena self-identifying category for women weighing more than 140 pounds (only one woman signed up for it, I was planning to this year -- I'm 5'9", 139 looks too scrawny on me). I would have taken any award on my birthday.

The biking went much smoother. I was on my own bike instead of Ashley's bicycle. I loved wearing my new Sparkle Skirt and am already dreaming about which one I want to put on my wish list. It really is the perfect skirt for running and biking. I even passes a 17-year old boy on the biking portion -- note he had a four minute head start on me AND he was riding a much lighter bicycle.

The running portion was doing fine until I second-guessed the arrow and went in the wrong direction. That's what happens when you fall behind everyone else. Argh. At least this year the person at the turn around stayed in his post until the last person passed through. As I crossed the finish line I was told "they are all cheering for you!" I said "no, they are all cheering because now the roads can be opened." I was also told to use a different bike next year to go faster. Umm... I was not the slowest cyclist.

My best area was transistions -- where I was second in my age category, and 10th overall out over over 140 participants. I wore sneakers the whole time, and stored my helmet in my basket. By having a kickstand, I could put my bike on the very end and just go. No need to change shoes or do anything complicated. Coming back, I forgot to grab my baseball cap (which was in my basket) so my transition time was even faster. Take that spandex serious men!

Subtract six minutes to get a more accurate finish time. I gave it my all and felt deflated in the end. Not a good start to my birthday. Other people said people seemed to be taking it way too seriously. We saw someone lifting their bicycle to the start line so the tires would not have to go on grass or parking lot? People were treating it as the Tour de France and not a local race.

I have no desire to ever do this race again. Too bad, because I really enjoyed it the first year.

I shaved 7 minutes off of my time from last year. That has to be worth something. Technically, while I crossed the finish line last, the 17 year old boy came in last place as he had a six minute head start on me, and only crossed seconds before me (darn wrong turn!).

PS: The phrase Red Lantern is based on the book Lanterne Rouge Don was reading as I did this race. It is the unofficial term given to the person who finishes last in the Tour de France.

Full Moon Bike Ride

During August's full moon, 670 people gathered to ride from Rosedale Park to Mercer Meadow's Pole Farm and back again. This is one of those events that sounds so much better reading about it than it feels in reality. Reminded me of decided to stroll through a rain forest on the island of Kauia, Hawaii in what was deemed the rainiest spot on early, only to realize as we were there (and not lounging on a beach) that is a nice way of saying the muddiest place on earth.

The thought of taking a full moon bike ride through a field sounds lovely. The ride was slated to start at 9 PM. According to someone in the know, people started to arrive at 7:30 and were insistent on doing the ride a full hour before the sun set and the moon rose. These are open spaces, you can ride on these trails during any given day. What was special about this event was you could ride on the trails legally after the park closed.

We live near the mid-point of the ride, so we decided to ride to the start rather than try to park at Rosedale. After all, where were they going to fit cars for 670 riders?

I thought we allowed plenty of time, but just as we were within a half a mile of the start of this six mile ride, bicyclists started coming at us with a vengeance. We pulled to the side to let them pass. My pictures aren't very good because, well, we were in a field in the dark and the targets were moving. Enough of taking bad pictures, we found a gap and joined in the group.

For a "family-friendly" ride, I was struggling to keep up with this batch of cyclists. When we got closer to home, Ashley and I bailed and went straight to our house (remember these are trails I ride and run on at least weekly). We made it home by 9:07. This was my first clue the ride started early. There was no way I could have ridden six miles in only seven minutes.

What happened?

Someone in the know said the people waiting were getting restless, so they let them start early. Gee thanks, for those of us doing the reverse ride to get to the start.

Don continued on. When he got to the point where we joined the riders, he decided to do the loop a second time and then come home since our car was at home and not in Rosedale Park.

Some people thought the full moon would illuminate their path, and they had no need for a light. Many others were slower than me. Some seemed to show up around 9:30 for a 9:00 ride.

This was the second time Lawrence Hopewell Trail and Mercer County Park organized this ride. They felt it was a success. Of course my impression may have been tainted by what I saw (or rather could not see) on the ride:

That's right. I had a lovely view of the inside of my basket. If I shined my light higher so I could see outside of the basket, I was told I was blinding other cyclists (not sure how since I could only see their backs and not their eyes), but if I shined it the right level, I could not see the ground in front of me and it was useless.

If there is a next time for me to ride in the dark, I'll have to try mounting the light to the front of the basket.

HERE is an article about the ride.

Hester Young - Author Talk

Hester Young spoke last night at the Princeton Public Library. 

I know Hester is not yet a household name, but if the next two books in her planned trilogy are as good as "The Gates of Evangeline" is, it will be.

Hester spoke about spending seven years writing her debut novel, but now that she has a contract for three books (more if things go well), she has had to really focus on writing. Book two will (hopefully) come out next fall.

Even though her book only came out the day before and only a handful of people would have had the chance to read it, the audience asked great questions. Hester lives in New Jersey, but went to Louisiana with her husband and two small children to do on-site research, and visit family who made a serendipitous move to that area after she decided that would be the setting of her debut novel.

Her novel features premonitions that lead the main character Charlotte "Charlie" Cates to make decisions, and to solve crimes. She talked about personal premonitions, and one serious one her grandmother had that haunted her.

Though suffering from a cold, Hester read long passages from the book, that had I not already read it would have left me yearning for more. Her pacing is fabulous.

Both Hester and "Charlie" come across as women you'd love to meet at a coffee shop and chat the day away. I would love to get together with any of my friends who read the book and chat about it over some tea.

Ashley's European Adventures

I am accepting that this is the closest to a blog post I am going to get out of Ashley about her trip to Europe. Blogging is my thing, not hers, not Don's. The following is  thank you she sent to people who purchased her artwork to help fund her trip to Europe:

Thank you for supporting me and my trip to Europe. I went to England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany , Austria, and Switzerland in 20 days. My favorite country was Belgium, and my favorite part was the homestay in Frankfort, Germany. Another highlight was singing "The Hills art Alive" on the hills of Austria, where they filmed "The Sound of Music." In one day we traveled through five countries (I had breakfast in Germany, lunch in Switzerland, drove through France, had a bathroom break in Lichtenstein, and had dinner in Austria). My least favorite food was the escargot, which I spit out instead of swallowing (it tasted okay, but I thought the texture was gross). My favorite souvenir was chocolate. I came back an inch taller and I took over a thousand pictures. I had an amazing time and got along well with everyone.

For a little bit more reading: Lessons Learned

Ashley's Beautiful Lengths donation

Last month Ashley reached the point she was ready to cut her long hair and donate it to a worthy cause. I was a bit apprehensive. Back when she was in first grade, she made the same proclamation, she was in tears the next day and insisting I "glue it back on!"

Ashley, first grade, before

Ashley, first grade, during

Ashley, first grade, after

We talked about it for months while the hair grew long enough to be cut. Ashley wanted to donate about 8, maybe 9 inches. Most of the places accepting donations for wigs want the hair to be closer to a foot. My sister, Melissa, told me about Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program. They only require 8 inches.

Back to Christine at Artistic Designs in Pennington.

Ashley, 8th grade, before

Ashley, 8th grade, during

Ashley, 8th grade, after

 Is it my imagination or does she suddenly look older?

Ashley admitted she does not miss her hair as much as she thought she would. She also said "in about a year it will be back to where it was before I cut it." So mature inside and out. Love this girl!

Rotary Friends

Back in the fall of 1986 I made one of the biggest, yet easiest, decisions of my life up until that point: I applied to be a Rotary Exchange Student. Each year my high school accepted one or two students a year. I often became friends with them, but promptly lost touch with them when they returned home.

I graduated from high school in 1987. A few months later I boarded a plane to spend a year as an exchange student at L'ecole Benedictine de Pays Notre Dame de Liege, in Belgium. I stayed with three host families -- who (for the most part) I have also lost touch with. In 1987/1988 the internet was fairly new. I had a friend named Michel who worked for a university and was able to connect me (via the internet) to make a phone call to my dad at work to thank me for some small favor I did. You guessed it, I have lost touch with Michel also, though he did visit me in New Jersey in 1989 or so.

On our most recent trip to Canada I reconnected with a few Rotary Exchange students. Thanks to the magic of a thing called FaceBook I am now back in touch with some of my Rotary friend.

Marlene and I met for lunch and a spin through the art museum. As she was a college student when I was a high school student, I think of her as my honorary big sister.

A few days later, I met up with Johanna for lunch in the Griffintown section of Montreal, and a spin through the Atwater Market. It turned out to be a beautiful day so lots of walking was in our plans, as well as lots of gabbing, and lots of giggling ("bottomless pants" is now a new expression).

On our way home from Canada we made a stop in Binghamton for (you guessed it) lunch and to catch up with Dana and his daughter, Sydney.

I'm grateful my parents gave me this opportunity. I'm hopeful through the magic of the internet, I'll reconnect with even more people from this pivotal stage in my life.