In late fall, we ventured north again from our Georgia home base. For the first time in our motorhome travels, we went as far north as lower New York (NY). These months were filled with beautiful scenery as we rode the wave of fall from south to north and south again between late September and early December. Besides the splendor of fall colors, this stretch of our adventure had emotional highs and lows. The best parts were spending time with family and friends, including book events, a wedding, and Thanksgiving. But there was also time for reflection and healing. During this time, we attended funerals in NY and NC and visited graves of family members in both states.
Right after leaving Marietta, we briefly stayed with family in Ellijay, GA, and Charlotte, NC. My brother Greg took us out for a boat ride on Lake Norman. After that, we spent one night at Twin Lakes State Park in Virginia. We didn’t get to explore much, but we had a nice morning walk around one of the lakes before continuing to our old stopping ground in Maryland. It was late September, and we were starting to see the first colors of fall.
On our way to Annapolis, we discovered a great seafood restaurant on the Potomac River. At Wilkerson’s, we stuffed ourselves with many fried oysters! During our time in the Baltimore/Annapolis/DC area, we enjoyed reconnecting with friends, former coworkers, and past neighbors. While staying with friends in our last neighborhood, we witnessed a dramatic transformation of our old street. Since we had left, the lot across the street had been partly cleared (in preparation for a new house). And by coincidence, our prior home was completely torn down during our visit. Watching that was an interesting experience!
We arrived in Larchmont, NY, on the evening of Oct 15th, just in time to attend the Happily Ever After party of my niece and her newly married husband. The event was a lively and fun celebration held at the Larchmont Yacht Club (LYC). This location has been the site of a variety of family functions in recent years, both happy and sad. During this visit, it was also the location for a funeral reception and the book launch for my sister and me. Besides time with family, I reconnected with longtime friends.
Thankfully we were able to park our RV and boondock in the LYC parking lot. As it turns out, parking and driving a motorhome in Westchester County (the suburbs right above NYC) is quite a pain in the a—(outside of a campground). For example, in my hometown, you are not allowed to park any vehicle on the street overnight nor can you park any RV in your driveway. The rules in many parts of the surrounding area were similar. We worked it out, but it was challenging. And on top of that, you are not allowed to drive motorhomes on parkways. As you may know, in 1908, the first section of the New York (NYS) Parkway system was created to provide scenic views to new car owners. These parkways were designed for vehicles of that day and there are numerous stone bridges with archways that limit the height of a vehicle passing underneath. Due to this, it was a challenge to get from Larchmont to Croton Point Campground, only 28 miles away. It was also tough to get to and from Long Island. As a result, I can safely say that we will never bring our motorhome to lower NY again!
The only campground stay during our time in NY was at Croton Point Park in Westchester County. It is large and beautiful, with an oasis of trees only a train ride from Manhattan. Ironically, it was built on an old landfill, and when you stand at the “top of the mound,” you see incredible views along the Hudson River. Adding to the contrast, you can also see the medieval-looking and infamous Sing Sing Correctional Facility in the distance.
It was late October, and the fall leaves were peaking. We walked all of the trails within the park and the nearby Westchester River Walk in the town of Croton on Hudson. We visited nearby sites like Croton Dam and the Jane E. Lytle Memorial Croton Arboretum.
I treasured this place of peace and beauty. It was nice to take a deep breath between the long process of creating my book and the book launch activities. I also appreciated the sentiment of being “home” and camping in the County where I had grown up (even though I had never been to Croton Park before). Funny enough, Jason went to Somers High School in the same County (though we did not meet until college), so this time was a bit nostalgic for him too.
After a week of camping, it was back to Larchmont (my hometown) for the start of book-launching activities in Westchester and Long Island. There were a series of events at local places, including bookstores and libraries. I kicked it off with a virtual pre-launch which was followed by an in-person dual book launch at the Larchmont Yacht Club. My mom and sister Christina hosted the event for me and another sister Lisa, who launched a two-book fiction romance series at the same time as my career book. The family bonding was great, and it was so much fun to spend time with Lisa as a fellow author. We spoke about our books in the elegant and cozy LYC library and toasted the occasion with Prosecco. Besides family, there were new friends along with guests who I’ve known most of my life. In fact, I was lucky enough to have four girlfriends attend who I’ve known since elementary school. There was serious female bonding that day!
Beyond Westchester, we spent the bulk of our time on the lower fork of Long Island. During November, the town and beach were pleasantly uncrowded, and the fall weather allowed for kayak rides in our inflatable, even on Thanksgiving Day. Nature provided. We saw many beautiful sunsets. Again, I found myself discovering new parks I had never been to (even though I spent many summers in the area), like Pine Neck Nature Sanctuary and Quogue Wildlife Rescue. It was enjoyable and healing to connect with family and friends during this time. On our way back to Georgia for Christmas, we made a stop in Raleigh to attend a funeral and visit the grave sites of Jason’s ancestors. While staying with friends there, we also visited a nephew, watched the US vs. Netherland World Cup soccer game, ate at some yummy restaurants, and saw the town of Cary in its full holiday glory. Next time I’ll pick up where I left off. Until then…
P.S. I held a book event on March 8th to celebrate International Women’s Day. Here is the recording.
