Off On Another Adventure

by FabricGreetings

If all goes according to plans, our daughter and I are off this morning on another adventure. We take one every Summer as soon as her school librarian job ends.

These Mother/Daughter road trips started about 8 years ago when she invited me to go with her on a trip to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. She had been there several times with a friend and had become enthralled with the place. So off we went on our first adventure. It was fun and I enjoyed the trip. Her love of the Biltmore continues to grow. And after spending a Summer as an intern in the Archival Library as part of her MLIS program, Vanderbilt just runs through her veins. Every year since, we drive South to her “happy place”.

But this year will be different. She has decided that she wants to explore the Vanderbilt legacy in Newport, Rhode Island. There are actually two Summer cottages that belonged to the Vanderbilts in Newport. The Breakers was the summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt. It is a spectacular home and not what I would ever consider a “cottage”. The other Vanderbilt Mansion is Marble House, home to Mr. And Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt. I have no idea how they are related, but I am sure our daughter has the lineage down pat. She is quite up on everything Vanderbilt.

www.newportmansions.org/explore/the-breakers
www.newportmansions.org/explore/marble-house

After a few days in Newport and the surrounding area – maybe a side trip to Providence, we are going to head to western Massachusetts to see her adopted Gramma. Gramma Betty is 94 and now lives with her son and daughter in law. It has been eight years since they have been able to visit. This is a big surprise for Gramma Betty and I know she will be thrilled. Her DIL knows we are coming, so we don't have to worry about her not being home.

The final leg of our journey, after a stop over in Albany, NY to visit my Godson and family will be the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site in Hyde Park, New York. This mansion was used primarily in the Spring and the Fall. In the Summer the family headed to Newport.

www.hvnet.com/houses/vanderbilt/

This home is a bit different from the Newport ones as it is part of the National Park Service. The homes in Newport are part of the Preservation Society of Newport County. The Biltmore Estate in Asheville is owned by the Biltmore Company and run by family members.

Five days spent with our daughter will be fun. We aren't really Mother and Daughter on these trips, but rather two friends having a good time. Of course one friend is considerably older than the other. And the younger one makes sure the older is fed and rested and having a good time. And the older one occasionally checks the speedometer.

Seeing all the grandeur of by gone days is interesting. But getting back to our own nests will be good too. It is fun to see how the elite lived, but it is better to enjoy how we live in our own little homes and apartments.