From the mountains to the ocean . . .

After a little more time in the mountains of Pennsylvania, we moved on to the coast of New Jersey. We stowed Possum at a friend’s house and took up residence in my brother and sister-in-law’s awesome guest quarters in Red Bank.

Last year we saw a wagon along the rail trail. This year we found the source and finished up our stay with a covered wagon ride along Pine Creek. It was fun and educational.

Hills Creek State Park is near Corning NY, so before we left the area we spent some time at the Corning Glass Museum. It offers a great combination of history, science and art. Well worth a stop if you are ever in the area.

At right: Fragrance bottles, Corning Glass Museum, Corning NY

We were worried that Koko would chase my brother’s cats. After all she chases squirrels and rabbits in our yard. What we got was quite the opposite. Boz, the more aggressive of the cats, put the fear of God into her with one good hiss and swipe. She spent that night under the bed. Since then, we have had peaceful coexistence. I think Koko would like to be his friend, but he is not having any of that.

Although the extended forecast for NJ called for rain, we have had perfect weather for beach time, hikes with the dog in two nice, nearby parks, and our standard trip to the Seaside Park boardwalk. On our first day at the beach, we were rewarded with a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins and plenty of shore birds.. On the second day, we saw more dolphins and a spectacular Humpback Whale show. He was a good way off shore, but he was breaching so high he was impossible to miss. The best display I have ever seen.

Today we are off to visit friends in Connecticut. Then a few more days back in NJ and we will be off again. For more pics from this week beyond the ‘hood, click here.