Contrasts - the first big snowstorm blew in on 1 November....Today, almost a week later it's about 10 degrees centigrade...

One month ago... the beach at East Hampton, Long Island.

The plants on our balcony dusted before the storm really blew in on 1 November.

A very historic moment - Carole and Neil cross the Delaware - a hard thing for a New York/New Jersey person to do. The historic moment? 6 October...

Pat Murphy is my old school friend from Maplewood. She has known me ever since my family and I moved there from Newark in 1952 - we are sharing a delicious bread pudding desert at a restaurant in Frenchtown, New Jersey along the Delaware River. Pat now lives in the Bucks County town of Warminster. This sweet little dog - Daisy - loves to cuddle. We love her.

Here is the historic moment- Carole & Neil crossing the Delaware - captured on film. This was the day that the weather reminded us that it was autumn, not summer. Neil wasn't able to take up Pat's friend Jack's offer to go up in his glider.

The following day - 7 October -we left Warminster by train for Philadelphia Airport and flew back to Stockholm.

Back to Philadelphia - this time to stay with our friends Susan, Ulf, Charlie and Findus - their cat - 3-5 October..

This is Findus on the left. Susan and Ulf's little kitty. She has the most beautiful eyes.

Back in Philadelphia- Saw this beautiful flower that my paternal grandfather used to grow in his beloved garden - Susan, Neil and I went to the Chanticleer Gardens which are close to were Susan and Ulf live - Gladwyn, Pa.


We were treated to lunch by Ulf at the country club. Can you believe this weather? We've been so lucky.

Charlie, right, and Neil had great fun playing with Charlie's computer.

Having lunch together and Susan and me having a photo-op in the Chanticleer gardens. It's October and it looks as if spring flowers are blooming.

Susan is American and Ulf is Swedish. They recently moved to Gladwyn, Pa. leaving a big void here in Sweden.

3 October -You can't leave the Island without eating freshly cooked lobster!

Neil behind the camera, Janet, Dominick and I prepare to dine on these beautiful lobsters. Dominick prepared everything - fries, corn on the cob, cole slaw...the works.

Point Lookout, Long Island - staying with Janet and Dominick

Hard to belive that it wasn't still summer. Just had to put my feet in. The Atlantic was still warm!!...great to once again be able to put my feet in this ocean. Even Neil enjoyed it.

To the beach...out to Long Island...30 September - 3 October...

We ended the day with Margaritas at Guerny's Inn at Montauk. Another place I had always wanted to visit...any maybe one day stay at. It's right on the most beautiful wide beach.



The following day Janet, Neil and I drove along the south shore of Long Island and stopped at East Hampton - can you believe that on 2 October people were swimming and lying on the beach.

This was once a potato farm - all along the north shore there are vinyards that offer wine tasting.
We're at Pellegrini Vineyards. Neil had the fun of driving Janet's Audi convertible so he wasn't allowed to taste anything. Janet's husband Dominick had to work so he couldn't join us either.

Back to the bright lights and big city - our return to NEW YORK...the truely Big Apple 28-30 Sept.

We had a great time visiting the newly renovated Museum of Mondern Art on West 53rd St. Right done the street from the school I went to from 1961-1963.
We had out lunch in this restaurant and in a way became part of the exhibition.


Had dinner at "Elaine's" a restaurant I've wanted to go to every since I lived in NYC. Here we are with Ariane and Anders. The couple sitting together, I met in Stockholm when they tried to pinch my shopping bag in my local supermarket - Greg and Molly. The couple facing each other are Ariane and Anders. They are journalist who live in Sweden but are in NYC for a year. They were nice enough to put us up for our 2 nights in the big city.

25-28 Sept - Off to the States to look at the fall colors and to find some clues to my roots in northern Vermont...

I had decided to find out more about my maternal grandfather - Arthur Gardner Skeels and his family. About all we know is that the Skeels family came to America sometime in the late 1700's. They came to Vermont and put down roots in the St Albans/Swanton area of Vermont.

So on 25September, Neil and I flew to Philadelphia and on 26 September we took the Amtrak train called the "Vermonter" to St Albans, where we started our search.

We had seen the name "Skeels Corner" on a Vermont road map and thought I had found a lead - but to my chagrin, it was just that - a corner where two roads crossed. I'm standing at "Skeels Corner" none the wiser!

The rest of the photos are from northern Vermont not that far from the Canadian border- Neil had wanted to see the autumn leaves which we did and some other sights along the way. We ended our day at Lake Champlain by this gazebo after seeing covered bridges and pristine New England villages still confused and wondering how we could find out more about the descendants of the Skeels family - maybe they were part of the Green Mountain Boys who fought in the Revolution?? - we still are none the wiser...have to keep searching.

Me looking confused standing at Skeels Corner, Vermont!