Milne as in Kiln - June 29th

Today, we em-bark-ed on a quick trip to Plymouth, Connecticut to visit Daddy's childhood friend, Jerry Milne.  This was a short day - only about a 3 hour drive.

Beautiful views along the parkway in northern Queens, NY.  Who would have guessed?

Didn't anyone have spell check? I'm sure they meant to say, "Frog's Neck". 

Nice day to cross a bridge.

Gas is expensive in NY.

We arrived in Plymouth, Connecticut, at Daddy's friend Jerry Milne's (as in kiln) house. 

This is my Uncle Jerry standing with Daddy. Unfortunately, Auntie Cathy was out-of-town.

Jerry is head of the Connecticut Bureau of Forestry, and also makes maple syrup and grows Christmas trees.

Daddy says that Jerry is one of the smartest friends he has.

Jerry and his family own this 110 yr old house, surrounded, appropriately, by lots of forest!  It was originally owned by a Union Soldier.  (Mommy NEVER thought she be standing in the home of a UNION soldier!)

Plymouth, Conn, and all the surrounding area is full of American history. This is the town of Thomaston - it's known for its clock making starting in 1803 when Eli Terry opened a factory.  Thomaston was originally known as Plymouth Hollow, but its name was changed to Thomaston to honor Seth Thomas, another clock maker.

This is a war memorial to Union Soldiers.

Jerry also made his own wooden kayaks.

Jerry decided to take Mommy & Daddy kayaking on a nearby river.
There really wasn't room for me. So I took a long nap back at the hotel.

They set off down the Bantam River, guided by their very own forest ranger!
This land was donated by the White's Woods Memorial Foundation.

Jerry and Daddy in the handmade wooden kayaks.  Doesn't Jerry look like Abe Lincoln?  That's good, because he often portrays Abe in local community presentations! 

This picture just say, "Ah-h-h-h-h"?

A big beaver swam by.  Dam!  I missed it.

Mommy and Daddy lookin' good among the water vegetation.

The Bantam River opens into this beautiful expanse of the Bantam Lake.

A helping hand is needed to get off the river!

 After the kayak trip, Mommy & Daddy thanked Uncle Jerry for such a beautiful and wonderful trip. Then they came back to the hotel to rescue me - driving through historic old towns - traveling on all roads named "Main Street".  It was a good thing, too. I was doing the pee-pee dance by the time they got back.