MariJ

Thank YOU, Conda!

Yum! I'm looking for cake recipes! 🥞🥮🍰🎂🧁

Oh my goodness, I really DO have a head cold, but after keeping up with the World Tour all month, I'm sorry I don't know how I missed the final post! In the post above you can see plans for our day, it will be nice to spend one last day together! It sure was a fun month and I was so happy to spend it with all of you! 😊 @April Showers @A-M @Belle @Boatlady @Florida granny @Jane in N.Z @mimes1 @scrapgarden @Scrapin Pat @Tracy

Yay! I' m so happy to have everyone here with me and sorry I missed this earlier, I've had an awful head cold so was resting in my cabin for a bit. Not sure about the rest of the world, but for sure I can show you around some very interesting places in my town. It's only 12 miles west of New York City so driving around you can often see the skyline. It's located at the peak of the Watching mountains so very hilly - for us in NJ at least. You in the west would laugh at what we call "mountains" but driving around it's a lot of up and down some pretty steep hills! We have the Essex County Reservation in different places - preserved trails, streams, gorgeous scenery but no colorful changing leaves yet! Then there is the South Mountain Recreation Complex. At the Waterfront we can walk along the lake or on trails around and above in the hills - you might have seen them in my layouts. There's even swan paddleboats and then the wonderful Turtle Back Zoo which just opened an Island Giants Exhibit including alligators and Komodo dragons area last week! You might want to play Safari Miniature golf or ride the zip-line at the Treetop adventure. And, believe it or not, this is all a quiet, beautiful setting - not at all amusement park like. We can have a picnic lunch at the waterfront or in the hiking areas at picnic tables or eat outside at the restaurant there. Later on we can visit Thomas Edison National Park where you can walk through the laboratories where he invented so many things that changed our lives. A bit down Main street and up into Llewellyn Park we can tour his home, Glenmont. It's in the first planned community in the country and a gorgeous area of enormous houses! Right now it's gated so that's the only time to get in to view it all. Eagle Rock Reservation has the County's 911 Memorial and a piece of the World Trade Center. It overlooks NYC and droves of people went there in 2001 as the Towers were burning. It includes tree planted for each of the four downed planes and tributes to all first responders - including service dogs who searched through rubble in the days following the tragedy. On the book you see above are written the names of all the Essex County residents who lost their lives, the wall contains every single name of people who died that day. The little girl represents children who lost one or sometimes both parents that day. It's nice now to see the Freedom Tower from the site. It's all very touching and beautifully done. Highlawn Pavilion is a nice place for dinner right here and we can watch the City light up and chat together before we finish our World Tour. I'm so happy we ended up in my town! I sure will miss everyone each day. Anyone who wants to stay a bit longer - come along, plenty of room! 🤣

It sure has been a fun World Tour Cruise together with everyone , thanks and thanks to Captain April too.

You did great, Bonnie! I'm glad the directions helped. And, I love your layout! 😊