Seeking Warmth 2026 and then Babysitting in NYC

 Seeking Warmth 2026 and then Babysitting in NYC- Feb.- March 2026

Short version of Seeking Warmth- too much time driving, we did not time it well enough to avoid the really cold weather and the ice.

Short version of Babysitting- Lots of steps in that house.

Mon. 2/23- Drove Richmond to Southport NC. Got in late after 4 hours plus driving. I may have eaten Panera three meals in a row. Did we even see Southport? I think we drove through the next morning but it wasn't as great as I expected. Still cold. 

2/24- Southport to Beaufort SC- 3 1/2 hours driving. Anchorage 1770 B&B, which we had visited on our walking tour Super Bowl weekend 2025. Extremely high bed- hard to get in and out of. The weather was still cold and the town was mostly closed up. Not many fellow tourists walking around. Is the SC Beaufort Bofort or Bufort?

2/25- New territory- Beaufort to New Smyrna Beach Florida. About 4 hours, hard getting around Jacksonville. We visited a Buccee's for the first time. Yes, I liked the brisket sandwich but the most impressive thing was the aggressive grackles. In New Smyrna, we stayed at the Anchor Inn in the Mermaid Room. Next morning's breakfast included a long discussion with the other patrons and the host about the Moody Blues. Great breakfast entree- crescent roll done as french toast then stuffed with cream cheese and blueberries.

 

 

 

This is a grackle on the hood of my car.

 

Thursday, 2/26- We both got in good, scenic, waterfront walks in the morning. Then we went over to the Cape Canaveral/ Titusville State Park and creeped along a nature trail. The water was really low but we saw lots of variety of birds- osprey, white ibis, little blue herons, reddish herons, striped herons, grebes, and anhingas. With help from the car in front of us we also saw a couple of gators. Looked for manatees at a couple of places without luck.

 

We then drove into Palm Beach.

2/27-3/2- Palm Beach courtesy of John and Meg. A couple of dinners from Amici. Brunch Saturday with Daniel and Maria (first time in about three years). EIG was supposed to join us but she was home dealing with a serious health problem with her cat. Good meeting in Palm Beach Gardens on Friday. We got the books, some art for the FDG Museum, and a fishing rod or two from the SarABeth. 

Mon. 3/2 time to head back north. PB to Saint Augustine FL. We stayed in the Peridot (a semi precious stone greenish in color) in a creaky old B&B, called the Carriage Way.  Did one of those Hop on Hop off trolley tours to see the city, ate at a good BBQ place near the inn. C says she doesn't need to come back to St. A. It may be that Harley Week interfered with the charms of the old city. The photo below is from Magnolia Avenue but I only saw Live Oaks.

 

3/3- St. Augustine to Charleston, the second longest day of driving and getting around Jax. We stopped at Peach World along the way. The Harbor Inn in Charleston is the place to stay. Great walking all around but especially on the wall. We had dinner at Henry's near the market. 

3/4- We drove from Charleston to New Bern, NC, the longest day of driving. New Bern has grown up a lot since when I passed through going to Camp Sea Gull as a kid. The hotel had a great burger. 

 

3/5- New Bern to Edenton via Oriental. I tried to visit Camp Sea Gull but the gate was locked. The Inner Banks Inn was another creaky one with a high bed but a good breakfast. It turned out there was another building, the Pack House, an old tobacco warehouse turned into more modern rooms. Next time I'll ask for that.

Two photos from Edenton- mural outside Hewes store now a mini Orvis, and a place marker for Hewes, who was instrumental in founding the US Navy.

 

 

Fri. 3/6- Edenton to Durham where we stayed in the 21C Museum Hotel in downtown. That night we went to a Tapas bar for the first time and had some great small plates but we ordered 1 1/2 too many. The couple at the next table got the benefit of that. 

 

On Saturday 3/7, we had the highlights of the trip- we had lunch at the Wash Duke Inn with some DUSON folks and a couple of very impressive students. Then we went to the Duke UNC game at Cameron, courtesy of the nursing school. Our seats were not on the floor in the end zone and not behind a pillar this time.

 

On Sunday 3/8 we arrived back in Richmond to stay for a week before...

3/15- AMTRAK Richmond to NYC. This trip we figured out the subway sooner. 

3/15- 3/22- we had a great time with the girls while M&J went to a yoga retreat. We walked the girls to school, walked the dog, walked up and down the steps, ate breakfast tacos, went to the play ground, went to the Zoo, read a lot of kiddie books, and got to watch KPOP Demon Hunters! Since I decided to read the Brooklyn Bridge book by David McCullough, I also walked over the Brooklyn Bridge. One afternoon we had a babysitter for the babysitters and went to a matinee of Ragtime, which was excellent.

  

 

 

 

3/22- uneventful AMTRAK ride home.  

   

Bennington Vt for Jill’s MFA graduation Jan 16-19 2026

 11 out of 16 of my team- Michael and family drove up; Graham and kids drove up; Jill already there; C and I flew in via PHL.

C and I stayed Thursday night in the Four Chimneys Inn in Bennington. We found a great tiny diner called Blue Benn, started in 1948. I had a monster sized quesadilla which we got three meals out of. The next morning after breakfast at the Inn we went to the AirBNB Jill rented for all of us. 

It was called The Henry House, built in 1769, right across the street from a covered bridge. Plus side- a great kitchen, beautiful wide pine plank floors, plenty of bedrooms and baths, huge old fireplace. Minus side- Heat was good in some parts and not in others; hard to find the thermostats; fireplace room was smoky; on the second floor there was one bath room with hot water, so no true shower for me for three days.

 

In the afternoon C and I went to Manchester to Northshire Books which is a really great bookstore- for kids, for used books, for current ones. Then we stopped in the Orvis Manchester store which left me a little cold- definitely not the same kind of experience as at LLBean.

 

Friday night we all met for dinner in the B’ton student cafeteria which was surprisingly good and had something for everyone from 2-78, vegetarian and non.

Saturday it started snowing on and off. Lunch at Blue Benn and a knitting shop and another book store. Graduation was that night (why, B’ton Admin, have a graduation in bleak mid winter in Vermont?). It was a simple ceremony but the students in Jill’s cohort looked like they had a lot of team spirit and bonding over the three years.

Sunday, a short walk in the snow with Caillou, and inside pretty much all day. 

 

Monday, everyone left pretty early except C and me. As usual, I had a nervous time driving to Albany worrying about catching the plane. We made the connections. C and I both picked up a virus and spent most of the flights ailing (as well as the next few days).