At Last - Back on the Road

September 24-28, 2015

I've been without my motor home all summer. I was away until about June 20-22. Then I brought it into the shop on June 30th, and picked it up on September 16th. No, it didn't need to be rebuilt; no, it didn't cost me thousands. I'm not going to bore you with details. Suffice it to say, the service departments (first one was fired) took in too much work, were overloaded and couldn't catch up. At first I wasn't bothered about it. I had no plans to go anywhere until August. But then in August it was very annoying. I had to cancel my August trip, but am now on the one in September. It's fun to be on the road again.

I joined a group of RVW (RVing Women) up in Canandaigua, NY, right in the middle of the Finger Lakes - beautiful country, and a hotbed of revolutionaries back in the 1800s. A small group of women got together for tea and complained to each other about their lack of rights. They then wrote them down in a document fashioned after the Declaration of Independence. And in 1848 they held the First Convention for Women's Rights in Seneca Falls, NY. It's amazing what can materialize from a humble spot of tea.

In Seneca Falls I visited the Women's Hall of Fame, and the Women's Rights National Historic Park. I am always in awe of the women who led the way for the rest of us. The first woman doctor, first woman lawyer, first Congresswoman. Women who were denied education in their fields and then started schools for women. Women like Rosa Parks who had had enough. Women like Billie Holiday who suffered through discrimination and degradation to pave the way for others to pursue their passions in the arts.

Being a little familiar with the first Women's National Convention held in Worcester, MA in 1851, the underground railroad and activities of the suffragettes and abolitionists, I admire and am very grateful for those who suffered in order to bring the vote to women and the elimination of slavery. I can't imagine having lived back in the early 1800s. We toured a house which had stairs that were very narrow and steep where our speaker on the history of the area stated the women would climb with a child in one arm, a candle in the other hand and 20 pounds of petticoats. Thank goodness for pants and electricity.

I also visited the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge and the Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion. You guessed it - the life of luxury. This was owned by Frederick and Mary Thompson. Frederick was a founder of what is now Citibank. My friend Valerie would love the rose gardens. Both of these attractions were very interesting, but dwarfed in comparison to all the Women's Rights history.

The next day I went to the grape festival in Naples. My friend Linda would have loved this - lots of shopping for new stuff, old stuff and rejuvenated stuff. I bought some grapes - those sweet Concord (I think) grapes used for wine. You could smell the grapes up and down the street. I noticed myself getting tipsy.

I want to come back to this area. There is so much to see - including the wineries. They have tours too, so you can leave the driving to them.