Country Vacations & Resorts

Now here’s a great idea for keeping things cool this hot-weather season.

The patented fibers in the Evaporative Cooling Cap use evaporation to draw heat away in warm weather, keeping your head up to 30º cooler than outside air temperature. The hat is charged by running it under cool water, then wringing out the excess.

The cap has hydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers in a three-layer fabric that conducts body heat upwards, while retaining the cool water and releasing it slowly through evaporation. Even while the middle layer holds onto water, your head remains cool and dry thanks to an inner lining that water can’t permeate. Worn dry, it also provides effective insulation during cooler weather, trapping heat at a level far greater than non-insulated hats.

Standing out in the hot sun at a ballgame just once will tell you why this is a great hat for Summer activities.

Add a pair of these Complete Protection Clarity Enhancing Sunglasses and enjoy your Summer!

Really bad weather, tornadoes, and loss of life. Our thoughts are with the residents of Alabama and Mississippi this morning.

Tornado watches for Central North Carolina this morning and for the coast by mid-day. Be safe…

Several weeks ago we began receiving some interesting “insider” info on the Royal Wedding comings and goings from My Favourite Holiday Cottages. Believe it or not, we’re now inside a week to go to the Royal Wedding Day and those of us not attending are certainly ready to share the virtual experience.

Many thanks to our friends at My Favourite Holiday Cottages for all the insight in preparation for this Royal celebration, and for all the great holiday cottage recommendations. Even if you’ll miss the wedding, visit their website for some outstanding UK vacation cottage accommodations.

We’ll be hoping for some follow-up after the main event!

Wedding Fever gathers apace in the UK this week, with just over one week to go. Union Jack Flags and bunting are appearing all over the capital and news that almost 4,000 street parties have been officially planned is probably just the tip of the iceberg (and even 4,000 is a lot for this small island). With sunshine promised and a long holiday weekend ahead, even the least committed of Royal watchers will have cause to celebrate.

Kate, who has been given her very own Coat of Arms this week, has been very involved in choosing the music for the big day, and has been helped in this by Prince Charles, her future father-in-law and an avid music fan. Two choirs, one orchestra and two fanfare teams have been practising all month in preparation for the ceremony.

All over the country public venues have been gearing up for the day. At Lanhydrock House in Cornwall visitors called either William or Katherine will be admitted for free on April 29th. It is the perfect time to visit this late Victorian country house estate, where the gardens will be filled with bluebells, rhododendrons and azaleas.

Stay nearby at 4-Star Homeleigh Farm Holiday Cottages; two traditionally built stone cottages on the edge of the charming village of Chapel Amble and within easy access of the North Cornish coast.

At the other end of the country Nunnington Hall, nestling on the quiet banks of the River Rye in North Yorkshire, is inviting guests to join in the celebrations garden-party style.

A giant TV screen will broadcast the wedding in the sheltered walled garden and themed refreshments will be available during the day. Or stay nearby at The Barn, a beautiful artistic barn conversion in peaceful countryside with lovely views.

Chatsworth House, home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, is also celebrating, and if your wedding anniversary is 29 April, you can take your wedding certificate to get free house and garden admission and a glass of champagne from the bar in the garden.

Charming Derwent House nearby is the perfect place to take some friends and enjoy the local Derbyshire countryside.

From here you can visit Chatsworth and other local beauty spots by public transport as well as reach Manchester and London by train.

Since I am heading to Fredericksburg, Virginia (glad there will not likely be a repeat of 1862!) next week, how about a little info on the nearby Battle of Chancellorsville.

Take a look at Chancellor Manor – the home taken by Union Major Hooker as his headquarters, which was thoroughly demolished by May 1863. More on the Battle of Fredericksburg…

Check out the beautiful downtown area of Fredericksburg, and take advantage of the National Military Park. US tax dollars support these parks so use them!

We’re near the end of National Parks Week (16-24 April), but you still have time for a free visit. Here are the upcoming free or discounted days, and parks, through the rest of 2011.

Time in Office: 1897-1901
Terms: Less than two – Assassinated
Birthday: January 19, 1843
Birth Place: Niles, Ohio
Date of Death: September 14, 1901
Place of Death: Buffalo, New York
Buried: McKinley Memorial, Canton, Ohio.

Notes:
~ 7th of 9 children
~ First inauguration to be filmed
~ Last veteran of the Civil War to be elected President
~ Last President of the 19th century
~ First President of the 20th century

After another tour as President (24th) by Grover Cleveland, we reach America’s 25th President, William McKinley.

Born in Niles, Ohio, McKinley’s family moved to Poland, Ohio when he was 10. He attended Mount Union College (Ohio), and Alleghany College in Pennsylvania although he left without receiving a degree. William was 18 when he enlisted in the Union Army, (23rd Ohio Infantry) in 1861. He saw battle in western Virginia and at Antietam. His superior officer, Rutherford B. Hayes, commended and promoted his bravery and William stayed with this regiment until he mustered out in 1865.

He returned to his education and attended law school in Albany. He was admitted to the bar in 1867. By 1869 he was practicing law and serving as the prosecuting attorney for Stark County. He also met his wife, Ida Saxton in 1869, but they would not marry until 1871. Campaigning for his former commander Rutherford Hayes for Governor of Ohio, McKinley first began his career in politics. Serving three non-consecutive terms in the House of Representatives, he headed powerful committees and was the author of the Mckinley Tariff.

Election of 1896 Political Poster

Elected Governor of Ohio in 1891, McKinley was concerned by the level of poverty in Ohio and at one time raised enough funds to feed, clothe, and supply more than 10,000 people. He left office in 1896 to campaign for the Republican Presidential nomination. His lack of enemies, support of gold versus gold and silver as a basis for currency, and his friendly and open nature helped elect him President. His time in office was spent on the annexation of Hawaii, business consolidation (trusts), and a strong advance into foreign markets for US producers.

In 1898, although McKinley was against it, along came the Spanish-American war. The sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor exacerbated the growing desire for war with Spain. Journalists had been feeding the fire by publishing stories of Spanish attrocities against Cubans and this war, once it started, lasted only 118 days. The US gained control of Guam and Puerto Rico from Spain and also purchased the Phillipines. With the Panic of 1893 over by 1897, and the war quickly won, McKinley easily won re-election in 1900.

He traveled to California in May 1901 visiting San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. Travel to additional northwest points was cancelled due to Mrs. McKinley’s illness. While attending the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, Mckinley took a tour of Niagra Falls and then returned to the Exposition. While out greeting the public, McKinley was shot twice in the abdomen by anarchist Leon Czolgosz. Although at first appearing to recover, and having had one bullet successfully removed, William Mckinley died of gangrene September 14, 1901, aged 58.

After a funeral held in Buffalo, the body lay in-state at Buffalo City Hall, was taken to the US Capitol, and returned to his home in Canton.

Here’s an interesting interview with Walter Breuning, who was the oldest man in the world until his death April 14th, 2011. He remembers he was having a haircut the day McKinley was shot…

Next up America’s 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt.

Time in Office: 1889-1893
Terms: One
Birthday: August 20, 1833
Birth Place: North Bend, Hamilton County, Ohio
Date of Death: March 13, 1901
Place of Death: At his home – Indianapolis, Indiana
Buried: Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana

Notes:
~ Grandson of William Henry Harrison
~ Liked to hunt and fish
~ Was once a “town crier”
~ Nicknamed “Little Ben” because he was only 5’6″ tall.
~ Won by electoral college, not popular votes
~ Brought electricity to the White House
~ First Presidential voice ever recorded
~ Only US President from Indiana
~ Followed and was followed in office by Grover Cleveland

Grandson of a President and Great-grandson of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, 23rd US President Benjamin Harrison was born into a politically active if not particularly wealthy family. The second of eight children, Benjamin’s early education took place in a one-room schoolhouse until he entered Farmer’s College in Ohio at the age of 14. Transferring to Miami University (Ohio) in 1850, Harrison completed his education by 1853 and married Carolina Scott.

Benjamin moved to Indianapolis to begin his law practice and in 1856 he was elected Indianapolis City Attorney. In 1862, at the start of the Civil War, Harrison entered the Army, serving first in recruitment, and later in the 70th Indian Infantry. His regiment at first mainly guarded railroads in Kentucky and Tennessee, but Harrison saw battle in Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign. By the time he left the Army in 1865, he was a Brigadier General.

Remaining politically active though not elected to a specific post, Harrison attended the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago, Illinois which gained him national political exposure. He was elected Senator, serving from March 1881 – 1887 and then was selected as his party’s candidate for President in 1888. Through a campaign thick with rumors of illegal voting, Harrison won the nomination not by popular vote, but by a Electoral Collage win over incumbent President Grover Cleveland.

Sworn into office in Washington, DC, March 4, 1889, Benjamin Harrison took on issues of civil service and pensions, tariffs, antitrust laws, the gold-silver controversy that would not be resolved until Cleveland’s second term, and foreign policy issues.

Harrison was interested in annexing Hawaii as a State and wanted to establish a military presence at Pearl Harbor but the Senate failed to act on Harrison’s recommended treaty during his administration. However, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington (State),Idaho, and Wyoming did become States during Harrison’s term – the most ever under any US President.

Virtual Tour

In a re-election bid for the 1892 Presidential nomination, Harrison lost to Grover Cleveland. The economic downturn that began during Harrison’s presidency would soon lead to the Panic of 1893. Harrison’s wife Caroline died of tuberculosis just prior to the election in October, and Benjamin returned to his home in Indianapolis. He was on the Board of Trustees at Purdue University, spent several months in California in 1894 while giving lectures at Stanford University, remarried in 1896, and in 1899 attended the First Peace Conference at The Hague. In 1900 he went to Paris to serve as attorney for Venezuela in their border dispute with the United Kingdom. In February 1901, a cold turned into pnuemonia and on March 13, at the age of 67, Benjamin Harrison died at his home.

Technology was on the move during Benjamin Harrison’s presidency. Electric lights in the White House, international travel by steamship versus sailing vessel, ever-increasing railroad lines and access – yet many still used the horse and buggy for local travel. Bicycles were becoming more popular, and within the next decade, automobiles would become a common site in the eastern United States.

The 24th President of the United States, Grover Cleveland.
The 25th President of the United States, William McKinley.

Why would anyone book a vacation rental at a ski area in Summer?

Why not?

~ Rates are usually at their lowest for the year.
~ Areas are less crowded than during ski season.
~ Scenery is still spectacular in warm weather months.
~ Destinations tend to offer a cooler spot for vacations taken in hot Summer months.

Do you go to the same location every year? Do you hit the beach every Summer vacation? Maybe it’s time for a change in routine and Vermont is most certainly a good place to start for Summer 2011. Lose the crowds this year – make your own “resort” on 50 acres, or 300!

One of the Mad River Valley’s finest properties, perfect for family vacations, wedding guests or a gathering of friends, Stony Hill Farm, a 5 bedroom Post & Beam Home on 27 Acres, sleeps 12- 14. Filled with natural sunlight, this gorgeous vacation property features oak pegged timber frame architecture. You can even bring your well-behaved dog!

Natural finished throughout including wooden ceilings, Douglas fir post- and- beam features and hand- planed white oak flooring.

The 5 bedroom Mountain Aire Lodge is a newly constructed chalet home overlooks the natural expanse of the Green Mountains. Set on 350 acres and just 11 miles from Killington.

Small cottages on a lake, huge homes high in the mountains. There are four seasons – take advantage of all of them this year in Vermont!

Read more about it from our “Destination V” post – lots going on this 150th anniversary year!

View a great map of the Natchez trace on our virtual trip to Jackson, Mississippi.