Planning some more.

After a couple off days just for 'life' in general - (a mammogram- ugh and some other issues that I am too polite to mention) I worked a bit today. I can't decide when to leave. Earlier means I have more time in places before Rhinebeck, *which I *HAVE* to be there on the Sixth. But that means I don't know when I will be there for the stuff I need to reserve. I hate saying 'I will be there the first week or the second week...' Some of this will probably just have to be on the fly...perhaps. How can you plan if you aren't sure how long things are going to take? I don't know if my search will take an hour or all day. If I will get side-tracked or what. I tend to do that...get side-tracked I mean. Like right now. I guess, I will know when I need to leave. I tend to know when I am suppose to do stuff, but the not-knowing makes it hard to plan. Does it sound like I am going around in circles here. I am. I am.

Count down...

Twenty-nine more days- max. Til' I leave for my trip. Or it might be 26...depends on things. I still have things to get ready, and things to shop for. Mostly, I am going to be waiting. Waiting for return phone-calls. Waiting for the money to come in, waiting until it feels right to go. I need to doctor up some photos--take out the defects and specks. I decided as a gift to the ones who are doing these things for me, to give copies of some very special Astor Photographs. To the owner of Astor-courts, I am going to give to her an original photo that I have. It would mean more that way. I hope she likes it.

Beechwood

Argh!!! I waited one year too long. Beechwood has been sold! I sent an e-mail but it was returned. I do have the name of the supposed current owner with an address who I will write tomorrow. His wife is a novelist, so perhaps because of that-- he might be sympathetic. I just want a tour, not to buy the place. I might just show up and see what happens. Maybe it will be sold or given to the Newport Preservation people or maybe they will keep running it as a tourist place or maybe it will be a private home that if you ask nicely...you can see. :( I'm sad...

Plugging away...

Got the time line for my trip done...and it looks like if we don't do anything but our research and not dawdle on the way...we ought to be able to hit every spot I need to, and a lot of I want to. I have details to finish and a lot of people to start contacting for various stops. All of which I can't do until Monday because ...nobody answers phone calls from pushy researchers...did I say pushy? I meant to say,...um...dedicated researchers...that's the ticket. I am tired and want to go to bed, but I still have my regular writing work to do. Ugh. Don't you just hate those days when all you want to do is sleep and sleep is the last thing you should do if you want to stay productive?

Rhinebeck

While I was in Omaha visiting Nebraska, I made contact with the head of the Rhinebeck Historical Society and the Museum of Rhinebeck History. Between the two of them (I am not listing their names to respect their privacy...not that there's a big risk of all these Astor groupies flooding them with requests ...but you never know...) There is so much potential history there and material for my books, ...more than there was at Stanford. Here I have listings to drool over, and to fantasize about and well-- ahem, more than enough to make all of the trip coming up worth while. I should have kept this blog updated with the whole back and forth between us -- but, I didn't but I do promise to do better in the future. Today, I am trying just to catch up and get back in routine and the time is running away with me and I am struggling to get laundry done and to get the house cleaned up and the finances cleaned up and ...and...and...fighting a migraine as I go. I promise to bore you...I mean, write a better blog tomorrow.

Planning for Trip

Starting today, I am going to be working on the actual trip planning needed for this massive trip. I like the idea of doing two lesser trips into one more major trip...and if I can get New York out of the way...that would be cool, as well. I ended up using this month travel money on various things that needed fixing and on some other stuff that I ended up with NOTHING in my travel fund at all!!! My inner travel person had a major fit but after a brief discussion with my husband...I think we'll be okay. I hope. I hope!

Still not doing much...

I am having the most difficult time getting back into routine. I am researching...*cough--not much--cough, cough*...but without making much headway. *sigh* I promise to try harder, tomorrow...always tomorrow.

I did make a firm decision about my trip in August...No planes, we're going to drive in order to have the maximum flexibility in doing what I am doing. I know that I run the risk of finding no vacant rooms, etc. because it will be August, the height of the vacation season. Yet, it is the only time that Richard can come with me, and it would be the same time period that the Astors were at Bar Harbor and Newport. If Richard runs out of time, I have decided that I'll let him drive home, then I'll rent a rental car and finish what I have to do, then fly home. Or take a bus, or a train...or whatever. But we have 25 days with a possibility of maybe, just maybe, a week more. Anddddd, I am going to do all the stuff that we had planned for the May trip as an added bonus...so basically, head to Florida, then North Carolina, Washington, New York, Ferncliff, Newport and Bar Harbor. Some places will only need a day, others--??? who knows. So driving our own car will help keep us moving...or not.

Richard did manage to throw one sour note in all of this...but I just thought of a plus side to it. He said they are talking that because of the oil spill, that gas will possibly go up to five dollars or more a gallon. Yikes! Still, I am going. We might sleep in the kia, but we are going. The positive on that would be there would be less people traveling during that peak season, so less likely not to find an open room. This could work.