June 17th, Sunday – Tea With Eleanor, Waylaid by a Shriner Parade

Another beautiful day when we awoke today.  This being Sunday we were bound and determined to go to church.  We knew of a church just a few miles away, but we didn’t know what time worship was.  Well, isn’t that what the internet is for?  To discover such things.

I Googled Methodist Church Lubec but I could find no web site for the church.  I found a few articles that gave the name of their pastor, the size of the congregation (38 families), some of their activities, even some of the local causes they support.  But no time for worship.

So I Googled the location and zoomed in on the outside bulletin board which stated it this way:  Sunday Worship . . . .am.  That’s right just am, no time.  Ah, but wait I found a phone number for the church so at 8 am I dialed it thinking I would get a recording with the time of service.  Wrong again, I got someone out of bed who was very unhappy about being woken up.  Thus, in the end we never made it to worship.  I guess they are trying to keep their church to themselves.

OK, time now to have breakfast and then get on the road again.  Barbara whipped up a great steak and cheese omelet with a side of sausage to which I added a glass of juice and a cup of coffee.  She also had eggs and sausage and a cup of coffee.  Tummies full we now were ready to get on the road.  Just a little teaser, we went to Saint Croix International Park, and also went in search of the sculptures that we knew to be in this area.

Before we share with you today’s treasures, though, let’s finish up our time at Roosevelt Campobello International Park.  We’ve already covered the international bridge.  The two lighthouses we visited.  The Roosevelt cottage.  But we neglected to tell you, we also went off roading, so to speak in search of a sculpture which is one in a set of three that are placed here and in two other locations across America.

The three sculptures are called sunsweep.  One is in Washington, another in Minnesota, and the third is here on Campobello at Liberty Point. Thus, we made a trip to Liberty Point  in search of the sculpture.  Sad to say we never found it.  A first for us.  But we did find at Liberty Point what is referred to as frog rock

Come on now, use your imagination, surely you can see the resemblance to a frog?

Now to what was probably the most enlightening activity we participated in while at the park and that was the Tea with Eleanor which has become a favored tradition for visitors who visit the park.

There are two teas you can go to.  In the morning, which is free; or, you can pay to attend the afternoon session.  Knowing that the free tea in the morning was first come first serve, we arrived at the park early so we could get one of the 40 tickets that are issued for the morning tea.

With tickets in hand, we could hardly wait to learn more about the personal life of Eleanor Roosevelt; the longest serving First Lady of the United States (12 years), first Chairperson of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, and perhaps the most quoted women in history.  Today, the tea is held at the Wells-Shober cottage on the Roosevelt estate.

The aroma of freshly baked cookies beckoned us to enter the charming tea room.

Smiling guides welcomed us to Eleanor’s morning tea party and we settled down to sip steaming Earl Grey Tea and hear poignant stories about Eleanor Roosevelt, her life and traditions on Campobello Island.  Tanya and Debbie,

our hostesses, enthusiastically brought Eleanor into clear focus, as they related stories shared by their family members who had worked at the Roosevelt estate since the early 1900’s. Tanya reminded us that today, just as it was in Eleanor’s day, rule number one at the tea party; no talk of politics allowed!

What we learned about Eleanor was a lot.  We took away the following:

• That her early years were punctuated by the tragic deaths of her mother, father and brother, and her strict upbringing by a domineering Grandmother
• that Eleanor’s kindness and genuine interest in the community of Campobello Island endeared her to the islanders.
• She was known to invite just about everyone she saw from one afternoon to the next for tea, so the staff never knew whether to bake cookies for 10 or 50.
• Debbie laughed as she told us how Eleanor ordered dresses from the Sears Catalog to wear while on Campobello Island, so she just might be wearing the same outfit as one of her guests.
• Ever the gracious hostess, Eleanor was far more interested in people’s ideas than in their attire or social status
• During her public life as the wife of FDR Eleanor redefined the role of First Lady of the United States. Being First Lady was largely a ceremonial role, but Eleanor changed all that by holding press conferences to which only women reporters were invited.
• While Franklin broadcast his fireside chats on the radio, Eleanor took to pen and paper, authoring 27 books and penning 7,300 My Daycolumns which were syndicated in newspapers across America.
• While it wasn’t always welcomed or popular, Eleanor advocated for women’s rights, racial equality and the elimination of segregation in America.
• She traveled to the Tuskegee Airbase to shine light on African-American military pilots. When told by the secret service that if she wanted to go flying they would provide an experienced pilot for her, she instead chose one of the African-American pilots and flew with him for over an hour!
• She visited the South Pacific as a moral-building tour, visiting thousands of wounded soldiers. She would then in turn contact the family members of the wounded she had visited to let them know of their condition
• After Franklin’s death, Harry Truman appointed Eleanor as the first United States Representative to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights where she successfully lobbied for the passage of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. When it was passed we learned that she was given a standing ovation by all delegates, a first in the history of the UN
• And this for all of us to take and hold on to, despite heartbreak, hardships and unexpected challenges, Eleanor grew to be one of the most respected women of her time. She did so by meeting challenges head on with courage and a can-do attitude
• One of her favorite sayings was

So that brings to an end our time at the park.  If you can, I urge you make the time to visit the park at least one time in your lifetime.  You will never regret doing so.  And don’t miss tea time with Eleanor.  That activity alone is worth the trip up here.

One more must see while in this area and that is Wreaths Across America

But this is much too important to try to squeeze in tonight.  So, we’ll cover it in tomorrow’s blog.

In closing though, we want to share with you a funny if we can.  Saturday we were on the road with the mission of finding the sculptures that were part of the Main Sculpture Trail in this area and, of course, visiting Wreaths Across America.  We got up early wanting to do as much as possible before it became too hot in the afternoon.  And we were doing just fine until . . . . until we ran into the Machias Shriners Day Parade

For those who may not be aware of the Shriners, they are a brotherhood of men committed to family, engaged in ongoing personal growth, and dedicated to providing care for children and families in need.

The parade was on Main Street, meaning Route 1, meaning the only route through town!  Oh well, remembering that usually the situation is the boss the only thing we could do was pull over and enjoy the parade.  Here it is for you to enjoy.   There were bands

The march of big furry creatures

They even had a Coast Guard boat, well in miniature form that is

Of course we also need a fishing boat

18 wheelers also in miniature

And just in case anyone needed road side assistance

Then, of course, we had to have some race cars

Big foot truck wise also got in the act

It was a delightful diversion for almost an hour.  Once it was over we were rolling again.  As to our discoveries, I hope to finish up tomorrow what we found.  I know, I said that last night.  Just hang in there with me.  Wreaths Across America is one you don’t want to miss.  That I promise with be tomorrow’s blog.  And more.

So our day is now done, the sun has gone down, the clouds are moving in and we are expecting a storm tonight.  We have had a really good time these last few days, days full of so many new discoveries, and, of course, we’ve done it together, hand in hand, traveling along singing our song.  Now in closing one more quote from Eleanor Roosevelt:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries, let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before