Day 51, Making Time, Reflections on "Double Check," and my Use of Time

Our local Princeton guides, Lisa and Tony, have been reading my blog and had the day pretty well planned out even before we got here.

It started out at The Gingered Peach, a local pastry shop near Trenton. If their recommendation wasn't enough, the line outside when we arrived made absolutely was the kind that makes you think "this place is pretty special." Since we couldn't decide, we talked Lisa and Tony into cutting each pastry into four so we could taste multiple items. We got five. Not sure if they had picnic tables outside before the pandemic, but it was a lovely morning and the perfect place to share our pastries In the end, the pecan sticky bun had two votes for the favorite. Mine was the guava and cheese danish. All were delicious.

The Trenton Farmers Market is a mixture of local farmers, Amish specialties, and crafts folks. I had a shopping list and, since we were still pretty full from breakfast, managed to stick to it - no Amish foods for us.

Right across the parking lot is Halo Farm. They have an ice cream shop in Princeton but here is where they make it. They claim to be the largest micro creamery in the United States. They sell their pints of ice cream "Buy 2, Get 1 Free." So, we obliged. We mused how we'd gotten three pints of ice cream for less than half of the cost of yesterday's ice cream at The Bent Spoon. Halo is more the old-fashion type of ice cream, but it was thoroughly enjoyed for dessert this evening.

We stopped at a grocery store. While Lisa had researched and recommended a one-off local store, we chose Wegman's to round out next week's meals. For our West Coast friends, Wegman's began in the Rochester, NY area and has grown to be 106 stores mostly on the East Coast. They are so well thought of that people camp out the night before store openings. The stores are massive and always seem crowded but are known for their meats, fish, and fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Our day included Grounds for Sculpture, an outdoor sculpture garden with over 300 pieces on display. Much of the art is that of Seward Johnson, grandson of Robert Wood Johnson, one of the founders of Johnson and Johnson. The grounds themselves had been the New Jersey State Fairgrounds. Seward Johnson purchased them and then installed his work and that of other artists on the grounds. 

This picture shows a few of the pieces. Those are not real people on the ground :-) So much of the art is playful. It is easy to have it lift your spirits.

He donated the park. It is now a not-for-profit foundation. I have seen Seward Johnson's work over the years but not realized it. One of his most famous sculptures is Awakening which spent many years in Washington, DC until Congress decided that since it was not a commemorative statue, it had to be moved. It is now in Rome. Many of his pieces on the grounds are tableaux of impressionist paintings.

This painter is painting the scene of the statues in from of him, which are a reenactment of a painting.

It was fun seeing people sit along with the statues and take their photos - we did a few ourselves. One of the most fun things is that as you drive through the town to get to the Grounds for Sculpture, there are pieces, mostly Seward's along the street. That way anyone can see and appreciate the art.

One of the most moving pieces, especially given today is the 20th anniversary of the 9-11 bombings, is this one.

This is one of Johnson's bronze pieces, Double Check. It shows a man checking his watch. It was on display outside the World Trade Center when the Towers fell. Amazingly, it survived. Soon, people began leaving mementos around the statue and it became a spot of tributes and commemorations. Johnson was so moved that he cast many of the items in bronze and added them to his sculpture. It kinda struck me as a commemorative piece but also a reminder to take the time to do the things and be with the people we love the most. Time is fleeting and tomorrow is not promised. It was quite a sobering way to end our visit to the Gardens.