July 11, 2012
We had intended to spend two nights on the road. But when we told the GPS to "go home" and it said that we would be home by 5:53, we thought we'd try to do it all in one swell foop. Our actual time of arrival on Monday July 9th was 5:17. Good work Rick!
It seems strange to be home. SiSi was confused at first, but quickly slipped back into her old routines. She really doesn't understand why she was allowed to jump into bed with us in the mornings in the RV, but is now banned from the bed at home.
It sure is great to sleep in my nice big king sized bed. My first non-navy shower was wonderful. Rick got the hot tub up and running yesterday. We enjoyed a soak under the stars last night while listening to the gators and the crickets.
We'll take a short trip (2-3 weeks) in the Fall. But we're already beginning to plan our "big trip" to begin in January 2013. We're heading west and expect to be gone for 9 to 10 months. Our rough itinerary has us heading out by the Southern route with stops in New Orleans and Alabama before spending a month in Texas. From there we'll hit New Mexico and Arizona and head up the coast of California to wine country and Yosemite. Next we'll visit Nevada and Utah before heading North, hoping to arrive in Yellowstone about July 1st. We'll explore Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota before heading east, arriving in Mystic, CT by early October. We're trying to visit all the national parks as well as all the presidential libraries and museums. We obvioulsly won't see them all in this trip, but we're going to try to make a dent in the list. If anyone has any suggestions for "must see" places along the way, please weigh in. You can send me an email or leave a comment on this blog post.
I appreciate all the positive feedback that I've received from everyone about my blog. Removing the privacy controls and posting the links on facebook has dramatically increased the number of page hits and readers who access the blog. The blogspot website allows me to see where my readers are coming from. Most hits come from the links I post on facebook. But, mysteriously, I seem to have acquired regular readers in Russia, Germany, and the UK. Someone from China logged on yesterday! Who are you guys and how did you find me????
Final Statistics:
Total Miles Travelled: 6113
Average MPG: 8
Highest Price Paid for Gas: $3.99 in Chicago
Lowest Price paid for Gas: $2.97 in South Carolina
Best Campground: Lakewood Camping Resort in Myrtle Beach
Worst Campground: Cracker Barrel in Fishkill NY where we "camped" next to the septic tank and woke to the sound (and smell) of it being pumped.
Highest Campground Price: $78.40 at Lakewood Camping Resort
Lowest Campground Price: $17.30 at Indiana Dunes State Park
Highest Temperature: 106
Lowest Temperature: 46
Best Beer: Matt's Home Brew
Best Wine: Lockwood at Blob's house
Best Meal: Trenton Lobster Pound
Worst Meal: McDonald's on the Road
Percentage of Campgrounds with trains nearby: OK, someone with better math skills than mine will have to help me, but, not counting Cracker Barrels and people's driveways, we stayed in 17 campgrounds. Nine had noise from nearby trains. Eight didn't. "A bit more than 50%" is the best my Bryn Mawr math can do.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Changing Course
July 8, 2012
Change of plans! Yesterday we were both missing our hot tub. Then Rick was describing the area where we live to someone. All of a sudden we were homesick. We had planned to head down into North Carolina and see the bottom third of The Blue Ridge Parkway, The Biltmore mansion, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Instead, we're going home. It will take us a few days, but we expect to be back on Merritt Island by Tuesday afternoon.
We headed down 95 this morning, enduring heavy traffic and slow going in the DC to Richmond corridor. The heat is still really bad. The Liberty's AC could barely keep up with the heat. Poor SiSi was a hot dog with her thick coat.
We've landed for the night at an RV park in Fayetteville, NC called Lazy Acres Campground. It's not much, but I haven't heard a train yet.
Change of plans! Yesterday we were both missing our hot tub. Then Rick was describing the area where we live to someone. All of a sudden we were homesick. We had planned to head down into North Carolina and see the bottom third of The Blue Ridge Parkway, The Biltmore mansion, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Instead, we're going home. It will take us a few days, but we expect to be back on Merritt Island by Tuesday afternoon.
We headed down 95 this morning, enduring heavy traffic and slow going in the DC to Richmond corridor. The heat is still really bad. The Liberty's AC could barely keep up with the heat. Poor SiSi was a hot dog with her thick coat.
We've landed for the night at an RV park in Fayetteville, NC called Lazy Acres Campground. It's not much, but I haven't heard a train yet.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Baltimore, Pt 2
July 4 - July 8, 2012
We've been in Baltimore for 10 days. We're ready to leave. From the day we arrived the area has been embroiled in a major heat wave. Naturally it's due to lift tomorrow, the day we leave. We've seen highs in the 90's every day, some days in the 100's. The forecast for Baltimore City today is 109.
In my last post I talked about the party that my friend Susan had last Friday for a bunch of women from my high school class. I left early because I had such a long ride back to the campground in Woodbine. My friends Weezie and Lydia stayed on for a while after everyone else had left. Susan's house is just off Gittings Ave on the city/county line. A major storm hit the area, felling several huge old trees near Susan's house. One of them hit, and totalled, Weezie's car. The other took down the power lines and blocked the road. Weezie and Lydia were stuck at Susan's house for the night with no power. The metro area saw major power outages that lasted for days. Susan didn't get her power back until Tuesday.
The second half of our time in Baltimore was a bit more quiet than the first. We had doctor's appointments, a haircut and color with my old stylist, and a meeting with our financial advisor. SiSi got groomed and we shopped for things that we can't find in Florida. (I now have five packs of Esskay turkey bacon in my freezer.) We saw more old friends and some more family. Completely by coincidence, both of my daughters, Emmy and Abby, came into Baltimore for a night. We picked up one at the train station, collected the other from the airport, and enjoyed the amazing crabcake platters at G & M Restaurant near the airport.
We had a quiet fourth. Mark and Cristin stopped by the campground. They had been in town for the weekend...again just by chance. Here they are with their dogs Chip and Tater. Later we saw Snow White and the Huntsman (I give it a 6) with Rick's daughter, Keriann.
Despite its size, everyone always says that Baltimore, or "Smalltimore" is a really small town. Last night, Rick and I met my friend Lydia and her mother Ann for dinner at Donna's reataurant in the Village of Cross Keys. There are many restaurants in Baltimore, but we chose Donna's because it is close to Ann's apartment. My ex-husband and his wife were seated at the table next to us. And two of my other friends, Susan Baker and Debbie Hebb and their husbands were seated a couple of tables away. What were the chances?
Sally, Debbie, Susan, Ann, and Lydia
Tonight we met my brother Bob (Blob) for dinner at a restaurant called The Manor Tavern. I've been to "The Tavern" many times over the years, and it has managed to stay fresh and relevant. They have joined the "locally sourced" trend, and most of the food is from local farms. They have a new vegetable and herb garden on site which provides much of their needs. They even bought their coffee cups from a local potter. The food was really good and I particularly enjoyed a drink that you only find in Baltimore and that I haven't had in years. It's called a "southside." It tastes a lot like a mojito, only better. The only problem is that they go down way too easily!Here's a picture.
Rick was in much better shape than he looks...Laura would kill me if I didn't publish the best picture of her.
Yo Blob, do you need an exorcism?
We've been in Baltimore for 10 days. We're ready to leave. From the day we arrived the area has been embroiled in a major heat wave. Naturally it's due to lift tomorrow, the day we leave. We've seen highs in the 90's every day, some days in the 100's. The forecast for Baltimore City today is 109.
In my last post I talked about the party that my friend Susan had last Friday for a bunch of women from my high school class. I left early because I had such a long ride back to the campground in Woodbine. My friends Weezie and Lydia stayed on for a while after everyone else had left. Susan's house is just off Gittings Ave on the city/county line. A major storm hit the area, felling several huge old trees near Susan's house. One of them hit, and totalled, Weezie's car. The other took down the power lines and blocked the road. Weezie and Lydia were stuck at Susan's house for the night with no power. The metro area saw major power outages that lasted for days. Susan didn't get her power back until Tuesday.
The second half of our time in Baltimore was a bit more quiet than the first. We had doctor's appointments, a haircut and color with my old stylist, and a meeting with our financial advisor. SiSi got groomed and we shopped for things that we can't find in Florida. (I now have five packs of Esskay turkey bacon in my freezer.) We saw more old friends and some more family. Completely by coincidence, both of my daughters, Emmy and Abby, came into Baltimore for a night. We picked up one at the train station, collected the other from the airport, and enjoyed the amazing crabcake platters at G & M Restaurant near the airport.
We had a quiet fourth. Mark and Cristin stopped by the campground. They had been in town for the weekend...again just by chance. Here they are with their dogs Chip and Tater. Later we saw Snow White and the Huntsman (I give it a 6) with Rick's daughter, Keriann.
Despite its size, everyone always says that Baltimore, or "Smalltimore" is a really small town. Last night, Rick and I met my friend Lydia and her mother Ann for dinner at Donna's reataurant in the Village of Cross Keys. There are many restaurants in Baltimore, but we chose Donna's because it is close to Ann's apartment. My ex-husband and his wife were seated at the table next to us. And two of my other friends, Susan Baker and Debbie Hebb and their husbands were seated a couple of tables away. What were the chances?
Tonight we met my brother Bob (Blob) for dinner at a restaurant called The Manor Tavern. I've been to "The Tavern" many times over the years, and it has managed to stay fresh and relevant. They have joined the "locally sourced" trend, and most of the food is from local farms. They have a new vegetable and herb garden on site which provides much of their needs. They even bought their coffee cups from a local potter. The food was really good and I particularly enjoyed a drink that you only find in Baltimore and that I haven't had in years. It's called a "southside." It tastes a lot like a mojito, only better. The only problem is that they go down way too easily!Here's a picture.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Back to Baltimore
June 28 - July 3, 2012
We're back in Baltimore, this time for ten days. We're staying at the Ramblin' Pines Campground in Woodbine, MD. This is the campground that Rick and I lived in for about 6 months after our house sold while I waited for my retirement date. It's a decent enough place, though it's a long drive to most of the places that we need to be while we're here. It's pretty quiet except, of course, for the nearby train. I actually don't remember the train from when we lived here. There's a good bit of development going on around here, and I wonder whether there have been some trees cut down that have increased the train noise. In any event, the train noise is only part of the fun. On one side of the campground are some fields with livestock. On the other side, about 1/2 mile away is the town landfill. This makes for some interesting smells, depending on which way the wind is blowing!
Coming back to Baltimore is all about connecting with family and old friends. On Thursday night we had dinner with two of my old friends from the State's Attorney's Office, Sherrie Bailey and Debbie Hermann and their husbands Drew and Andy. We spent about three hours in the restaurant cutting up and catching up, much to the chagrin of our waiter. Unfortunately, we forgot to bring the camera, so I didn't memorialize the event.
On Friday night I was scheduled to join a group of high school friends for a crab feast. Crab feasts are very Baltimore and very messy. The crabs are steamed in vats with Old Bay Seasoning. The feast involves sitting around a table covered with newspaper and literally tearing the crabs apart limb from limb and hammering on the claws with wooden mallets. There's usually a good bit of beer consumed, and it takes several hours to clean and eat all the crabs. But being a messy affair means that it's usually done outside, and the temperature Friday reached 106!!! It was only 93 at home on Merritt Island.
So, in any event, the steamed crabs were replaced by crabcakes, and the party moved inside.
The crab cakes were great!
What started out as three friends meeting for dinner every few months has morphed into a group of about fifteen women that get together for dinner every now and again. All of these women, (except one), were in my graduating class at Bryn Mawr. It's a pretty diverse group with regard to politics, professions, and interests.
Gay, Lydia, Clarke, Holly
Susan, Liz, Weezie, Marney
Leslie, Mary Sue, Ramsey
Bunsy
We've enjoyed several more dinners with friends since we arrived. We met my former colleagues Barbara Richmond and her husband Joel, and Mary Cunnungham and her partner Robert. No picture was good of everyone. Sorry guys.
Robert, Mary, Barb, Joel, Sally, and Rick
We had another nice dinner with my former colleague Jeanne and her sweet daughter, Ashley.
We're back in Baltimore, this time for ten days. We're staying at the Ramblin' Pines Campground in Woodbine, MD. This is the campground that Rick and I lived in for about 6 months after our house sold while I waited for my retirement date. It's a decent enough place, though it's a long drive to most of the places that we need to be while we're here. It's pretty quiet except, of course, for the nearby train. I actually don't remember the train from when we lived here. There's a good bit of development going on around here, and I wonder whether there have been some trees cut down that have increased the train noise. In any event, the train noise is only part of the fun. On one side of the campground are some fields with livestock. On the other side, about 1/2 mile away is the town landfill. This makes for some interesting smells, depending on which way the wind is blowing!
Coming back to Baltimore is all about connecting with family and old friends. On Thursday night we had dinner with two of my old friends from the State's Attorney's Office, Sherrie Bailey and Debbie Hermann and their husbands Drew and Andy. We spent about three hours in the restaurant cutting up and catching up, much to the chagrin of our waiter. Unfortunately, we forgot to bring the camera, so I didn't memorialize the event.
On Friday night I was scheduled to join a group of high school friends for a crab feast. Crab feasts are very Baltimore and very messy. The crabs are steamed in vats with Old Bay Seasoning. The feast involves sitting around a table covered with newspaper and literally tearing the crabs apart limb from limb and hammering on the claws with wooden mallets. There's usually a good bit of beer consumed, and it takes several hours to clean and eat all the crabs. But being a messy affair means that it's usually done outside, and the temperature Friday reached 106!!! It was only 93 at home on Merritt Island.
So, in any event, the steamed crabs were replaced by crabcakes, and the party moved inside.
What started out as three friends meeting for dinner every few months has morphed into a group of about fifteen women that get together for dinner every now and again. All of these women, (except one), were in my graduating class at Bryn Mawr. It's a pretty diverse group with regard to politics, professions, and interests.
We've enjoyed several more dinners with friends since we arrived. We met my former colleagues Barbara Richmond and her husband Joel, and Mary Cunnungham and her partner Robert. No picture was good of everyone. Sorry guys.
We had another nice dinner with my former colleague Jeanne and her sweet daughter, Ashley.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Gettysburg
June 26 - June 28, 2012
Rick and I have visited Gettysburg many times, both together and before we met. We each have a keen interest in civil war history, and Gettysburg is a short drive from Baltimore, our previous hometown. So when we found ourselves with a couple of unplanned nights until we were due in Baltimore, we decided to go to Gettysburg.
We like a campground in Gettysburg called Artillery Ridge. Like much of Gettysburg, it is on the actual battlefield. It has stables, and allows campers to bring their horses with them. It offers guided battlefield tours, on horseback, directly from the campground. We didn't do this on this trip, but we have done it in the past, and highly recommend it.
The campground also has a pretty amazing diorama of the battle with thousands of handpainted toy soldiers, and an excellent depiction of the town and countryside in 1863. During our last visit, the diorama was actually located in a buliding at the campground. Since then, it has been moved to an in-town location which gives it much more exposure. Campground guests receive free tickets.
Picket's Charge
The town on the first day of the battle
After spectacular victories for the South at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, many Northerners were tiring of the war's cost in blood and treasure. There was much talk about treaties and letting the South go. Robert E. Lee decided to capitalize on this, and attack the North on Northern soil. He hoped that this would further demoralize the North. He also wanted a crack at Pennsylvania's fertile fields. The North had done a good job of cutting off the supply lines for the South, and the Confederate troops were hungry.
Lee spent the early summer moving his army into Pennsylvania. They successfully hid behind the Blue Ridge, and the Federals had no idea where they were or what they were up to. When they finally found Lee's army, it was already in Pennsylvania. Federal troops were quickly moved up from Washington to engage them, and from July 1st through 3rd of 1863, the tiny town of Gettysburg became, by chance, the site of what was probably the decisive battle of the civil war.
The first two days saw victories for the South, though they were never able to gain control of the high ground. But on the third day, Lee took a huge gamble. He decided to attack the center of the union line in order to divide the Federal forces. Named for the Confederate general that led the charge, Picket's charge was a colossal failure for Lee, costing many lives and causing Lee's army to beat feet back to Virginia. And with the fall of Vicksburg the next day, the tide had turned for the Yankees. Although the war wasn't over for another two years, Gettysburg was the highwater mark for the Confederacy.
If you haven't visited Gettysburg since 2008, you really need to go back. The old visitor center which was smack in the middle of seminary ridge has been torn down, and a beautiful new visitor center has been built to replace it. The new museum was built completely with private funds which were raised by the Gettysburg Foundation. The Foundation is running the visitor's center for several more years, when it will, hopefully, have recouped its expenses in building the museum. At that time it will be turned over to the National Park Service.
One of the highlights of the new visitor's center (and there are many) is the cyclorama. Visitors to the old museum may remember the cyclorama which, while interesting, had been badly damaged with age and mistreatment. The Gettysburg Foundation spent five years and $17 million (!) to restore this beautiful and historic painting.
Before the age of motion pictures, cycloramas were all the rage. A huge battle or other scene would be painted "in the round" with the audience in the middle. Three dimensional objects would then be placed between the audience and the painting, making it seem to "come alive." A light show and narrated script then went along with it. They fell out of favor once movies began to be made, but it's an interesting genre.
The cyclorama at Gettysburg was originally displayed in Boston. The painting was cut up and moved several times, and damaged by water and fire. The Gettysburg Foundation had its work cut out for it, but they have done an amazing job. It's worth a trip to Gettysburg just to see this amazing painting.
Flash photography wasn't allowed in the Cyclorama, so I stole this from the Foundation's website. Note how the wagon wheel and greenery are 3-D, seeming to move seamlessly out of the painting.
(Oh, and PS, I forgot to metion that Artillery Ridge is a nice quiet campground...except for the nearby train! In fairness, the train was pretty far away and didn't disturb our sleep.)
Rick and I have visited Gettysburg many times, both together and before we met. We each have a keen interest in civil war history, and Gettysburg is a short drive from Baltimore, our previous hometown. So when we found ourselves with a couple of unplanned nights until we were due in Baltimore, we decided to go to Gettysburg.
We like a campground in Gettysburg called Artillery Ridge. Like much of Gettysburg, it is on the actual battlefield. It has stables, and allows campers to bring their horses with them. It offers guided battlefield tours, on horseback, directly from the campground. We didn't do this on this trip, but we have done it in the past, and highly recommend it.
The campground also has a pretty amazing diorama of the battle with thousands of handpainted toy soldiers, and an excellent depiction of the town and countryside in 1863. During our last visit, the diorama was actually located in a buliding at the campground. Since then, it has been moved to an in-town location which gives it much more exposure. Campground guests receive free tickets.
After spectacular victories for the South at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, many Northerners were tiring of the war's cost in blood and treasure. There was much talk about treaties and letting the South go. Robert E. Lee decided to capitalize on this, and attack the North on Northern soil. He hoped that this would further demoralize the North. He also wanted a crack at Pennsylvania's fertile fields. The North had done a good job of cutting off the supply lines for the South, and the Confederate troops were hungry.
Lee spent the early summer moving his army into Pennsylvania. They successfully hid behind the Blue Ridge, and the Federals had no idea where they were or what they were up to. When they finally found Lee's army, it was already in Pennsylvania. Federal troops were quickly moved up from Washington to engage them, and from July 1st through 3rd of 1863, the tiny town of Gettysburg became, by chance, the site of what was probably the decisive battle of the civil war.
The first two days saw victories for the South, though they were never able to gain control of the high ground. But on the third day, Lee took a huge gamble. He decided to attack the center of the union line in order to divide the Federal forces. Named for the Confederate general that led the charge, Picket's charge was a colossal failure for Lee, costing many lives and causing Lee's army to beat feet back to Virginia. And with the fall of Vicksburg the next day, the tide had turned for the Yankees. Although the war wasn't over for another two years, Gettysburg was the highwater mark for the Confederacy.
If you haven't visited Gettysburg since 2008, you really need to go back. The old visitor center which was smack in the middle of seminary ridge has been torn down, and a beautiful new visitor center has been built to replace it. The new museum was built completely with private funds which were raised by the Gettysburg Foundation. The Foundation is running the visitor's center for several more years, when it will, hopefully, have recouped its expenses in building the museum. At that time it will be turned over to the National Park Service.
One of the highlights of the new visitor's center (and there are many) is the cyclorama. Visitors to the old museum may remember the cyclorama which, while interesting, had been badly damaged with age and mistreatment. The Gettysburg Foundation spent five years and $17 million (!) to restore this beautiful and historic painting.
Before the age of motion pictures, cycloramas were all the rage. A huge battle or other scene would be painted "in the round" with the audience in the middle. Three dimensional objects would then be placed between the audience and the painting, making it seem to "come alive." A light show and narrated script then went along with it. They fell out of favor once movies began to be made, but it's an interesting genre.
The cyclorama at Gettysburg was originally displayed in Boston. The painting was cut up and moved several times, and damaged by water and fire. The Gettysburg Foundation had its work cut out for it, but they have done an amazing job. It's worth a trip to Gettysburg just to see this amazing painting.
(Oh, and PS, I forgot to metion that Artillery Ridge is a nice quiet campground...except for the nearby train! In fairness, the train was pretty far away and didn't disturb our sleep.)
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Turning South
June 25 - June 26, 2012
We had 6 people and two dogs for breakfast in the RV before we left NH. It was a bit tight!
We're heading south now. Still have about a month on the road before we get back to Florida, but, from now on, we'll be slowly making our way home. It feels good.
Spent the night in another Cracker Barrel in Fishkill, NY. We thought we had found the perfect place to spend the night...until the septic guy arrived at 5:30am to empty the tank located right next to the RV. We woke to really loud sucking noises and some lovely smells. We sleepily made our way into the restaurant for an early breakfast. While we were eating, the septic guy came out of the kitchen(!), came over to our table, and apologized for waking us. Yuck! That was the last person that I wanted to see at my table first thing in the am with the same shoes on he had had while sucking the septic!
We've paid many different prices for gas during this trip. The highest was $3.99 in Chicago. Yesterday we paid $3.29 in New Hampshire. This morning we paid $3.73 in Fishkill, NY. And this afternoon we paid $3.15 in Pennsylvania. A 58 cent drop in one day? What's up with that?
We had 6 people and two dogs for breakfast in the RV before we left NH. It was a bit tight!
We're heading south now. Still have about a month on the road before we get back to Florida, but, from now on, we'll be slowly making our way home. It feels good.
Spent the night in another Cracker Barrel in Fishkill, NY. We thought we had found the perfect place to spend the night...until the septic guy arrived at 5:30am to empty the tank located right next to the RV. We woke to really loud sucking noises and some lovely smells. We sleepily made our way into the restaurant for an early breakfast. While we were eating, the septic guy came out of the kitchen(!), came over to our table, and apologized for waking us. Yuck! That was the last person that I wanted to see at my table first thing in the am with the same shoes on he had had while sucking the septic!
We've paid many different prices for gas during this trip. The highest was $3.99 in Chicago. Yesterday we paid $3.29 in New Hampshire. This morning we paid $3.73 in Fishkill, NY. And this afternoon we paid $3.15 in Pennsylvania. A 58 cent drop in one day? What's up with that?
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Graduations
June 22 - June 25, 2012
My sister Emily and my brother Denny both live in New Hampshire. Emily lives in Cornish Flat and Denny lives in Conway. Both had sons graduate from high school this month. Many family members gathered at both locations last weekend to celebrate this milestone for these two remakable young men.
We spent the first two nights at my sister's place wedged between her clothes line and a wonderful babbling brook which lulled us to sleep each night. She threw an amazing party at the town hall with live music and delicious food.
My nephew, Carlos, the graduate, will be studying engineering at Univ of NH next fall. Don't worry, it's a root beer.
Carlos' brother, Moe, turned 16 the day of the party
Carlos' father, Mark Woodcock, my brother Denny, & sister Emily
Rick & my brother Bob
Rick, my brother Pete, and SiSi
My beautiful daughter, Emmy, came in from NYC & met SiSi for the first time.
Emmy brought her dog, Ellie, whom we met for the first time.
On Sunday we all drove across the mountains to my brother's place in Conway where we enjoyed another party at his lot on a pretty little lake in Madison, NH. The Liberty was parked on the same lot, where we enjoyed a lovely view of the lake.
I stole this pic from Emmy's facebook page!
My nephew, Duncan, with his brother, Zack, the other graduate. Zack will be attending college in Colorado where he will be studying to become a wind turbine tech.
My sister Emily and my brother Denny both live in New Hampshire. Emily lives in Cornish Flat and Denny lives in Conway. Both had sons graduate from high school this month. Many family members gathered at both locations last weekend to celebrate this milestone for these two remakable young men.
We spent the first two nights at my sister's place wedged between her clothes line and a wonderful babbling brook which lulled us to sleep each night. She threw an amazing party at the town hall with live music and delicious food.
My nephew, Carlos, the graduate, will be studying engineering at Univ of NH next fall. Don't worry, it's a root beer.
Carlos' brother, Moe, turned 16 the day of the party
Carlos' father, Mark Woodcock, my brother Denny, & sister Emily
Rick & my brother Bob
Rick, my brother Pete, and SiSi
My beautiful daughter, Emmy, came in from NYC & met SiSi for the first time.
Emmy brought her dog, Ellie, whom we met for the first time.
On Sunday we all drove across the mountains to my brother's place in Conway where we enjoyed another party at his lot on a pretty little lake in Madison, NH. The Liberty was parked on the same lot, where we enjoyed a lovely view of the lake.
My nephew, Duncan, with his brother, Zack, the other graduate. Zack will be attending college in Colorado where he will be studying to become a wind turbine tech.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Acadia National Park and Mt Desert Island
June 18 - 22, 2012
We spent a wonderfully relaxing week in Maine. Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park are located on Mt Desert Island. It's pronounced like the sweet you have after dinner, not the place where cactus grows, but its pronunciation ought to be Day-zairt since its from the french word, desert.
Our weather has been good, but weird. The first five days saw highs that never got out of the sixties, but the last two days were in the eighties. We never saw seventies! But the cooler temperatures made it lovely for hiking, which we have done almost every day.
This is our third visit to the area, so we have done most of the big touristy "must do's" before. This left us free to try some new things. We enjoyed several hikes that we hadn't tried before. Bar Harbor and Acadia are very dog friendly, so SiSi was welcome almost everywhere.
We drove to the top of Cadillac Mt. Maybe someday I'll be in good enough shape to hike it!
This is a view of "sand beach," unique since most of Maine's "beaches" are rocky.
On Wednesday, we took the mail boat to a little island called Islesford, aka Little Cranberry Island. The Island has only about 100 permanent residents, but that number increases in the summer with the arrival of the seasonal residents who keep "cottages" on the island. This was our hottest day, so it was a good day for a boat ride, but not such a great day for a hike, which was about all there was to do on the island.
This hike was very boggy, so we had to walk on boards.
Rick and SiSi on a more typical Maine "beach."
We had lunch twice at a restaurant in Acadia called Jordan Pond House. Dogs were welcome at their seats on the lawn, and they provided SiSi with a bowl of water. Jordan Pond House is famous for its afternoon tea and popovers. It was chilly on our first visit, so we enjoyed the popovers with some delicious seafood chowder.
At a nearby table we saw a father with his two daughters. When they were seated, the 5 year old was already sulking and crying. She had wanted to sit inside where it was warmer. Dad was threatening to spank her, and the situation was escalating. I just knew that SiSi could help! Rick told me to mind my own business, but I couldn't help myself. I told our waitress that the kids were welcome to come over and visit with SiSi, and she passed the message to them. The kids came over, and SiSi worked her magic.
I had to include this picture. When we opened the trunk to the Hyundai, SiSi jumped right in and made herself comfortable!
We spent a wonderfully relaxing week in Maine. Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park are located on Mt Desert Island. It's pronounced like the sweet you have after dinner, not the place where cactus grows, but its pronunciation ought to be Day-zairt since its from the french word, desert.
Our weather has been good, but weird. The first five days saw highs that never got out of the sixties, but the last two days were in the eighties. We never saw seventies! But the cooler temperatures made it lovely for hiking, which we have done almost every day.
This is our third visit to the area, so we have done most of the big touristy "must do's" before. This left us free to try some new things. We enjoyed several hikes that we hadn't tried before. Bar Harbor and Acadia are very dog friendly, so SiSi was welcome almost everywhere.
We drove to the top of Cadillac Mt. Maybe someday I'll be in good enough shape to hike it!
This is a view of "sand beach," unique since most of Maine's "beaches" are rocky.
On Wednesday, we took the mail boat to a little island called Islesford, aka Little Cranberry Island. The Island has only about 100 permanent residents, but that number increases in the summer with the arrival of the seasonal residents who keep "cottages" on the island. This was our hottest day, so it was a good day for a boat ride, but not such a great day for a hike, which was about all there was to do on the island.
This hike was very boggy, so we had to walk on boards.
Rick and SiSi on a more typical Maine "beach."
We had lunch twice at a restaurant in Acadia called Jordan Pond House. Dogs were welcome at their seats on the lawn, and they provided SiSi with a bowl of water. Jordan Pond House is famous for its afternoon tea and popovers. It was chilly on our first visit, so we enjoyed the popovers with some delicious seafood chowder.
At a nearby table we saw a father with his two daughters. When they were seated, the 5 year old was already sulking and crying. She had wanted to sit inside where it was warmer. Dad was threatening to spank her, and the situation was escalating. I just knew that SiSi could help! Rick told me to mind my own business, but I couldn't help myself. I told our waitress that the kids were welcome to come over and visit with SiSi, and she passed the message to them. The kids came over, and SiSi worked her magic.
I had to include this picture. When we opened the trunk to the Hyundai, SiSi jumped right in and made herself comfortable!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Bar Harbor, ME
June 16 - 17, 2012
We're in Bar Harbor, Maine for 6 or 7 nights. This is our third straight summer with a trip to Maine. We really do like it here. Folks often ask us why we keep coming back to Bar Harbor, since Bar Harbor is very crowded and there's lots more of Maine to see and like. On our first trip to Maine we stayed at some other places which were also nice, but Bar Harbor is our favorite. While there are plenty of other fun and picturesque coastal towns in Maine, none of the others have Acadia National Park.
This is our second year in a campground called Narrows Too. We like it pretty well. No trains, but this one has planes. We're next door to the Bar Harbor airport. Granted, most of the air traffic is private planes and there are no planes at night, but it's still a bit of an annoyance.
The campground overlooks the water and it's fun to watch the tidal changes. We got a really good deal for this campground with our Passport America discount, but we were restricted to the "standard" rather than "premium" sites. Here's the view from our campsite. So far nobody is in the campsite in front of us. The view will disappear when someone arrives.
There's a small island off the coast of Bar Harbor called Bar Island. At low tide, it's possible to "walk on the ocean floor" across to Bar Island. We walked over with SiSi who was fascinated with the smells on the "ocean floor."
The lupin was in bloom. I wonder if this deer walked across the ocean floor too.
After a short hike to the island's summit, we enjoyed this beautiful view of Bar Harbor across the water.
We had dinner at a "lobster pound" near the campground. Lobster pounds are very casual restaurants where you pick your own freshly caught lobster. They steam it over a wood fire outside (with corn if you want) and then they serve it to you in a metal pan. It was wonderful. I had a 1.75 pound lobster and Rick had a 2.5 pound lobster, drinks, and blueberry pie for $51. Such a deal!
We're in Bar Harbor, Maine for 6 or 7 nights. This is our third straight summer with a trip to Maine. We really do like it here. Folks often ask us why we keep coming back to Bar Harbor, since Bar Harbor is very crowded and there's lots more of Maine to see and like. On our first trip to Maine we stayed at some other places which were also nice, but Bar Harbor is our favorite. While there are plenty of other fun and picturesque coastal towns in Maine, none of the others have Acadia National Park.
This is our second year in a campground called Narrows Too. We like it pretty well. No trains, but this one has planes. We're next door to the Bar Harbor airport. Granted, most of the air traffic is private planes and there are no planes at night, but it's still a bit of an annoyance.
The campground overlooks the water and it's fun to watch the tidal changes. We got a really good deal for this campground with our Passport America discount, but we were restricted to the "standard" rather than "premium" sites. Here's the view from our campsite. So far nobody is in the campsite in front of us. The view will disappear when someone arrives.
There's a small island off the coast of Bar Harbor called Bar Island. At low tide, it's possible to "walk on the ocean floor" across to Bar Island. We walked over with SiSi who was fascinated with the smells on the "ocean floor."
The lupin was in bloom. I wonder if this deer walked across the ocean floor too.
After a short hike to the island's summit, we enjoyed this beautiful view of Bar Harbor across the water.
We had dinner at a "lobster pound" near the campground. Lobster pounds are very casual restaurants where you pick your own freshly caught lobster. They steam it over a wood fire outside (with corn if you want) and then they serve it to you in a metal pan. It was wonderful. I had a 1.75 pound lobster and Rick had a 2.5 pound lobster, drinks, and blueberry pie for $51. Such a deal!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
On the Road
June 11 - June 14, 2012
We left Michigan on Monday morning before 9:30. We drove until 5:30, spending the night in a Cracker Barrel parking lot near Elyria, OH. After enjoying a glass of Michigan wine in the RV, we had dinner at the Cracker Barrel. We had breakfast there again on Tuesday morning. We just pulled in and parked. There was no need to unhook the RV or hook up any utilities. Sure, there was some highway noise, but the price was right.
After breakfast, we drove to Mentor, OH and visited the James Garfield homestead and museum. Garfield, the 20th president, was a self made man who came from humble roots. His mother used her entire life savings to send him to Hiram College and Williams College and he became an excellent scholar. He served in the Union army during the civil war. He was elected to nine consecutive terms as a representative from Ohio before being elected to the US Senate, and, ultimately, the presidency. His presidency lasted a mere 200 days. He was shot by Charles Guiteau, an unbalanced man who had repeatedly sought employment in Garfield's administration and had been repeatedly turned down. He lingered for 2 months until his death on September 18, 1881.
After visiting the president's house, we drove to the finger lakes region of New York and spent the night in the parking lot of a Moose Lodge. On Wednesday morning we drove to the Lake George area of New York State and stayed in a nice train-free campground. We had dinner at a brewery in the lovely village of Lake George and caught up on laundry and bills.
Lake George
On Thursday morning we had a short visit to Fort Ticonderoga before making the really long drive to Bangor, ME.
We're spending the night in a campground outside of Bangor. It has full hookups, nice, wide "pull-through" campsites, cable TV, and fast wifi. There's a tasty, inexpensive restaurant on site, and no trains! And all of this for just $18 with my "Passport America" discount.
The Liberty is scheduled for an oil change and alignment tomorrow morning in Bangor, after which we will be in Bar Harbor for 6 nights.
We left Michigan on Monday morning before 9:30. We drove until 5:30, spending the night in a Cracker Barrel parking lot near Elyria, OH. After enjoying a glass of Michigan wine in the RV, we had dinner at the Cracker Barrel. We had breakfast there again on Tuesday morning. We just pulled in and parked. There was no need to unhook the RV or hook up any utilities. Sure, there was some highway noise, but the price was right.
After breakfast, we drove to Mentor, OH and visited the James Garfield homestead and museum. Garfield, the 20th president, was a self made man who came from humble roots. His mother used her entire life savings to send him to Hiram College and Williams College and he became an excellent scholar. He served in the Union army during the civil war. He was elected to nine consecutive terms as a representative from Ohio before being elected to the US Senate, and, ultimately, the presidency. His presidency lasted a mere 200 days. He was shot by Charles Guiteau, an unbalanced man who had repeatedly sought employment in Garfield's administration and had been repeatedly turned down. He lingered for 2 months until his death on September 18, 1881.
After visiting the president's house, we drove to the finger lakes region of New York and spent the night in the parking lot of a Moose Lodge. On Wednesday morning we drove to the Lake George area of New York State and stayed in a nice train-free campground. We had dinner at a brewery in the lovely village of Lake George and caught up on laundry and bills.
Lake George
On Thursday morning we had a short visit to Fort Ticonderoga before making the really long drive to Bangor, ME.
We're spending the night in a campground outside of Bangor. It has full hookups, nice, wide "pull-through" campsites, cable TV, and fast wifi. There's a tasty, inexpensive restaurant on site, and no trains! And all of this for just $18 with my "Passport America" discount.
The Liberty is scheduled for an oil change and alignment tomorrow morning in Bangor, after which we will be in Bar Harbor for 6 nights.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Mackinac Island
June 10, 2012
There's an island off the coast of Michigan called Mackinac Island. It's not a typo. The island is spelled with a "c" and the city on the mainland is Mackinaw. They're pronounced the same. The difference comes from the fact that it's an Indian word which the French and the British interpreted and spelled differently.
We took the 30 minute ferry ride to Mackinac Island today. It's a beautiful little island that allows no motorized vehicles anywhere on the island. All transportation is by horse drawn carriage, horseback, boat, bicycle, or foot. Even the trash gets picked up by a horsedrawn truck. It's a biker's paradise. Many of our fellow ferry passengers brought their bikes with them and enjoyed a day of riding without traffic worries.
SiSi came with us and we found that she was welcome almost everywhere. Everyone loved her up all day. What an amazing dog she is! She's so good with people, especially children. She quietly sits and soaks up all the love that anyone wants to give her, and makes the giver feel like he's being loved back. I'm really considering having her trained as a therapy dog and taking her to hospitals to visit sick children. This photo was completely spontaneous with complete strangers.
We took an island tour by carriage. A highlight was Fort Mackinac which was the site of the first land battle of the war of 1812. We had lunch in their tea room which had spectacular views of the harbor.
We'll be sorry to leave the pretty view we have from this campsite tomorrow when we begin to head east. We'd like to spend a few days in Maine, but, other than that, our plans between now and my nephew's graduation party on 6/23 are vague.
View of Lake Huron from our campsite
Lake Huron at sunset from our camp
There's an island off the coast of Michigan called Mackinac Island. It's not a typo. The island is spelled with a "c" and the city on the mainland is Mackinaw. They're pronounced the same. The difference comes from the fact that it's an Indian word which the French and the British interpreted and spelled differently.
We took the 30 minute ferry ride to Mackinac Island today. It's a beautiful little island that allows no motorized vehicles anywhere on the island. All transportation is by horse drawn carriage, horseback, boat, bicycle, or foot. Even the trash gets picked up by a horsedrawn truck. It's a biker's paradise. Many of our fellow ferry passengers brought their bikes with them and enjoyed a day of riding without traffic worries.
SiSi came with us and we found that she was welcome almost everywhere. Everyone loved her up all day. What an amazing dog she is! She's so good with people, especially children. She quietly sits and soaks up all the love that anyone wants to give her, and makes the giver feel like he's being loved back. I'm really considering having her trained as a therapy dog and taking her to hospitals to visit sick children. This photo was completely spontaneous with complete strangers.
We took an island tour by carriage. A highlight was Fort Mackinac which was the site of the first land battle of the war of 1812. We had lunch in their tea room which had spectacular views of the harbor.
We'll be sorry to leave the pretty view we have from this campsite tomorrow when we begin to head east. We'd like to spend a few days in Maine, but, other than that, our plans between now and my nephew's graduation party on 6/23 are vague.
View of Lake Huron from our campsite
Lake Huron at sunset from our camp
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)