Today’s installment should be very brief…
There’s absolutely nothing to write about…
Having said our good byes to relatives and friends, we were on our own again, and took the opportunity to sleep in this morning…
As we slummed our way through the nine o’clock hour, Luanne thought she needed a COSTCO fix, and went on the internet to find locations…
Milford had the closest one, a mere 56 miles away, but when my woman needs a fix, she get’s it, so we were soon driving South on I-95.
Unfortunately, the freeways (or turnpikes, as they call them here) in Connecticut have all been constructed in the middle of dense forests, or they’ve planted enough trees and bushes along them to block any kind of view into the countryside… Really a shame, if you ask me, ‘cause I’m sure there are some pretty nice sites out there somewhere… We just didn’t drive in an area where it was possible to see more than a few feet off the road… Hence, hardly any pictures today, and the few pictures we took shows… Well, you be the judge: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/NEW%20HAVEN%5EJ%20MILFORD%5EJ%20and%20WEST%20HAVEN%5EJ%20CONNECTICUT%20%5E5SEP.%2030%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=9&isFromRichUpload=1
That’s about it… We spotted an IKEA (I believe it was in New Haven) right off the freeway, and stopped for a two-for-one breakfast… Pretty darn good it was, and dirt cheap! $5.49 for two! Of course, that didn’t include all the little goodies we purchased from the grocery department… Oh, yeah, we’re gonna have great snacks for a long time!
As I said, our goal was to go to COSTCO (which “Jack” found without causing any ill feelings on my part), and we managed to stock up on books, and other “important” things, so, mama was happy!
Decided to take a run out to the beach, and found the whole side trip drab, to say the least… Maybe it was the overcast… Maybe not… In any case, we didn’t like it, and headed back to Old Mystic…
Have to mention, though, that we saw a sign leading to the Coast Guard Academy, and we saw, out in the sound, the Coast Guard Schooner? Brigantine? What? In any case, a Tall Ship with many masts and stuff… So our thoughts went to my nephew, Mike, who went there, and is now the commander at the Coast Guard Station in New Orleans. Happy memories, Mike?
Back home we had a little rest, then had a marvelous shrimp salad dinner with corn on the cob… First meal Lu has fixed in a while… And, I attest, she has not lost her touch!
That’s it… No more tonight… Don’t know what we’ll be doing tomorrow, so, I guess we’re open to suggestions!
Take care and keep in touch.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
DENNIS PORT, MA to OLD MYSTIC, CT (SEP. 29, 2009)
Let me start by saying that it’s almost 11pm, and I’m a bit tired, so I’m gonna try to keep this on the short side…
If you don’t like to read, I’ll even show you my pictures right off the bat… How’s that?
Here they are:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/DENNIS%20PORT%5EJ%20MA%20to%20OLD%20MYSTIC%5EJ%20CT%20%5E5SEP.%2029%5EJ%202009%5E6
Since we didn’t have that far to drive today (around 150 miles), we didn’t leave our campground until around 10:00 this morning…
Of course, this being a weekday, there was road construction everywhere…
I figure we added at least an hour to our travel time, and that’s frustrating, to say the least, and then, to top it off, Luanne read the directions to our campground wrong… Instead of turning right, after we got off the freeway, we turned left, and ended up down by the harbor… A little tough to turn the rig around on these narrow roads with no shoulders, but I managed, and that’s what counts… Then, to our consternation, as we turned into our RV Park, we see fire engines, police cars, and flashing lights… Found out a huge truck had snagged some overhead wires, and no-one knew if they were “hot” or not, so we had to wait for about half an hour before the “proper authorities” showed up to help un-snag the problem… We spent the waiting time walking down to the office, where we got the paper work done for checking in… Also had an ice cream bar, which helped alleviate the heat under my collar…
Got the rig all hooked up (No sewer here… Have to dump on the way out), and then headed down to Mystic Harbor to meet Sue and her new husband, Bob…
Sue and Luanne have been friends forever (since they grew up together in Oregon), but haven’t seen each other in years…
It was a classic reunion with hugs and laughter, and we got introduced to Bob, who is very likeable and easy to talk with…
They took us in their rental car for a quick trip around the area; stopping at several places to find an old, wooden lobster trap (for Bob‘s seaside cabin in Oregon), but didn’t succeed… Guess they don’t use those any more…
Ended up showing them our trailer, where we had snacks and drinks, before heading down to the harbor to indulge in dinner, at the “GO FISH” restaurant…
None of us were really hungry, so we ended up having salads and soup…
We said our fare wells outside the restaurant… They’re heading up to Vermont, and Lu and I have no idea of what we’ll be doing the next five days we’re here, but we’ll think of something… And, of course, we’ll let you know… So, until whenever, take care, and keep in touch…
Oh, by the way, for those of you who leave comments on my Blog, I really appreciate it, and hope you’ll keep it up… Always nice to get feedback!
Bye now….
If you don’t like to read, I’ll even show you my pictures right off the bat… How’s that?
Here they are:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/DENNIS%20PORT%5EJ%20MA%20to%20OLD%20MYSTIC%5EJ%20CT%20%5E5SEP.%2029%5EJ%202009%5E6
Since we didn’t have that far to drive today (around 150 miles), we didn’t leave our campground until around 10:00 this morning…
Of course, this being a weekday, there was road construction everywhere…
I figure we added at least an hour to our travel time, and that’s frustrating, to say the least, and then, to top it off, Luanne read the directions to our campground wrong… Instead of turning right, after we got off the freeway, we turned left, and ended up down by the harbor… A little tough to turn the rig around on these narrow roads with no shoulders, but I managed, and that’s what counts… Then, to our consternation, as we turned into our RV Park, we see fire engines, police cars, and flashing lights… Found out a huge truck had snagged some overhead wires, and no-one knew if they were “hot” or not, so we had to wait for about half an hour before the “proper authorities” showed up to help un-snag the problem… We spent the waiting time walking down to the office, where we got the paper work done for checking in… Also had an ice cream bar, which helped alleviate the heat under my collar…
Got the rig all hooked up (No sewer here… Have to dump on the way out), and then headed down to Mystic Harbor to meet Sue and her new husband, Bob…
Sue and Luanne have been friends forever (since they grew up together in Oregon), but haven’t seen each other in years…
It was a classic reunion with hugs and laughter, and we got introduced to Bob, who is very likeable and easy to talk with…
They took us in their rental car for a quick trip around the area; stopping at several places to find an old, wooden lobster trap (for Bob‘s seaside cabin in Oregon), but didn’t succeed… Guess they don’t use those any more…
Ended up showing them our trailer, where we had snacks and drinks, before heading down to the harbor to indulge in dinner, at the “GO FISH” restaurant…
None of us were really hungry, so we ended up having salads and soup…
We said our fare wells outside the restaurant… They’re heading up to Vermont, and Lu and I have no idea of what we’ll be doing the next five days we’re here, but we’ll think of something… And, of course, we’ll let you know… So, until whenever, take care, and keep in touch…
Oh, by the way, for those of you who leave comments on my Blog, I really appreciate it, and hope you’ll keep it up… Always nice to get feedback!
Bye now….
CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS (SEP. 28, 2009)
To bring you up to date…
I got very sick last night (Sun, 9/28)… Probably food poisoning…
We think it might’ve stemmed from the clams, but who knows?
Thankfully, it happened after I finished my Blog, so no real harm done…
After having puked three times, and the clock showed 12:30am, my stomach finally settled down and I got some badly needed rest…
Then, to my horror, when we woke up, I found that the shelf above our bed was wet, and that my book, that I had laying there, was totally soaked…
Have no idea where the leak is coming from, and didn’t have time to check it out before Terry and Gede showed up to pick us up for a sightseeing trip around Cape Cod…
One good thing: Only blue skies today (Mon. 9/28), so things will have a chance to dry out.
T and G showed up a little after 8:30.
Stopped at a cozy little place in Chatham to have breakfast, then drove North, skirting wonderful and picturesque bays and marinas along the way…
Stopped in Eastham to check out the Nauset Lighthouse, and walked the beach for a while… Fantastic weather today! A bit breezy, but still very warm, and perfect for beachcombing…
Stopped again at the Cape Cod Highland Lighthouse, where Terry and I climbed up to the top, while Gede and Lu went for a stroll somewhere… They had no desire to climb all those stairs… Oh, well… What can you say?
Got a lot of information from little placards placed around the windows at the top, and stopped to chat with one of the “keepers” before going down and watching a little ten minute movie about the place…
Off to Provincetown…
Parked and then followed Gede’s stomach to the Surf Club restaurant…
G and T had hot dogs, while Lu and I opted for a beer (we were still full from breakfast).
After everyone had satisfied their needs, we walked the streets, poked our heads into more than a few shops, and, of course, ended up buying t-shirts and sweatshirts, and…
Gede got herself ice cream at a Ben and Jerry’s, which, after only a few bites, I helped her finish… Mmm, good!
After a couple of hours in Provincetown, we drove out to Race Point (the Northernmost point on Cape Cod), to check out the lighthouse there, but found it was too far to hike out to see it, so we spent some quality time on the beach instead… What a lovely place!
But all good things must come to an end, and so, we found ourselves heading back South… We stopped at “Brax,” in Harwich, to check for reservations for tonight (none needed), and then T and G dropped us off at Camper’s Haven…
Lu and I laid down for a bit - to rest up from a solid day on the go, then around 6:15, we drove over to Brax, where T and G were waiting for us…
OK… So here’s an insight:
The four of us have been talking about meeting up like this for many months now… And the main topic revolved around having lobster in New England… How many times have we drooled over this, Terry? Too many to count, that’s for sure… And, now, here we were, getting our bibs on, ready to dig into the red beast! Wow! How cool is that?
The girls opted for prime rib (Gede) and Haddock (Lu), and Terry and I … Well, you know… A 1½ pound lobster each, thank you!
Problem…… Only one 1½-pounder left, but plenty of 3-pounders!
Solution: Split a 3-pounder!
Oh, yeah, baby! Come to daddy!
I took a picture of Terry, and I swear I saw drool… But it could’ve been an illusion, ‘cause my eyes were kind of blurry with emotion…
What a meal! What good company! What a place to finally meet and enjoy life to it’s fullest!
We’re so lucky and fortunate to have family like you… And…
It’s hard to put into words, but let me just say: Thanks, guys, for wanting to spend this time with us and for your kind and generous ways… We love you, and are looking forward to many more “reunions” like this.
With that, yesterday’s Blog is done, and I’m free to go and look to see if I can find where that pesky leak comes from…
Pictures:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/CAPE%20COD%5EJ%20MASSACHUSETTS%20%5E5SEP.%2028%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=79&isFromRichUpload=1
I got very sick last night (Sun, 9/28)… Probably food poisoning…
We think it might’ve stemmed from the clams, but who knows?
Thankfully, it happened after I finished my Blog, so no real harm done…
After having puked three times, and the clock showed 12:30am, my stomach finally settled down and I got some badly needed rest…
Then, to my horror, when we woke up, I found that the shelf above our bed was wet, and that my book, that I had laying there, was totally soaked…
Have no idea where the leak is coming from, and didn’t have time to check it out before Terry and Gede showed up to pick us up for a sightseeing trip around Cape Cod…
One good thing: Only blue skies today (Mon. 9/28), so things will have a chance to dry out.
T and G showed up a little after 8:30.
Stopped at a cozy little place in Chatham to have breakfast, then drove North, skirting wonderful and picturesque bays and marinas along the way…
Stopped in Eastham to check out the Nauset Lighthouse, and walked the beach for a while… Fantastic weather today! A bit breezy, but still very warm, and perfect for beachcombing…
Stopped again at the Cape Cod Highland Lighthouse, where Terry and I climbed up to the top, while Gede and Lu went for a stroll somewhere… They had no desire to climb all those stairs… Oh, well… What can you say?
Got a lot of information from little placards placed around the windows at the top, and stopped to chat with one of the “keepers” before going down and watching a little ten minute movie about the place…
Off to Provincetown…
Parked and then followed Gede’s stomach to the Surf Club restaurant…
G and T had hot dogs, while Lu and I opted for a beer (we were still full from breakfast).
After everyone had satisfied their needs, we walked the streets, poked our heads into more than a few shops, and, of course, ended up buying t-shirts and sweatshirts, and…
Gede got herself ice cream at a Ben and Jerry’s, which, after only a few bites, I helped her finish… Mmm, good!
After a couple of hours in Provincetown, we drove out to Race Point (the Northernmost point on Cape Cod), to check out the lighthouse there, but found it was too far to hike out to see it, so we spent some quality time on the beach instead… What a lovely place!
But all good things must come to an end, and so, we found ourselves heading back South… We stopped at “Brax,” in Harwich, to check for reservations for tonight (none needed), and then T and G dropped us off at Camper’s Haven…
Lu and I laid down for a bit - to rest up from a solid day on the go, then around 6:15, we drove over to Brax, where T and G were waiting for us…
OK… So here’s an insight:
The four of us have been talking about meeting up like this for many months now… And the main topic revolved around having lobster in New England… How many times have we drooled over this, Terry? Too many to count, that’s for sure… And, now, here we were, getting our bibs on, ready to dig into the red beast! Wow! How cool is that?
The girls opted for prime rib (Gede) and Haddock (Lu), and Terry and I … Well, you know… A 1½ pound lobster each, thank you!
Problem…… Only one 1½-pounder left, but plenty of 3-pounders!
Solution: Split a 3-pounder!
Oh, yeah, baby! Come to daddy!
I took a picture of Terry, and I swear I saw drool… But it could’ve been an illusion, ‘cause my eyes were kind of blurry with emotion…
What a meal! What good company! What a place to finally meet and enjoy life to it’s fullest!
We’re so lucky and fortunate to have family like you… And…
It’s hard to put into words, but let me just say: Thanks, guys, for wanting to spend this time with us and for your kind and generous ways… We love you, and are looking forward to many more “reunions” like this.
With that, yesterday’s Blog is done, and I’m free to go and look to see if I can find where that pesky leak comes from…
Pictures:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/CAPE%20COD%5EJ%20MASSACHUSETTS%20%5E5SEP.%2028%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=79&isFromRichUpload=1
Sunday, September 27, 2009
OLD ORCHARD BEACH, ME to DENNIS PORT, MA (SEP. 27, 2009)
Woke up around 3:30am to an unusual sound…
Something was pecking at our roof…
Tried to focus, and (ever so slowly) realized what I heard was nothing but fluids leaking from the heavens… Yep, we finally got rain!
I got soaked getting the trailer ready, but, other than that, it went remarkably well, and we were on our way shortly after 8am…
Took us about an hour to leave Maine and cross into New Hampshire (on Hwy 95), and it took (what seemed like) five minutes to cross that whole State and enter Massachusetts…
The rain pelted us the whole time… Sometimes really hard; but we also had small windows of semi-clearings, so, all in all, it wasn’t a bad drive…
In fact, it turned out to be a faster drive than I’d anticipated, because we pulled into Dennis Port a little after 11:30, and that’s driving right through down town Boston… Wouldn’t have done that if this hadn’t been a Sunday!
I hear traffic is horrendous during the week.
Anyway, it decided to pour down on us the moment we had signed in to “Camper’s Haven” (on Old Warf Road, in Dennis Port), and by the time I had the electrical, water, and sewer hooked up, I was wetter than a flood!
My better half stayed inside and kept the walls dry…
She’s got good judgment, I tell you!
Anyway… Remedy for wet people: Dry off and take a nap!
Tried to call Terry and “Gede,” but got voicemail… But then (and hour, or so, later) we got a return call - as they passed our location on their way from Nantucket to Chatham… We gave them a few minutes, then dashed for the truck and splashed our way over to see them (about 9 ½ miles up the coast from us).
They were just checking in as we arrived, so our exuberant, and, maybe, a bit loud, reunion took place in the lobby, to the consternation of the staff, I’m sure… Nonetheless, it was really good to see them again…
As you can imagine, the conversation hardly stopped from the lobby to their room, and since none of us wanted to venture out in the crappy weather, we continued asking and answering questions about our respective trips, as we made our way downstairs, to the restaurant, the Goose-something-or-other…
Had a fantastic time with lots of laughs, a few drinks, and hors d’oeuvres that were OK... Topped it all off with clam chowder, which, we all agreed, was the best chowder we’ve had in a long time! Creamy and smooth, with lots of goodies… Oh, yeah, we’re talking lip-smacking here folks!
They’re coming by to pick us up in the morning… Going sightseeing… Probably all the way up to Provincetown, so here‘s hoping for decent weather!
Don’t know when we’ll be back tomorrow, so there might be a lull in the Blog, we’ll see… Until next time then, take care and keep in touch!
And here are the pix:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/OLD%20ORCHARD%20BEACH%5EJ%20ME%20to%20DENNIS%20PORT%5EJ%20MA%20%5E5SEP.%2027%5EJ%202009%5E6
Something was pecking at our roof…
Tried to focus, and (ever so slowly) realized what I heard was nothing but fluids leaking from the heavens… Yep, we finally got rain!
I got soaked getting the trailer ready, but, other than that, it went remarkably well, and we were on our way shortly after 8am…
Took us about an hour to leave Maine and cross into New Hampshire (on Hwy 95), and it took (what seemed like) five minutes to cross that whole State and enter Massachusetts…
The rain pelted us the whole time… Sometimes really hard; but we also had small windows of semi-clearings, so, all in all, it wasn’t a bad drive…
In fact, it turned out to be a faster drive than I’d anticipated, because we pulled into Dennis Port a little after 11:30, and that’s driving right through down town Boston… Wouldn’t have done that if this hadn’t been a Sunday!
I hear traffic is horrendous during the week.
Anyway, it decided to pour down on us the moment we had signed in to “Camper’s Haven” (on Old Warf Road, in Dennis Port), and by the time I had the electrical, water, and sewer hooked up, I was wetter than a flood!
My better half stayed inside and kept the walls dry…
She’s got good judgment, I tell you!
Anyway… Remedy for wet people: Dry off and take a nap!
Tried to call Terry and “Gede,” but got voicemail… But then (and hour, or so, later) we got a return call - as they passed our location on their way from Nantucket to Chatham… We gave them a few minutes, then dashed for the truck and splashed our way over to see them (about 9 ½ miles up the coast from us).
They were just checking in as we arrived, so our exuberant, and, maybe, a bit loud, reunion took place in the lobby, to the consternation of the staff, I’m sure… Nonetheless, it was really good to see them again…
As you can imagine, the conversation hardly stopped from the lobby to their room, and since none of us wanted to venture out in the crappy weather, we continued asking and answering questions about our respective trips, as we made our way downstairs, to the restaurant, the Goose-something-or-other…
Had a fantastic time with lots of laughs, a few drinks, and hors d’oeuvres that were OK... Topped it all off with clam chowder, which, we all agreed, was the best chowder we’ve had in a long time! Creamy and smooth, with lots of goodies… Oh, yeah, we’re talking lip-smacking here folks!
They’re coming by to pick us up in the morning… Going sightseeing… Probably all the way up to Provincetown, so here‘s hoping for decent weather!
Don’t know when we’ll be back tomorrow, so there might be a lull in the Blog, we’ll see… Until next time then, take care and keep in touch!
And here are the pix:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/OLD%20ORCHARD%20BEACH%5EJ%20ME%20to%20DENNIS%20PORT%5EJ%20MA%20%5E5SEP.%2027%5EJ%202009%5E6
Saturday, September 26, 2009
SACO and OLD ORCHARD BEACH, ME (SEP. 26, 2009)
Today was a “house-cleaning” day, which meant vacuuming, washing clothes, and all that other stuff that goes along with getting your “quarters” ship-shape…
Of course, we managed to get ourselves down to Biddeford and the “Cole Road Café” for our agreed breakfast meeting with Chris and Katie…
Had a great breakfast, and a wonderful time, touching base with this young and vibrant couple from our neck of the woods…
Chris is working for Boeing on-line… How cool is that? He explained his job, but I was waay into eggs and stuff to really pay attention, so pardon me, Chris, for not elaborating… All I remember is that I would’ve loved to have a job like yours way back when…
Having said that, I guess I should be happy I could retire at age 54, huh?
Katie is cramming medical school stuff into her obviously competent brain… There’s no doubt she’ll be a very capable doctor some day soon… (maybe in another four years?)
To me, it’s amazing how anyone can remember all those Latin words for everything in the body, and then, learn how to fix whatever ails you…
Incredible! Just as a note: I have trouble spelling, period!
Anyway, we had a great time, as we did the last time with these two, and I want to reassure Molly (not that one), Dave, and Katie’s parents, that they should be very proud of their kids… They certainly have their heads on straight!
OK…… After getting breakfast over with, we headed home to do some “Fall” cleaning…
Our home-on-wheels sorely needed it, because we’ve been kind of lax lately…
Made up for it, though, with a go-for-broke cleaning job…
Oh, yeah, baby… Got the joint sparkling!
I laid down for a while (old age), while, unbeknownst to me, Lu found her hiking shoes and headed for the shoreline…
Got up to find her gone…
Not much to do without her, so I got our propane tanks filled, and was about to go searching, when she showed up… She must’ve walked at least four, or five miles, just to get to and from the beach, but after a small discussion, we piled into the truck and headed back to the beach… I needed the walk, too!
We probably walked a couple of miles with the wind behind us, and, of course, when we turned around to go back it became pretty darn cool…
It was invigorating, though… Not a cloud in the sky… Just Luanne and I (and a couple of dozen others) spending some quality time hitting the sand…
Our last encounter with the Maine shoreline…
We’ve had an incredible time here, in the State of Maine, and we’ve enjoyed every minute… Like I said before, if it wasn’t for Winters, we wouldn’t have minded living here… It’s a gorgeous State, and the people are as friendly as in Washington, and that’s saying something!
After our beach walk, we stopped by the Sunset Bar and Grill to say good bye to Dale and the crew, then headed home, where we turned on the heater (it’s getting cold, folks!), had a steak dinner, watched some TV, and headed for the sack… Well, I’m not there quite yet, but I will be as soon as this is done.
That means: Night-all, folks…
We’re off to Massachusetts tomorrow morning to meet up with Terry and Gede… Should be a blast… I’ll keep you posted.
Here are the few pix I got today:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/SACO%20and%20OLD%20ORCHARD%20BEACH%5EJ%20ME%20%5E5SEP.%2026%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=8&isFromRichUpload=1
Of course, we managed to get ourselves down to Biddeford and the “Cole Road Café” for our agreed breakfast meeting with Chris and Katie…
Had a great breakfast, and a wonderful time, touching base with this young and vibrant couple from our neck of the woods…
Chris is working for Boeing on-line… How cool is that? He explained his job, but I was waay into eggs and stuff to really pay attention, so pardon me, Chris, for not elaborating… All I remember is that I would’ve loved to have a job like yours way back when…
Having said that, I guess I should be happy I could retire at age 54, huh?
Katie is cramming medical school stuff into her obviously competent brain… There’s no doubt she’ll be a very capable doctor some day soon… (maybe in another four years?)
To me, it’s amazing how anyone can remember all those Latin words for everything in the body, and then, learn how to fix whatever ails you…
Incredible! Just as a note: I have trouble spelling, period!
Anyway, we had a great time, as we did the last time with these two, and I want to reassure Molly (not that one), Dave, and Katie’s parents, that they should be very proud of their kids… They certainly have their heads on straight!
OK…… After getting breakfast over with, we headed home to do some “Fall” cleaning…
Our home-on-wheels sorely needed it, because we’ve been kind of lax lately…
Made up for it, though, with a go-for-broke cleaning job…
Oh, yeah, baby… Got the joint sparkling!
I laid down for a while (old age), while, unbeknownst to me, Lu found her hiking shoes and headed for the shoreline…
Got up to find her gone…
Not much to do without her, so I got our propane tanks filled, and was about to go searching, when she showed up… She must’ve walked at least four, or five miles, just to get to and from the beach, but after a small discussion, we piled into the truck and headed back to the beach… I needed the walk, too!
We probably walked a couple of miles with the wind behind us, and, of course, when we turned around to go back it became pretty darn cool…
It was invigorating, though… Not a cloud in the sky… Just Luanne and I (and a couple of dozen others) spending some quality time hitting the sand…
Our last encounter with the Maine shoreline…
We’ve had an incredible time here, in the State of Maine, and we’ve enjoyed every minute… Like I said before, if it wasn’t for Winters, we wouldn’t have minded living here… It’s a gorgeous State, and the people are as friendly as in Washington, and that’s saying something!
After our beach walk, we stopped by the Sunset Bar and Grill to say good bye to Dale and the crew, then headed home, where we turned on the heater (it’s getting cold, folks!), had a steak dinner, watched some TV, and headed for the sack… Well, I’m not there quite yet, but I will be as soon as this is done.
That means: Night-all, folks…
We’re off to Massachusetts tomorrow morning to meet up with Terry and Gede… Should be a blast… I’ll keep you posted.
Here are the few pix I got today:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/SACO%20and%20OLD%20ORCHARD%20BEACH%5EJ%20ME%20%5E5SEP.%2026%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=8&isFromRichUpload=1
Friday, September 25, 2009
YORK HARBOR, WELLS, and OLD ORCHARD BEACH, ME (SEP. 25, 2009)
Hello fellow earthlings…
Took off this morning to explore some of the Southern shores of Maine…
Headed down I-95 (toll: $3.00) to Hwy 91, where we scooted over to York Harbor…
Was totally surprised that parking around these parts costs you anywhere from 3 to 10 bucks…
Not good when it comes to the tightwad Johnsens…
We drove around barricades… Looked at plenty of boutiques, shops, and rip-off tourist attractions on the run…… Then drove around more barricades to get ourselves back on a Northbound trek… No-one seemed to care, and no sirens and flashing lights pursued us, so, I guess, we’re OK….
For those who place us in the “leaf-peepers” category, we plead guilty… That’s why we’re here… Even though we’re a bit early, the colors are truly changing right now, and it’s just plain marvelous to observe… We‘re absolutely giddy when we come across patches of “Mother Nature’s” pallet… Fantastic colors!
Stopped once again at the “All Day Breakfast” restaurant, in Kennebunk, where we had another fantastic breakfast, then drove Hwy 1 and Hwy 9 all the way back “home.”
Look at the pictures to see what we saw (they’ll tell you more than I can):
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/YORK%20HARBOR%5EJ%20WELLS%5EJ%20and%20OLD%20ORCHARD%20BEACH%5EJ%20ME%20%5E5SEP.%2025%5EJ%202009%5E6
Back at the trailer, we relaxed for an hour, then picked up our chaise lounges and headed for the beach (unfortunately, it looks like the last breath of Summer is heading to Maine… They’re forecasting rain on Sunday!)
After an hour of sun, sand, and beach (on the beach), we drove over to Sunset Bar & Grill, where the owner, Dale Tarbox, served us drinks and food: I had clam chowder, and Lu opted for Hot Wings…
OK…. So this is probably shameful, but I have to plug the Sunset Bar & Grill… Not because we had too much to drink (we didn‘t), but because it’s truly a unique place to spend the waning hours of a day… Almost all the “establishment” around here are “facing” the beach, which means they’re facing East… Think about it…
Sunset Bar & Grill is facing West, which means you can sit on their deck until the sun goes down…
If you encounter Dale, or any one of his “steady” customers, you’ll have a great time… Guaranteed!
That’s another day’s worth of fine commentary from yours truly… Have a great day, or night, or whatever…
Took off this morning to explore some of the Southern shores of Maine…
Headed down I-95 (toll: $3.00) to Hwy 91, where we scooted over to York Harbor…
Was totally surprised that parking around these parts costs you anywhere from 3 to 10 bucks…
Not good when it comes to the tightwad Johnsens…
We drove around barricades… Looked at plenty of boutiques, shops, and rip-off tourist attractions on the run…… Then drove around more barricades to get ourselves back on a Northbound trek… No-one seemed to care, and no sirens and flashing lights pursued us, so, I guess, we’re OK….
For those who place us in the “leaf-peepers” category, we plead guilty… That’s why we’re here… Even though we’re a bit early, the colors are truly changing right now, and it’s just plain marvelous to observe… We‘re absolutely giddy when we come across patches of “Mother Nature’s” pallet… Fantastic colors!
Stopped once again at the “All Day Breakfast” restaurant, in Kennebunk, where we had another fantastic breakfast, then drove Hwy 1 and Hwy 9 all the way back “home.”
Look at the pictures to see what we saw (they’ll tell you more than I can):
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/YORK%20HARBOR%5EJ%20WELLS%5EJ%20and%20OLD%20ORCHARD%20BEACH%5EJ%20ME%20%5E5SEP.%2025%5EJ%202009%5E6
Back at the trailer, we relaxed for an hour, then picked up our chaise lounges and headed for the beach (unfortunately, it looks like the last breath of Summer is heading to Maine… They’re forecasting rain on Sunday!)
After an hour of sun, sand, and beach (on the beach), we drove over to Sunset Bar & Grill, where the owner, Dale Tarbox, served us drinks and food: I had clam chowder, and Lu opted for Hot Wings…
OK…. So this is probably shameful, but I have to plug the Sunset Bar & Grill… Not because we had too much to drink (we didn‘t), but because it’s truly a unique place to spend the waning hours of a day… Almost all the “establishment” around here are “facing” the beach, which means they’re facing East… Think about it…
Sunset Bar & Grill is facing West, which means you can sit on their deck until the sun goes down…
If you encounter Dale, or any one of his “steady” customers, you’ll have a great time… Guaranteed!
That’s another day’s worth of fine commentary from yours truly… Have a great day, or night, or whatever…
Thursday, September 24, 2009
FREEPORT, PORTLAND, and OLD ORCHARD BEACH (SEP. 24, 2009)
Last night was hot!
Hard to sleep when you’re tossing and turning, and listening to snores from the other side of the bed…
Managed, however, to get a few winks in before the revelry of a new day…
Decided last night to take a trip up to Freeport to check out what I had believed to be one of the most revered sailing ports of the world…
I was wrong… (You heard it here first, folks!)
I figure I mixed up Freeport, Maine, with Fremantle, Australia…
You cannot begin to imagine how much that bit of knowledge set me back… Here I was…
All set to bask in the lore of the America’s Cup (for you non-nautical elements of my Blog, that‘s the epitome of all things sacred to us rag-pushers), and what do we find?
Well…
We find the headquarters of L.L. Bean (the famous - at least here in America - retailer of all quality “outdoors” things… On par with “Cabela‘s” I believe)…
Of course, Lu and I strolled through the enormous complex, and (lucky me) I found a smashing nice, nautical top for my girl, which she dearly loves…
There are a hundred (well, maybe not that many) boutiques, shops and art galleries clustered around “down town,” but, you know what, we’ve been there and done that, and since we hadn’t found the marina yet, we opted to forego trekking stuffy shops, and headed for what I hoped was the crown jewels of Freeport…
Ended up driving at least five miles up and around neighborhoods (mighty fine ones, some of them) before finally getting down to the marina and harbor.
The harbor was packed with vessels of every sort and size, but it was a “working” place with one lousy café tucked away in a corner, and no boutiques, shops, or docks to browse… Good for me, bad for Luanne…
I was disappointed, I admit, but what can you do?
We headed South…
Ended up in Portland… Walked “Old Town” again, and found the “Dry Dock” restaurant and tavern, which served us cold beer and wonderful fish and chips:
The Haddock sandwich is very good… Our waitress suggested we add cheese, and that turned out to be a winning combination! Who would’ve thunk to eat fish with cheese?
Back home, we relaxed for a while, then headed down to the beach for a stroll…
It’s simply incredible to have this wonderful weather every day, but I just heard on the weather forecast that things are about to change… Time to move South!
That’s it for now….. Take care, and keep in touch.
Pictures of today's outing...
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/FREEPORT%5EJ%20PORTLAND%5EJ%20and%20ORCHARD%20BEACH%5EJ%20ME%20%5E5SEP.%2024%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=31&isFromRichUpload=1
Hard to sleep when you’re tossing and turning, and listening to snores from the other side of the bed…
Managed, however, to get a few winks in before the revelry of a new day…
Decided last night to take a trip up to Freeport to check out what I had believed to be one of the most revered sailing ports of the world…
I was wrong… (You heard it here first, folks!)
I figure I mixed up Freeport, Maine, with Fremantle, Australia…
You cannot begin to imagine how much that bit of knowledge set me back… Here I was…
All set to bask in the lore of the America’s Cup (for you non-nautical elements of my Blog, that‘s the epitome of all things sacred to us rag-pushers), and what do we find?
Well…
We find the headquarters of L.L. Bean (the famous - at least here in America - retailer of all quality “outdoors” things… On par with “Cabela‘s” I believe)…
Of course, Lu and I strolled through the enormous complex, and (lucky me) I found a smashing nice, nautical top for my girl, which she dearly loves…
There are a hundred (well, maybe not that many) boutiques, shops and art galleries clustered around “down town,” but, you know what, we’ve been there and done that, and since we hadn’t found the marina yet, we opted to forego trekking stuffy shops, and headed for what I hoped was the crown jewels of Freeport…
Ended up driving at least five miles up and around neighborhoods (mighty fine ones, some of them) before finally getting down to the marina and harbor.
The harbor was packed with vessels of every sort and size, but it was a “working” place with one lousy café tucked away in a corner, and no boutiques, shops, or docks to browse… Good for me, bad for Luanne…
I was disappointed, I admit, but what can you do?
We headed South…
Ended up in Portland… Walked “Old Town” again, and found the “Dry Dock” restaurant and tavern, which served us cold beer and wonderful fish and chips:
The Haddock sandwich is very good… Our waitress suggested we add cheese, and that turned out to be a winning combination! Who would’ve thunk to eat fish with cheese?
Back home, we relaxed for a while, then headed down to the beach for a stroll…
It’s simply incredible to have this wonderful weather every day, but I just heard on the weather forecast that things are about to change… Time to move South!
That’s it for now….. Take care, and keep in touch.
Pictures of today's outing...
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/FREEPORT%5EJ%20PORTLAND%5EJ%20and%20ORCHARD%20BEACH%5EJ%20ME%20%5E5SEP.%2024%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=31&isFromRichUpload=1
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A DAY AT THE BEACH - OLD ORCHARD BEACH (SEP. 23, 2009)
Hate to disappoint those of you who look forward to a long and detailed description of our daily grind, as we struggle our way through the States…
This is going to be short and sweet, because there isn’t really anything to write about…
We spent the majority of the morning looking at maps and information brochures getting our next destinations planned…
Got reservations taken care of until November 3, so we’re good for a while…
In case you’re interested, we’re spending the majority of our time along the coast: Virginia Beach, VA; Newport, NC; Myrtle Beach, SC; Charleston, SC; and a place called Hardeeville, very close to Savannah, GA…. How cool is that?
After that was done, we headed to the beach - only a couple of miles down the road - and found it to be too wonderful to wear long pants (it’s been cold here for a few days, but today it decided to warm up, and we’re thankful!), so we dashed home… Got shorts on, picked up a lounge chair for me, Lu opted for a beach blanket, and headed back to sand, sun and relaxation…
What a life!
We baked for about an hour, then took a long walk (away from the sun, so we could toast our backs) along the almost deserted beach…
And that’s it… That’s what we did today…
Take a look at the pictures here:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/A%20DAY%20AT%20THE%20BEACH%20-%20OLD%20ORCHARD%20BEACH%20%5E5SEP.%2023%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=14&isFromRichUpload=1
This is going to be short and sweet, because there isn’t really anything to write about…
We spent the majority of the morning looking at maps and information brochures getting our next destinations planned…
Got reservations taken care of until November 3, so we’re good for a while…
In case you’re interested, we’re spending the majority of our time along the coast: Virginia Beach, VA; Newport, NC; Myrtle Beach, SC; Charleston, SC; and a place called Hardeeville, very close to Savannah, GA…. How cool is that?
After that was done, we headed to the beach - only a couple of miles down the road - and found it to be too wonderful to wear long pants (it’s been cold here for a few days, but today it decided to warm up, and we’re thankful!), so we dashed home… Got shorts on, picked up a lounge chair for me, Lu opted for a beach blanket, and headed back to sand, sun and relaxation…
What a life!
We baked for about an hour, then took a long walk (away from the sun, so we could toast our backs) along the almost deserted beach…
And that’s it… That’s what we did today…
Take a look at the pictures here:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/A%20DAY%20AT%20THE%20BEACH%20-%20OLD%20ORCHARD%20BEACH%20%5E5SEP.%2023%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=14&isFromRichUpload=1
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
FALL COLORS, LIGHT HOUSES, and PORTLAND, MAINE (SEP. 22, 2009)
Had another superlative day exploring the State of Maine…
Here’s a statement for you:
If we didn’t live where we do, we’d love to live here!
What we’ve seen of this State is nothing but awesome, but then we’re here at the end of summer, and, from what we’ve heard, this is no place to be during winter… So there you have it… The moral of the story: Be happy wherever you are!
We took off on the Turnpike (I-95) heading North (cost $1.00), then got off at exit 42 and headed to Cape Elizabeth on Hwys 207 and 77...
Beautiful drive!
Spent some time snapping shots of trees changing colors as we drove, and, of course, a bunch of the Cape Elizabeth Light… Took some time to figure out why the place was called Two Lights, but finally found the second lighthouse up on a hill, so everything is cool…
Wound our way around the Cape, and found Portland Head Light, in Fort Williams Park, where we spent a long time walking around… Ogling over every new vista we encountered… What a beautiful and well maintained place! Get a better idea by looking at my pictures (see link at the end of my Blog).
When, finally, our minds and bodies needed a change of scenery, it didn’t take us more than a few minutes to scoot up to Portland…
I expected a Huge City (which it might be), but, of course, we stayed pretty much around the waterfront, in the Old Town (which, I’m sure you’ve noticed, is where we usually gather)… I saw a sign saying you can find more eateries here, per capita, than anywhere else in America, and I don’t doubt it one bit… You can find gastronomic fares of every sort on every corner, and twice as many along a street! Of course, we’ve become addicted to clam chowder, and that’s what we had, but with a twist: It came in a bread bowl, and it was GREAT!
That’s it for today…
As the sign says: “May you have fair winds and following Seas!”
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/FALL%20COLORS%5EJ%20LIGHT%20HOUSES%5EJ%20and%20PORTLAND%5EJ%20MAINE%20%5E5SEP.%2022%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=62&isFromRichUpload=1
Here’s a statement for you:
If we didn’t live where we do, we’d love to live here!
What we’ve seen of this State is nothing but awesome, but then we’re here at the end of summer, and, from what we’ve heard, this is no place to be during winter… So there you have it… The moral of the story: Be happy wherever you are!
We took off on the Turnpike (I-95) heading North (cost $1.00), then got off at exit 42 and headed to Cape Elizabeth on Hwys 207 and 77...
Beautiful drive!
Spent some time snapping shots of trees changing colors as we drove, and, of course, a bunch of the Cape Elizabeth Light… Took some time to figure out why the place was called Two Lights, but finally found the second lighthouse up on a hill, so everything is cool…
Wound our way around the Cape, and found Portland Head Light, in Fort Williams Park, where we spent a long time walking around… Ogling over every new vista we encountered… What a beautiful and well maintained place! Get a better idea by looking at my pictures (see link at the end of my Blog).
When, finally, our minds and bodies needed a change of scenery, it didn’t take us more than a few minutes to scoot up to Portland…
I expected a Huge City (which it might be), but, of course, we stayed pretty much around the waterfront, in the Old Town (which, I’m sure you’ve noticed, is where we usually gather)… I saw a sign saying you can find more eateries here, per capita, than anywhere else in America, and I don’t doubt it one bit… You can find gastronomic fares of every sort on every corner, and twice as many along a street! Of course, we’ve become addicted to clam chowder, and that’s what we had, but with a twist: It came in a bread bowl, and it was GREAT!
That’s it for today…
As the sign says: “May you have fair winds and following Seas!”
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/FALL%20COLORS%5EJ%20LIGHT%20HOUSES%5EJ%20and%20PORTLAND%5EJ%20MAINE%20%5E5SEP.%2022%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=62&isFromRichUpload=1
Monday, September 21, 2009
SACO, KENNEBUNKPORT, and THE BEACH (SEP. 21, 2009)
We’re in no hurry any more… And that’s a great feeling!
To get up and do whatever you want to do, at whatever pace you want to set, is definitely a blessing…
So… Why are we up and at ‘em at 7 sharp? If you find the answer, let me know…
Anyway, we called Chris Harmoney (Molly and Dave’s son from Lummi Island) to let him know we were at Old Orchard Beach, and that we had a case of his mom and dad’s home made wine all ready to be picked up…
Had to leave a message, and then took off to explore the area…
Luanne wanted to head down to Kennebunkport, so that’s what we did… Taking the “back” roads along the coastline all the way.
The Fall colors are now very prominent… Although we’re probably still a week, or more, away from the full blast… Oh, well… No matter… It’s wonderful to drive down shady lanes, and then, all of a sudden, there’s a tree or bush leaping out at you, all decked out in blood red, orange, or yellow…
Fantastic colors! Can’t get enough of them!
So… We get down to Kennebunkport, where we lucked out and found a parking spot right on the street (it turned out to be across the bridge in Kennebunk, actually, but who cares?), which gave us 2 hours of free parking… We spent the majority of that time browsing through every nook and cranny… Got myself another tee-shirt… I have one from almost everywhere I’ve been, so they’re beginning to pile up!
We were looking to have breakfast, but the time had run away from us, and all the places we checked only had lunch on the menu… But we lucked out.. A guy says there’s a place about half a mile up the street which serves breakfast all day… I ask, what’s the name… He says, “All Day Breakfast.” Funny!
We hoofed it up the street, and had wonderful calories, which we tried to walk off afterwards… Don’t think we succeeded…
From Kennebunkport we took Hwy 9 down toward the ocean… Needed to see the never-ending blue again, you know…
Took some back roads, and somehow ended up at a restaurant named “Wormwoods,” located along a very scenic inlet which is protected by a long breakwater… That’s neither here nor there… Just thought I’d throw that in there for your info…
Anyway, found out that President Bush, Senior, had been in there just an hour or two before we arrived, so that was kind of a bummer… Would’ve liked to tell him what I thought of his offspring, but, I guess, that’ll have to wait for another day…
After listening to the waitress’s blow by blow account of her encounter with the former “Prez,” we walked over to the local pier, where we witnessed four fishing buddies haul out a humongous blue fin tuna from their boat… The monster weighed 320 pounds! I have never seen a bigger fish in my life, and, wouldn’t you know it, I had left my camera in the truck, which was parked at the restaurant…
By the time we had ogled the fish, talked to the lucky, but tired, fishermen, gone to the truck, and driven it back to the pier, the “Big One” had been put into a refer-truck, where it was resting nicely on ice… Sorry, no pictures of that one, but, don’t despair… As I was contemplating hauling myself into the cold to get my picture, they hauled another “monster” up from the boat! It was not nearly as big as the first one, but, as you can see from the picture, it wasn’t a baby either… They hadn’t weighed it yet, but I’d guess it ran at least 200 pounds… So you can imagine how big the BIG one was…
Back at the trailer, I managed to lay down and finish another book, Swimsuit, by James Patterson… Pretty gruesome, but good writing!
Then Chris called back, and invited us to meet up with him and his wife, Katie, for dinner at one of their favorite spots, the “Run of the Mill,” in Saco…
Don’t trust either “Jack” or “Molly” very much any more, so we decided to take a dry run over to the restaurant, which was a good thing… Took us three tries to get the right establishment…
That settled, we headed down to the beach again, where we spent about an hour just strolling the shoreline… The noise of the waves as they roll against the sand is so soothing, so hypnotic, it’s easy to loose track of time, and before we knew it, it was time to head back to meet up with Chris and Katie…
We’ve never had the opportunity to actually meet Chris and Katie before, but, of course, we know Molly (no, not that Molly) and Dave, his mom and dad, and they had talked us into bringing Chris and Katie a case of their home-made wine, since we were going to go right by their door, so to speak…
Anyway, we were quite taken with both, and found them to be a delightful couple, easy communicators, and a lot of fun to spend time with… Matter of fact, we made a date to have breakfast with them next Saturday, at a place called Cole Road Café… Looking forward to it!
Well… That’s it for tonight… Got to be a bit longer than I thought, but I’ll try to shorten my next installment to make up for it… How’s that?
Take care, and keep in touch.
Pictures:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/SACO%5EJ%20KENNEBUNKPORT%5EJ%20and%20THE%20BEACH%20%5E5SEP.%2021%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=44&isFromRichUpload=1
To get up and do whatever you want to do, at whatever pace you want to set, is definitely a blessing…
So… Why are we up and at ‘em at 7 sharp? If you find the answer, let me know…
Anyway, we called Chris Harmoney (Molly and Dave’s son from Lummi Island) to let him know we were at Old Orchard Beach, and that we had a case of his mom and dad’s home made wine all ready to be picked up…
Had to leave a message, and then took off to explore the area…
Luanne wanted to head down to Kennebunkport, so that’s what we did… Taking the “back” roads along the coastline all the way.
The Fall colors are now very prominent… Although we’re probably still a week, or more, away from the full blast… Oh, well… No matter… It’s wonderful to drive down shady lanes, and then, all of a sudden, there’s a tree or bush leaping out at you, all decked out in blood red, orange, or yellow…
Fantastic colors! Can’t get enough of them!
So… We get down to Kennebunkport, where we lucked out and found a parking spot right on the street (it turned out to be across the bridge in Kennebunk, actually, but who cares?), which gave us 2 hours of free parking… We spent the majority of that time browsing through every nook and cranny… Got myself another tee-shirt… I have one from almost everywhere I’ve been, so they’re beginning to pile up!
We were looking to have breakfast, but the time had run away from us, and all the places we checked only had lunch on the menu… But we lucked out.. A guy says there’s a place about half a mile up the street which serves breakfast all day… I ask, what’s the name… He says, “All Day Breakfast.” Funny!
We hoofed it up the street, and had wonderful calories, which we tried to walk off afterwards… Don’t think we succeeded…
From Kennebunkport we took Hwy 9 down toward the ocean… Needed to see the never-ending blue again, you know…
Took some back roads, and somehow ended up at a restaurant named “Wormwoods,” located along a very scenic inlet which is protected by a long breakwater… That’s neither here nor there… Just thought I’d throw that in there for your info…
Anyway, found out that President Bush, Senior, had been in there just an hour or two before we arrived, so that was kind of a bummer… Would’ve liked to tell him what I thought of his offspring, but, I guess, that’ll have to wait for another day…
After listening to the waitress’s blow by blow account of her encounter with the former “Prez,” we walked over to the local pier, where we witnessed four fishing buddies haul out a humongous blue fin tuna from their boat… The monster weighed 320 pounds! I have never seen a bigger fish in my life, and, wouldn’t you know it, I had left my camera in the truck, which was parked at the restaurant…
By the time we had ogled the fish, talked to the lucky, but tired, fishermen, gone to the truck, and driven it back to the pier, the “Big One” had been put into a refer-truck, where it was resting nicely on ice… Sorry, no pictures of that one, but, don’t despair… As I was contemplating hauling myself into the cold to get my picture, they hauled another “monster” up from the boat! It was not nearly as big as the first one, but, as you can see from the picture, it wasn’t a baby either… They hadn’t weighed it yet, but I’d guess it ran at least 200 pounds… So you can imagine how big the BIG one was…
Back at the trailer, I managed to lay down and finish another book, Swimsuit, by James Patterson… Pretty gruesome, but good writing!
Then Chris called back, and invited us to meet up with him and his wife, Katie, for dinner at one of their favorite spots, the “Run of the Mill,” in Saco…
Don’t trust either “Jack” or “Molly” very much any more, so we decided to take a dry run over to the restaurant, which was a good thing… Took us three tries to get the right establishment…
That settled, we headed down to the beach again, where we spent about an hour just strolling the shoreline… The noise of the waves as they roll against the sand is so soothing, so hypnotic, it’s easy to loose track of time, and before we knew it, it was time to head back to meet up with Chris and Katie…
We’ve never had the opportunity to actually meet Chris and Katie before, but, of course, we know Molly (no, not that Molly) and Dave, his mom and dad, and they had talked us into bringing Chris and Katie a case of their home-made wine, since we were going to go right by their door, so to speak…
Anyway, we were quite taken with both, and found them to be a delightful couple, easy communicators, and a lot of fun to spend time with… Matter of fact, we made a date to have breakfast with them next Saturday, at a place called Cole Road Café… Looking forward to it!
Well… That’s it for tonight… Got to be a bit longer than I thought, but I’ll try to shorten my next installment to make up for it… How’s that?
Take care, and keep in touch.
Pictures:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/SACO%5EJ%20KENNEBUNKPORT%5EJ%20and%20THE%20BEACH%20%5E5SEP.%2021%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=44&isFromRichUpload=1
Sunday, September 20, 2009
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND & BAR HARBOR to OLD ORCHARD BEACH, ME. (SEP. 18, 19, & 20, 2009)
OK… You guys who think I’m sluffin’…
There’s life beyond Blogs, you know…
Don’t give me a hard time just ‘cause I take a day or two off…
It’s annoying! Besides that… I think I’ve been keeping up pretty good…
So… Give me a break!
Well now, that that’s out of the way…
We had two wonderful last days in Bar Harbor…
On Friday (18th), we went into town (Ellsworth) to get gas and to stock up on groceries, then had a peaceful and quiet time at the trailer until we headed to “The Chart Room” (a restaurant half way between us and Bar Harbor) for our first full lobster dinner (I had lobster, Lu settled for halibut), and, man, was it ever good! Too bad I forgot to take the camera with me! Sorry! But I’ll make up for it…
We had plans of taking another hike around Jordan Pond on Saturday (19th), but woke up to howling winds which were cold to the bone…
Decided to stay warm and cozy in the trailer…
Of course, it warmed up as the day grew longer, and we finally ventured into Bar Harbor, and our favorite restaurant/bar, for a last supper, so to speak…
We highly recommend Galyn’s… It has the most quaint “old-time” bar (seating maybe a dozen people) and a wonderful restaurant, which served a better meal than at the Chart Room for almost half the price… What can I say? We were sold on the joint the first time we set foot inside the door (four days ago)…
Of course, it didn’t hurt to have a good-looking bartender like Kaitlyn…
I like good-looking bartenders… OK? Have a problem with that? Nah… Didn’t think so….
Anyway… That’s it… We’re done with Bar Harbor… How sad is that?
We spent 12 days here, and loved every minute of every day… What a place to visit (or to live - during summer)!
There are so many things to participate in here that you’ll find it hard to fit into a two-week time slot… Just hiking in Acadia National Park would consume those two weeks alone…
Not to mention all the other attractions everywhere - just a few miles away from where we were staying (Mount Desert Narrows Campground)…
Then there’s the food… No matter where we went to eat, we found delicious fares… Some were more pricy than others, but, all in all, the cost of a good meal was fairly competitive from one place to the next… Booze was another story… I drink rum and coke, and Lu loves her beer, and the variation in price is staggering… Of course, we visited the more pricy establishments only once.
OK… So now we’re up to date…
This morning we left around 8am, and, to our dismay, followed “Jack’s” directions down Hwy 1 to Old Orchard Beach…
It’s totally amazing to me how that little box (GPS) can control our lives like it does!
We were OK to begin with, but, boy, when we got down toward Portland, “Jack” took us on all the back roads (I’m thinking, maybe we’ll have to get “Molly” back?)
Stopped in the town of Bath to inquire about things at the local Information Building, and found myself (after making a sharp u-turn) in trouble with my trailer’s electrical brake, which had been disconnected…
Thankfully, I was able to re-insert the “break-away key” (which made the trailer breaks lock up), so that was solved peacefully… But in the process, I managed to break off my right ear-stem of my glasses again
(is that 4 times now?)…
Anyway, we didn’t have “big” enough maps to make judgments on our own, so we were “hogtied” so to speak…
I’m sorry, but FYI, I have to tell you, there were more than one occasion when a few choice words from my limited vocabulary were uttered in dissatisfaction with our “guide.” Time and again, we found ourselves on very poor, and very narrow residential roads, and I’m actually surprised we didn’t encounter any low bridges, which would’ve made my day, for sure!
So… That outburst out of the way…
We made it here to Pinehurst RV Resort (in Old Orchard Beach, ME.) around 2pm, and got everything “tied” down…
I needed a nap (getting old), and laid down for an hour… Then we drove down to the town of Old Orchard Beach, where we parked, then walked the beach… Then stopped for refreshments at THE PIER, and finally ended up at the Sunset Bar and Grill for dinner…
It’s a tough life, but somebody’s gotta do it!
Hasta la bye, bye, Baby!
I’ll write when I feel like it… You just make sure you keep in touch…
Pictures:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/MOUNT%20DESERT%20ISLAND%20%5E0%20BAR%20HARBOR%20to%20OLD%20ORCHARD%20BEACH%5EJ%20ME.%20%5E5SEP.%2018%5EJ%2019%5EJ%20%5E0%2020%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=42&isFromRichUpload=1
PS... Billy and Donna,
Please accept my appologies for forgetting to get a picture of you, and messing up on your home state... I'm truly sorry!
Anyway, we loved meeting you guys, and really hope that some day, we might meet up again... That'd be fun, for sure!
Take care and keep an eye on us!
There’s life beyond Blogs, you know…
Don’t give me a hard time just ‘cause I take a day or two off…
It’s annoying! Besides that… I think I’ve been keeping up pretty good…
So… Give me a break!
Well now, that that’s out of the way…
We had two wonderful last days in Bar Harbor…
On Friday (18th), we went into town (Ellsworth) to get gas and to stock up on groceries, then had a peaceful and quiet time at the trailer until we headed to “The Chart Room” (a restaurant half way between us and Bar Harbor) for our first full lobster dinner (I had lobster, Lu settled for halibut), and, man, was it ever good! Too bad I forgot to take the camera with me! Sorry! But I’ll make up for it…
We had plans of taking another hike around Jordan Pond on Saturday (19th), but woke up to howling winds which were cold to the bone…
Decided to stay warm and cozy in the trailer…
Of course, it warmed up as the day grew longer, and we finally ventured into Bar Harbor, and our favorite restaurant/bar, for a last supper, so to speak…
We highly recommend Galyn’s… It has the most quaint “old-time” bar (seating maybe a dozen people) and a wonderful restaurant, which served a better meal than at the Chart Room for almost half the price… What can I say? We were sold on the joint the first time we set foot inside the door (four days ago)…
Of course, it didn’t hurt to have a good-looking bartender like Kaitlyn…
I like good-looking bartenders… OK? Have a problem with that? Nah… Didn’t think so….
Anyway… That’s it… We’re done with Bar Harbor… How sad is that?
We spent 12 days here, and loved every minute of every day… What a place to visit (or to live - during summer)!
There are so many things to participate in here that you’ll find it hard to fit into a two-week time slot… Just hiking in Acadia National Park would consume those two weeks alone…
Not to mention all the other attractions everywhere - just a few miles away from where we were staying (Mount Desert Narrows Campground)…
Then there’s the food… No matter where we went to eat, we found delicious fares… Some were more pricy than others, but, all in all, the cost of a good meal was fairly competitive from one place to the next… Booze was another story… I drink rum and coke, and Lu loves her beer, and the variation in price is staggering… Of course, we visited the more pricy establishments only once.
OK… So now we’re up to date…
This morning we left around 8am, and, to our dismay, followed “Jack’s” directions down Hwy 1 to Old Orchard Beach…
It’s totally amazing to me how that little box (GPS) can control our lives like it does!
We were OK to begin with, but, boy, when we got down toward Portland, “Jack” took us on all the back roads (I’m thinking, maybe we’ll have to get “Molly” back?)
Stopped in the town of Bath to inquire about things at the local Information Building, and found myself (after making a sharp u-turn) in trouble with my trailer’s electrical brake, which had been disconnected…
Thankfully, I was able to re-insert the “break-away key” (which made the trailer breaks lock up), so that was solved peacefully… But in the process, I managed to break off my right ear-stem of my glasses again
(is that 4 times now?)…
Anyway, we didn’t have “big” enough maps to make judgments on our own, so we were “hogtied” so to speak…
I’m sorry, but FYI, I have to tell you, there were more than one occasion when a few choice words from my limited vocabulary were uttered in dissatisfaction with our “guide.” Time and again, we found ourselves on very poor, and very narrow residential roads, and I’m actually surprised we didn’t encounter any low bridges, which would’ve made my day, for sure!
So… That outburst out of the way…
We made it here to Pinehurst RV Resort (in Old Orchard Beach, ME.) around 2pm, and got everything “tied” down…
I needed a nap (getting old), and laid down for an hour… Then we drove down to the town of Old Orchard Beach, where we parked, then walked the beach… Then stopped for refreshments at THE PIER, and finally ended up at the Sunset Bar and Grill for dinner…
It’s a tough life, but somebody’s gotta do it!
Hasta la bye, bye, Baby!
I’ll write when I feel like it… You just make sure you keep in touch…
Pictures:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/MOUNT%20DESERT%20ISLAND%20%5E0%20BAR%20HARBOR%20to%20OLD%20ORCHARD%20BEACH%5EJ%20ME.%20%5E5SEP.%2018%5EJ%2019%5EJ%20%5E0%2020%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=42&isFromRichUpload=1
PS... Billy and Donna,
Please accept my appologies for forgetting to get a picture of you, and messing up on your home state... I'm truly sorry!
Anyway, we loved meeting you guys, and really hope that some day, we might meet up again... That'd be fun, for sure!
Take care and keep an eye on us!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND & JORDAN POND (SEP 15, 16, & 17, 2009)
A few days have passed since last I wrote, and the reason?
Well…
We woke up to rain Tuesday (15th)… Not heavy, but enough to discourage us from venturing out… And, actually, it was great to take a day off from the touristy things we’ve been doing… Got a lot of reading done, and managed to plan ahead a little bit, as well, so the day wasn’t wasted by any means…
Wednesday (16th) brought back the sun…
We’re having chilly nights now, so Fall is definitely here…
Spent part of the morning at the Grand Opening for a Walmart Superstore in Ellsworth… Huge place! And, wouldn’t you know it, we had just started to fill our cart when we were told to vacate the premises… Evidently, someone had pulled a fire alarm handle, and it took about half an hour before things were cleared up and we could go back in to stock up on needed groceries…
We spent the afternoon and early evening doing some more exploring around Bar Harbor itself…
Had fish and chips at The Thirsty Whale; then ended up at Galyn’s for drinks upstairs, at their very cute and cozy bar…
Met Billy and Donna (sorry, no last name), from Plymouth, ME., who we swapped stories with for a couple of hours… Lots of fun!
It’s great meeting “locals” who often gives you insights into “things” you probably couldn’t find anywhere else…
Today (Thursday, Sep. 17) we drove into town and had breakfast at Jordan’s, on Cottage Street… Neat place, and great food… Had my first Wild Blueberry Pancake, and it was delish!
After stuffing ourselves, we drove over to Jordan Pond House (a resort type hotel/restaurant, and what-have-you), located, as you might suspect, on Jordan Pond… (New Englanders must call their lakes ponds??)
And to our delight, we hiked the shoreline the whole lake - about four miles - without a hill to climb… Fantastic hike!
On one section (of about a mile, or so) you walk on a “catwalk” (for lack of a better word) - split trees (flat side up) which span about ten feet, and is raised anywhere from about six inches to about two feet above the eco-sensitive ground… Very nicely done… Look at my pictures:http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/MOUNT%20DESERT%20ISLAND%20%5E0%20JORDAN%20POND%20%5E5SEP.%2015%5EJ%2016%5EJ%20%5E0%2017%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=42&isFromRichUpload=1
Had a well deserved nap after that two hour outing, then decided to head back into town for another visit to Galyn’s…
And that brings me, as well as you, up to date… How cool is that?
Don’t have much planned for tomorrow, except that we’re having lobster dinner at the Chart Room, down the road a bit… REALLY looking forward to that…
Good night, and keep in touch.
Well…
We woke up to rain Tuesday (15th)… Not heavy, but enough to discourage us from venturing out… And, actually, it was great to take a day off from the touristy things we’ve been doing… Got a lot of reading done, and managed to plan ahead a little bit, as well, so the day wasn’t wasted by any means…
Wednesday (16th) brought back the sun…
We’re having chilly nights now, so Fall is definitely here…
Spent part of the morning at the Grand Opening for a Walmart Superstore in Ellsworth… Huge place! And, wouldn’t you know it, we had just started to fill our cart when we were told to vacate the premises… Evidently, someone had pulled a fire alarm handle, and it took about half an hour before things were cleared up and we could go back in to stock up on needed groceries…
We spent the afternoon and early evening doing some more exploring around Bar Harbor itself…
Had fish and chips at The Thirsty Whale; then ended up at Galyn’s for drinks upstairs, at their very cute and cozy bar…
Met Billy and Donna (sorry, no last name), from Plymouth, ME., who we swapped stories with for a couple of hours… Lots of fun!
It’s great meeting “locals” who often gives you insights into “things” you probably couldn’t find anywhere else…
Today (Thursday, Sep. 17) we drove into town and had breakfast at Jordan’s, on Cottage Street… Neat place, and great food… Had my first Wild Blueberry Pancake, and it was delish!
After stuffing ourselves, we drove over to Jordan Pond House (a resort type hotel/restaurant, and what-have-you), located, as you might suspect, on Jordan Pond… (New Englanders must call their lakes ponds??)
And to our delight, we hiked the shoreline the whole lake - about four miles - without a hill to climb… Fantastic hike!
On one section (of about a mile, or so) you walk on a “catwalk” (for lack of a better word) - split trees (flat side up) which span about ten feet, and is raised anywhere from about six inches to about two feet above the eco-sensitive ground… Very nicely done… Look at my pictures:http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/MOUNT%20DESERT%20ISLAND%20%5E0%20JORDAN%20POND%20%5E5SEP.%2015%5EJ%2016%5EJ%20%5E0%2017%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=42&isFromRichUpload=1
Had a well deserved nap after that two hour outing, then decided to head back into town for another visit to Galyn’s…
And that brings me, as well as you, up to date… How cool is that?
Don’t have much planned for tomorrow, except that we’re having lobster dinner at the Chart Room, down the road a bit… REALLY looking forward to that…
Good night, and keep in touch.
Monday, September 14, 2009
WITCH HOLE POND and WINTER HARBOR, ME (SEP. 14, 2009)
WITCH HOLE POND and WINTER HARBOR, ME (SEP. 14, 2009)
Didn’t have anything special planned for today, so we took our sweet time rolling out of the sack and getting ourselves presentable… As we peeked out, we could see the sun shining from another clear, blue sky, and, when we ventured outside, we found the “elements” quite to our liking… No nip in the air, like yesterday morning… Looked like a perfect day to take another hike in Acadia National Park.
I have to insert here that (after many calculations, and supreme scrutiny) our trek around Eagle Lake (the other day) was SIX miles, not five, as previously reported… No wonder I was ready for crutches after that one… My poor “sticks” (as Lu so tactlessly describes my pedals) were not used to such brutality, and it took a whole day and a night to forget about the pain, and to get me straightened out to my usual height…
No matter… My brain had obviously forgotten about all that this morning, so off we went…
It turned out to be a wonderful hike, as you can see on my pictures… And the pictures tell the whole story, so I will not embellish on that, except to say that the two hours it took us around Witch Hole Pond was easy to maneuver, and even easier to behold… Talk about eye candy!
To prove to you that the hike this morning did me no wrong, we took off (after lunch at home) to explore the Gouldsboro Peninsula and Winter Harbor(on the other side of Frenchman Bay).
I’m afraid I’m beginning to sound like a recording, but this foreigner hasn’t learned enough English words to adequately describe the scenery we see around us… Not just here, but everywhere we’ve been…
I do apologize for that, and hope my pictures will make up for my ignorance of the language.
Hey, since I am apologetic to no end right now, I have to take the opportunity to apologize to my bride for the oversight of not mentioning the delicious breakfast she fixed yesterday morning…
It was Bloody Great, Mate, and I will forever be in your debt for your gracious way of telling me that there will never be another breakfast until I eat humble pie… You’re the greatest cook that ever lived, and I stand by that until you absolve my sin… Thank you! Let’s eat!
So… I got sidetracked…
What I was trying to say was that, if you look at the pictures, and take my commentary with a grain of salt, then you should have a pretty good idea of what’s going on in our lives on a daily basis, and all without those fancy words I’m looking to find…
With that, I’m done for today… Have a great rest of the week, and keep in touch.
Pictures on Windows Live here: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/WITCH%20HOLE%20POND%20and%20WINTER%20HARBOR%5EJ%20ME%20%5E5SEP.%2014%5EJ%202009%5E6
Didn’t have anything special planned for today, so we took our sweet time rolling out of the sack and getting ourselves presentable… As we peeked out, we could see the sun shining from another clear, blue sky, and, when we ventured outside, we found the “elements” quite to our liking… No nip in the air, like yesterday morning… Looked like a perfect day to take another hike in Acadia National Park.
I have to insert here that (after many calculations, and supreme scrutiny) our trek around Eagle Lake (the other day) was SIX miles, not five, as previously reported… No wonder I was ready for crutches after that one… My poor “sticks” (as Lu so tactlessly describes my pedals) were not used to such brutality, and it took a whole day and a night to forget about the pain, and to get me straightened out to my usual height…
No matter… My brain had obviously forgotten about all that this morning, so off we went…
It turned out to be a wonderful hike, as you can see on my pictures… And the pictures tell the whole story, so I will not embellish on that, except to say that the two hours it took us around Witch Hole Pond was easy to maneuver, and even easier to behold… Talk about eye candy!
To prove to you that the hike this morning did me no wrong, we took off (after lunch at home) to explore the Gouldsboro Peninsula and Winter Harbor(on the other side of Frenchman Bay).
I’m afraid I’m beginning to sound like a recording, but this foreigner hasn’t learned enough English words to adequately describe the scenery we see around us… Not just here, but everywhere we’ve been…
I do apologize for that, and hope my pictures will make up for my ignorance of the language.
Hey, since I am apologetic to no end right now, I have to take the opportunity to apologize to my bride for the oversight of not mentioning the delicious breakfast she fixed yesterday morning…
It was Bloody Great, Mate, and I will forever be in your debt for your gracious way of telling me that there will never be another breakfast until I eat humble pie… You’re the greatest cook that ever lived, and I stand by that until you absolve my sin… Thank you! Let’s eat!
So… I got sidetracked…
What I was trying to say was that, if you look at the pictures, and take my commentary with a grain of salt, then you should have a pretty good idea of what’s going on in our lives on a daily basis, and all without those fancy words I’m looking to find…
With that, I’m done for today… Have a great rest of the week, and keep in touch.
Pictures on Windows Live here: http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/WITCH%20HOLE%20POND%20and%20WINTER%20HARBOR%5EJ%20ME%20%5E5SEP.%2014%5EJ%202009%5E6
Sunday, September 13, 2009
BUCKSPORT, MAINE (SEP. 13, 2009)
Hello out there….
It’s Sunday, Sep. 13, 2009, and we’re back in our hacienda on wheels…
Annie has finished her grueling 60, or so, miles of walk for the Breast Cancer Cause…
By the way, Dear Daughter, we cannot be more proud of what you are, and what you’re doing… You’re an inspiration to every woman alive, not to mention fathers, husbands, and sons (among others, I’m sure), and we love you more than you can imagine… You’re awesome!
To add to that plus side…
We’ve just watched the Seahawks win over the Rams…
Is life good, or what?
With that said… Let me catch you up on some of life’s “lows“…
Friday, when I tried to upload pictures to Picasa, I couldn’t…
Simple, but true….
I spent hours Friday evening, but nothing seemed to work, so, around 11 pm I finally gave up and went to bed… Hoping some rest would refresh my brain…. But… No… That didn’t work either.
I spent most of Saturday morning trying everything I knew how to do, but nothing worked… I was very distraught, as you can imagine…
All this work…
For all these months…
And…
All of a sudden I cannot upload the pictures, which I think is vital to my Blog…. Devastating!!!!!
Luanne finally saw my plight, and talked me into taking a trip to Acadia National Park to go for a walk…
Little did we realize it was over five miles long…
That’s a fair bit of hiking for a deadbeat like me…
By the time we got back to the truck, my bones and muscles alike were 104 years old!
Lu did better… But then she’s sooo much younger…
Anyway, I managed to drive us home, and then, after a little snooze, I hit the keyboard again, and, again, I had no luck loading pictures…
Read up on “everything” I could get my cursor on, and, finally, got hooked up with Windows Live, by MSN…
There you have it… The rest is history, as they say… I’ve had confirmations that things are working OK, so, I hope you’re not having any “issues” either…
Just click on the link, or, if that doesn’t work, copy and paste:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/BUCKSPORT%5EJ%20MAINE%20%5E5SEP.%2013%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=30&isFromRichUpload=1
In case you do have issues, please let me know… Email me at: kjelljohnsen@msn.com, or leave comments on my Blog.
Today, Sunday, Sep. 13, 2009, we took off fairly early for a tour of the countryside…
Ended up in Bucksport, where we strolled around for a while before taking Hwy 46 (between Hwys 1 and 1-A)… A very nice drive, as you can see when you look at my pictures...
Back home, we took it easy for a couple of hours, then headed into Bar Harbor, for another stroll through town… There were two cruise ships anchored out in the bay, so there were a lot of “tourists” getting in our way… Kidding!
Stopped at the Chart Room, on our way home, and made reservations for dinner next Friday night…
That’s it…… I’m caught up, and happy once again….
Take care, and, as always… Keep in touch!
It’s Sunday, Sep. 13, 2009, and we’re back in our hacienda on wheels…
Annie has finished her grueling 60, or so, miles of walk for the Breast Cancer Cause…
By the way, Dear Daughter, we cannot be more proud of what you are, and what you’re doing… You’re an inspiration to every woman alive, not to mention fathers, husbands, and sons (among others, I’m sure), and we love you more than you can imagine… You’re awesome!
To add to that plus side…
We’ve just watched the Seahawks win over the Rams…
Is life good, or what?
With that said… Let me catch you up on some of life’s “lows“…
Friday, when I tried to upload pictures to Picasa, I couldn’t…
Simple, but true….
I spent hours Friday evening, but nothing seemed to work, so, around 11 pm I finally gave up and went to bed… Hoping some rest would refresh my brain…. But… No… That didn’t work either.
I spent most of Saturday morning trying everything I knew how to do, but nothing worked… I was very distraught, as you can imagine…
All this work…
For all these months…
And…
All of a sudden I cannot upload the pictures, which I think is vital to my Blog…. Devastating!!!!!
Luanne finally saw my plight, and talked me into taking a trip to Acadia National Park to go for a walk…
Little did we realize it was over five miles long…
That’s a fair bit of hiking for a deadbeat like me…
By the time we got back to the truck, my bones and muscles alike were 104 years old!
Lu did better… But then she’s sooo much younger…
Anyway, I managed to drive us home, and then, after a little snooze, I hit the keyboard again, and, again, I had no luck loading pictures…
Read up on “everything” I could get my cursor on, and, finally, got hooked up with Windows Live, by MSN…
There you have it… The rest is history, as they say… I’ve had confirmations that things are working OK, so, I hope you’re not having any “issues” either…
Just click on the link, or, if that doesn’t work, copy and paste:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/BUCKSPORT%5EJ%20MAINE%20%5E5SEP.%2013%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=30&isFromRichUpload=1
In case you do have issues, please let me know… Email me at: kjelljohnsen@msn.com, or leave comments on my Blog.
Today, Sunday, Sep. 13, 2009, we took off fairly early for a tour of the countryside…
Ended up in Bucksport, where we strolled around for a while before taking Hwy 46 (between Hwys 1 and 1-A)… A very nice drive, as you can see when you look at my pictures...
Back home, we took it easy for a couple of hours, then headed into Bar Harbor, for another stroll through town… There were two cruise ships anchored out in the bay, so there were a lot of “tourists” getting in our way… Kidding!
Stopped at the Chart Room, on our way home, and made reservations for dinner next Friday night…
That’s it…… I’m caught up, and happy once again….
Take care, and, as always… Keep in touch!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND, MAINE (SEP. 12, 2009) #2
OK.... I've been working on getting my photos uploaded to Picasa most of today, and to no avail... I'm a bit tired, and grumpy, but I think I got things going on Windows Live, from MSN... We'll see... I'm going to copy the URL from the WL Photo Galery, and hopefully, you all can see them...
That's it...... I'll be in touch tomorrow if I can get a good night's sleep...
Here's the link:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/MOUNT%20DESERT%20ISLAND%5EJ%20ME%20%5E5SEP.%2011%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=37&isFromRichUpload=1
That's it...... I'll be in touch tomorrow if I can get a good night's sleep...
Here's the link:
http://cid-44d18849bf3983e9.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/MOUNT%20DESERT%20ISLAND%5EJ%20ME%20%5E5SEP.%2011%5EJ%202009%5E6?nl=1&uc=37&isFromRichUpload=1
Friday, September 11, 2009
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND, MAINE (SEP. 11, 2009)
First off, let me tell you I'm all sorts of ticked off...
Tried to upload today's pictures to Picasa, and was not successful... Something about an Error Message 1... Whatever that is, and I've tried for over three hours now to get things fixed, but to no avail, so, I guess, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see today's pix... If I can fix it... Sorry!
Tried to upload today's pictures to Picasa, and was not successful... Something about an Error Message 1... Whatever that is, and I've tried for over three hours now to get things fixed, but to no avail, so, I guess, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see today's pix... If I can fix it... Sorry!
Had to dash out of bed and turn the furnace on this morning…
Not a good sign, but the sun was shining, and a blue sky promised another beautiful day…
Hard to believe it’s pouring rain and even tornado warnings down in New Jersey, which isn’t all that far from us…
Anyway, today’s activity involved heading down to explore Northeast Harbor and the surrounding fjords.
The maps we’ve been using here haven’t been all that great (mostly due to the fact that they were designed by artists for tourists), so we managed to miss an important (to my way of thinking) road (Schooner Head Road) that would’ve taken us along the coastline of Frenchman Bay, but we got onto Park Loop Road, south of it, and wound our way around a few bays and fjords…
Talk about scenery!
Stopped several places and walked…
You’ll run into places (here. there, and everywhere) where you can stop and/or park, and take off on foot on wonderful paths that wind along the cliffs and shorelines… There is easy access down to the water’s edge (if you so desire), and, on a gorgeous day (like today), there are plenty of places where you can snuggle up in each other’s arms, listen to waves crash against the rocks, watch seabirds soar, and, if you’re lucky, glance a lobsterman hauling out his traps… Of course, you could pretend you’re all alone on a desert island, but… That’d probably be pushing it a bit?
No matter… Mount Desert Island is beautiful and romantic…
No doubt about it!
As you know, Lu and I have only been here a few days, but what we’ve seen, so far, is one of Mother Nature’s gems… We love this place, and can’t wait to investigate more of it and it’s surroundings… Of which, of course, we’ll be telling you about in future Blogs…
Please check out today’s pictures here:
By the way, I’d appreciate any comments and/or suggestions you might have about my Blog and/or pictures… Who knows? It might keep me on the straight and narrow… Just click on “Comments” at the end of each Blog.
Thanks for following us, and have a great morning, or evening, or whatever…
Not a good sign, but the sun was shining, and a blue sky promised another beautiful day…
Hard to believe it’s pouring rain and even tornado warnings down in New Jersey, which isn’t all that far from us…
Anyway, today’s activity involved heading down to explore Northeast Harbor and the surrounding fjords.
The maps we’ve been using here haven’t been all that great (mostly due to the fact that they were designed by artists for tourists), so we managed to miss an important (to my way of thinking) road (Schooner Head Road) that would’ve taken us along the coastline of Frenchman Bay, but we got onto Park Loop Road, south of it, and wound our way around a few bays and fjords…
Talk about scenery!
Stopped several places and walked…
You’ll run into places (here. there, and everywhere) where you can stop and/or park, and take off on foot on wonderful paths that wind along the cliffs and shorelines… There is easy access down to the water’s edge (if you so desire), and, on a gorgeous day (like today), there are plenty of places where you can snuggle up in each other’s arms, listen to waves crash against the rocks, watch seabirds soar, and, if you’re lucky, glance a lobsterman hauling out his traps… Of course, you could pretend you’re all alone on a desert island, but… That’d probably be pushing it a bit?
No matter… Mount Desert Island is beautiful and romantic…
No doubt about it!
As you know, Lu and I have only been here a few days, but what we’ve seen, so far, is one of Mother Nature’s gems… We love this place, and can’t wait to investigate more of it and it’s surroundings… Of which, of course, we’ll be telling you about in future Blogs…
Please check out today’s pictures here:
By the way, I’d appreciate any comments and/or suggestions you might have about my Blog and/or pictures… Who knows? It might keep me on the straight and narrow… Just click on “Comments” at the end of each Blog.
Thanks for following us, and have a great morning, or evening, or whatever…
PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE AND REMEMBER
THE SOULS WHO LEFT US EIGHT YEARS AGO.
CONGRATULATION ON SUCCESSFULLY FINISHING DAY ONE, ANNE!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND, MAINE (SEP. 10, 2009)
Had a quiet and productive morning getting new reservations taken care of for the month following our meeting up with Terry and Gede (at the end of the month)…
It was a cool morning (like most of them are now), but the sun was out, and we took the opportunity to take a long walk around out campground….
It’s huge! Don’t know how many it’ll accommodate, but it’s gotta be hundreds… Sure glad we’re here in the off-season…
After we had lunch at home (for a change), we took a drive down to get a closer look at the Bass Harbor Lighthouse…
What a fantastic drive!
Small (and not-so-small) villages popped up picture perfect wherever you looked…
Every vista was more spectacular than the last…
It’s almost like driving through one of those travel brochures you pick up… Homes and scenery alike ready for the camera…
What a treat!
You can treat yourselves to these treasures by viewing my Picasa Web Album here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/MOUNTDESERTISLANDMAINESEP102009#
Took us all afternoon to wind our way around the areas of Southwest Harbor, and get back to Bar Harbor, where we stopped at one of the hundreds of eateries for another bowl of clam chowder…
Out in the bay lay the “Norwegian Dawn” which we sailed on some time back (can’t remember which cruise that was)… Nice seeing the old gal though… She was gone by the time we had finished dinner, so we didn’t get a second look… Bummer…
Cruising definitely has some plusses, but having your own vehicle in places like this, and having more than the allotted 5, 6, or 8 hours to see-do everything, beats cruising, I think…
That’s it for tonight…
We’re thinking about “doing” the Northeast Harbor area tomorrow, but we’re flexible, so who knows what we’ll end up doing… Until then, keep a watch out for us…
GOOD LUCK, ANNE!
It was a cool morning (like most of them are now), but the sun was out, and we took the opportunity to take a long walk around out campground….
It’s huge! Don’t know how many it’ll accommodate, but it’s gotta be hundreds… Sure glad we’re here in the off-season…
After we had lunch at home (for a change), we took a drive down to get a closer look at the Bass Harbor Lighthouse…
What a fantastic drive!
Small (and not-so-small) villages popped up picture perfect wherever you looked…
Every vista was more spectacular than the last…
It’s almost like driving through one of those travel brochures you pick up… Homes and scenery alike ready for the camera…
What a treat!
You can treat yourselves to these treasures by viewing my Picasa Web Album here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/MOUNTDESERTISLANDMAINESEP102009#
Took us all afternoon to wind our way around the areas of Southwest Harbor, and get back to Bar Harbor, where we stopped at one of the hundreds of eateries for another bowl of clam chowder…
Out in the bay lay the “Norwegian Dawn” which we sailed on some time back (can’t remember which cruise that was)… Nice seeing the old gal though… She was gone by the time we had finished dinner, so we didn’t get a second look… Bummer…
Cruising definitely has some plusses, but having your own vehicle in places like this, and having more than the allotted 5, 6, or 8 hours to see-do everything, beats cruising, I think…
That’s it for tonight…
We’re thinking about “doing” the Northeast Harbor area tomorrow, but we’re flexible, so who knows what we’ll end up doing… Until then, keep a watch out for us…
GOOD LUCK, ANNE!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
BAR HARBOR (SEP. 9, 2009)
This edition of my Blog is
dedicated to our daughter,
ANNE MARIE BERARD,
who is about to participate in her second
SEATTLE’s BREAST CANCER 3-DAY WALK.
(Twenty miles per day),
and to my cousin,
GRETHE GRINDBERG,
(from Namsos, Norway),
who recently battled chemotherapy
and breast removal,
but immerged a conqueror!
Our thoughts and good wishes
are always with these two
extraordinarily brave and dedicated ladies,
but especially during this weekend,
when they join hands with countless others,
who are donating their time and efforts
to eradicate this curse.
THANK YOU,
ANNE AND GRETHE,
FOR MAKING OTHERS SEE THE NEED
TO SUPPORT THIS GREAT CAUSE.
dedicated to our daughter,
ANNE MARIE BERARD,
who is about to participate in her second
SEATTLE’s BREAST CANCER 3-DAY WALK.
(Twenty miles per day),
and to my cousin,
GRETHE GRINDBERG,
(from Namsos, Norway),
who recently battled chemotherapy
and breast removal,
but immerged a conqueror!
Our thoughts and good wishes
are always with these two
extraordinarily brave and dedicated ladies,
but especially during this weekend,
when they join hands with countless others,
who are donating their time and efforts
to eradicate this curse.
THANK YOU,
ANNE AND GRETHE,
FOR MAKING OTHERS SEE THE NEED
TO SUPPORT THIS GREAT CAUSE.
Had a quiet, sunny, lazy day of summer…
Took some doing this morning, but finally got our medicines picked up at Walmart.
They’re in the process of moving to a new Superstore, with Grand Opening Day next Wednesday…
How lucky are we?
Did some shopping…
Did some sightseeing in the town of Ellsworth…
Took a nap…
Went to Bar Harbor to do some checking on a cruise onboard a schooner…
Did some minor repairs…
Had the truck washed… It really needed it!
Took off to explore some of Acadia National Park, which took us up to Mt. Cadillac for a glorious sunset…
Came home where we had fresh corn on the cob and a wonderful shrimp salad dinner…
All we can say is, How great can life be?
Of course, if you’re battling breast cancer, life may not be so good…
Nonetheless, know this: There are people who you have working for you, who go beyond the call of duty (in all fashions of ways) in order to find a solution to this menace…
And to those good and brave souls Luanne and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
TODAY's PICTURES:
Took some doing this morning, but finally got our medicines picked up at Walmart.
They’re in the process of moving to a new Superstore, with Grand Opening Day next Wednesday…
How lucky are we?
Did some shopping…
Did some sightseeing in the town of Ellsworth…
Took a nap…
Went to Bar Harbor to do some checking on a cruise onboard a schooner…
Did some minor repairs…
Had the truck washed… It really needed it!
Took off to explore some of Acadia National Park, which took us up to Mt. Cadillac for a glorious sunset…
Came home where we had fresh corn on the cob and a wonderful shrimp salad dinner…
All we can say is, How great can life be?
Of course, if you’re battling breast cancer, life may not be so good…
Nonetheless, know this: There are people who you have working for you, who go beyond the call of duty (in all fashions of ways) in order to find a solution to this menace…
And to those good and brave souls Luanne and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
TODAY's PICTURES:
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
DOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE to BAR HARBOR, MAINE (SEP. 8, 2009)
Hello, from Bar Harbor, Maine!
We made it here in about five hours from our campground (just outside Dover, New Hampshire).
Not a very exciting drive, since quite a bit of it was on the Turnpikes...
I believe Luanne told me it turned out to be around 6 or 7 bucks in tolls, which isn't all that bad... Especially since it cost us what? 23 bucks? on the Pennsylvania Turnpike...
Jack/Molly had us going down to Portsmouth before heading up to Maine, but I nixed that idea... Look at the map... Cut out quite a bit of driving by cutting over to I-95 on Hwy 9... So that's what we did... And then, when we got up to Brunswick, we did the same thing... Cut over on Hwy 1, instead of driving through Augusta (the Capitol, by the way) and up through Bangor before turning down toward Bar Harbor...
Long story short, it probably took us an hour, or more to do it my way...
A lot of driving through towns and villages (it really got boring driving the Pike... Not much to see at all because of the trees that lined the road... There were only a few places where we could see the countryside), but we're glad we took the extra time...
We're at a fantastic campground, and I'll show you pictures of it tomorrow, or whenever... An ocean inlet is in front of us, and everything is nice and neat...
Got the trailer situated without any problems, and Luanne did a couple of hours of very needed laundry... Then we headed into "The Village" as they call Bar Harbor here... It surprised me a bit to find that the town is probably 12 -15 miles away from our place, but it was well worth the drive...
Had a bowl of clam chowder at one of the many eateries, then walked a couple of the too many streets to "see" in one day, until it got dark and it was time to head home.
What a quaint and picturesque place!
The shops... The boutiques... The restaurants... Fantastic!
All I thought it would be... And to top it all off, we have the Acadia National Park right here on our doorstep, so we have plenty to keep us occupied for the next twelve days! That's really wonderful to say: TWELVE DAYS! Haven't had the luxury to spend that much time in one place for a long, long time...
I don't know if I'll be writing every day while we're here, but I'll try to keep you up to date on the pictures we take, so with that, have a great rest of the week... Take care of yourselves, and keep in touch!
Pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/DOVERNEWHAMPSHIREToBARHARBORMAINESEP82009#
We made it here in about five hours from our campground (just outside Dover, New Hampshire).
Not a very exciting drive, since quite a bit of it was on the Turnpikes...
I believe Luanne told me it turned out to be around 6 or 7 bucks in tolls, which isn't all that bad... Especially since it cost us what? 23 bucks? on the Pennsylvania Turnpike...
Jack/Molly had us going down to Portsmouth before heading up to Maine, but I nixed that idea... Look at the map... Cut out quite a bit of driving by cutting over to I-95 on Hwy 9... So that's what we did... And then, when we got up to Brunswick, we did the same thing... Cut over on Hwy 1, instead of driving through Augusta (the Capitol, by the way) and up through Bangor before turning down toward Bar Harbor...
Long story short, it probably took us an hour, or more to do it my way...
A lot of driving through towns and villages (it really got boring driving the Pike... Not much to see at all because of the trees that lined the road... There were only a few places where we could see the countryside), but we're glad we took the extra time...
We're at a fantastic campground, and I'll show you pictures of it tomorrow, or whenever... An ocean inlet is in front of us, and everything is nice and neat...
Got the trailer situated without any problems, and Luanne did a couple of hours of very needed laundry... Then we headed into "The Village" as they call Bar Harbor here... It surprised me a bit to find that the town is probably 12 -15 miles away from our place, but it was well worth the drive...
Had a bowl of clam chowder at one of the many eateries, then walked a couple of the too many streets to "see" in one day, until it got dark and it was time to head home.
What a quaint and picturesque place!
The shops... The boutiques... The restaurants... Fantastic!
All I thought it would be... And to top it all off, we have the Acadia National Park right here on our doorstep, so we have plenty to keep us occupied for the next twelve days! That's really wonderful to say: TWELVE DAYS! Haven't had the luxury to spend that much time in one place for a long, long time...
I don't know if I'll be writing every day while we're here, but I'll try to keep you up to date on the pictures we take, so with that, have a great rest of the week... Take care of yourselves, and keep in touch!
Pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/DOVERNEWHAMPSHIREToBARHARBORMAINESEP82009#
Monday, September 7, 2009
NEW HAMPSHIRE COAST (SEP. 7, 2009)
It's getting cold at night now...
Frost on the pumpkin, so to speak (even though I haven't seen one of those yet); so we bit the bullet and unpacked the electric blanket this morning... Hate to admit it, but there it is... The old bones can't take too much cold any more, and, I'm sure, we're in for more of the same as the year winds down...
Lu did house cleaning this morning, and I fiddled with broken, and/or messed up stuff in and around the trailer and truck...
Didn't tell you yesterday that Molly took a nosedive after I switched her off and switched to Jack... Not much to tell, actually... Her "halter" (which had been fastened to the area under the dashboard) fell off... I might add that I have a sneaking suspicion it might've been jealousy, but who's to know, really?
After that work was accomplished, we headed over to Dover, and shopped at (all together now): Walmart !!!
Home with the groceries... Then off to do the "loop" around the seashore of New Hampshire... Took Hwy 1 down to Massachusetts (actually crossed the border), then over to Hwy 1-A on Hwy 286.
The rest of what we did is essentially shown on the pictures here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/TheNewHampshireCoastSep72009#
A wonderful and full day of sigtseeing...
Even got a peak at William Whipple's and John Paul Jones' homes...
Everyone knows about John Paul Jones, but probably not too many know that Mr. Whipple was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence... That's your history lesson for today (mine, too), and that's it for tonight...
We're heading to Bar Harbor, Maine, tomorrow morning, where we'll spen 12 days of utter bliss! That's the plan anyway... So hear us, weathergods... We need another month of fantastic New England weather!
Bye for now!
Frost on the pumpkin, so to speak (even though I haven't seen one of those yet); so we bit the bullet and unpacked the electric blanket this morning... Hate to admit it, but there it is... The old bones can't take too much cold any more, and, I'm sure, we're in for more of the same as the year winds down...
Lu did house cleaning this morning, and I fiddled with broken, and/or messed up stuff in and around the trailer and truck...
Didn't tell you yesterday that Molly took a nosedive after I switched her off and switched to Jack... Not much to tell, actually... Her "halter" (which had been fastened to the area under the dashboard) fell off... I might add that I have a sneaking suspicion it might've been jealousy, but who's to know, really?
After that work was accomplished, we headed over to Dover, and shopped at (all together now): Walmart !!!
Home with the groceries... Then off to do the "loop" around the seashore of New Hampshire... Took Hwy 1 down to Massachusetts (actually crossed the border), then over to Hwy 1-A on Hwy 286.
The rest of what we did is essentially shown on the pictures here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/TheNewHampshireCoastSep72009#
A wonderful and full day of sigtseeing...
Even got a peak at William Whipple's and John Paul Jones' homes...
Everyone knows about John Paul Jones, but probably not too many know that Mr. Whipple was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence... That's your history lesson for today (mine, too), and that's it for tonight...
We're heading to Bar Harbor, Maine, tomorrow morning, where we'll spen 12 days of utter bliss! That's the plan anyway... So hear us, weathergods... We need another month of fantastic New England weather!
Bye for now!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
PORTSMOUTH and HAMPTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE (SEP. 6, 2009)
Two blogs in one day... Not bad for a sick old man, huh?
As I eluded to in my last Blog, I felt good enough this morning to throw caution to the wind and take off for a look-see at what the neighborhood had to offer...
I still ache to no end, and my nose is competing with Niagra Falls, but as long as the tears from my headache don't blurr my vision, Lu said she was willing to give it a go... Bless her heart!
The neighborhood....
I tell you, there's nothing like catching the first sight of an ocean that vanishes over the horizon... Of course, the Atlantic Ocean is both near and dear to this ol' Norwegian... I grew up playing on the shores on the other side of that horizon, and I love it... Plain and Simple.
We were running low on diesel, and every gas station we passed didn't have any, so we drove around for a while looking, until we remembered that "Molly" could direct us to one... Duh...
A sidebar here: "Molly" has now been replaced by the voice of "Jack."
Couldn't stand the complaining any more... Jack seems to be a nice fellow, and more laid back, so we'll see what happens... At least got us to the needed diesel without fuss, so there's a pluss.
From Portsmouth, we drove Hwy 1-A (the coastal route) down to Hampton... Stopped here and there to oogle at everything, then headed back to Portsmouth, where we parked and walked for a while... Stopped a guy, walking his dog, and asked him where we could find the best clam chowder in town... He directed us to The River House, which we found after some more driving and walking... Really a cool place... Just the kind of place Lu and I love to stop at... Didn't sit outside since my "cold-flu" was acting up, but we had a window seat right next to the outside dining deck, and we had a fantastic lunch!
Unfortunately, my aches and pains didn't want to leave me, so we decided to head home, and try again tomorrow... It's heck on wheels to get old, folks! But, as the wise man said, It's better than the alternative.
With that, I bid you a fond good night...
Look at today's pictures here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/PORTSMOUTHAndHAMPTONNEWHAMPSHIRESEP62009#
As I eluded to in my last Blog, I felt good enough this morning to throw caution to the wind and take off for a look-see at what the neighborhood had to offer...
I still ache to no end, and my nose is competing with Niagra Falls, but as long as the tears from my headache don't blurr my vision, Lu said she was willing to give it a go... Bless her heart!
The neighborhood....
I tell you, there's nothing like catching the first sight of an ocean that vanishes over the horizon... Of course, the Atlantic Ocean is both near and dear to this ol' Norwegian... I grew up playing on the shores on the other side of that horizon, and I love it... Plain and Simple.
We were running low on diesel, and every gas station we passed didn't have any, so we drove around for a while looking, until we remembered that "Molly" could direct us to one... Duh...
A sidebar here: "Molly" has now been replaced by the voice of "Jack."
Couldn't stand the complaining any more... Jack seems to be a nice fellow, and more laid back, so we'll see what happens... At least got us to the needed diesel without fuss, so there's a pluss.
From Portsmouth, we drove Hwy 1-A (the coastal route) down to Hampton... Stopped here and there to oogle at everything, then headed back to Portsmouth, where we parked and walked for a while... Stopped a guy, walking his dog, and asked him where we could find the best clam chowder in town... He directed us to The River House, which we found after some more driving and walking... Really a cool place... Just the kind of place Lu and I love to stop at... Didn't sit outside since my "cold-flu" was acting up, but we had a window seat right next to the outside dining deck, and we had a fantastic lunch!
Unfortunately, my aches and pains didn't want to leave me, so we decided to head home, and try again tomorrow... It's heck on wheels to get old, folks! But, as the wise man said, It's better than the alternative.
With that, I bid you a fond good night...
Look at today's pictures here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/PORTSMOUTHAndHAMPTONNEWHAMPSHIRESEP62009#
ACCORD, NY to MADBURY, NH. via MASSACHUSETTES and VERMONT (SEP. 3, 2009)
Hello, good folks…..
Sep. 2, to Sep. 6, 2009
For those of you who follow our trip (dare I say) religiously… I’m still alive… And the saga goes on, even though it got waylaid here for a couple of days…
Don’t know if this is the cause, but when we arrived at Rondout Valley Resort, I laid down for a nap… It was hot out, so I didn’t cover up, and the next thing I know, I find myself waking up to a great chill… Of course, I also found out that the pollen count was very high, so that’s probably the culprit for my demise… Anyway, the next morning (3rd) I wasn’t feeling all that good: Sore throat, runny nose, you know the drill, but it eased as the day went on and I felt OK enough to drive in to Kingston (about 20 miles away) where we got diesel, and where we stopped at Applebee’s for lunch… I mentioned meeting Joanne in my last Blog, and since she was interested in following our journey, we drove into town that evening and gave her our Blog address… What a neat lady!
I was pretty much bushed by the time we got home, and hit the sack…
Then, on the 4th I woke to a headache and blocked sinuses… Not a very good day to drive, but we had reservations, and that was that…
We took I-87 North to Hwy 2, which, unbeknown to us, took us into the NW corner of Massachusetts, where we spent maybe ten minutes before we were in SW corner of Vermont…
Hey, I might be sick, but I know an easy State to add to our map when I see one…
We hit Hwy 9 through Vermont and into New Hampshire to I- 93, then Hwy 4 to here in Madbury (really close to Dover).
The Old Stage Campground is not recommended by this couple…
The road leading into it is primitive, to say the least… Ruts, potholes, and dirt… The reason we took it is that we’re here on Labor Day weekend… Everything else was full… They placed us out in the Safari Field and backed us up to a very dirty looking pond… Have to say, kids and grown-ups alike fished it…
Anyway, I was totally worn out by the time we had the trailer set… The ground was uneven, and it took me (with two guys helping) three tries before we got done… The trailer has a heel to it, and we found out the next morning that there was no water pressure… Do you know what that’ll do to you when you’re standing in the shower all laddered up?
Thank goodness, we have the trailer water pump!
As I said, I was worn out, and hit the sack as soon as I had dinner… Not a very nice night… And not a very nice day yesterday… I was sick, and ached to the core… Sore throat, runny nose… You know the drill… I basically spent the day in bed… And that’s it… That’s my excuse for not keeping you up to date, and I’m entitled.
This morning, even though I’m not healed quite yet, I felt good enough to take off for Portsmouth and the Hamptons… But I’ll write more about that in my next segment, because we’re about to eat…
Here are the pix:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/ACCORDNYToMADBURYNHViaMASSACUSETTSAndVERMONTSEP32009#
Sep. 2, to Sep. 6, 2009
For those of you who follow our trip (dare I say) religiously… I’m still alive… And the saga goes on, even though it got waylaid here for a couple of days…
Don’t know if this is the cause, but when we arrived at Rondout Valley Resort, I laid down for a nap… It was hot out, so I didn’t cover up, and the next thing I know, I find myself waking up to a great chill… Of course, I also found out that the pollen count was very high, so that’s probably the culprit for my demise… Anyway, the next morning (3rd) I wasn’t feeling all that good: Sore throat, runny nose, you know the drill, but it eased as the day went on and I felt OK enough to drive in to Kingston (about 20 miles away) where we got diesel, and where we stopped at Applebee’s for lunch… I mentioned meeting Joanne in my last Blog, and since she was interested in following our journey, we drove into town that evening and gave her our Blog address… What a neat lady!
I was pretty much bushed by the time we got home, and hit the sack…
Then, on the 4th I woke to a headache and blocked sinuses… Not a very good day to drive, but we had reservations, and that was that…
We took I-87 North to Hwy 2, which, unbeknown to us, took us into the NW corner of Massachusetts, where we spent maybe ten minutes before we were in SW corner of Vermont…
Hey, I might be sick, but I know an easy State to add to our map when I see one…
We hit Hwy 9 through Vermont and into New Hampshire to I- 93, then Hwy 4 to here in Madbury (really close to Dover).
The Old Stage Campground is not recommended by this couple…
The road leading into it is primitive, to say the least… Ruts, potholes, and dirt… The reason we took it is that we’re here on Labor Day weekend… Everything else was full… They placed us out in the Safari Field and backed us up to a very dirty looking pond… Have to say, kids and grown-ups alike fished it…
Anyway, I was totally worn out by the time we had the trailer set… The ground was uneven, and it took me (with two guys helping) three tries before we got done… The trailer has a heel to it, and we found out the next morning that there was no water pressure… Do you know what that’ll do to you when you’re standing in the shower all laddered up?
Thank goodness, we have the trailer water pump!
As I said, I was worn out, and hit the sack as soon as I had dinner… Not a very nice night… And not a very nice day yesterday… I was sick, and ached to the core… Sore throat, runny nose… You know the drill… I basically spent the day in bed… And that’s it… That’s my excuse for not keeping you up to date, and I’m entitled.
This morning, even though I’m not healed quite yet, I felt good enough to take off for Portsmouth and the Hamptons… But I’ll write more about that in my next segment, because we’re about to eat…
Here are the pix:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/ACCORDNYToMADBURYNHViaMASSACUSETTSAndVERMONTSEP32009#
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
NEW HOLLAND, PA to ACCORD, NEW YORK ( SEP. 2, 2009)
I don't know about you, but I miss New Holland already.... What an incredible place!
But........ All good things must come to an end, and our time in Amish Country came to an end as we left this morning...
We had about 200 miles to drive (about average for us for a day's trip.... Don't want to overdo it, you know) to get to Roundout Valley Resort, here, outside Accord, Ulster County, New York.
The scenery has been pastoral most of the way, but got a bit hectic as we moved closer to the East end of Pennsylavania... Lots of traffic... Lots of Highways... Lots of turns... Lots of confusion...
"Molly" wanted us to go through New Jersey, and we obliged...
Crossed the Delaware River, where "Molly" tossed us a doozie (is that a word?)... She made us go one way (don't exactly remember where), but as soon as I turned the corner, I saw this sign saying anything over 9 feet tall should forget-about-it (that's a New York slogan, folks! Get used to it! We're acclimating to the local colloquial!), because there was a bridge ahead, which would've rendered our hazienda-on-wheels a convertible....
Hello! What's wrong here?!
Am I allowed to swear? No...
OK.... You get the message? Right?!
I made a right; another right; and another right; and then a straight...
Got out of that mess!
As you can imagine, though, I wasn't very pleased with our little-Gal-in-the-box... Didn't quite know if I should toss "her" out the window, or yell at Luanne? Women!!!!!
OK..... So...... Not to offend any of the lovely sex... You women know I'm pulling your string, right?
Please......................... Thank you.......
We made it to our RV Park in one piece, and took a long nap....
Actually, it wasn't long at all...
I read, then snoozed, while Lu watched TV (to her delight, we got a clear spot to the sky, which meant satellite! She's as happy as a Skipper's Clam!)....
After our "nap" we decided to go for a spin down the old country road, just to take in the local scenery....
Of course, Lu spotted an old tavern, where we stopped and had a wonderful meal....
You might not approve of "all" these taverns we stop at, but let me tell you, if you want to find out about local life, about what makes local folks tick, and about local customs, your best bet is a local saloon, tavern, or bar.... You get real people... You get real life stories... And, I promiss you, you won't get that at a "local" Applebee's, or some National chain franchise....
We met, and had a great conversation with a lady (Joanne) who has a Horse Riding Acadamy... Talk about local lore! Fascinating!
Anyway....... We're here for two nights, and then... Off to who-knows-where?
I'll let you know more about that tomorrow.......
That's it for tonight.... Look at our pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/NEWHOLLANDPAToACCORDNEWYORKSEP22009#
But........ All good things must come to an end, and our time in Amish Country came to an end as we left this morning...
We had about 200 miles to drive (about average for us for a day's trip.... Don't want to overdo it, you know) to get to Roundout Valley Resort, here, outside Accord, Ulster County, New York.
The scenery has been pastoral most of the way, but got a bit hectic as we moved closer to the East end of Pennsylavania... Lots of traffic... Lots of Highways... Lots of turns... Lots of confusion...
"Molly" wanted us to go through New Jersey, and we obliged...
Crossed the Delaware River, where "Molly" tossed us a doozie (is that a word?)... She made us go one way (don't exactly remember where), but as soon as I turned the corner, I saw this sign saying anything over 9 feet tall should forget-about-it (that's a New York slogan, folks! Get used to it! We're acclimating to the local colloquial!), because there was a bridge ahead, which would've rendered our hazienda-on-wheels a convertible....
Hello! What's wrong here?!
Am I allowed to swear? No...
OK.... You get the message? Right?!
I made a right; another right; and another right; and then a straight...
Got out of that mess!
As you can imagine, though, I wasn't very pleased with our little-Gal-in-the-box... Didn't quite know if I should toss "her" out the window, or yell at Luanne? Women!!!!!
OK..... So...... Not to offend any of the lovely sex... You women know I'm pulling your string, right?
Please......................... Thank you.......
We made it to our RV Park in one piece, and took a long nap....
Actually, it wasn't long at all...
I read, then snoozed, while Lu watched TV (to her delight, we got a clear spot to the sky, which meant satellite! She's as happy as a Skipper's Clam!)....
After our "nap" we decided to go for a spin down the old country road, just to take in the local scenery....
Of course, Lu spotted an old tavern, where we stopped and had a wonderful meal....
You might not approve of "all" these taverns we stop at, but let me tell you, if you want to find out about local life, about what makes local folks tick, and about local customs, your best bet is a local saloon, tavern, or bar.... You get real people... You get real life stories... And, I promiss you, you won't get that at a "local" Applebee's, or some National chain franchise....
We met, and had a great conversation with a lady (Joanne) who has a Horse Riding Acadamy... Talk about local lore! Fascinating!
Anyway....... We're here for two nights, and then... Off to who-knows-where?
I'll let you know more about that tomorrow.......
That's it for tonight.... Look at our pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/NEWHOLLANDPAToACCORDNEWYORKSEP22009#
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
PHILADELPHIA (SEP1, 2009)
It’s really nice when you plan to stay somewhere, and you find out, after you get there, that there are awesome attractions within “striking” distance…
That’s what happened to us here in New Holland, Pennsylvania.
When we made the reservations, we didn’t think about Gettysburg or Philadelphia, since we were more concerned about getting a campground or RV Resort through RPI (Resort Parks International) or Coast to Coast (F.Y.I.: We save a lot of money by using these membership facilities)…
Anyway, the original thought was to see these places on our way South (after Maine), but you can imagine how delighted we were to find that we were within an easy day’s driving to both places.
It made for two very busy sightseeing days, but boy was it worth it!
As I’ve said on more than one occasion, a picture speaks a thousand words, so our stay here in Lancaster/New Holland area has been great…
I’ve let the pictures speak for themselves - with just a few notes describing what I thought might clarify location, or whatever… That, in turn, has prevented me from writing too much in my Blog, which, I’m sure, you appreciate.
With that little tidbit, I can now almost quit writing and let you ponder the pictures on my Picasa Web Albums…
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/PHILADELPHIASEP12009#
Sorry…
Just a few more words to let you know we’ve had a fantastic time here in Amish Country, in Gettysburg, and, probably most of all, in Philadelphia.
Today’s excursion into the history of the birth of our Nation was heartwarming, to say the least… When you get right down to it, it’s really a miracle that America is America… There were so many things that could’ve gone wrong; situations which could’ve taken a different turn, if proceedings and measures hadn‘t been taken advantage of…
You can go on and on… What it all boils down to is: WE THE PEOPLE wouldn’t be living in this great land if it hadn’t been for some very strong minded, diplomatic, and far-seeing gentlemen who steered a solid course…
Bless them all for being at the right place at the right time!
I am so proud to live in American, where the ideals of these men still ring true.
I know we’re still struggling with all kinds of issues, but - in my mind - you can’t find a better country to search for your dreams…
Opportunities are here for everyone… All you need is determination (a will to succeed) and to go for it… Again, in my mind, The American Dream is yours if you apply yourself.
See what a little trip to Independence Hall did? I’m now a gung-ho American, and darn proud of it!
Unfortunately, we’re on the go again tomorrow morning… Would’ve loved to spend more time here, but maybe some other year?
We’re heading to a town called Accord, in the State of New York, where we’ll be staying a couple of nights, so I’ll catch you up when we get there…
Take care…
That’s what happened to us here in New Holland, Pennsylvania.
When we made the reservations, we didn’t think about Gettysburg or Philadelphia, since we were more concerned about getting a campground or RV Resort through RPI (Resort Parks International) or Coast to Coast (F.Y.I.: We save a lot of money by using these membership facilities)…
Anyway, the original thought was to see these places on our way South (after Maine), but you can imagine how delighted we were to find that we were within an easy day’s driving to both places.
It made for two very busy sightseeing days, but boy was it worth it!
As I’ve said on more than one occasion, a picture speaks a thousand words, so our stay here in Lancaster/New Holland area has been great…
I’ve let the pictures speak for themselves - with just a few notes describing what I thought might clarify location, or whatever… That, in turn, has prevented me from writing too much in my Blog, which, I’m sure, you appreciate.
With that little tidbit, I can now almost quit writing and let you ponder the pictures on my Picasa Web Albums…
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/PHILADELPHIASEP12009#
Sorry…
Just a few more words to let you know we’ve had a fantastic time here in Amish Country, in Gettysburg, and, probably most of all, in Philadelphia.
Today’s excursion into the history of the birth of our Nation was heartwarming, to say the least… When you get right down to it, it’s really a miracle that America is America… There were so many things that could’ve gone wrong; situations which could’ve taken a different turn, if proceedings and measures hadn‘t been taken advantage of…
You can go on and on… What it all boils down to is: WE THE PEOPLE wouldn’t be living in this great land if it hadn’t been for some very strong minded, diplomatic, and far-seeing gentlemen who steered a solid course…
Bless them all for being at the right place at the right time!
I am so proud to live in American, where the ideals of these men still ring true.
I know we’re still struggling with all kinds of issues, but - in my mind - you can’t find a better country to search for your dreams…
Opportunities are here for everyone… All you need is determination (a will to succeed) and to go for it… Again, in my mind, The American Dream is yours if you apply yourself.
See what a little trip to Independence Hall did? I’m now a gung-ho American, and darn proud of it!
Unfortunately, we’re on the go again tomorrow morning… Would’ve loved to spend more time here, but maybe some other year?
We’re heading to a town called Accord, in the State of New York, where we’ll be staying a couple of nights, so I’ll catch you up when we get there…
Take care…
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