Memorial Day–May 28, 2013

Happy Memorial Day to all who have served, and to all who waited for them to return home.  Please drive safe to and from you Holliday Celebrations.

Saturday, the 26th, we toured LL Bean and the town of Freeport, ME.  Marilyn did find a pair of Teva’s to replace her ailing sandals.  I searched all of the shoe stores but did not buy.  I did finally decide that I would buy some from Bass, but by then it was time to return to the CG.  Dinner was a potluck hosted by the CG owners.  They put a huge cast iron pot of beans in a hole in the ground on wood coals the night before.  The beans cooked for 24 hours.  Everyone brought goodies.  Marilyn made a Blueberry Crunch Cake from a Paula Dean recipe, and it was good that she had to pass out several copies of the recipe.

Sunday morning we went to Bass to buy some sandals for me.  Then I found a pair of boat shoes that I liked.  Since they were having a sale Buy 1 and get Two Free, Marilyn found a pair of boat shoes also (3 pairs of shoes for $126.  In the afternoon, we walked some trails at Wolf Neck State Park.  Since it was now late in the afternoon, it was time to start thinking about dinner.  We drove to Harraseeket Lobster Pound in South Freeport where we bought 2 one and a half pound new shell lobsters at $6.99 per pound, plus we bought a dozen steamers for Marilyn.  I cooked the lobsters, steamers and a small steak outside, and they were delicious.

Today, we will have to wait and see what we do.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Last week, we made reservations for the Memorial Day Weekend at Blueberry Pond Campground in Pownal, Maine.  Actually we went for 6 days; the 3 day weekend at their regular rate of $39.54, and 3 Passport America days at $19.77.  Our total drive for the day was a total of 89 miles with several of those miles on US-1 around the east side of Portland, ME.

Two Good Days

Yesterday, the 23rd of May, we drove to Portsmouth, NH.  After finding the Visitor Center, we went to the parking garage where parking is 75 cents per hour vs $1 per hour on the street with no time limit vs 2 hours on the street.  Then we walked to the Old Ferry Landing for lunch.  Marilyn got her first Lobster Roll, and I had a fried Haddock sandwich – both were yummy.  After lunch we walked around the waterfront park.  We had been to Strawberry Bank in 2001, so we just walked past it.  After lunch, we walked to the Discover Portsmouth Museum.  After the museum, we drove out to Fort Constitution to view the Portsmouth Lighthouse, we could also see the Whaleback Light, and then with the binoculars we could see the Isle of Shoals Light.  Then it was time to head back to the house.  We tried to stop for at tour of the Red Hook Brewery, but the timing was wrong, so we just went to the grocery store.

Today, May 24th,  We decided to go to Sam’s Club in Seabrook, NH, and then decided to stop at the American Independence Museum in Exeter, NH.  The first hour and a half was spent listening to Bob, the docent, talk about the history of the house that had been the seat of NH government during the revolution.  New Hampshire’s copy of the Declaration of Independence had arrived on horseback at this “Ladd” house, and taken to town to be read to the locals.  This copy had been lost for over 200 years.  During a 1990s renovation, the copy was found inside a newspaper between the floor of the attic, and the ceiling below.  Incredible, but a fun afternoon.

After making our stop at Sam’s Club, we drove back to Portsmouth to take the Red Hook Brewery 3:00 tour – nice, but the tasting was better.  The Nut Brown Ale was the best of the three tastings.  Marilyn did not find any to her liking.

Type at you later.

New Hampshire–Tuesday, May 22, 1202

We moved again.

Yesterday afternoon, we drove back in to Bennington to go to the Covered Bridge Museum and Bennington Center for the Arts – Nice collection.  Note:  I had to take a picture of the butterfly on the nose of the moose.

Today, we left Pownal, just south of Bennington VT, and drove to Northwood, NH.  We did have to buy diesel today at $3.97 per gallon, and our Passport America campground fee at Saddleback Campground is $15 per night (regular rate is $30).

The route we took was the Molly Stark Trail (Vermont Route 9) from Bennington to Brattleboro, VT.  Along the route, we passed the Molly Stark State Park which brought back memories to Marilyn and I for our first campout for the two of us with Paul Gifford, his family and friends.

Type at you later.

Sightseeing and then Relax Sunday, 2012-05-20

Today we just hung around and relaxed.  Marilyn did some reading, email, etc.  I spent most of the day organizing and renaming pictures.

Yesterday, we drove from Bennington to Manchester, VT and back along Vermont’s scenic and historic Rte 7A.  It is a very pretty ride along the valleys between the mountains.  Along the way, we stopped at Robert Frost’s Stone House where he spent most of his life.  Inside, they have descriptions of his life, along with some information about his poetry.  One room was almost totally devoted to “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”. 

After lunch in Manchester, we stopped to see the last two of Vermont’s covered bridges in the area.  One was on Covered Bridge Road, and the other was un-named, but there was a sign that read “One Dollar Fine For Driving Faster Than a Walk on this Bridge”.  The second bridge was rebuilt with cement pilings and macadam road base instead of wood.  However, it is still a one lane bridge.

Our final stop was at the Chocolate Barn for some delicious Truffles.

Type at you later.

Cemetery & Battlefield–May 18, 2012

This afternoon we headed over to Hoosick, NY, just a few miles west of Bennington, NY.  It is still a tiny town, and we easily found the Hoosick Rural Cemetery south of town on Rensselaer CR-95.  We drove in to town, and turned left (south) at the only traffic light.

Marilyn’s 2nd great-grandfather’s grave was the easiest one to find, because it was the tall one near the road.  And her great-grandfather, William H White was also easy to find because he was listed on the back of the same stone monument as Sanford H Rudd.    The hardest ones to find were her grandfather and grandmother.  Grandfather Stearns White had died in 1920 in an industrial accident.  We finally called Paul and Peg Gifford.  Paul had been at her grandmother’s, Pauline Rothermel, burial, and thought he remembered it as being in the center of the cemetery.  There they were, not in the family plot, but in the center.   It is always nice to find the picture you are looking for.

We left the Hoosick Cemetery, and drove north and east to the NY State Historic Site of The Battle of Bennington.  The battle took place on August 16, 1777.

Got back to the RV, and couldn’t get the pictures off the SD Card and onto my computer.  I had to put them on Marilyn’s netbook, then on to a flash drive before moving them to my computer.  I guess that the SD Card reader on my computer is dying.  Time to look for a new computer.  I had wanted to wait until my new computer would come with an upgrade to Windows 8.  I may not be able to wait.  We will have to look at WalMart and Sams because of not being able to receive a package at a General Delivery.

Type at you later.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Back to Bennington this morning to go to the Bennington Museum. They have a very nice selection of Grandma Moses paintings. Then we drove west a little to see 3 of Vermont’s remaining covered bridges.  These are one-lane covered bridges that are still in use today.  They are the Silk Road Bridge, the Paper Mill Bridge, and the Henry Bridge.

Our good friends and neighbors, Ray and Barbara Handshaw, from when we lived at Mid-Florida Lakes in Leesburg, FL, summer in New Hampshire.  In response to Marilyn’s emails, Barbara called yesterday saying that they would be in Bennington late this afternoon for a Cruise-In.  We met them around 4pm at the Wal-Mart parking lot.  It was time for an early dinner at Chili’s, catch-up talking and where did the time go.  We did make it to Hemmings Garage First Cruise-In of the season.  There were many nice restored old vehicles.  We will see them again in the fall.

Type at you later.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

After breakfast, we decided to drive north from Pownal into Bennington to do some sightseeing.  First stop was the Apple Barn where we saw our first moose.  The next stop was the Chamber of Commerce, where we saw momma and baby.

We then followed the walking tour guide for downtown Bennington.  We ate lunch at Madison Brewing Company Pub & Restaurant.  Their special was a delicious Battlefield Stout.  I had the Brat & Bird hoagie with ale battered fries, and Marilyn had a Turkey Cranberry Melt.  I would not be averse to returning, but there are so many other places to try.

After walking around downtown and along the river, we drove out to Bennington’s Monument to the 1777 Battle of Bennington where Marilyn’s 4th great-grandfather fought with Vermont’s Green Mountain Boys.  Our last stop before returning to Pownal was the Cemetery at the Old First Church.    Right on  the front row, we found the graves of Marilyn’s 4th great-grandfather, Lt. Joseph J Rudd who died in 1818, and his wife Sarah Story who died in 1842.

One of the most famous people buried here in Bennington at the Old First Church is Robert Frost.  They have signs along a marked path so that the faithful can find his grave.

Type at you later.

Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 13, 2012

The day started with a Happy Mother’s Day wish to Marilyn.  We fixed breakfast followed by lunch together.  We had scrambled fake eggs with cheese and bagels for breakfast, and BLTs for lunch.  After lunch, at Marilyn’s suggestion, I went out to try to find a short that was blowing motorhome fuses related to the right turn signal on the Jeep.  I found our that it was a good thing I had not auctioned off my Lego Orange Blocks.  I used both bags to raise the Jeep so I could crawl under it.  I found the short quickly – the front drive shaft was rubbing on the wires.  Marilyn suggested that I tape the raw area, so we will see if it was a clean break or just that the plastic was rubbed off.  I did use some wire ties to prevent any more rubbings.

Dinner was delicious.  I grilled the salmon that Marilyn marinated in equal parts soy sauce and maple syrup with brushings of a reduced glaze of equal parts soy sauce and maple syrup.  We also had Champaign over frozen strawberries, a salad, and we will have cheesecake for desert later.

Type at you later.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Started the day with a call from the Secretary of my Elks Lodge stating that my dues notices had been returned undelivered.  Oops, my dues were unpaid.  Sent them off quickly – we might need an Elks Lodge to stay overnight in this summer.

Then we drove to Cooperstown, NY to visit two museums – the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and the Farmers Museum.  First we have a picture of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum along with a picture of Abner Doubleday, the founder of the game.

Inside, there was a short movie about baseball, a “cow” that used to be on the streets of NYC, and of course the room with all of the “Hall of Fame” plaques.

The Farmers Museum has a collection of buildings from the early NYS 1800s with docents to explain rural NY life. These pictures were taken from the balcony of the Bump Tavern. 

Friday, May 11, 2012

I finally downloaded some pictures from my phone from earlier in the week at Hemlock Campground and Cottages.  Here are Marilyn, Lynn and Bill being roasted.

The dump station has a privy with interesting signs:  Don’t Hog the Bathroom”, “No Sleeping Allowed”, and “What Happens in the Privy Stays in the Privy”.

Another interesting sign at this campground was the “I Poop, You Scoop”.

Today, we drove in to Oneonta, NY where we drove around the campus of SUNY Oneonta.  Marilyn applied to Oneonta, but luckily she went to SUNY Oswego.  We did stop at the Popp Butterfly Conservatory.    We did see butterfly's along with a two toed sloth and and a “walking stick”.

Marilyn enjoyed just sitting and watching the butterfly’s.

Type at you later.