Day 11 Tuesday June 28, 2011 It's Moving Day! We're off to Acadia National Park, Maine!

Tuesday---Moving day--we're off to Blackwoods Campground  in Acadia National Park, just 15 minutes outside of Bar Harbor, ME.

It's a beautiful morning: sunny and clear. This is our first actual put down after nesting together for a week. We are still learning where things are stowed while we travel. I've complained a bit about how this camper does not have as good storage as our Coleman camper did. And while I liked the type of storage (shelves, pull downs etc) in the Coleman, this one probably has more overall storage. We just have to devise our own organization. So it took us a little longer to figure it out today then usual. Everything is packed into the camper and things are not crowded at all. Buddy even has more room in the car and likes this new arrangement.

We fill up the gas tank. The cost is $3.65 a gallon. Gotta love Maine! What's the price now on Cape Cod???

Our trip to Bar Harbor should be a little over 3 hours. We decide to take the somewhat scenic route 3 instead of Rt 95. Basically Rt 3 has no traffic, passes lots of lakes and goes through some little (and somewhat forgotten) New England towns. We pass lots of very old, little cemeteries on this route, too. As we travel, however, it appears we are moving back to rain. I sure hope not.

I wonder if Lupines are Maine's State flower? There were tons of them on Monhegan Island, and now on Rt 3 we are passing beautiful clumps of blue wild Lupines--seemingly wild-- on the side of the road. They seem to be everywhere up here but I remember never being able to grow them very well when we lived in Holliston!

We travel thru the 'island' of Verona, ME that has a bridge like the Zakim bridge in Boston. Only the huge white ropes are in the middle of the bridge instead of on the outside. Different!

We stop for lunch at Friendly's since we are hungry and we need our Internet fix.  We are heading to an area in Maine that notoriously has terrible cell service.  We're hoping if our renters need to reach us, that they will use the Internet.  I know I will travel everyday to find that!

Although it's cloudy when we arrive, it doesn't rain.  It's actually quite comfortable and in the 70's.  It takes us some time to set up, but we'll be at this campsite for 7 nights.  Ed made a wise decision when he made the arrangements this year.  Settling into one site for an extended period of time really makes the camping very relaxing.  We're not in any hurry to get anywhere this year (like we were in our trip last year).  We have been to many of these parts of Maine before so they are almost familiar and comfortable.

Time to read another book!

Day 10 Monday June 27, 2011 Trip to Monhegan Island, Maine

We awoke to bright, sunny skies so we decided to take a trip to Monhegan Island, Maine out of Boothbay Harbor. After breakfast at the Ebb Tide restaurant (where they have served 5 million people in their 37 years of business!) we then took the Balmy Day II.  The ride was an hour and a half on perfectly calm waters.  We remembered hearing about the island on Chronicle one time.  There are 60 year round residents and most houses on the island do not have electricity. They use gas lanterns for lighting. Since this would be an all day event, we decided to take Buddy with us. He was a little apprehensive about getting on the gangplank but pretty much slept on the way there and especially on the way back.

When we got to the island we had a map showing the trails et all on the island. It was only a mile and a half wide. After walking a few blocks up hill, Buddy and I found some really nice heavy resin Adirondeck chairs under a shady lilac tree at the closed library. We said good bye to Ed while he chose whick fork to take for a hike. We met up after his first hike and Buddy and I joined him for a walk around the other side of the wharf. Then we went back to the wharf to take a half hour tour around the island. The captain pointed out a rusted ship wreck on the east side of the island. We also saw a mother seal and her pups sunning on the rocks. Very cute.


On the way home we stoped at Red's Eats in Wiscasset, Maine. That little corner hole in the wall was featured on Chronicle (as well as dozens of other places from their write up!).

We each had the Lobster roll. More then one pound of lobster meat on a toasted roll with melted butter. Awesome!  This even makes us forget about the rain! 

Days 8 & 9 Sunday June 26, 2011 And the rain continues!

First of all, an apology is necessary to my grandson, Logan. He turned 6 last week...not 5. Of course Grammy knew that. I must have had a senior moment. Sorry Logan!

I avoided writing for a few days. It rained from Wednesday night thru Saturday night. Then Sunday was dry but grey. Grey is really the problem. I find the color soothing in decorating but not in living. Ed can't really do his hiking or biking or fishing and it gets a little crowded in the camper. They say our Jayco camper is made for 6 to 8 people. I don't see it! They might mean if everyone is laying down, there is sleeping space for that many, but we both can't even get dressed at the same time in the morning. I spent at least two of those rainy days in the Freeport Library. I find that libraries are a great resource while camping. They are typically bright and cheerful They are always dry and they have Internet. What's not to like?

The rain gave me a chance to read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot which Dorothy Robinson recommended. I'd highly recommend it. Ed was familiar with the topic. Henrietta's cells were taken in the 50's--without her knowledge or consent-- and have been replicated into billions to be used in labs to find cures for lots of diseases. They are called HeLa cells. The topic is pretty thought provoking. I'm still not sure where I stand.

Sunday the rain stopped. After heading out for my required newspaper, Ed wanted to go fishing so Buddy and I joined him on the bank of a river. Across the way, a little boy was fishing with his Dad. He pulled in maybe 4 nice size fish. He was very excited! Ed wasn't as lucky. He was trying out new types of bait (that's what he told me anyway) and the fish didn't enjoy that.

Monday promises to clear up.

Days 6 & 7 Friday June 24, 2011 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CARRIE!!

It's happened!  And sooner then I expected!  I have Writers Block!

What can I possible write about while camping in 2 and 1/2 days of rain? Nothing. 

I am in the Freeport Public Library for another 4 hours today.  Ed didn't come with me this time.  Downloads are too slow for him.  He'd rather stay back at the soggy campground and read.  Go figure!  We already tried shopping in Freeport yesterday.  Neither of us likes to shop although Ed likes to browse much more then I do.

I think having a Blog to share summer experiences is causing some stress in my life.  I dreamt all night that I wrote a witty Blog entry about having Writers Block!  You all loved it and gave me lots of praise.  I also dreamt that I was given a prize for it.  When I went up to receive my prize, I was much younger then 62, much thinner and had no grey hair!  That's when I knew I was dreaming.

So for now, just know we are dry and a bit bored!  We've heard the sun will be out maybe on Sunday!

Scores:  Backgammon:  Ed 0, Nancy 1       Gin Rummy:  Ed 2, Nancy  3

Day 5 Wednesday June 22, 2011 You know I'm REALLY on vacation when...

I guess today I officially started my vacation!  I polished my nails!  I never take the time to do that frivolous exercise in the Winter and the Spring and then in early Summer I have too much garden dirt in them to bother.  While, camping, though, the day is so relaxing I can do frivolous things all day if I want!

I finished the book Left Neglected by Lisa Genova.  It was really good and about something I had never heard of.  Left Neglect is a neurological problem that can happen to people with head injuries. Literally, your brain does not recognize the 'left' of anything....not your body or your vision etc. You're not paralyzed, you just can't see or understand the left of anything.  For example, someone could tell you to lift both arms.  You think you do but in actuality, your left arm doesn't lift.  It's a good book and she's an easy read.  It was my first book on my Kindle (which I love!).

I have come back into Freeport today for my Internet, e-mail fix.  I will probably do this every day while we are here.  It's close by and a really nice library.

Freeport has a nice little walking area of stores.  LL Bean immediately comes to mind.  Their store here is open 24 hours a day 365 days a year!  There are no locks on any door (I guess they save a lot of money that way!).  And since it's still June, it's not crowded at all.  Ed and I will be sure to come here for a late afternoon shopping spree before we leave.

Weather is a little more humid today and a little cloudier.  Still perfect, though!

In case you're keeping track:  Gin Rummy:  Ed 1, Nancy 2

Day 4 Tuesday June 21, 2011 Clear blue skies in Pownal, ME

Last night Ed and I took a short walk thru some of the trails of Bradbury SP.  Not too far, but it's a start for me!  There are lots of little trails that are pretty flat, well marked and under great canopies of trees.

We had a good dinner of steak tips, salad and carrots.  We also played Gin Rummy.  We are now tied:  Ed 1, Nancy 1.

Today we were awoken by what sounded like the boom of a cannonball at exactly 5:30 am!  Still haven't found out what it was.

Ed recovered ok from his fall the other day.  He still has a scratch on his face, but his chest is fine and it's not stopping him from bike riding and hiking.

Today I am off to the Freeport Public Library to recharge all computers, phones and Kindle. 

Unfortunately, while in town, I received a call from the person renting our home.  She told me there was a grill fire at our house on Sunday night (don't know why I'm just hearing about it on Tuesday!).  No one was hurt and the house is fine -- (all good things) -- but the grill is 'fried'.  Luckily my sister in law Jean is still around and offered to lend them her Weber charcoal grill to use in the mean time.  I went on line and ordered a new gas grill at Home Depot which should arive in 5 to 10 business days.  Unfortunately, our daughter Pam is going to have to set it up on the deck when it comes and wrangle someone to help her move the bad one to a hidden space.  Ed will have to bring it to the dump when we come home.

Day 3 Monday June 20, 2011 Happy 5th Birthday, Logan!

What Gorgeous weather!!

We slept in today. It was 9 am before we woke up to see beautiful blue skies and crisp 70 degree weather. Even Buddy slept in. I guess he likes this relaxed style of living, too.

We had a nice breakfast this morning and continued reading yesterday's paper.  By about 11 am Ed decided to take Buddy for his first 'hike'. Yesterday, Ed took a walk around the State Park grounds for about a mile and Ed seems to think that's a good length for Buddy. Yesterday, though, Ed fell while going on his walk in the woods. He went to climb over some fallen limbs and didn't get his leg up high enough and took a hard fall. He was hurting last night. Maybe bruised a rib and he's still a little sore today. We'll see how they do.

I'm off to Freeport to find Internet access. We have sporatic Cell service in the campground which is a good thing since Jean called yesterday to say the dog who our renters brought with them for the week had been barking all day. I couldn't reach them until last evening and they hopefully have a solution so this doesn't continue. Eastham has an ordinance on dog barking so I'm hoping my neighbors and friends don't have to put up with that for too long. I am anxious to ensure things are all right by sending and receiving e-mail. Then I'll go to the supermarket for a more thorough food shopping today.

Day 2 Sunday June 19, 2011 Happy Father's Day!

In the morning we had a nice breakfast and left for our first camp site--Bradbury State Park in Pownal Maine (near Freeport). We actually have reservations there starting on the 25th but since we just recently rented another week at our house, we decided to try to get a site a week early at this location and settle for awhile.

Bradbury is a campground of about 30 sites. None have electricity or water but they are well treed and it's located about 10 minutes from Freeport--a shopping mecca. There are probably 7 other campers here and we had no trouble finding a reasonable site for our new Jayco camper. It's a BEAUTIFUL sunny, clear day as we set up. Since this is our first set up together in this camper (I used it during Ed's D.I.V.E. weekend), we have to try to figure out where everything will be best stored while we are here. I can't say I like this camper better then our other Coleman camper, but it is newer which is nice! We had put in over 700 days living in the last pop up camper--thats more then 2 years of living in a pop up in the last 10 years! We got our money's worth.

The screen house attached to the camper--which is really a necessity while camping in the woods of Maine for the summer--is a little cumbersome and takes awhile to put together. It was almost 4:30 pm by the time we were finished and B.I.T.C.H.ed each other. If you remember from last year that means Beer In The Captains (or Chic's) Hand. It's our celebratory drink when we have arrived and set up at our destination.

I'm then off to find the locat supermarket (10 minutes away) for goodies for dinner and cards tonight--something easy.

After dinner we read for awhile and play Gin Rummy. Score on the first night: Ed 1 Nancy 0. Hope I improve or it's going to be a long summer!

Day 1 Saturday June 18, 2011 We're Off!

The house is in pristine condition! It hasn't been this clean since we left last year :). We left about 10:50 am. If we stayed any longer we would have found places that we could have cleaned better...so we decided to leave.

We said good bye to our good neighbors, Keith and Linda, and our sister in laws, Jean and Kathy. They will be here to tell us how our renters do this summer.

We head to Orleans to pick up Buddy from our friend Jane. Jane spends half the year in England and half the year in Orleans. She arrived on Tuesday night and offered to take Buddy for the last few days so we could rid our house of his fur. We needed those extra days...Buddy sheds a lot.

The day is clear and bright and high 70's. It promises to be a nice weekend. We stop in Holliston to visit our son Eddie, his wife Doriane and two children Lara and Edward. We don't see them enough and it was our chance to make sure the grandchildren don't forget us. Edward is delighted to have a dog around. His dog Jack had to be put down earlier in the year. Lara had a Gift Certificate burning a hole in her pocket and convinced mom and dad to let Grammy and Grandpa take her to Fiske's to spend it. We got a chance to see the old local store we were so used to for 20 years when we lived in town. Hasn't changed much. Still the place kids love to go to spend their pennies (or now, dollars).

After taking some pictures, we head to visit Ed's mom, Anita in Medfield. Mom has had a difficult year health wise. Until last summer she felt like she was 50 years old. Now she feels every bit her age of 87 and doesn't like it much. She was laying down when we arrived. She wasn't having a great day, but after visiting for a half hour or so, she rallied, showed us her yard--absolutely beautiful and one she use to enjoy being in all the time. She then felt good enough to go to dinner so we tried Noon Hill--a restaurant in the old train station of Medfield. Mom and Ed had HUGH hamburgers--Mom will have the rest of hers for dinner the next 2 nights!--and I had excellent fried clams.

Mom even felt good enough when we got home to teach us a new card game--Kings in the corners--and play a few rounds of Gin Rummy. And she won!

Anita Daniels--Mom

She can still stay awake later then I can!