Category: Uncategorized

(Almost!)

“Ground Control, this is Winnebago Flight 101 requesting to push back.”

          “Roger, Winnebago 101, please hold for Garbage Truck, momentarily blocking your tarmac area, expect a short delay, they’re only doing a pick-up and will vacate the gate area momentarily.”

          “Roger, Ground Control, waiting your go-ahead.”

          Everything was loaded, including Bonnie the Parsley Plant who took her usual seat in First Class. We had fueled a few days ago and topped off our propane tank at the same time so that we would not have any additional delays come Departure Day.

          We’ve been sitting here at the Winnebago Airlines gate in the Yetter’s Terminal of Sussex International  since our arrival back in late May. It’s a good thing that the folks here at Yetter’s have waived both our landing fees and ground fees because staying here at the Terminal (instead of pushing us over to outlying areas where outfits such as Bill’s Airlines and Lower than Whale Doo-Doo Air Transport are located) would normally have been prohibitively expensive. Getting that clearance from the Port Authority of Augusta was a bit dicey as we were the only Flight here. Luckily we were able to trade these services for First Officer Paula’s work tenure as a Hostess and Cashier in the Terminal Lounge area.

          “Winnebago Flight 101, this is Ground Control, the Garbage Truck has cleared your area, permission to push back is granted, please proceed to Runway 206 South and switch to Tower Control for further instructions, have a good flight, Ground Control out.“

          “Roger Ground Control, Runway 206 South, and thanks for your hospitality, Winnebago 101 out.”

          “Tower this is Winnebago Flight 101 taxiing for take-off, Runway 206 South, request permission to perform final run-up before entering runway.”

          “Roger Winne 101, traffic is heavy, perform run-up then proceed with caution, you know how those bozo’s coming out of Pennsy are!”

          We performed our final check of all instruments and awaited our opportunity to enter the traffic flow in front of us. The Tower wasn’t kidding, it took several attempts to finally pull out onto the Runway and accelerate to our take-off speed. In the meantime, all of those small, single-engine pests coming out of Pennsy, were in fact, quite annoying, kind of like a swarm of gnats trying to pass an albatross.

          “Winnebago 101, this is Air Traffic Control, proceed due South, switch from 206 to 15, hold both course and speed through the Lafayette Congestion Area, then you may accelerate and climb out when you reach the Sparta Zone, watch out for those Sparta Control guys, they keep their Radars on, have a good flight, Air Traffic Control out. “

As we were preparing our final details, an urgent message was heard in our headphones, “Winnebago Flight 101 abort take-off! I repeat abort take-off!” We hastily retreated to the safety of our parking area at the Yetter’s Terminal to get an explanation. It seems that there are some new developments, family personal matters, that require Paula’s attention. So it looks like we are grounded until at least the end of September, which means that we are not leaving for Texas any time soon. You will have to put up with our presence for a bit longer!

          We would have settled in for a routine flight on the first leg of this trip to our first destination, that of Ortley Beach, just north of Seaside Heights down the Shore. We did this anyway, only we did not bring Miss Biggie, we just used the Lifeboat. When we finally get on the road for sure, the entire flight is definitely not a non-stop event. There are several end-of-day layovers planned as this aircraft has only a two-person crew and we are certified to fly for only about ten hours before we must land and get the mandatory eight hours of rest before climbing back into the cockpit and repeating the process. Our entire flight will be three to four days long, depending on the condition of said pilots. Our landing in Texas is definitely a “daylight” procedure as this is a back country airport with no landing lights and has many obstacles that line the runway, so extreme caution is advised.

          As I alluded to in my last post, I don’t like to start any adventure with a dirty vehicle. I am pleased to announce that I am very happy with the way that our house-on-wheels looks. I have discovered a new product that helps with anything vinyl, rubber, plastic, or otherwise. It is not anything like the Armor-All type products. This one actually bonds with the materials and keeps it looking good for a year. Plus, I got the one that has a black color to it so that it is something akin to using black shoe polish on black shoes. This solves my problem with the “protective” vinyl covering that is affixed to the front of the motorhome and was looking tired, dull, all washed out, and looking like, well, you know….

           No amount of anything made it look good, until…… now!

          I wish that I had a before and after photo for your perusal, but you’ll just have to trust me one this one!

          We do have a lot of car and automotive enthusiasts here in Sussex County. They are extremely knowledgeable about their vehicles and how they are kept. They are also quite critical about everyone else’s and make no bones about inspecting other folks’ vehicles and pointing out things that need attention.

          A few days ago, we inadvertently created quite the panic session at Yetter’s before we pulled out of the parking lot.

          As I said before, we left to get propane.

          That in itself was not the issue.

           The issue was that we needed to leave the parking lot and drive to Newton in order to procure it.

          So, why was that an issue Don?

          Well, it was an issue because the staff thought that we were pulling up stakes and hitting the road without having Miss Paula, Hostess Extraordinaire, finish out her shifts that she is responsible for.

          The wailing and gnashing of teeth was audible as we pulled out. Multiple staff members were seen exiting the building, using any and all of the doors in an attempt to hurl themselves in front of us as we exited out of the parking lot.

          It didn’t help that we had a banner affixed to the rear that read,

                              “See you next year!”

          But we came back a short while later, much to the delight of the previously devastated staff. Paula is using her new-found popularity and is holding out on signing next year’s contract in the hopes of getting additional packets of saltines when she has her soup for lunch.

          The government is investigating these coercive negotiating tactics.

Sorry! I just have to do this!

News Flash!

          As reported to you on 28 March of this year, the USS Texas, the only dreadnaught class battleship (in the world) still afloat that battled in WWI and WWII, is being dispatched to a Galveston drydock for much needed repairs to her hull.

          The journey commenced yesterday, very early in the morning and went off without a hitch!

          The Texas will be laid up for over a year while her hull is repaired, and a final berthing area is decided upon. Several towns have expressed an interest in having her on their waterfronts, but it is this reporter’s (me!) opinion the Port of Galveston will be the one chosen.

          See the post entitled “Get the Kid a Tee-Shirt” from this past March for more photos and a very short history lesson!

          Thanks for indulging me on this one. But beware, there are two more Battleship possibilities in your future reading endeavors, that of the USS Missouri berthed in Pearl Harbor and the USS Iowa berthed right next to where we dock in Long Beach, California, both are on the hopefully (last year’s was cancelled) upcoming Great Circumnavigation of the World Cruise commencing on 5 January of 2023. The fares have been paid and we are busy deciding which excursions we would like to have in each port and hopefully be able to pay for those! (There are about 50 ports!)

          The klaxon is sounding Battle Stations, so I’ll see you on deck!

The Countdown has begun, T- minus about eleven days and counting until The Great Departure commences. We have not decided on the exact day and time yet, that may be determined by weather more than anything as last years was. That was when H-Ida blew into the area, and we holed up down the shore in Ortley Beach with Paula’s cousin Carol for a day.

          One of the RPD’s (Rituals of Preparation for Departure) is ensuring that our house-on-wheels is ready for the road. This entails several procedures, not the least of which is giving her a good bath. You would think that checking the oil and tire pressures would be Numero Uno, but no, making her look pretty for the Ride takes the top spot. Sure, I check that other stuff, but so far that’s been the easy part as the mundane mechanical necessities have always been A-Okay.

          So that leaves us with a trip to the Beauty Parlor.

          Which there are.

          They are called Truck Washes and are usually found along the Interstates, close to major trucking routes. They are gigantic pull-through facilities where the Gang of Ten attack said vehicle with giant hoses, brushes, and soap and water. It only takes about fifteen minutes to complete this activity and then you’re on your way! We have used this service only a few times as the lines to get in are usually quite long. The wash is not expensive. Actually, when you think about it compared to a car, it’s downright cheap! The average cost is about $55.00, well worth it all things considered.

          This Bathing Ritual is kind of a guy thing I guess. I find it nearly impossible to embark on a trip with a dirty vehicle. It seems that all of the other Motorhomes look brandy-new when they pass us on the highway. I guess that I’m jealous, Maybe those others are kept in garages, never get driven in the rain, and have so few miles on them that they can be considered “New” at several years old. We live in ours and drive it incessantly!

          I really don’t care.

          All I know is that they all look clean and shiny and mine looks dull and dusty.

          Washing this Baby by hand is not difficult, the process is the same as a car, only much larger. My issue is how to wash it and NOT have it in the sun. With your car you can just pull it up under the tree by your garage and keep it cool as it gets its bath. For me, I need to find a Giant Sequoia to park under to get the same effect. So, my solution is a Morning/Evening undertaking which allows me to just work on one side at time (the one not facing the sun). To make matters worse, a good portion of the Motorhome is black.

          Boo!

          You know how black absorbs the heat of the sun, well just try and wash this thing without having all of the soapy water dry into streaks of ugly foam. I don’t care how small of an area you work, it’s downright impossible.

          Yesterday the rains came. It was the day we were all waiting for around here. Most folks welcomed this event with open arms because of their lawns, the farmers, and much needed aquifer re-charging.

          Not me! My reason was totally self-absorbed and sinfully self-centered. I wanted to wash the Motorhome!

           You may think that this was a bad thing for washing a road vehicle.

          Wrong you would be!

          Borrowing that old line from the Hair Conditioner commercial from long ago…. “Rainwater Soft…..” Yup, that’s what I want! So armed with my soap and water, a grey sky, and the threat of imminent rain, I was now prepared to do battle with my nemesis, the Baking Sun.

          It was a wonderful experience here at Yetter’s Diner, RV Resort and Motorcoach Wash yesterday! The sun never came out, the wash was completed and when it was all done, the Heavens opened up and drenched us with that proverbial Rainwater Soft Rinse that lasted for hours. This enabled it to dry itself in the cool of the evening without as many of the dreaded “Water Spots” cropping up all over as rainwater is essentially distilled water and therefore lacks any dissolved minerals in it.

          Success!

          As I sit here and write this I can see a wonderfully dreary day outside, clouds and everything! With any amount of luck, I will be able to start the second phase of this beatification process and that is the Polishing Part. This is really where the battle is fought as there are still some areas on here that defy a cleaning process and refuse to give up age-old spots and streaks. I’ve procured one of those two-handed buffing wheels with the big fluffy pads to help me with this. The only issue here is that I did not spend enough on this particular apparatus.          You know, “Well, this one should do, I’m not using it every day like a professional would. “

          Big mistake!

          It is now slightly off-balance, the motor is getting tired, and when I use it its like trying to hold on to a washing machine during an off-kilter spin cycle.

          Oh well….

          Maybe someday I’ll wake up like the Shoemaker in the Brothers Grimm story and the Washing Elves will have paid me an overnight visit and I will have  bright and shiny vehicle in the morning!

          Yea, right.

Our views from our parking spot at Yetter’s Diner and RV Resort are very entertaining. Luckily for Tommy, the owner, we keep a vigilant (or is it vigilante!) eye on his dumpster and all of the folks that think its OK to just swing in and disgorge bags of refuse from the trunks of their vehicles, toss them in, and then just drive away with screeching tires and a cloud of burnt rubber. Apparently though, there are some customers that have “Gratuitous Garbage Granting’s, because after taking photos of these felons and texting them to Tommy, his response was something like, “Oh, that’s Jimmy, my second cousin’s uncle’s brother, he’s ok.” We then got to know the “regulars” and I guess these folks are ok too because they invariably stop in several times a day and at least go inside and become “Customers with Privileges” instead of the Hit and Run Felons that are some of the others.

          Being ever observant, we also keep track of the comings and goings of the employees, Paula has their license plates memorized in case she is needed to testify in court as to their whereabouts on any particular day.

          Speaking of employees, Paula has, of late, been gainfully employed by the diner as a Hostess, Cashier, and Silverware Wrapper Extraordinaire. When we first arrived back in May we joked about the “Help Wanted” sign on the door.

          Tommy said very seriously, “I’ll let you know.”

          Oops!

          Paula really wants to help them out and with the kids going back to college, the general people-power shortage , and several vacations of key people, she found that her offer to help out was taken not only seriously, but with open arms and extreme gratitude.

          Now she is on a first-name basis with the Dumpster Divers that we have so much fun taking secret photos of!

          She is saving all of the shekels that she’s earning and putting them towards Excursions that we will be taking on an upcoming Cruise.

          More on that a little later.

          Meanwhile we find ourselves on the downward slope of our extended East Coast Expedition and Visit. Last week was our annual Visit My Sister and Crash her Vacation in Beach Haven. Actually (and thankfully) nothing could be further from the truth. Kathy and Denny really like having us, and my daughter Heather and her family come down for the week. They scour the VRBO listings and when we think that they’ve found the perfect house, the next year they seem to be able to top it. This year may be the best one yet and probably hard to beat. Brandy-new, with four floors (including the roof-top patio and Pirate Lookout spot, a great pool, and AC that just won’t quit, it was quite the find. Kathy gets along so well with the owners (who are really just searching for renters that will take care of their ‘Baby’) that the Owners sent Kathy and the family two dozen incredible custom-made, bespoke, hand-crafted donuts!

          They arrived shortly after we departed so next year we will need to be a little more judicious as to picking our departure dates!

          There are no more ‘trips within a trip’ planned before we depart the area. Our proposed exit from the Garden State is sometime over Labor Day Weekend. Meanwhile we are filling up our schedule with visits to folks that we haven’t seen yet and visits to that other type of person….. Doctors.

          Whilst in Maine, Paula had a run-in with a very friendly, very large, Rottweiler-type dog doing Zoomies around the yard. He lost his bearings and did his last Zoomie into Paula’s knee.

          Hence the visit to the Orthopedic Guy.

          No Surgery is warranted, mainly because of Paula’s “Advanced Age” (his words NOT mine!) only Physical Therapy. She wants to be able to walk around on those excursions she’s working so hard to pay for!

          For me, I had my very own MRI. It seems that all of the lawn mowing in very rough fields, made for some extremely bumpy jolts that felt like I was in the WWW arena with Hulk Hogan, and I was on the receiving end of one of his Pile Driver moves. Hence the slipped discs and other lower back issues. Tomorrow is my visit to the Spine Specialist. I hear that there is a relatively new Chocolate Treatment that I hope that he puts me on!

I was finally able to totally finish the installation of the USS Constitution up in Massachusetts at my son Donny’s house. The glass case came in and as you can see the finished product looks’ good.

          Last week my friend Bob and I visited the USS New Jersey down on the waterfront in Camden, right near the Aquarium. This was an extremely satisfying experience, one that I would highly recommend. The ship is in excellent shape and the self-guided tours are well planned out. The New Jersey is the most decorated Battleship in the Navy’s history and her berth right here in her home state is one of those things that are almost too good to be true.

          As for the upcoming months and our travel plans, well, we’ll be mostly down in Texas. Just like the past few months, if there is not much to write about, I will not bore you with the day-to-day stuff.

          But……..

          Soon after the Holidays we will be embarking on that Cruise that I alluded to in the beginning of this post. I will have a plethora of subjects, places, and interesting things to write about because it is a true World Cruise. Startling in Fort Lauderdale in early January, we will go through the Panama Canal, cross the Equator, go through the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar all while visiting about 50 different ports along the way. The voyage will be about four months long and we will be mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. I will detail the trip in a later post. I understand that the internet connection on the ship is excellent so be ready for  four months of a non-stop barrage of tidbits that you didn’t know that you needed to know until you do know!

          Then you can pick the Geography category in Trivial Pursuit and amaze your friends with your worldly knowledge!

The last stop on Grand New England Bus Tour was West Dover Vermont. This not to be confused with East Dover which is directly East of West Dover and would be smack in the middle of North or South Dover if, in fact, there were places named North Dover and South Dover.

          Which there aren’t.

          But, luckily West Dover is situated in a great location and that is Vermont itself. I cannot think of a region of Vermont that is not idyllic, they all possess that New England charm that is enhanced by the fact that there is really only one major interstate that runs through it, I-91 is shared with New Hampshire as it really hugs the Eastern border and runs north and south. I-89 kind of goes Southeast to Northwest and all of these roads still pass through farmlands, forests, and parks so, how bad can they be?

          West Dover was our destination as that is where Paula’s sister Barbara, lives. Mt. Snow is located right there and is one of the top  Southern New England ski resorts. And how fortuitous for Mt. Snow’s founder to be named Snow! That’s right, Mt. Snow is named not for a meteorological event, but for a person. It’s a good thing his name was not Occluded Front or, God forbid, Heat Wave!

          Another nice aspect of traveling the highways and byways of Vermont is that there aren’t any billboards. This lack of roadside view-clutter is quite nice, and not necessarily apparent, except when pointed out, then you say, “Nice! I knew something was different!” Anyway, the quaintness of Vermont is on overload which makes traveling those back roads so much nicer, albeit a bit slower.

          We decided to take a trip up to Quechee Gorge, aka Vermont’s Grand Canyon  (of sorts). Quechee is the remnant of some incredible retreating glacier event occurring about 13,000 years ago. Then the Ottauquechee River ( say that threes times fast!) did its thing, and we are left with a very nice place to visit! I can only imagine how pretty this is in the Fall, after a rain, which would make it flow a tad faster.

          Most of our time in Vermont was spent just visiting, which we need from time to time. It was a nice, relaxing time with no schedule to peck away at us to complete. From here it’s back to Yetter’s Parking Lot and RV Resort until we head down the Shore the following week.

          Until then……

I feel bad about dragging you all to Art Appreciation 101 class with me, especially when you are on your Summer Break and definitely did not want to go to Summer School!

          So, to make it up to you I’ve enrolled us in class more fitting to our “We’d rather be on Vacation than go to Summer School” mood.

          Get your swimmies on cuz we’re all goin’ Lobsterin’!

          We’ve spent the last two days over on the coast. For those of you that have experienced the Maine Coast between Boothbay Harbor and Bar Harbor, well…… you know how special it is. Our little group decided that if we were ever fortunate enough to have a home situated on a bluff above this coastline, with the requisite views of the bays and islands, that it was, in fact, possible to stay there forever, have your meals brought to you and never leave your seat.

          That may be a slight exaggeration, but only slightly!  😊

          Going over to that area of Maine every year from where our RV site is located, is definitely something to look forward to. But, trying not to replicate previous experiences can be a daunting task. Everyone is not enamored with the same things, even though they involve the Coast. I, on the other hand, could sit and watch the harbor in Camden like it was my job! The boats that frequent these waters are as classical as they get. There are so many old wooden windjammers, schooners, sloops, and the like, that just like the views in Big Sur, the next one seems better that the last.        There are no bad ones! Just variations of awesome!

          We took a trip southward past Bath, and its ship works. There has been a ship building industry in Bath since the Revolutionary War and even now you can see US Navy destroyers being serviced and assembled in the Bath Iron Works shipyard.

          Our destination was Bailey Island, the last island at the end of a road that works it way south  connecting several islands along the way. In this part of Maine, the landforms may remind you of fingers stretched southward, the myriad of narrow bays being the space between them. So, as you travel down one of these ‘fingers’ quite often the rugged coastline makes an appearance and teases you with one view being better than the last.

          At the end of this road is a gift shop situated high on a knoll overlooking Casco Bay. The name of this shop is Land’s End. Actually, this shop is one of the better seaside souvenirs and chachkies shops that I’ve been to. It’s been family owned and operated since 1959 and not unlike a Western trading post, it features about sixty Maine crafters and their wares.

          “But wait!” you exclaim. “I’ve traveled all this way….. I wanted to buy some polo shirts, a bathing suit, and some nifty footwear! There’s nothing here that even remotely resembles anything in your catalog!”

          “Whoa! Slow down Mr. Persnickety Punctuation! Take a good look at the name….. it’s not Lands’….. it is Land’s. Now then, can I interest you in something of a seashell keyring?”

          (Ask to see my new keyring next time we se each other.)

          A photo or two at the end and we reversed our course and headed for Cooks Lobster and Ale House on the other side of the island. On our way we stopped at a little cove for some genuine Maine dockside photos. See below.

Finishing up at the cove we hit Cook’s just before it got busy. This landmark has been here since 1955, having had just two owners. As you may imagine, the cheeseburgers are just fabulous here!

          Not!

          I believe that it is local crime (misdemeanor) to order anything but seafood (especially lobster!) at an establishment like this one that even has its own boats, docks, and processing wharf!

          It was a great lunch!

          After lunch we walked out back to view the Cribstone Bridge. Don’t ask me how we stumble onto these random places, but this particular bridge is the only one like it in the States and ostensibly, the entire world. (They are holding final judgement on that last claim in case some remote undiscovered indigenous peoples in some unknown jungle on an undiscovered island somewhere have built a bridge of this type.)

          The engineering in this structure is quite genius. Using the locally quarried granite, they cut pieces that resembled long, rectangular logs and then just started stacking them up resembling a not-quite finished game of Jenga. No cement was used to fasten anything together as the sheer weight of each slab laid on each other, and having plenty of space between them to allow the waves and tides to flow freely through them….. well, lets just say that it’s been there since 1925 and only had a few minor repairs. Show me a current bridge that can last that long, and I’ll eat a lobster!

          I left Paula, April, and Brian seated on one of the benches overlooking the bridge area while I went to investigate a gorgeous Friendship Sloop.

This kind of sailboat is a true Maine original, having had its genesis in the little town of Friendship, located about halfway between Boothbay Harbor and Port Clyde. The originals all date from the mid-late 1800’s through the early 1900’s. This particular boat was from 1905. Her owners gave me permission to go down the ways and view her up close. You all get to do the same, courtesy of these photographs. Once you get to know Friendship Sloops and their classic, dare I say iconic, lines, you can easily pick them out from amongst their other sailing sisters.

After lunch we went in search of the Giant’s Stairs. This is a natural rock formation directly on the coast. The result of some long-ago volcanic activity, it makes for a dramatic coastline and has some nice cliff-top hiking paths.

          We left the Bailey Island area in search of some Ice Cream! Who doesn’t need another 1000 calories after eating lobster and fries for lunch! We came across Pammy’s Ice Cream, a cute little place. Outside service only,  it was very busy and nicely staffed. Strictly cash, no cards, only open in the summer, winters in Florida…. What can be better than ice cream, cash, and Florida Winters! What a business model!

          The next day everyone came on the Lobster Expedition. We booked passage on a lobster boat out of Camden Harbor.

The outing lasted about an hour and a half and included pulling three lobster traps with some local sightseeing mixed in. We all got a lesson in the proper way to bait, secure, and re-set these traps. They are not the old wooden ones anymore. Those were made of oak, got waterlogged and very heavy. These newer ones are made of vinyl wrapped wire and have several safety features built in. Not for the lobstermen, for the critters!

          Just in case a trap gets its line run over or is lost in any other way, they don’t want the trapped deep-sea denizens to be held for life. They have made “Escape Hatches” that after a reasonable period of time, these hatches kind of dissolve so that the lobsters and all their friends can be set free.

          Some other common sense conservation practices involve obviously size, and Mommies! When it is determined that a female lobster is carrying eggs (which are very visible underneath her) she is released but not before a small “notch” is cut into her tail so that if she is re-caught she has been identified as a bona-fide ‘Mom’ which helps insure the future of their industry. The variables of successful lobstering depend on all things that cannot be seen underwater. Water temps, depth, season, etc. all wreak havoc on a lobsterman’s way of making a living.

          We pulled three traps that day and only got one lobster and that one was too small, so back into the drink she went!

          Another lunch was had in Camden which included Lobster Bisque (why not?) and then we stopped at a seafood market for some fresh scallops and haddock that were planned for dinner.

          Pan-seared scallops and beer-battered haddock…..  I rest my case.

          I’m sure that you all are very excited that you have enrolled in this year’s mid-summer semester’s course, Art Appreciation 101.

          Settle down, we will get to that soon enough.

          We find ourselves back in the wilds of Maine, at our second campground, Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park.

          I kid you not. In fact, Boo-Boo just ran past me carrying a Picnic Basket.

          Our first campground, The Birches, on Lake Unpronounceable (see last year’s post from 7/24 titled ‘Maine, Lobster, et al’ ) did not have room for us for more than 3 days, so we moved eleven miles down the road to this one. And while we did not get the much-envied R-20 site at The Birches, the one that we were in was very nice, also with full views of that Lake.

          Over here at Jellystone, we are totally in the woods. This may be the most remote and private site that we have ever been in. ‘Private’ being a relative word here because I am sure that the mosquitos take exception at not being considered as our neighbors.

          We are back in Maine to visit Paula’s son Brian, his wife April, and the kids Stella, Jay, and Jay’s steady, Jayden. All really great kids, it’s good to see everyone again.

          There are several outings planned, all over on the Coast, (which is in the running for the “If You Had to Sit in One Place For The Rest of Your Life…..” prize) and, in good time, worthy of their own future posts.

          But back to today’s Subject and Lesson, Art Appreciation 101. One of the larger towns on the Maine Coast is Rockland. It has a significant harbor with a lighthouse at the end of a long breakwater and a very considerable downtown who’s original 1800’s architecture has been well preserved. Rockland is also the home of The Farnsworth Art Museum and Wyeth Center.

          The key words in that title are ‘Art’ and ‘Wyeth’.

          I am fairly sure that most, if not all, of you are familiar with the Wyeth family’s artwork. If not by name, at least by sight.

          The progenitor of this family is N.C. Wyeth, whose artwork illustrated many an early 1900’s editions of books such as, Robinson Crusoe, Kidnapped, Treasure Island, The Last of the Mohicans….. and the list goes on. His works were as dramatic as their subjects and earned him his well-deserved praise and success.

          In 1917, his son Andrew was born. And as he grew he found himself in his father’s studio being taught the basics of art. While N.C. was not a task master, he did insist that young Andrew become acquainted with the various methodology and techniques of painting and sketching. Apparently N.C. did his job well because Andrew grew into one of the most (if not the most) successful American artists of the 20^th century. If you are not familiar with Andrew, you will be after I show you his most famous painting, Christina’s World.

          See, I told you that you would know that one!

          This is where the ‘Art Appreciation’ enters our lesson and it’s all personal and very subjective. I say subjective because we don’t get to decide what is Art and what isn’t. We do get to decide what kind of art we like. Most of us are not fans of Modern Art, i.e., those large canvases with the paint just strewn about (in our opinion) somewhat randomly until the desired point is reached. From that extreme to a highly detailed ‘Pen and Ink’ sketch of a locomotive, works of art are obviously many and varied.

          Ok Don… so where are you taking us?

          Here is that answer. If you’ve gotten this far into this post (and many others) you have by now realized that I like to learn things. Back in the 1990’s I was first introduced to the Wyeth’s, and especially Andrew, just by way of being in this part of Maine. The Wyeth family summered here. They had a home in Cushing where Andrew met his neighbors, many of which became subjects of his paintings. Christina Olson of Christina’s World lived nearby with her brother. Obviously she was the subject of that painting, as was that house. The house and grounds are still there, part of art history and can be toured. Many of Andrew’s paintings are of different parts of that house.

          So, while up here visiting I became interested in Andrew’s works. I learned how he approached a subject, studied it, did preliminary sketches and ‘studies’ as he called them and when he was satisfied, he finished the final work. This was a revelation to me. I always pictured artists standing in front of a subject, funny hat tilted to one side, and replicating exactly what was in front of them. Well, that is one of the ways to paint, but another is left to the artist’s interpretation, and they get to paint what they want, they get at add, or subtract, whatever they want, in order to have their painting to express what they want it to when it is finished. Somewhat like an author who use words to paint a picture in our mind, an artist uses pictures to paint words (emotions?) in our minds.

          And we get to interpret those words for ourselves.

          That revelation was when I began to really appreciate art.

          I dove into Andrew’s works, bought several books, and wished that I were rich enough to afford one of his paintings. Alas, I would need to be content with the reproductions that were in those books that I bought.

          While going through one, I turned the page and there before me was a full spread of one of his works titled, Her Room. It is a painting of the living room of his wife Betsey and his home on the St. George River in Cushing, Maine. The story goes something like this.

          Their kids were out in a boat and there was some anticipation and consternation about that day. The hour was getting late as can be seen by the shadows cast through the windows. Suddenly the wind blew the door open with a bang and that moment was frozen in Andrew’s mind.

          This became the inspiration for the painting.

          And… this is the fun part; I get to decide if Andrew was successful in conveying those feelings of that day in that particular work of art. For me, that anticipatory open door with the long shadows, coupled with the islands seen in the background through the windows, and the simplicity of the room itself draws one back to that open door, waiting for the kids to finally enter.

          Well, by now you know who my favorite artist is and which of his works affects me the most.

          While we were in Rockland I was able to visit the Farnsworth where they had a very nice exhibit of Andrew’s preliminary sketches of several of his works. And… across the street at the Wyeth Center there were more examples of his and his family’s artwork (his son Jamie is also an accomplished artist).

          But alas, no Her Room.

          I went back across the street to the Farnsworth and asked the desk person how I would be able to get information on particular pieces and where they may be exhibited in whatever art museum. She asked me which piece I was referring to and I said , Her Room.

          She looked up at me and said with a smile, “Why, it’s across the street at the Wyeth Center!”

          I gave her what was probably an incredulous look as I said, “I was just over there, I’m sure that I wouldn’t have missed it!”

          “Let me call over there, “ she replied.

          Phone in hand…..        

                   “Upstairs?”

                   “Hmmm…. Not enough staff today?”

                   “Ok, I see…. Thank you“

          “Unfortunately sir, we don’t have enough staff today to open all of the exhibits…. insurance regulations, I hope you understand. Maybe tomorrow? We will know by opening time if we have enough staff for the day.”

          Doing some quick calculations, I realized that with Rockland being over an hour away already, and not being able to find out until opening time, well that would take up most of the day.

          “Ok, Thank you.”

          “Where are you from sir?”

          “Texas.”

          So close, yet so far…..  Maybe next year.

This past week has been filled with lots of fun stuff, details that are worthy of reporting to all of you.

          So far, this summer has been pretty much replay of last summer.

          That is a statement, not a complaint.

          Being able to visit with friends and family multiple times without traveling to the ends of the earth, has given us a bit of a breather as it were. It’s not that we are tired of traveling, We aren’t! It’s just that traveling all the time comes with its own set of issues as you may imagine. The only saving grace part of this type of traveling is that we are always at home.

          We are just big turtles, carrying our shell around with us.

          We have had a few nifty things that came to fruition in the last week or so and these are the details that I said that were worth reporting to all of you.

          I should tell you that I am writing this from the Cape Ann Campsite, the same place that we stayed last year when we visited my son Donny and his family. It is just down the road from Manchester-by-the-Sea, their hometown. This part of the trip east was definitely planned as it included the hand-off of the finally finished model of the USS Constitution to them.

          As with any carefully laid out plan, thought out well in advance, and timed to perfection to include a generous built-in bumper of extra time, something did, in fact, go kerflooey.

          The custom-made display case was not ready in time for me to do a final installation. So, in an effort to keep the Model safe and clean, I devised a temporary case that is wrapped with a plastic wrap that is normally used for food in your refrigerator. Needless to say, it leaves something to be desired! But it is safe and in its final place of display, never more to be bounced around in the Motorhome!

          When the case is finally ready to hold its cargo I’ll travel back up and finish the installation, which is fine with me as that means that I get to visit again!

          While we were there, Donny took is all out for a harbor tour. It’s a nice, long, and narrow harbor, one that gives plenty of shelter when those Nor’easter’s blow up. We were also able to glimpse some of the coastal homes that dot the shoreline. These puppies are incredible in their size and grandeur, many of them built back in that Gilded Age that we are all so fond of. And yes, they come with  the requisite price tag that you can only imagine.

          Before we headed on this New England leg of the Summer Hiatus, there were two other significant happenings that coincidently were directly next door to each other.

          The first one was the Grand Opening of the Wawa that occupies the site of the “beloved” Chatterbox. Those words are not mine. They were written by Rob Jennings of the Star Ledger and NJ.com in his final article documenting the transition of our corner in Augusta from one entity to another.

          The folks at Wawa, who I have been in contact with the entire time, were gracious enough to ask me to help out with the festivities on that day. I was given the honor of making the first ceremonial Hoagie and helped with the ribbon cutting. They also had the local First Responders present for a Hoagie Building Contest where when they were finished, each department was given a check for $1000.00. Wawa also gave $1000.00 to SCARC. This was in addition to the $2000.00 that they gave SCARC at the  Groundbreaking Ceremony. This is why we were so comfortable turning over our corner to them, they truly get themselves imbedded in their local communities.

          The second event was held on the following day. Friday saw a new Cruise Night born over at our friends, Ideal Farms, who were our neighbors for those fifteen years. The First Annual Ideal Farms / Chatterbox ‘Good Old Days’ Cruise Night and Reunion was a huge success!

          Shortly after we arrived back in New Jersey, Ben from Ideal mentioned to me that he was thinking about having a “one off” Cruise Night. I suggested that he hold it on a Friday night as that night does not interfere with any other local cruise night. And, if he wanted, it was OK to throw the Chatterbox name in there to garner some additional attention and parlay our long-standing good will in that arena into a possible great turnout for his night. All we would need was good weather as there was no rain date scheduled.

          Well, we were not disappointed!

(The Cruise Night photos, (actually there are about a hundred!) were taken by our friend Ken ‘Bandit’ Smith…… Thanks Ken!)

          Even before the scheduled 4:00 PM start time, cars started to pour in. The front lot quickly filled so the newly mowed back lawn area was pressed into service. Much to my delight, Ben had procured a new Gravely 72” Zero-Turn, Ultra-Professional, Easy-Glide, Hydraulic Cushioned Seating, and Big-Ass Motor, complete with cupholders and Racing Stripes (not really on the Stripes, but it ran like it should have some!) As you may recall from last year’s post, (see August 20, 2021 Ideal Farms Garden Center and RV Resort) I love to mow, and I was able to use my old mower from the Chatterbox which Ben had purchased from me.

          That baby is now a fond, distant memory as I have been given carte-blanche to mow to my hearts content on the new Mower Monster!

          In fact, I have had the pleasure of mowing four different lawns this year (so far!). I am the current Official Mower at Yetter’s Diner and when Tommy and his family went to Greece on vacation, I took over at his house also. I had that one looking like Yankee Stadium by the time he returned! In addition to those, our friends John and Dianne (where we sometimes park in Lafayette) also have a new mower. I convinced John that I needed/wanted a test drive, so out into the back lawn I went! Not wanting to leave it with a mowed strip or two, I gladly finished his back lawn also.

          It has been a “Mower Summer to Remember” so far!

          Our next stop will be the wilds of Maine to visit Paula’s son Brian and his family. There are several outings planned so far, one to the Farnsworth, an art museum in the harbor town of Rockland, concentrating on my favs, the Wyeth’s, and we are planning to go out on a lobster boat and learn how to snag these critters for a delicious dinner. Unfortunately, the Lucious Lobsters are the property of the boat and if we want these particular Claw-Daddies we will need to purchase them and “pot” them ourselves.

          It may be easier to just go and order a few at the local Lobster Shanty!

          Film at 11.

Day 103

          I have found the answer to one of the oldest and most asked queries that confound our collective lives.

          The Question:

          “Where does the time go?”

          The Answer:

          (Virtual drum-roll please……)

          Into the Past!

          I know that because here we are parked in the Yetter’s Diner parking lot.  We arrived here on Day 58 of this Eastern Sojourn and here we are on Day 103, still parked in our reserved spot!

          This is probably the most difficult post that I’ve written to date for several reasons.

          The first is that if you go all the way back to my first missive on this topic I implored all of you to slap me around if these tales became too personal,  or dare I say, too egotistical. So, In order to hold myself to this self-imposed boundary, I have not written anything since that 58^th day of our trip.

          We haven’t had any big adventures, which brings me to the next reason why I’ve been “silent”……

          Well….. again…. we haven’t had any big adventures!

          What we have been doing for all this time is practice being “Retired”.

          And yes, Retirement is everything that it is cracked up to be!

          By and large, the most discussed topic of any given day is another age-old question, “What do want for breakfast, lunch, dinner, Happy Hour…..” etc.

          Those answers are far more elusive than any question or theorem posed by Mr. Einstein and his cronies. Hence our never-ending expeditions to Shop Rite, Aldi’s, and Trader Joes.

          I leave the big decisions of what to procure for our meals pretty much up to Miss Paula. If it were left up to me, I would just have the same thing all the time. Back in the day, when my Dad had a restaurant down in Wayne, I made the same thing for lunch every day for a year, a Grilled Cheese and Bacon. When that year was finished, I switched it up for the next year and made myself a Bacon Cheeseburger. On the days that I didn’t work, a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich would satisfy me very nicely. I find that saving my Thinking Powers for the Big Decisions works best for me and I don’t waste Brain Cells and Neuron Synapses on the little stuff, like “What should I eat Today?”

          Thankfully, Paula is not this way, and she revels in scouring the Trader Joes Face Book Page for healthy new menu ideas and Five-Star Recommendations! It is because of her and her perusal of each products Nutritional Data that I do not have an additional fifty pounds hanging on my already overweight chassis. Thankfully we can bypass those truck weigh stations that are on the highways because we are not a commercial vehicle. It would be very embarrassing to be hauled out of the motorhome and made to stand on those big scales and have all of the DOT workers yell at me because I have illegally added too much “Retirement Weight”!

          “So Don, what have you both been doing since Day 58?”

          I can answer that one!

          Besides practicing the retirement thing, we have been visiting friends and family around the area. We made a trip to Cooperstown and Lake Otsego to visit Barb, one of Paula’s oldest (in terms of longevity, not age!) friends. Barb turned her boat over to me so that I could patrol  the lake and make sure that it was safe for everyone else.

          It was.

          We also went down the Shore to Ortley Beach for a mini–Family Reunion with some of Paula’s cousins and their ever-growing families. There were six little tykes there, two of which were of the teeny-tiny variety, with one on the way.

          There were a few noisy times as you may imagine! We also had Splash with us, who we were dog-sitting for while Matt, her son, and his family went on a cruise.

          Paula made a trip to Vermont for Barbara’s birthday, and I went to Manchester-by-the-Sea to ready the bay window where the Constitution model will reside, it needed a sill extension and it came out very nicely, if I do say so myself! We encountered some wood rot in the window which made it a bit more complicated, but the finished product is better than the original!

          There were Ballet/Dance recitals to be attended on both sides and they were flawless. Memorial Day we spent with Matt and his family at their Swim Club in Chatham where I took over the grilling duties…. Sorry, I can’t’ help it!

          Around Sussex County we have a Car Show planned with Ideal Farms hosting it. The word on the street is favorable as the Chatterbox name was thrown in there for nostalgic effect and if the weather cooperates, we should have a very successful Friday evening. The Wawa is also scheduled to open on the former Chatterbox site, and I have been invited to be involved on that day. There will be a “Hoagies for Hero’s” event where we will be “Guest Building” sandwiches and the proceeds will be donated to the SCARC Foundation. Wawa has taken over my seat on that Board and I couldn’t be happier!

          Tommy and his family, (our hosts at Yetter’s)  took a trip to Greece so I volunteered to mow the lawn here at Yetter’s and also at his house. I’ve also been mowing over at Ideal Farms in preparation for the Car Show on July 15^th. Ben from Ideal has obtained a brandy-new Gravely 72” Zero-Turn Mower that is the best one I have ever used! I make excuses for mowing so that I can ride on it!

          We’ve filled in the rest of the time with the obligatory Doctor’s visits and the like. We are also preparing for our New England leg of this trip East so we can visit Paula’s son Brian and his family in Maine, her sister Barbara in Vermont, and my son Donny and his family in Massachusetts, when we will finally deliver the USS Constitution model that I have been working on for the past four years.

          This weekend we will be in Annapolis visiting my friend Martin Ritter, who was the owner of Ritter Food where I worked for all the time before the Chatterbox.

          So now you’re all up to date, The weeks ahead may bring some interesting things from New England, so “Stay Tuned” is the mantra of the day!

Day 58, the Last Day of School

          “Good Morning Class!”

          “Good Morning Mr. Hall!”

          Well, I hope that you have enjoyed our Fifty-eight Day Field Trip for this year. Now that we have arrived back in New Jersey and it is Memorial Day weekend, I have some good news for you.”

          (Pause for dramatic effect and wait for the class’s rapt attention)

          Your Studies for this semester have come to a close! I know that we said back in the beginning that we would be ending this Voyage of Discovery probably in Mid-June, but that’s it!

          We’re Kaput!

          Finished!

          Toast!

          Hasta la Vista, baby!

          And the best part is that, even though ‘Pat from Lafayette’ is begging me to assign some homework for over the summer break, I am, in fact, NOT going to do this!”

          There will be however, some short ventures into the wilds of New England and the Jersey Shore that you may attend for extra credit. To that end, I will pass along some advice for making it easy to follow along at home if you cannot attend in person.

          Go to the end of this Post and at the bottom you will find two little boxes to check. Read both of them and check off at least the one about being notified of Future Posts (if you haven’t done this already) Make sure  that you provide your email address so that this very intelligent computer program knows who to send messages to when I post something new.

          Before we dismiss for the weekend, lets review what we’ve seen over the past two months.

          The first leg of our Journey saw us at Tomboy Farm in Durango, Colorado where we participated in a ‘Gate Building’ project and we collected fresh eggs and bluebird skies to go along with a side trip to Chaco Canyon, the Ancestral Puebloans mecca of sorts.

          We then forayed into the wilds of Las Vegas, where basically as non-drinkers, non-gamblers, and definitely non-smokers, we found the most interesting things were the ‘Lights of the Strip’ at night and the mighty Hoover Dam. I know that we almost lost several of you to some over-imbibing whilst at the Tables, but we were happy to see you all  on board the next morning.

          Hey! Who can forget that wild forty-mile an hour windy area we traversed on our way to Los Angeles? Crazy wasn’t it? It was a good thing that all of you galley-slaves had your oars out the windows helping us keep steady in that tempest!”

          In the Los Angeles area, we visited my old haunts on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, i.e., the Tide Pools and the all -glass Wayfarers Chapel. The trip to Catalina Island was sublime and definitely one of the highlights of the entire trip. An early Easter Dinner at the home of Travis’s parents, Linda and Dan, was a much-needed taste of home.

          Heading north out of Tinseltown, we meandered up though the San Joachim Valley trying to identify all of the crops that we passed along the way to Sequoia National Park. We won’t get into the physiology of giant trees again, but I think that you’ll agree that they are about as majestic as they get!

          Over to the Paso Robles growing region we went after that. A short trip up the coast to witness the Elephant Seals in their rookery was just fascinating, and so close! We did go to a Winery while there and discovered an unfortunate fact. As satisfied as one is with less-expensive wines, once you develop a palate for some of the finer (read  expensive) vintages, well, let’s just sat that the “Two-Buck Chuck” (which is really three bucks now) at Trader Joes leaves something to be desired. Oh well. At least I have found that my Cold Winter Milk only varies slightly from area to area and always has the same taste no matter where we procure it!

          Off to Monterey we went after that. From that cute town we ventured down the coast to the storied Big Sur area and were not disappointed one iota with anything along the way. It was as iconic as everyone describes it. We even had one of the most memorable meals of lifetime at Nepenthe, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the incredible cliffs of this area.

          Back in the bus we climbed for the trip a little further north to the San Francisco environs. Here the Hills, Bridge, Cable Cars, and other sites paled in comparison to what we encountered in Muir Woods National Monument, one of the homes of the Coastal Redwood trees.

          Back across the state we zoomed. Another perfect day was in the offing for our visit to the incomparable Yosemite National Park. Our visit was timed perfectly as the kids were still in school and the waters were flowing nicely with the spring run-off that produces those dramatic waterfalls!

          I wonder if I should schedule a pop-quiz directly after this review to see if you all are paying attention? (Pat from Lafayette!)

          After that we visited the unlikely town of Eugene, Oregon where we met up with one of Paula’s old classmates, Deb and had a great tour of the downtown area.

          It was then time for our next homestay and that was with Liz and Beth on the coast of Oregon. While the Motorhome stayed safely tucked away in the Sysco of Portland parking lot, we ventured over to the coast for four great days of hiking, exploring, wine drinking, (not me!) and visiting. It was quite memorable!

          Our next leg brought us to the Olympic Peninsula home of Olympic National Park and a bunch of Orcas. To those of you who thought that it was a good idea to swim with the Orcas….. well,  I’m still not sure that all of you made it back on board! But that’s why we get those signed permission slips from your parents absolving us of any semblance of responsibility!

          Another homestay was waiting for us in Spokane, with Kim and Greg, old family friends of Paula and her family. Greg served two tours of duty with Dan in Iraq and have been close ever since.

          Down to Yellowstone we went, and this is where the obvious miscalculations of Seasonal Events reared their ugly heads. While not crazy bad, it wasn’t that good either, so we elected to make that Big Right Turn and head south towards Utah and places warmer. This was a GREAT decision as both Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks were not on our original itinerary. As it turns out, they both became highlights of our trip as they are both magnificent and we found some new friends in Sherry and Scott!

          By now we could taste the eventual end of this two-month long jaunt so a slip into Durango to visit Lorelyn and Travis again was just the medicine we needed to push through the Mid-West fields, try to find the St. Louis Gateway Arch, visit the Air Force Museum in Dayton, and then book it for New Jersey.

          This writing finds us sitting safely in the back of Yetter’s Diner in Sussex County.

          Home at last!

          Well that about sums up the past few months, thanks for tagging along with us, be sure to check the appropriate box at the end of this so you don’t go crazy over the summer trying to see if anything has posted lately!

          Now get ready for the quiz!!!

          That means you too Pat!