More family time...

It's now Tuesday morning and, my goodness, the weekend went by fast!  So, you know what that means.....we had a fun-loving, fast moving weekend.  Next stop - Philadelphia, the last leg of our two month journey....and more family time.  It was a five hour drive and five 0'clock in the evening when we arrived so we sat outside and relaxed a while with wine, beer and cats.  George set up the cats new outdoor playpen that we bought while in Maine and, naturally, the cat we thought would love it (Anna) didn't - and the cat we thought wouldn't love it (Isa) - did.  Damn cats!

We had dinner nearby and stayed home for the evening to rest up a bit (and for me to catch up on my blog!).

George is working "odd" hours this week meaning mornings and evenings so Wednesday, just after noon, we drove down to the in-laws apartment in Bensalem and spent the day.  Donna and Rihannan came over about 4:00 then the three brothers and their families came over later.  Shirley fixed sloppy joe's and pork roll sandwiches with pasta salad, fresh tomatoes, potato chips and brownies.  BAD NEWS:  It was confirmed by the doctor that Dad has another malignancy in his esophagus.  Not sure if it is a new one or one hiding behind the first one.  They are to do another endoscopy Monday to find out more.  In spite of the bad news, we thought he looked great...has good color, a few pounds lighter but, all in all, very well and in great spirits.  He even cooked the pork roll!  He is always smiling and content, and happy being around his loving family.

Thursday we had lunch at the in-laws then went for a drive over to the Veterans National Cemetery where they have chosen to be buried.  This was a bit emotional for George but somehow I think dad wanted us to see it and it is a beautiful cemetery.  Nearby was the 9/11 Memorial for Pennsylvania residents who were killed that day so we stopped and walked around.  Lastly, we went to Sam's where we all needed supplies.  Got home at a decent hour to relax and have dinner.

Isa

Just took a few snapshots of our girls just to show why they are called "Ragdolls".  They can get into some of the most precarious positions!

Anna

It's Friday and our last day here so I did housecleaning while George worked then we visited the in-laws one last time.  Keeping fingers crossed and saying lots of prayers for dad....

I will be signing off for now and, "God willing and the creek don't rise", we'll be home Monday evening!

Family time....

We left Maine Friday late morning and went back to Saratoga Springs, NY where we dry-camped at the Casino/Race Track again.  Mark (#1 son) and Pauline moved to Clifton Park, a northern suburb of Albany, about a month ago and Saratoga Springs is about 25 minutes north of Clifton Park.  There is one campground about 20 minutes south of their house but George wanted to check it out in person before committing to staying there so that's on the agenda for tomorrow.

Miss Coraline

We went over to their house Saturday morning and it was great seeing them and, of course our granddaughter, again.  Their house is really big, the lot is a huge corner lot and they have a great fenced-in backyard with a pool and swing set for Coraline.  So all is well with this Bell family.  Coraline is 16 months old now and has grown so much....she babbles all the time and she loves shoes.  It didn't take her as long to get used to us this time vs the last visit (thank goodness).  Brett (#2 son) and Nicole came up for the weekend so we had a great family visit. 

Wearing my flip-flops

Later in the afternoon we went to look at Arrowhead Marina and Campground and really liked it; however, they only had a 30 amp site available and only for 3 nights so we took it.  It's located on the Mohawk River with ownership boat slips but no boat rentals (boo hoo...it would have been so cool to go boating with the family).  The majority of the campground is shaded so we were able to open windows and enjoy the breeze.  After we got the motorhome settled, we went back to the house and ordered pizza's.

Coraline and Pappy

We were going to swim in the pool Sunday but it rained and kept us inside most of the day.  In between raindrops, we went shopping for patio furniture (our house-warming gift to Mark and Pauline) but the stores had sold out and/or shipped their remaining inventory elsewhere so I guess we will have to do some internet shopping or go to Plan B.  We ordered lunch from Jersey Mike's then Brett and Nicole left around 4:00 to head back to Asbury Park.

Karen, Aunt Natalie, George

Monday morning we're back over at Mark and Pauline's where George and Pauline worked and Mark and I played with Coraline.  George's Aunt Natalie, who summers in Saratoga Springs, came for a visit.  We haven't seen her in several years so it was good to catch up and also for her to meet Mark, Pauline and Coraline.  Pauline had to leave at 3:00 to go out of town for the week so we took Mark and Coraline out to dinner then came home to pack up for tomorrow's trip to Philadelphia.

Fast Forward.......

Fast forward to Tuesday......today is the 10-day anniversary of my bad cold and I'm finally starting to feel better.  I went to Walmart this morning to refill a prescription and told the pharmacist how I've been feeling and he gave me Mucus-D which is a "behind the counter" drug and it's working like a charm.  At this point in my cold, I have a lot of drainage in my throat causing me to clear my throat and cough a lot....very annoying to me and everyone around me.  The drug is basically Mucinex with a Decongestant.  Why didn't I think of this sooner? 

Antique Shop, Winter Harbor, ME

Anyway, today I finally felt like getting out of the house so Bob, Sue and I went for a drive up to Winter Harbor which is a very small town (not even a traffic light) north of Bar Harbor.  We parked the car and walked the dogs...actually the dogs walked us and we pushed them around in their stroller.  It's about 70 degrees up here with a nice breeze.  We found a yarn shop but it was closed.  On the way home, we stopped at a dock where a boat had just pulled in with a load of lobsters.  We bought some for $4 per pound...Bob had a cooler with ice packs in his trunk so...voila!

Then we stopped for lunch at Ruth and Wimpy's on the way home and had their soon-to-be-famous lobster bisque. I bought a carton to-go for George since he is back to work today.  Once home, we boiled the lobsters outside on our grill, then cleaned them and froze the meat for later.



Wednesday Sue and I drove over to Blue Hill to Three Sisters Yarn Shop.  I met Karen, the owner, when we were at the Stitches Conference in Nashville and had bought some yarn from her while there.  Also bought more yarn from her today to make a really cool shawl.  I'm gonna have to come up with a new name for "shawl" because that sounds so old-fashioned and shawls have changed soooo much.  Anyway, loved her shop.  She hand-dyes all of her yarn along with cotton shirts, scarfs, etc.  Had a really nice time visiting with her.  On the way home, we wandered through Rooster Brothers, a really cool kitchen store in Ellsworth. 

George and I met the Chaisson's for dinner at Blaze in Bangor.  Had one of Janette's expensive bottles of wine and a great dinner.  Downtown Bangor has a quaint old downtown area...wish we had gotten there sooner to walk around a bit.  We also made plans to cookout Labor Day weekend back in Florida.

Thursday Sue and Bob decided to drive over to Bangor for the day and I stayed home, did some house cleaning and knitting then George got off early so we went golfing at Lucerne GC in Bucksport.  It's a 9-hole course and we were behind a 4-some so we decided to play 18 by hitting 2 balls.  Very interesting.  Got a rainshower on #3 so we hid under a tree until it passed.  George shot an 86 and I'm not saying....

The four of us grilled out tonight, built a fire in the firepit, stared at the most beautiful full moon, reflected on our week, then said our "good-bye's" as we are pulling out tomorrow.  They are headed back to Florida and us to Albany, NY.

Maine it is......

Tiny House

We got into Forest Ridge Campground in Ellsworth, ME about 2:00 Tuesday.  Sue and Bob were able to get in yesterday due to a cancellation.  Shortly after we got set up, a "Tiny House" rolled in and everyone in the park came out to see it and greet the young couple from Dallas, TX.  It took them two years but they did it - they built it themselves and are going to settle in Oregon after visiting the East Coast.

We went out to dinner at Union River Lobster Pot in Ellsworth.  Bob and Sue shared a lobster, I had a lobster roll and George had lobster mac and cheese...yumm!

After dinner, we enjoyed a nice fire in the fire pit between our two RV's.

Wednesday was our first full day here and Sue has already found a nearby yarn shop so George drove us there and patiently waited outside while we checked it out.  He pretty much told me that, if I buy more yarn, I'm going to have to walk home so I obliged, remembering all the yarn sitting in the coach that I've already purchased.  On the way home, it started raining which I think it's supposed to do  off and on throughout the weekend.  We went to dinner at Ruth and Wimpy's, a local restaurant that the park owner recommended.  Sue and Bob each ordered a lobster, George had some great lobster bisque, which I helped myself to, and I had shrimp.

Stewman's

Lobster Roll at Stewman's

We went into Bar Harbor on Thursday.  Had a really difficult time finding parking.  It was busier than we've ever seen it.  First stop was Stewman's, my favorite restaurant right on the harbor.  George missed out on this one last year so he tried one and said it was the best he has had.  We walked all over town as it was a perfectly beautiful day, then headed home as the crowd swelled to new heights.  I bought Janice some popover mix to make when we get home.  We grilled burgers for dinner and sat out by the fire pit til the bugs ran us inside.

Friday we drove over to Acadia National Park and was able to get in on the first seating at the Jordon Pond restaurant.  We had popovers, of course, and Sue bought some popover mix at the gift shop after.  In case you are not familiar, a popover is baked in an elongated muffin pan, rises up high with a big puffy top and is hollow inside.  While hot, you cut in half, slather with butter then strawberry jam and enjoy.   Everyone either had lobster or seafood stew except me and I had their chicken salad, which I love. 

Schooners

There were two tall ships in Bar Harbor.  The larger (white) one with 4 masts is the Margaret Todd, 191' long and the black/white one with two masts is the Rachael B. Jackson, 91'  long.  They both run day sails out of Bar Harbor.  That's Misty in the foreground, Bob and Sue's dog.

After lunch, we drove around the park loop, and up to Cadillac Mountain.  That's when I started feeling bad so I stayed in the car.  I caught a bad cold Sunday and it has finally got me down. 

Acadia NP

Saturday I stayed home all day, napping often and taking medicine.  Had to cancel golf with the Chaisson's but it ended up being a cold, rainy day so no one really wanted to be outside anyway.  In between napping, I paid bills and did a load of laundry.  I sent George to the store for more meds and he brought me a bag of cookies.   Sue and Bob went for a drive and visited a couple of yarn shops and she brought me a bag of candy.  Wow...not such a bad day after all!

How would you like to live here?

Weekend Travels

We sadly left Traverse Bay RV Resort on Friday and travelled down I-75 South to I-90 through Cleveland, OH and spent the night at Presque Isle Downs in Erie, PA.  This is the third time we have dry-camped at a casino and we find it much better than Walmart, etc.  The parking lots are huge and you are generally not right next to another coach.

Saratoga Springs Casino

Saratoga Springs Racing

Saturday we travelled I-86 to I-88 to I-87 and spent the night dry-camping yet again, now the fourth time, at the Saratoga Springs Casino where we spent the evening watching harness races....which was a first for me.  What fun!

Harness Racing

Harness Racing

Sunday took us to Twin Mountain, NH.  We tried to get into our campground in ME but they were booked solid so we are staying at Twin Mountain Campground until Tuesday.  They only have 30 amp service available but, the weather is so cool, we opened up the windows and enjoyed the cool air.

Mount Washington Hotel

Monday was our 10th Wedding Anniversary so we celebrated by having a relaxing lunch on the outdoor balcony of the Mount Washington Hotel where we reminisced about our wedding on Catalina Island and other great adventures we have enjoyed.

As grand as the history behind it, the Mount Washington Resort is gracious in ambiance and generous in amenities. A favorite New England retreat of presidents, poets and celebrities, the hotel delights every sense with enchanting music, refined dining and luxurious décor. The resort boasts a classic Donald Ross-designed golf course, award-winning alpine and Nordic ski center, luxurious signature spa, decadent dining facilities and nine high-flying zip-lines.

A grand masterpiece of Spanish Renaissance architecture, the resort was a two-year labor of love for 250 master craftsmen who took on its restoration. Conceived by industrialist Joseph Stickney, this National Historic Landmark opened in 1902 and has been attracting generations of families ever since and is now owned and operated by Omni Hotel Resorts.

The picture below is Mount Washington and part of the golf course as viewed from the outdoor balcony where we lunched.  The mountain soars to an elevation of 6,288 feet and the summit is still in the clouds.  It mostly stays in the clouds due to its enormous height.  George hiked this mountain as a teenager with his friend Jeff. 

Mount Washington

It's Official....

We are officially Michigan land owners.  We pulled the trigger yesterday and closed on Lot 97 in the Traverse Bay RV Resort so we can now call Traverse City our summer home and we couldn't be more excited.  Our friends and next door neighbors, Jan and Tim Fox, had us over for cocktails then took us on a surprise dinner last night at the Jolly Pumpkin on Old Mission Peninsula and it was indeed a jolly place.  Jan, Tim and I had the walleye which, along with the perch, is the fish of the north.  It's a white, mild fish similar to our orange roughy or tilapia and was served on top of a mixture of lentils, onions and peppers and was quite tasty.

Lot 97

Jolly Pumpkin

Afterwards, we walked around the building to take a look at the hydrangeas which have massive seed heads.  They were so beautiful as was the evening. 

To top off the evening, we stopped to watch the sun set over the lake and enjoy some Moomer's ice cream.  This ice cream thing is becoming a bad habit.

Thursday we finished off our week with golf at Elk River GC with Jan and Tim then lunch at LochenHeath on the way home.  It was hot today and we were pretty tired so we are staying home tonight to rest up for our drive tomorrow.

Bye, bye for now TC!

The Cottage Cafe

Today (Tuesday) our Mah Jongg group is gathering at The Cottage  Café where Peggy has arranged for us to have a private room to play Mah Jongg then have lunch then play more Mah Jongg.  Since this is our last week here, it will be a fitting place to say my "good-bye's" for now.  I will truly miss these wonderful ladies who have sincerely welcomed me into their group.  Safe travels, friends, and see you next year!

We stopped Mah Jongg at 3:30 so I went downtown to bum around while waiting for my hair appointment.  The downtown area is very unique with block after block of wonderful shops and restaurants.  I chose Missy at Allure Salon after reading her bio on their website.  She has extensive training with Aveda and Vidal Sassoon and she did an amazing job on my hair.  Wish I could take her home to Florida with me.  I will definitely see you next year Missy!