Ahhh.....Maine

We arrived here on Friday late in the day, just in time for some freshly steamed lobster, delivered to our campsite by the owner.....came complete with cracking tools as these were the very hard shell variety.


We made a stop in Bangor to fix the signal problem. I followed behind as I didn't even have brake lights when connected. The part that was ordered to fix the problem didn't......several hours later the issue was resolved and we were able to finally relax and head to this place.


We are in a remote area, 90 miles by car from Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park or a short ferry ride. We sit on an inlet with tidal influence and a rocky shore. The weather is perfect.





The clam diggers were out at low tide.



My coffee cup and I spent some time contemplating the views at low tide.











Paths wander along the shore and in the meadow.



The owners winter in Florida so maybe they picked up some hitchhikers on their trips north.....or just a bit of humor..............

Reminder that all pics are clickable. Computer iPhoto still in diagnosis state..

Location:On the rocky coast of Downeast.....

It's always something.......

We are heading North tomorrow. While, this particular CG doesn't quite match their rave reviews online, it has been OK and the owners are friendly and concerned about their guests. It's always a test of faith when relying on reviews.....there are several guides that are independent and award *stars* based on several objective items...but still, we never know til we are 'camped' if it's a * or a *****.
I'm still having issues with the computer and specifically iPhoto ...so I'm writing this on the iPad....it works OK with a keyboard but I don't know how to make the pictures bigger, nor edit them. But you can enlarge by clicking on them.
On Tuesday, we headed out to run some errands.....we really don't know where we are or how far we are from where we might want to go but we like to wander. We discovered that we were just a short drive from the Maine coast, York Beach to be exact.








This is about the only "beach" around so it was wall-to-wall. Out in the surf, the brave had wet suits but a few along the shallow parts waded in bathing suits in the 64 degree water.
As we wandered, sans direction, we followed the road along the beach and ended up at this delightfully picturesque lighthouse. It is on a small island and this weekend, you can enter to swim around it .....2.5 miles for a fundraiser to maintain it.








The wild roses were abundant.....their fragrance brought back memories of spending time on the Cape and riding along the bike paths thru the roses.




One of my missions was to find a yarn shop for help with a new pattern. Just a minor question but it was giving me fits. We stopped at a popular, well-stocked shop on Rt 1 called the Yarn Seller. (I can't link on the iPad ). They were nicely helpful and we went on our way.......fast forward. We were having lunch outside at a sandwich/bagel shop when a lady approached P and asked if he'd been in the yarn shop a bit ago (actually, I was inside a nearby shop)......he said yes, and she said that I'd left my pattern at the shop !!! She wasn't driving around looking for us, just stopped by for lunch as well !!! Later we drove to the shop and shared a good laugh and amazement at how that had all come together. I probably wouldn't have missed the pattern for a few days. Weird world sometimes.......
Paul has been hobbled for the last day or so.....sometimes he does things that are not conducive to a foot with a lot of pins and metal in it and it bites back. We gave up our idea of going up to the White Mtns and played lazy for a day....And then had more fresh lobster and corn with Dean and Diane....but we had to eat quickly....a large nasty storm was bearing down on us....it was noisy and wet but not as intense as when it went thru Boston and delayed fireworks a few hours later. We did lose power for a bit but still kept all the comforts of home with the help of many onboard batteries and later,the generator.
Having a brand new shiny anything means that it hasn't been put thru it's paces and who knows what little demons will poke their heads up to give us fits along the way......we've had a few issues but all manageable by the on-board mechanic. But, leaving Mass last week, we discovered we had no signal lights....fortunately , there are brake lights. So, we were not able to be connected for the two hour drive up here. Andy and Mason had planned to watch "The Pirates of the Caribbean " for the gazillionth time.....so, relegated to a car with no video (it was the only accessory we didn't order in that car...in hindsite ....maybe we'd reconsider)... Anyhow, I had to listen to 120 min of "are we there yet ??"... P spent time on the phone with a tech once we were settled and possibly figured out the offending part and it is being shipped to Bangor where we will stop tomorrow and have it installed.....and I will follow along behind, mumbling to myself, "Are we there YET "

Location:New Hampshire

Befuddled in cyberland......

Despite repeated attempts to update you on the exciting adventures of the Millers.....all was not going well until my resident techy took over and now I have everything I need to continue our story.......

When last we spoke, we were in Massachusetts enjoying a well appointed campground.    Spring forward a few days  to our present abode.   We are at Saddleback Campground in Northwood, NH.    The first impressions were a bit suspect with a few structures / cars of questionable worthiness hanging around.    On site however, there is  a large pond as the centerpiece with campsites ringing the perimeter.   It is a small place by most standards and priced minimally.    The boys initially missed their heated pool 

 but when they found they could ride their bikes with abandon around the pond and swim at a sandy beach, they perked right up.    But the highlight of the days, for Mason at least, was the inhabitants of the pond.    Management (AKA, Nancy) has frog nets positioned near the edges and as long as it is catch and release, they encourage the activity.  

The residents are large and vocal, especially their night serenading.   And if caught in the net, are strong and determined to leap out on those gourmet frog legs.  

 Mason managed to catch the smaller, less rambunctious ones.   Andy had done a report on frogs and couldn't deal with capturing them for even a moment.    Plus, he was the frog  advocate for making sure they were released pronto.

 But he did love the pond.....not sure I could have put my feet onto the mossy, weedy bottom with small creatures swimming about but they were not deterred.

On Saturday, the CG scheduled fireworks over the pond.   As we waited for the sun to set, we heard the all too familiar sounds of the ice cream truck.    We are out in the sticks here so it was not something that we expected.    Anyhow, Grandpa Paul handed them $5 and they ran off, only to return quickly for more money.   Mumbling something inaudible, he gave them another $5.    They returned with 2 ice creams and a few coins !!    I checked the prices just too make sure and the bars were $4.95 each.    And he had a TIP jar !!

Evening came about  and despite a liberal dousing with bug spray, we scratched and slapped as the display brightened up the area.   It was quite well done for such a small place.    It was a nice touch.   

      We met Dean and Diane here...... they last visited us in TV and are now wandering about the country and decided to join up with us for awhile.    It's nice to have company.     I would link to their travel blog but THEY DON'T HAVE A BLOG !!     They just keep hoping I'll put them on ours from time to time.   

 The boys returned to their rightful owners on Sunday.      I hope they remember these days with the old people......I know we will....and we hope to do it again.  

And with peace and quiet settling in, we joined Diane and Dean for a very perfect lobster dinner.......you can buy the fresh ones and they even steam them for you !!.....   AT WALMART !!   Add some corn and a cold beer and this is what camping is all about................

Ignore the various tools ..... we brought no lobster utensils so had to improvise.    Since we are heading to the Maine coast later in the week, we'll need to stock up.

Ships of all kinds..........

We are happily settled in Normandy Farms Family Campground with Andy and Mason.   It is located about 30 min from Boston and close by Gillette Stadium which the Patriots call  home.    When we begin searching for a place to take the boys, I felt we needed a swimming pool , a place to ride their bikes safely and a clean wholesome campground.    This is waaaay beyond my expectations.     It is huge but easily walkable to all activities.   It has 4 pools including a heated indoor one with a sauna and two hot tubs in the same area.    There is a very large lodge for assorted activities including dances, ping pong, crafts and recreation for all ages.    There is a disc golf course, a bike riding area with jumps and bumps and a dog park.    The sites are large and clean.    And it is crawling with kids of all ages.    Motorhomes of our size are the minority and mostly it is family trailers and tents.    The activity schedule for each day goes from 9 am to evening with something every hour and for  every age.      Plus, it is very well landscaped with blooming plants and well tended shrubs and trees.     Neighbors say that it is packed on the weekends and holidays need to be booked 2 years in advance.   

 And, if I don't feel like cooking, there is the Kampers Kitchen for take out meals all day long....... Mason likes their French toast.

Today, we drove over to the waterfront in Boston to see the USS Constitution.   The boys have a thing for ships of all kinds....and have built models of Navy battleships and Lego pirateships.  

 I took the big camera with me but trying to shepherd 2 kids and view the scenes with an artistic eye proved to be beyond my capabilities.  

 There is a new interactive center designed to give kids of all ages a taste of living on "Old Ironsides" ..... Mason succeeded in bringing a goat on board.

 We took advantage of the water taxi to transport us over to another portion of the waterfront......and to walk the Freedom Trail for a bit.   They began to lose interest once we passed lunch so our mission became to find a place acceptable to them.....of course, McDonalds won.  

 Here they are waiting for the ferry to arrive for the trip back to the car....it is sitting on Mason's head.  

The harbor was busy and the weather cooperated.    It was mid 70's with a breeze and the rain held off.
The old people came home, built a nice fire, uncorked the wine and relaxed......but only until the GK's needed to head to the pool for another swim.  .....   there's a reason that only the young have young......

Camp Andymason

We pulled up to our new location after a couple days of leisurely driving from North Carolina.    Despite the lousy rain that one day, we had a pleasant scenic drive and spent the previous night at Twin Grove Campground near Hershey Pa.    This campground was quite the place.   Wide open spaces, large pool with huge slides, a restaurant, an amphitheater, large playground, a small train ride thru the grounds and close to Hershey and all of it's attractions.    It would be a good base for exploring the area.      There were also small log cabins for rent.    At 2:30 am, I was awakened by loud teens using typical gross teen language and being roudy and annoying.    At 8 the next morning, I wanted to go beat on the doors of their cabins and return the wake-up call favor.      

We took our time and arrived at our destination about 5 pm.    It was the boys last day of school and they were very excited about our arrival.      We will hang around here until Monday when we take them up to Massachusetts with us for a few days.  
Meanwhile, Jon found this picture in the archives of Mason at the wheel of our new Itasca Suncruiser about 6 years ago.  

The boys have been read to since they were tiny infants.   Every night , 9 years for Andy and 6 years for Mason.   As a grandmother, this is such a special time to spend with them.    I felt they were old enough  to begin the Harry Potter series.   I read the first book to the Colorado kids many years ago and Becca still remembers that.    

Of course, we had to  read in the "Raven"......we cuddled on the couch (in the shade of the case of "3 buck Chuck wine") and read 2  chapters.  They made me promise we could read some more in the morning.    

Moving day

Reluctantly, we packed up and headed north.   It is always more of a process when we've been sitting for awhile .....or when you have a shiny new MH and a departure check list as long as your arm.   (mostly, because we can't remember our names at times so we have to write EVERYTHING down).

But, before we could really get out of town, we headed over to the truck scales to get the coach weighed.  It should have been done when we were at Lazydays but apparently, no scales around.       Now, some of you might think like I once did...that since this thing has so much storage in in, you can just take everything you own and everyone you know.......NOT !   There are very definite limits on the axles and besides adhering to load limits, it also needs to be balanced...(much like an airplane which I also know nothing about).   But fortunately I've been hanging around with  the right guy for almost 50 years (but that's  another story:)....and he does treat this thing like an airplane in many respects.  
I should have grabbed a pic of the weighing event but I was DRIVING it back and forth so was kinda busy.....   anyhow, we apparently are well balanced and have tons more room for anything I want to buy !!!

 The drive was pretty, NC and Tennessee are mountainous and the day was nice and clear.     Freida, we waved at Kingsport as we lumbered by....

 These pics were with my iPhone and I'm always surprised that it stops action so well and is rarely blurry.  

I did manage to get behind the wheel and drive.   It is very smooth and feels very heavy.   I am very aware that my ability to stop quickly is severely altered so we keep well back from the pack and my co-pilot is my 2nd pair of eyes.    As usual when I drive, we hit rush hour traffic, construction and the dreaded heavy rain.  

 This storm appeared quickly on the horizon and it was torrential.   Luckily, the highway was a bit wider on the shoulders and in the blinding rain and wind, I was able to pull completely over to wait it out.  

Most everyone else pulled over as well and this pic was taken well after the worst of it.   The wind was fierce with the trees bending over and the highway littered with debris.    I gave up driving after this nerve-racking event and retired to my corner and my knitting.    For those of you with good eyes and are wondering about the blue tape in the left corner......that is a guide we put on the windshield to line up with the center line so we stay centered in the driving lane.    It is tempting to shift more to the right in these things so this keeps me properly positioned.    

We are currently Shenandoah Valley Campground in Virginia.    It is quite the place but I think we are the only large MH in here.    It is heavily treed with 5th wheels and trailers and lots of families.    A river is along the perimeter and tubing seems to be the favorite pastime.....it is slow and shallow.    It looks like a fun and busy place for active families.    But, we'll  continue our trek north today...into the heat wave.      Talk later..........

A Father's Day walk in the woods.....

We headed to the hills again, this time to another waterfall area off the Blue Ridge Parkway.    We use a  guide book which isn't always clear about the trails that we choose and we don't always agree with their ratings....but then, we aren't 16 or 25 or even 50 so we take their "easy" rating with a bit of skepticism.    

We walked down to Lower Falls on a loooong wooden steep stairway.   I guess it is popular enough so they want to make it accessible....but we found the stairs to be steep and narrow and didn't see anyone other than the young and energetic going up and down  (except for US of course) !  Then we decided to continue on towards Upper Falls, still considered "easy" in the guide book.      This was mainly a narrow, well worn trail with some areas requiring use of our 'new hiking poles' for assistance.   I thought they worked very well.....I think P considered them a nuisance or too reminiscent of needing a crutch to get around.  

The signage was pretty good altho there were many trails meandering off.    The trails were busy and it was good to see many many families and teenagers and young teen couples.    And, again, I heard many comments about my shoes......I just can't believe that I'm the only one wearing these....I see similar ones in the stores and didn't expect them to be such a novelty.....maybe its just the neon laces.

It was very green and mossy in places and much of the coverage was the rhodendrom  forests.....many blooming.

We never did get to Upper Falls....the trail got narrower and muddier and it began to rain and then it started a very steep ascent.    Two teen girls who had passed us earlier were on their way down and said "the falls weren't much"....that kind of sealed our decision to turn around......Granted, their opinion of the falls was probably waaaay different than ours would have been but they also weren't sweating like we were.       We ambled for about 2 miles over a couple of hours.    It's always good to get back to Mother Nature and we are thankful that we can still trudge along under our own power in the rarified air (5100 ft !!)

Driving back to Asheville, we passed Cold Mountain of the book and movie fame.....and you can see why this is called the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Here's my attempt to post a video taken at the falls today....You can click on the arrows on the corner to make it bigger but not necessarily better...........

Wandering the Biltmore Estate......

If you ever need a place to hang out in the summer, head for the Blue Ridge Mountains.    The weather has been exceptional....it was 54 this morning and just perfect for the morning walk and then warmed up to mid 70's.   It will get warmer but for now, this is ideal in every way.    

We headed over to the Biltmore Estate yesterday....not to see the mansion but to have lunch over at the Bistro at Antler Village.   They grow much of the food used in their menu.    There is also a winery and vineyard.     I had the Carrot bisque soup with creme fraiche....so fresh and complex..  There was a homemade oatmeal bread for dipping in the oil and balsamic....the balsamic was VERY intense and almost bitter.     Then, we split one of the specials....a pizza with a very thin crusty crust, topped with  red onions, red sauce, cheese (a light variety) AND pulled pork.  It also came with jalapeños which we skipped.   This sounded better than it tasted.    The pork was just piled in the middle and was a combo vinegary / BBQ taste....Not my favorite but interesting.     Enough of my food critique.   We have tried to find interesting and different places for lunch.....And trying to avoid the poundage that can come from too many dining experiences.....so we eat at home much of the time.   

The flowers were in full bloom throughout the manicured grounds.

 I have seen this at the NY Botancal Gardens as well and I'm too lazy to look up it up but it is sometimes called something like Ball gown.....All you gardeners will recognize it and call it by it's real name.  

Our days are winding down and we will head north in a few days.    We'd hoped to get in some more plays/concerts but there seems to be a lull in the activities.   We did see a wonderful twin piano concert in Asheville the other evening.    We bought the CD and are enjoying the energy of the Rachmaninoff and Gershwin tunes.  

Ditto.........

More of the same on Wednesday......the day dawned sunny and perfect for a walk in the woods.     Transylvania County is known as the "Land of Waterfalls"  and we found another in Dupont St Forest.    

 This is High Falls....  at the top is the covered bridge, which we walked to but it is new with little character but  is a nice touch.    This picture thru the trees is not so good as I couldn't get a clear view from this spot.   And then there's the shoes.....I left my hiking boots at home as we aren't into serious death-defying jaunts so my walking shoes are fine......and I forget that they are 'glow-in-the-dark' bright so was initially surprised when I got so many comments....especially from teens and kids.  

We had thunder and raindrops again so no sunlight for the pics....a rather gloomy walk with only my neon shoes to light the way.

On the way home, we stopped at REI...don't ya just love that place with it's high priced stuff for camping, hiking, kayaking and climbing ?....And the useful and proper clothes for doing the above.   I found a perfect rain jacket for $249 but instead bought these practical hiking poles.  

Years ago when we lived in Colorado and did some serious hiking/skiing, I had a Member's card from REI and they gave you back a percentage of your purchases each year.    Fast forward to yesterday when the young athletic clerk asked me if I had said card......I said that I used to and she started searching around in her computer and it came up with my name and my Florida address !!    All I gave her was my name and the Co. town we lived in......there's way too much info about me out there.....fortunately, it's all pretty boring.