Day10 – Con’s sick.

Yepp. She woke up, did some knitting, walked around the room, and promptly threw up. Well, actually, she asked me for a bag. Do you know how hard it is to find a bag in someone else's home at 6 am while not trying to wake the dog or anyone else for that matter? OK, I found a trash can, but Con wants a bag. Back to the kitchen. Finally, I find the baggie drawer and a new Zip-Lock. That is when I heard the sound. You know, that gurgling, belly emanating, gut-wretching groan. Uh-oh, too late.

Fortunately, she had emptied the wet cloth bag. Well, I tried.

Dawn awoke. I asked for a thermometer. It was 99.8. The Beaulieu's offered to keep us another day and I gratefully accepted. Con slept for another 6 hours.

That night Alan had a driving duty for the teens at the church. Nice idea. The teens go out after VBS and visit and invite the families that came. His group had a great time. We, on the other hand, got to go out for steak. Oh, the sacrifice we make.

Well, Con must be feeling better, because her sliders and mashed potatoes were gone when we left. And the ice cream treat I was eating suddenly disappeared. Tomorrow, we leave for the second time. Well, literally, we would be leaving for the third time. (Metaphorically speaking, that was meant for Michelle.)

Day9 – Freeport first then back to Manchester

Well, we had to leave Topsham. But, a visit to Freeport and LL Beans should be productive. When we came on Saturday, the place was smashed. Toooooooo many people for me. Monday morning, before the campers are up, I figured that the gad-zillions of people that are normally there will still be in the tent. Monday morning there were only 3 million there. I know, I counted them all.

We lived in Freeport for a year. We lived there when it was a little town with groceries, pharmacies, general stores, hardware stores, etc. Now, it looks like an outside mall. And our short walk around confirmed that they have been busy adding new buildings with more mall outlets. We finally found the outlet for Beans. I was hoping to pick up a new, but used rod. Con wanted a new pair of jeans. No such luck. Nothing there for either of us.

Before we got on the bike, a lady approached us to ask us for advice. I said that we probably not the best source for information. It seemed she wanted to know what helmet we would advise. I was able to let her know about our Shoei and suggested that an Aria was also a great helmet. In the middle of Freeport….

The trip to Manchester was short and to the point. We were trying to make time, but we didn't want to go the same way. Instead we took a couple of back roads north of Portsmouth. That led us to South Berwick, where we got a lunch at the Johnson's restaurant. Meal was good, but I wasn't expecting French fried shrimp in my shrimp roll. I thought it would be like a mayonnaise dressing on the shrimp. Their cole slaw had a definite garlic flavor. I was a little taken back by that also.

We were hoping to have supper with the Beaulieau's and Phaup's. But when we arrived, Dawn had an emergency, and Alan would not be in until after 9. So, we gave the Phaup's a call. They were overjoyed to see us and immediately asked us over to their house.

We took off for the Phaup's and enjoyed every minute with them. Con stayed back with Bonnie while Dick and I went south to pick up Audry, their daughter. Then we met back at the house. The travel time with Dick was great. He is an avid fly fisherman and we swapped stories for the entire trip. When we got back to the house, Dawn had come over also and stayed for dinner. It could not have been a better evening.

Tomorrow, we leave for Ohio. Actually, we decided to not travel to Maryland. I just didn't like the idea of traveling on the freeways, through big cities from Boston to Washington D.C. It just didn't make me want to go. So, we have decided to go home first.

Day8 – A day in Topsham

Meet Bill and Jenny Holloway.

So, it is 25^th of July. The Holloways are planning a small gathering tonight for Paul. Sister, Beth and her family should be coming. A good neighbor and friend of Beth's will be there. Paul invited a couple of friends from when he was a kid.

We got up and wanted to go to church. Con suggested the Navy chapel. Jenny suggested a church in Brunswick, Main Street Baptist. We decided on the latter. Actually, God probably was trying to help us. You see, when we got there, the first person we met was the Navy Chaplain from the base. Apparently, the base is closing, the pastor for Main Street Baptist was on a vacation, and the Navy Chaplain was filling in and bringing his entire congregation. If we had gone to the base, we would have missed them. Service was good, the chaplain had a good message on Christ's resurrection. What I noticed was that we were greeted, or welcomed by about ¼ of the people there. They all stopped to say Hi.

We got out of church and went across the road. It was the hospital where Phil was born. We got a picture of the hospital and another of the church before leaving. It was a blast from the past.

When we got back to the Holloway house, I had to get some pictures of the house. So I went out front to take some pictures. The house is literally on the side of the hill that faces the Androscoggin River. Itself is on a hill compared to the river. On the opposite side of the road, there is the river. There are two bridges that cross very close to Holloways, the swinging foot bridge and the "Black Bridge."

The Black Bridge got its name from an old Sequoian Indian chief by the same name. This bridge sits directly below the railroad bridge that spans the river. Since the chief was objectionable to the coming of the Iron Horse, he took the name of Black Hater. Ergo, the Black bridge. Now, if you believe what I just said, I can sell that same bridge to you for a very smart sum. You can make your first million by charging crossing fees.

The foot bridge is a walking bridge. It might swing still today, but I am too scared to cross it. A few years ago, they needed funds to fix and repair. A fund raising effort was put into place. We got a picture of the stone that Jenny and Bill got for their contribution.

The picnic was great. What I was really impressed with was the love that the kids had for Bill and Jenny. It was obvious in everything they tried to do for them. And it was returned. Bill made sure that the corn shucks were kept for the horses. Candy was in the M&M dish. Beth had to take a couple of hamburgers that weren't cooked. Oh, she had to take the buns too. Bill and Jenny are very generous, and not just with food.

Paul is very proud of what he has done out west. He supplies electricity to his house by siphoning water from three springs into a pipe with a turbine that generates the electricity. All his extra power goes into a hot tub and the water is constantly hot.

We ended the day talking about old memories and swapping stories. A great day, all told. But tomorrow, we'll be off to Manchester again.

Day7 – We love Me.

If you have ever visited or lived in the state of Maine, you know that they make fun of the state's abbreviation, ME. So you will see signs like Fish ME, Camp ME, Travel ME, Visit ME. Ergo, we love Me.

We lived in Maine for 4 years while I was stationed at Brunswick Naval Air Station. I accepted the Lord as my savior during my first deployment. Master Chief Bill Holloway was my division chief and led me to the Lord. We became good friends and spent many days at their house in Topsham.

We left in very low cloudy weather. But the traffic was not really busy, at least in the beginning. As we approached the ocean, the weather started breaking and apparently, the traffic started increasing. I decided to take the toll road north, just to get north of Portsmouth and into Maine. Saturday morning is not the time to travel north. Apparently, everyone in Boston and Connecticut travel to Maine for the weekend. They were all on the freeway.

As we approached Portsmouth, the traffic was at a standstill. Well, if I am going to travel 5 mph, I am going to try Route 1. Actually, it was pretty easy. A number of stops, a couple of turn-arounds, but at least it was cool. The bridge across the river was cool. It was old, but sturdy. Off to the west, you could see the big bridge, with stop and go traffic stopping and going. I was happy.

The trip through Wells, York, Ogonquit, Falmouth and Yarmouth travel was slow, but fun. The number of names with a maritime theme, Captain's Quarters, Bos'n Rooms, Sailor's Cove. It was interesting. Of course, we did not gain time, but it was worth it. As we approached Portland, I decided to get back on the freeway. Bill and Jenny Holloway were expecting us early afternoon. We wanted to visit LL Beans in Freeport before we arrived.

When we got to Freeport, we went to our old house. If you didn't know, we lived for a year in Freeport. So, we got a picture and then went downtown.

Those of us that are older and still have our memory, Freeport has changed. Freeport is a "Mall" city. If they put a roof over the town, you would think you had stopped at the local mall. And the mall was Christmas full. People everywhere. Not today, not now.

It was good to pull into Brunswick and then to Topsham. Bill and Jenny are very gracious. It was good to see them. Their son, Paul, was there for a reunion. I had to ask Paul how old he was. In his 40's. The reason why I asked was because the last time I saw Paul, he was only belly-button tall. I feel old.

If you are reading this, say a prayer for Bill and Jenny. They are well into their 80's and feeling their age. Bill actually has a pace maker and a defibulator implanted in his chest. So, if the pace maker doesn't get his heart back on rhythm, he gets a shock treatment. He said it has gone off about three times since he had it implanted. Wow.

Their house is a menagerie of antiques and dolls. It is almost exactly like it was 30 years ago. It has 3 stories and there are things stored in every nook and cranny in the place. I know, I had to find the molasses.

Night came shortly. The evening was cool and refreshing. The bed was covered with teddy bears, but after they moved over, we had a great sleep.

Day6 – Beaulieau’s

We stayed last night at the Best Western in Manchester, South Willow street. The lady at the desk was super nice. She set us up. She knew what we needed. She gave us a great rate. And she pointed us to the laundry. I am not sure if she knew her business really well, or she smelled something funny when we came in. I did notice a wrinkling of the nose.

When we got up the next morning, we started the house keeping. Blog, electronic chargers, finish the laundry. (Have you noticed that carrying cell phones, ipods, netbooks, and mp3 players all require maintenance that we never did in the past? We traveled and we would steal as much ice from the ice machine as possible, but we never had to make sure the cell was charged. New world.)

The continental breakfast was now normal. Had waffles. The guy that invented the rotating waffle iron for motels, must have made a bundle. Not only do they make a great waffle, they are fun. (If you haven't experienced this yet, you gotta have the waffle. Can you just hear Donkey in Shrek. "And in the morning, I'm makin' waffles." Bet he was hoping to use a motel waffle iron that flips.)

We decided to sign up for another night and gave Beaulieau's a call. This is a super family. Dawn and Alan have been good friends since the 70's. They have six children, all home-schooled. I can't believe their youngest, Michelle is now high school age. Alan is an economics speaker and travels all over the states to address companies. I think they like his New England accent mostly. But he must know what he is talking about, or they wouldn't have him back. He is published and we got his book last Christmas. Of course, he wasn't there. He was in Florida. That is what you get when you arrive unannounced.

Dawn is a crafter. JoAnn Fabrics would be proud if Dawn endorsed them. You have got to see her crafting room. There must be 3,000 boxes and trays with little stars here, little beads there. Stamps, you know, the little wooden blocks with some cute little design or saying; there must have been a thousand of those. Paper of every kind, shape, size, and color.

And that is not the only thing she does. She is a mother, a home school teacher, and a crafter. She actively works as a Sunday School teacher for the rug rats. Now she is looking to possibly teach or aid in the special needs area at the Christian School. She also has an ongoing project to start a business providing tea parties for little kids. Can you say busy, without breaking sweat thinking about her day?

So, here we are in their kitchen, catching up on lost times, cracking jokes about the rain on the trip. Dawn gently asked me to turn around. Yep, it was raining. But, it was time to leave. We had decided to drive to Maine on Day7 to see the Holloways. I will just go out and grab the rain suits and….

When we got to the Beaulieau's, it was nice out. So, the helmets were left on the bike. I think I forgot that during the whole afternoon of rain. At least they were upright and not upside down. We did that once while in Florida. Never trust Florida weather. We had stopped at Tom's, Connie's bother in Tallahassee. We hooked the helmets on the bike. When they hang on the hooks, they are upside down. Three hours later, we had literally a helmet full of water. It took a couple of days to dry them out.

On the way back to our room, we stopped for supper, Famous Dave's BBQ. Great food. Way too much. There went my diet. (Actually, my diet went away somewhere on Day1.) When we got back to the room, there was no watching TV. No movie, no shower, no reading, no blogging. I just died.

Day5 - Our Day

Day5 – Our day.
We left the Chairvolotti’s on a beautiful morning. That is if you like a stormy sky. But the weather looked great to the south and that is where we were heading. So, as we approached Burlington on the freeway, the traffic came to a screeching halt. You have to be kidding me. A traffic jam on the Interstate in northern Vermont.
Almost 1 hour later, it finally breaks free. There is nothing there. No accident. No construction. Nuttin’ honey. But, the guy that drove down the breakdown load to pass us… He was there. Right behind acop with a pad of paper in his hand. Ahh. Justice.
OK, decision time. It looks kind of clear in front of us. So, we decide to push on at freeway speeds. Just outside of Burlington, there is a rest area. I need to powder my nose, so we stop. We also think it might be wise to bring in our rain suits. It only took about 5 minutes and it was pouring again. OK. We wait.
Now this rest area has free WiFi. So, I get the Mini to work on the blog. Con is reading every vacation land handout that is produced in Vermont. After all, we have time. In the mean time, a bunch of people stop as they all do. During a small lull in the rain, I walked out to the bike with netbook in hand. Suddenly, I am approached by this burly looking guy in leathers. “Hey, are you looking at the weather?”
Now, why didn’t I think of that? So, back inside and www.woaa.gov is accessed. After a couple of clicks, I am looking at the weather radar. Guess where the weather is? Yupp. Right over us. The rest of New England looks fine. That was enough for me, we packed and got back on the bike.
We started this day’s blog by saying “Our day.” So, to make a long story short. We traveled to Manchester NH, found a motel. Got off the bike. Washed clothes. Caught up on the blog and pictures. Looked at our email. Ate a fantastic steak and cheese grinder with bakalava for desert. Went to bed early and got up this morning. Charged all the electronics.
This was “Our Day.”

Day4-To the Land of the Unknown

Day 4 and we are off to northern Vermont, to see the Chairvolotti’s. The reason why this is the Land of the unknown is because we have only a small clue as to where they live. You see they left, but I did not get their address. Me, the all-knowing electronic guru just assumed that I would be able to call his cell and make contact. We tried that a couple of days ago. But, it appears that Tom’s cell phone belonged to his employer and he no longer had it. Fortunately, someone there was able to call me back to let me know at least that.
Ok, what is the small clue. We knew that Tom was going to work for the Vermont Department of Natural Resources at the Fish Hatchery on Grand Isle on Lake Champlain. That is it. That is all we knew. So, we googled. I don’t think that DNR gave me any useful results. But under google maps I was able to find Fish Hatchery Road on Grand Isle. So, I got the satellite view and found the hatchery, but no Tom. We decided to just put in that address, and perhaps someone will know the new hire.
When we got up on Day4, we left early, sort of. Both Neen and Gordon had to go to work. So we decided to leave at the same time. The drive up Lake George was beautiful. Full of curvy roads that followed the western shore. Lots of beautiful homes and camps. But as we approached the northern end of Lake George and the southern end of Lake Champlain, we had to cross the Hudson.
The Bridge Was Out. THE BRIDGE WAS OUT. But, they had a ferry. A ferry? I have a few experiences on a ferry. What I remembered was wavy, and rolly, and a decking made of grating. No place for a motorcycle. So, when I got up to the guardhouse, I got off and asked. “Is this safe?” She reassured me that lots of bikes go across. And the deck was solid.
So, with stomach in check, I rolled onto the ferry. Of course, where we were parked, the bike naturally leaned to the left. In addition to that, if you put the kickstand down, it leans farther to the left. I could just see the bike tipping over on its side. So, I balanced it straight up all the way across. While we were on the bike, a guy came over and asked us if we wanted our picture taken. Well, yeahhhh.
So, we made it to Grand Isle, but the weather looked bad. We found the only place to get something to eat and went inside. 30 seconds later, God sent a reminder what Noah had experienced on that first day. It came down soooo hard. We took about 1.5 hours to eat a hamburger. We are only 1 mile away from Fish hatchery Road.
A couple of other bikers, walkers and others made it into the place to wait out the storm. We had a good time watching it pour. After it sort of stopped, we paid our bill and asked where we could stay for the night. No choices, unless we went back to Burlington, an hour backwards. The weather did not look good.
So we drove to Fish Hatchery Rd. There is a museum or historical building there called the Gordon House. We went in and looked for a live person. Introduced myself and said I was looking for Tom Chairvolotti. That person had no idea who he was. But another lady came out from behind a closed door and said she thought there was a new hire at the Fish Hatchery and suggested we ask up there. Well, that was good news, at least a possibility.
Up at the fish hatchery, things started looking up. We met a gentleman by the name of Sean. He was very helpful. He knew Tom and indicated that he would find him and tell him of our arrival. Yippee. Then he suggested we go to his house and he gave us directions.
Tom and Sheila are super people. They love the Lord and they love their children. When Tom got home we reacquainted ourselves and he called Sheila. OK, you have to realize that I am looking at the sky and wondering what I am going to do tonight. So, I begged. “Tom, please can we sleep on your floor tonight?” Of course, Tom was gracious, overly so and gave us his bedroom and made our stay most comfortable.
Sheila made it home in just a few minutes and we got to see the kids. Maddeline, Jack and Audry were super. They are some of the best kids we have ever known. (Except our grandkids, of course.) Sheila had been shopping and brought home a slew of peaches. The Chairvolotti’s are still in the moving stage, but I was amazed that they had a garden planted already. It was put in within 3 days after they arrived. Simply amazing. I was about to see how this was possible.
Later we had pizza. Then Tom took us to the fish hatchery for a personal tour. But Sheila remained behind. By the time we got back, she had cleaned, peeled, and baked two pies. Wow…
For me, the fish hatchery was phenomenal. This system is industrial strength. Huge numbers of fish are hatched and stocked all over Lake Champlain. The process requires monitoring and strict adherence to rules to maintain proper hygiene for the fish. Just to see hundreds of thousands of fish in these tanks was a sight to behold.
I can’t thank them enough for putting us up at a time that I was truly worried what we would do. They are super people. Day5 we travel to Manchester NH.