Never Burn Bridges

I know, I know.  It's been 3 weeks since my last post.  There I was in Maine posting nearly every day, and then I come home to the south and have nothing to say?  No, not really.  Just been pretty busy.

I returned from my beautiful Maine adventures and after spending the night in Nashville drove back to where Seeker was parked at cousin Madeline's farm in KY.  And then the days just flew by.  We have been digging into our family's past and searching for clues.  Also finding time for watching her grandkids and going to ballgames, doctor's appointments, etc.  Just everyday life.  Like me, Madeline is a weather channel junkie and with the approach of Sandy we have been glued to the TV and trying to avoid being out in all the cold and wind.  Yes, tropical storm Sandy blew all our beautiful, late fall warm weather away.  Left us with cold, windy, yucky weather.  Guess that made it easier to leave.

When I was a younger woman I never worried about the future.  Like most folks I just took for granted it would be there.  And never did I consider that my past could impact my future.  Time has taught me to be more prudent.  No matter how bad a situation may seem at the moment, I have tried to exit graciously never knowing when I might want to be back.  Such was the case of my first full timer job at Amazon in Campbellsville, KY last year.  It was not an awful job.  It was not a hard job.  It was just a job.  I never dreamed I would be doing it again this year even though I met several folks who have been coming back every year.  I didn't even think I did my job all that well, but I made sure I left graciously when I made my exit.  You never know what the future will bring.  I have finally, in my later years, learned not to burn my bridges.  So when I found myself in KY trying to stay near Nashville while finalizing the sale of my house, I found that the logical spot to be is back at Amazon.  And they seem delighted to have me back.  So I "crossed that bridge" this weekend and returned to the state park campground.  Today is indoctrination day.  Tomorrow and the rest of the week is training.  Back in the saddle, as they say.  I will add more info in the next day or two.  Right now I have to get ready for work. 

New England Memories

We were fortunate to arrive early at Logan this morning. Our boarding time is 2 hours away, but we have had time for a leisurely breakfast and now sit in the boarding area browsing the net while hundreds of people are standing in line just to enter the gate area. That means I have time for one more blog post. All pictures. You provide your own captions.

 

The Wedding That Wasn't

  On Saturday we drove out to Georgetown Island to GreyHavens Inn.  This was to be the location for the wedding of my niece and her fiance.  I hope that he is home from the hospital by now and can't wait to see what new, exciting location the rescheduled wedding will be set in.  The views along the drive from Bath to the island were exactly what you would expect for a Maine island in the fall. 

 

 

 

We met the inn owner and enjoyed a visit with her as we toured the inn. I could just imagine how it would have been as we sat on the deck looking out to the shimmering water. So it was not meant to be this time. But I did have a beautiful trip to see New England at its finest time of the year. That was my wedding gift to me.

 

 

My Travels with Ann

While Ann and I have been friends for many years, this was our first trip together.  I admit I was a little concerned that it could end our friendship.  The fact that we are close friends is even a surprise to many people.  To say we are very different people with very different likes/dislikes is an understatement.  She is grace and southern charm - make up always done, never a hair out of place, clothing and jewelry perfectly coordinated.  And I am, well, none of those things.  So how did a week on the road go for the Felix and Oscar of the retired teacher set? 

It was a blast!!!  We discovered just how much we have in common although we knew it wasn't make up, hair, jewelry, or clothes.  So this post is for Ann.  I had a great trip, girlfriend, and especially enjoyed watching you have so much fun.  I laughed so much I cried at times.  Can't wait for our next trip together!

 I can't believe she walked out through this field to find a geocache in the edge of the woods.  She did it gracefully I assure you and never got her hands dirty.

 

 Ann signed the log book at Delorme headquarters and admired the geocoin collection.  She is now obsessed with a moose geocoin.

 

  She was just in love with Eartha, the largest working globe in the world that resides in Yarmouth, Maine at the Delorme Headquarters.

 

 Can you believe she didn't do any shopping at LL Bean?  But she loved all the sights including this big boot.

 Everywhere we went Ann had her camera out and snapped so many pictures I just had to take a picture of her taking pictures.

 

 We drove up Moose Alley all the way to Canada and across the border into Quebec, but this was the only moose we saw on this trip.  She did a great job of stopping when a large deer jumped into the path of the car, but it wasn't a moose (drat).

 

  The Androscoggin foot bridge in Brunswick was a must see for me but it seems that bridges make Ann a bit nervous.  This one has been around a long time, Ann.  It's not going to fall, I promise.

 

 This was the shot we came for.  Just look at that fall color!  And the smile on Ann's face.  This was about 30 miles from Canada along Moose Alley.  It was a beautiful drive and definitely the highlight of the trip.

 

 

 

 

It's Lobstah -- Oh, Yeah!!

Ann and I have been in Maine for 4 days and have vowed to eat seafood everyday - mostly lobster.  We've had lobster chowder, lobster roll, lobster pot pie, and today - the best yet - lobster pizza.  OK, it may sound odd, but it was wonderful.  Today, after a day of souvenir shopping, caching, and running around Augusta we ended the day in the bar of the Cloud 9 restaurant.  Hey, it was happy hour!  We ordered our margaritas and immediately knew we were hungry.  And pizza was half price.  Of course we ordered the lobster.  Our chef, Pablo, held court over the brick oven where this heavenly creation came from.  All I can say is he is a genious!

 

And he didn't disappoint.  Just take a look at the delicious pie that was laid before us:

  Oops!  It smelled so good we forgot to take the picture before taking our first slices.  Yummmmmmyyyy!

 

In case you're wondering what goes on a lobster pizza, here's the description. 

 

Tomorrow???  MOOSE

 

Fall Colors in Maine

  So I've had this fall trip to Maine planned for a few months now.  Looking forward to seeing the beautiful fall colors and spending some girl time with my buddy Dr. Math (Ann).  We left Nashville in rain with temps in the low 60s.  We landed in Boston 2 hours later where it was rainy and 63.  So much for the turtle necks I packed for this trip.  By the time we picked up our bags and rode the shuttle to the rental car pick up then drove up the road toward Portland it was after 9 before we got to a room for the night.  Of course it was too dark and rainy to see much that night but the next morning we started getting into the spirit of fall despite a light drizzling rain all day.

 

 

After a waffle breakfast we headed north on 95 "sorta" toward Canada.  We eventually got off onto Highway 1 and then 1A which runs along the rugged Maine coast.  For lunch we stopped and ate seafood chowder at a delightful surfside restaurant where we enjoyed the view of the crashing surf despite the continuous drizzle.  Fortified we headed up to the tip of 1A for a visit to Nubble Lighthouse.  It was pretty crowded despite being a rainy weekday so I'm glad we weren't here on a weekend.  The lighthouse was on an island so we couldn't visit it but again the views of the surf were breathtaking.  Even saw a brave soul fishing from the rocks below.  And I thought my brother Mike was a dedicated angler?

 

 

Next we left the coastal view and headed up the coast toward Yarmouth to Delorme and the home of the largest working model globe in the world. "Eartha is in the lobby of the map company's headquarters and stands nearly 2 stories tall. And of course she is uniquely accurate. What else would you expect from the largest map company around? This was a great photo op and with some missing panels I was able to look into Eartha's inner workings. Fascinating!Speaking of big, ever seen a really large hiking boot on wheels? From Yarmouth it was a short ride up the road to Freeport and the flagship store for LL Bean. This place is the shopping haven for outdoor enthusiasts. Luckily I didn't spend a dime here because while I am an outdoors person, I hate to shop and while Ann is a shopping enthusiast, she is not really an outdoors person. We settled for photo ops here, and what a photo. What a boot!!

 

 

After all this sightseeing it was getting late and we needed to find a room for the night.  Driving along the old highway we had thought this guy might be a sign we had found the spot for the night:

 

Nope, no room at the inn so what do we do?  Northward the wagons!  Or, well, the Ford Fusion.  We drove on into the dark and the rain (don't you feel sorry for us?) stopping for a delish dinner at Taste of Maine restaurant, grabbing a geocache in the parking lot, and finally stumbing into a comfortable room just outside of Augusta, the state capitol.  What will we get into today?  Check back and see!

 

 

 

Visiting Home

I realize it's been a little while since my last post.  So what have I been up to that has kept me from my blog?  Visiting, just visiting.  After leaving Lake Gunthersville in Alabama, it was a short drive north to Hohenwald.  I spent one night in a pull through site at Merriwether Lewis Forest and left out the next morning for Nashville.  Actually I was in Lavergne which is just outside of Nashville.  The Corps of Engineers has a very nice campground on the banks of Percy Priest and it was just close enough that I could run into Nashville on business easily and then return to my campsite to watch the sun go down on the lake. 

Spent a very peaceful week on the lake with visits into Nashville each day to take care of some business, but always back at camp in time for sunset on the lake.  My good friend Ann came out one evening to make plans for our planned trip to Maine.  Another night big brother Clint came out for dinner and to fix a couple of things on Seeker (she was only squirting windshield washer fluid out on one side of the windshield).  He also checked under the hood and deemed all in good order for continued travels.  He is my go to guy for anything about vehicles.  Afterwards we cooked fish and stuffed mushrooms on the grill and sat and chatted while watching the sun go down on the lake.  It was one of the best days I've had in a long time.  I was reminded of our childhood summers camping on Old Hickory Lake, except that Clint and I didn't chat so much then (he pretty much ignored me or tortured me depending on the mood of the moment).  I think I was also reminded of our childhood by looking at him.  HE LOOKS GREAT!  He has dropped 3 pant sizes in the last 6 months and while he looked just fine before, he looks so much younger now.  I can't get over the change.  I was so enthralled in fact that I forgot to take his picture.  I promise to get one before I leave Nashville.

As Friday dawned the campground went from pleasant and almost empty to filling up and noisy.  Well, if I'm going to be around a noisy crowd I may as well be with family, so I broke camp and headed to the Johns home in Hohenwald.  For 10 days it was never a dull moment with grandkids, neices, nephews, aunts, uncles, and plenty of friends to see and talk to.  Ballgames, hikes, shopping, and lots of eating kept me busy.  Also got the oil changed and tires rotated on the little orange toad while I was there.  My favorite son-in-law takes care of me good in that department.  But eventually I needed a little quiet to get ready for my trip to Maine for Cayce's wedding.

I'll end this post as I finish packing my suitcase at Brenda's house in Nashville and gathering all I need to go through airport security (makes traveling in the rv seem like a breeze).  Stay tuned for updates and some unexpected wedding news from Maine!