Sunday, 26 September 2021: Hartung Street

Today I woke up in my own bed!  Sure there’s unpacking and laundry and cleaning but my own bed. And football… and tomatoes. 

Friday we were on the road between Buffalo and Rochester.  Yesterday we were on the road before 7am.  We are heading home.   Justin got the bit in his teeth and we were on our way.   We thought we’d stop at the Rv/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana, but an exit was closed and, not too surprisingly, our interest had waned.

Vacation lost… vacation found

No, this wasn’t the trip we planned.  We thought we’d be tooling down the Erie Canal on a sailboat, maybe even onto the Hudson River, maybe even into NYC.  Instead, we went to Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire and we got Covid.  Wow!

Somewhere in the course of the season I thought I’d make tomato basil bisque.  That never happened but goodness, we sure have enjoyed these tomatoes.  My favorite are the yellow cherry tomatoes that you can just pop in your mouth.  They are so, so sweet and delicious.  Justin prefers the Cherokee Purple or Russian Black (he’s not sure.  He swears he will take better notes next year.). No matter, they are abundant and delicious.  

Bears were on for the noon game. Don’t even remember who was in the afternoon but the Packer were in San Francisco for Sunday Night Football and it was a game!  Coming down to the last 38 seconds… it was a phenomenal win!!! 

Thursday, 23 September 2021: Lodge at Kennebunk, Kennebunk, Maine

Our home for the next few days was in Kennebunk.  We explored a bit but we mostly just hung out and allowed time for Justin to get over Covid.  He didn’t feel bad at all and had very few symptoms.  Very lucky.  

We did venture to the beach and not just to any beach, but Gooch’s Beach.  Yes, that is really it’s name.  We quite enjoyed Maine and if we choose to act on “Wings” we will be back.  

    

Yes, those are Texas flags flying over houses across from Gooch's Beach.

   
   

Because I’d never been to this part of the country, I felt I needed to know state slogans.

         Maine. The pine tree state

         Vermont. The green mountain state

         New Hampshire. The granite state

         New York. The Empire State

Even though I now live in the Dairy State, nothing can compare to the Lone Star State!

Wednesday, 22 September 2021: Wiscasset, Maine

   

 Wiscasset is a cute little town.  Our bed and breakfast, Marsten House, was quite French.  That made sense because the owner,  Marie Francois, was from France.  She has two rooms above her antique and linens store.  (Gemma was quite comfortable on the bed all snuggled in those imported, incredibly high thread-count linens, BTW.)  Marie Francois' buying trips have been cut quite short since Covid but she’s happy to be keeping the doors open.  In the past she would have served breakfast at a huge farm table in her kitchen to all guest simultaneously.  But now, she delivers a basket to the door.  I had fun unpacking and setting the table in preparation for our morning repast.  

When loading the car this morning, the door handle came off...in my hand.  This is the second time that that same door handle has broken.  And both times it was me.  What’s up with this?

Tuesday, 21 September 2021: Wiscasset, Maine

Proud to claim they are the “prettiest town in Maine”, Wiscasset was our stop for today.  these little old towns are so quaint.  Cute and very appealing.  Yes, I could spend time in the north east.

After a quick stop in Old Orchard Beach where Justin had another Covid test (positive) we did the touristy thing -- we went to the Portland Head Lighthouse -- Maine's oldest lighthouse -- late 1770's.  And, because you were asking, we were outside, wearing masks.

   

   

Next stop -- Greene Marine so we could visit Wings.  This is the boat that Justin first started to Steven about four or so years ago.  Since that time, Steven sold the boat, but the guy ran out of money and it is for sale again.  Justin and I climbed all over that trimaran and we talked to Esther at the boat yard to get her side of the scoop.  Do we want it?  Justin would say "oh, yeah, hell yeah".  I’m still on the fence.  

      
   

Next stop, Portland and a stop at the LLBean factory outlet.  Justin found some shoes and I found a swimsuit.  We both looked at winter attire but I am so ready for Mexico I can’t even think about jackets, etc.

Dinner at Water Street Kitchen and Bar in Wiscasset. We didn’t have reservations for dining but, thankfully, Sydney and Eric Fisher invited us to join them.  Perhaps they were really inviting Gemma to join their Havanese Hayden.  The Fishers were from Cambridge, retired and on their way farther up the coast.  They were delightful dinner companions for our unfortunately only so, so dinner.  Maybe I’m back to preferring shrimp over lobster, at least in pasta.  I want to give the famous lobster roll another try. 

  

Today was the autumnal equinox. The moon has been spectacular the last few days but especially so today. That means we are officially in New England during the fall. While we certainly aren’t in the height of color , the leaves are definitely changing and the vistas are spectacular. 

Today was Mary’s birthday.  I called but we didn’t get to connect...perhaps tomorrow. 

Monday, 20 September 2021: Ongunquit, Maine

Lazy morning...Justin is healing from Covid.  We went exploring, in the car, not breathing on anyone.

Lobster bisque and lobster roll for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Reminded of of when Dellene and I went to Charleston and we had shrimp and grits at every opportunity.  As a girl who grew up on the Gulf coast, I’ve always preferred shrimp or crab over lobster.  Now I know that when lobster is done well, it is fabulous.  But when it is not, I’ll stick with my shrimp and crab.  Like shrimp, lobster can go either way.

We took a nice long walk along the beach.  As we approached, Justin warned me... “it’s not like Galveston.”  And that was exactly why going to the beach was the first thing I wanted to do this morning...go to the beach because it is not like Galveston.  

Packers vs Lions tonight.  Jordan and his friend Andy are at the game.  We were watching on ESPN on the tv in our hotel room, not breathing on anyone.  I cleaned off the bottle of white I bought on a girl’s day trip with Anne Marie earlier this fall.  Yummy.  I took a picture so I’d know what to buy again.  Nice and crisp and light.  Yummy!  

Sunday, 19 September 2021: Ogunquit. Maine

 The boat left; we left.

Steven and a friend of his flew into Syracuse.  We didn’t meet them.  They got an Uber to the boat and now they are on their way.  When we still thought we were going on the boat we’d made a run to West Marine to buy flares, life jackets, placards and a few other items they needed onboard.  We also bought foul-weather gear for me and a life jacket for Gemma.  No need for those this trip.  

Porch fest was held in the Historic District of Oswego today. More that 60 musicians and artists donate their time and talents and home owners contribute their porches to host this annual event. We listened to a bit as we headed back on the road. 

Our route took us through Massachusetts and Vermont as we headed into Maine. Are lobster rolls in my future?   Lodging tonight is the Studio East Motel in Ogunquit, Maine. 

      
     

These expansive views were from Hogback Mountain in Vermont.  They say you can see over 100 miles from this stop along Route 9.  That view would include Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Saturday. 18 September 2021: Oswego, New York

        

We were at the dock yesterday to meet the boat as she pulled in from Canada.  We were masked and at a distance.  John and son, John, were on board.  The mast isn't up yet as there are bridges to clear through the Erie Canal.  But us, our plans had changed.  

We are just laying low today.  Trying to get used to the idea that we aren’t going to Canada, we aren’t going to the boat.

We'd spent one more night on the road in Rochester New York before we spent two nights in Oswego at the Clarion Hotel.  Our pet-friendly hotel was right on the river and our room had a great view.  It was a good thing that part of the trip was ok because Justin and I had another “vacation lost / vacation found” experience.  In order to get into Canada we needed Covid tests.  Justin’s came back positive!  He’s had no symptoms except a bit of a dry cough.  As former teachers, we both use the “would I have called in sick?” measure to assess maladies.  No, he wouldn’t even have thought about preparing sub-plans.  So, even with two vaccines, he still got it.  He’s convinced that he got it in Jacksonville at the game where hardly anyone was masked and he, like so many others were yelling and cheering.  My test was negative, but we knew that our plans had just dramatically changed.  Like Steven says, “the plans are written in the stars and clouds.”

We called Lorayne yesterday to tell her our news.  We’d stopped in Cleveland on our way through and had lunch together.  We also called Robin since we’d spent the day with her when she drove us to the airport.  We called Kim and Brian even though Justin is convinced he contracted the virus at the game.  These were difficult calls thinking you might be hurting those you love.  

The CDC says you need to isolate for ten days but when does that start?

Justin says that it would be horrible to be married to me and to lose your sense of taste.  What a nice thing to say.

So we heard they were working on a virus that was specific to the Emerald Ash Borer.  What could go wrong?

Gotta love the way they misspelled "postive"

Wednesday, 15 September 2021: Elkhart, Indiana

On the road to head to New York, the boat and maybe on to Maine.  Ric thinks we are crazy; Justin and I are in our element.  

So, yes, we were home for about a day and a half before we headed out again.  Justin has been talking to Steven almost everyday.  He and Barbie are selling the house in Reno and will end up in Chocowinity, NC after Barbie finishes her contract in about a year.  Meanwhile, Steven is partnering with John from Colorado on a Cross ‘48 trimaran that is near Kingston, Ontario.  John and his son are finishing up and will launch the boat and get it to Oswego, New York.  We will pick up Steven at the airport Syracuse, meet the boat and then head down the Erie Canal, the Hudson River and into New York City.  The boat will continue to Chocowinity.  No, we won’t be on board for the entire trip, but we will see.  Our thought is that if we get there a day early, Justin and I will pop up into Canada to get John’s truck and then we will have two vehicles for the trip too.

I am just happy to be on the road again.  Dinner tonight was at fest at Smokin Fattys.  we read about their BBQ on line and the real deal did not disappoint.  OMG!  Justin enjoyed a suped up mac and cheese and I had a pulled pork sandwich.  Both were excellent.  They had lots of tempting sides too.  Super yummy!  

   

Monday, 13 September 2021: Green Bay

Robin served as our Uber driver to get us to the airport 

Lunch at a a cute place on the beach, Beach Diner.  It was so cute in fact that I had to buy a t-shirt.

Unfortunately we were late getting to the airport because we took too much time at the beach.  But, it was the beach!  We had to dip our toes!   The man at the check-in counter said we were too late to check in.  Since it was a charter flight, they couldn’t just book us on a later flight.  He was pretty emphatic that we were SOL.  However, when I asked him if we could try at the gate, he shrugged his shoulders in a resigned manner.  We bolted through security and down the concourse to the gate where they were very accommodating.  Thankfully our luggage was carry-on sized.  All was well... whew... breathe... and order a drink just to be sure.  What a cluster.

Sunday, 12 September 2021: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

 

After brunch at our favorite haunt, The Southern Grill, we took the water taxi to the stadium.  Little did we know that the boat ride would be the best part of the day.  This stadium, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, seems smaller than Lambeau Field.  However, nothing had been spared to ensure it was a “home” game for the Saints.  There were no signs of Jaguars; the Saints logo in the middle of the field and certainly all the electronic banners and accompanying audio were personalized for the Saints.  The fans felt right at home. They say that Packers travel well and this game was no exception.  Our seats were great, we were right in the bowl toward the southwest end zone.  Since the game started at 3pm, we were in the shade early enough but unfortunately that wasn’t enough to help the Packers come out on top.  It was a long way home in oh so many ways.

On the way to the game on the water taxi and pregame -- all smiles! 

Kickoff!

On the way home -- not so many smiles on this trip.

Saturday, 11 September 2021: Jacksonville

We started our morning with Breakfast at The Southern Grill. Yummy!  Last night I swore I’d never eat again, but sure ‘nuff, this morning, I’m ready for more.  Ok, I confess,  the Bloody Mary’s were calling my name.  

We found out about an arts and craft farmers market so we enjoyed a bit more roaming around before we bid farewell to Kim and Brian.

Robin met us for dinner.  She is in Jacksonville helping a friend whose husband is in the hospital with complications from Covid; Evan is still in Wisconsin.   We went to Basil Thai.  Unfortunately, this restaurant won’t get five stars from me, but the company was great.  At some point in the evening Robin was telling a story of cutting down azaleas.  My reply was “ you are not a child of the south!”  Later, I asked Justin where that came from.  He said he it was a very dark place and he did not want to know more.  To Robin's credit, she did quickly add that she replaced the old azaleas with more, pretty, healthy azaleas.

Without the responsibilities of driving, we were able to enjoy music on the street and a night cap before we called it a day.  

There were numerous specials on tv about 9-11.  Twenty years ago, when our world changed,  I was in Okinawa.  I’d just moved into my house and had no tv.  We had no school for three days as a typhoon circled above our island in addition to the base being in ThreatCon Delta.  Yes, our world changed irrevocably.  

I miss my Gemma.  She is at Jordan’s cottage where she is with four other dogs, seven kids and three adults.  She’s one of the pack. 

Friday, 10 September 2021: Jacksonville

Today is go!  To Jacksonville!  A couple of days ago, Justin asked me if I wanted to go to Jacksonville to see the Packers play the Saints.  Well, Oh Yeah, Hell yeah!  The game can't be played in New Orleans so the new venue was Jacksonville.  There was a lot of hoopla about the decision to have Jacksonville host.  The Saints had been practicing in Dallas but that venue could not host.  Story on the street was that the Saints looked at the least attractive place so that Packer fans would not want to travel (Tampa or Miami) and looked at the most expensive place for airfare...hence, Jacksonville.  Well he asked and I jumped.  He found a charter flight, I found tickets and a hotel room right on the river walk and boom...we were set.  It was probably two days later when I remembered that I wasn't supposed to fly yet because of the pesky threat of blood clots from surgery.  Woops!  Well, I dug out my ever-so-attractive compression socks and got a new Packer shirt and I was ready to go.  

Ric drove us to Appleton for our flight.  After a quick Uber to our hotel, we met Kim and Brian by the pool to continue our daytime drinking. Yes, we started on the plane. Kim and Brian live about two hours away and they drove in to see us!  How fun was that!!!

We saw dolphins swimming in the river while we were catching up and enjoying refreshing adult beverages. Kim, Brian and Justin all knew the words to the Flipper theme song… I was odd man out. I always knew I’d be a great tambourine girl. 

We dined at the Bearded Pig.  Jacksonville’s take on BBQ.  OMG... it kind of eats at my soul when BBQ is that good and it is not from Texas.  But, I'll give credit where it is due.  Not nearly as good as Luling or even the place in New Orleans, but yummy!!!   

Our room at the DoubleTree was fantastic.  Yes, I had upgraded to ensure we had a river view.  We looked out onto the city with a particularly good view of the Main Street Bridge.  Two rivers carve through Jacksonville and the crossing bridges are quite the thing.  This bridge is a lift bridge; we even saw it go up at one point.  (No, Brian, that wasn't a euphemism.)