July 31, 2012

 

 

Tammy did her workout first thing this morning and I headed out for a run after coffee in my beloved French Press (thanks Ali for the suggestion).  Tom worked on the battery problem.  We are off now to ride bikes on the carriage roads(thank you John D. Rockefeller Jr.)  Oh, how great these dedicated non-auto roads are.  All forty-five miles of them.  We all road to Jordan Pong House.  Then we went to one of the beaches for a while.  Dinner was hamburgs and  hot dogs, baked beans and caprease salad.

 

August 2, 2012

 

 

Rain and rain and rain...and our trailer batteries died.  Now, this is some real camping.  We headed into Bar Harbor and met up at the internet cafe, so could take care of some business.  John, Tammy and the boys headed off on a hike and we took care of laundry, food and trailer.  The D's brought back fish which we fried and had with grilled vegetables for dinner.

 

August 3, 2012

 

We had the camper hooked up to the car and ran that battery also.  It's overcast, but no rain.  John and the boys tried to go on a whale watch, but no go because of the weather.  Tom dropped three boys off in town and when he returned he biked while Tammy and I ran.  We decided on breakfast for lunch, .  bacon, fried potatoes and eggs .  D's headed out for a hike and we went to dry towels and get supplies.  Dinner was spagetti and meatballs followed by cards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 23, 2012

Moving day to Glouchester.  We were sad to leave Cape Cod as it was so perfect for us for biking, walking, running, going to the beach and visiting with family.  But, Cape Ann Campground has the feel of being in the PA woods.  We set up and took a drive to the two beaches close at hand and to Glouchester.  No cable or internet here at the campground so after dinner we had movietime with James Bond.

July 24, 2012

Tarla and Bjorn won't be coming over until after Bjorn's camp this morning, so we headed for the beach that is one mile down the road from us.  It is very beautiful - think Siesta Key North.  We will be spending our time here.  We visited the downtown area of Glouchester and walked around the quaint little town - many whale watching opportunities and a lot of fishing industry.  It was established in 1693 and is our first seaport.  Tarla and Bjorn visited our trailer for the afternoon.  As it rained a bit we had several games of Crazy Eights followed by Dominoes.  After they left we took a run to Essex to check out a potential opportunity to see the opening of the Olympic Games.

July 25, 2012

 

Glorious beach day.  Tom and I got to the beach about 7:45 AM and stayed until 10:30 AM.  Then we went home for lunch, nap and change to go back to the beach with Tarla and Bjorn. We savedthe

$20.00 parking fee by my dropping everyone off and then driving back to the campground and riding my bike to the beach.  Tom and Bjorn played "truck" in the sand and then they played in the shallow water.  Bjorn showered off in our outdoor shower before they headed home.  James Bond again for us and then to bed.

July 26, 2012

A cloudy day but mild.  We got to the beach at 7:00 AM and had it all to ourselves.  At nine it was just us and the lifeguards and by 9:45 AM a few folks arrived.  Tom visited with Tarla in Lexington for the afternoon and I did home and personal maintenance.

July 27, 2012

A tour day as the weather is threatening.  Firstly, a drive to Rockport and although I don't remember Glouchester from my college days, I do remember Rockport.  It is a darling place with shops and artists.  Most everything was closed when we were there, but we had a delightful time walking around the village.  We drove the loop around Cape Ann and next headed for Beverly and Endicott College (Junior College back in the day).  I went there 45 years ago and haven't been back since.  The only thing I remembered was the dining hall pictured behind me.  We stopped by Target for supplies on the way back and then visited Rocky Neck, a artist colony.  A very big tour day.

July 28, 2012

To the beach early for walk and my run and enjoying the solitude.  Then a trip downtown to check e-mails and finances before the Kullgrens arrived for a visit.  We spent the afternoon at the beach playing "truck" and climbing rocks.  We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner and then played Dominoes and Old Maid. 

July 29, 2012

This whole day will be preparing for travel day to Acadia and preparing for ten days of dry camping.  So, cleaning, laundry, stocking up on supplies - everything we can do to prepare for no services.  We're going to use our Outback certificate for a pre-wilderness celebration tonight.  We all know that our "hotel on wheels" is as close to camping as I care to be.  I have my French Press coffeemaker, I can take a bath in one gallon of water headed on our gas stove, we have enough clothes to see us through.  We're hoping to learn some tips from the Domicos (real camping family) next week.

CAPE COD

July 6, 2012

Off to the Cape.  An easy travel day-no drama.  We went to lunch for lobster roll at Chapins before we even set up camp.  We checked out the beach here at Campers Haven-kids everywhere.  It's a real family place and right on the beach.

July 7, 2012

We took our bikes to the rail trial here in Dennisport and rode to Chatham, a 12 mile trip.  We walked around Chatham and had yummy treats - Tom had a muffin and I had coffee.  On the way back we stopped at a craft fair in Harwich and an antique store along the path.  We got a thermometer for the camper.  Since we had some rain in the afternoon we took a driving tour to Yarmouth where we'll attend church on Sunday and also took in an art fest.

July 8, 2012

 

An early morning run for me and then to the beach with our coffee/tea.  We attended Yarmouth United Methodist Church, a familiar comfortable feeling.  We did have to stand and introduce ourselves - and the cookies and lemonade on the front lawn after the service was fun.  We strolled through Yarmounth Arts Fest where we got Kettle Corn  and  Cranberry Jelly.  Afterwards we stopped for a hydranga for the outside table - very Cape Cod.  We took our Sport-brella and spent some beach time people watching.

July 9, 2012

Off to Chatham on our bikes.  What a wonderful day.  We did the 12 miles to Chatham, had muffin (Tom) and coffee (me), visited where we stayed on our first visit, the Bradford Inn for us and The Cranberry Inn for Tarla.  We're headed to the beach for a nap when we get back, then dinner and bedtime.

July 10, 2012

Took a driving tour from Dennisport to Eastham and Atlantic Oaks campground where we will stay next.  I think that we are going to like it,  It is right on the bike trail 1/2 mile from the National Seashore Visitor Center at Salt Pond. (I'll get a stamp for my passport)  We drove back to Chatham to Brax Landing for lobster roll - every bit as good as we remembered.  The people at the next table commented that this lobster roll was as good as Red's - reportedly the best. 

July 11, 2012

Biking to Eastham today.  What a day!  The ride was glorious and we visited the National Seashore Visitors Center and Coast Guard Beach.  Thank you President Kennedy for creating the National Seashore.  We stopped for a break on the way back and for Tom to get new bike petals.  We had a pick-me-up in a local coffee shop.  A gal keeled over and 911 had to be called.  She was ok and a lesson learned for us to hydrate, fuel up, rest and not overdue.  We stopped to check out firewood at a big landscape company - $1.00 per stick.  We took a drive south (or I guess west) toward Hyannis and picked up two beach chairs at Wings.  By the time we got home and fixed dinner it was time for bed.

July 12, 2012

Last day in Dennisport.  We biked to CVS and ordered my pills and then home to get the laundry started. We visited the used book store for books and grocery for supplies.

July 13, 2012

Moving day to Eastham.  Barb just texted to say that they arrived in Boston.  We are on the road to  Eastham and Atlantic Oaks Campground.  It's a 33 minute trip.  Easy travel day!  We set up camp and then while we were napping Megan called to say that they were close by.  We visited for a while and then Pat headed over to his aunt's for a nap.  We all met at Sesuit Harbor Cafe for dinner, a wonderful local restaurant - BYOB, stand in line, paper and plastic, picnic tables and GREAT SEAFOOD.

We stayed until sunset and got these great pictures.  Ali, Todd and Megan had sleepover with us.

July 14, 2012

 

Saturday was a day at Pat's favorite beach - Cahoon Beach in Wellfleet.  Wow, we had to walk down

to the beach 40 feet below us.  This beach is very popular although not for the elderly.  We hiked back up the dune for lunch at 1:00 PM then home for rest and to get ready for dinner with Pat and his parents and sister at his aunt's house in Dennis.  A great evening was had by all.

July 15, 2012

We met Ali's friend Katie for brunch in Harwich and then the kids headed back to Boston.  Ali and Todd have a 5:00 PM flight back to DC.  Barb, Bill, Tom and I walked around Harwich and on the way back to Eastham visited the Bird House, a store devoted to all things bird.  We parted for afternoon naps and then Barb and Bill came to our house for hamburgers, baked beans and grilled vegetables.  We took a walk after dinner and then called it a day.

July 16, 2012

 

The four of us spent the day in Provincetown.  We stopped by Race Point at the National Seashore Visitors Center.  Through the viewer Barb saw a whale.  We headed into town and walked around visiting the shops.  We had lunch at The Surf Club and sat outside by the beach.  After naps were had by all we had dinner at Arnold's which is a seafood restaurant very much like Sesuit Beach Cafe.  Low key-great seafood.  Barb and I took a bike ride after dinner and we took her back to Fort Hill Bed and Breakfast where they are staying. 

July 17, 2012

Barb and Bill checked out of B&B and we headed to Chatham to shop around for a few hours before heading to Brax for lunch.  Lobster roll one more time.  After lunch Barb and Bill headed to Boston for a few days to visit with Megan and we headed back to Atlantic Oaks via the grocery store.

July 18, 2012

 

Hot day and we hit the bike trail before 8:00 AM.  At the end of the trail in Wellfleet we stopped at a bakery for Tom a treat.  Well, there is loud BOOM and the bakery light go off.  A tranformer down the street blew causing a brush fire. Someone called in the blaze and we waited to see the firetrucks arrive before we headed by down the path. 

July 19, 2012

 

Headed to National Seashore Center at Provincetown to ride their seven-mile-trail.  This is the most like PA we have seen with wooded areas and hills and valleys.  At the center before our ride we saw two films about the Cape, the first about its formation and the second about the livesaving service which eventually became the US Coast Guard.  Of course I got my passbook stamped and a Cape Cod sticker.  We ate lunch in the car as we headed into Provincetown.  I guess we forgot from our last visit here, but with Barb and Bill the other day we saw only a quarter of the downtown area.  I did learn about seaglass that has interested me.  But most of it is just tumbled glass and even the glass from the sea is just broken glass.  Love the colors, but the thrill is gone.  I bought four pieces of glass

for $1.00 and am going to make my own creation when I get home.  We took a driving tour of Wellfleet on the way home.

July 20, 2012

 

I took an early run in preparation for a day at the beach.  Our sportbrella really came in handy as it reached only 70 degrees with no sun.  We did spend an enjoyable 3 1/2 hours at the beach and had our picnic lunch.  Afterwards we visited the visitors center to get my stamp.  We drove over to another National Seashore beach - Nauset - to check it out.  We'll have our beach day there tomorrow.

July 22, 2012

(missed a day somewhere?)

Our last day at the beach.  Arrived at Nauset Light Beach at 7:00 AM, coffee in our thermos and all equipment on hand.  The most glorious beach day ever.  For the first hour we just sat and watch the seals swimming past us.  I had my run on the beach - great solid surface.  We've been here 17 days and I could stay 17 more.  The rest of the day was spent getting ready to move - laundry cleaning packing up.  For dinner a special seafood treat at Arnold's.

June 25, 2012

A total of 172 miles traveled today.  Wrong turns, a south entry, but no exit or visa versa.  Then there is Cape May.  You have to pay to park, then you pay to get on to the beach.  We did visit the lighthouse, but all in all......  We drove home via Wildwood to get a plan for tomorrow's adventure.

June 26, 2012

We're off to ride the boardwalk of the Wildwoods.  Wow, this is kid paradise.  We thought Atlantic City's boardwalk was crowded last Sunday.  Well, there are ten passenger bikes on this boardwalk and every other mode of non-motorized transportation you can think of.  The boardwalk was only two miles long, but since we forgot the camera and had to return to take photos we got in our ten miles.  Tom had a waffle ice cream sandwich and says it hasn't changed in the last 57 years since he had his last one.  We made our way up to Stone Harbor on the way home to look for Shelter Haven where brother John worked in the summers.  It has been completely torn down and is going to be rebuilt.

June 27, 2012

Off to Ocean City.  Did I mention that the Wildwood's charge $6.00 their beach.  We did get free parking and rode our bikes into the madhouse yesterday.  We also found free parking today and the boardwalk is open for bikes until noon.  They charge $5.00 to go to the beach, but the boardwalk is clean and orderly as compared to yesterday in "wildwood".  We looked for the store where Barb and I worked "back in the day", but it was no longer on the boardwalk.  Tom taste tested Brown's and Evo's donuts with Brown's earning his top rating.  Many beautiful gardens in the yards along the boardwalk.  Ocean City's boardwalk is 2 1/2 miles long.  We drove back to Atlantic City on the beach road and stopped a few places along the way.

June 28, 2012

 

The morning was taken up with cleaning car and trailer.  We're going to spend the evening in Atlantic City to see what goes on.  Basically just walked around ending up at the outlets downtown, then Tom had a cheesesteak and I had a salad at Hard Rock Cafe.  We checked our e-mail in the office (pictured above) and the headed home at 8 PM.

June 29, 2012

Fast moving thunderstorms early, but clearing off.  The "feel like temp" is predicted to be 105 degrees.  A beach day for sure.  We biked 20 miles today and then hung at the beach under our handy dandy umbrella.  It's 78 degrees here on the beach with a nice cool breeze.  By the time we got seven miles from the beach it was 98 degrees.

June 30, 2012

Scarier thunder storms last night.  No water, no electric, trees down all over the place.  We were very lucky not to have damage to us, the Tahoe or the trailer.  We are 15 miles out of the city and most of the electric is out between us and the beach.  We biked on the boardwalk and that was great, but decided to return to Egg Harbor in case something happened.  We went back into town and hung out at the Revel  as the casinos appear to have the only electric in the area.  We won't return until after dark and have decided to leave tomorrow and make our way north.  We're sure it will be some time before the electric and water are restored in Egg Harbor as there is so much damage.

July 1, 2012

We're all packed and ready to leave.  Noone seems to be around, so $20.00 refund on key deposit is questionable.  We're happy to be out of here.  The downed electric pole is still leaning into the house out front where the owners live.  We're on the Garden State Parkway and can I  say that their signage is not the best.  We did get an AAA TripTic for the trip around NYC - yep, a TripTic like the old days only this is computer-generated on 8X11 paper.  Well, today is our worst hold up ever.  A wreak on the Garden State Parkway.  So much for avoiding NYC traffic.  By the way, the temp is 111 degrees, six degrees off of last year's max temp of 117 degrees.  Another tidbit from our NJ experience - two hailstorms and a spontaneous complete stoppage on three-lane I-87 by people wanting under the bridge and out of the hailstorm.

July 2, 2012

Here we are in Mystic, Conn.  Got here last night about 6:30 PM after our fun-filled travel day.  We drove into Mystic to check things out and of course Tom needed to sample Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream.  The bridge is raised by two huge blocks of concrete.  We stopped at Old Mystic Village and looked around planning to return and stroll around the shops.

July 3, 2012

We biked over to Stonington, thru the quaint village and to Stonington Point.  Beautiful views!  Then it was back to Mystic for lunch at Latitude 41 for clam chowder and salads.  We rode about 20 miles in all by the time we returned to our camper.  It felt good.  Later we stopped at McDonalds to check e-mail and pay some bills and then stopped at the grocery.

July 4, 2012

We spend the entire day at Mystic Seaport Museum- a wonderful place devoted to the shipbuilding history of this area.  The entire morning was spent looking at the restoration of the Charles Morgan, the last whaling ship in existence.  Restoration experts are replacing board by board to return the ship to it's original state.  It goes into the water in 2013 and will sail in 2014.  We walked into Mystic for lunch at Bravo Bravo, the other recommended spot.  During the afternoon at Mystic Seaport Museum they had a parade, reading of the Declaration of Independence, a band concert and carriage and boat rides.  What a great place.

July 5, 2012

 

Biked into Mystic and strolled around until we picked up our kayak at 10:00 AM for a two hour river adventure.  A fun time was had by all.  Biked home and right into the pool to cool off and shower.  We are now at McDonalds doing e-mail and updating the blog as tomorrow morning we are off to the Cape for seventeen days.  We're hoping to park the car and not use it while we are there.

June 19, 2012

Our trip from Philly to Holly Acres was a quick one.  We got situated and took a recon

 mission into Atlantic City.  Luckily,we took route 30 and ended up at the newly opened Revel.  Parking was $5.00 and we had access to the boardwalk and the beach.  We decided that  in light of the 99 degree temps forecasted we should have a day at the beach.

 June 20,2012

 

We had our plan and all went well.  Take route 30 to the Revel, park on level five and after an hour's walk on the boardwalk get our beach equipment and head to the beach.  We got a "primo" beach umbrella last night which did not disappoint.  We packed our picnic lunch and lots of drinks and enjoyed the cool ocean breeze while those in the city sweltered.  When we left the beach to return to Egg Harbor it was 83 degrees.  When we got back to Egg Harbor it was 99 degrees.  It is predicted to be 94 degrees for the first pitch of the Philly's game tonight at 7:00 PM.  Another beach day tomorrow.

June 21, 2012

The beach with bikes today.  You can ride bikes on the six mile boardwalk until 10:00 AM.  At 10:00 we hooked our bikes back up to the car  in the shady Revel parking garage, got our beach stuff and went the the beach with our picnic lunch.  It's hot, but nothing like Philadelphia.  The temp at the beach was 89 degrees.  We packed up and returned home at 2:30 PM with a stop at McDonalds to do my first post.  When we got back to Egg Harbor it was 101 degrees.

June 22, 2012

Today is supposed to be the last day of the really hot weather, so after our bike ride we spent some hotel time looking around.  Our big find of the day was the Revel card which makes our $5.00 per day parking free!  We stopped at air conditioned Olive Garden for lunch and spent some air conditioned mall hours before returning to our camper.  It's pouring down rain now and behind the rain should be some cooler weather.  The storm knocked out our cable so I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow to see about the weather.

June 23, 2012

We didn't bring our lunch as we were going to take advantage of this five dollar lunch at the Revel.  We rode our bikes and we saw the Tuna and Buddy twins above.  No dogs on the beach at all during the season and so these guys got in double trouble for being on the beach and being unleased.  The five dollar great lunch deal turned out to be a five dollar PER ITEM lunch.  So the Revel got back some of that money we saved on parking.  We walked over to the downtown outlets and then headed home via the grocery store.

June 24, 2012

Last day for Atlantic City for a while.  We headed in with bikes, beach equipment and lunch to enjoy the cooler weather and sunny skies.  The boardwalk was like I-95 with walkers, bikers, roller bladers and skate boarders.  The temp is 80 and much less humid.  This is a very beautiful place.  Talked to some folks who were regular visitors and they said that they reclaimed the beach since their last visit.  Tomorrrow we are headed to Cape May and we plan to visit different beach community each day making our way back to AC.

PHILADELPHIA

I'm a little ahead of myself with the picture, but food shots are a favorite for us and here we are in The City Tavern, a favorite of the founding fathers.  We had Thomas Jefferson's favorite rolls here.  We left State College at 9:30 AM and stopped off at Lerch's to check the refrigerator...ummm, no gas-a lesson learned and we're hardly underway.  We're staying at a KOA in Coatesville.

JUNE 15, 2012

Into Philly we go.  We're seven miles from the train station and today we are taking the 9:10 AM train into the city.  Fun, fun, fun and very convenient.  Tom is excited that he gets to ride free while I have to pay $12.00 for a round trip.  The trip into town takes about an hour and drops us at East Market Station which is five blocks from Independence Memorial Park.  We walked by Betsy Ross's house, through Franklin Square with its carousel and fountain.  Franklin Square is part of a 9200 acre park system.  Today we had lunch at City Tavern and although we didn't have George Washington's beer, we did have Thomas's rolls.  We had water in chilled pewter glasses and corn chowder in hot pewter bowls.  In the afternoon we toured Independence Hall and saw where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed.  We got the 4:06 PM train home. 

JUNE 16, 2012

Not so many trains running today and we want an early start to see the Liberty Bell before the crowds arrive.  Interestly, it has been broken nearly as long as we have had it.  From there we walked to Philly's South Side to the Italian Market where we purchsed fresh vegetables for dinner and checked out the two competing places for the best Philly Cheese Steaks - Pat's and Geno's.  We shared one of each - I liked Pat's and Tom liked Geno's.  We walked back to Penn's Landing on the Delaware River and that just about did us in so we headed for the train.  We ate our fresh vegetables and Chicken marinated in Italian dressing - a la Tommy - grilled by chef Tom.

JUNE 17, 2012

We started out the day thinking we were going to the West Oak Lane Jazz Festival, but it turned out to be in Northwest and 1 1/2 hours away from us.  We decided to take a drive over to check out Longwood Gardens as we are meeting Barb and Bill there tomorrow.  What we learned is that Longwood Gardens is easily a two-day mission.  And...they had a Father's Day Bunch, so we decided to stay and are so glad we did.  What an incredible place and thank-you Mr. Dupont for saving this wonderful place for us to enjoy.  Topiaries and water fountains and water gardens and all meticulously maintained for us all.  And then there was brunch on the patio among the trees.  We started with Longwoods special mushroom soup and then I had the asparagus omelet and Tom had the French toast.  Between courses we had Earl Grey ice tea with a tiny, tiny scone and their desserts defy description.  We spent the afternoon in the Conservatory - water lily ponds, orchid rooms, banana palm room,  the melon room, the grape room and on and on.  Lastly, we visited Pierre Dupont's house which features his very first conservatory.  We are anxious to return tomorrow with Barb and Bill who have been in Philadephia for the wedding of Bobby and Joanne Wills' son.

JUNE 18. 2012

Met Barb and Bill and with them we revisited the Conservatory which for us was just as interesting as yesterday.  We walked through the flower gardens and visited one of three treehouses and Dupont's house.  We had lunch at the Cafe.  I had the mushrrom soup - again.  After lunch B and B headed back to Vienna.  We visited the last two treehouses and headed home just as the rain started