On The Road ... With Here'n'There

Oh Christmas Tree Oh....

2011-12-07T08:57:00.001-08:00

Wishing you all a very merry "Charlie Brown Christmas"

Holiday Lights at Shore Acres State Park

2011-12-03T08:42:00.000-08:00

I'll post as many pictures as I can before going crazy. Shore Acres SP is in the Coos Bay, Oregon area and what a beautiful place it is. Ocean overlooks, frog ponds, flower gardens, wide open grassy picnic areas, summer concerts on the lawn, etc.etc... And at this time of year volunteers throw the switch on some 400,000 "Holiday Lights" - what a sight. As an after note, all the pictures do not appear sequentially from beginning to end but it is a royal pain in the butt to rearrange them. But that's enough talking - one more thing before I shut up... I didn't have a mono-pole or tripod so pardon the "fuzzy" appearance - kinda hard holding perfectly still with a 1/2 second ~ 1 second shutter speed. OK... sorry about this but to remind you, a single click on a pic will get you a larger view and the option to look at just the pictures without all my distracting comments. And for those of you tolerant enough to continue with my comments - just hit the "Esc" key after clicking on the pic to return to the blog.....

The frog pond

What the hell salmon are doing in a frog pond is beyond me!

Close up at the frog pond

Way out of sequence but...

OK.. I'll give you a hint - this is the first view you get upon entering

Remember the seeing the butterfly? The closeup belongs after this picture.

This is probably my favorite picture

Or maybe this one?

Becky and one of our friends Sheryl. Sheryl is NOT wearing a hat! ONLY KIDDING ONLY KIDDING

If you haven't figured it out yet... the display area, maybe 10 acres, wanders and generally are centered around the frog pond

View this picture and the next three quickly to understand the sequence of lights. Very inventive!

Any guesses what this is suppose to be? Answer after the pictures.

As any of you know that take digital pictures - it's pretty easy to shoot, well, in this case 250 pictures. Can you imagine the old technology 35mm film and development costs? Anyway, we can't thank the volunteers and sponsors enough for their time and efforts. This has to be the best light show I have ever seen.

Answer: The picture is suppose to be an underwater view of the surface (the blue) and the feet of a duck swimming. It took us a few minutes but Becky recognized it.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE

East Lolo Pass Road

2011-10-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

I doubt very highly that you'll ever see a blog / travel channel host do a bit on Lolo Pass Road - East or West, Welches, OR. And so I will. This post is a good example of why Becky and I enjoy watching the grass grow for a while in the various locations we visit. We came to the Welches, OR, area, just as the majority of pre-snow visitors do, to view THEE main attraction - Mt. Hood. But unlike many who rush in, snap a thousand pictures of Hood, spend a night in a local lodge, and then speed off to the next wonder in this great country of ours, we have plenty of time to avoid the potholes just around the corner near the Dairy Queen. And so we discovered East Lolo Pass Road.

We pass these fellas all the time - today we decided to stop for a couple shots. Sasquach has a $3500 price tag.

So off we go and about a mile into the ride we came around a corner to this view - Mt Hood. Let me back up a minute. Uncharacteristically I spent some time researching the name of the mountain that the Lolo Pass Road traverses. I was sure that the name would be Lolo as is obvious but didn't see it in print. And here's a benefit of authoring a blog - ya get to make shit up... so herein, all these pictures were taken on LOLO MOUNTAIN!

In the close up ... stop the presses.... I was watching CNN's post-debate coverage just now and heard that the Secret Service has given Cain the code word "Cornbread" which is the name he chose for himself. I mean come-on!

Oh yeah, the close up, the "slide area" to the left is actually Oregon Glacier and the slide to the right is Zig Zag Glacier. Yes, Zig Zag faces a town just off US-26, Zig Zag. I'll be back to Hood directly but in the mean time, Lolo Pass parallels the Sandy River seen here about 100 feet below the road. Most all the rivers in this area are home to one species of Salmon or another, Brook, Brown and Rainbow Trout, and winter run Steelhead. Right now there seems to be a lull between runs.

The fall colors here in Oregon just East of Portland are spotty at best. We simply haven't had overnight lows, low enough to give the trees the push they need. Still pretty, and with Hood in the background, well, you know the "worth a thousand words" saying.

Here's a better look at Oregon Glacier - and the tops of these 100' tall Lodge Pole Pines. Magnificent!

Another great thing about these blogs is... if you get tired of reading or looking at pictures (which by the way, really don't do nature justice) you can just click and away ya go. But don't miss the next picture.

The first few miles of Lolo Pass Road are "maintained year round by the city / state. Above that the road, although paved another 10 miles is not. The BPA (Bonneville Power Authority) has this major right of way for its power transmission. We spent some time "glassing" the ROW but didn't see any animals. Matter of fact, we have seen very, very few animals this whole summer up here in the NW.

Same day, same road, same mountains and valley, just slightly different atmospherics at play - my favorite picture and a good way to end this thing.

Well, I guess one more thing. We will be moving over and down the coast to Bandon by the Sea, OR for the winter. Bandon is on the coast and in the "Banana Belt". Where there are the occasional overnight lows in the 30's, it seldom gets much colder than that - but it does rain, A LOT. So we're going to give it a shot for the winter. Bandon is noted for basically two things, its Golf Courses and is the nation's Storm Watching Capital. Can't wait to snap some GRAY pictures!

Ninilchik, Alaska

2011-09-23T17:57:00.000-07:00

Ninilchik is a Russian Settlement about half way down the Kenai Peninsula, equidistant between Soldotna and Homer. "A quaint little drinking village with a fishing problem". Beck and I, along with friends Ron and Inge M. flew out of Seattle to Anchorage in June for a week or so of fishing and exploring. A bucket list item for Ron and I. It is incredible to think that, after months of planning, and careful cramming / packing suitcases that I would forget to pack my blankety blank CAMERA - now isn't it! Well... leave it to me. So the pics included in this post are from Inge's (who unlike me didn't forget) camera and or borrowed / cell phone gems, and from a guy we met along the way, David Berman (Kenai Fjords pics) - Thanks David.

There is a sign, posted at a pullout on the road to the Ninilchik Spit, which greets visitors in Russian, the original language of the village, and English. The sign says it all:

"Privet (Greetings). My name is Ninilchik Village. I was settled around the turn of the 19th century by creoles, Russians, Aleuts, and Indians. The names of my earlier children were Kvasnikoff, Oskolkoff, Kompkoff, and Astrogin. They were retired hunters and trappers that wanted to find a homeland of their own. Some of their great grandchildren still reside here to this day. My Russian Orthodox Church, on the hill, was built in the early 20th century. My river, and Cook Inlet are best known for their fish. My beaches are known for their clams. I ask that you please respect my people, their heritage, their culture, their property, and my river and beaches. Spasebo (Thank you)."

Following are three pictures taken from Ninilichik Village - I don't know why they are so fuzzzy...

Becky told me that there was one grave that had a bag of "Skittles" propped up against the marker.

AFISHUNT (e-ffici-ent get it get it?) CHARTERS are the folks in Ninilchik that provided us the two Cook's Inlet Halibut Charter trips and the two Kasilof River King Salmon Drift Boat trips that we took. They also operate a RV Park and have fully furnished Park Model RV's that we rented. Sorry - no pics so just picture a couple log cabins on the Western Slope of a National Forest and that's where we stayed. Well OK, I definitely exaggerated there but what do you know! It's my blog so I'll lie as often as I want.

The picture above is not from one of our Halibut trips but we had similar results. Or if you prefer, that's me on the left, Ron on the right and we caught ALL of the Halibut.. Actually the state has a 2 fish per day limit. AFISHUNT also cleaned, vacuum packed, flash froze, and shipped our fish to us in the lower 48 a few days after we left.

What trip to Alaska would be complete without a picture of an eagle. In this case, Becky caught the female in the nest and the male flying off to get supper for Mom and the eaglets.

You can expect the weather on the Kenai in Alaska in June to be rather wet. In the ten days we were there, the ONLY rainy day was that day we had chartered a bush pilot for a two hour flight seeing tour of the three volcanoes on the Kenai - I remember Mt Redoubt as one of them. We had to scub the flight and didn't have time to reschedule. But, along with Eagles, you can't leave Alaska without snapping a picture of a float plane or two. Becky did a great job getting this one.

Probably the nicest (weather and sightseeing) day we had was the day we drove over to Seward and boarded a Kenai Fjords Sightseeing Ship for a 10 hour trip in the Fjords. I will definitely have to get some pictures another passenger shared with us because the scenery was breathtaking and way beyond any words I could come up with. We saw something like three different types of whales, all manner of birds and other aquatic life. The day was picture perfect.... and me without my camera but again, thanks to David Berman, here are a few shots from his Picasa Album. Click the magic Clicky if you want to see many more pics of the Fjords.

Given the opportunity to revisit and redo that trip - I'll raise my hand! Hopefully these pics will not be fuzzy once I publish - if the Fjords cruise pictures are not clear, just go to Davids Picasa Album by clicking the clicky above.

Gig Harbor, WA

2011-09-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

Gig Harbor, WA. This is definitely my favorite picture I've taken to date. Mt. Rainier is about 60 (as the crow flies) miles away from Gig Harbor. NO trick photographic techniques employed in this picture. The mountain just hangs there as if it were photographically added to the blue sky over Gig Harbor. Becky and I simply cannot get enough of looking at it. I am amazed that the view doesn't cause multiple car accidents every day.

Here's a shot of the harbor from the outside seating area of the Tides Tavern - one of the nicest places to eat in Bar Harbor. Their Margaritas' are especially good when consumed with a mid afternoon lunch.

We'll be leaving our site at the Gig Harbor RV Resort next week but there's no doubt - we'll be back. What a magnificent little city!

Antarctica, Michigan

2011-07-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

...Errr... make that ESCANABA, Michigan! The Freudian Slip in the title should provide some insight to the true nature of this account. Atypically for yours truly, there are absolutely no stretches of imagination, no embellishments, no outright lies herein - so help me. And where this author was not personally witness to the following goings-on of the youngsters in ~~Anta~~ Escanaba, I do hereby confirm the accuracy of all you are about to read.

The reasons for that certainty is pictured below - Becky and Jane. They look like "a couple of friends" - right? Well, as I said in the opening, they are..... but there's a bit of a story behind this particular friendship. I guess "You won't believe this but..." is as good an opening as any. And so....................

You won't believe this BUT..... Once upon a time, not so terribly long ago (not so long ago given that the planet Earth was born some 12 BILLION YEARS ago) these two Snow-cones met in kindergarten on one of those rare days when they survived the five mile uphill walk to school in waist high snow. And as you can see in the following picture, the sun sets very early during those winter days - but these two trudged on, uphill again, back home together at three in the afternoon. And there they are, Becky and Jane one, but typical dreary,winter afternoon in 1955. If you look closely you might see their frozen breath being lifted above them by the whipping 50mph winds.

Before I continue, hit the clicky below and just let the song run in the background as you read the rest of this true story. Matter of fact, the story line only goes to substantiate these accounts.

Very, very few of you might be saying to yourself - "well it's about time he (that's me) posted this thing!". The fact is that I had this "put to bed" as they say in the publishing business a month ago and then for whatever the technical reasons - after doing a spell check (thank you Jesus) 75% of it disappeared. And after rewriting most of it back in I had to save it unpublished for a while. When I came back to put the dot on top of the eye - it vanished again. So here I am, another month shot trying to recollect my ramblings and to make matters worse, even though I took impeccable notes during Dennis and Jane's visit, those scribblings aren't quite as "peccable" as I thought. And so I will truncate this summary to a single subject - winter! ANYWAY....

Those treks back and forth to school took its toll on Jane and Becky seen below at the 3 mile mark.

On most days when the girls finally made it home, they would have to climb the temporary stairs to the attic window to get into the house - think I'm kidding? A picture is worth a thousand words..... Yeah I know what you're thinking.. not really their house - right? Well.... duhhhhh OK, ya got me. And to make matters worse, I pirate these pics off the internet without so much as a howdy-do. So sue me.

This particular picture depicts quite accurately the girl's accounting of those days on the UP. This one reminds me of yet another story of their survival. On those days fit for neither man nor beast, the kids had a great way to get to school. Tunnels! Yes that's right, no kidding, tunnels in the snow that make the Holland Tunnel look like a gopher hole.

The picture above is taken from inside the central tunnel - a massive cylindrical excavation that connects each individual home tunnel to the underground corridor that goes to the street in front of the school. From there the girls, and many other students from this part of town exit the subterranean system and make a mad dash up the front steps of the school.

The tunnel system had its good - and had its bad points. The good of course is that travelling underground (or is that undersnow?) eliminated the effects of the whipping wind chill which on a day with ambient temperatures of -30 degrees, could be as low as -50 or so. And, there were no mosquitoes in the tunnel system. Apparently Escanaba mosquitoes don't die off in sub zero temperatures like other non resident mosquitoes do. I don't mean to go off subject here, but it seems that nothing in Escanaba is typical. What the heck... while off subject I'll also mention that most all homes, buildings there are heated with coal furnaces. The good news there is that the United States has a nearly limitless supply of coal. The bad news is that one of the combustion byproducts is soot. There's the other good point about the tunnels - no soot! Who'd a thunk it! One of the benefits of travelling the sub-snow transit system was - no soot! On the negative side however, since all kids in Escanaba had a tunnel from their home to the central corridor, they never got to enjoy a "snow day" off from school.

Now then... we have all heard of little boys sticking their tongue to the aluminum flagpole right? Well, in Escanaba it was quite common to see one of those stupid boys with his tongue stuck to the chain link fence located just a few feet from the tunnel exit in front of the school. Dares, Double Dog Dares, and even those ominous Triple Dog Dares could be heard throughout the entire tunnel systems as the kids made their way to school.

Dennis and I sat there during that visit, me taking notes as furiously as I could, and he.... well, we really didn't get a word in edgewise but he did manage to get a point in towards the end of the visit, something about finding something... but I'll be darned if I can remember - find what? And .... I can't read my notes - find WHAT? I'll probably never know unless Dennis can remember.

POST SCRIPT.......

In the opening statements I referred to the friendship of Jane and Becky and then got lost in the telling of the snow storm, whipping winds, and extremes of temperatures on the UP. And in those ramblings I never did explain why this is such a great friendship. As I understand it, they met in OR before kindergarten and spend the next 6 years or so growing up in Escanaba. Becky's family moved to California and at age 12, the two kids had to part ways. Fast forward maybe 15 years and the two got together for a day or so while Jane was on vacation (I am guessing) in California. Fast forward through the next 30 years more or less with the rare telephone call, occasional letter, season greeting's card, and emails most recently. Please raise your hand if you can say that you and your kindergarten buddy have maintained your friendship over some 50 years. Pretty special huh?

Oh yeah... I have a blog!

2011-05-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I sits and thinks.. sometimes I jes sits! Great way to start a "catch up" posting - by stealing a phrase penned by someone else. And I can't even give proper credit for it - again. Now that we have established the fact that I am a crook, I'll get on with this thing....

The last original post was back around the first of February. It was actually January 21 but "around the first of February doesn't sound nearly as long ago as January. Beck and I had just landed in Southern California (Lake Elsinore) about a month before and were settled in for a four month stay. We only stayed there for two months and moved to another SoCal town (Hemet) for a couple months. For whatever the reasons my blog faded from memory and here it is, May 22 and we've been in Reno, NV for almost a month now. The original plan had us headed to the Oregon Coast direct from SoCal but a closer look at the weather history showed plenty of rain during the month of May up there. So here in Reno, we met up with some long time friends of ours who are also full timing. Ron and Inge M will caravan (RVavan?) with us up to the Oregon Coast for a couple months stay before Beck and I continue our trek Northward to the Seattle, WA area to visit with our Son Al and some Northwest Territory explorations for a few months.

Here in Reno we are staying at The Grand Sierra Resort. The GSR is the largest casino / hotel / convention center / shopping and fun center in the area. They own and operate a fairly large RV Park right on the casino (etc) grounds. The park is very well designed and even with RVs occupying every single site, we still have a remarkable view of the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range - right from the "living room and dining room" in our trailer. I'm not going to even try to describe the majesty of those snow covered mountain peaks and this picture sure as hell isn't very convincing of it.

That's Donner's Summit to the left and the famous Donner's Pass associated with it. On one of our rare "commercial pay to see" excursions, the four of us headed over the mountain to Lake Tahoe and went out on the MS Dixie II pictured below - and by the way, the weather was fantastic, the lake surface almost like a mirror, and the lunch on board was excellent. There's something about being on the water that makes me hungry.

Did I mention that the MS Dixie II is a Stearn wheeler? Pretty cool vessel, 3 decks, twin diesels, 4 screws and bow thrusters. The paddle wheel actually only provides about one third the total thrust but it is impressive and when viewed from the poop deck three stories up, its colorful revolutions and the rhythmic sounds it makes cutting into the water are quite hypnotic.

The two hour trip begins at the boat's home port in Zephyr Cove and traverses the lake to the Western shore and into Emerald Cove. If the lake were a circle which it's not, then Zephyr Cove and Emerald Cove would approximate the ends of an East to West diameter. Raise your hand if you have never heard of Emerald Cove on Lake Tahoe! If your hand is raised I herein command you to visit Lake Tahoe, rent a boat, take a guided tour, or drive Hwy 89 which will give you a birds eye view of Emerald Cove.

I have to tell ya, I have been to dozens of countries, have been on every continent except the Anti Arctic, and have logged thousands of hours looking out airplane windows - Emerald Cove on a crystal clear Spring day should be on every one's "bucket list"! This is where I usually insert a comment regarding the quality of my camera, the lack of clarity and lack of depth of field of my pictures, or if the shoe fits (as it does in this case) - the inexperience of the photographer. In all cases however, taking, and including them helps me weave whatever story it is I try to tell.

And if you have been reading my posts, you'll agree that I am not trying to make this blog some sort of historical or educational chronicle but having said that, I do insert a couple of facts every so often without claiming any relation to accuracy - so here goes my version of a few facts about the lake. Lake Tahoe is the second largest alpine lake in the world - second only to Lake Titicaca (however it's spelled). No rivers flow into the lake. There are a handful of streams that empty into the lake but most of the water comes from snow melt off the mountains that surround it. The water is alpine clear and is some 1800 feet deep. Since no appreciable amount of water enters, as would the waters into a lake fed by rivers, there is very little sediment to discolor the water.

Before leaving the area we took a drive down to South Lake Tahoe, CA to witness just how much the town had grown up since Beck and I were married there some 27 years ago - my my how time flies etc etc. And it has grown in those decades. But the good ole "Chapel of the Bells" remains as it was.

Well... that's all I've got to say about the MS Dixie II, Lake Tahoe, and Emerald Cove. Stay tuned for my NORTH TO ALASKA post coming to computer screen (s) soon.

Comments.....

2011-03-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd let those of you that comment on my posts know that I do read, and appreciate your comments. However.... the comment system has always presented challenges - in the past I have received email notices that a comment was added here or there. And in the past, I have, with persistence been able to add a comment back. NOW-a-days the system is not allowing me to post comments at all. And so... this post!. Keep those cards and letters coming in - thanks.

$1,095.15 Lost at RV Dumpsite

2011-02-19T09:17:00.000-08:00

Whether you are a RVer or not, at least in my warped opinion, you will find the following very funny. But first just to make sure you know what a "dump site" is....

OK, not the prettiest picture in the albumn but that's it! Perhaps on the lighter side.......

I think you get the picture. And actually the cartoon depicts a very accurate portrayal of the story line.
OK, on to the story...

This was a post over on the Airstream Forum and it's very funny so I wanted to share it! I continue to try to find the author of what follows but so far am unable to do so.....

"We have a small RV dump station in our town built by the municipality near a boat launch. Every day I walk my dog by the river and go past the RV dump. So... not too long ago I was amazed to see a couple in a brand new 5th wheel dumping onto the ground rather than into the dump opening and yelling at each other at the top of their lungs.

The dump is well designed and has well sloped sides leading to the 'hole' but they had covered the hole with a screen. Why?

Turns out that one of them had dropped a dental bridge into the toilet (never, ever multitask in the morning) and they figured it would flush out at the dump station. I got to watch the entire hilarious project.

First they dumped and watched the screen for the bridge. This didn't go very well. The screen diameter was pretty small and kept clogging. It was the screen from one of their windows. Sweeping it with their brand new collapsible broom helped keep it clear.

Screen replacement parts: $5.00
Broom: $ 8.95

After dumping the entire (very full) tank and finding no bridge, they decided that the device must have settled to the bottom of the black tank and not been evacuated. So... they got our their water hose and a water thief and hooked up to the dump station water stub to fill their black tank via the toilet.

New (unpolluted) hose: $15.00
New water thief: $4.00

Once they had hooked all this up, they apparently shoved the hose into the toilet, keeping the valve open and turned on the water. Then they pulled the dump valve again. No teeth.

After some (loud) discussion they decided that the teeth must be stuck or jammed and that they needed to agitate the tank to dislodge them. At this point 2 more rigs have pulled up to dump and are waiting in line. One is towing a boat with a sunburnt and somewhat drunk crew. The fisherfolk are getting out cans of cold refreshment and one has a lawn chair. Another one has a plan....

How to agitate a black tank (while it's still attached to trailer) method 1: Get 4 cans of beer and some buddies. Refill tank with water. Open cans of beer and position buddies on each corner of trailer. On que, rock trailer back and forth. Position one person in bathroom with toilet valve open to listen for sloshing. Do not drop beer. When good sloshing sounds can be heard in tank, pull the dump valve and wait for teeth.

Unfortunately, the teeth didn't appear and by this time the helpers were thirsty again. The owner with no lower teeth offered them more refreshments. They were thrilled because he had high end beer (they were drinking the cheap) stuff.

4 bottles of redhook: $6.00

3 more rigs are now in line at the dump station and one woman (with 2 teens) has a camera out. Her kid has a cellphone held up high in the video capture position.

How to agitate a black tank method 2: Add water and then start tow vehicle up. Make sure the water is really flowing and tank is full to get a good dump. Go forward and back in rapid succession to really get things stirred up. So.....

They leave the hose filling the toilet attached and station one person in front of trailer to keep an eye on the hitch. Another will be the driver and several more will stand and watch for teeth. The wind has picked up and the screen is on the verge of blowing away. One person holds it down with foot. Wife will pull dump handle.

The driver decides to set the emergency brake and then does the forward/back thing. The engine starts, the water is flowing, the spotters are ready, wife is in place, and the forward/back thing starts. You can smell the transmission and hear the clunks and he sifts back and forth. The crowd is cheering and offering advice. Then the dump handle is pulled. Whoosh! Lots of water - no teeth. The foot holding the screen gets soaked and the owner of the foot steps back, sticking foot into open dump hole, twisting ankle and crying out in pain. The proceedings stop and the crowd gathers around the fallen helper to offer aid (and a beer). After a time water begins to run out the trailer door.

Another redhook: $1.50

Remember the hose stuck in the toilet? It had dislodged during the forward/reverse process and was filling the trailer, flopping around and covering the walls.

Trailer rehab: $1000.00

The volunteer who had been watching the hitch runs inside to trap the hose. A couple of minutes later he comes out and says hey buddy - is this what your looking for? He is holding teeth and new fresh beer. "I found 'em in the fridge"

One more redhook: $1.50"

Waxing the RV

2011-01-22T12:07:00.000-08:00

As we all know Turtle (paste) Wax should not be applied to a surface which is in direct sunlight. I managed to get the "patio" side and back of the trailer waxed but the doggarn Southern California sun hits the "curb side" and front of the rig from day break to sunset.

The problem (if you consider the above picture a problem) is that the Ortega Mountains to our SW are so close to the RV Park that once enough clouds form to diffuse the direct sunlight near dusk, the sun disappears in the wink of an eye and then there are about 4 waxing minutes to get anything done. Not worth the effort.

And so I decided about 2 weeks ago, to just wait for a cloudy day to finish the wax job.. And even that flawless plan has presented problems (again, they may be a problem using the word problem in this context) as seen below.

So what's a guy to do? Middle of January and I can't seem to catch a single day with a few lousy clouds! I hope you realize how full of crap I am! Why is the ground all white in the lower left of the picture above?

Short... But Sweet!

2011-01-09T07:53:00.000-08:00

I really don't have a whole lot to say about Dungeness Crab - I mean, if you really want to know all the species, habitat, and entomology stuff etc etc- google it! Here, in this post, in sunny Southern California, we buy them at a supermarket (on sale $4.99 a pound) previously cooked.

This guy (literal) was about 2 pounds so.... former math teacher that I am .... about $10.00 worth give or take. IT, along with a fresh endive salad with Crimini mushrooms, green onion, and tomatoes is more than enough to satisfy me - and that is going some. I suppose there are some that would reheat and eat with melted butter (OK.. drawn butter if you're in a tablecloth restaurant and paying $29.00 for it) but I prefer it just as it is purchased - cold. Although hard to see in the picture, I sprinkle Bay Seasoning all over the shell before eating. So you might ask..."why season the shell, you're not going to eat it right"? That is true enough, but you do eat Dungeness with your hands... your hands touch the shell during dissection, the seasoning transfers to your hands, and as you pick and eat the meat... well... you get it right? The two dips pictured are regular cocktail sauce and the other is white vinegar with a bit of Bay Seasoning.
Those of you that know me, know that I would prefer to buy (preferably catch) the little monsters live and cook them myself. Perhaps those options are available down here in SoCal - we haven't seen them locally. As we move further up the left coast I assure you that there will be a "Crab Boil" post.

Mange!

2010-12-28T09:41:00.000-08:00

Before I get on with it... I have finally figured out what to do about the clicking on the picture thing. If you click on a picture, a new window will open with a large view of that picture. I won't guarantee that I will REMEMBER how to do it.. but for this post, you can click!

The Ortega Highway (CA 74) winds through the mountains Easterly to Westerly from the Lake Elsinore Valley to San Juan Capistrano, CA.

Here is the Eastern entrance to The Ortega Highway. After "The Pineapple Express" blew through last week, the road was closed due to numerous mud slides - the traffic cones you see surround a portable highway message board that read something like this ... Ortega Closed beyond Candy Street.

In the earliest beginnings, the highway was nothing more than Indian footpaths, and a fire trail along the creek.

The earliest visionaries saw it as a highway to the Pacific Ocean.

Some of these words are from http://www.theortegahighway.com/OrtegaHighwayHistory.html. I wasn’t denied use of this opening summary, but I didn’t exactly go through any labors to seek permission either. I do believe there is enough “me” in it to assign a very low value of plagiarism. The rest of the text is all me – as will be obvious.

Here is the view of Lake Elsinore (and Valley) with snow capped mountains in the background from the 1st pull out on the Ortega. Becky and I both are very familiar with the California Highways that cross the mountains from The Silicone Valley up in the San Francisco area over to the Half Moon Bay area on the Pacific.

Some of the geography is the same as those Northern passes, but some is completely different as the pictures above and below show. Then again, if you have never been on those Bay Area passes you really wouldn't know the difference.

We have this view from our RV... well... the mountain is bit further off but I did notice these folks our first day in the park.

They are not "hang gliding" or "sky diving" in the traditional sense yet their lift mechanisms look like standard parachutes. I guess without any research I would call what they are doing... "para-sailing". I have to check that out and determine if I have just invented a word / sport, or if that is actually what the sport is. I know for sure they were catching "thermals" and "updrafts off the mountain.

Somewhere near the midpoint of the drive, between San Juan Hot Springs and Lakeland Village we stopped at a country store that, among much other stuff, sells wild game jerky - I have never had Elk Jerky so I paid an outrageous amount for a little vacuum packed bag. It is really good by the way.

Where was I... oh yeah, across the street from the country store is a "biker bar" - the message on the board outside the place speaks for itself!

I never did consider myself very good at sketching, drawing, painting etc. Matter of fact most all forms of art have escaped me. But in a sense, this picture I took could very well take an award at some symbolic form of nude art photography.

I took the picture because of the two "mounds" in the background - I admit it freely. Come on! They look like boobs - right? It wasn't until I downloaded or uploaded (whatever) the pictures into the computer that I noticed the bush in the foreground and the overall subtle implication. That's all I have to say about that!

Now then... Becky thought I was nuts when I asked her to take this picture. It is our first view of the Pacific. Those of you that have been following our sojourn know that we departed Bar Harbor, ME in the middle of October and took a rather zig-zagged course here to CA. Well, I thought the first peek at the Pacific was rather exciting.

San Juan Capistrano is a beautiful town near the coast. I am not sure if "Dana Point" is within the city limits of SJC or not. In either case, the shot above is of the anchorage of the Dana Point Yacht Club.

The breakwater protecting the Yacht Club, Dana Harbor and public area seen above is about a quarter mile long. Beyond is the only picture I have looking out into the Pacific.

I wasn't about to cap a 4500 mile coast to coast trip without getting my feet wet. Yes the water is cold.

So that's about it... The Ortega Highway is a great day trip to the coast, we will return. Come to think of it, we will return to Capistrano with the Sparrows (or whatever) in March. Right now those cute little birdies are here in the Lake Elsinore Valley - crapping all over the roof of the RV.

And to wrap this thing up....

California Here We Come ... Right Back....

2010-12-26T08:58:00.000-08:00

Actually the rest of the line in that song is accurate.. right back where we started from. California! Where Becky and I first met. But that's another story.

I will pick up on our journey down and across the country from my last post The Rocking Chair Ranch... I know that many of you that have driven across the country, specifically across TEXAS can relate to that all so true rhyme "the sun is rize, the sun is set, and we is still in Texas yet". Well OK, I took some liberties there but what the hell.

The trip across NM was uneventful and felt pretty much like the never ending journey across Western Texas. Speaking of that, I failed to mention that where it is true that it is a heck of a jaunt across the lone star state... you should try it pulling an 8+ ton trailer at 60mph. Cars flying by at the 80mph speed limit made the trip even longer. The truth be told... there were literally 3 days where we would stare out at those wide open spaces and rugged mountains in absolute awe of the naked beauty of those deserts, prairies, plains or whatever the proper name for that land is.

One day, in NM we stopped at an I-10 roadside rest for lunch. If you look close at the bottom left of the picture you will note a masonry wall. The picnic table was casting its shadow on the wall and that rather interesting sign beyond it. And just out of the picture to the left is an opening in the wall. The bottom sign reads "POISONOUS SNAKES AND INSECTS INHABIT THE AREA". You can read the upper "No Pets in this Area". No pets because there are likely to be rattlers and scorpions. But it's OK for people to wander out there in that deadly, poisonous critters infested area? Well... it just seemed funny to us at the time for there to be an inviting opening in the wall (actually there were several openings).

We spent a week in Tucson, Arizona visiting my Brother David and his wife. Brother David is a color pressman - I think that's the correct title. He printed up the following banner for our arrival. His intent was to post it somewhere on our site just before our arrival but we also planned a surprise for him by arriving a day early. Best laid plans ehh? Anyway, we taped it to the side of the trailer for a couple quick pics. Note the spelling of my first name - Jon - the way I use to spell it as a kid in high school. I remember thinking that the "h" in my name was useless so I just dropped it.

Here a pic of Brother David! No... we are not twins.

Our campground in the Tucson area was at the entrance to the Saguaro National Forest and I can't help but wonder how many others pose as Brother David and I did in the following pictures..

I am more than sure that if you did proper research you could find that someone has actually counted / estimated how many Saguaro cacti there are in the forest - must be in the 100,000's. The sign below gives some of the statistics - they really are quite amazing.

We did make it into a campground outside of Blythe, California just in time for a Margarita and this sunset. Again, my pictures simply do not do it justice - the sky was on fire for more than 10 minutes.

Wind Farms aren't new news - I know that. But as we passed through the Palm Springs area, Beck and I were both taken back a bit by the farms alongside I-10. Becky snapped the picture immediately below because of the snow on the peak of the taller mountain. Seemed pretty impressive at the time - guess ya had to be there.

There must have been a half dozen farms like the one below in a five mile stretch of I-10.

The final leg of our journey from Blythe to Lake Elsinore, CA and the Lake Elsinore Marina and RV Resort was a hop, skip and a jump and we made it in around noon somewhere. Took the rest of the afternoon to do a full set up but well worth the effort. We'll be here for four months.

Most of the time here so far has been spent in the trailer as it was raining pretty much constantly. But the skies finally cleared and we snapped a few pictures of the campground and surroundings.

The picture above and below are taken from the boat ramp - it must be10 lanes wide which leads me to suspect that it must get awfully noisy in the park around "safe light" time in the morning.

Here's a few more shots from the RV park... note the taller mountain in the background in the picture above... picture below is of the same mountain after "The Pineapple Express" blew by and dumped more than 10" of rain about six days later. Some of it landed with a white color.

The picture below was taken about 10 miles from Lake Elsinore. Many of the surrounding mountains are now covered in snow - absolutely beautiful although I know some of you might not agree with that assessment.

Well folks... that's about it. In closing I'll use the picture below, actually I'm using it for the second time but I gave myself permission to include it.

Once again...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

(cleaver use of color ehhh?)

Happy Holidays

2010-12-25T08:40:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas (or roughly equivilent in other religions) and a joyous New Year to all... and to all...Beck and I love ya!

The Rocking Chair Ranch

2010-11-26T09:56:00.000-08:00

The Rocking Chair Ranch. After having visited this 100 acre ranch in the Hill Country of Texas, I think an appropriate rename would be The Rockin' Ranch because Jack and Linda are Rock Stars! You'll be reading how "isolated" and "beautifully rugged" the ranch is, and it is! But that didn't slow Linda down in the kitchen at all. She has got to be one of the best cooks ever. I really believe (and I do believe in reincarnation) that she was a restauranteur in her former life. At the ranch, just as on the island, she cooks as if unexpected company was going to drop it. and by unexpected company - I mean like an enitre COMPANY from the Army.
Here's a view of The Rocking Chair Ranch House from the road leading to it. Actually the picture below is essentially the view of the house their "next door" neighbors have.

Yes, there is a house there - look for the white spec pretty much in the center of the picture. See it? From where the camera is, it's only about another mile. And for the record, it's hardly a "spec". The house is probably about 20' by 80' (not counting the porches and was transported to its perch from Del Rio, TX (~40 miles away) in one piece.

The last few miles that house travelled have to be experienced to fully appreciate. Here's the vehicle Jack and Linda have at The Ranch to navigate within the larger Bobcat Hollow Fossil Creek Ranch. I didn't get a picture of it, but Jack also has a 6 wheel drive ATV which he uses within the confines of their place.

The Ranch is at an elevation of approximately 2100' with the tallest hills in the area at about 2700'. I have been to some very beautifully isolated areas' and The Ranch fits that description quite well. On the way in you pass many rocky hills such as this one - cave and all.

When I say beautifully isolated, I mean exactly that. The picture below is one of the views from their front porch. The "road" you see is the driveway of one of their closest neighbors. As dusk turns to darkness, the very faint lights of Del Rio can be seen looking in this direction

Jack and Linda built a wildlife feeder in their back yard - well, actually, it's their front yard. You can see just the corner of it in the picture above. The feeder attracts all manner of wildlife. In the few days Becky and I were there we watched as many as 15 deer at one time, including an enormous 8 point buck, foxes, turkey, racoons, a skunk, of course squirrels and the one species we didn't see, but were "ready for" - Ferel Hogs. Linda sent an email to Becky with some beautiful pictures of deer at the feeding station but for whatever the reason I cannot get them to post in my blog. So just use your imagination for goodness sakes - can you see them now? Yes, I know - they are beautiful.

Ready for.... here's what I mean by that. Jack keeps a 30-30 on the back porch should a wild pig happen into the crosshairs of the scope on his rifle. I did have a great picture of Becky steadying the rifle on her shoulder for me but she must have gotten to Kodak EZ Share and deleted it before I had a chance to include it.

Another animal which the locals consider "varmits" are the racoons in the area. Now it's time for you to use your imagination again but this time all you have to do is follow the bouncing... err... the footprints to see one or two of them.

The weather was absolutely fantastic while we were there and sitting on that porch was absolutely my favorite activity. Before the sun, during the sun, after the sun just sitting there drinking coffee, water, a brew or just drinking in the absolute silence, the rugged landscape in all directions - long sentence or not - all of it is breathtaking. The bonus was the wildlife that would wonder silently into the feeder.

I mean... think about it! How would you like to have a "get away" place at the end of the driveway in the picture below? And the porch above? Sitting on the porch reminded me of when Becky and I were in Maine, I kiddingly referred to my two part time jobs... sitting and watching to make sure the tide went out and sitting and watching to make sure the tide came back in. And on that porch, sometimes I sat and thought, and sometimes I just sat.

Speaking of sitting around... here are "The Boys" happily lounging inside during the only fairly hot day during our visit. They are "Harley and Merlin". Harley looks as though it is time to give up and go to sleep.

On one of "road hunting" trips in the Jeep we passed a wildlife well that the ranch owners in the area had drilled. There are a number of these wind driven pump wells in the area which are critical to the wildlife during the mostly arid times of the year.

To be a bit more clear on these Road Hunting Trips, we jump in the Jeep with our handguns (so happened Jack and I both had 357 magnums) and drive the ranch roads looking for Ferel Hogs NOT the deer in the area. As luck would have it, although the area is overrun with hogs, not a one showed themself. It was a great experience none the less.

Near last but certainly far from least.... whatever new location I find myself in, I always gaze at the night skies to locate Polaris. The North Star is a welcome friend of the night sky that helps me orient myself. And looking in that general direction I was taken back a bit by the hazy, or "milky" view of the Galaxy. Well, not the entire Milky Way of course, but regions of it. I don't know how many of you have actually seen the galaxy, but I am here to tell you, if it doesn't give you a sense of isolation, you need to look a little closer. At that time of night looking Northward I was actually seeing the spiral arm that good ole Earth is in and as I scanned towards the West, the "milk" was the furthest spiral arm out from the center of the galaxy.

Becky and I have retired to a very quiet, peaceful life, filled with the United States out our windows. We've met some really great folks along the way, before and during. Jack and Linda are counted in the "of the very best" category. We could never repay them for their generosity and their friendship is very special to us. Love ya guys!

Deep in the Heart...

2010-11-25T07:39:00.000-08:00

Becky and I landed in South Texas right at the 1st of November and will be preparing to leave on the 1st of December - it was a very quick month! Before I forget... Happy Thanksgiving everyone... even our Canadian friends we've met here in South Texas.

So...South Texas.... if you've never been, what image of landscape comes to mind when you hear "South Texas"? Flat lands, Prairies, The Bad Lands, Mexico, Cacti, Clay, Desserts or is it Deserts - never did learn the spelling of that word. That word - meaning a really hot place with a rattlesnake behind every rock no trees no water - ya know - the stomping grounds of John Wayne, Roy Rodgers, Kit Carson, The Lone Ranger Hi Ho Hi Ho its off to work... oops, wrong jingle, and Gabby Hayes.

Speaking of John Wayne... I saw a Western on TV the other day. Rock Hudson was in it and his role was that of an outlaw. I'm surprised he wasn't wearing pedal pushers instead of cowboy chaps. I wonder if he had to run off stage to gargle after having stolen a kiss from the the Sheriff's captive daughter. What the hell brought this up I'll never know but I wrote it under no particular duress so I will leave it where it is!

Where the heck was I? Ahhh... South Texas! Actually this part of South Texas is on the Gulf of Mexico with all the bays, "back lakes", rivers, deltas, and all the SEAFOOD they hold. Like the oysters shown below. There are so many oysters available that seafood mongers won't sell you a few dozen - you have to buy a burlap bag full of ''em - roughly 10 to 12 dozen. As a side note, you can get a bag of them for about $27.00 - do the math folks, that's about 19 cents apiece.

I was in the mood for oysters last week - that's when I found out that I couldn't buy 3 dozen. I elected to pass on the peck (I'm sure "peck" isn't the proper unit of measurement for a bag of oysters but I think it's a pretty cool word) because I really wasn't in the mood for a shucking party. Honestly...can you follow my "writing style"? I try to avoid reading what I've written because it gives me a headache - it's like watching one of those movies where they bounce around between "present day", "4 days ago", "2 years into the future", "12 years ago"..... Gawd I hate that! Maybe this is why my posts are so disjointed. C'est La Vive - there goes the Canadian influence of this RV park.

OK OK... the oysters. I was out wade fishing in a stretch of bay waters I had never fished before. Wade fishing... I hope you don't think I was out fishing FOR wades. Never heard of anyone fishing for them - they're just too damn tough. I was out in water up to my butt which isn't all that deep if you know me. Anyways I was using "live finger mullet" for bait - here we go again, a finger mullet is not a fish that looks like a finger. Rather it indicates the size of the mullet - oddly the length of a finger and do not even start thinking which finger! I won't go there.

After an hour of butt deep wading, and no tugs on my line, I got into an area with a sharp rocky bottom. The water was pretty darn clear and I could see the "rocks" and picked one up. Sure enough a OYSTER. There were hundreds of them just laying there on the bottom. I put my rod up on shore and let the bait do it's own thing while I went back out with a canvas bag and in 10 minutes filled it with 36 oysters.

As soon as I got home I opened one up and slurped it down. Other than being bay water warm, it was very, VERY tasty. I continued to rinse off the remaining oysters and put them in the fridge to get icy cold. Last night I shucked half of them for supper - I just don't know how it could be any fresher than that and although there we slightly smaller than you might buy at a fish mongers', they were no less tasty, briny or juicy.

Now then, if you allowed your eyes to look at the picture below you might be confused. NO! The creatures in my hands are not South Texas Oysters... they are Blue Crab, cousins to Chesapeake Bay Crabs. Actually, they are the same animal only instead of living in Chesapeake Bay, these guys lived in "Red fish Bay" in South Texas.

Blue Crap's are the second reason I love the Corpus Christi area of South Texas. You can set crab traps (similar to lobster traps) out in the bays and back lakes areas as I did when we were living here full time or, you can buy them. Buying them is a whole lot easier - these were about $1.50 each and were the largest Blue Crab I have ever seen. If you have ever eaten this particular species of crab, you know it is a lot of work and if the crabs and on the small side, the work required to break into them increases exponentially. I claim "writer's licence" - just as a poet would have "poetic licence". Exponentially is certainly NOT the proper description but why not exaggerate. I have writer's licence to do so.

Suffice to say these guys are unbelievably tasty - just douse them with Old Bay and steam them till they turn red, and then a little bit more. Crack, crush, rip, tear em open and dip in white vinegar, open a bottle of your favorite ale and you are "good to go". By the way.... you WILL end up with "paper (IE crab) cuts" on the fingers of one hand or the other so open each crab up with the same hand - if you get cuts on the fingers of both hands and you start dipping into the white vinegar - next time you want to eat Blue Crab, you'll most like go to the super market and buy them already shelled and in one of those plastic tubs. By the way, once you've had them fresh steamed, you'll never settle for one of those tubs of crab again.

And yes... I noticed the typo in the second paragraph above referring to them as "Blue Craps" - shit happens. No pun intended!

Sacchetti's Sacchetti!

2010-11-04T06:43:00.000-07:00

Well.... here's one I simply could not ignore. But first, for those of you that don't know me by my [real] name... I am John Sacchetti. And the picture immediately below is of Sacchetti & sausage. The spelling and pronunciation of my name, and my meal at Olive Garden are both identical.

Through the years I have introduced myself to a number of folks that, try as they may, could never quite get the pronunciation right and so I would revert to phonetics to help them through their bumbling tongues. A few days ago we set the RV up in "The Palms" RV park in Aransas Pass, Texas - by the way, it's a really nice park, but that's another story. I was introducing myself to my new next door neighbor and he thought out loud... sacchetti..... Sacchetti! Like the pasta dish at Olive Garden? With a name like Sacchetti I got accustomed to a plethora of Italian jokes - NOW, after 65 years I am hearing laughter without the punchline.

The picture above is of five Sacchettis'; Becky Sacchetti, Sandra Ann (and only I am allowed to call her Sammy) Sacchetti, Sacchetti & Shrimp, Sacchetti & Sausage and just plain ole Sacchetti! Fact is, the Sacchetti is quite similar to regular ravioli, perhaps a bit less pasta, and a bit more cheese. And true to its "roots", Sacchetti is shaped appropriately.

The name Sacchetti (and pardon my interpretation) is a derivation of the Italian word for "sack", or "sacco". Earlier last century, the one before and who knows how many prior to that, the Sacchettis' were sack (bag) makers in the old country. Just for the heck of it, I tested it on freetranslation.com. The translation from Sacchetti (Italian) to English was bags. The reverse translation from Sacchetti (English) to Italian was sack.

So just when you thought it was safe to go out to Olive Garden for a relaxing meal.... you'll see me on the menu - and like Mikey use to say... "try it, you'll like it!".

Mr. Taylahh Part Two

2010-09-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

My previous post described this local fella Beck and I found when we first arrived in the Bar Harbor, ME area almost 6 months ago.

To save you from reading the previous post, Mr. Taylahh and wife live on the outskirts of Bar Harbor, about 3 miles or so into the foothills of Cadillac Mountain on Mt. Dessert Island. It takes about 10 minutes or so on that dirt road they live on but we have found the trip well worth it every time. The Taylahhs do and sell about whatever to make a buck or two. We buy their eggs, err, their chicken's eggs and you never know what to expect.. in a typical dozen you'll find a few smalls, a jumbo, white, brown, and green in color. Yes green!

We (I) also buy the little neck clams he digs 'bout every day.

Well this morning at about 8am I saw a car pull up outside the RV. Bigger than live it was Mr. Taylahh. The past few times to his place for clams, no luck, the state has the one and only local little neck flat closed due to, well, whatever. The state lifted the ban on that area this morning (a flat off an island ~ 15 miles from here) and Mr. Taylahh went out clammin. On the way back to his place, he remembered me talking about the RV Park we are in - it was on his way so he stopped and bagged up a couple pounds for me.

You could have knocked us over with a feather when I saw him climb out of his truck still in his yellow slicker and thigh high rubber boots. Beck took a few pictures from inside the trailer - as you can see, it was rainin' out.

The thing about Mr. Taylahh is that he is a very expressive talker - Italian like, and always has something to say. He said "like yah bumpah stickah - didn't notice it beforah". I Picked the magnetic bumper sticker up at my barber's place. Haircut for $8.00 anyone? Only in Maine, add a couple bucks for a tip - $10.00. Now Stacey (the barber) is another story but as I said - another story.

Back to Mr. Taylahh... he remembered me always buying 2 pounds at a time and so bagged that up for me. I guess it was the first time I ever had clams on the half shell for breakfast but am here to tell ya...until you've had little necks just an hour out of the cool muddy flats of Frenchman's Bay, you haven't had little necks.

Actually I didn't eat them all, going to bake clams casino for lunch. But I had to try a few, 3, 4 as fresh as they were. I guess the only way I can describe it, that is, the one word that expresses the taste is SWEET. I know, non clam eaters are scratching their head - raw clams - yucch - SWEET? That and briny and juicy and all that reminds you of the sea.

One of the most popular websites dedicated to RV'ing is http://www.rv.net/ . In those forums the question comes up quite often... "why is it that some full time RV'ers chose to stay in one area for 3,4,5 months, or an entire season - instead of a day or two and then moving on to somewhere else?". Nothing wrong with moving every few days, nothing at all! But this part of my post is dedicated to another of the reasons Becky and I prefer to stay put for months at a time. Given time in one area, you get to know the locals and discover places that remain completely undiscovered by those that don't let a bit of grass grow under their feet. Richard, yes, after 5-1/2 months, Mr. Taylor introduced himself by first name while delivering little neck clams to my door. When I opened the door he was all smiles "recognized your truck and thought I'd bring ya some little necks - OK if ya don't have money right now". So fellow RV'ers, add that visit I had this morning to the many other reasons you've read on the net why some of us prefer to hang out for a while here'n'there.

And finally, to answer the question "has the season changed the landscape up in Maine yet? Yes... the show is just beginning in this neck of the woods.

These are the view we have from our dining room table, work table, work bench, computer table, office desk in our trailer.

Well... that's about it. In a few short weeks we will be heading South and West, ultimately to Lake Elsinore, CA for most of the winter with stops in NY, NJ, TN, AL, TX and NM to visit friends and family along the way.

Mistaah Taylaah

2010-08-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

That's him in the shed facing the camera, Mistah Taylaaah (OK OK... Mister Taylor). You might very well ask who in the hell is this Mistah Taylaaah. Well, if you were to look up the definition of a "Mainer" in the dictionary - you could very well see his picture.

He and Mrs. Taylaah live on the outskirts of Bah Harbah, about a mile or two into the wooden countryside. Becky and I first discovered them on our first way home from Acadia National Park. Coming out of the park you will see a series of hand painted signs along the highway...."Clam"....."Mussels"....."Lobstah"...."Fresh Eggs". And finally the "Turn Here" sign pointing the way down a washboard, dusty, windy, hilly road that disappears into the woods. It really only takes three or four minutes on that road but it is a series of bumps the whole way. Every couple hundred yards you'll see a sign, I'm sure meant to give you encouragement to continue...."clam ---->". CLAM.... I'll jump ahead for a second before I forget. About our third time there I mentioned to Mistah Taylah that he should add a "S" to his CLAM signs, ya know, plural CLAMS? His only response was..."Why waste the paint!". Point taken for sure.

Well anyways, this last trip out to buy some CLAM and Eggs, we were with some good friends and former neighbors from Padre Island, Jack and Linda. Linda is the photographer by the way. She was taken by the chicken coup there and the whole experience of meeting Mistah Taylah. By the way.... I have no frikkin idea what his first name is and it doesn't matter, he and his lovely wife will always be Mr. and Mrs. Taylaah to me.

You can't help but get into a conversation with him, with him doing most of the talkin' and the more he talks the more you grow to respect him, his property, and his lifestyle. I mean the first time there I innocently asked him where he gets the little neck clams - I wasn't looking for specifics but he took it so and after a bit of deliberation he told me - specifically. He's one hard working Mainer - during the wintah, probably among other things he hasn't discussed yet, he is paid to plow snow from that washboard road - about two, three miles of it. He plows a dozen or so driveways as well. They do have neighbors on that road be they few and far between. He also sells, delivers and stacks the firewood he cut and quartered earlier the year before. He goes "clammin'" year round but only goes out once a day during the wintah.

The rest of the year this guy goes clammin' twice a day depending on low tides, runs a string of lobstah pots and collects and cleans mussels about every clammin' trip. They sell lobstah, mussels, soft shell (spitter) clams, little neck clams and eggs from their shed pictured above. He also provides clams to a couple of restaurants on the Island. He is always doing something, falling trees, cutting, and quartering, stacking, clammin', running his lobstah pot string, delivery wood or clams or plowing driveways on that washboard road he lives on. In short he is one hell of a worker and although I never got into a political discussion with him - I have a very vivid ideaah just how he feels 'bout things.

Becky and I are really taken with him and although they are out of the way and perhaps a bit more expensive than a dozen places closer and far easier to get to, we prefer to buy that stuff from him. In a recent email to Linda, Becky mentioned that we need to visit the Taylaah's to get some eggs. In her reply, Linda reminded Becky what Mr. Taylaah said the last time we were there with her.... "Too Dry...The Chickens Ain't Layin' Worth A Shit This Summaah".

Well, should you find yourself on Mount Desert Island and in need of any of that stuff, just watch for the signs, or ask directions to The Taylaahs.

While visiting, we had a few picnics with Jack and Linda. Our first picnic was at a roadside rest area, on Fish Cove which is where I do my clammin'. After dropping everyone off at the rest area, I went up the road a few miles to "Tracey's Lobster Pound" and bought us each a Lobstaah Roll. Tracy is another Mainer and subject of another post but that's a different story. Another picnic we had was at one of Acadia's Parks... smoked trout, aseago cheese, a baguette of bread, some of Becky's homemade bread and butter pickles and some local brew.. Bar Harbor Ale (not a bad micro brew).

Our last meal with Jack and Linda was a Lobstaah Boil right here at the trailer - well, outside of it as you can see.

This boil included 7 "pounder new shells", 3 pounds of mussels, 3 pounds of little necks corn and potatoes.

Jack and Linda got a kick out of the quantity of food in that roasting pan but it pales in comparison to the meals that Linda serves up. And Becky HATES it when I include pictures of her in this blog but what the hell, I haven't been in trouble in quite a while so here's one of her!

As for left overs... I created a new, one of it's kind, original dish which I am calling "Lobstah Boil Leftover Cakes". The leftovers from this boil only yielded enough for four cakes but they tasted like a fried lobstah boil!

Try as I may, I simply cannot seem to lose any weight up here in Maine - I guess I don't need to make an appointment with a dietitian to figure that out do I? In addition to the walking I do daily, I think I need to add one more form of exercise to my routine - pushing myself away from the dinner table!

The Fran & Davie Reunion

2010-08-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

In the mid 1930's Francis (Franny) Sacchetti and Doris (Davie) Papa were married. Some 65 years later their extended family counts some 34 folks. So this was the first reunion of their entire clan. And we were all there with only five exceptions - Al, Aron, Adam, Michelle and Gracie.

Before getting on with this, I would like to grant my infamous "favorite" status to my favorite Brother Tom and his amazing wife Debbie - my favorite Sister-in-law. It was obvious on all fronts that they expended incredible efforts to make this weekend one that no one in the family will ever forget. Love ya guys!

Here's a few of the gals (Angie, Sammy... I mean Sandra, and Haylee) under the tent Tom & Deb erected on the beach before we all got there. That Saturday was a hot one on the Jersey shore and that tent provided very welcome shade.

The two youngest guys, Ian and Ethan, spent most of the time at the reunion on the beach or in the water. What's happening here is that I suckered Ian and Ethan OFF of the chair at the table - as soon as they realized what happened, they decided to crush my legs. By the way, Ian is eating what I consider the single best tasting Italian Hoagie I have ever eaten.

As for the rest of us..(good luck)... Tom, Debbie, Ben, Jena, David, Tricia, Sheila, Sam, Francis, Lisa, Brian, Jacob, Ian, Lynnie, Dave Steven, Karen, Erik, Richard, me, Becky, Cari, Jeff, Haylee, Mackenzie, Nick, Ethan, Sammy and Angela. All accounted for, some thirty-four spread from coast to coast, and here and there in between. Well, try as you may, it was an impossible to catch all of us in one picture - at least I got all the names... err .... I think!

We gathered at Tom and Debbie's shore home in Margate City, NJ - just down the beach from Atlantic City and I am envious of their neighbors - not a single complaint was issued to the Margate Sheriff's Office for the raucous laughter that prevailed from early to late. Laughter except for the dead silence during the meals. Actually it was a none stop eating festival so I use the work "meals" simply as reference points. Here for example is one of many "between meal" gathering at the dining room table. Snacking? That puts it mildly!

Everyone brought something including a string of wine bottles that the kids arranged as dominoes on the table. Nostalgic tastes from "The 24 Evelyn Park and Pittsfield" days, a dozen favorite recipe, and a couple of full blown catered meals from local folks. One meal was a hundred or so of the best little Italian Grinders I have ever eaten along with turkey, ham and veggie grinders for one lunch period. Of course there were appetizer trays - and I mean the plural literally. Again ... there was non stop eating so the lunch could be described in analogy as one of the waves that hadn't crashed ashore quite yet. A catered supper time meal included a refreshing "change of pace" Paella (OK, I can't spell it... Pie - A - Ahhh) with a few sides including some really tasty roasted potatoes. There were also chocolates, cookies, sconces, and half dozen different other pastries all mounded on trays. God! I almost forgot the Pasta, Meat Balls, Sausages, and Bracolli that Tom and Debbie made. The kids use the letters OMG all the time. I will also - Oh My God! Desserts were being eaten all the time along with gallons of Italian Ice. I don't eat desserts" but I know others did because at one point I could hear my Brother Tom yelling (to no avail I might add) .. "I thought dessert was suppose to be eaten AFTER the meal". So I don't know... if there were a single word theme to describe the get together it would have been Mange!

Many of us hadn't seen each other in years and some of the new arrival and little people had never met at all. There was that part of the gathering as well - all the kids clicked and at formal sit down meals you could see them all huddled together. For the most part the kids were missing in action somewhere on the beach.

The house was only a few hundred feet from the beach so they kids beat many paths between. All the kids managed to find new or old friends right at their age to be with. Many of the folks had to bunk up at local hotels, I mean Margate (the name of the beach house) had at least five bedrooms but there just wasn't enough floor space for everyone. I think it was Sunday morning I came down stairs - there was the young adult crowd, crashed on every couch, nook and cranny there was.

Let your imagination picture the bodies strewn everywhere - the picture I took with my camera didn't. I suck at photography.

I suspect that judging by the empty bottles in the kitchen, they had exhausted their designated drivers and opted to, literally and figuratively, fall where they may - no car keys in sight.

I don't know if Tom & Debbie had other "events" planned or not - if so, the food got in the way. But Debbie was successful in organizing a seashell painting contest. Come to think of it - a winner was never named. I think they were all winners!

We are a "huggy" family and the reunion was a great place to grab a hug here and a hug there here a hug, there a hug, everywhere a hug hug (sorry - I entertain myself very easily) . It was really good for the little people to experience, and a bit later in life, pass the huggies thing on to their kids. I don't know if I can express this last thought... Being with family is just about the most relaxing, peaceful place a person could be, and that's because I happen to have one fabulous family. And even though time simply didn't allow a whole lot of one on one time, just seeing everyone milling around was a very satisfying experience.

Mom & Dad (Fran & Davie) I know you were there with us. We are thinking of you and couldn't love you more.

The Schoodic Penninsula

2010-07-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

The picture below has nothing to do with this post. It is here for the web address needed to insert the picture into another post - but that's a whole other deal so forget about it! Pretty isn't it? Actually it does have a bearing on this post - it is an "extension" for our Sprint Air card. The air card is plugged into the USB extension cable and is atop the mast inside a plastic storage bag. The extra 10' elevation did the trick. We are parked at the bottom of a slope down to Frenchman's bay - the RV park rises from water's edge up perhaps 50' to Hwy 3. Before concocting this "aerial", trying to do anything on the Internet was near impossible. Now we have reasonable Internet service... and away I go!

We returned to The Schoodic Peninsula for another picnic. I described the peninsula in a previous post so I won't go there here. I love the English language - love to slaughter it as I do and there is absolutely nothing anyone can do about it! On the far shore is what looks like a white house - not The White House, just a white house.

Well actually, now that I see the picture in the post, I can hardly see the stupid house at all. I don't know how many times I have apologized for my very poor visuals. Come to think of it..now that we have decent band with to work with, maybe I can increase the quality on the camera.

If you're been to Maine, seen many coastal pictures, or have heard those that have, you'll know that much of the coast line is cliffy (I also like to make word up.. works for me!). Here on the Schoodic Peninsula there's a six mile loop road much of which is lower elevation.

Becky caught me sticking my toes in the water.. down there by that tallest boulder of granite. Just after snapping that picture, a wave, funneled onto shore drenched me. Felt pretty damn good - it was a sweltering 85 degrees that day.

We've been in Maine for 3 months already and are beginning to make plans to depart around the middle of October. Going to the South and West to meet up with some friends of ours that are RV'ing their way down to Dallas from Montana. From there we plan to RVathan to the left coast and up through Oregon and Washington. I am sure we will discuss headed up the Alaskan Highway next Spring / Summer. In any case... later!

Thinking of Uncle Henry - Again and Still

2010-07-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

You'd have to go back through my posts to get a full flavor of Uncle Henry. I won't try to summarize why he was always "the character" in the family. This little, and rarely true gag was inspired by "Hank". It occured in 1982 more or less....

Becky and I had been going together for a few years. We were both living in California at the time and Becky had never met my folks, nor any of my family - all back in Massachusetts. We decided that year to fly to the East Coast, rent a car, and drive the coast from Rhode Island, up to Southern Maine, then inland and South a bit to my home town, Pittsfield, MA.

It was a great trip, Becky met my folks, my Brothers and my Sister, a couple Cousins, Aunts... generally, a good sampling of the Sacchettis'. While in Pittsfield on a drive to one of my Aunt's home we were stopped at a redlight.

"See that gas station and the phone booth on the corner over there? Back about 30 years ago, late at night, my Uncle "Peanuts" was making a call from that booth when a long black cadillac limosene intentionally ran him, and the booth over. The lady that lives in that house saw the whole thing. Peanuts ran a newspaper and cigar store on North Street downtown and everyone, including the police, knew it was nothing more than a front for a Mafia Bookie operation. Peanuts treated the police right - and they didn't bother him... he was just "small peanuts" to them."

Becky's mouth was wide open and judging by her repeated "Ohh my God" comments, she had swallowed it hook, line, and well, you know. And that was all there was to it. Years, decades passed and nothing more was said of it. Nothing more until another visit back home for a Sacchetti family picnic. With more than 100 of us gathered, there were all sorts of stories flying around the pavilion and Becky decided to join in - she told the story I had told her years and years ago. I had completely forgotten having made it up. Well... when she found out that it was a fabrication she called me names I am too much a gentleman to repeat in print.

I guess it was a year of so ago, we were sitting at home and she brought it up - "remember when you told me your Uncle........". We laughed like fools. Truth be known, Peanuts was a real character, not an Uncle, but just as good - a good friend of the family. And Peanuts (the only name I know for him) did own a newspaper and cigar store up on North Street. So that's the only truth of it - the rest is blamed on that Uncle Henry Gene in me!

Having said that, further recollections do seem to bear the bookie part of the story out. I definately do remember my Grandma giving me a brown paper bag to deliver to Uncle Peanuts at his store, and a whole dollar when I got back - I did this quite often!

Only believe half of what comes out of my mouth (fingers). That's easy, the hard part is knowing which half to believe! Some or all of this little story is true - I've been making stuff up for so long now, not even I can tell you what is gospel.

Those Pesty Tourists

2010-07-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

Becky and I have been here, Down East Maine Coastal area, for 2-1/2 months already. Early on we found "Otter Point" on Mt Desert Island, aka Acadia National Park and have been back four times already - this is our official #1 most favorite picnic spot.

During the months of May and June we had the coastline completely to ourselves. We could look forever in either direction and see nothing but the sky, the trees, rocky cliffs, the surf, lobster boats and Frenchman's Bay.

But now, as you can plainly see in the picture above, "THE TOURISTS" have invaded the coastline. Well, I guess it's not a plain to see as all that! If you look in the far rocks you'll see a small bush on the very top, then an short downward incline. Right at the bottom of that incline, you'll see a very small outcropping on the flat area. That my friends is not an outcropping - it is a TOURIST invading our coastline! No more than 300 feet away, plopped right down there as if she owned the place. She is only one of a group of four invaders, the other three had the decency to remain out of sight. OK OK so I am putting you on. Point is, here on the Maine coast, even at the peak of "the season", it's really easy to find solitude.

Easy to stake out a length of shoreline if you don't include the local residents who are always ready to share your picnic with you. You'll note the fog bank in the background. This day it advanced in to cover the far hill and then retreat again out to sea. Back and forth, probably three times in the time it took to eat a sandwich.

Maine.. try it, you'll like it!

Black Dikes

2010-07-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

The tip of the Schoodic Peninsula is actually DOWN EAST from Bar Harbor, but the only way to get to it on land is by driving NORTH and EAST and then SOUTH. Giving, or getting directions around here is enough to drive a sane man crazy and the Schoodic Peninsula is a good example of it.

This is a typical scene on the Schoodic Peninsula which is blessed with at least five harbors - Winter Harbor, Birch Harbor, Prospect Harbor and although it doesn't have harbor in its name, Corea (pronounced like where the war was - the one that came between WWII and Viet Nam). But that was only four (you win a prize of you picked up on that). Actually, the picture of the water front building is what's left of Wonsquirt Harbor. Pictured below is Birch Harbor. You won't find many quaint tourist shops or attractions on the peninsula, just hard working folks. Judging by the number of lobster boats in the harbors, lobster traps on the docks, and in front of folks homes, my guess is the Maine (if not only) industry is "lobstering". The lack of tourist trappings only serves to make these towns all the more quaint - if quaint were a liquid, it would be oozing from every crack in the road.

The Schoodic Bay Acadia National Park is down (no kidding) on the southern most tip, and the scenic drive is absolutely breathtaking. Most of the 10(?) mile loop along the coast is one way traffic and what a great idea that is. I am more than sure if it were two way traffic, there would be countless "head on" accidents

Now then, if I were Red Foxx (for those of you that remember who he was), the title I gave to this post might have an entirely different meaning! Black Dikes are actually

formations of lava rock.

Through subsurface pressures, magma flowed into the cracks in the granite. The pressure and temperature pushed the granite cracks wider and the molten magma made its way to the surface, cooled, solidified, and formed these streaks of black lava rock, some more than a mile wide.

I guess I have said it ad nausium.. but I have to say it again. The Maine coastline is absolutely heart stoppingly beautiful, rugged, and largely (and thankfully) unspoiled by human intrusions. The state posts small signs every so often, signs to the effect "leave no trace" and "do not remove any rocks or pebbles". Becky and I love this state (hummm... bet I've said that once or twice as well) and our impression of it has to be a very popular one judging by its pristine, uncluttered geology. "pristine, unaltered" I was redundant there I know, simply a case of moving fingers before engaging brain but it does serve to dredge up a old memory - of one of my favorite brothers.

David was only about seven (a guess) when he became very well known in our home town. His teacher had given the class an assignment of some sort, one involving government, politics or the like. Brother David decided he wanted to include a picture of the president (then Dwight D Eisenhower) - so he wrote the White House a letter which went something like this...

Dear Mr. President

My name is David Sacchetti and I am doing a class project. Please send me an autographed picture, signed by you, with your name on it.

A few weeks later an autographed picture of Eisenhower appeared. The story appeared in our local newspaper and like I said - at the tender age of seven, he became my famous brother.

The New Shells Are In... The New Shells Are In....

2010-06-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

While in Maine I have had to rename a day of the week - sort of a reminder that too much of a good thing is bad for you. So this year I only have lobster one day a week - on Lobstaday. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Lobstaday Saturday Sunday....

These two guys are the first I have seen of New Shell Lobsters. And now that they are showing up in the pounds, they will continue to be plentiful throughout summer. Matter of fact, up here in Maine, unless you specifically ask for Hard Shell Lobsters, this is what you will get. And as far as I am concerned, there is NO need to order hard shells.

The soft shell is exactly what it sounds like - a lobster with a soft shell. Once a year between May and as late as August, all lobsters will "shed" their shells. In fact "shedders" are what the lobster men (OK... lobster people) call them. In order to grow, they have to get rid of their smaller shell in order to grow into a larger one. Lobsters have a subtle line that runs along the top of the carapace from the head to the back of the carapace. They lose up to 50% of their weight in body, claw, knuckle and abdomen (tail)meat. During the molting process they position themselves head down on the bottom and their carapace (body) splits down that longitudinal line. Once split they literally pull themselves out of the shell. I guess it's pretty easy to see how they can pull their abdomen and tail fins out of the old shell but the real magic is in the claws.

If you look at the first picture, you can see that there are two "knuckles" between each claw and the abdomen (that section between the tail fins and the carapace). And as you can see, the knuckles are considerably smaller than the claws. So imagine the struggle trying to pull all that claw meat out of those tiny openings in the knuckles. Some trick ehh? Occasionally their claw meat is just too massive to pull it through so they instinctively break that claw off. By the way, a lobster with only one claw is called a "cull". Not to worry though, if the lobster isn't caught for three or four years, it will actually grow a new claw.

Once the shedding is completed, they hide away in the rocks on the bottom and limit their movement because of their vulnerability due to the soft shell. But they still have to eat and that's why lobstering produces a very high percentage of shedders. The traps lay on the bottom, in rocky areas and the newly shed lobsters smell an easy meal with a minimum of exposure in the water column.

Shedders in their new shell have far less meat than a hard shell of the same size but actually will weigh more. That's because as the new shell is forming, a considerable amount of seawater is trapped inside the claws, knuckles, carapace and abdomen. They cook up the same as a hard shell in a bit less time but I am here to tell ya - they are far easier to eat, the meat is much sweeter, more tender, and the seawater is absolutely delicious. And as you undoubtedly know from a previous post, they are natures perfect food. Just learn to enjoy them with a squirt of fresh lemon juice in lieu of melted butter. Personally, I save the butter dipping for the first and last bites only.

Lulu

2010-06-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

If you ever find yourself in Bar Harbor on a nice day, and have a few hours to kill... go for a ride with Captain John on the (modified for passengers) Lulu. Here's a link to learn more about their schedule, rates, etc. Lulu Tours .. Try it, you'll like it! As a matter of fact, this was our #1 most favorite paid attraction in Maine to date. If you were able to go to a dictionary and look up the definition of "an ambassador to the Maine Lobster Industry" - you'd see a picture of Captain John.

The standard tour takes you out of Bar Harbor from the Public pier, through the breakwater, and a few miles out to Egg Island and the Egg Island Light. You will spend some time viewing bald eagles, puffins, several species of gulls, and the main attraction, harbor seals. The captain gives the island and the wildlife a wide berth.

The rocky shore is lined with harbor seals and their pups. Once again, I am hoping for a little better digital camera for Christmas (that's a link to the one hint hint). In this picture you can actually see some of the harbor seals hangin' out on the rocks. Some appear light brown in color while others seem to melt into the rocks around them. There are probably a dozen of so of them in this picture.

If you happen to be on the tour in the May / June time frame you will also be privileged to see the harbor seal pups hanging out with their Mom. Pictured here are two Moms with their pups except one of the Moms disappeared when I said "SMILE". Afterwards, you motor back into and behind Bar Island where the captain pulls up numerous lobster traps from 50 feet of water.

Here, Captain John pulls up a trap with 3 lobsters "in the parlor". A trap consists of two heads (ports of entry - where the lobsters first enter the trap), a kitchen (which is where the lobsters enter and where the bait bag is), a parlor (the apparent exit after eating), and a juvenile escape port. By law, the traps must also have a larger escape port should the pot be lost at sea - typically a stick of wood which holds a trap door closed will rot and the trap door opens.

Captain John is using the lobster gauge. You can see the notched area which measures the minimum length of the carapace (3.5 inches). In this case the lobster is too small by about 1/8th of an inch. The other side of the gauge is the notch to measure the maximum length of the carapace (5"). Any lobster with a body over 5" in length (that would be a lobster weighing 4 to 5 pounds) must be returned to the sea.

Here's a borrowed picture to illustrate the main parts of a lobster. I assure you, the captain goes much deeper into the biology.

Lobster men and the state of Maine do an excellent job self regulating / regulating the industry which is why they are able to supply 90% of the lobster sold in the USA without endangering the numbers of lobsters in their territorial waters. It's an education the entire trip out, while at and behind the islands, and on the way back in - the captain is wired! That is, he wears and amplified remote microphone and uses it ever minute you're on the boat. He has been a licenced captain for 30 years and has mastered boats (ships) up to 100 tons. Needless to say he knows ever inch of the water and the area land masses. He was the most upbeat, knowledgeable person (well, at least in this element) I have met to date. And do NOT try to match wits with him - his mind processes information faster than a speeding bullet.

Thanks to the folks at the Lobster Institute for letting me use this picture. The web page for the picture is http://www.lobsterinstitute.org/media/172.jpg

Vengence Is Mine....

2010-06-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

You'll see this guy in the parking lot of Ruth &Wimpy's Restaurant on Route 1 in Hancock, Maine. Before we arrived in Maine this year, I promised myself that I would "slow down" in the consumption of these wonderful crustaceans and have been doing what I consider a really good job. Two a week is very reasonable!

Now then, normally if you were to see a 10' high plastic lobster in front of a restaurant your common sense would tell you to beware the tourist trap - right? Becky and I passed the place by a number of times but finally were persuaded to stop by a sign outside - Lobster and Potato $8.95, Crab Roll $5.99. And so we did and were both surprised and amazed to see a dining room slam full of Mainers! Both our meals were delicious and all the plates that passed by us on their way to other customers looked equally a good.

And if I were a better photographer, or had a better camera which ever applies to the picture to the left, you'd be able to see the benefits of consuming Maine lobster. They are "highly nutritious and are a dieter's dream. They are low in fat, calories and cholesterol lower than lean ground beef of skinless chicken or turkey. Lobsters contain Omega-3 fatty acids which reduces hardening of the arteries and decreases the risk of heart attack. Lobsters are also high in amino acids, Potassium, Magnesium, Vitamins B2, B3, B6, and B12. They also contain Calcium, Zinc and Vitamin A. My God! Lobsters are God's answer to the perfect food - forget all the hype about eggs - except those found in female Lobsters. Did I fail to mention that their taste is right out of this world? Aside from all of that.... if you can't believe a paper place mat, just what source of information would you trust?

So... how many folks do you think posed for a picture as I did in this one? It must be in the tens of thousands and I would guess the vast majority would have been kids - or old farts like myself that haven't learned the technique of "growing up". After a day trip on The Lulu with Captain John, I noticed an anatomical anomaly on this creature... it has two "crusher" claws instead of one crusher and one "shreader" - oh well. By the way, more on Capt. John and The Lulu later.

How much did you say those clams cost per pound?

2010-05-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

Here in Maine soft shell clams, also known as steamers, long necks, and spitters cost $2.50 a pound. In Billings Montana they would probably cost $6.50 or even more. Well, to be fair to those who dig clams commercially, the price needs to be adjusted upwards by a factor of 10! I went out onto Long Cove clam flats for 45 minutes - got 48 clams (about 2 pounds), 2 blisters, and one hell of a cardio workout.I described my clam rake in a previous post. That, a bucket, and a pair of good boots are all you need to go "clamming". Although as you'll see in a picture to follow, I am including a pair of long rubber gloves. If you look close in the picture above, you'll see me out there diggin' clams. I went a bit further out into the flats but I started sinking in to within a few inches of the top of my boots - so I came back in a bit. Below is a close up and as you can see, the mud is well up over my ankles. It is very hard to move around. The suction is unbelievably strong. To lift a leg, you need to twist your foot about 10 degrees and pull up immediately. Forget to do the little twist action before taking a step, your body will move forward but your foot will stay right where it was and you will go ass over tea cup into the cool, cool mud.

The process of raking clams is pretty straight forward, (referring to the close up) with one hand you push the tines of the rake into the mud right down to the bend in the tines a few inches from the tell tale hole that the clam made burrowing its way into the muck. Immediately after you rock the rake up and away from you which brings up about 5 pounds of mud and a clam if you read the signs right.Here's what I looked like after less than an hour on the flats. I learned that one other "tool" is needed - a supply of water to wash both clams and hand.

Here's what 48 (2 pounds of) spitters look like fresh from the flat. I was talking about finding the tell tale signs of finding clams. I learned first hand that day how they got their alternate name "spitters". When the clam is burrowing further into the mud, you'll see a stream of water come up from one of the holes - a sure thing!

Yes, I am a sucker for punishment and will get out there again. It is a great workout and you get a prize for your labor - lunch! There is a moral to this blog post... next time at your fish mongers or the seafood counter at the supermarket - don't complain about the price of clams - believe me, it is well worth the money - regardless of cost.

Retirement has become boring...

2010-05-05T04:56:00.000-07:00

Becky and I have landed here in Trenton, Maine and I am bored stiff. And so, I have decided to take a part time job. Actually, I found the first job and a second part time job offer came with it - so I took them both. Well, as it turns out I couldn't help but grab a third. So for six hours a day, I am going back to work.....

Part time job 1: For two hours a day, I sit in my EZ lawn chair and make sure the tide go out.........

Part time job 2: For two hours a day, I sit in my EZ lawn chair and make sure the tide comes back in..........

Part time job 3: For two hours a day, immediately following low tide, I walk on the beach and dig for clams. By the way... digging for clams is optional.....

Those jobs should keep me busy don't ya think?

By the way, my "clam rake" is homemade - sort of... I found the rake part of the tool in a local junk yard but the handle was gone. Luckily the rake still had an attachment spike on it. Then I found a piece of driftwood that fit my hand well, shaved a few burrs off of it, sawed the rake end square and drilled a slightly undersized (from the spike) hole in it. I filled the hole with gorilla glue and hammered the rake spike into the hole. Finally I wound Kevlar twine in and around the tines and ran it down the length of the handle and then covered all with black duct tape. Voila! A clam rake!

Can't wait to start my job... it's less than a 100 yards to the bay and about 2 hours from low tide so I'd best get out to my EZ lawn chair to start Job 1.

On The Road Again.....

2010-04-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

Well folks, we've been in North Carolina for a month now with two highlights to report.. (1) my Daughter's wedding (see previous post) to Jeff and (2) the North Carolina Zoo at Ashboro.

The zoo is one of the "open range" types and consists of two "continents" - North America and Africa. There are a total of 5 or 6 miles of pathways in the 500 acre park. They really did it well for the animals - if they prefer not being gawked at by people animals, they spend their time as far away from the viewing decks as they can. And that could be 1/4 mile away or more. This is the only "open range" zoo I have ever been too and although most of the animals were a good distance from the viewing areas, I really think the animals were far more impressive that those you see in "a caged in" zoo. We shall visit other zoos' of this type as we work ourselves around the country.

A really "cool" exhibit in North America was the polar bear pool and that's the only picture on that continent I took where you can actually discern what animal was being photographed.

The giraffe exhibit in Africa was a bit more confined which made getting pictures a little easier. Good for the people animals but not so good for the giraffes. I think there were a total of four giraffes in the exhibit. They are just as goofy looking up close as they are on TV.

The elephants have a huge pasture to roam in. A drinking water pond was built right up against the viewing deck so the elephants spent a considerable amount of time within camera range. There were a few elephants way off in the distance - I got the impression they were "at home" there.

I'd never viewed a behavior they exhibited... there was a pile of really dry looking hay on the dirt pathway you see in the pictures. The elephants would scoop up a pile and carry it to the pool - you can see the pile to the left of the elephant. They would eat some right there at the shoreline and then get a drink.

Other than those shown, we saw perhaps a dozen or so other animals but these were the only "closeups" we could get a picture of. Bottom line to the zoo is... if you happen to be in the Ashboro area, take a day to visit it.

Last fall as we drove South out of Maine, the fall foliage was chasing us. Now we are on our way back up to Maine and we will be chasing the Spring foliage. From here its an overnight er in PA, a few days in my hometown of Pittsfield, MA to visit family, up to NH for a little warranty work on the trailer and finally, on May 1, we will arrive in Trenton Maine which is just on the other side of the bridge from Bar Harbor. this is where we will be until the end of October. BEWARE LOBSTERS!

http://www.barharborcampingresorts.com/content/4004/NARROWS_TOO/

Meet The Staffords....

2010-04-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

Introducing "The Staffords".... l-r .... Nick, Haylee, Cariann, Pastor (who's name I have forgotten), Jeff, Mackensie, Ethan. How about this for a family! This was probably the nicest wedding I have ever been to. Informal, casual, relaxed - you pick the word, that's what it was. All I can say is that it was a Christian affair and if you want more specific than that, afraid I can't help. Cariann didn't stop smiling the whole day and is probably still smiling today. Perhaps it's just that I am her Dad, but she has the prettiest smile I have ever seen - perhaps it's Jeff that has put the glow in it. The Pastor obviously knows Jeff and Cari well as he made numerous mentions of how Jeff feels about Cari. He was using words like "gaa-gaa over her" and "head over heels for him".

After the "I do's", the whole family participated in "The Sands Ceremony". Each member had a small vessel of lightly colored sand. They took turns pouring their sand into a single larger vessel.

When done, the smaller ones were empty and the single larger one was full to the brim. I had never seen this ceremony and as they poured their sands, the Pastor beautifully told the story of the sands. I will leave the symbolism to your imagination and would bet that it is very accurate. Simply beautiful.

The blog site limits pictures to five so I will end it with the traditional cutting of the cake. By the way, the cake was made by my youngest daughter, Sandra or "Sammy" as only I am allowed to call her. The bride and groom atop the cake were made of "leggos" by Ethan who has quite a collection of leggos.

I wanted to include a picture of a leggo recreation of a Starbucks Coffee Shop that Ethan did - Cari is addicted to Starbucks coffee. Hummmm... maybe that is another reason for the smile.

So to wrap this rather brief accounting of the wedding up, it was great meeting the Stafford clan and Jeff, Mackensie and Ethan... Welcome to the "Sacchetti" family!

The Creature From The Black Lagoon!

2010-03-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

And now that I have a half way decent Internet connection, and have reinstalled our camera software, I can catch up with the goings on these past few months.

Well... winter is behind us, now we have to wait for the weather to catch up with the new season. Becky and I spent most of the winter in Citra, Florida which is in the North Central "horse country" part of the state. I certainly mean no disrespect to the folks that call that part of the state home, but other than a fancy RV Resort and a tired 9 hole golf course on premises, there isn't a thing to attract us back next winter. We did meet a really nice guy while there - our next door neighbor, George. Our first day in the park I was setting up my satellite dish and he came over to help. Four hours later we were receiving HD images. Thanks again George.

We moved up to Tallahassee towards the end of February and have spent the last month scouting out digs for this coming winter's campsite. We found it a little South and West of Tallahassee, in a small coastal community - "Holiday RV Resort" in Panacea, FL. But more of it later. I will describe it, and the next community South and West of it - Apalachicola, FL only to say that if you're looking for really inexpensive, sweet, tender, sea fresh oysters, either of those two towns is where you need to be. Apalachicola Bay Oysters in the shell can be had for little more than 10 cents a piece when ya buy a half bag. Depending on the size of the oysters that means anywhere from 7 to 12 dozen. Best dang oysters I have ever had.

Just outside of Tallahassee, in Crawfordville is the Joe Ball Wakulla Springs State Park. The picture below is taken from one of their tour boats, just after clearing the boat dock. Beautiful and in a sense, errie scenery like this drifted by for the entire 1 hour ride. The springs water is crystal clear and the state park operates glass bottom boats when the conditions are perfect. The day we were there the water was too stained but we were still able to see the bottom 10 feet down crystal clear. We are told that when the waters are optimally pristine, you are able to see down as deep as 120 feet.

Missed it by a nose! I would imagine we saw 100 alligators both on land and in the water. Our boat was filled to capacity so it was very difficult to get the pictures you really wanted but I did manage this one, and really dozens of others but I'll spare you. Actually there are two alligators in the picture - you can see the second half of the other one's tail pointing in the other direction.

It's an automatic reaction to jerk your arm back into the boat when you see alligators swimming along side.

We also saw quite a few Manatee's as well. Honestly, I didn't get to snap any pictures of them so I am borrowing this picture I took a few months ago further south. Well, I never claimed to be a photographer... all those dark colored bumps in the water are the Manatees... use your imagination.

In the following picture, you can see the curved, broken off trunk of a palm tree. The rest of the tree was cut off by lightning some years ago. But when the tree was in its whole, it hung over the middle of river, or "The Jungle" as the operator referred to it. It is the same tree from which Johnny Weismuller was seen swinging across the river in the original movie Tarzan. If it isn't that same tree, well, it's a nice picture of a quarter of a palm tree isn't it! Various scenes from the TV series "Flipper" were also shot in these waters.

Ahhh, at last! The claim to fame - the "thing" that put Wakulla Springs on the map! I know you know the name of this pool of water - it's The Black Lagoon. And we all know who, or what came from The Black Lagoon right? Absolutely, this is where The Creature From The Black Lagoon terrorized all that came too close. the boat pilot paused for a few minutes at its entrance hoping to catch a glimpse of it but to no avail.

So if you ever find yourself in Tallahassee, take a short ride to Crawfordville and visit the State Park. The boat ride is probably the best "paid attraction" I've been to in a long while.

Uncle Henry's Rocket Ship

2010-03-06T15:50:00.000-08:00

(a reluctant rewrite)

A bit of a preface………….

Several years ago I wrote a very short story with this same title (less the parenthetical comment). It was published on one web site or another but for the life of me, I cannot find it. And so I will attempt a rewrite – reluctantly!

Back a few (well, a lot of ) years my immediately family included Mom & Dad, Sister Sheila (aka “She-She”), Brother David and yours truly. Remembering as best I can, She-She was 11 or 12, I was about 5 or 6 and Brother David – 3 or 4 years old. Pardon all the numbers. Sorry Brother Tom, you were a few years away yet and when you finally entered this life we were living in a duplex on 1st street along side Uncle Henry and his family. Does anyone remember the “Uncle Henry Club” initiation ceremony that took place in his half of the basement of that house? Already digressions, I wish I could learn to keep on task! OK, enough for first notes.
…………………………..

Before getting specific, let me tell you about Uncle Henry from a little boy’s perspective. He was drafted into the US Army early WWII time frame. He was an ambulance driver and did serve in several war theaters. As far as I know, that part of his accounts of those days is true. All else, like being wounded, and the hand to hand combat with the Japanese General, whom he beheaded in a sword fight, and the capturing of a Japanese Command Headquarters single handedly are all figments of his wonderful imagination. Have you ever met a man who, no kidding, never had a enemy? In his post war life, that was Uncle Henry, or Hank as I called him many years later. He, my Dad, and Uncle Tommy, along with my Grandma and Grandpa ran the Rainbow Restaurant. Uncle Henry was the Lunch and Dinner cook and ran that kitchen as if it were the stage in the Comedy Club, 40th St., between 2nd and 3rd Ave., New York City. And he had plenty of customers to practice his jokes, tricks, gags, and pranks on. Most of the “regulars” of the restaurant’s tap room entered the building at the back door, through the kitchen, down the hall, and into the tap room.

I promise I will get to the rocket ship but first must convey what I consider to be the most ingenious prank he ever pulled in the kitchen during a supper rush hour. Keep in mind, through all of this Uncle Henry was preparing literally dozens of food orders simultaneously. I was a bit older (14) when this happened and so my memory of it is exceptionally clear. The restaurant was located right next to “The Berkshire Eagle” building - the local newspaper and Uncle Henry had many, many friends that worked there. He had a couple of the guys print up a phony front page and put it on top of the rest of the next days paper. It looked as real as any newspaper ever published by “The Eagle”. I was working in the kitchen making pizzas at the time of this prank and was privileged to watch him work his magic on at least 15 poor souls that chose to walk through the restaurant that night..

A mark would walk through the kitchen and say hi to him. Typically he would shout back “HI LUCKY” - he called just about everyone that. But this night, the game was on. He just stood there, folded newspaper on the serving table, head lowered, sobbing and actually CRYING. Oh my God Henry… what happened!? Without saying a word or looking up, he handed his mark the folded paper. They opened it to read the headlines….

President Eisenhower Assassinated!

Their face would turn white, their eyes glazed over and as they returned their look to Uncle Henry they would see him standing there with the widest, most infectious wise guy, gotcha smile you can possibly imagine. I won’t repeat the comments from there on! And don’t forget, he put this show on at least 15 times that evening - tears and all! Well anyway, that gives you a flavor of his personality.

There are (still are) two apartments on top of the Rainbow Restaurant. Mom & Dad, She-She, David and I lived in one, and Uncle Henry and his family lived in the other. I suppose that through some years beyond, many of the Sacchetti clan lived in those wonderful apartments. They shared a common “back porch / patio from which you could sit and watch the trains go by. And that was pretty cool for a 5 year old. Some 60 years later I still have many memories of my life back then, and many involve, to one degree or another, my favorite Uncle - Henry! It would be very easy at this point to run into tangent stories (again) of him and so I will do my very best to stay on the theme of this one particular story - of Uncle Henry’s Rocket Ship!

Well, having said that, I do need to digress only to mention that Uncle Henry was very close to my Mom & Dad. As such he was always in our apartment having a cup of coffee or whatever, and telling one tall tale or another to anyone else that happened to be visiting. And there was always someone visiting. Uncle Henry was “the family character”! I mean to say, this guy was unbelievably believable, even though you know better than to believe anything he had to say.. He could remove his thumb and put it back again, make water glasses disappear before your very eyes, rub a quarter into his arm and make it reappear in your ear, poke a toothpick through one cheek and make it come out the other.. You name it, Uncle Henry could do it. Well crap! I managed to digress again after all. Sorry - back to the rocket ship.

Uncle Henry’s Rocket Ship was in, of all places, my Mom & Dad’s kitchen - right there between a side cabinet and the back door to the apartment. To most everyone, the rocket ship looked incredibly like an electric top loading, wringer, clothes washing machine. From recollection, it was one of the very first manufactured for home use. You know the type right? A cylindrical body standing on four cast iron legs, removable top, a set of rollers with a crank to wring out the clothes, and a long silver handle with a black ball on top on the side. The long silver handle with the black ball on top was there to operate the clutch which, when engaged, would cause the agitator inside the machine to begin swishing the clothes back and forth. And if I were asked “what’s that machine called Johnny” I would answer simply, it’s a new washing machine! That is, until the day that Uncle Henry opened my eyes to the truth behind it.

That day, my Mom and Dad were both home along with David. She-She was off somewhere and in walks Uncle Henry in his typical mischievous mood. I can remember Uncle Henry giving me a “psssttttt” - and in a whispered voice saying “wanna go for a ride in a rocket ship Johnny?”. Well sure enough, what 5 year old wouldn’t want to.

Where is the rocket ship Uncle Henry?

Why it’s right over there, disguised as a washing machine.

But I see my Mom using it to wash clothes all the time.

Sure, that’s why it’s such a great disguise. Besides, if I didn’t disguise it, everyone would want to take it into outer space.

All of this was making perfect sense to a 5 year old with an imagination almost as wondrous as his. Mom & Dad were just sitting there at the kitchen table with blank looks on their faces. David said “well I wanna go too”. Uncle Henry says OK, plenty of room for both of you.

Are you ready?

And with that he removed the cover and hoisted David and I up into the machine. Stand right there for a minute and I’ll be right back. He disappeared out the back door and came back a minute later with a WWII German helmet. Uncle Henry had a whole museum of war artifacts including several Japanese rifles, a German Lugar, art, various other ill gotten nick knacks and a Samurai Sword (with which he beheaded that Japanese General I mentioned).

He put the helmet on my head. I asked what it was for. He explained that when we took off, I would need it to protect my head when we went through the ceiling. With that, David started crying. What’s wrong David? I want a helmet too so that my head won’t get banged when we crash into the ceiling. Well, Uncle Henry only had one helmet so my Mom went over to a cupboard and produced a pot, just the right size for David’s head. With pot on head, David was all smiles.

OK here’s how it works. Since you’re the biggest Johnny, to lift off, all you have to do is pull that long silver handle with the black ball on it. The rocket ship will do the rest and you will be off into outer space. I think it was then that my Brother began to cry again. With that he put my hand on the black ball on top of that long silver handle and said… “whenever you’re ready Johnny just pull the handle”. But wait Uncle Henry, what’s that crank and those roller things for? Well he says, when you get to the moon, there isn’t as much gravity to hold you down. So you’ll throw a rope over the side and put the other end through the rollers and when you turn the handle, it will crank you down to the surface and hold you there. David was crying a little louder. The fact that we didn’t have a rope didn’t occur to me. I had too many other things on my mind.

So there we were, standing in the washing machine, my hand on the long silver handle with the black ball on top, David crying and I, just a little hesitant to give it the pull to launch us. I don’t have specific recollections but cannot believe that my Mom and Dad weren’t holding back bursts of laughter. The longer I stood there, the more nervous and scared I got. David started yelling “don’t do it Johnny don’t do it…mommy mommy let me out of this thing, I don’t wanna go I don‘t wanna go”. Mom lifted him out and I said, well… if he’s not going I won’t either. It is strange how some images stay with you, like the tears streaming down my Dad’s face as I scrambled out of that contraption. And I’ll never forget the sound of that helmet hitting the linoleum floor. I don’t remember Uncle Henry’s reaction when all was said and done but I am sure it was one of complete satisfaction!

Some thirty years later I was back in my hometown driving down a residential street. I noticed a “yard sale” sign and there on that front lawn was an electric top loading washing machine. It looked identical to the one I remembered from my youth. I couldn’t help but stop - the memories of Uncle Henry’s Rocket Ship were alive in my mind. I pulled over and went up on the lawn to talk with the resident, somewhat younger than I. He was friendly enough and we started talking. The washing machine belonged to his Grandpa and had been in his garage for many years - it was finally time to get rid of it. I told him the Rocket Ship story. He listened attentively, smiling occasionally and when I finish he said….

Well this is NOT a Rocket Ship, my Grandpa told me long ago that it was a TIME MACHINE. You pull the long silver handle with the black ball on it and you go back in time… and if you push it…………..

Uncle Henry 1920 - 1990
“ I miss you Hank!”
(picture courtesy of my favorite Cousin Carol)

Only One of Hundreds

2009-12-20T05:50:00.000-08:00

Welcome to a Florida Key.... beautiful downtown Cedar Key, Florida. In back of the camera is a rather modest port & marina. Cedar Key is the second port to open in the state. It is located just 1/4 mile off the Gulf Shore, probably 75 miles North of the Tampa Bay area. Cedar Key is a very quiet island town of 750 full time residents and as you can probably guess, the "downtown" businesses are either restaurants or souvenir shops. Other than tourism on a small scale, the town's main business is the harvesting of various shell fish, Stone Crab Claws (yum), Little Neck Clams (double yum) and Oysters (triple yum). A pound of Claws will cost you $6.00. 100 Clams $15.00 - do the math, that's 15 cents a Clam. I didn't get to sample the Oysters... YET.

The 750 full time residents I mention does not include the pelicans and various other shore birds that seem to be thriving everywhere. I would guess the locals call this "Pelican Pier".

The tide is out and everything, everything on the bottom is absolutely covered in Oysters.

The day we were there we had mostly sunny skies, a 15mph wind off the Gulf, and 58 degree temperature. It was very cool making it a pleasant to walk around. Hey! We're in Florida, on the coast, in a tourist town. So what do you do? Well, if you're Becky... even though you have goose bumps, you eat Ice Cream!

What's Florida Without An Orange?

2009-12-17T15:31:00.000-08:00

So... here in Citra, the last of this year's orange crop is yet to be picked. As I understand it, the trees get a 2 month vacation before they begin to blossom again in February. We have only been in Florida for a week or so - I couldn't tell ya if the "The Orange Shop" in Citra is a small, medium or large orange producer but here's a quick look at the behind the scene's operation. The bins in the background are all slam full of Navels.

The Navel oranges in their orchards are bigger than the grapefruit they produce. The fruit in these gift boxes that are covered in paper are grapefruit.

When you buy one of these bags of Navels (for about $14.00), you get a second one free.

Most of their crop is transported out of state. Now I know that the oranges you buy at your local supermarket are really fresh and juicy but have to tell ya... there's nothing like picking oranges from the tree, having them squeezed, bottled, and chilled on premise, and drinking fresh orange juice on the spot.

I don't know how companies like Minute Maid, Tropicana etc. can claim "fresh hand squeezed" orange juice because it doesn't taste anything like the fresh picked, squeezed, chilled orange juice we have been drinking.

We can't wait for February when the trees begin to blossom with the 2010 crop. I'll make sure to include a post of that - too bad I can't include the fragrance.

Home Sweet Home - Florida Style

2009-12-08T12:08:00.000-08:00

Last entry to my blog was from the lake house in Swanton, MD.... and 4 inches of snow. We headed South on December 1st. Our first stop was in the Raleigh NC area to visit one of my Daughters, Cari, my two Grandkids Haylee and Nick, and my future Son-In-Law Jeff. We will see them all again pretty soon as the Wedding Bells are about to ring. And Jeff, there are a few things about your bride to be that I thought you should know.

When Cari was about 8 months old, I had her lying on her back on the bassinet as I changed her diaper. Well, I had things all cleaned up and was ready for a new diaper which was on a shelf under the top of the bassinet. In the two seconds it took me to look at, reach for, and get a diaper, Cari managed to PUSH herself right off the head end of the bassinet, and head first onto a tiled floor. Fortunately, she was mostly wedged between the wall and the end of the bassinet, so her fall was slowed considerably. But she did land on her head. The other thing you should know is that Cari NEVER crawled on all four - FORWARD. Instead, she preferred to crawl in REVERSE, and she was very good at it. I wonder if those two revelations are somehow connected? Hummmmm. In any case, exactly on her first birthday, she stood up and walked across the room (FORWARD thank God) as if she had been walking for a couple years!

Our next stop was "an overnight er" in Point South, SC pictured above. Pictured below... Spanish Moss anyone. We started seeing the moss here, through Georgia, and into Florida.

And here is where our trailer will spend the winter. Grand Lakes RV & Golf Resort in Orange Lake, Florida. This is the largest RV Park we have stayed in so far. Must be 100 acres. Very well manicured and maintained. RV sites are typically about 30 feet wide, these sites are easily 60 feet across. There are several large club houses with plenty of table for bingo or Texas Hold'em tournaments etc.. There are pool tables, ping pong tables, lounge areas and an activity schedule that fills each month should you care to indulge. The North end of the resort is on the shore of Orange Lake. There are boat slips and fishing pier but it must be the time of year - the lake level is low, hardly enough to float a boat. Perhaps some winter rains will fix that problem. And just like every other park we have spent time in, we have terrific neighbors - so far we've shared a meal with Joe and Lynn, and have met several others. Thanks George! He spent 4 hours with me trying to dial in our HD DirecTV dish.

We'll take a walk through and take some night pics of the decorations some of these folks have. I am sure ours will expand before too long.

We have been here about a week now and really haven't gotten around too much yet, but will. Our air card doesn't do a very good job out here so bear with me. I don't know if I can post this thing or not. I'll find out right now!

Do I Still Fly?

2009-12-02T05:29:00.000-08:00

........that's a question a friend of mine asked recently. The short answer is YES to private flight, NO to commercial flights except in dire circumstances. That was the short answer. Here's the long one....

When I was 10 or 12, and bored out of my mind in mid summer, a friend and I would occassionally ride our bikes to the local airport and watch the little airplanes take off and land. I leave it to your imagination what fantasies filled our minds as we hung on the chain link fence at the end of the runway. On one of these trips we rode over to an old, abandoned, empty hanger. Not much to look at in there, but around the back of the building was the find of the summer.

picture courtesy of Boeing Aviation

What we found was the fuselage frame of a "taildragger". Aircraft you might be familiar with, like the Cessena, are classified as "trike gear", that is, two main landing gear and a nose wheel. Taildraggers have the two main landing gear and either a "skid" or a very small wheel under the tail - hence the name. Taildraggers were widely used earlier in aviation, and were the aircraft of choice for the barnstormers of that era. Got away from the story there... sorry. I use this picture just to give you a flavor of what we found and what became my favorite toy.

The engine, wings, landing gear, and skin of the airplane were all gone. All the instruments were missing and all that remained of the seats was a rotting plywood base. But the throttle control, "stick" and rudder pedals were all there. And that was all a 10 year old boy with too much imagination for one person needed. Sitting in the cockpit, I couldn't see over the instrument panel - well I could because there was no fabric, cowling, or engine blocking the view. Well, you know what I mean, right? So my first job was to fix that seat and I did that with bits and pieces of lumber, sheet metal scrap and an old tarp I found. Now, sitting there I could reach the rudder pedals with my feet and the stick with my right hand, and the throttle with my left hand. A broom stick became my machine gun. I wanted some "instruments" to help me when I was in the clouds and definitely wanted to know just how fast I was going. So I measured the the openings with twigs and snapped them off at just the right diameter, later that night at home, I drew an air speed indicator, and a couple of gauges with an arrow on them. Don't recall what they were suppose to be but I hated those holes in the panel - so I filled them up.

Next time at the airplane I was by myself. I got my instrument panel fully equipped, propped the tail up with an old gas can, got my machine gun tied down and was ready for takeoff........

And I could fly... as fast as one could imagine. That was pretty darn fast. I had brought a lunch with me that day because I knew it was going to be a long flight. I'll never forget sitting there in that WWII fighter of mine doing loops and spins and shooting down the Red Baron. I also remember how good the ride back to the base was, eating my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I ate it with one hand never letting go of the stick with my other hand.

That airplane and I shared many flights together and I was sure that if it had feeling, it would really have appreciated its second life with me in the air.

My love of flight continued for many years. I joined the Air Force and spent four years accruing over 2,000 flight hours mostly to and from Viet Nam - but that's another story. After discharge, and four years of college, I took flying lessons and once I had my "ticket" signed up for aerobatics training. I trained with one of the best in the San Francisco Bay Area - Amelia Reid (no kidding on the name) at Reid Regional Airport in San Jose, CA. My qualifications for aerobatics opened a whole new life in the air and over the next several years, I spent more time in the air flying inverted than I did straight and level. Each type of aircraft a private pilot wants to fly requires a "check out". In total I was checked out in Cessina C-150's, C-152, C-152 Aeobat, C-182, Beechcraft Sundowner, (all trikes) and a number of taildraggers - namely the Citabria, Decathelon, Super Decatheon and my absolute favorite, the Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 open cockpit bi-plane.

I haven't flown in years now and between then and now, have lost track of my flight log book. I believe I logged about 370 PIC (pilot in command) flight hours. Whether I was flying aerobatics solo, or had a passenger, those earlier days of static flight in back of the dilapidated hanger would come vividly to mind and yes... that's exactly how Immelmans, Loops, Aileron, Snaps and Barrel Rolls felt then... and now!

So... to interpret the long answer for you... YES I still fly (wink wink).

Can't leave the lake without showing ya this.....

2009-11-29T15:28:00.001-08:00

Popcorn anyone? Now how many folks do you know that have their own Popcorn Machine in their own Home Theater Room? Well, here's a few pics of some folks I know that do. By the way, the screen is roughly the same dimensions as the 9:16 aspect ratio of wide screen 1080i HD projection system. The units of the ratio are in FEET! Yes, the screen is roughly 16 feet long by 9 feet high.

And here's what the "theater" looks like. All 12 seats are full leather recliners with foot rests and cup holders. Only 12 seats? No problem, this theater has room for expansion. Here's a little better view of the seating. This is the tier with 5 seats. The tier above accommodates 7 seats... with a double wide "love seat" in the center, Does it look comfortable? You bet it is!

The theater is equipped with the latest technology in HD projection and the sound system will rock your socks. I watched a NFL football game here today. When a pass is thrown you can't help but put your hands up to catch the ball. This is really a great addition to a fabulous home.

Deep Creek Lake, Swanton, MD

2009-11-03T05:15:00.000-08:00

The fog was thick as thieves this morning but about an hour after sunrise, here's what we saw out the back windows. The lake was crystal clear and the surface was like a mirror. The foliage is way beyond peak now but the far shorelines are just beautiful none the less. (click on picture for the larger view)

We have been in the lake house for just over a week now. And even though we have approximately 10x the living space we have in our trailer, Becky and I seem to bump into each other quite often - mostly in the kitchen. We are enjoying the place no end - especially the view out the back wall of windows. Saw four deer in the front yard this morning and we see all sorts of Canadian Geese bobbing in the lake.

The trip to Swanton is too far for the kids to make for Thanksgiving considering they only have a four day holiday - but this big ole house will be filled none the less. My nephew, his wife, 3 kids, and friends, along with one of my nieces and her boy will be joining us. They are all "locals". Becky has already started the shopping list and judging by it, thank God this place has two ovens. One thing for certain, this young man is going to be cooking a Turkey. If a HAM is on the list, so be it! I hope it fits in the smaller second oven.

Uncle Henry's Pots and Pans

2009-10-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't know.... my Brothers, Sister and I are "restaurant brats". The Rainbow Restaurant in my home town, Pittsfield, MA was first opened somewhere in the 1930's (a guess) by my Great Grand, and Paternal Grandparents. Before too long, my Dad, then Uncle Tommy, then Uncle Henry all joined my Grandparents in running the place. My parents, and Uncle Henry's family, lived above the restaurant in two side by side apartments until our families grew too large. My Great, and Grandparents lived in a house on the restaurant property. So if I wasn't IN the restaurant growing up, I was ON TOP, or ALONG SIDE of it. When we outgrew the little apartment, my parents and Uncle Henry and Aunt Millie bought a duplex just a half block down the street.

I was probably about 8 or 9 years old when I really began hanging around the restaurant in earnest. I mean, all my cousins hung around when we could - it was a cool place to grow up! When I think back, it was the kitchen that enticed me the most. That, and running up and down the hallway between the tap room and dining room. But the kitchen was really, really cool. Uncle Henry ran the kitchen and my Dad and Uncle Tommy ran the bar and dining room. I loved to watch Uncle Henry and the others work, especially when it got busy. I grew to know that was a time for me to keep my mouth shut and to stay out of the way. Uncle Henry actually started to let me help out a little, sweeping floors, helping Phillipe peel onions, going down to the ice machine in the cellar with Tony the Blind man... "where's the light switch I'd ask him?".. I don't know was his reply along with a long laugh. I finally found the switch, but every time we'd go down there, I'd ask him anyway - just to hear him laugh. He was a great guy. We had our "routine". One of my other duties was to listen to Uncle Henry shout "BAR!". That was my signal to carry a customer food order out to my Dad behind the bar. There were plenty of "routines" in the restaurant.

Back to Uncle Henry! "Want to wash the pots and pans Johnny?". A bit of a preface here for those of you that don't know what a typical double pots and pans sink layout is . They were made of stainless steel and were each roughly 30" wide x 30" long x 28" deep. To their right was the landing area from the dishwasher and to their left was a drip pan. From the floor to the rim of the sinks was probably 48" or so. The rim came up to about eye level for me at that time.

So... do I want to wash pots and pans? Heck yes! That would be fantastic. Some of those pots were so big (20 and 30 gallon) that I could play hide and seek in them. I know because I did. Uncle Henry says we need to get you set up and with that he produces a wooden crate and a length of rope. Uncle Henry says, I am going to be getting busy pretty soon and won't be able to watch you so what we'll do is stand you on top of the crate so you can reach inside the sinks... And here's the part that I have sketchy memory of, but I swear I remember seeing "The Count" standing over by the bread station muffling laughs and whispering to a few waitress who were also smiling... I asked "Uncle Henry... what is the rope for?". I am going to tie one end of the rope around your waist, and the other end around the drain pipe! But why? God Bless His Soul, Uncle Henry says.. listen, those sinks are deep. If you should fall in, all you have to do is pull yourself back out with the rope!

Made perfect sense to me!

And so it was, I don't know how many times I did it but distinctly remember several or more times.. I would ask Uncle Henry if I could wash the pots and pans and he would always say yes. I would slide that crate out from under the sinks, tie the rope around my waist and the drain pipe, climb up on that crate and get busy. I never gave it a second thought, but would see guys from the bar, standing in the hall near the men's room, looking into the kitchen, laughing and returning to the bar. I think it was "Emma" (a waitress) that finally told me what was going on.

My Dad was only home on Monday and Tuesday nights and rarely smiled except for when watching The Melton Burl or Red Skelton Show on TV. But I swear, to this day I remember the incredibly warm feeling I got when my Dad would walk into the kitchen to pick up an order, look at me standing at that sink with that stupid rope tied to my waist... and smiling at me.

In case you haven't figured this out yet, let me enlighten you. Uncle Henry was the prankster of the family. Considering my very early fascination with the kitchen operations, and that I lived literally right next door to him the first 10 years of my life, I was exposed to many of his pranks and as time goes by, I will try to recount some of them in this blog.

Good Morning Deep Creek Lake............

2009-10-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

...first note.... for whatever the reason, sometimes you can click on the pictures for a full screen view, other times not. I'll figure it out some day but until then... these pictures are clickable.

After a pretty long, exhausting, nerve racking day Sunday getting the trailer "winterized" for our one month stay at my Sister's lake house in Maryland..... this is what I saw the instant my eyes opened. The clouds were as dark and ominous as they appear, but the sun shone through a small break in them, illuminating the shoreline hills just on the other side of the creek channel. I snapped this first picture before I was fully awake.

A moment later I saw the rainbow just a bit more to the North and snapped this picture. I know that a picture is worth a thousand words, and I am sure you understand, having said that, these pictures are no where near as beautiful as the actual scene was. Altogether - awesome!

But what of that opening line... a pretty long, exhausting, nerve rack..... etc. etc.. In the spirit of enjoying a good laugh at myself let me pick up on a story where, with the trailer in tow, I arrive at the end, at the DEAD END, of a very narrow residential street with the closest side street about 1/3 of a mile in back of me!

I think it was in my last post that I was congratulating Becky and I for the great job we did backing that rig into a very narrow spot, literally, in the middle of the woods. Well... hold the applause! My only option was to back that 53 foot long rig up that narrow street, parked cars, nerves racked, locals looking out their doors - was that a movie camera I saw? I could just see it now... the unwilling star on America's Funniest Home Videos!

With Becky in back of me warning off any oncoming cars, I began the process. I would get it backed up 10 or 15 feet, lose sense of which way to turn the steering wheel, and begin to jack-knife the trailer. Pull forward to straighten things out, back up 40', pull forward, back 30' pull forward.......... well, you get the picture! Finally a guy comes out of his house... were those tear streaks down his cheeks? "I drove tractor trailer for 30 years... can I help you?". I looked at him, eyes glazing over, and said, well.... as long as you are here! After about 1/2 hour we finally got that trailer backed onto a side street and he suggested that he would get his car and try to locate the house / street we were looking for. He looks out his car window and says "Stay right there - don't move... we'll be right back!". So he and Becky take off in one direction, and then the other. Finally they found our destination and Becky and I drove to it.

Once there, we unloaded, unpacked, unplugged, winterized and hit the road for the lake house - about an hour away. When we got there (here) Becky's face went blank... she had left the key in her other purse. You got it... the one back in the trailer. So off we go to get the key. And then back to the lake house. All together, we actually crossed the Continental Divide FOUR times that day. The next morning I wanted to go out on the back deck. I grabbed the sliding glass door handle and pulled it open - without unlocking it. The dammm back door was unlocked. I could have saved two and a half hours of driving, and two Continental Divide crossings if I only took the time to walk around to the back of the house and checked the doors!

Well.... I've got about five weeks to recuperate before worrying about backing that trailer out of the driveway we left it in. And I will be leaving a trail of bread crumbs from there to the Interstate when I do!

A Vacation At Home...

2009-10-23T05:24:00.001-07:00

I really don't know what else to call this week in an RV Park in Central PA - it reminds me of an ordinary "Vacation At Home" week. Becky and I haven't been out and about a whole lot, just catching up on some maintenance issues, laundry, house...errr trailer cleaning, and walking through this incredibly beautiful park. The whole park looks just like the picture. What was interesting was backing the trailer into a space that was more narrow than the width of the trailer with the slides out. When I saw the site my heart lept, thinking to myself (or maybe I said it out loud)... sure, if this was a 22 foot travel trailer, no problemo. The site itself is generous in width, but the sweet spot, where the trailer had to go was very narrow. In the picture above, that one tree that looks like it is growing right out of the top of the RV is actually butted up against the left side of the trailer and the living room slide extends beyond it. There was no room to move the trailer to the right because of the sewer connection which is in the shadows. I couldn't back in any further because when the slide out was extended, it would be crushed by the tree. So the front of the trailer is dangerously close to the roadway.

By the way... this was the first time that Becky and I backed in without help from anyone. And I must say, we did good!

Mrs. Scarafoni and the Gasoline Powered Lawnmower

2009-10-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

Becky twisted my arm to tell this ONE story - and while I am writing about my hometown, Pittsfield, MA, I decided I would. So bear with me....

I guess the year was 1956. I was about 12 years old when my Dad surprised me with a beginning of summer present... a Gasoline Powered Rotary Lawnmower. I mean this was the katz pajamas - state of the art - landscaping marvel. We were the early innovators of Evelyn Park. By the way, here's the house I was raised in most all of my teenage years - 24 Evelyn Park.

I could very well have charged my friends five cents a piece to take a turn mowing my lawn with that incredible machine. So the chore of mowing the lawn was a pleasure. And to get fifty cents in payment was icing on the cake.

Very early that summer my Dad asked me to take a ride with him. He drove to Mrs. Scarafoni house which was deep in a very aged residential area about 2 miles from our house. I had seen Mrs. Scarafoni at my Great Grandma and Grandma's house many times and really, I wasn't sure if she was a relative or not. I can remember thinking she was about 110 years old. Doesn't matter - all my Grandma's friends and my folk's friends were just as tight as family.

So Dad stops in front of her house and says "I want you to mow her lawn every week this summer. Don't bother her, just mow the lawn and I will pay you $1.00 each week". A few days pass and I told my Dad I was going to mow her lawn today. He said good and that he would give me $1.00 when he got home from work.

"But Dad.. aren't you going to drive me there?".

The answer was NO... "the lawn mower has ball bearing wheels so you can wheel it there, mow the lawn, and wheel it back - that's why I am paying you $1.00 for mowing such a little lawn."

What the heck.. no big deal and so every week that summer I would push that lawn mower the 2 miles back and forth, and every week my Dad paid me $1.00. It was toward the end of summer when my Dad came home one day hopping mad - at ME!

He started yelling which always preceeded the spanking - he had hands like a catcher's mit and had a way to spread the force over my butt. The balling out went something like this....

"I have been paying you $1.00 a week, every week this summer because you kept telling me that you were mowing Mrs. Scarafoni's lawn. I picked her up at your Grandma's house and gave her a ride home ... and what do I see? A jungle... NOT a lawn... A JUNGLE! What do you have to say for yourself... and by the way, you're grounded for a month and will not get a penny allowance until you pay me back all the money I have given you!"

BUT DAD! I HAVE BEEN mowing her lawn. I HAVE.

He says "Get in the car - we'll see about that". And so we drove over - my Dad stopped the car and started yelling again. When I could I said... this is NOT Mrs. Scarafoni's house Dad - THAT one is, pointing to her next door neighbor's lawn which was manicured with my famous cross cut pattern.

My Dad rarely laughed ... but on this occasion, he roared.

"The Hot Dog Ranch"

2009-10-18T03:21:00.001-07:00

The Hot Dog Ranch is located on Linden Street in Pittsfield, MA (my home town). In days gone by, THDR was a neighborhood bar room with a few tables and booths. It really wasn't the kind of place you would bring your family to. Not that it was rowdy or grungy, but it tended towards them. They served "sandwich type" food - including hamburgers AND HOT DOGS.

I left Pittsfield to join the Air Force at age 17-1/2 and lived mostly away from there since. But without exception, upon returning, and before anything else... I would go to the Ranch and pick up some dogs for my Mom & Dad and whoever else happened to be at my folks house. Typically 30 or 40 wit everything.Becky and I were at The Ranch a few days ago. The new owners have really done a great job renovating the interior. They separated the space with 3/4 walls into a bar room, a dining room, and the kitchen.

I hesitate to call the dogs "chili dogs" but I guess that is as close to a description as there is. And it their hot dog that has has kept the doors open since the 1920's. I personally have been eating their hot dogs since I was old enough to be out and about town on my own, roughly since 1956. Here's an order of four.

As a teenager my friends and I would eat six each and would go a few more if we had the money. Back then the dogs were $0.25 each. Now $1.15 - and still worth every penny! I wonder how many The Travel Channel's "Man Verses Food" Adam Richmond could eat? I am going to bring The Hot Dog Ranch to his attention in an email.

These little pups are roughly one half the size of a regular hot dog. "Wit Everything" get you mustard, onions, and the sauce - and I will stop calling it "chili" because that undoubtedly leaves you imagining the wrong taste. Words fail me in trying to describe the taste. It's like... what does a banana taste like? Well.. it tastes like a banana! Their sauce has been a guarded secret since day one, and through what I suspect has been four different owners, it remains a secret. Becky is pretty good at dissecting ingredients from a recipe but so far hasn't figured it out. She did detect one of the spices in there. As always I will describe it as "the taste of my hometown".

Camping on the Mohawk

2009-10-16T05:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I mentioned that we were camping for a few days on the Mohawk River. Here's our rig with a waterfront view of the river. The Mohawk, which extended nearly all the way to the Great Lakes, was a main water highway through the lands of the five nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. The Mohawk Indians in particular traveled down it in their canoes, bringing furs to trade with the Dutch.

Well anyway... we had a tough day yesterday and I was "sleeping in" this morning, at least trying! At about 6:30am, my eyes opened wide to a symphony of HONKS . A "squadron" of Canadian Geese decided to let us know that they had arrived.

Once I got my coffee perked, I went outside and sat on the picnic table and enjoyed the music and sights.

One final thought... those geese had better rest up fast, get pointed South.... and get the flock out of here. With morning temperatures in the 20's and 30's, those feathered friends haven't much time to get to greener pastures.

Headed South.....

2009-10-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we "overnighted" in Oakham, MA. Oakham is about 30 miles North of the Mass. Turnpike.... so LOLA, our navigation system must have figured our route from NH something like this.....

If I route them down I-93 to I-90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) and then North on Rt 67, they will have to backtrack back up North 30 miles..... So instead of that I will route them directly South into Oakham from the North. Sounds good when you say it fast but I have to tell ya... we hit every little town... every residential street... every (near) alley between NH and Oakham, MA. What a route! Anyway, we made it.

Today we drove from Oakham, MA to Troy, NY. We will be here for two days visiting with our #2 Daughter who lives nearby. Just across the MA state line in Pittsfield which is my hometown The campground, and the site we are parked in, is right along side the Mohawk River. Beautiful park but due to freezing temperatures, they will be closing on Sunday so we will have to move on. We wanted to stay a week or two but there are no parks within 100 miles that remain open.

That's about it for now....

Overnight Stay in New Hampshire...

2009-10-14T05:27:00.000-07:00

We had an overnight stay in New Hampshire while some warantee work was completed on our trailer. If you are ever in or near Conway, NH and need some work done on your rig... don't hesitate to go to Trafford's RV. Friendly, honest, hardworking, very knowledgable folks. Darlene and Clayton ROCK.

Please click on the pictures to see a full value view. Look close any you'll notice those slanted white streaks... a SNOW shower in the mountains. It didn't last very long but it's the first snow Becky and I have seen in many years.

Granite mountain tops are everywhere in the White Mountains Region. Rugged and beautiful. Nature at its best in New Hampshire.

Good Bye Maine.. See Ya Next Year

2009-10-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

It seems like 3 weeks... but it has been 3 MONTHS and it is time to say good bye to Maine until next year. Leaving tomorrow in forecasted snow showers. If you ever get the chance to spend a little time in Maine... don't miss it! I have been around the world several times, visited a dozen countries, have seen 6 state, and 2 world's fair but brother... I have never seen anything quite as beautiful as our own State of Maine. Double click the picture for a full screen view.

Playing Catch Up......

2009-10-06T06:40:00.000-07:00

Procrastination and Retirement are an odd couple to say the least. You would think that a retiree would have plenty of time to get things done. Well, Becky and I are retired but I procrastinate with the best of them. I haven't figured out yet how it is that I cannot find time to do all the things that I want to, or that needs to be done. I'll worry about that tomorrow.

In the mean time, last month Becky and I went out on a 3 masted schooner called The Heron. Johnny Depp has a movie coming out next year called "The Rum Diary" or some such. A character in the movie, Sanderson, owns a schooner and as it turns out, it is The Heron. The boat is 100 feet long and accommodates up to 30 passengers. The skipper, wife, and 12 year old daughter live on board. They spend their summers here in Rockport, Maine, taking folks out on 3 different sailings a day.

We went on the "Lobster Roll Lunch" sail. At about the turn-around point, the first mate serves, well, what you see pictured here. The name of the sail tells it all.

Just about this time of year, they sail The Heron to the Bahamas and offer 3 sails a day to the folks down there. Back and forth. The Capt'n sailed about an hour and a half North along the coast up to Belfast, turned around, and sailed back South to Rockport. I am not sure how fast we were going when he laid the boat into the wind in the picture below, but we were definately moving.
In all it was a 3 hours sail on an absolutely beautiful day and this is my favorite picture of the trip.

Brocolli-Rabe

2009-10-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I posted a picture of a Brocolli-Rabe Sandwich and my favorite Niece. Brocolli-Rabe is a bitter, leafy Italian vegatable that is typically sauteed in EVO, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes.

Well you could have knocked me over with a feather today in the supermarket... right there... right next to the Brocolli....fresh BROCOLLI-RABE (BR). Honestly, I have never prepared and cooked BR but do remember watching my Mom do so.... and I do remember the smells that filled the kitchen. And so I gave it a shot. Here's what I did. If anyone can recommend a better way... let me know! BROCOLLI-RABE: SACCHETTI STYLE (for two bunches)

Get a large pan 3/4 full of heavily salted water going on the stove. While you're waiting for it to come [almost] to a boil, trim off the long, leaf-less stems of the BR.

When the water is about ready to boil, put all the BR into the water and let it sit in there for maybe 5 minutes. This will eliminate some of the bitter taste. Of course, if you like really bitter BR, then omit this step. Drain in a culander and reserve some of the salted water.

Meanwhile sliver up maybe 8 cloves of garlic and soften it up in 1/4 cup of EVO in a large sautee pan. Add salt and red chili pepper flakes.

When the garlic is softened, add the BR and a bit of the salted water to the sautee pan, cover the pan and turn occassionally. The BR is going to cook for about 10 minutes during which time test for taste and moisture and tenderness. Add EVO, salt, red pepper flakes according to your taste.

ABOUT 2 MINUTES INTO THE COOKING PROCESS I KNEW I WAS DOING SOMETHING RIGHT BECAUSE THE SMELL OF MY MOM'S KITCHEN FILLED THE TRAILER.

I guess there's no way to say this without tooting my own horn... but dammmm... it came out "just like Momma use to make".

TRY IT... YOU'LL LIKE IT!

I almost forgot the most important part... how to eat BR! It's best to put it in the fridge overnight. Pile the cold BR onto your favorite bread, sprinkle with white vinigar, a few shakes of salt and away you go! Of course if you have a niece like mine, who brings you "Pinot Gregio" vinigar... all the better!

Patchy

2009-10-05T15:09:00.000-07:00

The fall foliage show is a little late this year. We will be leaving Maine in a week so I thought I'd go ahead and post a few pictures while the posting is good. Some of the areas you drive though are absolutely breath-taking... but trying to capture them requires luck and a break in the clouds.

Red's Eats..........

2009-10-03T05:16:00.000-07:00

Home to probably the most famous "Lobster Roll" in New England, Red's Eats has been featured on both The Travel Channel and The Food Network. A toasted split top hot dog bun, more (well, a little more maybe) than one Lobster's meat, and drawn butter or mayo on the side. That's it! And YES - they are good! And YES - from 11:30am to 7:00pm during the summer there is always a line.

Here's a picture of a couple of Lobster Rolls, drawn butter, and an order of onion rings Becky and I had at Red's last month... or was it the month before. No matter. Not pictured are two cups of lemonade.

I don't mean to sound as if I am complaining (well... in fact I am) but the lunch you see in this picture along with 2 cups of lemonade cost us $40.75! It really is sad, and of course we could have opted NOT to eat there but what the heck. "But What The Heck" is exactly why the new management (Red's adult kids) can charge what they do. Tourists are going to stand in line for an hour and order up lunches like this because they are tourists and when you're on vacation...."WHAT THE HECK!". Red's is earning over 5x their costs and that is... what's the word? Gouging? It is also taking advantage of the hard work their parents put into the business over that past three decades.

YES... Red's serves up a good Lobster Roll but certainly not the best! We found a place in a little town (Thomaston) not far from where we are parked - The Thomaston Diner that serves up and equally good Lobster Roll for $6.95.

Red's Eats... once is good enough!

And So It Begins.....

2009-10-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

With only 10 days left before our departure from Maine... Mother Nature is finally beginning to show her colors.

This pond is a favorite place for the kids to go "ice skating". It won't be long kids!

Stopped, waiting for a construction vehicle to pass through, we couldn't help but notice the beauty right above us.

We hope to return to these locations just prior to departing Maine in hopes that the color will deepen and spread more uniformly.

I Just Plain Ole STOLE This

2009-10-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

I admit it right up front... I took this from one of those emails being passed around. The email compares American Kids to Italian Kids... here's one of the comparisons...

American kids: Will come over for cake and coffee, and get cake and coffee. No more.

Italian kids: Will come over for cake and coffee, and get antipasto, wine, a pasta dish, a choice of two meats, salad, bread, a canoli, fruit, espresso, and a few after dinner drinks.

It occurs to me.....

2009-09-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

.... that I might have gotten the cart before the horse in this blog of mine. Some of you may not know what a "5th Wheel Trailer" (i.e. RV) is all about. Becky and I are living full time in a 37 foot, 16,500 pound "5er". It takes a 1 ton pickup to tow it. Here's a picture of the entry side of the RV, parked in a very relaxing park on Chesapeake Bay. It is equipped with dual air conditioners (one with a heat pump), a propane fired forced hot air furnace, 50 amp AC electric service and really, all the necessities (and then some) for "full time living".

Here is a picture of our kitchen. It is fully equipped including a four door refrigerator / freezer, Convection / Microwave oven and an Island with pantry storage underneath. Becky has adapted very well to the galley kitchen and cooks up just as big a storm as she did in our "stick'n'bricks" house. In back of the sink area we have a high efficiency clothes washer and dryer hidden in the vertical cabinetry. The dining room table is out of picture to the right. The king bedroom is up the stairs in the background and the full private bathroom is to the right just before going into the bedroom (the bathroom door is open in this picture).

And here is a picture of our "living room". When the TV is not on, it disappears into the cabinetry. The electric fireplace looks as real as any fire you have seen. It can be "lit" with or without the 1500 watt heater turned on. We are finding here in Maine at this time of year that the heater does a great job taking the chill out of the air. The couch conceals a standard size air ma tress bed.

Under the living area, and accessed from outside are three storage areas commonly referred to as "the basement". We had to let go of nearly all our possessions but were able to hold onto a considerable amount of personal items. Naturally it took some amount of adjustment moving from a house into the confines of RV living - what really makes it work is the great relationship Becky and I have.

Peek-a-Boo.....

2009-09-20T06:54:00.000-07:00

Here's Becky peeking from behind The Caretaker's Shed at the Pemaquid (not Permaquid as I scribed in my last post) Lighthouse Park in New Harbor, Maine.

The shed from the inside looking out. The Town of Bristol maintains the park. The park occupies about 60 acres with expansive views of the Altantic Ocean.

There are a dozen picnic tables along the shoreline dispersed among Sea Pines, boulders and very well maintained grassy areas. Serene yes, gorgeous views yes, steeped with history yes, inspiring yes, but I warn you..... no matter what month, day or time you choose to visit the park - WEAR A JACKET!

I cannot imagine feeling "warm" in this park without a few layers of clothing. That constant breeze (WIND) coming off the Atlantic will raise some bumps - goosebumps!

It is an incredible place to spend an afteroon, to review your awe of nature, or to find it for the first time.

Although the lighthouse is no longer occupied by a keeper, there is a one bedroom apartment which can be rented in that building. One other building in the park is a Fisherman's Museum. These tools look as though they would be better used by Vincent Price in a movie called Toture of the Undead.

Ohh by the way, there is a working lighthouse which flashes its white light every six seconds. Image that! A Lighthouse Park with a working Lighthouse.

Go Figure!

My Favorite Niece & Brocolli Rabe

2009-09-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought I had eaten my entire stash of Brocolli Rabe, my wonderful wife produced another package (as I found out later) from the deep recesses of our freezer. Lynn... my all time, bar none, favorite Niece, while dropping her Daughter off at summer camp less than 2 months ago, brought me what should have been a 6 month supply. When I opened our picnic lunch at the Permaquid Lighthouse Park and saw that Kaiser Roll piled high with the Rabe, I could have sworn I had died and gone to Heaven......

Brocolli Rabe (rob) is a very bitter leafy green Italian vegetable. Most commonly it is blanched in salted water to relieve some of the bitterness, and then sauteed in EVO, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

The Permaquid Lighthouse Park is in New Harbor, Maine, at the point of one of those hundreds of points of land in the mid coastal region - I'll describe it later. THIS blog is strictly about my most "favoritest" Niece and Brocolli Rabe!

Glen Cove... or Clam Cove....

2009-09-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

I leave it to you.... this is a "rest area" along side Route 1 (Atlantic Highway) in Rockland. Becky and I have had numerous picnic lunches here.

But I leave it to you... your GPS will recognize this part of Penobscot Bay as "Glen Cove" and the locals recognize it as "Clam Cove". So if you were picnicking here, which would you call it.
Becky and I prefer CLAM COVE - the name is more Maine, more serene, more romantic?

Our favorite picnic lunch is to pick up a package of Smoked Pepper / Garlic Trout, a fresh baguette of bread, Parmigiana Regianno cheese and a couple soft drinks. Well... typically a bottle of wine but we miss-fired on that this day.

By the way... the temperature today was 58 degrees!

Have You Ever......

2009-09-09T16:19:00.000-07:00

Have you ever picked a ripe apple from the tree, "shined it up" and taken a big ole bite right there in the orchard? That's what Becky and I did today. And as you can see, the weather was perfect for the picking.

The orchards are just now opening up and the trees are ripe for the picking. Literally, you could pick a peck of apples from one limb without taking a step. And even at that you would only be picking 10% of the fruit on that single limb. Absolutely studded with apples. It's hard to imagine how the trees could be strong enough to support all those apples!

We took a 1 hour ride up and to the West of Agusta, the states capital, to Lakeside Orchards. You could pick your own from three different types of apples... Macs, Cortlands and Sarah Reds. The Reds and Cortlands are snappy, juicy, and have just a bit of a tart taste. The skins are pure red and the meat is as white as an angels wings. Being a salt-aholic, I enjoy salt on apples. So after taking the first bite, I put my salt shaker to work and ate four Corlands and two Reds before leaving the orchard. Becky will be making a few pies (need I say APPLE) tomorrow and our neighbors will benefit from our "labors" today.

Maine.... what a state!

Mahogany Clams.....

2009-09-07T09:00:00.001-07:00

Mahongany clams are harvested from the deep waters off Kittery, Maine. Once harvested, they are "transplanted" into more shallow waters which causes the clams to purge themselves. This results in very clean clams. They can be compared to Little Neck clams and are prepared in all the same ways. Their taste is a bit more "clammy" (in a good way) and the salinity content is higher than its cousin the Littleneck. Why their cost is about one half of the Littleneck is beyond me!

Try this recipe

Steamed Mahogany Clams

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Mahogany clams (OK.. or Littlenecks, Steamers, Mussels) cleaned

2 T butter

1/2 C white wine

1/4 C chopped green onions

1/4 C chopped red bell peppers (really any color) (reserve a T for garnish at the end)

4 Cloves slivered garlic

1/4 C chopped parsley (reserve a T for garnish at the end)

Preparation:

Melt the butter and sautee the garlic in a sautee pan over medium heat until tender. Add the wine, peppers, onions

Add the clams and cover the pan, steam for 5 minutes

Add the parsley and shake it into the broth

Cover and cook another minute.

Pour all into a large shallow bowl and add reserved parsley and red pepper to garnish.

Serve with good Italian bread to sop up the broth

Enjoy!

2009-09-07T05:06:00.000-07:00

In our not to distant history, Camden and boat building was like peanut butter and jelly. In the 1800's Camden's boatbuilding industry boasted six shipyards, floating 10 vessels per year. As it is with many industries in our past, shipping goods by sea became less important and the needs fell. In the 1930's many owners began offering their windjammers for hire providing trips in Penobscot Bay. The Harbor Master had a busy Labor Day weekend birthing some 20 Windjammers. Not shown in the picture are some 150 boats moored in the Harbor. This was as perfect a day in Maine as there ever was.

South of Southport, Maine

2009-09-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

Once in Southport, should you keep the needle of your compass pointing to "South", and drive until your front wheels get wet with saltwater, you will have found Newagen (or Cape Newagen) Maine.

Here's Becky at the end of Town Landing Road with the Cuckold Lighthouse in the distant background.

"This oddly named lighthouse is one of the last to be built on the Maine coast. The name Cuckolds, given to a pair of treacherous ledges at the entrance to Boothbay Harbor, is apparently after a point of land on the Thames River in England that was granted to a London man to assuage his anger after King John had an affair with his wife. The Cuckolds in Maine may have been named by a transplanted Londoner. Perhaps the loveliest time to observe The Cuckolds is at sunset from a boat close by to the eastward. The white light against a glowing red and golden sky... the dark outline of the trees on Cape Newagen, and tired seagulls winging their way eastward . . . produce a scene and a sense never to be forgotten."
-- Malcolm F. Willoughby, Boothbay Register, 1962.

I am guessing that Newagen is a township, perhaps a village? To get to the Southernmost end of the road you will drive through the center of Newagen and I suspect you will miss it, just as Becky and I did. There is no apparent industry, there are no traffic signals, no stop signs (wait - there was one, no no, that was a yield sign) no shops, no lobster pounds, no gas stations, no McDonalds - just a sleepy little collection of a homes with a house here and a house there. I could spend about a month sitting on the town pier.

Sea Pines Shore

2009-09-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

Boothbay Harbor is relatively commercial. It's a busy place and very popular with tourists. Many waterfront restaurants, curio shops, fine art galleries, antique stores, fishing charters, canoe, kayak rentals... all the typically attractions and scenery. The harbor itself is stunning with all manner of boats moored.

To its East, and South is East Boothbay. This is one of those coastal communities where visitors begin to fall in love with Maine. We did! Actually we fell in love with Maine a month ago but this day trip was icing on the cake. The picture is just one snap of a ruggedly beautiful coast line. East Boothbay is far less "touristy" and the kind of place we love discovering. So if you ever visit Maine and Boothbay....

GO EAST YOUNG MAN... GO EAST!

This is why......

2009-09-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Rockport, Maine on July 15, 2009. And I am pointing to one of the "maine" reasons we decided to begin our full time travels here. Our first lobster boil including corn on the cob, potatoes, clams, mussels, and oh yeah.... lobsters!

This time of year the lobsters are shedding their shells. Their new shells are very soft and harden over time. There is a bit less meat in a "shedder" but the meat is sweeter and more juicy. In the nearly two months we have been here, the price of live lobsters has remained constant at $3.25 / pound. I can promise you this.... I have eaten my share. My lobster pot has been with us for decades and has seen little use until our arrival in Maine. We will make up for the lack of use over the years.