It Happens

“What happens?”, you may ask.  Well alrighty then, before I answer that question, let me back up a little bit.  But, I can tell ya that it ain’t gonna be pretty. 

As you may or may not know, our original plans called for taking about a week to travel from Belfast, Maine to Holly, Michigan with an overnight stop around the Sturbridge, Massachusetts area, then spending three or four days in the Cooperstown, New York area, and staying overnight near Conneaut, Ohio on our way.

Somewhere along line we (probably I should raise my hand and fess up at this point and say I) decided it would be a good thing to save the Cooperstown visit for another time and spend three extra days in Maine so we could play with our friends.  A new plan was hatched where we would take three days to safely travel from Topsham, Maine to Holly, Michigan while staying overnight at Matamoras, Pennsylvania and the Flying-J in Youngstown, Ohio.

We awoke to a glorious Sunday morning, put the final touches on our travel preparations, and headed out promptly at nine o’clock.  Don’tcha just love it when a plan comes together?  Well, let me tell ya, plans have a way of unraveling just as fast.  Within an hour into the trip we hear KA-BAM.  What the heck?  Yep, we’ve had another damn blow out!  Unbelievable!!!

Right about here we’re going to have a little history lesson.  It was 16 months ago when we heard the last KA-BAM so, after much research, we replaced all four of the tires on the rig with 14 ply heavy duty trailer tires just so that would “never ever” happen to us again.  I can assure you that when I heard KA-BAM, I was less than your average happy camper.  It’s not bad enough to have a blow out on a tire that you purchased so you wouldn’t have to hear KA-BAM ever again, but it has to go and rip the hell out of the side of the coach as well which just adds insult to injury.

Right here we’re going to stop and take a commercial break before continuing with our story.  I must tell you that Coach-net’s service is absolutely the best.  As with the other two tire episodes, yes my friends - two, they had us back on the road within the hour.  I can’t say enough about their service and I wouldn’t leave home without them.  So now, let us return to the story.

We proceeded on our merry way and all’s well until we hit the Massachusetts Turnpike where the traffic was horrendous with major backups.  Why we have to pay the state of Massachusetts for all the aggravation of driving on that stretch of road is far beyond me.  There are more idiots per square inch of that highway than on any other piece of real estate east of the Mississippi.  To say that we were not making good time would be an understatement.

Finally we got out of Massachusetts, through Connecticut, and across New York arriving at Matamoras, Pennsylvania.  It only took us eight and a half hours to make a six hour trip, but that’s not all there is to the story, no siree!  We were still “wired” (okay, again I must fess up and say I) so it was decided by majority vote, I’m heavier than Judy, that we would press on to the Flying-J in Lamar, Pennsylvania; another three hours away.  Let’s see, eight and a half plus three, yep, that equals eleven and a half hours on the road.

Flying-J is no longer the Flying-J that we all remember and loved now that they are owned by Pilot.  It still has a lot of the same amenities, however, “they” are replacing all of the Country Basket restaurants with Denny’s – yuck!!  Plus the store is taking on a whole new look, but they still have a designated parking area for RVs, at least for right now.

Other than road construction and a twenty-three dollar fine for driving on the Ohio Turnpike all went well on our second day of travel, another nine hours.  Katie is glad it is all over and Alex still isn’t speaking to us, but we are here in Holly, Michigan safe and sound. 

So, what’s the wisdom in all this madness?  Well, the only thing that I can say, in my defense, is that we just wanted to get to Shirley and Warren’s quickly before we had another blow out.

One last thing, the past four summers we’ve spent workamping and had forgotten what is was like to travel the highways during the summer.  First of all, traveling in the Northeast on Sunday when it is not absolutely necessary is just short of stupid (of course, cramming a week’s worth of travel into two days ain’t exactly all that bright either), and, secondly, “they” need to change the season from summer to road construction, however, it’s nice to see those stimulus dollars hard at work.  And, the good Lord knows that the interstates are in dire need of repair.  Right now the highways have two driving conditions, “rougher than a cob” and “under construction”.

Well, there you have it; the misadventures of the Wandering America crew, but all’s well that ends well.  Today I will visit the Discount Tire shop where we purchased the tires with warranty in hand and I will attempt to get them to pay for the damage to the coach as well.  The guy who changed out our tire, way back in Maine, told us it was a defective tire, you think?  A blow out in less than 10,000 miles?  We’ll see how it goes, but for now you have “the rest of the story!”  Thank goodness that most travels days are not this eventful.

The Long, Long Travel Day

Unfortunately, it was not an uneventful day and traffic was absolutely horrendous until later in the afternoon.  It took us eight and a half hours to make a six hour trip to Matamoras, Pennsylvania.  By the time we got there we, or maybe I should say I, were so wired that we just kept rolling right on by.  After eleven and a half hours we arrived at the Flying J, which is no longer the Flying J that we all remember, in Lamar, Pennsylvania.

Today we will arrive at Judy’s sister’s place in Holly, Michigan thereby crunching a three day trip into two travel days.  We’ll tell you all about our adventure, and misadventure, tomorrow.  Until then, keep on truckin’!!

Go West, Young Man

It was great to see Gene and Judi again.   We haven’t seen them since the deep freeze in St. Augustine, Florida last January.   After a little bit of socializing at Mike and Peggy’s, we took a short drive to DeLorme’s in Yarmouth so they could see Big Eartha and visit the gift shop.

After a scenic drive back to Mike and Peggy’s it was dinner time.  We heated up the fish chowdah and served it with a nice garden salad and some sour dough bread.  Judi had prepared a tasty dessert to top off the meal.  It was a yummy meal, but the highlight of the afternoon was the fellowship of great people around the table.

Now it’s time to say good bye to New England and start making tracks for the mid west.  We had planned to stop at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, but we elected, instead, to spend a few extra days here in Maine to visit with Mike and Peggy.  We’re glad we did, but now we are going to do exactly what we don’t like to do; travel three back to back days.  Alex will have a fit if he finds out so we won’t tell him, he’ll figure it out soon enough.

Tomorrow we’ll find ourselves waking up somewhere in Pennsylvania, most likely Matamoras, just across the border from Port Jarvis, New York, with New England in our rear view mirror.  The weather promises to be good for our travels, a little hot if anything.  So, it’s off we go, into the wild blue yonder.  We’re praying for an uneventful trip to Michigan.

Catching Up

We used yesterday to sort of catch up on a few items.  Also, the hose for the truck came in and I replaced that; it was as easy as I had hoped it would be.  Around four o’clock we headed over to Mike and Peggy’s for a nice barbequed pork loin – it was yummy.  Thanks guys.  Then it was home for the evening.

Today we are having a get together with Gene and Judi at Mike and Peggy’s house.  Not sure what we’ll do once they arrive, however, I’m sure we will find something.

I’m making another fish chowdah for today’s dinner and with time being the main ingredient, I’d better get a “wiggle on”.  Catchya again tomorrow!!!

Not An Uneventful Day

We had a farewell breakfast with Mike and Shauna.  Mike cooked up some bacon and French toast that we covered with “real live” maple syrup.  Along with coffee and conversation, it was a great breakfast.  After a few hugs and “see ya next years” it was on the road again for an eighty mile trek.

It may have been a short travel day, but it was by far not an uneventful one.  Just as we were approaching Topsham the “Low Coolant” light came on in the truck.  We’ve been battling the “Low Coolant” light for two years now and thought that we had seen the last of it back in the summer of 2008 when we had the water pump rebuilt, then again in February of this year when we had the water pump replaced, and once again in April when we had a hose replaced.  But, here it is again flashing in my face – aarrgghhh!

The good news is that I will be able to fix the problem today when the new upper radiator hose arrives at the local NAPA store.  In following the coolant leakage trail I discovered a crack in the hose where coolant “squirts” out when the pressure builds up in the system.  I should be able to replace it with minimal effort within about a half hours time.

The other issue we encountered was that the stove was sliding out from the cabinet in the RV.  Another great Forest River lack of quality control.  First of all “they” use those dang staples and don’t bother to glue anything together during the assembly process so one of the supports that the stove bolts to had pulled away from the cabinet base.  On top of that, the stove has only two places where it can be screwed to the supports and “they” had only screwed in the left side of the stove.  One screw holding the stove to a stapled support with no glue – shame on you, Forest River. 

The good news is, it took me less than a half hour to remount the stove by drilling some additional holes and installing four screws going through the stove and the supports right into the cabinet base.  It won’t come out again until I’m darned good and ready to take it out.  Sheesh!!!

Okay, so now I’m done whining.  Once we were all set up, Peggy came over for a visit.  It wasn’t long before we made a food run to the Cabin Pizza for a Shrimp Scampi pizza.  Boy, that cheered me up in a hurry.  It’s been years since we’ve had one of those Shrimp Scampi Pizzas and it was just as good as we remembered.  I’m still licking my chops over that one.

Last night it was just the old routine thus ending another day in the life.  All in all it was a good day with a couple of little inconveniences along the way that were quickly placed behind us. 

Mikee comes home today and I have no idea what we’ll be doing so you’ll have to join us again tomorrow to find out.  And, that’s it for today!

Gunkholing Part II

The old weather dude was right on and rain we did get.  It rained all day long with times of heavy down pouring, however, that didn’t put a damper on our local gunkholing.

The four of us started the day with breakfast at the Awesome Diner.  The guys ordered Eggs Florentine while the gals ordered the Tomato Egg Scrambler.  ‘Twas yummy in deed; a step up from my usual eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast.

After breakfast we visited “Auntie” at her hardware store.  Also, one of my old classmates, Sandra, works there so I had an opportunity to visit with her for a while.

Next we made a stop at the Belfast Co-op Store just to see what they had in stock.  It would be a great place to gather up fresh and organic food, but quite pricey.

Just out of shear curiosity, we did a drive by of a new community that is being built named EcoVillage.  It is to be a 90% “Green” community with single family units, cohousing units, and a common house for activities.  Kind of reminds me of a modern day hippie movement.

Then it was home for haircuts.  Mike and Shauna have a hair stylist that makes house calls so Miss Judy joined in on the ears lowering event while I just stayed out of the way.

Our last outing took us to the French Boutique, the House of Renee.  Well, that’s not exactly right, the store is Reny’s and it is far from a French Boutique.  It does have great deals on all sorts of “stuff”; kind of like a small Walmart.

Oh yes, we did stop by Mr. Paperback and Bell The Cat. 

The only purchases of the day, other than breakfast, was a tea thingy that Miss Judy bought at Auntie’s hardware store and some kitty treats that I bought at the Coop.

So that raps up our 2010 visit to Belfast.  Today we hit the road again moving onto the Topsham Fairgrounds to visit with Mike and Peggy for a couple of days.  Gene and Judi are going to drive over from New Hampshire for a day trip on Saturday and I’m going to make either a fish chowdah or scallop stew.

One last photograph for your enjoyment.  My brother is, among other things, an artist and this is a picture of one of his paintings.  I would just love to purchase the land next to the those trees for an RV site.

See ya tomorrow from Topsham.

Spending The Day Gunkholing

“Gunkholing is a boating and/or sea kayaking term referring to a type of cruising in shallow or shoal water, meandering from place to place, spending the nights in coves, etc..”  That is exactly what the four of us did; spent the day meandering from place to place along the Penobscot river from Winterport to Prospect and the Penobscot Bay seashore from Frenchman’s Point to Belfast.

We started by taking the back roads from Belfast to Winterport to pick up a case of wine for fellow RVers who are drier than Jetho’s pump out in the mid west (hope the varments can hold out until we get there).  Then we headed southeast following the Marsh River to the Penobscot River stopping at Sandy Point to walk the beach paths.

Where we watched the sailboats race down the Penobscot River past the remains of the Steam Boat Wharf and into the Bay.

From their we made our way to Fort Point Lighthouse then along Cape Jellison and through Stockton Springs.

Our bellies began crying, “Feed Me!!” so we made a bee line to the Searsport town dock and Poppy’s Wieners for some crabmeat rolls made with fresh Maine crabmeat.  Yummy!!

It was a just a fabulous day to be outside enjoying the Maine Coast.  After lunch we made our way back to the old homestead in Belfast for a little relaxation before having another bowl of the remaining Fish Chowder followed by another piece of raspberry pie.  Do we eat to live or live to eat?

Last evening we enjoyed another movie, Freedom Writers, while sipping a little wine.  Are we living right or what?

We have a few things scribbled on the agenda for today but, not so you’d notice.  It will mostly be another “free for all” day so, catch you tomorrow.

A Fish Chowdah Kinda Day

It was overcast and cool with a little rain thrown in here and there for good measure.  Just the kind of day one likes for whipping up a nice New England Fish Chowdah.  Maybe I should say a Patterson Special Fish Chowdah; after all, it is my own created recipe based primarily on my dad’s.  Anyhow, I will share the basic recipe with you, however, I admit that there is one ingredient missing that makes it a signature Patterson chowdah but, it will still be ummm, ummm, goood none the less.

• 2 - pounds fresh Maine Haddock (if you can't get fresh Maine haddock, frozen cod or any other white fish will do – just not as tasty)
• 4 - medium sized fresh Maine 'Taters – diced (if you can’t get fresh Maine taters then others will do – just not as tasty)
• 2 – medium fresh Maine yellow onions - diced (if you can’t get fresh Maine yellow onions then others will do – just not as tasty)
• 1/2 - pound salt pork - diced
• 1 and 1/2 - cups chicken broth (you can use water instead)
• 2 - 12 oz cans of Evaporated Milk
• 1/4 - pound of unsalted butter (one stick)
• Salt and Pepper to taste (I use about a tspn of salt and 1/4 tspn pepper)
• And the main ingredient – Time (take your time and don’t rush the process – be sure to control your heat and slow cook the ingredients)

First, dice the salt pork and fry it in the soup pot.  Once the "pork scraps" are crisp remove them from the pot and hold them aside.  Now sauté the diced onions in the salt pork fat (should be at least 3 tablespoons full, if not add a little EVOO to make up the difference) - they should be golden but not browned.  Add the chicken broth and diced 'Taters.  Boil for about 15 minutes or until the taters are soft in the middle (don't hard boil, don't want your taters mushy).  Then add the 2 cans of Evaporated Milk, the Butter, and the “pork scraps” and continue cooking for a few minutes until nice and hot - NEVER boil the chowdah from this point on.  Add salt and pepper to taste and then add the fish and continue cooking for about 15 to 30 minutes, again be sure NOT to boil the chowdah (if you prefer a little more liquid in your chowdah then you can add some whole milk).  Once the fish is tender and breaks apart remove the chowdah from the heat and allow it to stand covered for several hours; then reheat to serve.  It's best if it cools and you let it sit over night in the refrigerator then heat it up to serve the next day - but who has that kind of patience?  So I always make extra so we can enjoy it for a couple of days.  This recipe will provide six serving.

We had invited Bill and Kym to dinner but, Kym was feeling “under the weather” so she stayed home in order not to infect the rest of us.  It was a good decision but, we missed her none the less.  We had a good time reminiscing with Bill about our childhood; as many of you know, I grew up on the farm in the city.  That was Bill and Pete’s parents farm (Pete and my brother are the same age and were also best buddies during our school days). 

Along with the fish chowdah we had a nice fresh garden salad with a ginger dressing, and some warm whole wheat bread.  Dessert was a delicious homemade raspberry pie made by none other than my brother Mike.  Yep, the Patterson brothers could open their own restaurant, however, they would most likely eat up all the profits.

The sun is rising this morning with no plans on the agenda for the day but, I can assure you that we’ll find some mischief to get into so, in the meantime, we hope you have a nice day as well. 

And Then He Rested

Coffee, church, nap, reclining, and resting.  That’s what God created the seventh day for so, mission accomplished.  We attended church with Mike and Shauna and joined in for a traditional church pot luck dinner after the worship service.  It was three o’clock before we returned home which left the rest of the day for just plain taking it easy.

And, there you have it.  Not very exciting, huh?  However, quite necessary none the less.  Ahhh, it felt sooooo gooood!!  Hope you had some time to relax and rejuvenate as well.

Today is going to be another rainy day so this will be a good day to make that fish chowdah with fresh Maine haddock that I’ve been yearning for ever since landing on the shores of New England some three and a half weeks ago.  My lips are already smacking just thinking about it.  If you hurry up and get here soon enough there will be a bowl for you – ummm, ummm, goood!

Harbor Fest

We began our day as usual, with coffee and computers.  Around mid morning Mike, Shauna, Judy, and I headed out to Family Traditions for brunch.  They have “homemade” hash that Mike and I had a hankering for.  After licking our chops over some delicious meals, we made our way towards downtown Belfast.

The town of my youth was a factory town with two poultry plants, a sardine factory, a mill, and the tug boats occupying the waterfront which pretty much left that area “uninhabitable” for recreation.  Well, Belfast has made a graceful transition into the twenty first century and the waterfront is now the focal point for many of the town’s events.

This is Harbor Fest weekend here in Belfast so we decided that we had to make our appearance just to scope out the happenings.  After finding a parking space for the “kah” we approached along the waterfront; and to think, this is right wear one of those stinky ol’ poultry plants used to stand.

It’s just beautiful to look out across the now pristine Penobscot Bay.

There was a row boat race taking place just as we arrived.

There was a display of Native American artifacts with a model showing how birch bark canoes were built.

And displays of vintage sailing craft.

A boat building competition was taking place.  Teams had four hours to build a boat which they would then launch and race; there were eight teams.

The Compass Project is another boat building event for teaching teams of kids how to build boats.  There is no time limit and they don’t race them, however, the boats do get launched once completed.

And to top it off, there is live music in the park throughout the day and evening.

And this last picture is for our friends Bob and Molly Pinner who posted a picture of the Belfast waterfront that they had taken from Young’s Lobster Pound.  This picture is of Young’s Lobster Pound taken from the Belfast waterfront.  Also, Mark and Dortha Hall smacked their lips over a “clam bake” dinner at Young’s just a few short weeks ago.

After quick stop at the grocery store, we returned home to relax for awhile before throwing some burgers on the grill to have with some fresh steamed “con” on the cob.  That was followed by a movie, “Up In The Air”.

Another great day in the life!

Home Again, Home Again

Ahhh, the nice crisp Maine air.  It’s 55* outside with low humidity and the sun breaking up over the trees behind the rig.  What more could a couple of fulltiming people ask for? 

Our trip from New Hampshire was just as we like them, uneventful.  It was decided that rather than boondock in Bill and Kym’s back field that we would park, once again, in brother Mike and Shauna’s driveway.  Far too many privileges go with that parking space to turn it down.  So we pulled up in front and snaked the fifthwheel into place just like slipping a hand into a glove.

This is my boyhood home.  Dad and mom brought this house back in 1949 and I lived here until after graduating from college and enlisting in the Coast Guard in 1969.

Mike and Shauna have done a great job restoring and decorating the house back to its period which is late 1800’s or early 1900’s.  The old homestead looks great.

Well, now that we’re here we’re going to hunker down and relax while rejuvenating ourselves for more traveling, rallies, and sightseeing between here and Michigan.  We’ll do some biking, walking, and, maybe, a canoe trip on the Marsh Stream while we’re here.  Oh yes, can’t forget the wine run to Winterport Winery.  We hear the cranberry wine is to die for – we’ll just have to check it out.

So, that’s it for today from Belfast, Maine.  You can take the boy out of Maine but, you can’t take Maine out of the boy.

Reflections On Fulltime RVing

Holly cow!!  Miss Judy and I slept in yesterday morning until seven bells.  It felt good but, even after a good night’s sleep we were still lethargic.  We didn’t get moving until the crack of noon.

We went to Wally World and Market Basket to fill the voids in our cupboards and refrigerator.  Once we returned home, we still moved about like zombies.  After three weeks of “boogieing” we are just plain worn out.  It will be nice to sit still in Bill and Kim’s horse pasture and vegetate for a week. 

We’ll have time to catch our collective breaths before boogieing again at two upcoming rallies and the Escapade out in the mid west.  I’m telling ya, this fulltime lifestyle is not for the weak at heart.  However, as long as someone has to do it, we’re willing to step up to the plate and make our sacrifice.

Speaking of the fulltime lifestyle, you know what?  We’ve been fulltiming for four years now and this is the first summer that we’ve been able to just roam around and do our thing.  Fulltiming means many different things to many different people.  Some people are on the move all the time while others travel like snowbirds; down south in the winter and up north in the summer.  Then there are those in between – that’s us. 

We’ve discovered this summer that we don’t mind a few weeks of traveling, seeing, and doing but, we need to balance it with a few weeks of staying in one place while reading, working on hobbies, sitting under the awning, having a camp fire, taking short walks, and just generally enjoying a state of “being” rather than “doing”.  We love to travel and see different things but, we also love our quiet times just as much.

So this fall, when we begin to outline our 2011 travels, we will balance the “doing” with periods of “being” for relaxing and reflecting.  This lifestyle hands you a blank sheet of paper to draw on and if you don’t like what you’ve drawn then you can just crumple it up, throw it away, and get another blank sheet of paper.  There is no such thing as “one size fits all” in this lifestyle.  You are free to shape it any way you want to make it fit your personality just perfectly and that, my friends, is a good thing.  No, that’s a great thing!!!  

Now, where did all that come from?  I dunno but, it is so!!  Anywhoo, today we head for a week of boondocking in Belfast, Maine.  It will be nice to see my brother and sister-in-law (Mike and Shauna) as well as the best buddy I’ve ever had and his wife (Bill and Kim).  So see ya from Belfast tomorrow.  In the meantime, Take Care, Have Fun, and God Bless.

Briana Goes Home :-(

Our summer is screaming by faster than greased lighting.  We took Briana home last evening; that was sad.  We’re gonna miss her smiling little face around here.  Even Katie and Alex are looking at the empty space on the sofa wondering where’s Briana.  She was definitely a good little traveler and we had a lot of fun with her over the past week and a half.

Yesterday morning we did a little more visiting.  We hadn’t gotten to see Jesse and Ginger so we drove up to Lake George Schroon Valley campground to visit with them as it was their day off.  Then we stopped by to visit a little with Tonya at her office.  We departed Lake George Escape at around 11:30 with a three and a half hour uneventful drive to Seven Maples Campground in Hancock.

Tomorrow it’s onto Maine for a week of boondocking, however, before we go we need to restock the larder.  So this morning we’re off to our favorite grocery store; Market Basket.  Then this afternoon it’ll be:   “Ha! Ha! Ha!, You and Me, Little Brown Jug” - Opps, wrong song.   Rather:  “Ho, Ho, Ho, guess who’s here, your fat and jolly friend draws near”  Yep, it’ll be Christmas gift wrapping time so we can deliver the presents to Marc and Amie this evening saving on shipping costs.

So, that’s it for today.  Short but sweet.  Until tomorrow . . . . .

First Day And A Concert

Tennessee starts the school year real early and yesterday was Catia’s first day of school.  She was extremely excited about going off to school but, her little sister Kalina, not quite so much.

           

After our morning routine, Miss Judy and I took a nice little walk about the park for old time’s sake.  Things have remained pretty much the same as last year.  Jim and Jan, our Fun and Games Department managers, stopped over for a visit and before we knew it, it was lunch time.

After lunch we drove up to Schroon Valley RV Park, a sister campground to LGE, where most of the workampers are staying this year.  It was good to visit with a number of our old friends.  On top of those workamping at LGE, Gene and Moya just happened to be in the area visiting as well so it really felt like old home week.

We came home and Briana wanted to play candy bar bingo so Grandma joined in with her.  They had no more than returned home when Miss B decided it was time to take a peddle cart for a spin around the campground so off she went while we tried to catch our breath.  

Thurman and Phyllis arrived to pick us up at 5:30 to go to the Concert In The Park in Lake George Village.  But first, we needed some nourishment so we made a pit stop at Pizza Jerks for, what else, pizza and soda.  We sat out on the veranda with a beautiful view of Price Chopper’s parking lot while enjoying our pizza.

While we were chowing down we received a phone call from grand daughter Catia.  She just had to call and tell Grandma and Grandpa all about her first day at school.  She was one excited little girl to say the least.

The Concert In The Park was a tribute to the Beatles presented by a band from England that calls themselves Across The Pond.  There was a large turnout for the concert.

The band was absolutely excellent; you could actually close your eyes and think you were listening to the Beatles live and in person - they were really that good!!!  The concert lasted for two hours with all the hits that these old grey heads remember from our High School and College Days.  It was a very entertaining concert with us humming and singing along all evening.  And the price was right - free.

Today we’re heading back to New Hampshire to return Miss B to her parents and siblings.  It has been a great week and a half which seemed to have flown by.  It was a year ago when the plan to take our oldest grand daughter RVing was hatched and now it has come to an end – sheesh, time goes flying by waaaay to quickly.

That’s All For Today Folks – See Ya Tomorrow From New Hampshire.

Eating, Shopping, and Fun

We began our yesterday as usual with coffee, computers, and Good Morning America.  It was raining so plan B was put into effect (actually, we had no plans so we had to quickly come up with a plan B).   We decided it would be a good day to see if we could finish off the Christmas Shopping that we began in Keene, New Hampshire.

But first, we scribbled breakfast onto our agenda making a drive “over the river and through the woods” to Luck-E-Star Cafe in Warrensburg (our favorite breakfast haunt of years past).

After dining on a very fine breakfast of eggs for the guys and omlets for the gals (of course, I was the only guy) we headed for Queensbury, New York to JC Penneys, Toys-R-Us, JoAnn Fabrics, and Walmart; mission accomplished – Christmas 2010 for the New Hampshire brood is all done.

The weather cleared once we got back to the campground so we were able to play outside.  Judy and I just love the Schroon River so a kayak trip was most definitely a must.  We played tag with a Blue Heron in the little cove that we like to slip into along the way up the river.

By the time we returned from kayaking it was time for the Wagon Rides to begin.  Being that there weren’t many people lined up for the second trip we went for a second ride.  The wagon is outfitted with music so we listened to sounds of the 60’s while the tractor driver danced to the music.

We came home for a late dinner and watched a little telly thus ending another day in the life.  The sun is rising up brightly this morning so we’ll be playing outside today.  Please check in on us again tomorrow to see what kind of mischief we found to get ourselves into.  Until then, may the Lord look favorably upon you.