We had made plans to leave the Boston area and head for Long Island to pick up some motorcycle parts that needed to be shipped to Texas.
We were not looking forward to driving through new York City with the horrible potholes, that not only made one feel like they were in a 6 point earthquake, but also not wanting to pay that ridiculous toll over the Washington Bridge. We decided to take the ferry from Bridgeport, Conn. over the Long Island Sound to the cutest little village of Port Jefferson.
Timmy made reservations for the ferry departing at 10:00 a.m. and we arrived to load on the ferry with 10 minutes to spare!
The ride on the ferry was 90 minutes and it gave us time to run around the ferry and catch glimpses of the beautiful Long Island Sound and the village of Port Jefferson.
We got camp set up and by noon we were in the car heading to various places to get "Tims" job done. (I think I should at least get minimum wage)First we had to drive to pick up some palettes, and I asked Timmy,... where are you going to put them?
he barely mumbles back, hoping I can't hear him, ...
"They should fit right in the back of the jeep, if we put the seats down"...
(I'm thinking, why didn't we just get a big ole pickup truck to tow instead of a jeep, we could transport all kinds of stuff, even motorcycles...
but what do I know?)
Timmy loaded the palettes in the jeep, and the lovely smell of raw wood filled the car as we drove off to our next destination with my knees tucked up to my chest.
We then needed go pick up some "gaylords".
" Pick up some what?"
Timmy found the "gaylord" place and I was still curious as to why these things are called gaylords as they just look like large pieces of cardboard to me. Timmy carefully stacked them on top of the palettes and we were now headed to our next destination.
The sellers wife met us at their storage space in Nesconset and Timmy dug through all the old motorcycle parts like a kid in a candy store.
By 5:00 he had done an inventory and the sellers decided to take us out to dinner, which I thought was nice, but all I could think of was going "home" to our air conditioned "Jetson" Mobile and kicking back
with a glass of wine.
We knew the next day was going to be hectic to say the least, as Timmy was going to take the jeep and load the pallets with all the motorcycle parts for truck pick up by noon. We needed to be down the road at 2:00 to catch the ferry back to Bridgeport, Conn so I pushed him
out the door by 9:00.
This just so happened to be our 25th wedding anniversary and as he left, I was thinking... "Where is our breakfast in bed, where are the roses...how about champagne sitting by a nice pool overlooking the ocean...
I mean, this is our 25th wedding anniversary....?"
I had made an anniversary card to give to Timmy, and most people who know me, know one thing... I like to make things Big!
I blew up some balloons and added them to my homemade anniversary card, that I attached to the back of the " Jetson" mobile so he would see it when he came home from his " day at work".
I'm sure all the busy-body neighbors loved watching me put this up, as I couldn't get under the storage compartment of the RV to get the ladder so I had to use a footstool to put this up, and as I was attaching the balloons, just as soon as I would get a few taped on, one would fall on my head,... after the 6th renegade balloon and 10 minutes later ,... I realized the tape wasn't sticking to the dust, so I wiped down the back of the RV, and ended up getting more dirt on me than the towel I was using.
(I'm thinking,... "I sure hope he appreciates this,..
cause I am agitated right now,... stupid balloons anyway.... "
My reward was to jump on "Pinkie" and bike down to the beach, which was about 500 feet from the motorhome.
When I came around the corner, I about fell off my bike,.. it is all wooded area and then the trees open up to this
beautiful beach.
I immediately felt a sense of peace and contentment as I sat and appreciated the beauty. All I could think of was "Thank you God"
and I knew it was going to be a great day!!
I headed back to camp an hour later, thinking I would find all my balloons on the ground and all the neighbors would be watching my disgusted expression, and lo and behold, every balloon was still attached and bobbling around, representing the celebration of this special day....
(like I said,... I just knew it was going to be a great day!)
We caught the ferry back to Bridgeport, Conn just in the nick of time and we had 90 minutes to celebrate our anniversary, so we headed up top to the lounge, and as I drank a glass of wine from a box... (that is all they had) and Timmy savored a cold beer, we toasted to our anniversary, and shared 90 minutes of ocean. It was absolutely beautiful.
We liked our stay in New Haven so much, we decided to go back for a few days and get some rest. (not sure what that word means anymore, but I think it means you can sit for more than a few minutes and relax)
It was great knowing we didn't have to move or go anywhere for a few days... and Timmy announced our vacation trip had officially now begun.
Cool!!!!!
We enjoyed a nice BBQ and we felt home.
Who would have thought we would be traveling in a "Jetson" mobile cruising across this great nation of ours celebrating our
25th wedding anniversary?
25 years and still "cruising"
We had 3 whole days to do nothing but play. We rode bikes and explored the rural parts of the area, then jumped in the jeep to drive the coast and visit all the quaint little villages along the way.
I marveled at the "Cape Cod" style houses and was almost frothing at the mouth with all the wild flowers.
Timmy loves clocks and just happened upon this clock store.
It was a neat old barn sitting on a hill and was tempting us to come in.
Timmy was frothing at the mouth this time.
He had never seen a clock shop quite like this....
and to be honest, neither had I.
I fell in love with this "midget" grandfather clock and thought it would be a perfect anniversary gift for the "Jetson" mobile, but it wouldn't survive a day with the mini earthquakes we have while driving down the road each day, so we spared it's life and passed.
Continuing with our cruise, Timmy pulls into this old cemetery,
(I didn't even have to ask him)
and we find some great old stones from the civil war!
This soldier was at Antiem.
As we were driving through the cemetery, I saw a little cottage at the end of the road, and said... "Look, that must be where the Innkeeper lives."
Timmy and I both started laughing,....as he knew I meant to say... groundskeeper.... and we both agreed, if it was the Innkeeper's house... these people had checked in for a very long time!! :)
Timmy had been working on a motorcycle transport from
York PA to Hamden, Conn.
He was set to drive to York PA in the jeep pulling a trailer, to pick up the bike and bring it back to New Haven.
( the buyer lives in Hamden, just up the road)
I know this is confusing... but think how I feel!
After all the worry and fretting,... and the countless discussions, the seller calls and decides she will not release the bike unless the buyer puts down a deposit. (which is standard procedure with Big Tim) The buyer seemed to think he knew more about this than my husband
(yeah right, let me know how that works out for you buddy) ...
and refused to put down a deposit until Timmy delivered the bike!
So basically what this means is, the deal is off.
After all that.
Just as I was feeling a sigh of relief, Timmy gets a random call
from a new buyer on the bike.....
he offers more money.....
AND
HE WILL PICK UP THE BIKE HIMSELF !!
Praise God, Hallelujah,... and Amen!!
end of story
After 3days in New Haven, we were on the road to Gloucester, Mass.
We were heading north through Cranston, Rhode Island and stopped to see Timmys' sister Robbie's brother in law, Richard. He has spent many motorcycle tours with us in Borrego Springs and we couldn't drive north without stopping and saying hi.
He even let me steal some of his lovely flowers from their backyard.
We had a great lunch, visited and then we were down the highway
towards Gloucester.
I had put a small roast in the oven and it was cooking all day. It was nice to fill the "Jetson" mobile with the smell of home cooking as we cruised down the road, and it was particularly nice that once we landed,
dinner would be ready.
I had bought this "Guardian Service" cookware at a thrift store for $5.00. I liked it cause it was small, (perfect for our Jetson mobile) heavy duty, and had the stamp of the guardian service on the bottom. When I saw the stamp, I immediately knew it must have been a good piece, and while no one was looking, I googled the piece and found that it was worth about $110.00.
Apparently these dishes come in sets of 3, are heart shaped and all fit together. They are famous for being able to cook with them without any water, and you can stack all three on the stove top, with your meat on the bottom, potatoes in the middle and veggies on top, with one glass lid.
I just fell in love with this piece, and need to find 2 more!
The dish worked perfect and I didn't add water... the roast was as tender as could be... and the flavor was outstanding....
Another successful shopping story and cooking story!!!
Gloucester
When I think of Gloucester I think of the movie "Perfect Storm" with George Clooney, and the fisherman of Gloucester.
(well, I know George wasn't a fishermen, but in the back of my head, I was hoping I might catch a glimpse of him on one of the fishing boats)
We had a great campsite overlooking Ipswich Bay and we were especially happy to be here for 7 days!
(Timmy's flag on the "Jetson" mobile)
We were so excited, as this was the first place we were going to be parked for a week! We checked in at the clubhouse and the manager told us that the city was celebrating the famous "St. Peters Fiesta".
All of Gloucester comes out to celebrate the fisherman of Gloucester, which is the oldest seaport village in the country. They have music for 3 days, concerts in the park, boat races, a carnival in the middle of town on the wharf, and we were even able to attend their special
"open air mass" on Sunday morning, where they had made a makeshift alter on the wharf, pseudo stained glass and all.
I just loved the mass amongst the ferris wheel in the heart of the carnival.
The mass was done in Italian, and for a minute I thought I was actually in Italy. Amongst the offering, and the communion of bread and wine,
one could step inches away and choose from a wide assortment
of anything fried.
Gloucester is famous for it's Fried Dough.
After the mass, the city had a procession throughout downtown for those who wanted to walk 5 miles. People were all dressed in silly costumes, like Spiderman and Batman,... and somehow, Timmy and I forgot our devil and princess costumes, so we passed and went and enjoyed some
great fried crab.
We drove all the little villages and seaports in the area, and our first stop was Essex. This town was filled with antique shops but being the good little shopper that I am, found great pieces,
but the prices were way too high.
Timmy did threaten me, that if I didn't behave, he would sell the "Jetson" mobile and take up in this motorhome...
We saw some beautiful beaches as we drove the coast,
and we took time to stop and relish the scenary.
The following day, we decided to drive the northern part of Gloucester to Rockport. Gloucester is on a peninsula so almost every direction you go, there seems to be water.
We would drive and park, drive and park,... there were so many beautiful places to see, it was almost overwhelming.
I have never seen so many traps and buoys in my life...
I fell in love with this ole barn...
just a few yards away, we found this one....
We headed back to downtown Gloucester to see what kind of action was going on... and found their City Hall.
The city has great old churches with huge steeples. From a distance you could see all the steeples peeking out.
I wish I had time to see the inside of them, maybe next time.
Gloucester Celebrates Early
For some strange reason, Gloucester always has their annual parade and fireworks on the 3rd. This worked out great, as Callie and the "Dejas" were scheduled to play at "Minglewood" in downtown Gloucester at 9:30, the parade was set at 6:30, the fireworks at 9:00 and my cousin Linda had made reservations at a great little Mexican restaurant
across the street at 7:30.
I love synchronicity!!!
We enjoyed listening to Callie and the Deja's. They are an incredible band, and one to certainly keep on your radar.
The 4th in Gloucester
It is normally our tradition to ride bikes on the 4th and share in the festivities at the American Legion on the harbor at Newport. We decided to not break tradition, and although we didn't make it to the American Legion, we did ride to one of the most famous beaches in the area.
Wingaersheek Beach
These beaches and coves are famous for their low tides and Timmy and I swam and frolicked in the water all day. At one point, with the water still going out to sea, the lifeguard told us he has to stand guard on the strand that leads out to sea, as when the tide comes back in people get stranded....
I can understand how this would happen,... you simply get mesmerized and just seem to keep walking out further and further... at one point I though we could walk right to the lighthouse.
It was amazing!
We enjoyed a BBQ back at the "Jetson" mobile and wanted to see the beach with high tide. It was hard to believe that we had walked out
almost a mile!!
We caught a beautiful sunset and some fireworks as we sat on the big rocks with the balmy breeze hitting our faces.
We almost walked to the lighthouse.... just 4 hours earlier!
Purple wave of clouds.... with the sun just barely peeking through....
Simply Breathtaking!
As we were driving through all the little villages we noticed there were so many Mom and Pop stores still operating. You won't see that in California. The big stores have taken over everything. Every kind of store you could think of, little grocery stores, package stores, (liquor stores), pizza joints, gas stations, you name it. It reminded me of all the neat little grocery stores in Webster City, Iowa when I was growing up. We had "Ray's Corner Market" half a block from our house, and mom would give me a dollar for bread, and I would ride my bike to the store.
I also noticed all these family-owned stores were a place of gathering for the local neighborhood. Everyone seemed to know everybody.
There was a real sense of community and connection amongst the people of Gloucester. It almost felt like we had stepped back in time, and I yearned for those simple times back in the good ole days.
I was curious about the phrase, The Perfect Storm.
How can anything be perfect?
I looked up several definitions and this one came from the
Urban Dictionary. (for real)
Perfect Storm- when a combination of events or things
causes an unforgettable moment.
hmmm.....
Beautiful ocean views in all directions, incredible low tides with white sand dunes, fresh seafood daily, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, flowers in abundance, historic monuments still preserved, majestic cathedrals and churches, and most of all,
an undeniable connection
amongst the people....
and so it is...
"Gloucester.... the perfect storm"
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