August 13, 2005 - Auburn, NH

Somebody wrote to me and suggested I'd better update the website because it's been a while.  Well, since we do have a few pictures from a couple of events I'll go ahead and do just that.

While we were in Hershey, PA, there was a family of ducks that would come begging on a daily basis.  Barb opened the door one day and there they were and she shot them.  I found this old photo when I was sorting things out for this update.  Oh well, better late than never, eh?  Sister Jennie and her husband Don are spending most this summer at their home in Maine, but during a trip back to their full-time home, they invited us to join them for a Patriots training camp.  Since neither Barb nor I knew anything about anything regarding the local professional football team, we were quick to say yes.  Besides, we enjoy being with Jennie and Don, and it would give us an excuse to do that.  When Barb asked what we could bring for lunch, we found out that we were going tailgating for the first time.  Imagine that.  You can live to be as old as we are and never go tailgating.  Can't say that anymore, because as you can see we're hard at it.

And we for sure weren't the only ones partying it up in the parking lot -- in the hot sunshine!  It was a freebee, no fee to park, and while we all had tickets, they were free as well.  Don and Jennie got their tickets because they're on the waiting list for season tickets, but there sure was a big crowd jammed up there at the gate so we figured there must have been some promotion in addition to the waiting list.  See that person way up top on that structure on the right?  They're on the ramp that takes you to the seats waaaaaaaay up there in the stadium.

Wonderful, modern stadium (about 5 years old)!  There's Don, Jennie, and Barb in their seats.  Barb and I wondered why there's no roof.  Spending all this money and not making it comfortable was something we sure didn't understand.  Both stadiums (football and baseball) in Seattle (where it hardly ever snows and rarely gets as low as the 20's)  have roofs.  The area right above those red seats across from us are full of "box" seats priced at $10,000 a year with a 10-year commitment.  Not for us, that's for sure.  We enjoyed watching the "TV" on the scoreboard and all the moving ads.

Lots of this kind of thing going on down on the field.  Some plays were run, but nothing like a game at all.  We decided to leave a bit early and maybe beat the crowd out of the parking lot.  Good time, and interesting experience for us.  Besides, we were with Jennie and Don, and that was fun enough for us.

The frog with diapers and a bottle is a cake for a baby shower.  Pretty fancy, eh?

The pretty blonde lady on the left is sister Carol's daughter Tracy, and it's her baby shower.  Carol is justifiably proud and looking forward to being a grandmother.  And speaking of grandmother, there's Ma and her six daughters.  Standing from left to right, Connie, Jennie, Carol, Barb & Donna.  Sitting with Ma is Lorraine.  Barb was the "baby" for 17 years, then Donna came along.  Surprise! 

While not the only food available by any means, it was among the most colorful.  Tracy and her husband Mike.  Mike was one of only three invited men.  I wasn't among them, so all these pictures are Barb's.

We took a couple of days to visit Guy and Carol at their "camp."  A lovely park model home with an added room in northern New Hampshire.  When we got there, Guy had read where the Flying Yankee was being trucked to the Hobo Junction and asked if we were interested.  Interested?  Us?  In something new that we know nothing about?  Gee, give us some time to think about it, OK?  OK!  We're ready!  And like any seasoned RV'ers will tell you, no trip anywhere is worth a darn if you don't take a side trip in the process.  So on our way to see the Flying Yankee, we stopped to look at a rock.

Yeah, right.  A "rock".  Easily the biggest single boulder Barb and I had ever seen!  Quite an attraction, too.  The path around it was well worn.  And then, finally we made it to the Hobo Junction with time to spare.

And the train station has been here a while.  Ever heard of Moxie?  Well, I had.  But only from Barb.  She'd mentioned it occasionally along with "frappes" and "lime Ricky's" and other such drinks she'd had when she was a kid living in this area.  I was about to have my first taste of a Moxie, but first some pictures.  This can't be called a horseless carriage, now, can it. 

Well, it looked simple enough.  As long as speed wasn't a consideration.  Yes, I was itching to try it, but didn't embarrass my bride or her family by making a scene by climbing aboard.

Beautiful old Packard, eh?  And then the Moxie.  Tasted like a cross between cough medicine and mouthwash as far as I was concerned.  Being a west coast kid I was raised on Orange Crush and Coke, what can I say.

A nice lady was watching the toy Flying Yankee .....and me.  Very intently.  No, I couldn't play with it, thankyouverymuch.  Ratz!  It was cooler in the station/gift shop anyway, so in we went.  As you can guess, there was lots of Hobo stuff for sale.  But for $2 we took a pass on the can of soup.

There was lots of Hobo this and Hobo that, but I really did get a kick out of the soup.  "A jungle recipe fit for a king" sounded great to me.

Enough of the gift shop, and outside to the trains.  There was a train leaving for someplace shortly, and I wanted to get some shots of it.  The train makes a short run for the tourists and then comes back, near as we could tell.  Most the activity today was because of the arrival of the Flying Yankee.

The old Wurlitzer "Spirit of '76" was ready and waiting, the cookies, brownies and lemonade were all made, and then finally only 10 minutes late, here came the Flying Yankee!  No, no, not that old fire truck.

Quite an entourage here.  The fire trucks were from Woodstock (that's New Hampshire, not New York), and there may be some out there that can actually remember the musical event that took place there some years ago.  And believe me, it was very much a "wide load".

See that pile of "stuff" tied to the top of that car?  Well, it's a camera!  Filming the trip as the Flying Yankee is making its way here.  There was some kind of sign on the lead truck, but I never did get a chance to read anything other than "...Greetings..." on it.

The keeper of the sign was on his way over to the speakers podium in a big hurry, as the trucks made their way around the parking lot to stop in front of the podium.  This is actually the front of the train here.  There are a total of three cars, just like the rusty toy I wanted to play with.  It's in the process of being restored, and has quite an interesting history.  You're welcome to check it out here if you're interested.

One car is finished on the inside, the other two are works in progress.  I managed to get a peek in the window of the end car as it went by, and could see it's been stripped down to the frame.

A couple of quick shots of the train parked in front of the podium, and then we were out of there.  The heat/humidity was just too much for us to stand in the sun and listen to speeches.  Back to Guy and Carol's we went.