September 17, 2003 - Westford, MA - From TX to here
We made it! Only one little glitch in the 1800-mile (more or less) trip. We were in TN and driving through a significant rain storm when the wipers quit. And then started up again. And then quit again. And then started again. Did that little routine about 6 times with me frantically punching all the buttons on the "smart wheel" steering wheel where the controls are. Finally decided to leave them on "delay" and slow down a bit. Made it to the Kodak, TN, Foretravel store for the night. Next day I replaced the wiper control module (warranties are a great thing, don't you know), and we were back on the road.
Little green frog with his freckles was guarding our stuff under the shelter when we tossed the blue tarp off and loaded that little U-Haul trailer. Trailer looks even smaller attached to the motorhome, doesn't it.
Seems like all motorhomers have to take a picture of themselves in front of their coach for some reason. So we did too. A couple we met in the waiting room at the factory, Bob and Camille, turned into great friends. They had bought their new-to-them coach a bit earlier than us, and we had fun comparing notes. They'd had a Foretravel before, and we learned a lot from them. They took these pictures of us before we left. We're planning on visiting them in Pensacola, FL, this winter sometime, where they also have a home. And looky there at the newest "Stupid Trick"! Barb pulled out the solid fiberglass sink cover (about10 lbs.) from its little hidey hole to enlarge her counter space during a cooking episode, and managed to drop it on her toe. OUCH! was not what she said, but "@#$%&*!!!!!!!"--you get the picture. Next day it was a multi-colored example of what not to do in the kitchen. She's broken that toe before..... playing barefooted soccer some years ago on a California beach, but apparently didn't break it this time. Stupid trick.
Our first night back in the area (Friday) was spent parked in front of Guy and sister Carol's house, and after buying a battery for the Jeep the next day (thanks again, Guy, for using your Sam's Club card for me), we parked at Wyman's Beach Campground here in Westford, MA. As soon as we got settled, we took off for Harrison, ME, to visit with Don and sister Jennie. It was the last weekend for them at their "camp" before closing down for the season; their real home is in MA. Now, these people refer to their "other home" as a "camp" around here. When I was a kid living in Sacramento, CA, we had friends who had "cabins" at Lake Tahoe. Neither these "camps" or those "cabins" really are. They're gorgeous second homes. Some fancier than others, but serving the same purpose. A getaway from the routine of "home" life. When we were here before our little TX excursion, we'd visited David and Donna's camp in NH, remember? And I got up early enough to catch Don and Jennie having what appears to be a serious discussion on the porch over morning coffee. Oh, another thing these "camps" all have in common is a lake of some sort nearby. In this case, the camp is located on waterfront, and you can see Long Lake through the window past Jennie. A funny story about this lakefront property is that Don and Jennie had talked about it during the years they've owned it, and another sister, Lorraine, and her husband Ray liked the idea, but didn't really know where it was. Just a lake somewhere in ME. So, they eventually bought a condo in a development on a lake in ME as well. Turned out to be the same lake!, just a few miles apart. Surprised everybody when they found out what had happened. By the way, Barb has 5 sisters.
I guess the love of flowers that Barb has is shared by all her sisters. In this case, Jennie had taken these from her garden there and enjoyed them in the house; the pink one was especially large and beautiful, but now fading. And the living room with its woodstove. Don had been a builder (among other things) before retirement, and it shows in this home.
The functional kitchen and balcony of the second floor share this view of the back? yard. Apparently we got there on the best weekend of the summer. It had been windy, cool, and rainy this season they said.
I walked down to the dock and took a picture of the house, then turned around and took a shot of the lake and their boat.
Don't know if the coloration mix in the walkway is intentional or not, but it sure caught my eye. And the view from the street. When they bought the property some years ago, the street wasn't paved, and the lot was a tangle of trees, shrubs, and weeds recently cut down. Jennie saw lots of work and Don saw the potential beauty. Its both, from our perspective. Does their sign look like a tombstone to you too? Don't tell them I said that, we enjoy their company a lot!
Don was on his way down to get the boat ready to give us tour of the lake, and I was getting ready to take a picture of some of Jennie's flowers when we met. And see that little goose egg looking rock down there by the stairs to the front door?
There's a better shot of that little rock, and we felt very "welcome" indeed. Ah, "...the man and the machine." Don's justifiably proud of the Cobalt boat. He keeps it spotless and in excellent working order. And that's the opinion of a guy who can't remember ever not having at least one boat, and having spent time in the industry as well.
Flowers even on the dock, and Don explaining the aquatic principals (totally lost on me) of how that little rock wall with the steps and the boulders on each side created a fabulous kiddies pool where the sand flowed in naturally from the lake.
Don't let her fool you. She didn't understand how that all worked either, but it sure is a neat little pool. Oh, yeah, and the Aunt that came to visit (with the Mom) and fell off the wall into the pool as well! And we're off for our tour with the backseat drivers.
Yeah, even the Lady Of The Camp was relegated to the back seat. It really was a pleasant day, and the little sunfish sailboat brought back happy memories for Barb and I who enjoyed sailing a lot in our younger days.
So why is that guy hiding the fish behind his back? He's simply standing there enjoying his pipe. Interesting place, Naples, ME. Had a turntable bridge letting boats pass through the highway into Lake Sebago. We got out for a walk and to see if we could find some ice cream. Had to settle for a walk and some fudge instead. Good enough compromise for me!
Lots of interesting houses along this lake, including this "castle house" way up on the top of a hill overlooking the lake. And then the house Stephen King once owned. Lots of so-called famous people either have had or have or are having houses built on this lake. Easy to see why. It's beautiful, and was especially so on the days we visited. Since I'm not into ice fishing, I'm not sure it would work for us on a year-round basis.
Back home again. First, back to Don and Jennie's after our tour of the lake, and then Monday at the campground to "sort & stash" our stuff. Groan!
Not sure what I'm grinning about. Must be the advanced stages of the temporary insanity that goes with moving. There's a peek under the rear deck lid of the Jeep at the lake we're living on. We stayed in this space for about a week, and then it really rained one night and we got flooded out. Moved into that site next to where that 5th wheel is parked, our current location.
Another reason (besides the flood) to move is all those beautiful trees we're parked under. No satellite service (note the batwing antenna sticking up), and with hurricane Isabel coming nearby, we don't want any limbs to come down on us. That nice new black toolbox (much smaller than the red one that was in the truck, darn it) is sitting on a set of slides given to me by Patrick Taylor, the chief electrician at Warm Beach Camp and Conference Center in WA. We were SOWER volunteers there in Nov/Dec last year, and met Patrick and his lovely wife Brenda. When he learned of our intent to get a motorhome, he knew we'd be needing these. He'd been saving them for his next motorhome, but had about decided that there wasn't going to be a "next motorhome" in his immediate future. What good friends we have!
And yeah, the slide is strong enough to hold the tool box full of tools. Carol, Ma, and Guy joined us for our first ever dinner party in the motorhome. Well, almost in the motorhome. We at least ate ice cream in the motorhome. This was a celebration of sorts. All the basement stuff is stowed and the excess is all over at Guy and Carol's place waiting for the garage sale the 27th and 28th. Come on by, we'll have some great deals on some really great stuff! Yeah, the interior still needs to get sorted out, but at least all the stuff we're taking with us is now aboard. And what a relief! This whole process was a lot more stressful than I imagined it could be. We're going to keep this rig a very looooooong time, if for no other reason than our reluctance to ever move again (he said with a sly grin, knowing that the average full-time RV'er trades rigs every 3 to 5 years).
Everybody enjoying Mary Findley's book called "Whistle While You Work." She gives great cleaning tips on how to take care of stuff in an RV, and has a great sense of humor besides. We enjoyed her seminar at a rally someplace, and her book is a constant reference source for us. That's one of the best pictures of my bride that I think I have.
As I write this Barb is doing paperwork behind me at the dining room table, a classical music station is softly playing on the Bose surround-sound system, and we're feeling right at home. Looking forward to going to a different lake in Maine to be with Guy and Carol at their "camp" this weekend and will share photos of that later.