Satisfying a Lobster Jones

June 13, 2010
Broad Brook, CT

Geri's been wanting a lobster dinner since February. OK, that's because I promised her one for her birthday. But, I was painting the house and time just got away from me. So, with lobsters going for $4.99 per pound (as opposed to the $13.99 ones in AZ), Geri and Pat did a seafood feast today. Steamed clams, steamed lobster, corn on the cob - great to be in New England!

"Lefty", "Larry", "Louie"...

 Whiner says "save some for me"!

"Hey, it's a birthday party!"

June 12, 2010
Marlborough, CT

Today was a relaxing day. We puttered around a bit, then headed to Marlborough for a birthday party for Geri's grandson, Josh. We visited with Geri's son, Pete, (Josh's Dad) and his friend, Val. Josh's sister, Belle, and her friend, Danielle, Geri's son, Paul, daughter, Melisa, and grandson Jesse were all there. Pete did burgers and dogs on the grill and Val made enough baked macaroni to feed an army, so we were almost full by the time the cake arrived.

We all wished Josh a "Happy Birthday", and Pete surprised him with tickets for the Yankee game the next day. Good job!

Danielle, Belle, and Josh

Melisa, Al, Pat, and Geri

Val and Pete

Through The City and on to Connecticut via multiple states

June 11, 2010
Broad Brook, CT

Today was a very good travel day. We bid PA farewell and headed for CT.

We were up early and greeted with a partly sunny morning. Coffee in hand, I finished the travel preparation, which was basically just pulling in the power cord and hooking up to Rover. We left right around 8:00 AM as planned, and made our way cross-country (there are no direct routes) south. We tried a new route and it worked out pretty well, heading west from the RV park, then south to PA-41. We soon crossed into Delaware where a quick maneuver put us on DE-141 right down to I-295. We were soon across the Delaware Memorial Bridge into New Jersey, and ducked into the Flying J for fuel - both the coach and the people (this time, I remembered that we were going to have breakfast at our first stop).

We then made the quick hop over to the New Jersey Turnpike (aka "The Turnpike"), zipped through the EZ-Pass express lanes and headed north. As we usually do, we check New York City (aka "The City") traffic around New Brunswick. After hearing that there was a negligible delay on the local approaches to the George Washington Bridge (aka "The George" - OK, you get the idea: we can sometimes be New York-centric), we decided to go for it, saving 40-75 miles in the process. We had our alternate routes identified from past travel, so we knew we'd have options if things changed.

As it turns out, we really didn't have any issues. We followed the Turnpike all the way past the Meadowlands sports complex to the end, used the local lanes, cut over to the upper deck lanes (no trucks/propane on the lower level of The George and saw an empty HOV lane marked "6-9 AM and "3-6 PM". It being 11:00 AM, that looked like the right lane for us, and we drove right up to an EZ-Pass only lane and were through in a matter of seconds.

From the tolls, it's only a few hundred feet to the bridge, then quickly across the upper tip of Manhattan into the Bronx. OK, "quickly" is relative since we had a bit of stop-and-go traffic for a few miles. Other than a few slow spots along I-95 in Connecticut (the inevitable construction zones), we had a good ride up to New Haven then north on I-91, sneaking through Hartford just before the afternoon rush and arriving at Pat & Al's place in East Windsor right around 4:00 PM. Other than a run-in with an angry wasp while plugging in, we were quickly settled and enjoying a beer (the Lone Star that we brought Al from Texas) on the porch. All in all a good day.

A whirlwind week in PA/NJ

June 10, 2010
Embreeville, PA

Whew! We've been running all week. OK, not literally, but we've been busy nonetheless and have had a good time as well.

Sunday, we visited our friends Wayne and Doris in Chadds Ford. Their garden, "Wyneden" (http://wyneden.com/, http://wyneden.blogspot.com/), is a popular spot for horticultural tours, and Wayne's done an amazing job in both design and execution. We spent some time touring the garden before a nice dinner, and ended up talking well into the evening. Merlin and Maya Lynn enjoyed the visit with Nico, their champion standard poodle, as well!

On Monday, we caught up with friends from the working days, Bob & Sarah and Dave & Sandy. After wine and hors d'oeuvres at Bob & Sarah's, we headed to a local Italian place and had another nice meal. It was great to see everyone, and we all agreed that we should try to get together more than once every two years!

Tuesday took us to New Jersey, this time to visit friends, Shelley & Felice, who were neighbors when we lived in Berlin. They have a nice house in a quiet neighborhood (keeping the rampant development at bay) and it was fun to see all the home improvement projects they've completed. Their Dalmatian mix, Oliver ("Ollie") is just a few months older than Merlin, and they've been "buds" since they were puppies. Ollie's been suffering with some health issues, and we hope his treatments are productive.  Yes, Ollie has his own chair at the table and, yes, he likes chocolate cake...

Wednesday dawned cloudy and rainy, and we ended up in New Jersey again, this time for shopping. Costco, Wegman's, and Canal's Wine Shop were all on the itinerary, and we got most everything we needed (and probably some things that weren't "on the list"). We took the pups with us since it wouldn't be too hot (especially not with temperatures in the low-60s), and they had a good day not being cooped up in the coach.

Today was our last day in the area, and we decided to hit a few local stops. Since we're right near Kennett Square, "the Mushroom Capital of the World" (says so right on the water tower!) and I always enjoy being a "fun guy", we walked around the historic district and picked up a couple of pounds of fresh mushrooms (mixed oyster, shiitake and maitake - yum). Our next stop was at Va La Winery (http://www.valavineyards.com/), in the little town of Avondale. I did some research and found this place online and was intrigued by the irreverent wit, so it was a natural place to stop. The notice in the "loo" is a good example of their sense of humor. We did a tasting and bought a couple of bottles (surprised?).

They serve each wine with a local cheese, and the tasting room manager suggested a side trip to a cheese shop. Since we had a little extra time and it was a nice day, we took the half-hour cruise up to Gap, PA, and found the place right under the clock tower. What a great find! We tasted every cheese we wanted and ended up buying six different ones. Can you say "cheese plate"? Oh, yeah.

Tonight, we used some of the mushrooms, with shrimp in a cream sauce over linguini. We're doing our normal "night before travel" stuff, so we should be able to hit the road around 8:00 tomorrow. This gives us a chance of getting through The City before the afternoon rush. Wish us luck!

Back in the Philly Area

June 5, 2010
Embreeville, PA

We had a very nice drive yesterday, leaving Virginia around 9:00 AM and heading across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel ($35 toll!!!) and up US-13/US-113. In Delaware, we passed Milford (Maya's hometown) and crossed into Pennsylvania and on to our destination, the "West Chester-Philadelphia KOA". We've been here before and it's really the only option for a park in the Philly 'burbs. Of course, we always say "If we knew how far off the beaten path we'd be, we'd never have come here". We've been here 3 times before, so I guess it's OK.

We arrived here around 3:30 PM and have been relaxing and catching up ever since. Geri's caught up on laundry and I've paid the bills. Tonight was Netflix night: Julie & Julia.Easy living. Over the next three days, we'll catch up with various folks we know in the local area, do some shopping (Moore Brothers, Canals, Wegmans, woo-hoo), and chill a bit before we move on to Connecticut late next week. Details to follow...

A quick stop and a quick visit

June 3, 2010
Virginia Beach, VA

Well, here we are in one of my old "stompin' grounds", Hampton Roads, Virginia. Back in the working days, we had a big contact center in Chesapeake and I spent a reasonable amount of time here. So, why are we here this time? Another family visit, of course. This time, it's Geri's great-nephew, Mike, who's attending another class. We met up with him last January in Florida, and found out a few days ago that he's taking a class in Hampton/Norfolk.

Since we are heading to the Philadelphia area, I'd planned to use I-95 from South Carolina, but I wasn't looking forward to I-495 around Washington and I-695 around Baltimore. Being able to see Mike meant breaking away from I-95 just over the Virginia border. We headed east on US-58, connecting with I-664/I-64/I-264 into Virginia Beach. The good news: we'll head north on US-13 across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, on up through the Eastern Shore, Maryland, Delaware, and on into the Philly area - and bypass the whole DC-Baltimore thing.

We're staying at a park right next to Oceano Naval Air Station. Fighter jet training runs from 8:00 AM to Midnight. Ah, the "sound of freedom". They even have bumper stickers that say "I Love Jet Noise". Lemons and lemonade, yada-yada-yada.

Mike and his class partner, Dan, headed our way and we met for dinner at Smokey Bones in Virginia Beach. I had a rib combo (good but a tad overcooked) and Geri had Fish & Chips (excellent). Mmmm...

Another Family Visit

June 2, 2010
Lexington, SC

We left Alabama yesterday morning, heading for Columbia, SC. We followed US-431 south to I-20 east, and followed the Interstate all the way to our destination. As usual, we passed some interesting signage along the way...

Ummm, I'll take the Plate of Ribs, thanks...

Our destination (actually in Lexington, just west of Columbia) was a bit of a crap-shoot. "The Barnyard RV Park". Barnyard? Hmmm. Actually, the "barnyard" is really a flea market. Double Hmmm. As it turns out, the fleas were away (closed) and the park was quite nice. Away from the road, it was relatively quiet (only a few evening trains rumbled past), spacious (100' pull-thrus about 45' wide), and just what we needed for a couple of nights.


So, why are we here? One of Geri's great-nephews, Ron, lives here with his family (Angela and Sebastian). We haven't seen him for almost 20 years, as he joined the Army at an early age and was gone every time we visited the family in California. He's now an officer, been deployed twice, and is currently stationed at Fort Jackson. They'll be moving to San Antonio soon.

Angela and Sebastian came over to the coach in the afternoon and we visited for a while (including some love from Merlin, who was uncommonly good) before Ron joined us. Afterward, we headed out through the raindrops to Outback for dinner. It was another great visit, seeing Ron again and meeting Angela and Sebastian for the first time. Back home, we did our normal preparations for travel.