Only 2 days left!

August 31 – Happy Birthday Jared!

After breakfast we headed out to clean the RV.  We didn’t go to work until 5 so we hoped the weather would support our need to wash the roof and then sides of the RV.  Bill, not being a roof guy was my “guy on the ground”.  There were so many pine needles on the slide toppers!  They were compacted and using the broom to get them off was a challenge.  Then I wet it down and scrubbed with the brush but it needs some special cleaner for the stains.  I did what I could as I didn’t feel like hand scrubbing it all this morning.  I hosed it off again and then Bill washed the outside. 

After a good rest and lots of liquids I cleaned my floors and Bill dusted ALL of the wood inside the RV.  That’s a lot.  I did one load of laundry but waited to put it in the dryer until time to go to work.  As long as the weather holds out for us tomorrow we should be packed up and ready to head out on Tuesday.

I baked a meatloaf and made Waldorf salad and instant Mashed sweet potatoes and took them to work with us.  We didn’t want to eat at 4:30.  Bill really didn’t have much to do and I was steady with people signing up for the holiday weekend next year and ringing up sales.  It started raining about 7:30 and that brought more people in to play pool and the games.  It let up by the time we left at 9 so we didn’t get drenched on the way home. 

We shared the last of the peach crisp and mostly read.

Busy day at work!

August 30 – It was our early day today so we got up at 7:45 to be at work at 9.  Only a couple of

Officer Magrey and Jax

campers didn’t arrive last night and still hadn’t by the time I left at 1.  Bill manned the Slip ‘n Slide part of the day and also a local policeman and his canine, Jax.  He really enjoyed meeting the dog.  I rang up a lot of sales and dealt with lots of kids buying ice cream and candy.

I made a quick lunch while Bill showered so we could get on the road to town.  We were aiming at the 2:35 showing of “The November Man” with Pierce Brosnan.  We made it with time to spare!  It was definitely full of action and lots of killing as to be expected.  The story line was good and kept you wondering who the bad guy was.  No good times to get up and go to the bathroom!

Bill giving Jax a treat

Bill wanted to fill the car up and run it though the car wash so we did and then stopped at Big Y, Aldi’s and Wal-mart before heading back.  After unloading our shopping I took the receipt from last night’s dinner up to talk to Barbara about it.  When I went to log it in my checkbook I reviewed the itemized bill and it appeared to me that I was over charged for my meal by $3-$4.  I texted Barbara earlier to look at hers.  Well, she was also overcharged and worse than me, she got charged extra for sweet potato fries that came with her meal.  We looked it up on the internet to make sure of the original cost of the coconut fish and it was $15 so they owed me $3 and her $4.50.  The waitress never said that there would be an extra charge for making the change from fish to chicken.  I told her I’d call as now, combined with all the issues during the meaI I felt someone at least needed to know.  I told her I’d call tomorrow and see what they said.

We ate our leftovers from last night for a late small dinner and had peach crisp with cool whip for dessert.  We watched “Hell on Wheels”, one of our summer shows and then read.

Work as usual and dinner with friends!

August 29 – Not quite as boring as yesterday.  We left right after breakfast to run errands since we were due in at 11 today.  We stopped at the post office thinking Bill had one more book to pick up but there was none.  I checked at home and he had already gotten the last one so all was good.  We went to Dayville  and he dropped me at Bed, Bath and Beyond to get Coconut Mocha coffee (my new favorite) and to look at new shower caddies while he went to the Shell station for 2 jugs of DEF (some kind of diesel fluid we needed in the RV).  He got what he went for and I got what I went for and we sat for a few minutes so I could make a couple of phone calls.  We left my Aunt Janet know where we will be camping near them when we get to Ohio and I made a DR. appointment for when I get home.

On the way home we stopped at a roadside stand for fresh picked tomatoes.  While I packed us a bit of lunch to take to work Bill put the fluid in and cleaned some things out of the car.  Sunday if the weather co-operates I will sweep and wash the roof.  It is probably a mess being under the trees and we hear stuff hitting it all the time.

We overlapped for 2 hours today with Ron and Barbara.  Worked out well because the guys parked the 12-15 rigs that came in and we did the check ins and sold wood.  Once they left it was still steady but when we left at 4 there were still 22 rigs left to come in. 

I made a peach crisp to have for dessert after we got back from dinner with Ron and Barbara.  We picked them up at 6 and ended up eating at Grill 37 in Pomfret.  The food was very good but we had some problems.  My coconut mojito was either too sweet or had no alcohol, my vegetable was supposed to be spinach but was mixed veggies, Ron’s appetizer didn’t come out until it was time for the rest of us to have our meals, we had to ask for silverware and water refills, and we had 2 servers and they didn’t communicate.  BUT, the food we did get was very good.  Barbara was interested in the coconut fish dinner but wanted it as chicken.  She asked the waitress and she came back and said yes, the chef could do that.  So that’s what she ordered and I followed suit!  Bill and I had some leftovers to bring home.

We invited them to come in for dessert but Ron isn’t a peach person so Barbara asked us to save her some for tomorrow.   Bill and I had our dessert and watched some TV.

Really short day!

August 28 – Boring day!  Bill went to get his haircut after breakfast and stopped a Wal-mart for a couple of things.  I did laundry and started organizing for packing up to leave on Tuesday.  After lunch we headed into work from 1:30 to 7:30.  Barbara stayed and visited with me for a while and later brought up a slushy drink to share made with frozen grape juice, frozen lemonade and citrus vodka.   So that was nice.  We had 8 check ins this afternoon for the long weekend.  Other than that it was pretty slow and boring once she left.

We had leftovers for dinner and watched one tv show and read.

  

Lite day all over

August 27 – I didn’t sleep well at all last night.  Then finally got up at 7:15 and tried the couch, not much better.  So it was a slow start morning, but that was OK as we didn’t go in until 2 again today.  I spent more time on the computer between doing another load of laundry and making a batch of pickle steaks for dinner.  Bill filled the cat food container and swept up after he spilled a bag of food all over!  He does a lot of reading!

It was hotter today and Bill was hot and tired.  Ron was back to work so he had done a lot of the mowing and weed whacking.  Bill weed whacked and did some mowing.  Pam wasn’t in at all so I did 3 reservations and reviewed about 40 check-in forms for Friday that Barbara had started.  Steve emptied the coins from the laundry room and I rolled $127 of quarters for him.  Not much in the way of cleaning and straightening but that will all change come Friday.  I did crochet a little once my “work” was done.

We had our pickle steaks for dinner with gluten free orzo which was really good.  Of course there was gravy over it so I’m sure that helped some.  We ate more squash. I wish they’d invent a new vegetable!  Bill had a lot of dishes to clean up and afterwards we had raspberry jello pie.

We both did more on the computer as there was nothing on TV tonight.

Two, count 'em, two days in One!

August 26 – We didn’t work until 2 today.  After breakfast Bill went to town to make a haircut appointment and a stop at Wal-Mart.  While he was gone I did a load of laundry and started on the computer and got a few days posted. 

It was really hot out today.  Poor Bill was out using the push mower.  It was hot enough inside the rec hall that we turned the AC on in the office.  I did some cleaning and printed flyers for this weekend’s events.  I helped Bill fill the ice freezer.  Didn’t even have time to read any today.  Pam was out until about 5 so we caught on “stuff” while we worked.

We had our leftovers for dinner then both got on the computers until time for Rizzoli and Isles.

August 27 – I didn’t sleep well at all last night.  Then finally got up at 7:15 and tried the couch, not much better.  So it was a slow start morning, but that was OK as we didn’t go in until 2 again today.  I spent more time on the computer between doing another load of laundry and making a batch of pickle steaks for dinner.  Bill filled the cat food container and swept up.  He does a lot of reading!

It was hotter today and Bill was hot and tired.  Ron was back to work so he had done a lot of the mowing and weed whacking.  Bill weed whacked and did some mowing.  Pam wasn’t in at all so I did 3 reservations and reviewed about 40 check-in forms for Friday that Barbara had started.  Steve emptied the coins from the laundry room and I rolled $127 of quarters for him.  Not much in the way of cleaning and straightening but that will all change come Friday.  I did crochet a little once my “work” was done.

We had our pickle steaks for dinner with gluten free orzo which was really good.  Of course there was gravy over it so I’m sure that helped some.  We ate more squash. I wish they’d invent a new vegetable!  Bill had a lot of dishes to clean up and afterwards we had raspberry jello pie.

We both did more on the computer as there was nothing on TV tonight.

Last day off but it was a pretty good one!

August 25 – Our last day off and no where to go!  Really we could have done another road trip but it is exhausting.  We slept as late as we wanted and after breakfast Bill went out and put our extra chairs away and did some re-organizing of the compartments.  I straightened up inside, did a load of laundry, swept, and at least got my photos downloaded and resized.

The actual mill room

We left for the post office then to Still River Mill.  It was not a half mile from the post office.  The lady there had a mill shop in the back where she and her 3 employees make yarns for knitting, crocheting and weaving from all natural fibers.  They use natural dyes too.  They use mink, sheep, dog, bison. alpaca and musk ox fibers.  It was amazing!  There were other animals too but I don’t remember them all.  The yarn is pricy but no fake stuff that balls up at the elbows.  She has samples made from each yarn and you can feel how nice it will be on.  I got some lime green to make a hat, so that will be my project when I get home.

Bill wanted to pick more peaches so we did.  They moved the picking to a different field and they must be a different variety of peach as they were all big ones.  Most were still hard as rocks but we managed to find a few riper ones further into the grove to top off our bag.  Bill said this was the best fruit summer we’ve had and he’s right!

Our next adventure was to visit Wolf Den State Park.  This guy, Israel Putnam, tracked a wolf to

The Wolf

its lair and killed it.   The wolf killed 80 of his sheep and had been killing many farmers in the area’s sheep.  The den was pretty narrow and he could only crawl in and took a knife.  The wolf backed away and he crawled back out and got a gun and went back in and shot it.  Well, Bill wanted to see the den.  We stopped at the ranger station and she gave us a map and said the road was mostly gravel and rough.  We went a ways but Bill didn’t like the road so we turned around and left.  In looking the map over I found we could go on less gravel road from the other side of the park.  We drove around to the other side and eventually found the gravel road.  There was only one bad spot and then into the little picnic area.  We parked and it was a decent walk downhill to the den.  There were trail markers along the way or you’d think you were just walking in a rain wash.  The den opening was big enough to get into if you wanted but we settled for photos on the outside of it.

Israel Putnam

Then Bill wanted to go into Brooklyn to find the burial plot of Israel.  We got to the corner of what we figured was the original center of town and went right, but nothing.  We went the other direction but nothing.  There was only one more direction and there it was, a huge monument of him on a horse.  He was also a General in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution.  On one end of the monument was a wolf head.

Time to head home for lunch!  Bill wanted to eat out but we had plans for the evening to go out with Ron and Barbara.  After lunch we both read until it was time to get ready to leave.  We picked them up at 6 and we went to The Lake Tavern in Dayville.  None of us had been there but heard good things about it.  One thing for sure you don’t leave hungry!  The portions were huge and everyone was very pleased with their meals.  Three of us brought leftovers home.

Ron and Barbara invited us over for dessert, Chocolate Lasagna!  Yum!  She had told me about the recipe and she and her sister made a batch in 2 smaller pans so she had one to bring home.  I really need to get that recipe, great cool dessert with no cooking!  We enjoyed more chatting and she showed me her Swedish weaving.  Another craft I will need to try my hand at.  We both read when we got home but I was fading really fast so went to bed first for a change.

Our last lighthouse day...so sad!

Nubble Lightouse

August 24 – Although we didn’t get a really early start we still had a great day!  We left around 9 for south of Portland, ME.  We wanted to complete the lighthouses there and in RI.  We stopped at our regular station to fuel up cheaper in MA and get our iced coffees and then on to York, ME to see Nubble Lighthouse on Cape Neddick.  Bill said this is the prettiest one we have seen.  It was very scenic across from the point on its own little island.  It’s an active lighthouse and the lights are all pretty much maintained by the US Coast Guard but historical groups maintain the facilities.  I went into the gift shop to get my passport stamp and she also

Boon Island Lighthouse

had one for Boon Island lighthouse.  I asked her where it was and she showed it to me out the window, way out in the water about 6 miles.  So after getting my stamp I went back out and took as good of a photo as I could from so far.  Bill managed to find a parking space along the edge of the tiny circle drive so he got to get out and see Nubble with me.  He moved to a small lot at the little snack bar but stayed with the car so he didn’t get in trouble blocking anyone in.

Great Lunch Spot

From Cape Neddick we headed just up the road a few miles  to Ogunquit.  Both Polly and our friends Ron and Barbara had told us what a nice place it is.  Well, it was a typical tourist town on the water in the number of tourists in summer.  There were cars everywhere in a poorly designed traffic area on bikes, on foot, with strollers.  We drove on out to Perkins Cove and it was worse.  Parking was $20 if there was any and I’m sure the meal prices were high also, so we managed to get turned around and left.  There were a lot of small shops and I was interested in going to some but not for the price of parking.  We watched along the way for a place to have lunch and we almost missed “Lobsters in the Rough”.  You might consider it a red neck kind of place.  You order and they call your number and most of the seating is outside.  They have entertainment every weekend and 3 bocce ball courts and horseshoes.  There was an outside bar with seating all around.  More of a neighborhood place but the license plates were from all over.  They had all kinds of seafood but nothing fancy.  It appeared to only be open seasonally.  I had a lobster roll with more lobsters than any other I’ve had.  We shared an order of fried clam strips and Bill had a burger.  It was very good and we didn’t have to pay to park.

Portsmouth Harbor Light

Our next stop was a waste!  We followed the directions to Whaleback Lighthouse.  It was all winding and out on a point but we came to a park entrance and it was $10 to drive in and see the lighthouse.  He indicated you can’t get to it but get the best view there.  I opted not to pay the $10.  So we drove on back to where we came off the road and went in search of Portsmouth Lighthouse.  It’s on a Coast Guard

Life Saving Station

Station but we accidentally entered the Naval Ship Yard.  They were very nice and gave us some direction to get around the town and in the right direction.  Once we got on the right road the directions started to make sense.  We went out to the point where both the lighthouse is and the remains of Fort Constitution.   There were a few parking spaces and we had time to get on a lighthouse tour.  The volunteers give the tours and set up a tent outside to sell memorabilia and tour tickets.  Bill was not interested in going to the top but was allowed to go with me and wait in line. 

 

Whaleback Lighthouse

We could see an older looking lighthouse a little way out and to the side of it was another small island with a decrepit looking building on it.  It was Whaleback Lighthouse and the old Life Saving Station.  The Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse are hoping to have boat tour out to the island in 2 years and have refurbished the Life Saving Station.  Guess we will have to come back!

The tour was nice.  They have a person at the base to give you info on the changes made to the lighthouse, a person on the inside to speak on the life of a keeper and his family and at the top the person talks about the lense and distance of the light.  It was very warm in the top as it was in the enclosed glass and the sun was shining brightly outside.  The view was great and I saw a very colorful boat sailing by.

Unfortunately the day was coming to an end and this would be our last light house for the summer.  I was very sad to be leaving.  So many lighthouses, so little time (and money).

The traffic going home for a Sunday evening was not nearly as bad as we expected.  I was prepared to once again find alternate roads but it wasn’t necessary.  We stopped again on the way at our regular Cumberland Farms to fill up and get iced coffees for the ride home.  We got home about 7:30 and finished off some leftovers for a late dinner.

Work and Shopping

August 23 – A good day to sleep in:  overcast and an early morning rain.  After breakfast we finally managed to get in the car and run our errands in the opposite direction of yesterday.  Two more of Bill’s books were waiting at the post office and I found a few of the things at Target they didn’t have last night at Wally World.  I went to Lowe’s and got a board to cut for pads for our RV.  Bill forgot to bring any and some places will require we use them when we leave here so best to get them on board.  Then a stop for a few items at the real grocery and back home.

I made a peach and berry crisp for tonight and tomorrow night and managed to get everything in the fridge.  No laundry today!  I sorted through some brochures and flyers and am pitching places we will not make it to this summer.  When we arrived it seemed like we had all the time in the world to go and do it all, now it is the last week and we still didn’t get it all done.  Oh well, there will be other years!

We worked from 3:30 to 7:30.  It was really slow.  I only had 2 reservations, no check-ins, and did have quite a lot of sales to ring up.  We planned to have our leftover Chinese for dinner and I sliced up a bowl of English cucumbers.  They are my favorites, so crunchy and crispy and no fat seeds.  Yum!  We waited until later to have the crisp and it was even yummier!

I planned out our day for tomorrow’s day off.  Hope we have good weather!

Work, Dinner and Movie

August 22 -  Back to work!  We didn’t go in until 11:30 and the 4 hours went fast.  I priced and stocked paper supplies and cleaned the bathrooms.  That was only an hour. 

After eating our late lunch we planned to go to town for our date night.  Actually we read and relaxed a while,  then went to Wal-mart first because it was too early to eat dinner.  We went to a Chinese place and it was primarily take-out but they had one table so we got to eat in.  It was so much better than our last try at Chinese.  Both of use agreed the food was really good and we had leftovers.

When it came to movie time, we didn’t agree on the movie so Bill went to Guardians of the Galaxy and I went to When the Game Stands Tall with Jim Caviezel who is Mr. Reese on Persons of Interest.  He has the sexiest voice and that strong solemn look.  Wow, he was really good in this movie and the fact that it is based on a true story made it even better.  Some very sad and touching moments but very uplifting and had me cheering at the end.  Bill was out of his movie first so he snuck in and caught the end and said he should have seen mine!  I might be talked into watching it again!

It was time to head home and put the groceries away then just sit and read til sleep took over.

Some local visits

August 21 – I thought I’d sleep in but woke at 8.  I left Bill in bed while I slowly woke up and came alive.  We were off again but knew we weren’t going to take off today all day again.  After breakfast Bill went out to do some car cleaning and I did 2 loads of laundry and the floors.  I worked some on my blog and photos.  I made a peach crisp today.  The blueberries are on the way out so time to start on peaches.

Nathaniel Lyons Grave

After lunch we decided to finally after 3 months, to visit the Natchaug State Forest right next door to us.  I have been told that there are a couple of live beaver dams there.  First we stopped at an old cemetery where Nathanial Lyon, the first Union General killed in the Civil War is buried.  Upon entering the forest the first thing we came to was the 3 sided fireplace/chimney, the only part left of Lyon’s birthplace.  It is pretty unique with bread baking ovens in one side with the big fireplace and fireplaces on 2 more sides.  I would love to have seen it in a house. 

We stopped at the park headquarters and got a map

One side of the chimney

and some directions.  We stopped at both dam sites but there was no activity.  The ranger said they are very active at dawn and dusk.  We thought we’d go back tonight at dusk.  We just followed some roads and didn’t go back the way we came.  We stopped at a roadside stand and bought Bill some maple syrup.  We ended up on Rt 6 heading into Willimantic.  We stopped for ice cream and they had an old apple tree and some fell while we ate.  I asked if they cared if I picked up the apples and they gave me a bag.

I made fried apples from what I could salvage of the apples to go with some roasted squash and a baked chicken breast for dinner.  By the time dinner was over it was getting close to dark so we hurried to take our mile walk.  Then we remembered we wanted to go to the beaver dam.  Maybe another night!  I posted a blog and did more typing and catching up on some email.

A day on Cape Cod

August 20 – Today was a VERY long day.  We left at 8:30 for Cape Cod.  We had debated on whether to take Molly and spend a night or ask someone to feed her and decided to just go for the day and do what we could in the time we had.  The drive with normal traffic should have taken about 3 hours to get to the very tip.  We had planned not to make any stops but go to the end then make whatever stops on the way back to gage our time. 

Highland Lighthouse

We ended up stopping at the Cape Cod National Seashore Salt Pond visitor center to get maps, passport stamps and info about the lighthouses that are open or that we could get to.  Highland Light is on park property but is maintained by a historical society who charge a fee for a tour and they set the hours for the lighthouse.  We decided to go there first as it was in the direction we were going.  Bill doesn’t do lighthouses so he took some photos from the ground.  This lighthouse has been moved 3 times further away from the eroding shore.   The guy who gave the tour at the top said he watched whales off the coast from the window yesterday.  It’s 69 steps to the top. 

It was lunchtime and traffic was horrendous to say the least.  There are no side roads so everyone has to drive pretty much right up the middle of the island.  As soon as we saw a place on our side of the road that didn’t look swamped we stopped.  I had my first lobster quesadillas and they were fabulous!  I licked my platter clean.  Lunch was a bit pricier than we normally spend but we were part of that captive audience.

Race Point Lighthouse

We made it to the end of the cape to the Province Lands Visitor Center for the park.  They have a nice upstairs observation level and I watched for whales but didn’t see any.  I got another passport stamp and more lighthouse info on the ones at the tip of the cape.  I’d been watching for a nice windbreaker type jacket to put patches on from places we’ve volunteered and lighthouses and they had some there marked down from $40 to $29.95.  They were men’s sizing so I got a small and it’s long enough to keep my butt dry too!

I walked out on a sandy beach (which I hate the beach and I hate sand) and got as close as I could to Race Point Lighthouse and took my photo.  It was a nice beach but the sand there is much coarser than the beaches in Florida.  They do provide nice mats to walk on from the parking lot to where the sand starts to really slope down, but then you are on your own.

Wood Lighthouse

At the edge of Provincetown, which is the big tourist trap town at the end of the cape, Bill pulled along the edge of the road by the harbor so I could get a photo of Wood Lighthouse.  We skipped trying for the next one because the roads are small and there are so many people on bikes and pushing strollers we just wanted to get out of the area.  It was time to turn around and head back the way we came.  It was snack time and traffic had died down so we stopped for a soft serve at the combo drive in movie, theatre movie, restaurant and putt putt golf complex.  Very unusual!

Nauset Lighthouse

Down almost to the elbow of the arm were 2 lighthouses.  Nauset Lighthouse is another one that is on park property but is maintained and tours are given by a historical society group.  Bill could not get a parking place so he dropped me off and I got a tour for free and my lighthouse stamp.  This lighthouse is very well known as it’s the one on the Cape Cod potato chip bag.  It has 46 steps up.

One of the 3 Sisters

Just behind Nauset is Three Sisters Lighthouses.  They were along the shore spread out but not really far and they also suffered the issue of eroding beach.  In 1911 2 were sold as cottages and in 1923 the third was closed.  Eventually they were all moved safely from the shore and first 2 to retire have no light on top.  They are all in a small picnic area and look awfully small to be a cottage.

Way down at the tip of the elbow is the Chatham Lighthouse.  It is on

Chatham Lighthouse

the property of the Coast Guard and tours are sporadic during the summer.  It’s right out on a point and below there were lots of people coming in from a day on the beach.  There are natural sand breakers in the area so it would be a nice beach spot, but there is very little parking, for that matter there is very little parking anywhere on the cape.

We stopped in Yarmouth Port where I thought the first Christmas Tree Shops was opened but that location is no longer open but we did go to a shop in West Yarmouth and got a few things.  Bill wondered if we should go ahead and have dinner at a little seafood place across the street that seemed to have a good crowd.  We just left the car in the parking lot and walked over.  It was not a fancy place and I wasn’t super hungry.  I had the lobster bisque and a side salad and Bill had lobster cakes.  He said they were good and my bisque was excellent.  I considered having a second bowl but didn’t. 

Then it was time for the long drive home in the dark.  We made one stop to fill up with the less expensive RI gas and got a beverage for the road.  We didn’t get home until 10:30 and although we were pooped, we weren’t ready for bed for quite a while.  We both read to unwind and begin to chill.

Off to see lighthouses in Rhode Island

Beavertail Lighthouse

August 19 – We left at 9 to meet with Ron and Barbara at their campground in RI.  About half way there they called to say they had a family emergency and would have to cancel.  It was no problem for us as we always have a list of places we want to go see.  We told them what our days off are and when they get freed up to let us know and we would reschedule.

Rarely seen brown Belted Galloway

We started on the island of Jamestown, RI.  There are lighthouses at each end of the long skinny island.  At the southern point is the Beavertail Lighthouse.  They have an excellent museum in the keeper’s house displaying information on all the lighthouses that have been in RI and which ones are in operation or not.  Only 6 are members of the United States Lighthouse Society.  All around the point are rocks and people were out fishing and sun bathing. 

Jamestown Windmill

On the way to Conanicut Point at the north end of the island Bill spotted a herd of Belted Galloway cows and of course we had to turn around so I could get photos.  They are beautiful cows!  Then just up the road is the Jamestown Windmill from 1787.  It’s only open on the weekends so we couldn’t go see it up close.

Conanicut Point Lighthouse

Conanicut Point lighthouse was a challenge to find.  It was actually a house with a light on top and that is privately owned.  We drove by and back again and then I could see the steel fencing that’s always on the top of a light house.  The light is gone but at least we found it.  There are 2 houses side by side.

We drove back to the middle of the island

Rose Island Lighthouse

and crossed over to Portsmith Island.  From the bridge I could barely get a photo of the Rose Island lighthouse out in the water.  Once we got to Middletown on the island it was lunch time.  There was a Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins place that we went to.  It was Anthony’s Seafood and the parking lot was full.  I had one of Guy Fieri’s recommendations, Kung Pao Calamari.  YUMMY!  A spicy spin on an old favorite.  It is served as an appetizer so I got a salad too and I was stuffed.  I could have managed on half but you can’t heat up leftover calamari.  Guy came through once again!

Newport Harbor

Newport is the big draw on the southern end of the island.  We went on search of the Newport Harbor Lighthouse.  Rather than fight to find

Touro National Historic Site

a parking space so we could walk out to it, Bill parked in a boat ramp while I got out and took the photo.  Then we went in search of Touro Synagogue, which is a National Historic Site.  It was built in 1763 and is the oldest Jewish house of worship in the US.  They give tours but Bill was parked in a no parking area once again so I took my photos, got my passport stamp and back to the car I went.

Kelly at Castle Lighthouse

To get to Castle Hill Lighthouse we followed the phone instructions 
according to the address I had.  It took us to the right land point but it was a ritzy resort.  The valet told us we were close and where to go back to and park and walk to it.  It’s a neat little lighthouse just kinda embedded into the side of the embankment and was built in 1890.  There was another couple there and I offered to take their picture and Bill was on the phone and I couldn’t ask to have them take ours.  Grrrr!

It was getting late and we had about a 2 hour drive back so we

Plum Beach Lighhouse

headed home.  On the last bridge back to the mainland on my side was another small lighthouse in the middle of the Narraganset inlet, Plum Beach Lighthouse.  It’s no longer in use and I was able to snap a quick photo through the side rail of the bridge.

We came home and had leftovers and readied for another busy day tomorrow. Once again my loving husband did all th driving.

2 days rolled into one

August 17 – Other than Bill went to get a newspaper we didn’t leave the campground today.  We worked at 2 today.  I changed 2 light bulbs that I was having trouble getting the covers off in the living area.  Then I did laundry and read until time to make lunch.

Work was slow and Sundays are always boring as everyone leaves before we get there.  I got to read and did some computer researching.  After dinner we took a mile walk.

A man and his mower

August 18 – Bill was anxious to get back to the berry patch today so after breakfast we made a

Picking peaches

stop at the post office to pick up Bill’s books I ordered and then headed to Buell’s Orchard.  We picked a bucket, about 7 pounds, of blueberries but it wasn’t nearly like before.  The bushes were pretty much naked on the tops but down at the bottom where no one would bend over were still lots of berries.  Then we stopped at the peach trees and picked a peck of those.  If there hadn’t been people around I might have snuck out a couple of patty pan squash. 

I only had room for 1 quart bag of berries in the freezer and made a berry crisp again.  So we’re eating a lot of berries!!!  I left the peaches to sit out and ripen a bit more.  Can’t freeze them so I guess I can make fruit salad!

I was on my own most of the day as Pam was doing the accounting stuff and Steve was in and out.  I had to do all the floors.  Ugh!  You have to dust mop then wet mop.  I do one step at a time as it kills my left shoulder and back.  I had a couple of reservations and did more research for our trip home.

We had leftovers for an easy dinner and a nice mile long walk.

Pig Roast Day!

August 16 – Busy day!  Beautiful out, absolutely beautiful!  Too bad I had to work inside.  Traffic in the Rec Hall was pretty steady.  I never know what Bill is doing outside on weekends as they don’t want him to mow or do things up close to the campers.  We had tickets for the Pig Roast

The rest of the pig

so we took the cake I made to work with us and at 2 Pam came in to relieve me so we could go down for our meals.  It still was not quite ready so we chatted with the residents and eventually filled out plates and took them back to the Rec Hall to eat.  That was the juiciest, most tender pork I’ve ever eaten.  The sides were OK, lots of macaroni salads, slaws, some delicious chunky homemade applesauce.  Lots of desserts also and I only took a little canola and ½ piece of pineapple upsidedown cake that was cooked with charcoal in a dutch oven.  The canoli was disappointing and the pineapple was OK, nothing to write home about.  We did go down after work and Bill took a picture of the pig’s head on the grill still and they gave us more meat to take home and we took my leftover cake.

Bill got showered ASAP and we headed to the 4:25 movie, The Expendables 3.  Not a lot of acting except for Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford but it was action packed and lots of funny parts amongst the shooting and blowing stuff up.  Pretty much like the first two. 

We stopped at Wally World for a few things and put enough gas in the car until we go to RI on Tuesday where is so much cheaper.  It is cooling off at night again, low 60’s, so that’s nice.

Dinner out

August 15 -   We got up late today as neither of us slept very well.  Bill seems to get stuffed up as soon as we come in after work.  He can’t be allergic to Molly but we don’t know why it just starts when he gets home.  He called his DR. and they said to try Nasacort.

We went to work 11:30 – 3:30 today.  After work I baked my chocolate cake for the bbq pot luck that we were going to tomorrow.  Now since our hours got changed we will just get coverage long enough to go down and get our food.  I made reservations for our girls camping trip in November, then we left to go shopping before dinner.

We stopped at Bed, Bath and Beyond, Dollar Tree, Lowe’s, Staples, Michaels, Walgreens and had dinner at a different Mexican place than last time.  This one was better but still not Taquitos!  But the sangria was pretty darned good! 

Plumbing job

August 14 – No errands today before work.  We didn’t go in until 1:30 for our 6 hours shift.  It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.  Bill did more mowing.  I did some reservations and got stuff ready for more check ins tomorrow.  We have a group coming and Bill had to make sure their pavilion was ready and this weekend there are 2 groups doing big group cook outs.

Just before we left today Bill dropped a little part in the bedroom sink.  I told him it would have to wait until after work.  That was the first order of business when we got home.  I had to take the sink drain apart and since I didn’t have the right tools for the whole job I managed to take the curved pipe loose and use a rag to suck the water out and tip it enough to put my finger in and slide the little part out.  Got it back together with no leaks that I’ve seen.

I was glad that we had leftover stuffed peppers for dinner as it was 8 by then.

Rain, rain and more rain!

August 13 – We got up very late today.  The heavy rains hit the area (and our roof) at about 1AM and this is kinda like living in a tin can when it rains hard.  So we didn’t sleep all that well.   After breakfast today Bill went to Wal-mart to pick up his prescription and I gave him a short list of things to get.  It was still raining, as a matter of fact it rained ALL day and didn’t stop until about 8 PM.  It would rain hard then slack off, then start up again. 

We worked 2 – 6 again and Bill was in his rain coat most of the day.  After checking the restrooms and showers he filled the ice freezer in the rec hall.  They had defrosted it Sunday and it was ready to fill back up.  Then he bagged 40 more bags of ice to empty the ice machine until they need more made.  That’s tiring job on his back.  I helped him fill the freezer after I cleaned the bathrooms and mopped the floors in them and the kitchen.  I had a slow day and mostly read.  I did book one reservation, checked in 1 guest and took 3 phone calls. 

Since it was raining out we didn’t get to grill out so I Georged bison burgers and thick slices of zucchini marinated in EVOO, lemon and soy sauce and nuked corn on the cob.  That is one of Bill’s favorite dinners.  We finished off the crisp and both got on the computers until TV time.

Back to work

August 12 – After breakfast Bill went to the post office and was gone for a long time.  It dawned on me that although he didn’t say anything, he was out picking blueberries again.  He came home with 6 pounds of berries and a couple of pounds of peaches.  I put another bag of berries in the freezer and left the peaches to ripen a bit more.  Then I made a 4 serving blueberry crisp for tonight and tomorrow night.

Our first day on the new schedule!  Sunday started our first days and we were off 2, now will be on 7, then off 3, then on 5, and so it goes.  Over the first 2 weeks we will work 38 hours, so 19 per week.  Basically we alternate with the other couple 2 and 3 days off and we both work every Friday and Saturday and a long day on Thursday.  Today was OK, but really slow.  I read a lot and did some computer research for us.  Bill was on the mower ALL day.  That is what he likes the best and since we expect rain tonight and tomorrow he won’t be able to mow then.  The 4 hours went pretty fast.

I warmed our stuffed peppers for dinner and later we had some crisp for dessert and settled in to watch our shows.

Another round of lighthouses

August 11 – This morning we left for New London on the coast of CT.  It’s about an hour to get there.  Not

New London Ledge Light

bad.  We headed for along the coast where I had a map indicating you could get a good view of several lighthouses.  The two that we could see were New London Ledge Light which is out in the water and you have to take a tour to get to it and New London Harbor Light is in a great spot for viewing but all you could see was the top as it was scaffolded all the way up for reparations.  There is no place to go for the stamps so I will have to write to get them sent to me.

Bill wanted to go to the U S Navy Submarine Force Museum

Sub from late 1700's

so that was next.  We followed the signs and ended up on the Naval Base by mistake.  Those guys are fully armed and he took Bill’s license info and told us where to exit and get to the museum which is off base.  He had another officer go into the road and basically block us off from going anywhere but the exit.  The museum was just a half

In the sub

mile further down the street.  It’s pretty huge, but then we are talking about torpedo exhibits and that kind of stuff.  The movie was excellent.  It was about the development of subs and then how they were used in various wars.  Outside is docked the USS Nautilus which is the first atomic powered submarine.  We got to go on it and in it and all through it.  We’d been on a sub before but it’s been a long time.  You cannot be claustrophobic and live on one that’s for sure.

Coast Guard Chapel Light

Then we visited the Coast Guard Academy.  Their chapel has a working lighthouse for the steeple.  We had to give our licenses that were scanned and off we went.  In addition to the chapel we went to see the football field, baseball field and the commissary where we were allowed to buy only items with the insignia on them.  I saw a group in training working on drills.  We could have done more walking around but we were really hungry and wanted some late lunch.

Avery Point Light

No luck on the late lunch yet as we headed to the Avery Point Light.  It was the last lighthouse built in CT and on the grounds of industrialist Morton F. Plant’s estate.  The property is now a branch of UConn.  Bill spotted the tower as we drove up and went to a parking area he thought would be closest.  He stayed in the car and I walked to it and got my photo.

Stonington Lighthouse

Still no lunch!   We left for Stonington Lighthouse.  It is located on a point with a nice park and beach and set back a little.  It just looks like a stone house with a small tower.  It is all original and now houses a lighthouse museum.  I be getting really hungry about now!

Our next to last stop of the day was Mystic Seaport.  I thought that was the town.  Well I had the address of the lighthouse and we could not find the number, but did find a little seafood place on the water with all outdoor seating.  It was after 4 and it was my lunch/dinner combo.  I had

Waiting for a handout, not from
my long awaited dinner

clams strips and 2 orders of slaw, forgoing the fries.  Bill had chicken as usual.  Stuffed and ready to search again we drove more slowing down the street and the number was for the admin office of Mystic Seaport.  We parked across the street and called the number and found out that the lighthouse stamp was at the visitor center, which she gave us directions to just up the street and where to park.  I thought it was a visitor center for the town.  It was almost 5 and we knew they

View of seaport from our lunch spot

probably closed at 5 so Bill dropped me at the corner and parked and waited.  I was able to get the stamp in the VC and asked where the lighthouse was so I could take a photo.  I was told I’d have to pay to go in and they were closing in 5 minutes.  Then I asked where the Charles Morgan whaling ship was docked and was told it is also a part of the “park”.  Good thing we already got to go on it for free when we were in Charleston Navy Yard.  It would cost us $48 to visit Mystic Seaport.  It is a 19^th century village with strolling musicians, shops, demonstrations, a chapel, museum and the lighthouse and several ships to board.  It’s not a town but a town is all around it.  A little way west is the town of Old Mystic, so guess this is really New Mystic.

Mohegan Sun Casino

So, we got back on the road and the Mohegan Sun Casino was on the way so we made a relatively short stop there.  I spent the last of our cash, $30, while Bill had a soda and checked out the shops.  On the way out we each had a Krispy Kreme donut and mine was as good as they have always been.  It has been years since I had a chocolate Bavarian crème donut!

The ride home was uneventful and no, I didn’t cook supper.  I did make stuffed peppers for tomorrow since I didn’t want the meat to go bad.  We were pooped so just had a snack later and watched some TV.