A Day to Catch Up

We started the day slowly --- or at least I started the day slowly. Earla and Shirley were moving much more quickly than I was. We shared coffee, shredded wheat and bananas though, and then we were off.
Earla and I went to Marlborough (or Marlboro, depending on which sign you were reading) for a folk art festival. We would have arrived with no hitch at all if I'd copied the name of the venue correctly. It was at the Royal Plaza, and I wrote Royal Palace Trade Center. We did find it though, with a little maneuvering - something Earla is getting very good at.
It was a wonderful show. There were many exhibits by many talented artisans. I enjoyed the wares, but especially talking to the artists about their work. We refrained from making too many purchases. About noon, we enjoyed a deli sandwich and water and the company of a woman from New Hampshire. She had a friend who was showing her art. We left in the early afternoon and came back to Shirley's.
Shirley was in and out and we spent the afternoon knitting and crocheting and, of course, playing Scrabble. After a dinner of pizza and Halloween candy, we got back to the Scrabble marathon; it was Super Scrabble time, and we had quite a time of it... some high scores and some frustration with the letters as well. It's so much fun to have a third person who enjoys Scrabble as much as we do.
Shirley was gracious enough to let us catch up on our laundry.
And, there were many trick or treaters coming to the door throughout the evening.
We are, now, settling in to watch the World Series and get ready for bed.
Tomorrow, we will go to church with Shirley and, then, head to the north east corner of MA.

Massachusetts and Beyond

We were up, packed and ready to leave the Publick house early. I stopped to take a picture of the scene from our balcony and discovered that the temperature was very nice. After everything was loaded in the car, we stopped for breakfast. There were sweet rolls and coffee for the guests. Breakfast was served in the tavern which was designed as if out of early America. There were many nice pottery pieces, but also, a few bottles and a few weapons hanging on the wall. It was charming. We were on the road by 9:30 and decided to take in some extra scenery.

Our first choice was to head south to Connecticut. We stopped at a little shop on our way through to Rhode Island. Neither Earla nor I had been to Rhode Island, so it seemed like a good idea. We stopped for lunch at the Tavern On Main (seems there's a pattern here, too!) in Chapachet, RI for lunch. It was a fun place, the waitress was exceptionally friendly, and the food was good --- French onion soup and Caesar salad. Earla had Guinness and I had water... only because I'm not a fan of beer.

We also stopped at an antique store on our way through Rhode Island. Amazingly, it took us many miles of road to travel through the smallest state in the Union, which is maybe 15 miles wide!! We missed some turns, took some unplanned turns, and generally explored a little more of the state than we'd planned. Keep in mind, there are no wrong roads taken.

We arrived safely at Shirley's in Millbury, MA about 2:00. Shirley is a long time friend of Betty Rose's, and someone I met via e-mail. We were shown our rooms, and settled in to get to know each other better. First, we asked if she was a wine drinker as we needed to know if we should go the the liquor store. She's a wine drinker. Does she drink coffee? --- not much, but there's a coffee pot we can use. Then we said that sometimes we'd play Scrabble to stay out of the way --- "Oh," Shirley said, "Do you play Super Scrabble?" She brought out Super Scrabble, and we knew we were in the right place! We've found another avid Scrabble player.

Before we broke out the game, though, we went to the bank and, then, to Betty R's old neighborhood. We found the house she lived in some 25 years ago. What fun for us.

When we got home, we broke out the Scrabble game -- with twice the board, twice the letters and, as you can see, twice the score! Victory!!!

We played another game before dinner. Other games were much closer in score and I didn't get quite as good letters from this game on.

We broke for tuna salad sandwiches, carrots and sweet potato chips --- what a great dinner. Then, we relaxed (those Scrabble games will wear you out), crocheted and knitted and chatted. Soon, we had one more game.

Now the evening is winding down.

I just heard Shirley ask Earla for the pattern for the hats for children in Tanzania... Isn't that wonderful, someone else may be making hats?

We are off to bed soon and will look forward to tomorrow.

Wednesday night and Thursday on the Road Again

There are two pictures from the Shaker Village... the round barn and Earla.

Yesterday afternoon, we finished our ginger tea and conversation. Dorree (yes, I misspelled it yesterday!) was willing to show us her Halloween costume. Of course, mom and dad would salute the president of the United States. Dorree makes a very distinguished Obama and Bev provided numerous campaign buttons to complete the outfit --- notice that the president is bare footed.

We went out to dinner again, this time to a place called "Cafe Adam," another of Dorree's favorites and another where everyone knows Dorree. I'm thinking that, perhaps, she is a celebrity! Each of us ordered a different beverage, mine being a very nice Riesling. We each ordered something different for dinner as well. Earla had lobster, squash pasta --- very good. I had caramelized scallops with tiny onions and pine nuts --- even better. For dessert, we ordered apple crumb, creme broule, and pumpkin cake and five spoons. No one was hungry when we left Cafe Adam.

When we returned to Dave and Bev's, we settled in with the ball game on the TV set. Bev is most gracious and most tolerant. Other wise, I would have found myself out in the rain when I routed for Philadelphia. She is a major Yankees fan. It was all in the fun of the evening. While we listened to the game, Earla and I played a couple of games of Scrabble. It seems that one night is hers and the next is mine. Last night was definitely hers!!! We are pretty evenly matched though.

We rose early this morning so that we could say goodbye to Dorree before she went to school. We were treated to a short practice session on the piano before she left. What a joy!

The sun was coming up over that back acreage. I had commented on the view and Dave said that it changes throughout the day. This morning was a magnificent example of that. I took a picture, and ten minutes later, the sun was in a different position, and the scene was changed. It was fascinating to watch.

By 8:30, though, we were dressed and the car was loaded. Bev and I had been talking about her kindle, so we took time for her to show it to me. I am quite intrigued. We left to go further east into Massachusetts about the same time as Dave and Bev left to pick up Nelson. Nelson is their third dog and he has been at doggy boot camp for three weeks.

From Great Barrington, we drove north and, then, east toward Sturbridge Village. On the way, we stopped at Dunkin Donuts for coffee and donuts --- just a little pick me up. We got to Old Sturbridge Village a little before noon and started exploring. What a fun place. It is built just like a farming village of the early 1800's. The buildings are original to the era, though they were brought in from other areas. There were sheep and cows and interesting fences. We went to and listened to a girl in a kitchen. She had cut and hung apple slices to dry for later, had cured a ham and explained haw that is done, was making quince cheese, etc. She was very knowledgeable and very interesting. We saw a very simple church and one that was more elaborate, yet not ornate. In the second, we learned that families bought their pews and that the choicest pews were the ones closest to the pulpit. Imagine that! They, also, decorated their pews. The storekeeper was very informative, too, and told us that each community had its own store and rarely did anyone shop anywhere else. We saw a large house with many niceties and one that was quite simple. In the smaller one, one of the attendees was very friendly and helpful. There was so much to see and all of it was fascinating. We ate lunch, clam chowder and bread, in the Tavern. We stopped at the gift shop. Then, we were on our way to find a place to spend the night.

We found the Publick House. This would be a nice diversion from the chain hotels. It is quaint. It is nice. One wall is clapboard and the other three are old fashioned wall paper. It's kind of fun to do something different.

We played a couple of games of Scrabble and, then, went down to the dining room for dinner. We each ordered a glass of wine. The bread basket contained cornbread, buns, and caramel rolls with nuts. YUM. Earla dined on chicken pot pie and i had chicken/turkey rice soup and spinach salad. All was very nicely presented and quite palatable.

The weather was beautiful all day today, sunny and just a slight breeze.

We played one more game of Scrabble and Earla gave in to sleepiness.

Tomorrow is another friend day in Massachusetts.

It's Monday morning and all is a bustle at Annie and Mike's. Jack is out the door first on his way to school. He is followed shortly by Ashley and Annie who teaches fourth grade.

Margit and I are about making breakfast. She whips up scrambled eggs and bacon and I am in charge of the oatmeal. The eggs and bacon are perfection. The oatmeal is good for me.

After breakfast, we gathered our belongings, loaded the car, said our goodbyes and headed north. Just before we left New Jersey, we stopped at a Starbucks for coffee and decided to share a turkey sandwich and pumpkin bread. Then, we checked out the wine and spirits store next door and, with the help of the clerk, purchased two bottles of wine. We found stamps at the grocery store, mailed a few cards and were on our way again.

We drove into New York State with the intention of driving along and enjoying the Hudson River. We caught a few glimpses of it, but had been spoiled by the views of the Mississippi earlier in our trip. The trees were more and more bare of leaves as we traveled north. There was still some color and we did see clotheslines, white fences, some animals and, yes finally, a farm!! We stopped at West Point. What a beautiful campus! We checked out the gift shop, the visitor's center, and some of the surrounding area. There were wonderful picture taking opportunities. Back on the road, we crossed the Hudson at Poughkeepsie and went on up the east side of the river. Again, we didn't see much of the river, but the day was beautiful.

We turned at Hudson, NY, and headed east towards Massachusetts. We arrived at Great Barrington, MA late afternoon. Dave greeted us, as did his and Bev's daughter Dori who is nine, the dogs Hurry and Lola, and the cats Zue and Scout. It was quite a nice greeting. Dori offered us something to drink and, as we waited for our glasses of water, we soaked in the incredible view from Dave and Bev's living room. We chatted for a while and were offered wine. Dave asked what we wanted. Earla said red. I said white. Dave offered champagne. We said yes! For dinner, we met Bev, who had been in NYC, at Dori's favorite restaurant, John Andrew's. It was a wonderful, quiet, homey restaurant and bar. We discovered immediately that Dori is a favorite customer as eveyone knows her and she has her favorite spot. Bev joined us and we ordered. Earla and I had pork chops that were very nicely grilled and served with sweet potato and bacon hash. The hash also had onions and kale in it and is something that might be fun to try at home. After a leisurely dinner, we returned to Dave and Bev's for the night.

Of course, we couldn't let the evening slip by without a game of Scrabble. It was a torturous game for me. In fact, Dave stood behind me much of the game and simply shook his head. We were served coffee and lemon bars that were excellent and that helped ease the pain.

We retired and woke at our leisure.

Earla was up early and met Yarrow, Dori's nanny, and had a cup of coffee and more good conversation before I dragged myself out of bed.

Once everyone was stirring, we had waffles and coffee and more conversation over breakfast.

Then, Earla and i decided to do some exploring.

We drove north on highway 7. In Williamstown, we got a little turned around and ended up five miles east in North Adams. Knowing that we didn't want to be in North Adams, we turned around. North Adams is someplace we needed to see that we didn't know ahead of time that we needed to see. What other explanation might there be for finding it?

Back at Williamstown, we turned north and crossed the border into Vermont. Lunch in Vermont was our plan, and that's exactly what we did.

In Bennington, VT, there's a deli named "The Belly Deli" which is downstairs from "The Daiquiri Factory." Now, we knew we had found the right place! I ordered the belly buster --- oh my! I'm surprised there was anything left in the kitchen for Earla's Reuben. It was definitely more than I could eat, but good none the less. Along with our sandwiches, we had hot apple cider. Now, the belly deli usually only serves cold apple cider, but for us, they warmed it up. We liked the service as much as the food. After lunch, we drove back towards NY.

Across the border in Williamstown, we stopped at the Clark Museum. What an wonderful adventure! There are some beautiful paintings, some OK paintings, and just as one is meandering around corners, you turn a corner and there is a room full of Renoir's... amazing. And, yet, at this incredible exhibit, my eyes went directly to the two Monet's at the far end of the room. I was, also, very impressed by an exhibit of photography of Rome from the late 1800's. The pictures were not only very artistically done, but very sharp. I was amazed at the quality of photos from that time period. The gift shop at the museum, and then, a cup of coffee and a cookie at the coffee bar rounded out our day.

We returned to Dave and Bev's, played a game of Scrabble with Yarrow and Dori, and then, were served a wonderful meal. The halibut was grilled to perfection, there was squash mashed with a little maple syrup, and spinach and chick peas. For dessert, we enjoyed peach pie and ice cream and very good coffee.

Comfortable and quite satisfied, we played some more Scrabble and watched NCIS. I'm not sure where we stand as far as wins and losses, but we've both had our moments of great letters and moments of miserableness!

Our morning started much the same as yesterday, except that we were on our own for breakfast. Our gracious hosts created a setting where we were most comfortable fending for ourselves. On our own, we had coffee, apples and toast with peanut butter and jam.

Again, we drove north out of Great Barrington, this time on highway 41. It has been raining and quite blustery all day today. We drove to the Hancock Shaker Village, which is very interesting. Because of the weather, we didn't explore as much as we might have, but we did get in on a lecture about the life and theology of the Shakers. It was interesting. We, also, were allowed to wander the brick house where the lecture took place to see bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, clinic and pharmacy. We dashed through raindrops to the dining hall where we shared a ham sandwich and each had a cup of tomato bisque, a cookie, and very good coffee. The soup was especially good on such a nasty day. After lunch, we stopped by the gift shop and, then, headed home.

Bev greeted us with ginger tea... again something most welcome on a rainy day. The afternoon is winding down, and tomorrow we are on our way further east into Massachusetts.

Confirmation Sunday

Margit was making oatmeal when I stumbled out of "my" room this morning. Yummy on a cool morning.

We were all ready and on our way to church by a little after nine. Jack had to be there by 9:30 for a 10:00 service - this was no sacrifice. There were 24 confirmants all in white robes in the front three pews on the right side of the church. We were in the fifth row on that side which was a very nice place to be. The confirmation service was beautiful, starting with the affirmation of baptism, followed by the Apostles' Creed, then the laying on of hands during which Earla's and my eyes began to leak. This was followed by a candle lighting for each confirmant in turn after which they stood with their candles while "Go Light Your World" was sung by a soloist and the confirmants were choreographed with their candles. Now, Earla and I are blubbering! THEN, we sang, "Borning Cry." It was truly a privilege to share Jack's confirmation and this beautiful service.

We snacked a little, played games a little, talked a little when we got home, and sat down to a delicious ham dinner mid afternoon with potatoes, carrots, asparagus, rolls. After all was cleaned up, and we'd had a little time to digest, we sang "Happy Birthday" to Margit, she blew out one candle, and we had cake and ice cream. It was a joyous afternoon.

The weather was so beautiful --- warm and sunny --- that Margit, Annie, Ashley, Lilly and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. It's a beautiful, hilly neighborhood. Neighbors shouted greetings to one another. There were people blowing leaves, raking, gathering, and just enjoying the sunshine.

I have no confirmation pictures. I have only one picture of the day. Earla has pictures at the church. Margit has pictures at the church. Annie has pictures at the church, I have no excuse.

Tomorrow we head north --- New York and Massachusetts.

A Relaxing Saturday

Tranquility, sanctuary, comfy, and cozy are just a few of the words that would describe Ashley's room which I am privileged to use while here in Stanhope. It is so cozy, in fact, I was sound asleep still when my alarm went off at 9:00. Out of bed, into the shower and breakfast was ready. I shared the table with Jack and we ate French toast hot on our plates, strawberries, milk, bacon and coffee. The food was superb and the company was better.

Earla and Ashley were deep in a game of Scrabble.

Jack headed out to soccer practice after breakfast. Jack is 14.

Twelve year old Ashley had a soccer tournament starting at noon. Mike, Ashley, Grandpa and Grandma went ahead to that.

Earla and I started a game of Scrabble, but left it to go with Annie to the soccer tournament. It was pouring rain by the time we got there, so we watched from the car. We were joined by Grandma Margit in short order, and, then, by Grandpa Harry. We stayed for a while.

We took Harry back to the house and drove to Chester, NJ for lunch at the Plantation House. There was once a train depot here and the house is on the national historic register. The dining room was exquisite. The food was very good, French onion soup, pasta and veggies and pizza were shared.

Why Know Knit was a shop nearby, so we stopped. Earla found some more yarn and I found a wonderful selection of buttons. It was a successful stop. The drive home was wonderful through the countryside and pumpkin patches. The leaves are falling, but the colors are still terrific.

Once home, we all had some down time, naps, reading, football, etc.

The temperature outside seemed to be getting warmer and warmer... leading to a bit of thunder and lightening.

Margit taught me a new card game when I was alert enough. Fun!!!

We enjoyed a chicken dinner together. Rice, broccoli in cheese sauce, carrots and rolls complemented the chicken. Apple cobbler and coffer topped it off, along with more good conversation.

The evening concluded with two more games of Scrabble. Ashley and Jack are both challenging opponents.

Tomorrow -- church and confirmation.

We are in New Jersey

Today, I didn't take any pictures... just because I didn't. ...
but it's been a wonderful day.
I crawled out of bed about 8:30 and found Earla reading her "new" cookbook. She had made coffee so I was set.
We headed right for breakfast as there was continental breakfast at the hotel and we figured that we did not have a lot of time.
It was more fun for me listening to the other hotel guests and their New Jersey accents than it was getting breakfast. We had bagels and cream cheese and were on our way.
It wasn't very long before we were crossing the Delaware River into New Jersey. The colors along the hillside and down by the river bank were spectacular. It seemed that there was every shade of fall imaginable, and with the sun shining, the golds shone.
We arrived in Stanhope, NJ about 11:30 and wanted to do some shopping before going to Annie and Mike's (Annie is Harry and Margit's daughter). We drove around a little and saw a sign for a bookstore. A bookstore is like a magnet to our car... BUT, alas, it was closed! There was a pizzeria around the corner, and they sold pizza by the slice... Now, we knew we were in NJ. Earla, brave Earla, ordered an eggplant pizza and I ordered bar-b-q chicken. We split each piece. The pizza was good --- but I think I'll stay away from eggplant in the future. We found a grocery store. As it turns out, another thing that Earla and I have in common is that we like to grocery shop. This was exciting! We bought some bread, grapes and cheese and headed to the wine and spirits store next door. I managed to find and purchase a bottle of wine without breaking any. Relief is the best word to describe how Earla felt at that point.
We found no one home at Mike and Annie's, so we let ourselves in. Yes, we had permission! Their home is lovely and the back deck backs up to a woods that is ablaze with color. It is beautiful. We settled into a game of Scrabble until Ashley came home. For those who are asking, I'll find out how old she is tomorrow. She helped us find the coffee pot. Annie came home a little later and she and Earla went to watch Jack (son) play soccer. Ashley and I had a great conversation about books and reading and school and projects. Earla, Annie and Jack came home, we chatted, had some cheese and crackers and wine, chatted, played another game of Scrabble with Ashley, chatted..... Mike came home and with him were Harry and Margit. They had flown in for Jack's confirmation which is Sunday.
We shared a most wonderful roast beef dinner, with potatoes, corn and bread and, again, good conversation.
After dinner Ashley, Earla and I played another game of Scrabble
All I'm saying is that I just didn't get any letters that went together today.
Tomorrow is another day in Stanhope, NJ.