Ithica, NY

We just had a wonderful two day visit with our good friends Maggie and Piero. On Friday we made our way through the winding steep hilled roads of Ithica NY to the sweet house that Maggie and Piero are renting. After an amazing dinner at the Moosewood Restaurant and Mojitos at a favorite bar we headed back to their house to pop open some bubbly to celebrate both of our engagements (their wedding will be next summer too, July 12 to be exact).

The next morning we headed out to explore Buttermilk Falls. A gorge-ous hike along equally beautiful pools and falls. Maggie was brave and creeped behind a waterfall while we all watched. After she came out all the kids that had seen her do it had to try for themselves.
We headed home for dinner and a fire on their back porch.

Sunday started off with a typical Sunday brunch and then home for some good old fashioned couch and more catch up time. Our visit felt much too short, we absolutely love Mags and P.

Yarmouth Clam Fest

We both forgot to mention a fun day we had back near Brunswick, ME. The night we arrived, we went to the Yarmouth Clam Festival. It was basically a street fair combined with a carnival. We, of course, had to have the Shore Dinner: Lobster, Steamers & Corn for 20 Bucks (hey, when in Rome...)

A Much Anticipated Island

Yesterday Josh and I took a 50 minute ferry ride to Long Island Maine. An island that I haven't visited in 19 years. My parents had brought me there during the summer from the time I was in diapers to the year I turned eight. I remember the general store where I could buy bubble gum on rainy days, a long rickety staircase to a tiny private beach and amazing sunsets. I also remember a mystical dirt road called Bunny Hop Road. If the old island car happened to be going slightly faster than the island's posted 20 mph speed limit, the car ,and its giggling occupants would bounce right out of their seats due to the many 'hops' along the bumpy road. At some point someone had hand painted and hidden in the surrounding woods a number of smiling bunnies. No matter how hard you tried to concentrate on counting them all, undoubtedly the hilarious hops you were making would skew your final answer.

Josh and I took a sweet bike ride around the island's main road and found adorable cottages hidden along the way. As we rode we tried to find a pump that would inflate Josh's slightly flat rear tire to no avail. However, we did find a tiny crescent beach that was dotted with bright blankets and families enjoying the sparkling day. After lunch and some quality Harry Potter time (Josh is on #5 and I am on #7) we dipped into the cold Maine water and skipped rocks until Harry called us back to the beach blanket. Needless to say we burned and read for the rest of the day.

Around four we headed back to "town". After stopping to recharge with some ice cream from the general store we headed for the ferry landing. When we got back to Portland we wandered aroung Old Port for the rest of the day. We stopped at the Sebago Brewery for a snack and for a sample of their home brews.

We headed home shortly after that for a fire and an encounter with a very sweet cat/kitten who was incredibly friendly and took turns on our laps in front of the fire. He would have been ours right now but he was so well taken care of, and sported a coller so we knew that he had a very lucky family somewhere. Oh well, we'll borrow kitty time until we are back home with ours!

-L

The Show!

"Sometimes You Watch The Show,
Sometimes You Are The Show!"
-Bob & Nancy Lawson

To this day, this is one of my favorite pieces of zen wisdom. I first heard it in a harbor in the Bahamas. There, it was all about anchoring or mooring one's boat. Some evenings, you could sit with a bottle of Pinot, feet up, back against a padded rest and watch, while some poor couple was "publicly" humiliated for their sins - or at least for missing the mooring. Other evenings, suffice to say, you were poor couple, suffering beyond imagination.

Yesterday at around 5 pm. That was us. Only substitute the Sperry-sporting onlookers for mumbling Mainers who really wanted to help.

You see, lot #1 at Thomas Point Beach Campground has quite a few trees still on it, adding to the rustic charm, and also to the challenge of parking an 8x26 foot box in the middle of it.

"Why donchu-bumble-mumble-dumble there and thenble dumble see the viewble bumble mumble do?"

"Yeah, we were thinking that, but we're gonna just try this first...."

"Yumble dumble k-then bumble lots of space over thumble too."

"Ok, we're just going to try this and then we'll see how it goes."

So, we backed in, pulled forward, backed in, pulled forward, a little left, a little right, a little "Look out for that TREE!" Then right, left, DAMN!

"Hey, still not quite in thumble dumble mumble over to thumble?"

(please note: underneath all of our frustration with parking, we were dying with silent laughter because Tim had been deftly impersonating this exact Backwoods, ME accent for the last 3 days. You can imagine Lindsay and I trying to hold it together.)

"Yeah, we were thinking of just turning around."

"Yeah, or you could bumble thenble umble overumble trumble."

"Ok. We think we've got it now, thanks for the help."

So we pulled out, pulled back in, dodged a couple more trees and found a spot. Phew.

Yeah, not so much.

After 10 sweating, jerking, tugging minutes in front of the crowd, the 5th wheel hitch just wouldn't let go. Turned out the truck has to be parked straight in front of the trailer. What fun, the show ain't over 'til the fat lady sings! So, back we went. Straightened it all out, parked again, and voila!

Time for an "Anchor-beer!"

The miraculous thing about all this, is that the show we put on pales in comparison to the show we've got out our window right this minute (see photo). And as an added bonus we're greeted with knowing smiles by everyone who was there for our debut!
-j

candace & tim

Well, that was wonderful on all accocunts. RV out was a whole lot easier that RV in. Dave's Spicy House turned out not to burn us too badly. Lindsay even scored a new laptop.

What a cute couple!

A (fantastic) day in Portsmouth, NH

Yesterday, Josh and I had the opportunity to wander around Portsmouth and take in the beautiful old buildings, the ornate blooming gardens and catching up with family.

We had lunch at a highly recommended haunt, The Friendly Toast, and then took off to walk off the delicious hamburgers.

My cousin Anna joined us for iced coffee and a stroll along the waterfront which included one of the most immaculately tended and labeled gardens I have ever seen. Did anyone else know that there is a little plant with yellow flowers that curry is made from? After squeezing the leaves between our fingers we smelled like an Indian restaurant for the rest of the day.
We strolled in and out of sweet little stores and spent almost an hour in The River Run Bookstore. We had to bone up on the latest Harry Potter before we see the next movie and before #7 comes out.

After meeting up with Candace and Tim we stopped by the Press Room for a beer and some really great music. A jazz quintet opened with piano, drums, stand up bass and two sax players. They did a few tunes and then one of the sax players (who was an instructor at a local jazz summer camp) introduced the next band 'Iced Coffee'. A group of kids ranging from ten to thirteen took the stage, and proceeded to knock our socks off. The group rotated through about four sax players, two piano players and various other instruments. The kids got their groove on for a howling audience. We were psyched, they were beaming and the parents in the audience could not take enough pictures! Rock on kiddos!

Overdue Connection

Buffamsville Road
Somersworth, NH

We wedged, cajoled, shimmied and squeezed our 5th wheel down behind Candace and Tim's house this Sunday, but got ourselves quite the nice view from our "living room" window (see photos). It took us two more days than expected to get out of Conway, mostly because inertia (or maybe it was stagnation) - but hey, the extra time with Jon & Sam was wonderful. In any case, here we are. We had our first encounter with black and grey water at a camp ground on the way, in the pouring rain no less. I think next time we'll leave the clear piece out of the plumbing, 'cause we really don't need to be seeing that. Really.

On the flip side, literally, we've been doing more eating that I ever would have imagined, and after the schmorgasborg of N. Conway, our bellies are about as stretched as our fridge. Candace & Tim are foodies just like us. They worship Alton, they take cooking classes, they cook in courses (and let me tell you, these two can cook!), and they are SO ashamed when they take us somewhere that's not phenomenal - they revel in the good times, good beer and organic pleasures of a place like Pepperland (5-Stars from Josh).

Even better than the revelry has been the comraderie. Candace and I haven't seen each other more than a day or two in the last 7 years, and within minutes I was reminded why I liked her so much in the first place. Tim is amazing: funny, kind and light (he belies his rusty biker beard). I think the four of us are about the best foursome life can muster.

I'm off to make some more pancakes, lindsay will tell you all about how much we loved Portsmouth.

-j

Mission: Defined.

We've made it from Conway to Portsmouth! And as I was going through our pictures getting ready to make the next blog entry, I found this one, and I realized it was not only the spot that lindsay landed on at least a dozen times during our game... it's the perfect 3 inch square mission for our trip. And as you'll see in my next entry, free parking doesn't always come easy!

Requests Granted!

Some folks requested barn photos. Here's one that Jon took from outside looking in. That window is 2 stories high. The person in the shot is me.

Also, my mom told me how to create a signup form for the blog - so we did that... it's over there on the right. ----->

ciao
-josh

Ready to Roll

It's been a great stay here in North Conway. Delicious coffee, fantastic Pilates classes, and a two-day game of Monopoly (the winner of which, you are currently reading the words of). Here are the highlights as I remember them:

Monday: Walking through the fields near Jon & Sam's. It's beautiful out here.

Tuesday: Sam's Pilates class first thing in the AM (coffee preceeded and also followed this class). Rest of the day, I don't remember off hand - Lindsay and sam kicked ass by also attending an afternoon "core strengthening" class.

Wednesday: Get up, work for a couple of hours. Early afternoon: trip to the river with Linds & Sam (see photo - was a good day for me :-) Late afternoon: a little more work. Evening: Grillin'n'chillin. Late evening, Monopoly, phase one, accompanied by tequilia shots and some fantastic conversation.

Thursday: Morning: get up for 2 amazing business phone calls. Afternoon: scored 60 gallons of grease from a Thai restaurant, also enjoyed their Pad Thai. Evening: attended "Arts Jubilee" at Cranmore, watched Sam perform with her dance company. Late evening: Monopoly, phase II sans-tequilia.

Friday (Today): Morning: got up for another one of Sam's pilates classes (great classes by the way, we were both sore afterward!), came back home to get some more work done and here we are. Looks like we're going camping this weekend, then to the Portsmouth/Portland area on Sunday to connect with Candace and Tim.

Beautiful Barn in North Conway, NH

Right now I am sitting in front of an amazing picture window looking out on the blue and green of the white mountains in an old barn that our good friends Sam and Jon are living in right now. Josh and Jon are playing chess and I am sipping blueberry wine as I write this....

Jealous???

Just kidding.

The mountains are beautiful and the company is wonderful. Plus the wine ain't half bad. I think we'll hang her for a few days. Especially because the four of us are taking Sam's pilates class at 8:30 a.m. and then having the rest of the day to fill as we please.

Boy, a girl could get used to this.

Under-where?

That's Right! We're finally underway!

Affter all of the packing, the shifting, the repacking, the stressing, the sad goodbyes (we miss you already), and the copius drinking (was it just me, or did we have a goodbye party every day last week?) we closed the apartment doors and opened our minds around 9:45 this morning.

We're heading northeast, going wherever the GPS tells us to go, I'm using mobile internet, our truck is powered by veggie oil controlled by a digital onboard "co-pilot", and we've got a mobile office/entertainment center in the Trailer... we're so very twenty-first century (I'm writing this as we careen down I-90).

For all you nail-biters out there, you can relax, we spent a few hours yesterday at the CDL Training School right down the street from our house. We are now proficient (if not efficient) backer-uppers and three-point-turners.

Here's the current status:

Who's Driving: Lindsay.
Fuel: SVO (Striaght Veggie Oil)
General Mood: Relaxed.
Truck Engine: Happy.
First Stop: Conway NH with Sam & Jon.
The Plan: none.

Well, given that we barely got a wink of sleep last night and I'm vocabularistically challenged right now (how PC!), I guess I'll just leave it at that.

ciao
-josh

p.s.
dan, we almost made it out on saturday.
jim, aren't you proud, I only made up one word!