Nearly 700 miles later we pulled into a secure and empty rest area under the lights. Around 1:00 a.m. we awoke to a family talking very loudly as they took a break and headed out. We also noticed the place was full of campers/travelers. A short time later we were again awakened by some voices only you could tell they were trying to be as quiet as possible. Originally, I thought a family was in a small Class C until I noticed more and more kids and adults walking out of the rig! It seemed there were more than a dozen people packed into the rig. I stuck my head out the window to see what type of rig they were in. It turns out they were in one of the fancy short buses and they were going or returning from a function.
Day two, 600 miles and we're through D.C., Baltimore and beyond. The only "incident" to report took place while crossing the twin Newburg Beacon bridges. We were in bumper to bumper traffic and a voice on the CB says to check out the "wall of water that looks like a tidal wave heading for us!" Sure enough, we watched as the front began to engulf the hills in the distance as it made its way up the Hudson River! Yikes! Let's get off this bridge! Well, we did and were slowly over taken by wind and heavy rain that reduced our speed to around 40, and that was fine by us. We made it just fine and were glad we were off that bridge!
Our next stop was the rest stop in Union, CT. We pulled into our camping spot in Dracut, MA early noon the next day. Our "Old Friend" never missed a beat and treated us to a comfortable trip. We typically travel between 63-65 mph. It may seem a slow pace but it's the most comfortable for distance and a whole lot less stressful driving.
Our Hosts, Pam and Lee greeted us and set us up to feel right at home...
...right next to Pam and Lee's Meridian!
We spent a restful evening in Lee and Pam's "hang-out," their exquisitely well furbished garage, had a few beers and a good night's sleep.
Now we get to plan our appointments and visits for this shorter than usual stay.
But first, I've got to catch up with our best friends George and Judy. They have a camp on a beautiful lake in NH and Pat and I get to set aside a few weekends a year to enjoy the Sunapee Lake area. It also helps that I got George into Amateur Astronomy. Together we've frequented a ball field near his camp that has gorgeous dark skies. Too boot, George recently purchased a telescope he'd been researching for several years, a Celestron GS-8. It's a beauty. It's a motor driven 8" Equatorial Mounted Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.
And, it never fails that when someone buys any new Astronomy "toy" the sky clouds up and you have to wait to use your new "toy!" Sure enough we were clouded out, Grrrrrrrr!
I had George set up his new scope in his basement so we can practice with the movement, set-up and break-down. It's always much better to do all that before you head out into the dark.
The highlight of the weekend was to visit with George and Judy's son Mike and his wife Candice to see their new Granddaughter, Raia.
Beautiful!
I got to give Ashley her "Tinker Bell" wood carving...
And Pat and I got to see her incredible garden....
I guess Ashley's three week European trip let her garden get away from her!
We got to catch up with Bill and Angela at home.
Of course being from New England we anticipate eating awesome fish from the cold water of the New England coast. Our Aunt Ruthie, her daughter, Angela, Bill and Angela, Pat and I and Ashley made way to Gloucester and the Seaport Grill http://www.cruiseportgloucester.com/seaportgrille/ just across the street from the "Crow's Nest." (You may recall the movie "The Perfect Storm?" That's the local drinking establishment of the crew of the ill fated fishing vessel, the "Andrea Gail.")
Below is a small glimpse of the Gloucester Harbor and local fishing boats.
We were invited to dine with Pat's best friend Cathy at Cathy's sister and her late husband Richard's home in Groton, MA.
The home is the design of Suzanne's late husband and what a home it is.
The home is long as you can tell by this "stitched" photo. The large yellow room at the rear is the "great room." The interior and exterior design by Richard speaks boldly of Richard's love of art, style and function.
But, topping off the second floor of the main part of the house is a well-stocked library...as Ashley found out!
The above composite of five photos gives you an idea of the beautiful woodwork that Richard so loved. Richard loved the arts. He was a dancer, dabbled in painting and became a serious wood craftsman. Surrounded by the ambiance of Suzanne and Richard's home you feel like you're back in time.
Next up our little group headed to our very own childhood retreat, the Salem Willows!
Yes, that's Salem as in the "Salem Witch Trials." http://salem.org/ As kids, Salem Willows was our summer retreat to the beach.
The above photo shows the Salem Pier to the left. (Which was destroyed in the storm known as the "Perfect Storm.") Our beach is just to the other side of the wall and straight out is the Atlantic Ocean.
However, my fondest memory of Salem Willows is this tiny cove....
My Dad was at work, my big brother was in the Marines and for many days, through more than a few summers, my Mother would bring me to this cove. She'd read, I'd run the rocks and dodge the cold water as the tide rose and ebbed. We would eat Chinese chicken chop suey for lunch (and the family owned restaurant is still there). In fact, that's why our group headed to Salem Willows!
Ashley couldn't resist reliving her own childhood memories of running the rocks.
My Mother let me ride the amusement boats.... that are STILL there.....
Salem Willows gets it name from these....
The park gets nearly all of its shade from its Willow trees.
Walking down the short main street you see the remaining buildings of so long ago.
These remaining buildings of yesteryear house the very same machines that, to this day, fascinate young and old as you passby as they "pop" and "click."
These are the Pop Corn Poppers and Taffy Pulling machines that I (and so many others) got Pop Corn and Taffy from back in the '50's!
Above, the machine is feeding the rolled/stretched taffy into the wrapping machine.
Not much has changed at the "Willows" for many years. However, the cost of these tasty treats surly has!
Our hosts, Pam and Lee headed out for a few days.
They're visiting family in the south and going to take in the races at Bristol, TN. They asked Ashley if she would "doggy sit" while they're gone. I've mentioned these two doggies in an earlier post so you might recall their names, Mindy and Shillelagh. And boy are these two fun to watch as they interact with each other. Although, after Pam and Lee drove off and we let Mindy and Shillelagh out you sure can see they missed their owners...
...as they search the area where their motor home sat.
Oh, we can't wait to see if Pam and Lee saw the billboard that has a photo on it that looks like this....
These two are doing their best to keep Ashley busy. The two of them are used to an "early riser" as Lee heads out to work around 5:00a.m.
They've already attached themselves to Ashley as they do their best to nearly knock her down welcoming her as she comes and goes, in the morning when they wake her up, walks back and forth from our camper, etc. You get the picture.
We took advantage of Lee and Pam's generosity and "hang-out" and had a BBQ.
Bill and Angela, their daughter Dawn, her son Cody, Chase (their son Bill Jr's son) and Ashley gathered around the "Man-Cave" for lots of food...
Cody and Chase brought along their bikes and did some exploring.
Pam and Lee will be back in a few days but in the mean time Mindy and Shillelagh will keep their eyes fixed on our camper...
We parked the HHR in front of our camper to ward off the "stare!"
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