| s/y Nine of Cups American Odyssey - New England Summer July 2012 |
| One reason for heading to Maine was to visit Ocean Navigator magazine in Portland. They've published several of Marcie's articles and once again, it was good to put a face with a name. |
| We arrived at Lin's house (Marcie's sister) on 3 July and began a whirlwind of activity, visits and sister-time. While in Wisconsin, we bought sparklers and one firecracker named "Dragon Farts" which begged to be tried. |
| Got time to check out: National Parks & Monuments? American Odyssey...Part I? (Las Vegas to Denver) American Odyssey...Part II? (Denver to Boston) American Odyssey...Part III? (Boston to Vegas) Birds of North America? Wildflowers of North America? |
| New England (the six US northeastern states for non-US folks or those geographically challenged) is home to Marcie. We spent one afternoon in Oxford, MA with cousins and Aunt Bette. Above, her annual garden and the huge red barn that housed her milking cows in years past. We spent many hours playing in the hayloft when we were young. |
| West Boylston's sinking church was always a landmark for us when heading to Aunt Jeannette's in Clinton, MA. Note: Marcie's mom is one of 14 kids. Though many have passed on, there are still lots of aunts and cousins to see. |
We sat out on rustic, well-used picnic
tables at Hot Dog Annie's and
reminisced about days past. Lots of old
memories as we drove around town.
tables at Hot Dog Annie's and
reminisced about days past. Lots of old
memories as we drove around town.
| We took Marcie's mom, Bea, to Leicester one day to see her hometown (Marcie's, too) and catch a hot dog at Hot Dog Annie's, a dive of a place that's known for its BBQ hot dogs. |
| No trip to New England is complete with visiting Maine or New Hampshire to buy lobsters at on of the many lobster shacks along the coast. This year lobster was a bargain starting at $3.99/lb. |
| Maine and New Hampshire are beautiful states... laid-back (in the non-tourist areas) with beautiful scenery. Visiting the ocean made us lonely for Cups. Maine lobster, however, in our humble opinion, is the best in the world and purchasing a few to share with Lin's family assuaged our immediate need to get back to the boat. |
| We stopped for lunch in Portsmouth at the State Street Saloon for a huge lobster roll. Wicked good! |
| Hollyhocks along the beach at Rye Harbor, NH |
| We added Minute Man National Historical Park and the Springfield Armory National Historic Site to our list of national park visits. Check them out. |
| Maine lobster boat |
| Sporting a traditional "Pilgrim" hat, Lieutenant Lewis' statue adorns a square in Walpole, MA...Lin's town. |
| Seven frogs enjoy Lin's little water pool and we enjoyed watching them. |
| Though East Walpole is less than 20 miles from Boston, wild turkeys are a common sight in Lin's front yard. |
| Spending time with Marcie's mom gave us a chance to spend time with our sea cat, Jelly. At nearly 13, she's fat and happy. She and Mom are the best of companions. |
| We're planning the next leg of our American Odyssey which will include a campsite in Pennsylvania, a stay with Brennan and Hannah in Washington, DC, a visit with our sailing friends in Maryland and an overnight stay in Virginia with another cruising friend. That's just a start....much more on the agenda. Stay tuned and check out American Odyssey III which will take us from Boston back to Vegas. We're always on the look-out for fun places to visit along the way and there'll be no dearth of quirky, unusual stops to add to our Roadside Americana page. |
| Awwww! |
| A trip to western Massachusetts for a visit with old friends John & Millie Smith. A terrific time! |
| The "Lemay Girls"...Marcie, Bea and Lin. Mom treated for an outstanding farewell dinner and a fine get-together. |