Month: September 2018

Once we arrived at Wompatuk, we connected with the MacQuarries. I have not seen Barry for a few years. We’ve both changed jobs since the last conference we hosted and coordinated together…Barry to a new firm and me, of course, to NO firm. We’re both pretty happy with the change – I was even a little envious of some of the stuff Barry was doing at his new firm. NOT really. Barry got a little tired of hearing about retirement’s many advantages. (“Shut up, Dan, I don’t want to hear about how uncrowded the stores are on Tuesday Mornings…”).

Barry and Wendy came to the campground for a snack and some conversation, then took us on a tour of the local area. That tour included the gorgeous Hingham waterfront, a drive down Roller Coaster Road (and the backstory behind the name) followed by dinner at a local (i.e. not tourist) restaurant with GREAT LABSTAH ROLLS, CHOWDAH and Fish and Chips.

Also some local BE-AHs (got to be two syllables in the Bahstan area). We are slipping right into the local dialect, though for some reason the true locals know we are NOT from the area. Maybe its because we weren’t crying when the Patriots finally completed their loss on the TV…the waitress looked to be making a point of taking the sharp knives away from all the ACTUAL locals BEFORE this result sank in and they became suicidal. She knew we were from away, tho…before even the outcome of the game, she asked Barry if she should give ME a knife (and if it was safe and appropriate to serve me an “adult” beverage…Liz immediately said “HELL NO”). Nevertheless, a flite of local beers appeared shortly thereafter.

To help overcome Barry’s depression at the football result, we moved on after dinner to Nona’s Ice Cream Parlor. Now some would say, and it would not be a total exaggeration, that our travels are organized to move from Ice Cream place to Ice cream place, with some occasional sightseeing on the periphery. That would be a COMPLETE misrepresentation of our priorities – UTTER FAKE NEWS. In fact, there is an occasional Brewery or Winery tossed in between Ice Cream Places!!

WOW…that was good!!! I always knew that Barry was reliable with regard to Ice Cream; even if we barely speak the same language despite our predisposition to tech, we DO share a belief that ice cream would, if provided to combatants everywhere, produce world peace. So we knew walking in that Nona’s would not disappoint. Nona’s now ranks high on our international list of dairy delights. THANK YOU, BARRY AND WENDY!!!

After we departed Wompatuk, we headed for Cape Cod. There we have almost 2 weeks of fun on our plates. First, visiting friends from previous lifetimes who now live on the Cape, followed by our first Bluebird Rally of the fall.

I’ve mentioned previously that we are Rally-hopping down the east coast this fall. Once we realized that these roving bus-parties (not unlike Newfoundland Shed Parties, I suppose) were arranged like a string of beads along our path southward, our lot was cast!!! And, we have friends and/or relatives near each Rally-point, so an excuse to catch up with old friends (like the MacQuarries) coupled with a chance to meet new friends.

First stop on the Cape was in Dennisport, which is a small town conveniently located pretty near Martha and Bill Philbrick. The Campground is in an AWESOME location; right across the road from the Ocean. Friendly. Convenient to the main thoroughfare, giving us quick access to the rest of the Cape and to the Philbricks.

After checking in, the Philbricks came over to “our place” for a snack, followed by a home-cooked meal at their place. The campground has a rule: $5 entrance fee per guest – many campgrounds do this to mitigate lots of unregistered guests using their facilities. I wanted to settle that charge before Martha and Bill arrived, but the lady in the office said if they are only coming for cocktail hour it would be no problem – as LONG AS SHE WAS INVITED, TOO. Of course I said “No Problem” to that!

We have known the Philbricks for many, many years – I think since 1996 — and have embarrassed ourselves together all around the world. Nothing much has changed, other than our collective hair colour and volume.

Note: I will continue with the Canadian spelling of certain words because we had SO MUCH FUN in exceedingly-friendly Canada this summer; so much so that Gera Chandler has decided we have achieved “Honourary Canadian” status. She pointed out that this honour could be withdrawn at any time, and she would be following our blog to be sure our command of the language did not lapse. She said the honour could be restored if we simply said “Sorry” like a Canadian would.

She probably meant that as a test – I think the Canadian spelling is “Sourry!?”

We spent a couple days with the Philbricks before heading farther up-cape to the Rally. During that time they made sure we saw some local scenery, ate some local food and ESPECIALLY appreciated some local culture. This included of a mix of local restaurants, seafood, lobster, Martha’s DELICIOUS Cacciatore and Bill’s AWARD WINNING CHILI. Yum!

Betty’sDIner

WhyWeEatOutOnceAWeekOnly

HikingtotheKnob

CapeCodVista

TypicalCapeCodBeach

CapeCodSaltMarsh

AftertheSeasonIceCreamParlor

The culture-experience included an absolutely charming and special evening of music and entertainment at the “Chatham Fiddle Company.”

The CFC is really the home/livingroom of a local musical institution. Not room for more than 30 people. Two sets of music separated by Brown Bread baked by Eugene, the patriarch, and with Crapple made by John, the bass player. Brown Bread is obvious, but Crapple may need some explanation. Unfortunately, I cannot give one – it was delicious…a sweet jelly. Possibly with molasses, possibly with Cranberries (John is, apparently, a Cranberry Farmer). Possibly with both.

As we travel, we have been enriched by many incidents of unexpected hospitality and warmth; here was another.

At one point, we visited a beach frequented by tourists, seals and White Sharks, though when the latter are spotted, they are usually given the beach to themselves. The picture we took there ended up with the following caption on Martha’s Facebook Page: “Bill and I Asked Dan to go for a swim. Enough is enough!” Pretty sure she was joking, but you can never really be sure with Martha and Bill, whose outspokenness and humor is widely known and mostly admired. Since the swimming-invitation was followed by another full day of fantastic hospitality, I think we’re good!

After wearing out the Philbricks (Really! Though she said this was a long-standing appointment, It cannot be an accident that Martha was seeing her cardiologist the day we were leaving!), we headed farther out on the Cape to Truro, where the rally was scheduled. We “planned” this to arrive a couple days early, so that we could spend some time with Arlene Arado.

As we moved over the summer in this direction, we had contacted Arlene, who used to live on Magnolia in Chicago. By recently I mean within the last couple years. By lived I mean for about 50 years, and her late husband’s family built the building and lived there before that!!! A significant part of Magnolia history!! We knew she had moved to the Cape – we and everyone on Magnolia have TOTALLY missed her in the ‘hood, so we wanted to see her and catch up.

Little did we know that her new home was basically around the corner from the Rally location at the far end of the Cape!! Despite knowing about our impending arrival and proximity, Arlene stayed home …she certainly could have used the advance warning to seek shelter elsewhere before Hurricane Harris arrived!

Once we made contact, it was agreed that we’d pop over to her home, then take the bus to Provincetown. We’d drive, of course, but three in a Smart Car would certainly require duct tape (and points out one of the reasons the Smart Car Phase of our lives is drawing to a close). The bus turns out to be a great option for this trip. Straight shot, no parking in P-town required. $2 regular fare for my child bride and $1 senior, which I am, again, at 60.

Arelene gave us a local-eye-view of Provincetown, which has its full measure of tourist shops, restaurants and bars; but after labour day the crowds are just gone. No problem walking around, sitting down in an open-air restaurant, etc. In another month (right after halloween, which is apparently BIG here) almost everyhting will be closed.

For whatever reason, P-Town has always been a safe place for the LGBTQ (I think I got all the right letters…) community; and the inclusiveness of the town is graciously shared with those from away – at least after Labour Day…I cannot say what wall-to-wall tourists would feel like or impact on the graciousness. But for us, P-town was magnificent, open and welcoming even at the tourist bars.

Lunch was at a little storefront off the main street called “Box Lunch.” A Deli counter, invisible from the street but well known to Arlene, making fresh sandwiches. Liz and I split a “Gilded Big Daddy,” which somehow translated to a Lobster-salad wrap with cheese and avocado – DELICIOUS!!!

Liz then walked in to Arlene’s Hair-cutter and had this done – she still has to attend to this matter professionally. I have long since stopped going to the barber – Liz just shaves my head with a #5 clipper.

We all make sacrifices to our financial reality! (Liz amuses herself for HOURS and HOURS with a $2.75 ball of Walmart Yarn).

Later in the afternoon we stopped at a bar that had several craft beers and a local delicacy they called “Chowder Fries.” This was basically Clam Poutine, a technique for presentation of carbohydrates, fat and salt with which we are more than expert having traversed the poutine-heartland of Canada. And, the Cape Version was AWESOME!!!

We visited the P-Town Library, which has a ½ scale Fishing Schooner in the atrium – built in place by a master shipwright. We wandered past art galleries, old houses, new houses in old style…then Ubered back to Arlene’s place. The next day we took the bus back to Provincetown for Breakfast, people-watching and the Farmer’s market. Then we had Arlene over for a picnic at RV WHERE YET, and continued reminiscing.

P-TownHall

P-TownLibrary

P-Town-SchoonerinLibrary

P-TownArtHome

P-TownArtGarden

P-TownGeode

P-TownHome

GreatB-FastService!(leftThePot!)

ExMagnoliaBBQ

P-TownHumour

P-TownBeachWithArlene

P-TownStreet

The RV park at Truro was older, and the spaces, while large, had lots of trees around them. This made it quite a challenge maneuvering the bus into place. During the process, we collected an audience of onlookers. I am not sure, there may have been a pool…an over/under on the number of dents in the bus/tree limbs snapped. In the end, NONE and NONE. All I could think was that we were probably the smallest Bluebird coming to the rally and WE had difficulty, so we would be sure to join the gawkers and enjoy the spectacle of all our fellow Bird-brains as they attempt to dock their vehicles in the forest!

After the flock collected, the Rally commenced. As always, the first official act is for someone’s engine compartment to be open; rear-ends of a certain age the sole evidence of the mechanical discussions going on.

Other formal “planned” activities included an evening at the Wellfleet Drive-in Theater, a Ferry to and day at Nantucket, a Clam Bake and more. It’s hard work relaxing so thoroughly. We might need a vacation, soon!

As we wind our way south from our Canadian Extravaganza, we are finding ourselves with a new challenge, unfamiliar to midwesterners. HURRICANE WATCHING. We will be transiting the east coast through September and October, ultimately ending up in South Georgia for our final scheduled rally this year. That takes us thru areas that either will have been or could be impacted by storms. OBVIOUSLY, we are mobile, and can change our course and our plans to avoid danger. We are watching and paying attention to the weather reports, that’s for sure!!!

If Virginia and Tennessee get a lot of rain, roads would be affected at a minimum, but Campgrounds, too. These tend to be relatively unimproved. They often have streams or rivers nearby. All positive features for bucolic, peaceful stays EXCEPT if there has recently been 2 feet of rain. Which can cause them to become unusable quagmires. Doesn’t matter if you had a reservation, or if a rally has been planned for over a year; it may not be possible to get there or stay there!

And another potential issue: Construction and power restoration crews swarm to areas that have been impacted. Many of them come in trailers and need places to stay while they are working to mitigate storm damage. This can mean that campgrounds that are still operating are actually full to capacity, even though the “season” is over and kids are back in school. This means we may no longer expect to show up at a campground and find space available for us, depending on the weather.

And,  all of that does not even consider the impact of these storms on the local folks that make our travel so rewarding and uplifting.  So we watch the weather reports and HOPE for minimal impacts anywhere.  Our carefree wandering continues, but a little less carefree. We have an extra step or two before we start the engine and move. Can we get there? What are the conditions WHEN we get there? And are there events forecast that may impact leaving there if we do get there?

The good news? This distracts us a bit from the rest of the news, which sure feels like a hopeless quagmire!

But before penetrating the hurricane zone, we followed a bucolic track to get to our first fall rally in Cape Cod. This included two stops at Harvest Hosts members. You may recall we joined this group to allow us the pleasure of staying at various farms, wineries, breweries etc. as we wander. There were several options between Burlington and Cape Cod.

The first was Gould Farms…which is an Apple orchard with a Cider problem. Or a Cider brewery with an apple problem. Whichever…a GREAT place to stop for the night!!!

Unfortunately, they did not have a space for us. ;-( After we arrived, the owner was getting ready to park us; then he mentioned we had to be out in the morning by 8:30, “As [he] mentioned in the phone message he left for me…” He never left a phone message for me…someone else was getting that spot and we were S.O.L.

But, not ENTIRELY S.O.L. There was another campground about 3 miles away. And while it was VERY threadbare, the owners were friendly, they had a spot AND there was a Brewery just down the road!!!. This brewery was actually very nice – a very intersting selection of beers, including a Sour that had just been kegged that day, so VERY fresh.

The RV next to ours had what must have been a WORLD RECORD number of dogs therein. They had SIX pointers of some sort…heading to a dog show in the area with one of them, but apparently travelling with the entrant’s whole 4-footed fambly. For moral support, I assume. Friendly, not barky – in short, no trouble at all. In fact, since having a dog is not practical for us at present, I can get my dog fix by petting others’ while Liz rolls her eyes and thanks her lucky stars that I have gotten my fix for another week.

Next, we stopped at Cisco Brewery in Portsmouth, NH. This was a Saturday night, the brewery has a restaurant and entertainment. And, as it turns out, some sort of landfill or industrial outgassing pipe just adjacent. It was flaming all night – kinda like a post-apocalyptic campfire. Very romantic, even tho it smelled a little, too; but once the wind died down, not a problem. We had a very nice evening at the brewpub … food was actually somewhat mediocre, but the beers were good, the patio quite comfy on a delightful evening.!!!

Finally, we stopped at a State Park (WOmpatuk) in Hingham, Mass. This spot was picked for proximity to Barry and Wendy MacQuarrie, whom I worked with for many years, planning, producing and executing Technology Conferences for an association of Management Consulting Firms. Barry is not quite retired, and had changed jobs since I last spoke to him, but did respond to contact in Facebook and LinkedIn. Which implied that they actually WANTED to see us, since radio silence would have had us passing right by. As complicated as it was establishing contact with the MacQuarries, getting TO Wompatuk was even more drama-filled.

We figured it was wise to penetrate Boston and come out the other side on a Sunday vs. a weekday, just from a traffic standpoint. We chose to (try to) stay on US1 from Portsmouth all the way thru Boston. This started out pretty well, as US1 is kinda “main street” for a bunch of exurban parts of Boston. But, what we learned was: State Highways are not marked very well once they turn into surface streets in major metro areas. I guess I sort of knew this since you cannot easily follow US12 either thru Minneapolis or thru Chicago. It sort of comes in at the west and leaves East. But the cities are sort of impregnable, unmarked black boxes.

Normally, it is Liz and I “discussing” our route, but with regard to following US1, I had Dr. Google on my phone as well as the Garmin RV GPS going, and they were actually ARGUING with each other!. Today, I SWEAR this is true… instead of saying “…recalculating…” the GPS was saying, “NOT THAT WAY, Be-yatch!” I thot Dr. Google might be better, and was following it and ignoring the GPS until the Ms. Garmin practically SCREAMED: “9 ton restriction ahead!!!” (we are about 16 tons).

Now that could have been a residential street, a parkway or other road and the intention of the restriction sometimes is just to keep commercial trucks away – I would have been happy to ignore THAT and apologize to the Cops if we were stopped. But there was a LOT of city traffic, a pedestrian festival – general mayhem dead center Downtown Boston. Could have been a REAL weight restriction on a bridge…Boston is OLDER THAN Chicago (older than Dirt, even).

Fortunately, I saw a sign for Interstate 93/US1 South and followed it. Soon we were heading for a tunnel (I assume “The Big Dig”) and the GPS was again screaming – “PROPANE RESTRICTION, Exit immediately” – this time with a bright red alert on screen!! I wondered, how does one exit from a tunnel immediately? I spotted a directional sign for “HM” which I think means “Hazardous Materials” that swooped us up and out of the entrance to the tunnel. We continued following that sign until we popped out of Boston on Hwy 1 heading towards Cape Cod. WHEW!!!

But, we were not out of the woods, yet.

We were headed for the woods (Wompatuk State Park). The GPS took us down some smallish roads, and then eventually there was a sign “DEAD END.” About 100ft past that sign was the entrance to the park…LOCKED and CHAINED. Liz was asking me “Why did you go down the dead end.” I should not have, but the road justy B4 the dead end was already small, with nowhere to turn around or go in a vehicle our size. So had I stopped B4 the sign, we’d still have been stuck.

WHAT TO DO?

Turning around was NOT a very good option. Cars parked on both sides, no real space to turn. Looked like we would be backing up about ½ mile. Then a fella came out of the house right by the gate.

–> He said, “This happens all the time, which is why I asked the Park for a key!”
       (Things are looking up…).

—> “Unfortunately, my son has the car and the key is in it.”
       (Things are looking down…).

—> He said, “You can turn around in my driveway,” which looked barely do-able.
        (Things are looking SLIGHTLY up).

—> We started that process – I had navigated backwards around a strategically-placed pine tree and into the drive, and was just about to pull out and go back the way we came 

—> When someone came by (not his son) who ALSO HAD A KEY.
       Gate was unlocked and we achieved the campground!!!

Normally, we have a setup routine at a new campsite.
This time our routine needed to start with an adult beverage!

After troubleshooting the CC issue,  we were faced with a couple weeks of uncommitted time before we needed to be on Cape Cod.  Even allowing for, possibly, a stop in Boston for CC Repairs.  What to do….

We decided to add a couple more states to our resume…New Hampshire and Vermont.  No rush to reach a CC Repair facility as we are just towing it with the engine off,  for the most part.  We found an RV place nestled into the White Mountains which seemed nice,  and could free up a space for us.  Hiking, dining and relaxing.  Even some local music at a pub next door to the park,  and a Dairy Queen next to that!  The White Mountain campground turned out to be quite large,  with nice wooded sites nestled at the junction of 2 rivers.  The pool was not yet closed for the year (though they had removed all the chairs), WiFi was good,  and the Laundry was large and functional. 

We also spent some time driving through various towns on the White Mountain parkway.  The area is VERY geared up for summer hikers and winter skiers, so the time after Labor Day and before the snow is an outlier – a lot of places are closed for a bit so the owners can recover from the summer and because the help has gone back to school,  or whatever.    So, the time we spent wandering around the towns that normally would be choc full of tourists was quiet,  calm and civilized.   

The White Mountain area is full of outfitters, clothing stores, canoe, kayak, ski and board sales and rental shops.  Because of the odd season, ALL of them were having major sales.  Liz and I took advantage of some of this, although as you might expect,  selection was a bit picked over. Like a shirt?  Gr8,  as long as you were size SMALL or 4XL.    

Our stay in WM was replete with fortunate timing.  As mentioned,  WITHOUT lots of tourists  what was left was some quirky local stuff to see and do.  First,  there was the “North Conway Mud Bowl” and associated parade.  This is a 12-team football round-robin tournament which culminates in the Mud Bowl itself,  the weekend after Labor Day.  This is like any other municipal flag-football event,  I suppose,  except it is purposely played in the mud!!!  And the Parade…two parts Pride Parade and one part small-town hokiness.  Full disclosure:  we did not go to the football event,  and we were only caught in the traffic behind the parade.  But still…

As mentioned, the pub was an easy walk from the park and there was live music.  The first of two nights was enhanced by a bachelotte party, the participants of which were suitably wild in celebration of the impending nuptuals.  The music was more than respectable,  and the local beers on tap quite delicious…

I was even able to do an informal, Local-IPA-Tour since they had 4 on tap.   

The nearby Dairy Queen was the PERFECT distance from the campsite…about a mile each way.  I think we could have an infinite number of DQs since each would involve  a 2mi. round trip walk!

Leaving the White Mountains,  we identified a municipal park with RV sites RIGHT IN Burlington, Vermont which had a spot available.  As we have mentioned before, in-town RV parks are VERY RARE.    And Burlington had been described to us as a place which encourages flying of the Freak Flag, is eclectic, sophisticated and fraught with all the perils one might find in a liberal college town.  Sounded like a GREAT PLACE to spend a few days! 

The drive through New Hampshire,  and ESPECIALLY Vermont was very, very scenic; we were about 2 weeks from peak Fall Color season,  but you could see hints of the magnificence to come.

And,  as rare as the in-city RV Park,  eclectic, fantastic Burlington offered something EVEN MORE RARE… I found a mechanic who was willing to work on the Clown Car!!!   But, as always,  the story is more complicated than that. 

I was pretty sure what the issue was,  but I could not actually SEE the broken fan without a lift.  Even though Liz could probably hold the front end of our tiny vehicle up while I crawled under to see the fan,  this seemed not wise as I could not risk her being mad at me at the moment.    So,  a real garage was needed.  

A Google search produced one (IN ALL OF VERMONT AND NEW HAMPSHIRE)  Burlington mechanic who claimed to work on the breed,  but a call surfaced that they would ONLY change the oil and/or brakes.  They had a buddy who had a Smart Car and said he needed to drive all the way to Troy, NY to find a mechanic.   3 friggin hours.   NOT GOOD. 

I was pretty sure I knew what needed to be replaced,  and I knew what needed to be done to replace it  — nothing uniquely “Smart Car” about it.  Just needed a willing mechanic with a wrench and a lift and the ability to discharge/recharge the A/C .  Couldn’t convince the first guy,  who claimed to work on Smart Cars, to do it so I simply made some calls to places in Burlington that got high ratings for Car repair.  One was called “Girlington Garage,” which was advertised as (again, VERY RARE) an all female shop! 

So eclectic,  so Burlington,  as it turns out!   

The Phone Person introduced herself as “Lizzie” which I thot an omen of sorts – since that is also the name of my partner-in-crime for 27 years.   Anyway,  Lizzie said they would be HAPPY to fix the issue.  Could be she KNEW that I KNEW I was going to be writing them a nice check for their labor.   Could be my Wife’s name may have helped,  who knows.   Anyway,  Lizzie said the shop was straight down the main drag from the campground  — an easy bike ride if necessary and there was a bus.  (And she said we would have a BLAST at that campground – Lizzie sounded like a person who knew what a good time was, too!). 

 I made an appointment for the week we planned to be there.  Said we would be there first thing Monday AM to get the car diagnosed. 

The original plan was to explore Burlington on our bikes while we waited;  something Dr. Google and Lizzie assured us was very practical.  Unfortunately,  the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon made that decidedly impractical.  LOTS of Rain.   

SO,  first day was an inside day,  which was OK as Girlington’s waiting room (for me, part of the day) and the bus (for Liz) were quite warm and dry.  But, explore we did (the next day,  after the Gordon-Gullywasher); and Burlington did NOT disappoint.  

First,  Burlington sits right on huge Lake Champlain,  across which is New York and around which the scenic Adirondacks are quite striking.   The downtown area and the University of Vermont were an easy and relatively flat bike ride from the RV Park along a lakefront trail,  which was TERRIFIC all by itself.  The weekend we had arrived had been their Pride Festival,  and the festivities had only just begun to wind down.  It seems the campground was party central,  too!    

The downtown area,  including the Church Street Pedestrial Mall had awesome restaurant options along with 2 brewpubs and a blend of bookstores, coffee shops and other cultural opportunities. 

The University, I suppose, bears some responsibility for the diversity and eclectic nature of the city,  enhanced by Vermont’s Legal Marijuana status,  no doubt. But I think Vermont as a whole has those tendencies —  It wasn’t the University ALONE that elected Bernie Sanders! 

Confirming Burlington and Vermont’s  status as a weird-center-of-the-universe was a conversation with a vendor who was selling “Keep Vermont Weird” fridge-magnets.  This seemed a cheap knock-off of the Austin, Tx slogan, so Liz asked the obvious question, “Why is Vermont Weird?” 

The response in two parts:

Part 1:  “Well,  there is a guy who periodically walks around downtown Burlington Naked.”

Part 2  (The even weirder part):   “You know,  it is totally legal to walk around Burlington Naked,  so long as you leave your house naked.  It is illegal to remove your clothes in public.”

Even Austin Texas isn’t THAT weird! 

Then there was the brew pub (Zero Gravity) that had a special ale containing “locally grown sweet gale, yarrow, stinging nettles and mugwort,  as well as sweet woodruff and Labrador Tea.”  Now THAT is weird!!!!  (Also, surprisingly delicious!)

In keeping with our newly-discovered reasons for LIKING places we visit,  Burlington has a GREAT museum, resplendent in its quirkiness.  I would characterize the Shelburne Museum as a “Rich Guy (or in this case Gal)’s hobby.” The museum’s benefactor:  Elektra Webb, daughter of major money, mostly from Sugar, but also some Vanderbilt.  

How else can you explain a museum that contains:  A Paddlewheel Steamboat (the Ticonderoga, which used to carry passengers across Lake Champlain) ,  a personal (and highly luxurious) railcar with associated engine, a set of over 100 original Carousel Figures, carved circus figures, dozens of horse-drawn carriages and sleighs of all kinds, a working blacksmith shop, print shop and weaving shop and a greek-revival style building containing 6 rooms from the benefactor’s 3-story Manhattan Penthouse, built explicitly to contain and display an UNPARALLELED collection of art.  The art collection includes impressionist masters from Monet, Degas and many more.  

Early Clown Car

CircusFigures2

CircusReproduction

LinotypeMachine

VermontJailandInmate

Monet2

Monet1

EarlyCarriages

EarlyTailgatingCarriage

CarouselFigures

CarouselFigure2

CarouselFigure1

CircusFigures

We have seen other museums that represent the diverse and sometimes odd interests of various captains of industry, including the Ford Museum in Detroit, Alexander Graham Bell’s in Braddeck, Nova Scotia and the Evergreen Air and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon.  The Shelburne Museum is no less spectacular, and no less eccentric in its range of artifacts.  

And,  the FINAL PROOF of Burlington’s avant-guarde-ness:  FREE WIFI Internet throughout the city.  STRONG WiFi.  I have always thought that WiFi,  in todays world  (well,  at least the FIRST world) is AS IMPORTANT as water and sewer…it is all just necessary plumbing.  Here is a city that agrees!!!  

Bottom line:  Vermont is a spectacular place,  and Burlington is more than worthy of a re-visit!

The Clown Car issue turned out to be exactly what I expected…a bad fan bearing.  However the repair turned out better than expected.   Lizzie said she could get a “Salvage” Fan Assembly for MUCH LESS than a new one, which seemed impossible.  Not doubting that a salvage fan would cost less, but I could not imagine a Smart Car surviving a crash  with any parts or pieces large or intact enuf to be salvaged!  Lizzie assured me this was available (there are other reasons besides crashes that produce salvaged parts) and would be the way to go,  especially since I had shared with her we were not planning to keep the CC much longer.  The labor costs was still 2x the fan,  but I was happy to pay the lady for that!

Nothing is ever as simple as it should be,  even when “simple” is a complicated as finding a Smart Car Mechanic.  As it turned out,  the salvage parts were found to be unusable.  Lizzie was able to source a NEW fan and have it delivered quickly enuf for the repair to be effected.  She wasn’t SURE it could be done before the day we were leaving town; but said WORST CASE we could stay overnight in their parking lot!  

It turned out it WAS done on time,  and the total cost was about 1/2 what I expected.  I spoke briefly with the mechanic, who exclaimed:  “I cannot believe how much of the car had to be disassembled to replace that silly fan.”   Suffice to say,  if anyone has a car issue in or near Burlington Vermont,  I got a guy…well actually,  a Gal.  Girlington Garage

And,  last but surely not least – the folks at Girlington’s were willing to print our ABSENTEE BALLOT forms…the relentless bickering and political gamesmanship, which we were oblivious to when traveling north of US Satellite News reach,  needs voters in a state of disgust willing to STAND UP AND BE COUNTED,  even if we are not in state for said count. 

We left Burlington after a week,  with the Clown Car purring and having had a fantastic (though not publically-naked) time.   I think we’ll visit here again;  perhaps we’ll reprise all the places we have been so far and in the future, too,  that pride themselves on WEIRD, to discern the nuances and appreciate the diversity.     

We moved onwards from the Bar Harbor Area, wandering gradually southwards. Next stop in Thomaston, Maine. This is in the area of Camden, Rockport, Rockland, Bath, Freeport, etc. And, tho we only drove a couple hours to get here from BH, it is a WORLD AWAY.

Look, I get it…a BUNCH of people wrote that they had LOVED Bar Harbor when they visited. We did not. Not arguing or implying our experience was the “real” BH and theirs’ wasn’t. Could easily have been that Cruise Ship which ruined the day for us. But I can say that in every way we did NOT like Bar Harbor, we DID like the Rockland/Camden area. Part of this might be because we are starting to understand a little better what exactly it is we like. And part may be because there was NO Cruise Ship anywhere near Camden.

So what did we do/like in 4 peaceful days in Thomaston?

Our RV Park was a gently sloping field heading down to the St. George River. This is a tidal body…nearly empty at low tide and full to the brim at High. For a midwesterner, this is still and probably always will be fascinating to watch. Also in the park: a swimming pool (very nice), laundry room and a couple of Bald Eagles that soar overhead almost every day.

In nearby Thomaston, which is a small town with some stately old houses that people are buying and starting to renovate, was a nice coffee shop with an EXCELLENT brunch. We don’t eat out that often on the road, but one of our guilty pleasures is a weekly breakfast. In Chicago, before retirement, this would have been Sunday. These days, every day is Sunday, so we pick a day based on proximity to a local breakfast place.

We spent our time in the area visiting and wandering around the nearby towns. One day we learned that Camden was having a “Windjammer Festival.” This had the harbor full of Sailing Schooners – some old, some built by their owners, some newer and some offering week-long cruises for 10-or-so passengers. As part of the festival, you could tour these boats and speak to the crews/owners/builders – all VERY PROUD of their craft and happy to describe their lives on board.

There was also a small group of vendor booths, a Coast Guard Search and Rescue Boat (fascinating to talk to the sailors about their careers), a local brew pub and a family restaurant with an EXCELLENT Lobster Roll/Chowder special.

I Want that Job (Scaring Kids on the street)

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There was also a Lobster Crate race, which looked fun for the participants and was certainly fun for the spectators. Even MORE fun for THIS spectator, as we were able to watch from the deck of the Brewpub, which overlooked the harbor! The setup for this race was a string of wooden Lobster Crates attached at both ends to segments of the marina piers like so many beads on a necklace. There was about 50 yards between ends of this floating “bridge,” so a 50-yard dash, right?

Not so much!!! Lobster crates are not very stable, nor are they very bouyant. So the “race” part comes down to trying to step on the exact middle of each crate as you move at just the right speed (so the crates don’t sink under your weight) across all the crates to the end. Then back across the string again – the winner of the race is the person who crosses the string the most times in two minutes!

As we watched this race, we started to understand what it takes to win. You need to be about 10 years old, and slightly-built. If you are older or heavier, the crates sink too much as you push off. If you are younger or smaller, your legs are too short to reach the center of each crate from the previous one, in full stride. Either way, you are going swimming. A winning racer keeps just the right pace in addition to being a light-weight and stepping always EXACTLY in the middle of each crate. And it is VERY clear that the whole thing is exhausting – like running in soft sand since the crates sink out from under you as you push off, wasting most of the energy in each stride.

We found some other things to do while in the area. Among the most interesting: We visited the town of Bath. I knew that Bath had a Shipyard, but I had NO IDEA how important the small Maine Town was to the shipbuilding industry up until the 1920s. Before then, there were almost 200 Ship Building companies, who produced HUNDREDS of wooden schooners of all sizes. Some were small fishing boats, others were Behemoths, built to carry coal.

The largest were 6-masted sailing vessels – absolutely HUGE. There is a sculpture at the Maine Maritime Museum (on the river front at the site of one of the last shipbuilders) representing the last boat built – the Wyoming. We’ve seen the Tall Ships in Chicago, but the size and majesty of these 6-masted boats would have been a sight to see.

Unfortunately, almost all of the wooden boats built at Bath are now long gone – we learned that the average lifetime of a working schooner was 13 years only! Most succumbed to fire or reefs; a couple were torpedoed in WW1!

The museum had many of the original buildings that created these boats – the Sail Loft, Joinery, Pitch Furnace, Paint and Treenail shed, caulker’s shed, etc. There was a reproduction of the blacksmith shed, which also fired the steam trunk used to warm the timber so it could be bent and formed around the hull. The history, so well explained, of the place and the manufacturing processes was riveting, even though treenails, manufactured by the thousands for each ship, not rivets were used to hold the craft together. Along with a whole range of specially manufactured iron straps, fasteners, loops, buckles, etc.

After touring the museum and learning about the shipyard as it operated up until 1920, we took a boat cruise on the Kennebec River, with an ongoing commentary by a museum Docent. He described exactly WHY Bath was such an important center for shipbuilding, which included proximity to lumber (though in later years, a lot of this was brought in by ship), a natural and sheltered, deepwater river port, gently sloping river banks (the better to slide ships down the Ways when hulls were built), etc. The Docent told of the Quarantine Hospital on a lonely point on the river just out of town where any ship form overseas had to stop and be boarded before it was allowed to offload passengers into Bath.

Who knew that the Bath Customs House was once the FOURTH-BUSIEST in the US, after, Boston, New York and Philadelphia!

Our Docent-led cruise included a run past the Bath Iron Works, a still very-much-active Shipyard building Destroyers for the Navy. They make two types – the Arleigh Burke Class and the Zumwalt.

The latter looks like something from Star Wars — all angles and weird lines. This is a Stealth boat – BIW has made 2 of them and the third is under construction in their yard.

Apparently, the Zumwalts have been singularly UNsuccessful, so much so that the Navy will build only 3 (after contracting for 32). They had huge cost overruns (how UNUSUAL for military procurement!), problems with guns, problems with Ammo for the guns etc. etc.

The nail in the Zumwalt coffin:  The original Stealth design, while somewhat effective, is exceeded naturally and completely by the Navy’s other stealth warships – SUBMARINES. So the navy is looking for some way to use them productively (and justify their $billions pricetag) considering they already have an inventory of the latter.  Not to be political,  but how much of our military spending is for weapons tech that is built first, AFTER WHICH a mission for the tech is sought? 

The docent spent a lot of time talking about the process of building modern steel warships. From the creation of sections, to lifting those sections into place – which are often instructed upside-down so must be “flipped” (a word that sounds inappropriate for a huge thing that weighs hundreds of tons). A HUGE crane – once the largest in the US – is used for this. Finally, the ships are moved onto a special floating platform, where the ship’s assembly can be nearly completed BEFORE the platform is simply sunk down to float the ship off. Turns out this is way more efficient that the old-fashioned building practice where the hull is created, then slid down the ways into the water with a huge splash, where it spends several more years being finished.

One disappointment in the area: Visiting the epicenter of L.L.Bean in Freeport, Maine. We had been warned that this was just a shopping center/Outlet Mall, but we thought we’d visit anyway. They were right, those who warned us. A shopping center. Crowded. Nothing much worth visiting; nothing purchased, even. Ahhh well…Bath was on the way to/from!

I think the contrast between Bar Harbor and Camden/Rockport/Bath/Freeport might have sharpened our focus on the kinds of things we like in our travels. High-end tourist destinations, no matter how beautiful, elegant, educational and/or comfortable almost always disappoint, for us. It might have to do with the fact that we are NOT really tourists anymore. Not on vacation, not needing to see as much as practical in 2 weeks. Not wanting to eat every dinner out. We can afford to (in fact PREFER to) go slow. Spend an afternoon at a coffee shop. Eat IN (having purchased stuff at a farmstand).

Our enjoyment of a place, it turns out, can best be predicted or summarized most easily by the ratio of Locals to Tourists. The more of the former, the more we have EXCELLENT experiences. When the ratio of locals is high, you get the sense of people who are proud of their hometown, what they eat, the music they perform or listen to, etc. They pull you into their joy of where they live, sometimes with recommendations for things to do or see, and often with unexpected offers of hospitality (and sometimes even moose meat!).

And, I do not include shop and restaurant workers in tourist places in the “Local” count – they may live locally, but they tend to be curt – even grumpy – after a long day of dealing with Tourists. Their JOB is to maximize the economic impact of their brief contact with people from away. Not conducive to nuance and joy.

Places can be beautiful, but when people are beautiful it is far more enjoyable (for us).

The kind of places we enjoy, in addition to locals often have museums; but they tend towards the quirky, or at the very least, off-center.  For example, the Canadian National Potato Museum on Prince Edward Island. Or the Maine Maritime Museum. The Blues Music Hall of Fame. The Catch-and-Release Mini-Aquarium in Petty Harbor, Newfoundland. Any Aviation Museum. Every Presidential Library we have been to.

Not to say some “tourist-oriented” places are not worthy of our attention and time. We have enjoyed the National Parks (Canadian or US), The Baseball Hall of Fame, The aforementioned Presidential Libraries, Beale Street in Memphis (and yes, Graceland, too). But we tire of these after a few days unless there are some “Local” interests or eccentricities to engage us.

So maybe THAT explains why we preferred Thomaston to Bar Harbor; ever respectful to the fervent recommendations of so many for the latter?

And, what would a blog post be without at least SOME mechanical mischief? 

This week a new twist on the usual!!!   As we wandered around Maine, we started to hear a really strange noise emanating from the front of the Clown Car. NOT just a squeak – with the bus at its age, I am fully able to ignore squeaks (or at least differentiate “squeaks” from impending disaster). This sounded AWFUL and vibrated like the front end is going to fall off. Given the short nose on the Clown Car, the vibrations from the fan were actually tickling my toes!

After listening and considering and Googling – I even found a YouTube Video of a Smart Car making the exact same sound — I came to the conclusion that the radiator fan is dead or dying. This is serious, even though as the weather cools, the fan is hardly used (it comes on really only when the A/C runs except if it is really hot and we are sitting in city traffic). We can limp along, sans A/C for local stuff, but this is cramping our style getting to/from things to see and do.

Unfortunately, from what Dr. Google reports, in order to change out a simple electric fan, one must: Remove a significant part of the front body panels, drain the cooling system and dismount the radiator, discharge the A/C refrigerant and remove it’s condenser before you can even get to the fan. Then you have to do all that in reverse to put the car back on the road.

I could probably do most of this, EXCEPT the A/C Discharge/Recharge, but only if I had a place to work. So we need to find a mechanic. This is NOT an easy thing to do for a Smart Car; we thot maybe we would have to tow the car all the way to Boston (which eventually will be on the way for us, as we make our way to Cape Cod). Even assuming we COULD find one sooner or closer, online estimates of this job come in at $1,000 or more labor to replace a $100 part.

 I have long thot that its life would be a short one due to the beating it takes; over time we have come to realize we need something bigger — something that can haul bikes on the back or a Kayak on top. Something with higher ground clearance – some roads are just not passable for us. So, we are considering an older Jeep Wrangler or Suburu or ??? Problem is, we are not quite ready to do this, only resigned to the need to do this.

Buying a used car is as much related to happening on the right one as the decision to buy one. And once we find one, we need to move the towing bits from the CC to the new toad. This, we thought, would happen this winter when the bus is parked for a month or so. It was ONE of the projects on my Winter ToDo list.  Unfortunately we will have to bite the bullet and get the CC fan fixed even though we will be dumping it in a few months. BAD (and expensive) TIMING.