Wawarsing to Maine

Sunday June 28, 2015
We are parked at Thomas Point Beach in Brunswick Maine. It is raining, hard. It has been raining (hard) since last night.  The drumming of the rain on Shelly’s skylights made sleeping a pleasure.  Maine is beautiful. We are happy to be here.

This trip has been different from our last. I was amazed to count the days yesterday and discover we have only been traveling for nineteen. So much has happened. The days are long and full. So full that there has been little time to write, and even less access to wi-fi. I fear this will be a long post.

So, about ten days ago we made it back to the Catskills and the Piatek family. This is the home and family we left when we wandered off to Oregon together in 1974. H’s mother and brothers and sisters made their lives in the area and had wonderful children, one of whom is getting married in July. So, we are here, and we are cool because for the first time EVER since moving away, we feel like we have the time and the space to enjoy and explore, and hang out with family and eat a lot of cake from Cohen’s Bakery, and have our own space. (Instead of flying in and out for short and expensive visits.)

When we arrived on Friday, we parked Shelly in the shade of a lush Catalpa tree across from Babi’s house. She is “almost” 95 and still wonderful. Not surprisingly, the weather was hot and muggy, and I was just beginning to rebound from the effects of my allergy attack. To speed the healing, Wanda gives me samples of lovely soothing creams from the spa at Lake Mohonk, where she works, and I took my pills. After the hectic cross country trip, is good to be in one place for a while.  The dogs, who seem to be a big hit with everyone, are behaving admirably.

Family lunch on Saturday comes from a good new Asian restaurant in Stone Ridge. This was good, but if you know H, you know he was disappointed - when we come to Babi’s house we eat Polish food, or we used to. Now, the food at the Polish restaurant in town is terrible, and at her age, Babi doesn’t cook anymore. 

We spent the next five days eating, visiting with family, talking about wedding plans, relaxing and having a lovely time. On Wednesday morning, we headed out again. It was a beautiful day. Hank drove through Connecticut, into Rhode Island.   

Getting into the New England spirit of our trip, I ate my first lobster roll on a bay side deck in Narragansett, R.I. The waitress claimed their lobster rolls were rated 9^th in the state. I’d give them a 14. However, next door at a fish market I was mesmerized by a thick filet of local striped bass that had our name on it for dinner.

After lunch we drove into Massachusetts, through the town of New Bedford to look at an ancient church whose red and historic tower that drew us off the highway and through the crowded streets to find the building. Then we drove on.

It was a long day of driving - including a stint in rush hour traffic getting through Boston. We spent the night at Burlingame State Park in Massachusetts.  Once parked, I roasted the beautiful striped bass with lemon and olive oil. YUM

Though the location of the park, surrounded by three bodies of water, and lit at dusk like a French Impressionist painting, was lovely, the park was noisy and crowded. We left in the morning, just hoping to get somewhere to stop and rest. I think we were burned out. It had been a long drive – no matter how you looked at it … and stressful in ways both good and difficult. 

Our next goal was simply to reach the state of Maine, with a quick stop in New Hampshire at the state liquor outlet.Finally, around noon on Friday, we began seeing signs for Portland (and moose) and lobster, on the road. 

So now, we are here, loving the delicious local seafood, the exquisite green trees, the vast swaths of land and blue water, and some time to unwind and eat, and eat. We plan to spend our time working our way north to Acadia National Park, but every day and every mile so far has been beautiful, rain or shine.  More later.There is lots more to say about Maine.