MY HOT and TOTALLY FORGETTABLE VACATION
CT & MASS
AUGUST 2-9, 2002

Friday August 2nd.

TOMS BROOK, VA. TO BRANFORD, CT. 410 MILES.

We thought we would get an early start and showed up at Enterprise for our car. After trying to decide if we would take the Chevrolet Cavalier because of the jumpy brakes, and reserving another car to pick up at Winchester, packing and unpacking, we decided to give it a try. On our way to Winchester, John decided he'd better stop at the Winchester Emergency Hospital and have a hornet bite attended to. His hand had swollen quite large up to his elbow, and he had to have it bandaged, and was prescribed antihistamines and antibiotics. Stopped off at Costco to have it filled, and bought some cheese, apples and palmiers. We were on our way to CT at 1:00 p.m.

Deciding to stop (now dark) at Campmor in Paramus, New Jersey for some "special socks" we found ourselves in a pounding rainfall, pulling off at a Starbucks for an hour, losing our way, never making it and getting back on the highway to arrive in Branford, CT at about midnight. Quite an eventful day!

Saturday August 3rd.

BRANFORD, CT.

Met the in-laws for our usual morning breakfast at a Branford restaurant. As it was quite hot and John's mother can't stand the sounds of air-conditioning, we sat outside on the porch during the afternoon while I was almost had a heat-stroke. We went to Twin-Pines for dinner - John had prime rib and I had a beef/lamb pita situation. Both were forgettable! Came back and sat out on the porch again, visited with neighbors and drank Opici wine which John's dad had been praising. I didn't more than 1/2 glass.

Sunday August 3rd.

PLYMOUTH ROCK

No need to hang around for our usual morning breakfast with the folks, as they were not up early. (Could it have been the Opici wine?) So we took off for Plymouth (Rock). Plymouth seemed to be about 100 degrees, full of tourists roaming the treeless streets with no parking available in site. I barely glanced at the Mayflower and could care less where the rock was. I vowed I would say that I saw the rock, seeing a rock nearby. Probably wasn't it -- nobody was getting photographed beside it.

SALEM WITCHES BY THE BAY

We headed to Salem where the witches were -- I'm not interested in "dead" witches. The bay at Salem is unusual in that it seems so small. After living in the Bay Area of California (San Francisco) for many years, I thought it would be similar. It was the busiest port in New England for a very long time.

The House of the Seven Gables is on the Salem bay front. A large modern looking building painted black. The only thing interesting was an old tree in the front yard, all knarley.

MARBLEHEAD

We took off for Marblehead. I had planned to go out to Marblehead Neck (where the ultra rich, I'm told, live). John has a relation married to a "Cabot" who had a home there recently before her demise. Here is a quote about the Cabots, I like.

"Boston, dear Boston, the land of the bean and the cod
Where the Cabots speak only to the Lodges,
and the Lodges speak only to God"

Getting lost, we ended up in the old part of Marblehead. This is the most unique town in America I've ever seen. On our way out we stopped by a Starbucks for a Frappicino. Not nearly as good as in Washington, D.C. But even though we moved to this area because of Washington D.C. being near, we are disgusted with the crime and the traffic is horrendous. Georgetown Medical University, where I go for medical care. While others feel Georgetown is a nice area to live, I don't have much admiration for it. Go to Marblehead if you want charm and old houses.

DANVERS, MA. (MOTEL)

Our wonderful chain motel found on the web for only $69.95 -- regularly $119.95 proved to be a $59.95 motel, packed with bus tours, teenage kids running the top floor balconies until late in the night and "hanging" out in the "barracks" parking lot. Our complaints about a door handle that would not open from the outside, an opening under the door for mosquitos and flying dive-bomber roach-type bugs, sheets unchanged brought only, "Since you paid such a small amount, we can't give you any discount." So you see, it was really to begin with a $69.95 room.

We went to the North Shore Mall at Danvers and ended up eating at "Jambalaya"-- Louisiana and Mexican food. I had tortillas packed with fish and smothered with crab/cheese sauce -- not bad -- with a Dos Equis (XXX) - John was driving.

Monday August 5th.

After a couple of dry doughnuts at the motel we drove to

GLOUCESTER, MA. (PERFECT STORM)

Quite a busy working town, lots of traffic. We ate at noon at McTee's Lobster House & Tavern, 25 Rogers Street, Gloucester, MA (minimal parking for about 10 cars - you have to BACK OUT) served by a waitress who said she was a fourth-generation Gloucester. I loved the way she winced slightly when I asked her if the lobster was fresh! She said that in September and October the English and Germans come for lobster, serving them sometimes 350-500 lobsters a day. The day I was there, I was the only one eating lobster. It was prepared nicely, cut already in half, presented well, so one wouldn't have the hassle. We walked up and down the "boardwalk" several times until I became prostrate from the heat.

Gloucester

ROCKPORT, MA

Then we headed toward Rockport, MA this morning, nothing unusal in the scenery, so we decided to travel on to see what Hampton Beach, New Hampshire looked like.

Rockport

HAMPTON BEACH, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Sort of reminded me of Nags Head, North Carolina. The camera got messed up on the settings, so we didn't take any pictures.

PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Decided to drive this far to see what the town looked like -- not much. The only book store in town we saw closed at 5:00 p.m. Drove around a bit -- pretty dull -- left very shortly.

DANVERS, MA (Motel)

So we headed back to North Shore Mall at Danvers near our hotel.

I was able to find a few items at Kitchen, Etc. that I can't locate in Virginia-Maryland, such as a Caphalon whisk. There is nothing I like better than book stores and kitchen stores -- except for food stores.

We wondered around the mall and decided to eat at Johnny Rockets, which I had never seen before. It had the greatest music and everyone was upbeat, teaching us how to eat the "Johnny Rockets" way. Outside, a cute little 2-3 year old girl and her mother were dancing to the piped music. They were so darned sweet. I hadn't eaten a hamburger in years, but did, with french fries and a diet coke. John had an honest-to-goodness milkshake. It was fun. Funny, but when we stopped at the Mohegan Casino in CT on the way home, we saw another Johnny Rockets. I didn't look in to see if it was large inside as the one in Massachusetts. I don't think "the mother-in-law" would appreciate the music, though. We wheeled her (wheel-chair bound) around while John's dad was gambling, so at the casino for entertainment, we settled on "Ben & Jerry's" at $4.50 a cone - Whoa! and "Starbucks"cofee while we sat and watched other gamblers taking time-out. Yes, they looked like they were really having a great time!

August 6th, Tuesday

CONCORD, MASSACHUSSETS

Today we drove to Concord, Massachussets and spent time on the Concord-Lexington trail. There were historical stopping points along the way. At the Minute Man House before starting we saw an interesting film about the event. At the Hartwell House, a guide used a Brown-Bess to shoot a musket and gave a talk. It was the best part of the trip.

Hartwell House
Concord-Lexington Trail

In the center of Concord, the town itself, a lovely little town, but bustling with traffic and hot as Hades was a beautiful church with a old cemetery beside it

Another church in the center of Concord.

In the Circle in Concord

We saw the home where Ralph Waldo Emerson lived in Concord - I would have loved to seen this 45 years ago when I was "into" Emerson.

Ralph Waldo Emerson Home
Concord, Massachusetts

I had to lighten up the darkened photo; hence the clouds don't show up.
The sky was the most beautiful this day I've seen for some time.

This is more the way they looked.

We drove by Walden Pond, but it is surrounded by beaches - homemade? -- and sunbathers and $15 for parking. Ouch!

We couldn't believe our eyes when we were driving thru Wayland, Mass. and saw a "Bread and Circus - Wholefoods Market," so we stopped and had "real coffee" and lunch of Tibetan tofu and a salad. Yikes! you say? But we liked it. Bread and Circus is the same company as Fresh Fields. It is called "Bread and Circus" in Washington, D.C., but in Virginia, it is called "Fresh Fields." Evidently, Mass. prefers "Bread and Circus." I could've spent a lot of money there, but most of it wouldn't have traveled well.

We travelled on to see the Wayside Inn, 100 Wayside Inn Road, Sudbury, MA. My West Virginia high school education recalled reading Longfellow's "Wayside Inn" and I was happy to see it. In the poem it mentioned the piano, grandfather clock and the code-of-arms on the mantle. Pictures below.

Down the road from the Wayside Inn is the accompanying Grist Mill

CONNECTICUT SHORE TOWNS

We decided to take our time and come into Branford late, visit the shoretowns that we always drive thru. We stopped at Chip's Pub in Clinton, CT. I ordered their "sounded good" blue-crab cakes (fried). They came dripping in grease, fried to an unhealthy deep-dark-brown and "deep-fried." What a waste of blue-crab. The waitress did take them back and brought me a homemade "gardenburger" which I loved. Wish I could make them this good!

Wednesday August 7th.

BRANFORD CENTER CEMETERY

We had breakfast with the folks, then went to Branford Center Cemetery, Branford, CT, where many of John's relatives are buried. I took 200 photos. Oh, I'm so thankful for this camera. Where was it when I needed it for my family! Ruined pictures of gravesites and reunions never to be revisited! But looking forward to someday returning to a few.

My dear husband and helpmate, John
standing beside his Danish-Norwegian great-grandfather

MOHEGAN SUN CASINO, CT.

We headed out for Mohegan Sun, the casino, where John's dad loves to gamble. John's mother who loved gambling only a year ago now despises it -- she has Alzheimer's. Funny how this disease affects a person. She drank cups of coffee a day before and now could care less about coffee. She lives now on all the sweets she can get and sits and looks at the rest of her food. She knows the difference still.

We started to eat at the casino, but a waitress started harassing us all and we all in unison , without any discussion between us, at one point when we had all had enough of her, just got up and walked out. It was funny - later! I'll bet she does this to us old folks all day long - but, no Tips! She missed a good bet, John's dad is a big tipper.

EAST HAVEN PIZZA! (This is why I go!)

From the Mohegan, we went back to Branford to eat at Tolly's Pizza -- our favorite Pizza Place - in East Haven - but there was too much traffic from a funeral, so we drove to Paul's Pizza in East Haven. The pizza was quite good. We hadn't been there for a while. They burn the pizza because the coal-fired oven is near 1000 degrees. (Tolly's is only about 600 degrees.) Too much burnt ruins it, but he was able to keep the burnt to a minimum this time. John and I don't normally eat pizza WITH cheese, and both places are able to make a fabulous pizza this way. After all, it's New Haven. Oh, another thing, John's mother hates garlic, but this time, she was eating garlic without reserve. Tee Hee.

We went back to the motel in Branford and spent some time looking at family pictures and identifying them and had a little more John's discovery: Opici wine. John's mother is not interested in genealogy and was wanting to go home and look for her cat, so we cut the evening short.

Thursday, August 8th

BRANFORD, CT; HAGERSTOWN, MD; TOMS BROOK, VA

We had breakfast at the Bagel-icious, Branford with John's folks around 9:00 a.m. They were up and alert. The coffee is always good there and we on our way home! We were able to find Campmor this time going back, and bought ourselves some "special socks" and I found a pair of Polartec pants. I'm always looking for Polartec pants. My mom would really get a kick out of this, as I will always remember her trying to get me to wear those "snow suits." Remember them?

We traveled onto Hagerstown, MD, stopping at all the lovely rest stops in between. We arrived at Hagerstown Outlet Mall about 7:30 and was only able to shop at two stores -- Le Chef Gourmet and L.L. Bean. Two places where I always find something. I bought a Caphalon Crepe Griddle - useful for tortillas, too. At Bean's I found a pair of XX sized silk slacks and XX sized indoor dress. Didn't have time to hit "Woolrich." Hagerstown Outlet Mall is the only Outlet Mall I've been to that I sort of enjoy. It is not a mall, but the stores are brightly colored, reminescent of New Mexico and arranged in a nice maze fashion.

We arrived home at about 11:30 p.m. looking forward to the next day return of the car and washing and bringing in groceries!

HOME AT LAST!

Next trip in October? John's mother's 90th birthday. A little overnite trip to Annapolis to do some research on Warner Pritchard? I'm getting too old to think about the next trip. This one hurt! Bad! Oh, well. I'll think about it tomorrow.

Monday, September 30, 2002