Note:  If you already read the Boston walk-a-thon post (10-12-11), I am happy to announce that my camera is now dried out and I successfully downloaded the few pics I had from the crappy camera – so I added those to the post – take a peek (though they are not great).

Dad was right, as usual, by the time we got on the road to Salem the rain was subsiding and when we arrived it was a mere mist.  We never had to use the umbrellas that I had packed.  So, all in all, the weather was still cooperating and the gloominess actually added to the ambiance of Salem with its graveyards and dark history.  Though a little more commercial than we expected, it still was a very informative and enjoyable day.  We walked the full circuit of sights – stopping to view the movie at the Visitor’s Center and spending extra time in the old burial grounds, the memorial to the Witch Trial Victims and the House of the Seven Gables.  We discovered that the first person hanged for alleged witchcraft in the region was Bridgett Bishop – which intriqued us because that is my paternal family’s name.  We have no idea if she is a distant ancestor of our lineage, but it made for interesting conversation nonetheless.

In homage to Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of House of the Seven Gables, and many more classic novels,we offer as our words of the day an excerpted, truncated line from his famous story which he intended to be the moral of his tale:  “the wrong-doing of one generation lives into the successive ones, and . . . becomes a pure and uncontrollable mischief.”  Good observation, good solid advice.

Since we won’t be home in time for Halloween, we stopped in the oldest candy manfacturing/sales site in the United States and bought some sweets for our sweets back home and had it shipped in time for spooky-time – then it was back to camp we go…With the Fall colors muted by the rain and gloom, my eyes turned to another sight on the drive back – many flocks of birds perched on tree branches and telephone lines in large numbers that must be getting ready for their trip southward (maybe we will see them later, as we move south as well…).  Tomorrow will be our last day in this area and we hope the weather will cooperate once more as we head out to Cape Cod and Plymouth Rock.

You are 75 years old today and we are trekking around the great city of Boston, Mass. – not bad for an old guy!  I love you and respect you with all my heart.  I dedicate the word of the day to you – FATHER – as you are a prime example of everything a father should be.

We started in Little Italy, on the North end (appropriate since that was the name of our restaurant, back in the day).  We stopped at Regina’s (world-famous) for pizza, but successfully avoided all of the pastries, cookies, cakes and pies that filled the bakeries lining the streets.  There were amazing smells and sights and a very authentic local population, many speaking italian and talking with their hands flying in every direction.  It was like being in Italy itself.

We got a little (a lot) lost and wished that my sister-in-law was there with us to be our tour guide… We finally found our trolley stop and took it on a circuit around the hot-spots – Boston Commons, Fenway Park, Faneuil Hall, Bunker Hill and many other parts of the Freedom Trail.  I apologize that I have no pics to post yet (maybe never) since I dropped my camera in the sink and am trying to dry it out.   I bought a cheap-o digital that had very little memory, so I have a few, but those are not going to be great, as many were taken through the trolley window.  Once I download the software and upoad the pics, I will post.

Next, we took a harbor tour (camera was out of memory at this point) and ended up at the U.S.S. Constitution and also toured the museum. It was getting late, so we headed back to our rental car. THAT was a experience!  I will spare you the details, but needless to say it was frustrating and strenuous – but we did get our exercise in for the day!  We were rather overwhelmed with the size and scope of the city coupled with some bad maps that were missing lots of the minor streets.  The local residents were quite helpful, but rather confused themselves about locations – but we finally made it back.

Finally, we traveled to Marshfield, Mass (my in-laws had lived her many years ago) and found the Ming Dynasty Restaurant still in business.  Their food was still excellent. As we left the restaurant, it began to sprinkle.  By the time we reached the campground, it was a drizzle.  Through the night it was a full-blown rain and this morning…a deluge (expeted to last about 2 more days)! However, Dad still says we are going to Salem, “We can’t let a little rain stop us.”  (Did I say deluge???)

The farther North we traveled, the more vivid and vibrant the fall colors became.  My camera does not really do them justice, but when the sun hits them in just the right way, the indescribable colors emerge:  vivid reds, glistening golds, muted browns and a full spectrum of greens that are contrasted by the gray, white, black and sand rocks, boulders and tree trunks. I hope that all of you will get to see this once in your lifetime. Everywhere you look there are hills filled with trees that form a patchwork tapestry of beauty – so our word for the day is SPECTRUM; not only for the obvious array of color, but also for the diversity of people that we are meeting, the places that we are going and the experiences we are sharing.

Logging trucks passed us on the road as we go through a myriad of small towns with names like Pleasant River.  Motorcyclists sped by us, a contrast of scale for sure – but they were not hindered by our size as they zipped and darted around and in front of us. Clapboard houses painted in muted yellow, blues and white, most displaying an American flag, banner and/or a Fall display or Halloween scene, gave us a taste of Americana.  Every few miles, we saw rivers, streams and lakes all around us – some as calm as ice and others babbling and churning over rocks and fallen trees.  Leaves floated down around us and swirled on the road in front of us, like fairies in a wonderland.

As we neared the coast, the trees lessened in number and the population density increased somewhat, though still rather small in comparison to an urban center.  We wanted to make camp before dark, so we decided to buy fresh, live lobsters and cook them in our RV.  Though slightly space-challenged, we accomplished our quest and cracked the first crustacean just as the sunset was waning.  Watching the sunset and eating a lobster dinner – perfection!

The word of the day is Perseverance.

Discussing our plans over a breakfast of coffee and bagels (I spread some of the chevre that we got at the goat farm yesterday- delicious) – we decided to go to New Hampshire instead of St. Albans, VT.  We traveled quite a significant distance to get the bridge which traversed Lake Champlain, only to find that the bridge was still under construction and hence, closed.  Not to be daunted, we headed for the “free” ferry in hopes that they would accommodate a vehicle as large as ours…thankfully, they did.  As warned by both my brothers, we kept a wary eye out for “Champy” (akin to the Scottish Nessie) and thankfully was spared the sea serpent’s wrath…

Our next challenge came at the campsite with our first campfire of the trip.  Wet wood is not the best medium for success, but Dad gave it his all, including splitting kindling with a small pocket knife and using 2 USA Today’s and a local Sunday newspaper to fuel the fire.  But alas, lots of smoke and no flames…Next we both blew on the fire and fanned it with cardboard, trying to coax the embers to catch – nada.  I took off to the laundry room to collect lint from the dryers as a fuel source (note that the camp store is now closed so we can’t buy lighter fluid, but it has already gone onto the list for the next shopping stop!) – lint is an old boy-scout trick, so I was sure it would work.  Meanwhile, Dad patiently fanned and blew, stoked and stirred with his walking stick…and by the time I returned, he had flames!  I rushed to wad up my lint ball and toss it into the fray- to which another plume of flame arose!  Dad graciously credited me with getting the fire to start, but we both knew that it was his perseverance and calm persistance that did the trick.  We finally could sit back in our camp chairs and enjoy the full moon, the dancing flames and the glowing embers flickering in the night…

I must mention that while in the laundry room, I came across some additional inspirational words that I would like to send along to my pregnant daughter and son-in-law.  Found on a poster about the area’s annual Lupine Flower Festival in June:  “Hope is the Seed; Joy is the Flower” may those words bless you with a healthy and beautiful child.

Tomorrow our destination is Bar Harbor, Maine in the Acadia National Park system.  The campground is harbor-side, so we are looking forward to the coastal view and “Lobstah”.

Another beautiful day found us discussing our plans over
breakfast.  We agreed to travel only a short distance today and find a nice campground as a stepping stone to adventures in the Adirondack Mountains. A brochure told of a Farm Tour in Thurman which seemed to have all the elements of local crafts, foods and music planned for Oct 8 and 9.  We will be
staying in this area all of today and tomorrow and leaving Sunday AM towards
Vermont/Canada.  At a rest stop on the way to Warrensburg, NY, I stopped to talk to the INFO booth, who gave us some tips and more detailed maps of the area. In one of his brochures, there was a listing of local campgrounds – I
called the first one on the list – NO ANSWER. Then a second – DITTO.  The third place didn’t answer either, but had a voicemail option to which she promptly called me back.  So, Daggett Lake Campground will be our home for the next two nights – and what a home it is.  Our sight is lakefront with fall
trees and evergreens enveloping us.  Chipmunks and squirrels scamper all about and chatter at us.  I put out some apple scraps to see if I could
coax a few in for photos (success!). Birds dart about in the branches and occasionally dip down to partake of the local berries that are scattered around.
The smell of campfires and musty leaves and pine fill our senses.  The sun is sparkling on the water that laps the shore just feet from the back of our RV.
This place is truly a jewel and also gives credence to our plan to not
have a rigid and formalized travel plan. The best things are around the NEXT bend in the road.  So, our word of the day is SPONTANEOUS – for we would have notfound this jewel unless we had made the off the cuff choices that we did this morning.

I also have to mention that there is a couple with their
grandkids in the site next to us.  They actually come up from Schenectady every weekend.   One grandson appears to be about 4 years old and is chasing about with his fishing pole, the girl is about 5 and is eating a cherry popsicle, the last boy is about 7 and is helping his Grandpa gather firewood for tonight’s big bonfire. Grandpa and I have a little talk in between the kids’ appeals for more things to do and he tells me how much he enjoys his grandchildren and thatbeing a grandparent is a wonderful thing. He smiles as they start out on a hike to the recycle bins together and dragging their Red Flyer Wagon behind them.  That is what this blog is about – family,family connections and the special bonds things like camping together in the woods can create.

Inspired by Grandpa and his grand-kids, Dad and I took a
walk through the RV park to the Dog Beach. The paths were convoluted with rocks and roots covered by dry leaves, so it was slow going.  Thankfully Dad still had his walking stick that he acquired in the woods while hiking to the Lighthouse, yesterday.  When we arrived
at our destination, the sun was low in the sky and the lake water glistened gold – it reminded me of the movie “On Golden Pond” (I highly recommend this as a classic family story).  We sat for
awhile and listened to the quiet sounds of nature.  It is simple, yet poignant times like that, that I will never forget. It is a privilege to have the ability to spend this kind of time with my Dad and I think he feels the same.

See you tomorrow…hope you enjoy the pics!  FYI posting is sometimes delayed because I have to get Internet access and some places just aren’t there yet, but I am composing every night, as promised, and saving the drafts to post when I am able…