The Cranes visit our sit-out group

During the pandemic a few of us at the end of Eagle Court Court, in urgent need of social contact, began sitting outside at the end of our driveway.  We have kept to that tradition, without the social distancing, for some five years now. 

It was also around the time of the pandemic that Sandhill Cranes began paying a visit to our neighborhood -- we've watched them come and go, have babies, stroll around the grounds, mostly feeding and pooping as wildlife is prone to do. 

But we never expected this.

 

Back to Rhode Island again

 [Sunday 13 July] 

Today was our 2nd foray into Rhode Island this trip. 

After another leisurely morning over coffee in Douglas we headed south into Rhode Island about 1 pm. We had reservations to meet up with friends Andie and her mother Barbara at Bayberry Garden. Located on Dyer street in a complex of buildings dominated by Brown University's medical school, it was a short walk to one of my old offices. 

It was a gorgeous day, sunny and a bit warm but a nice breeze along the Providence River.

The six of us were seated straightaway and we enjoyed warm conversation catching up over very good food and a pitcher of Mimosas.

D & D's home

Bayberry Garden on Dyer Street

Shakshuka with grilled flatbread

Caesar Salad

After lunch the six of us walked across the street to browse the Sunday artists' market, which was in the throes of shutting down for the day. But it was nice to stroll along the river.

l-r: Andrea, Dick, Barbara, Dor, and Susie

Eventually we had to hug and say goodbye -- until the next time we return to Providence!

Once back in the car the four of us meandered through the back streets of south Providence eventually popping into the parking lot of our old place on Federal Hill. Not much had changed it seemed but we didn't stop to chat with any of the residents. Time to head home.

That evening we had another delicious salad à la Dorothy, made with her home-grown lettuce, cuke, tomatoes, and leftover roasted potatoes and flank steak, all nicely diced up. A wonderful ending to a very fine day indeed.

Hanging out in Massachusetts

  [Monday 14 July] 

Well actually we really spent the better part of today in Rhode Island and Connecticut. 

After a very leisurely morning of coffee and a light breakfast the four of us packed ourselves into D & D's car and, with Dick at the helm, off we went for our first adventure of the day. As you might expect, that involved food. 

Last year when we visited here the four of us had lunch at the Matunuck Oyster Bar in Matunuck, RI. (Susie and I had eaten here with friends Andrea ad Barbara back when we lived in Rhode Island.) Although none of us are particularly fond of oysters (the Phlegm family of food as Dave Barry referred to them) the location is lovely and the food very good.

Sadly, back in May of this year, there was an extensive fire which naturally caused the business to close. But not for long. They opened back up about two weeks ago under a large tent just across the road from their old building. They have food prep trailer close by and the best port-a-potties any of us have ever seen!

After dropping our car off with the valet (valet parking only) we walked across the road -- no jumping from the bridge of course -- and since we had reservations were seated straightaway.

The food was still scrumptious and the service spot on, as we expected. Dorothy had a lobster roll (a standard with her) while Dick had one of his favorites: a stuffie with a bowl of New England chowder. Susie and I each had the blackened chicken sandwich which was truly blackened low-country style.

waiting for the rebuild

the place was hoppin'

D & D just happy to be here

blackened chicken, yummmeeee

across the road from the big tent

temporary dining room

After a relaxing lunch, fueling us up for the next leg of the day, we drove out of Matunuck and eventually crossed over into Connecticut. (For those of you living in more wide open spaces, you must remember how close things are in New England.)

Our next destination was the village of Chester, CT. Located a stone's throw from the Connecticut River, it boasts the last remaining ferry on the river and is also home of the Gillette "Castle". More of that shortly.

After about an hour or so cruising the back roads of CT we pulled into Chester. But before stopping in town we drove the mile or so to check out the ferry crossing.

In the distance, we could see William Gillette's "castle" on the hill on the opposite side of and overlooking the river. We opted not to cross and check out the castle, today a state park, but you can find out more right here.

Osprey nest?

Gillette Castle up on the hill

In Chester itself we found parking plentiful and enjoyed a half hour so strolling this lovely, quaint village. We stopped for coffee at Simon's Marketplace along the Main street and were greeted by a trio playing a set of tunes reminiscent of folk singers Peter, Paul, and Mary.

Simon's Marketplace along Main Street

We made our way back to the highway and were soon off to Glastonbury and the MacDonald home for dinner. After another hour or so driving we found our way into town with the goal of locating the Whole Foods to pick up a prepared salad and a couple of bottles of wine. We found the store just fine but they didn't sell wine so Susie and I walked across the street to a liquor store and grabbed two bottles. Unfortunately they didn't have much of a deli section at Whole Foods and so off we went to the Highland Market (a Christina recommendation) where we picked up a large container of red bliss potato salad. 

A few minutes later we were ensconced on the patio at the MacDonald's with a glass of wine in hand. Christina put a plate of hummus with diced cucumber and tomatoes and olives which went like the proverbial hotcakes. Deeeelicious!

Liam was at home and Kiera arrived not long after we sat down. All of us spent a wonderful evening chatting, catching up on the latest developments in Lego Land and got to see Kiera's costume for the upcoming ConnectiCon (Connecticut's version of Comic Con) in Hartford. 

Dinner proved to be another outstanding home-cooked meal: flank steak on the grill, cheesy potatoes and potato salad (OK compliments of Highland Market). Dessert was a blueberry pie à la Christina and Liam's Rice Crispy Treats, the latter having just the right amount of chewiness I thought.

Eventually it was time for goodbye hugs. I have no idea when we'll see these guys again -- sooner than later I hope -- and will miss their company. The Bergman kids and their various spouses are always a joy to be around and their kids a special treat for us. 

Tomorrow the four of us meet up with old friends Andrea and her mom Barbara for lunch in Providence. Always food, of course.

 

Off to Massachusetts

 [Friday 11 July] 

After checking out of our hotel we were back on Route 4 heading into Rutland. But before we had gone 15 minutes we pulled off in Mendon to have breakfast at our old haunt Sugar & Spice. Located right at the junction of Route 4 and Meadow Lake Drive, the restaurant was a short drive from our old house in Chittenden.

Susan had a waffle with blueberries, a scrambled egg and side of bacon and I had a stack of pancakes with sausage. We thought the food rather mediocre, and Susie remarked she thought the waffle had an artificial off taste. But things, times, people and apparently food change.

I ate the bottom quarter of this stack thank you very much

It was a quick drive around Rutland, skirting the town via the backroads to the hospital and then beyond, eventually making our way to Route 7 south of town. Our destination, indeed our goal for coming to Vermont in the first place, was to pay our respects to Lena D. and so we did.

Her monument is high up in St. Patrick's cemetery in a spot that overlooks the valley below and the hills to the west, to the sunset.

After her family, the monument clearly illustrates the four things most important to Lena: her church (with which she involved herself deeply on many levels), quilting and doll making, the Boston Red Sox and her life as a caring, loving health care professional.

looking west

One of the wonderful things about strolling through a cemetery is that you never know who you might find. Like the Timbers family:

We left the cemetery a little before a graveside service was about to begin and made our way out of town on Route 140 to 103 in East Wallingford. From there we cruised along through Ludlow and pulled in to one of our frequent stops in years gone by, the antique shops at the Stone House in Chester. It's always fun to browse and the fact they have bathrooms is a plus.

Back on the road as we neared I-91, we had to make a stop at the Vermont Country Store in Rockingham. A Vermont staple, the store has sold everything from soup to nuts over the years and it's always fun to browse yet another "general  merchandise" establishment.

 

But we still had miles to go today so we were soon back on the road. We hopped on I-91 south and got off at Ingleside in Massachusetts to check out another old stop of ours: the Barnes and Noble Store.  As you can tell by now, this trip has been one of what I will call relaxed driving, taking time and not hurrying along. Travel can often be stressful when one has a set destination and wants to get there NOW. That wasn't our approach on this trip to New England and certainly not today.

From I-91 we switched to the Mass Pike (I-90) briefly before getting off on to I-291 and soon right onto Route 20 east.

We remained on Route 20 all the way to I-395, then south to Webster, switching to Route 16 which took us to Douglas and Dick and Dorothy's home.

Route 20, fluctuating between 2- and 4-lane, was naturally slow going with the occasional stoplight. And the route was a bit depressing as we passed many abandoned buildings, businesses that had come and gone, their spaces sitting unused, untended and apparently unwanted.

As we were driving along Susan thought out loud, wondering if the Brimfield Flea Market was underway - sure enough! We crawled our way through, the road going directly between the maze of tents selling all manner of junk and stuff, past stands selling lemonade and Italian sausages and what not to eat. 

But we weren't held up too long and soon found ourselves zipping along through Sturbridge (lots of past stops at Yankee Spirits there) ending up at D & D's a little after 4:00 pm.

After settling in, the four of us sat outside on their patio listening to the bubbling of their fountain and enjoying the peace and quiet of this place they have called home for nearly 30 years.

That evening we were treated to a delicious home-cooked meal: flank steak on the grill, roasted potatoes, and a scrumptious salad made with lettuce from their garden. A lovely ending to a wonderful day spent recapturing the past.

that's a home-cooked meal!

Tomorrow it's off to lunch at Matunuck Oyster Bar in RI and then on to Glastonbury, CT with some exploring of eastern CT in the bargain.

Maine to Vermont

  [Thursday 10 July]

We were in no particular hurry today since all we're doing is driving to Vermont. We enjoyed a leisurely morning sipping coffee and packing for the next leg of our trip: taking the scenic route 2 across northern New England.

We were on the road a little before 10:00 am. To make a long story short we pulled into our hotel in Killington, VT about 4:30 pm - not a bad drive at all.

Our plan was to eschew the interstate and drive Route 2 across Maine and New Hampshire and so we did. The drive was really pretty stress-free. I set the adaptive cruise control at 56 mph and off we went. We encountered very little traffic for much of the first several hours, and occasionally no traffic at all. The road surface was quite new and the New England scenery bucolic as we cruised along through Skowhegan, Farmington and Rumford, Maine. We stopped at at the Rumford Falls information center to enjoy the view of the falls as well as take advantage of the facilities. 

Rumford Falls Info Center

memorial to Ed Muskie born in Rumford

back in the days when public service meant something

dedicated to the founders of the Order of the Sons of Italy in America, founded in Rumford in 1915

lovely view of the falls

two guys trying their hand at fishing

who knew that Paul Bunyan and his blue ox settled in Rumford?

We zipped right along, crossing into New Hampshire a little after noon and took the opportunity to stop and grab a bite of lunch in Gorham. Although the weather for much of the trip had been simply overcast by the time we hit the mountains in the Granite State it was rainy and the temps had dropped to the low 60s. We pulled into the parking lot at the White Mountain Cafe and Bookstore where we ordered a couple of toasted paninis for lunch. The air conditioner was going full blast but the sandwiches were scrumptious.

Back on the road we enjoyed the drive passing through occasional rain showers. Soon we crossed into Vermont where, just short of St. Johnsbury, we got off of Route 2 onto I-93 which took us to I-91 south. After about 60 miles we switched over to I-89 and got off at Route 4 heading to Woodstock, a road well-traveled by us during our Vermont years. 

Traffic moved slowly through Woodstock, an experience that hasn't changed in 20 years. It wasn't long before we came to our exit for Killington Mountain and soon found our hotel for the night, the Killington Mountain Lodge.

After checking in and settling in we had a glass of wine and played a game of 8-ball on the bar pool table. Not being on our game, so to speak, it seemed we might be playing for hours. Eventually I won.

We finished our wine and headed out to get some dinner. Right down the road was a place called Yama Ramen where we sat outdoors and enjoyed the quiet evening in the mountains. We split an order of chicken rolls and a bowl of Tonkatsu ramen - washed down with a glass of Sapporro beer. Delicious!

Back to the hotel we tucked in for the night.

Tomorrow it's off to say hi to Lena and then drive to Douglas, MA and Dick and Dorothy's home.

Stay tuned!