Summer Trip Fourth Cliff

Friday July 17th we traveled the short distance to Humarock, MA which is just south of Boston on the coast. The campsite we got seems to be set up for motorhomes to drive in and they can see the ocean out their front window. If I had driven straight in with the fifth wheel the truck would have been stuck in front and I would have no use of it. Therefore, I backed in, which made the connections on the wrong side and it was a juggling act to get over just to the point where my electric cable, water hose and sewer hose would reach but still not be intruding too much on my neighbor who has a motorhome. We managed though, and there was a nice breeze from the ocean until about 5:00 PM when it died down so we started up the air conditioning. I had to unload the trike before we backed in because the rear of the trailer is only about three or four feet from the edge of the cliff going down to the ocean.




Saturday morning Paula came down to spend the weekend with us. She bought a thing that you can take the hard drive out of the computer and put in it and take files off. Unfortunately it did not fit so we took it back to Best Buy and got her money back. We talked to the Geek and he indicated that he could do that for us for $99 but we did not have the computer with us. We went back to camp, ate dinner and walked the beach for a couple of hours.



The white square is the back of our trailer

Sunday we went back to Best Buy in Plymouth, MA with the computer and gave it to the Geek Squad and then we went to Olive Garden for lunch. While there the Geek called me and said he could do nothing because the hard drive was defective. They indicated that something still might be done but they would have to send it away somewhere and it would cost about $500. I will just wait until I get home and see if my geek has any ideas.

Monday we left at 8:00 AM and drove down to Woods Hole to catch the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard. We got there about 9:30 and found that we could not park at the ferry landing and they sent us back the way we came about 6 miles where we parked in their lot and took a bus that they provided back to the ferry landing. We got aboard the ferry and it left about 10:15, arriving at Martha’s Vineyard at 11:00. We immediately bought tickets for a sightseeing tour and boarded the bus. It took us to the next town, Oak Bluffs, and allowed us about one hour to eat and look around. We each had a fish sandwich and then walked around. We strolled through some of the 34 acres of more than 300 Carpenter Gothic Victorian cottages with wedding-cake trim, gaily painted in pastels. I think they are more commonly called gingerbread houses. Then afterward we visited the nation’s oldest continuously operating carousel which started out at Coney Island and was moved here after about 10 years. It was so crowded that it was impossible to get a picture. Then we boarded the bus to continue the tour to four more towns. We saw houses that belonged to Michael J. Fox, Ted Danson/Mary Steenburgen, and Doris Day as well as Ulysses S. Grant’s house and the house bought by Joseph Kennedy for his mistress, Gloria Swanson. None of those houses stood out except the one Grant stayed in. They looked like most of the other houses on the island. Our guide also pointed out the locations of other famous people’s houses that were set back into the woods so we couldn’t see them such as James Taylor, Carole King and Jackie Kennedy Onassis estate which now belongs to Caroline Kennedy. Robert McNamara owned a huge amount of land, some of which now belongs to the Belushi’s. We also saw John Belushi’s grave. We passed by the beach where the movie Jaws was filmed. We made it back in time to catch the 4:00 PM ferry back to Woods Hole and had a good connection for the bus back to the truck and we were only half way back to the campground at 6:00 PM so decided to stop at UNO’s for something to eat. I tried the lobster sliders which I don’t recommend as the ratio of bread to lobster is way too high. We finally got back about 7:00 PM.

Tuesday the rain started in the middle of the night and continued all day. I read about the Lewis and Clark Expedition all morning and then we made a trip to CVS for Linda to replenish some of her pills. Afterward we went to Walmart and the local grocery store.
That pretty much filled up our afternoon until supper time.

Wednesday started out a little foggy but developed into a very nice day. We started out about 11:00 AM on the trike and rode about 60 miles to a place on Cape Cod that was recommended by Boston’s Phantom Gourmet for lobster rolls. Most of the way was on interstate-like roads but the last 20 miles or so we took to the secondary roads. This was an enjoyable ride through mostly shady residential areas with nice houses that were well landscaped with lots of flowers. The café was the Sesuit Harbor Café located in a Marina. It was not much of a place with all the seating scattered around outside and it also had outside Porta Potties. There was a steady line throughout the time we were there and the food was good. It wasn’t the best lobster roll I have had but it wasn’t the worst either. Actually I can think of only two places with better and that is, of course, Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, ME and The Clam Box in Ipswich, MA. After returning to the area of the campground we rode out to Brant Rock, a small town on the coast just south of here. There were two places there that were recommended by the office here for the best lobster (not lobster rolls) and best ambiance. The ambiance one is now closed but we thought we might try the other sometime.

Thursday we washed the truck, trailer and trike and vacuumed and dusted inside the trailer. Thursday night we had a Nor’easter, a low pressure system off the coast with winds rotating counterclockwise therefore causing the winds to come from the northeast. The trailer rocked all night (deja vous two years ago in New Brunswick, Canada) and around 4:30 AM it blew the electric plug out of the socket causing us to lose electricity. I did get it plugged back in without getting blown away. The news stations said there were wind gusts up to 35 mph but it seemed harder to me.

Friday we drove up to Hanscom AFB in the wind and rain, ruining my wash job on the truck, so Linda could get her blood thinner checked. While there we ate lunch at the club and picked up some groceries at the commissary. It was a long trip back as the Boston Friday exodus to places outside the city (like Cape Cod) starts early. It was mainly stop and go traffic about half the distance back. Friday night Paula and Jade came for the weekend.

Saturday Paula drove us up the coast to first, second and third cliffs. They are pretty much all connected except fourth cliff where a storm many years ago washed out the connection. We stopped by the local grocery store and ordered three large lobsters to be cooked and ready by six o’clock. At six Paula and I went and picked them up while Linda was preparing red boiled potatoes, corn on the cob and melted butter for the lobster. They were good but they were soft shell so the lobster had not grown enough to fill out the shell yet. After eating we took a long walk on the beach including Jade who went wild, running around all over the sand. Apparently she loves the beach.

Sunday Paula took Jade on another walk on the beach and we went out to a late lunch at a nearby restaurant where we all had fish of one kind or another. Soon after that Paula had to head home to beat the crowd returning from Cape Cod. Then Linda and I started preparing for our departure Monday morning.

Summer Trip Boston

We arrived at Hanscom AFB Family Campground at Bedford (just outside Boston) Wednesday just before noon. We almost got set up before the rains came but we were far enough along to live in the camper for a while until there was a lull in the rain. After a couple of hours it let up enough for me to finish while wearing a raincoat. It rained continuously until about 4:00 PM and then it stopped so we went out for a walk around the campground. It rained so hard during the night that it seemed that we were parked under a waterfall. Up to this time we have only had four days without rain since we left home June 17^th.

Thursday we did nothing as it was raining.

Friday started out nice so we went shopping on the base for groceries, etc., but it rained later.

Saturday Paula came out, picked us up and took us to her place indowntown Boston. I walked the eight blocks to the Public Gardens and back but other than that we did nothing but wait around for the Boston Pops and fireworks. We watched the Boston Pops on TV and the fireworks through the window of her apartment. Paula and I took lots of pictures.

Sunday Paula took us back to the campground and Linda’s cousin Ron and his wife Judy from Keene, NH joined us for a hamburger cookout. We had a nice visit.

Monday we left camp about 9:30 AM on the trike and went to the base clinic so Linda could get a blood thinner check. After that we left on our ride, going all backroads (versus interstates), first to Ipswich then on up the coastal routes (US 1, 1A, 1B) as far as Kittery, Maine before returning. At Ipswich we stopped at the Clam Box, a small restaurant specializing in clams, where Linda remembered going as a little girl. She had a clam roll and I had a lobster roll. Surprised? As lobster rolls go it was pretty good but it was mixed with mayonnaise and wasn’t available with melted butter. It wasn’t a lobster salad, though, as you get a lot of places but just lobster meat on lettuce on a bun.

From Ipswich we proceeded up route1A until we got to Newburyport where we had to merge with route 1. From that point for two and one-half miles to where we turned off toward the beaches on route 1A it took us about an hour. We found out after hearing the evening news that I-95 was closed in the area because of an overturned tanker truck so the heavy traffic on route 1 was all the I-95 traffic detouring up route 1. Going by the beaches, Salisbury, Seabrook, Hampton, North, and Rye beach, as crowded as they were it didn’t seem like there would have been anyone left to cause a traffic jam on route 1.

We rode a lot of nice roads, some of which we wouldn’t have been on if I hadn’t missed a turn or two. Linda was getting a little peeved at me, which I don’t understand. I only got on one road with no outlet and only had to turn around about four times, after turning the wrong way or too soon, to get back on the correct route. The Garmin showed me where I was supposed to be but it didn’t always tell me which way to turn. We got back to camp about 5:30 PM and after supper I was sitting under our awning trying to find information about the tall ships coming to Boston when the campground manager came around and asked if she could take a picture of our camp setup. She thought it was beautiful, the way we had it fixed up and wanted to put the picture in a camp newsletter.

2009 Summer Trip

Boothbay, Maine

We got to Boothbay Friday and met up with friends Ron & Gloria and we all went to Red’s Eats for a lobster roll for supper. They have a very small building but they always have a line, sometimes as much as an hour to wait. Their lobster roll is a hot dog bun filled to overflowing with cooked lobster and nothing else. You can get melted butter or mayonnaise to go with it, but of course, nearly everyone has butter. They advertise more than a pound of lobster on each roll and we believe it. You can’t eat it like a hot dog, as it is too big to fit into your mouth so we eat it with forks. Of course you can get fries with that.

Friday night daughter Paula came up from Boston after work and stayed with us until Sunday evening. Saturday was a nice day and we all went to Boothbay Harbor for shopping and sightseeing. After we had enough of that we drove by Red’s to get a lobster roll but the line was so long we decided to go across the street where we had fish & chips, haddock sandwich and hamburgers. Then we went up the road to Camden, Maine for more sightseeing and shopping. They have the prettiest bay, I think, and lots of very expensive yachts, mostly sail types.

After spending the afternoon there we came back and ordered a 1-¾ lb lobster each from Maniac Lobster. They cooked them for us and we picked them up and brought them back to the campground and ate them at the picnic table. We wanted 2-pounders but they only had two and we didn’t want to slight anyone. It was and excellent meal with scalloped potatoes and salad prepared by Linda and Gloria.

Sunday was a little gray and misty with rain in the forecast but we went to Pemaquid Lighthouse Park anyway, all except Linda who stayed in the trailer to do laundry. We were there a little while and the mist got worse and soon began pouring down. We came back to Wiscasset (where Red’s Eats is) and since it was raining the line wasn’t too bad. We bought five lobster rolls with butter and French fries to go and took them back to the camper. We heated them up in the microwave and they were even better than normal when they are served cold. While we were gone Linda threw her back out while bending and twisting as she was doing laundry. She was able to eat her lobster roll but couldn’t do much else. Paula decided to go back to Boston about five o’clock so Ron, Gloria and I went to the Tugboat Restaurant (built in the shape and looks like a tug boat) for supper. Prime Rib was on special and we all had it. Monday Linda could hardly move and it was a rainy day so we just stayed in the camper all day except for a trip to the store by me and to top off the fuel tank on the truck. Tuesday we almost saw the sun but it didn’t quite make it out. It wasn’t raining but it was foggy and misty some times. I took the trike to Red’s Eats about 11:00 AM and was first in line but their lobster supply was a little late arriving and I had to wait about 30 minutes anyway. I got four lobster rolls to go and brought them back to the campground, dropping two off at Ron & Gloria’s camper. It was a little sad that we would have no more of Red’s lobster rolls for a long time.

Wednesday we broke camp and headed for Boston.

The first picture attached is Red's Eats. Linda is holding my place in line.

The second picture is of Linda and Gloria on the hill overlooking the harbor at Camden.

The third picture is Camden Harbor.

The fourth picture is of Paula and I at Pemaquid Lighthouse.

The fifth picture is Pemaquid Lighthouse from the ocean side.

2009 Summer Trip
American Gold Wing Motorcycle Club Rally
Seekonk, MA

On Sunday, June 21st, we traveled from West Point to Seekonk, Massachusetts. The next day our club’s rally started and we left on a ride with about 15 bikes in a mist about 10:00 AM. We took some scenic back roads east toward Cape Cod. The closer we got to the ocean the worse the weather got until just as we got within sight of the bridge going over to Cape Cod it was raining hard and the wind was blowing so hard we all decided to cut the trip short and return to the motel. The next day we rode, again on scenic back roads with about 15 bikes, to Newport, RI. We not only rode by the famous mansions but also took in many scenic vistas along the ocean and the many boats in the harbor. We saw the church that JFK and Jackie got married in and a house that Jackie Kennedy’s family, the Bouviers, owned. We took a break at the cliff walk but there was a cold misty breeze there and we cut it short. For the most part it was a nice, dry ride with only off and on mists. Wednesday we took a brunch cruise on a tour boat around the Narraganset Bay. Except for two other people we had the boat to ourselves (about 70 Gold Wing club members). We started at 11:00 AM and cruised until about 5:00 PM with a two hour break in downtown Newport for shopping. It was a good day with periods of sun and clouds and the food was very good. Thursday, our last day, Linda and I helped officiate in the biker games then we rode into northeast Connecticut on scenic back roads. I was surprised at how much farmland there was. It was a very pleasant ride and the weather was good. We took a break at the Vanilla Bean Café/bakery, where Coca Cola chose to introduce their Vanilla Coke in 2002. That evening we had a banquet to end the rally, said goodbye to many friends that we only see once a year and the next morning moved on to Maine. The first picture is of a bunch of motorcycles lining up for a ride. The second picture is of Linda and some others on the fantail of the tour boat.

2009 Summer Trip

Hyde Park

The day after West Point we rode up to Hyde Park to tour Franklin Roosevelt’s home and library. We got there early and toured the house where he was born and where his mother lived until she died. It was a nice house as the family had money. After the house we went into his library and spent quite some time in there. While we were in there it started raining and rained off and on all day. The first picture is of Franklin D. Roosevelt's home.

The second picture is a bronze statue of Franklin and Eleanor. There was a place on the bench to sit and have your picture taken with them but I could find no democrats who were willing to have their picture taken with them. The whole town of Hyde Park was republican and they never voted for him. After lunch we took a bus ride to Eleanor Roosevelt’s home away from home, Val Kil, named after a stream that ran nearby through the property. She used it as a place of her own to entertain friends and after Franklin died she lived there until she died. It wasn’t much but she made it comfortable and she hosted several dignitaries there, including JFK when he was trying to get her support for his presidential run. The next day we departed the West Point campground heading for Seekonk, Massachusetts for our Motorcycle Club Rally. Just after we turned onto the main road we had to break hard for a bear that ran across the street in front of us. It was probably within 15 feet of us and we had two cameras within reach of both of us but we were concerned because the oncoming car looked like it was not going to stop in time and we didn’t think to get a picture.

2009 Summer Trip

First Stop: West Point, NY

We left home Wednesday, June 17th, and about an hour on the road it started raining. It rained pretty much all the way to Winchester, Virginia where we camped for the night and it rained most of the night. It was just barely raining when we left camp around 8:00 AM and rained off and on all day. We pulled into the campground at West Point, NY in early afternoon and it was still raining and rained most of the night.

The next morning it wasn’t raining and we went to the West Point Military Academy. We took the two-hour tour, which included the narrated bus tour of the base as well as a walk through the chapel and cemetery. It was all very interesting and we recognized a lot of names in the cemetery of famous generals, etc. I wore my “Retired Navy” ball cap and that elicited a lot of comments and jokes from our tour guide concerning the war (in sports) between Army and Navy. We had an excellent guide and we enjoyed it very much.

The first picture is of the Chapel. It is huge and very impressive architecturally.

The second picture is a view of the Hudson River from West Point with Linda in the foreground.

These pictures are of Tennyson Page taken around Easter 2007 when he was about six months old.

Here is a couple of pictures of our latest great-grandson (Tennyson Page)at 4 months.

Here are some pictures of our new RV. It is a New Vision fifth-wheel that is about 39' long. Notice in the second picture through the door you can get a small view of the cargo area which is large enough to carry two motorcycles.

Since many of you have not seen our Newmar Fifth-wheel trailer and we will be selling it soon, here are some pictures of it. It is about 36' long. We like it very much but we can't take our motorcycle with us in it.

This is our Christmas get-together at Grandma's. We had a pretty good crowd and some good food. There were a few who couldn't make it and they were missed.



This is a five generation picture.

From the right: Clara Tennyson, age 94; Paul Tennyson, age 67; Elizabeth Seiber, age 45; Ashley Page, age 24; and Tennyson Page, age 2 months.



This is Tennyson Page at age 2 months.

This is Tennyson Page at 5 1/2 weeks.

This is Ashley and Danny's new home. Closing was Monday, October 27, 2006.

Dressing "Sailor Boy".


Resting up.