Monday, August 22, 2016

Road Trip - Made it to Maine 08-22-16

Yes , here I am in Portland, Maine.,  HURRAH!  It has been a pleasant trip and I have enjoyed the drive.  Yesterday I visited Ruth McDowell in her very rural location in NW Massachusetts - just half a mile from Vermont.  Since I missed the turn off I went on north and the road signs changed to Vermont and I knew I had gone too far.  So, U turn and back to try again.  Although she has neighbors she can see partial views of through the trees, she is very isolated and loves the peace and quiet and the clean, fresh air.  Her  house is a quilter's dwelling with a few of her 600 wonderful quilts hung on the walls and other pieces of handcrafting she has done, such as funky peeled twig furniture.  Her flower beds are a combination of cultivated species and wild plants that move in.  There is tiny oxalis blooming between the stepping stones to her front door. T
here are towering trees all around - mostly deciduous and the sumac is showing signs of changing colors.  It won't be a good year for color because New England is suffering from drought, as it seems is much of the USA.  After about a two  hour visit with Ruth and her great dog, Sepia, a Bernease Mountain dog like Harvey of quilt fame, I hit the road again headed for Maine.  My mileage total for the day was only 250 miles, but that was enough to get me to my destination. 

I'm heading for Best Buy to see if their Geek Squad can do anything with my laptop.  I went last evening only to discover that they close at 7 on Sundays.   I went out for dinner at the Marriot, which shares the parking lot with HIE where I stayed the night, on the advice of the Auto Club Tour Guide.  I had a delcious salmon dinner and brought "home" some with two slices of bread so I can have a salmon sandwich for lunch.  Now to find some mayo! 

Later today I will go further north to Booth Bar Harbor to spend one night at a B&B and meet up with Andrea Bacal and Karen Crossman who have spent the weekend in Boston.  We will all be taking Elizabeth Busch's class at the Schoodic Institute at Acadia Nat'l Park.  I'm not sure they will have a computer I can use, but I will try to work something out. 

Rain during the night, but the sun is shining now - between the grey clouds.  And it is quite windy.  I did bring a sweatshirt vest and a light jacket, but I suspect it is not cold outside.  Elizabeth told us to expect every weather except snow - and she couldn't guarantee that.

Be safe, Keep well.  Love, Del-on-the-Road/ Portland, Maine
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3 comments:

Loretta said...

Hooray, hooray arrival at last! Yes, Ruth is isolated and loves it! I noted that when I passed her place and found myself in Vermont! When the leaves change their color, the country side is magnificent! Your journey has been lots easier than I thought it could be...not too back for a multi-day journey! I still may try one within the next year! I do hope you're able to get a fix for your laptop. We all look forward to your daily commentary! I'm looking forward to Elizabeth's workshop.

Susan Turney said...

I'm loving the posts, Del!

Carol said...

You sound great, Del! Hope the geeks fix your laptop. Miss you.