Fellow campers are the nicest people!

Today was our last day camping in Mystic and we had to pack up in a light rain.  As we were doing this our camping neighbor, not a member of our club stopped by to say goodbye.

We had met he and his wife the day we arrived and they were a lovely couple.  They were going to the beach on Saturday and I suggested East Beach in Rhode Island, one of my absolute favorite beaches; wide open Atlantic with great surf, great sand and usually not crowded.

Well they took my suggestion, stopping at Somewhere in Time for breakfast, one of our favorite breakfast spots as well.  They had a GREAT DAY!  

When the man stopped by to say farewell, he told me he was a wood turner, and actually carried his wood lathe in the back of his truck.  He ran back to his truck and presented me with this little bowl turned out of Live Oak wood sourced right here in CT!  What a lovely surprise!

  

So here is a shout out to Mike Agius, Artisan, KNOT YOUR BOWL, Works in Connecticut Wood

Mike@knotyourbowl.com

Steve and I agreed that we have never met an unfriendly camper at any campground we have ever visited, and meeting Mike and his wife was proof positive!

Turkey Dinner with Quninebaug Travelers

Our Good Sam's camping chapter, the Quinebaug Travelers planned a turkey dinner potluck for today. The turkeys were made in electric roasting pans and then everybody brought something to share.  We had all the trimmings of a real Thanksgiving dinner!

Earlier in the day some old friends came to visit us at the campground, so we went swimming in the pool and then this little guy got a ride on my "motorcycle".

7/24/15. Seaport RV Resort and Campground, Mystic, Ct

This is our first campout this season with our Good Sam's Chapter, The Quinebaug Travelers.  We have camped at this particular campground before both with our group and alone and have always enjoyed ourselves.

For folks unfamiliar with Mystic, CT it is home to Mystic Seaport, Old Mystic Vilłage, Mystic Aquarium and Mystic Pizza just to name a very few of the many local attractions.

We have camped with the Quinebaug Travelers for several years and it is always so nice to reconnect with old friends.

Steve in the pool!

Steve's first official "selfie"'

Goodbye to Northern Maine!

Yesterday was errands...grocery store, thrift shop and lunch.  Today we leave NE Maine for the last time.  My mom has rented a cottage up here for a number of years and we usually join her for a week or so.  This was her last hurrah in Maine before the big move to Hendersonville, NC!

What was most distressing for us was being so close to the Canadian border and all of our communication devices going to roaming or simply not working.  We were concerned about what if there was a problem back home and no one could reach us...one worries about things like this with tenants upstairs and storms coming through.  One of the recent storms brought down some of our dead trees into our neighbor's yard!

It's also distressing for my mom because what if she has an emergency. Her phone simply isn't working.  We have a system that she Facebook messages me every day and if I don't hear from her I am to call her landlord and she will check on her.  

She is also on a lake this year instead of the ocean and the mosquitoes are driving her batty!

We would not really recommend this campground...yes, the view is great but one can almost literally touch the rigs on either side of you. The price is good, though so I guess it's what your priority is. We like a bit more space!

7/11/15. Lubec, ME

Today was our day in Lubec, the easternmost point in the U.S. where the sun rises first...we began the day at the Lubec farmers market, then strolled up and down Main Street to look in the little shops.  Unfortunately none were accessible for me on my scooter.

Then onto Quoddy Head State Park and Lighthouse where they were having their yearly open house during which folks can climb the lighthouse to the very top.  I think Steve might have done it if the line hadn't been quite so long. They had some vendors there as well, and the first one we came to was an artist doing $5.00 quick sketches.  We had Pippin's done and my mom had her two Shelties done, too.  Such fun!

Then onto a sumptuous lunch at the Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant and Inn.  

The highlight for Robin was an order of periwinkles which are little snails.  Delish!

7/12/15. Eastport, ME

Today we drove up to Eastport to shop Main Streèt.  How disappointing that the majority of the shops were closed!  It was Sunday but one would think that at the height of the summer season everything would be open for business!

Eastport is a very old ship building town, in fact so old that the majority of the shop entrances were not accessible for my scooter with one or two stone steps at their entries.  

We had lunch on an outdoor deck so all of the dogs could accompany us.  Eastport is known for being super dog friendly! 

We finally found a library book sale but that did not make up for the long ride to get there.  Tomorrow is another day.

7/10/15. Sunset Point RV Park, Lubec, ME and Machias, ME

OH NO, I ACCIDENTALLY DELETED ALL OF MY PHOTOS OF THIS TRIP!  I had been struggling with importing photos from my digital camera to my iPad and lost them all! 

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This is the campground closest to the cottage my mom is renting in Whiting, ME for the month of July. We stayed here several years ago.

Their claim to fame is being the Easternmost Campground in the U.S. with oceanfront RV and tent camping with spectacular views of Johnson Bay from every site!  The campground is one mile from Campobello Island and the FDR International Bridge, 5 miles from the West Quoddy Lighthouse, the easternmost point in the U.S., 50 miles from the Canadian border crossing in Calais, ME and 100 miles from Bar Harbor, ME

The sites are close and so narrow that we could not comfortably put up our awning. They actually discourage folks from putting up their awnings because the wind coming off the Bay can gust unexpectedly and do real damage to awnings.

The cost is $40 per night for W/E/Cable.  It is a small, quiet family-run campground.

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Today we spent in Machias, ME.    Machias means "bad little falls" in a Native American language, and while the falls were steep, the water was not rushing down them quite as forcefully as we have seen it in other years.

Wild Blueberry Land is a place we often stop when we are in this area for all things blueberry!

We always try to hit the bridge in Machias to visit all the vendors to see what kind of treasures we can find.

Very poor internet service in NE Maine

So far we have very limited cell phone and Internet service...not sure if it is because we are so close to the Čanadian border or what.  I am afraid that our Verizon Hotspot is on data roaming, so I don't think I will be blogging from NE Maine...I will try to catch up with this blog when I get home!

Late Start for the 2015 Summer Camping Season!

We have been home from out winter trip since March, but we are only now getting back out into our rig and on the road again!

So what have we been doing?  Let's see...we have definitely decided to sell our house and relocate to Hendersonville, NC!

This means another huge downsizing and so far we have had two good-sized yard sales with another one scheduled in September.  We are also participating in a Paris Flea Market in August sponsored by a consignment/antique shop in Stonington, CT

I am hunting for other consignment shops to sell some antiques but I am hearing that antiques are not selling well right now...people want Mid-Century Modern instead.  I have several pieces of Victorian glassware that need a home as well as various other antiques.  Still working on that.

Steve is working on some interior painting that needs doing, and I am currently working on the kids' photo albums...organizing and consolidating...then onto the many plastic bins of my boys' mementos that have collected over the years.  Basically the question is, do we want to move and then store things, do we want to strongly suggest the kids' take their stuff, do we want to sell stuff, donate stuff or throw stuff out!  And that's for everything in the house!  Phew!

This first trip out is to Maine for a week where my mom is renting a cottage for the month of July.  We are staying at Sunset Point Trailer Park in Lubec, ME...we have stayed there before...the campground is on the Eastern-most piece of land in the U.S.  $40 a night for W/E/cable.  I thought this was reasonable for the height of the season.  We are about half-way there in a Walmart parking lot in Waterville, ME. Steve is going to go into the store after supper and buy some corn muffins...an ongoing camping treat for him!