August 27, 2005

So much to report. I did go into computer black out when I stayed on Lake Bomoseen as I suspected. No cell service either. The weather turned quite cool and windy for the first couple of days. Blew hard from the north on the heels of a cold front. My camp site was quiet at night which is always a blessing. I did some biking with my daughter and grandson. The hills were incredible and me, who rarely walks, walked a few times. But the way I look at it, I am getting excellent cross training. The first morning after I arrived, my daughter and grandson came to my door surprising me. They came by kayak. We launched Namaskar, my kayak, and went on down the lake together. I have a photo of that trip which I will post. The lake is lovely surrounded by mountains, it is 12 miles long and a mile, I think, at it's widest point. Monday night, my grown children took me out to dinner at the famed Greek restaurant in Fair Haven, Vt, the Fair Haven Inn. Our dear friend is the chef there. I had halibut steak prepared with phyllo dough in a gourmet Greek manner. It was superb! Yes, since it was my birthday celebration, I had dessert too, a chocolate/rasberry moose cake and a specialty coffee. Wow! I had to bike and kayak all week to burn all that. I feel as though I have been eating my way around Vermont and upstate New York since I arrived here. Back on the road, the fare will be meager and I will shed the few lbs I may have gained. I thought the birthday was done but on Wednesday, my family had a cookout on the Lake so the grandkids could celebrate with me. What a hoot! More great food (pies instead of birthday cake) and lots of fun. It was a memorable birthday. I missed my Virginia family but will see them in September or October.
Came back to my sister's yesterday. We went to the Washington County Fair in Greenwich, NY late in the day. I enjoy the tractor pulling and the dairy displays. This is a true agricultural fair. One must watch the ground not to step in cow poop. I also marvel at the food booths intermingled with the dairy barns. It is a family affair and definitely about farms and farmers. They have a huge milking parlor gallery to watch the twice a day ritual. Stewarts takes the milk. I watched a milking contest where many politicians particapated. One local pastor was presented with a goat to milk. It was all in fun. We ran into our cousins, Elinor and Bob, as we sat on the bleachers watching the tractor pull. Today, Saratoga celebrates the running of the Traverse. Sebastian was under the weather with a nasty ear infection from the soapy water that groomer who butched him a week ago must have sprayed in his ear. Ouch! I filled Bearfoot with gasoline in Bomoseen on the way over to Hartford at $2.49 a gal which is probably the cheapest gas in the area. The weather is once again hot and beautiful. The pool awaits me but Bearfoot needs a bath. Will post photos on a separate post --

August 21, 2005

I slept in this morning. Bashey and I were curled up together in our snug little nest while the trees dripped on the roof after the heavy rain during the night. We didn't get to bed very early either since we went to a party next door. It was called a Sippalooza. Actually, the neighbors are Polish and most of the guests were too. I have never seen beer spigots on a refrigerated truck before. Impressive! There was a great local polka band. I just love to polka as well as dance in general. I had my chance several times and even though the dance floor was concrete, it was wonderful fun. I did run up to Bearfoot to change from my flip flops to sneakers though. So much food to choose from too. I over did it on the chocolate desserts. I think there were close to 300 people there and they partied well into the night. I came up to Bearfoot early and put my ear plugs in when I laid down. But that chocolate kept me fidgeting for a couple of hours and then the rains came.

I did go biking today. It was like a sauna bath out on the road. Now everything is nearly packed up and ready to roll for tomorrows trip to Lake Bomoseen Campground for a few days. My daughter and her family are there in a cottage nearby. They are kayakers and bikers too so I will be active this week. I am looking forward to it. I bought a cover for my new bike because it usually rides on the ladder in the back of Bearfoot. It didn't come with any instructions. Now I am trying to find out which way it goes on. Since this is a short trip, I think I will carry the bike right in the coach.

I don't know what the internet service will be like up on the lake but will try to post as often as I can. I may have to wait until I return here to Hartford. We'll see----